It's Official.

Today I had to officially resign from the tennis team. This included me explaining how I have no time for tennis to every person on the tennis team. We all stood in a circle and all eyes were on me while I spoke... talk about strict. After I did that, I don't think I had a time when I felt more empty. Almost as if I was left behind... I just got so sad. It's strange how the longer you stay in Japan, the more foreign you feel. I was walking down the street and even though there were people all around me, I felt like I was put in a bubble. A "gaijin" bubble. It is the same feeling you get when you are treated as a guest in someone's house... and no matter how close you become to your Japanese friends, you are still the outsider.

Even though I have been here for a month already I feel that my Japanese has not improved. Some days it almost feels like I'm back to square one and don't understand a thing.. and on other days I can understand all the conversations. It's so strange. Language is such a large barrier... and Japanese is definitely difficult. The more vague you are in a conversation, the more polite you are. I can feel myself leaning towards more foreigners and I have to force myself to stop every time. I guess it doesn't help the fact that I quit tennis... all the girls there were so nice. They all said we should still be friends, but knowing their grueling schedule, I am afraid that meeting up may be difficult.

At least without tennis I am free to choose what I want to do now. Speaking of which, I may be heading to Kyoto this weekend :) If I buy my ticket tomorrow everything should work out ^__^ and not to leave on a sad note.... tomorrow I am making veggie pizza for my host family!!! I am so excited!!! ... and so is my host mom. She was like "I don't have to cook tomorrow??!! (happy face)" I'll make sure to take a photo :)

Yay!!

So following up on previous blogs... I have quit the tennis team!! Yay!!! Since quitting, life has gotten better and less stressful. Today CIEE had a picnic for all the kids and their host families. I even got to dress up in a Yukata. I took several photos so check them out! I feel as though my entries are less frequent... lol cause they are, but still... it's not quite as easy to write everyday.

On a totally random note, I am going to tell you some train stories. Yesterday I saw the most perfect couple/ family ever. Both the wife and husband were young and were dressed up. The dad had a suit, and in front had this pouch carrier with a tiny baby inside... and the wife had a stroller. SO CUTE!! Oh and the day before yesterday I saw a woman in the train wearing insanely high shoes. After a little while, the train jerked a bit, and the woman fell on her face. Major face plant. Her hands were on both sides too... I felt so bad, but nobody helped her up. One lady asked if she was ok, but the woman just said she was fine. Here in Japan... if you help someone its kinda weird. Especially if I was to do it. Since I am in fact a Gaijin and thus an outsider. I found out that a lot of people here hate foreigners. For example a girl from my CIEE group constantly gets dirty looks, and one old Japanese woman even spit at her feet and told her to "go back (home)."

By the way... I MISS FRUITS!!!!! I miss being able to eat a bunch of fruits... even though its Japan and you think you eat healthy... the fruits and vegetables here is so expensive that its not common to eat one with a meal :( There is also no such thing as Salad Works... or any place where you could have a salad with a meal. It just doesn't exist.

Well that's all for today. Tomorrow I pick up my alien registration card, and my national health insurance.

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I can't do this.. I just can't quit. I don't know why I feel so guilty in quitting. Maybe I should stick it out for a little longer? AGH!! I don't know!!!

I have been going through this so many times in my head... the Japanese practice is perfect for me... the dedication in being in the match... not so much. To quit or not to quit... that is the question. I think my brain may explode before I reach the answer.

:(

Ok so I am most definitely quitting the tennis club. As super sad I am to leave all the wonderful people, I have a short time in Japan and I want to be able to explore. With practice and its other daily activities, I barely have time for anything let alone hw. The only scary part now... is to break the news to everyone. This really kind of sucks.

Also I want to quit for the sake of my blog. It might get a bit too boring if all I write about ever is my experience with tennis. Ugh... such a tough choice. Any input would be appreciated.

Tennis Match!

Today I had to wake up at 5:30 in the freakin morning to get ready to go to a tennis match. Since I'm not a regular, my sole purpose is to be like the energizer bunny. I cheer and clap ALL day. In order to not fall asleep on the train, my soundtrack was as loud and crazy as possible. Example:

This is a current favorite ^__^ Great for all you joggers out there. I am so exhausted... luckily I got to watch an amazing tennis match! Unfortunately, that comes with a price. The captain has asked all the freshman/ newbies to write a reaction paper regarding the match today. Basically I have to write about any mistakes I saw, any positive aspects, and also improvements. Blah. Talk about strict right? If I can't make a practice, or if I will be coming late, I have to report to my captain ahead of time to let her know.

I am getting better at remembering the names of my team members.. and I think they are starting to understand that they can speak to me in Japanese. They are even trying to improve it when I speak!! I'm so happy!

The club is insanely time consuming... but it's also awesome. They really do form a tight knit bond... even with the courts too. I never knew just how lucky we had it back home... with all of our courts being all-weather courts. In Sophia, the official tennis club uses courts made out of clay. A good hour and a half of our 5 hr practice is dedicated to 'bonding with the court'. Since it is clay, if it is too dry it will crack so we have to water it at the end of every practice. It's just like crafts class... while making your clay pot you cover it with a wet cloth to prevent cracks from forming. Same deal.

So anyways, if it rained one day, the next day we go around poking the ground to see where it is the mushiest. Also the rain usually means that some of the clay/ sand got washed to one side... so us being the dutiful freshman, we have to fill in those gaps to make sure it doesn't get worse. Then if the court is a little mushy in areas you must put sand on top. Afterward there is this mini truck/ car thing that acts as a rolling pin that you must drive around the court and flatten it. The final step is to clear up the white line markers on the court.

As you can see, we take care of our baby. If some idiot does shit to it, you bet we'll get pissed off.... especially after we slaved away at it for so long. It really really makes me appreciate the courts back home.

Today I almost died laughing when a girl on the team pointed to my eyes and said you have such long eyebrows... she meant eyelashes :P She was so cute and got so embarrassed afterward. Oh man...

I do kind of miss the way we talk in the states. I don't think I could get away with dirty sarcasm here at all. Or just even sarcasm in general... I feel like a bit of me died a little..

So today overall was a beautiful and productive day! It was sunny and I even got a nice rosy glow to my face. Tomorrow is going to be another awesome day, but after that... rain :'(

Freezing my Ass off...

Yeah so it's incredibly cold. Not only did it rain ALL day today, but the rain has turned to ice. Many of the cars in the parking lot by my apartment are covered by a thin layer of ice/snow. Even the ground is starting to get a bit mushy.

Today I had basketball practice, where I met a bunch more new people, and everyone was very nice ^__^ I didn't want to risk the knee so I just sat and watched the practice. Afterward I went to dinner with a friend who showed me a great little restaurant in west Shinjuku. Then we met up with more peeps to sing karaoke. I found out that after seven, karaoke prices go way up :(

This entry is a bit short. Tomorrow I have tennis practice again :) Aside from the shitty weather, I did get a package from home... which I have yet to pick up, but I know it's there ^__^ Can't wait until Monday!!

Random..

Nothing too new or exciting going on in the school department, but I did buy my Japanese text books today. Three books cost me 80 dollars... and I have to buy the second volume for the second half of the semester. Luckily my friend is lending me one of the books, so I don't have to buy it :) and all my other classes use this website called Moodle to update PDF files. Hehe... moodle.... that's such a funny word. It makes me giggle every time I say it :P

Speaking of random, during dinner my host mom, Mayuki-chan, and I watched the most bizarre show ever. I think they were comedians... or at least I hope they were getting some money for what they were doing. The show consisted of three guys going to a restaurant and eating every item on the menu that the restaurant offered. They had a time limit and a couple short breaks. I never knew that there were so many different types of curry... by the 20th or so plate, my host mom and I were kind of disgusted... but we kept watching anyways. The three guys also had to have the sides, appetizers, desserts, and everything off the children's menu too. It was so gross. You could actually see their stomachs grow. Talk about your food coma... I don't think I would ever be able to eat as much as they did.

Tomorrow I'm trying out a class that starts at 9 in the morning. I'm going to have to wake up a WHOLE lot earlier than what I'm used to, but I would rather finish up all my classes early than have to stay at school until 8 pm. That way I can explore the wonderful city of Tokyo ^__^ Tomorrow I also have basketball practice, followed by dinner with friends and KARAOKE!!! WOOOO!!!!! I'll make some ears bleed tomorrow. hehe oh well. The price of my friendship :P

Well... since I have to wake up early, I can't write a whole lot.... so GOOD NIGHT!!!

School Life

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay on the blogging... I've been a tad busy. A lot has happened since I last blogged. School has started!!! I already picked out three of the four that I am supposed to have, and I still need to get one more... blah. It's a lot harder than it sounds. For starters, the block type scheduling here is so frustrating because all the interesting classes are at the same time :( Also some that I want to take have nothing to do with Japan, so I won't get credit for it back home. The rest of the classes are just way too freakin hard and too much work. I'm trying to take it easy ;)

Also club wise... I joined the official Sophia University tennis team!!! It's a club and they are SUPER intense. I love it. We meet three times a week, and the practices run for 5 hours. On the days that we don't have practice, people are encouraged to go to the weight room and lift. This Sunday the regulars have a match that the freshman go to to act as cheerleaders. Everyone on the team is so AMAZING!!!! On of our girls is in the 16th place in all of Tokyo area. The coach that comes to train us once in a while has trained some pro Japanese tennis players. They are so fun to watch! I can't wait for the Sunday match. Oh also on the TOTALLY random note... I popped my knee out during practice yesterday. Of course it would happen to me of all people. It was pretty swollen yesterday and I had to limp... but today the swelling has gone down immensely and doesn't hurt as bad. I still went to today's tennis practice though. I didn't actually play tennis, but I did go to the weight room with another girl and we did upper body lifting. I am going to be so jacked in a month. Haha just kidding... :P

Anyways when I came home, which was around 10 pm, my host mom made Taco rice. The taco in this case is referring to the Mexican taco.. and not the octopus 'taco'. It was so good. Basically its rice, then you put cheese, tomato, taco ground beef, and then salsa on top. It was so good especially since the last time I ate was at 12:30 and consisted of a cup of tea and one lonely onigiri. It was really good though.

So I can't write too much because I have a Kanji quiz tomorrow, but I am meeting new people from all over the world, and have experienced my first all you can eat Okonomiyaki place! Kimchi okonomiyaki is SO good!!! I highly recommend :)

Tennis, and Karaoke ^__^

Yesterday I had my first tennis practice!!!! It wasn't that intense... which I'm a little sad about. It was very short, but still fun. After the practice, we had a ohanami, which is a picnic under the cherry blossoms where we got to know the members better. It would have been more fun if it wasn't so damn cold. At least it didn't rain :)

After that we had a nomikai... that's an all you can drink gathering, and there was food too. I think this part of the night was the funniest. Japanese people are truly cheap drunks. At least the ones that we hung out with. Most of the guys got drunk and then tried to hit on all the new girls. Haha like peacocks fluffing their feathers. At one point of the night they even started to show off their 'skills' at dancing... I can't even describe how funny that looks. I don't even know if what they were doing was considered as dancing.... I almost choked from laughing so hard. Dancing was followed by impersonations of the Dragon Ball Z characters, and the kamehameha thing. (totally butchered that spelling.. my bad.) I have no clue how they can get so drunk. The juice to alcohol ratio was probably like 9:1.

The nomikai ended at 9 pm, and everyone wanted to go to a karaoke afterwards. I am proud to say I was able to read the hiragana fast enough to sing some of the Japanese songs too :) The last song we all belted to was A Whole New World.... Sho funny :P Also in the karaoke room they give you these half tambourine things, which are incredibly loud. One of the guys was so drunk that he went crazy with shaking those tambourines to the point where his knuckles and hands were bleeding. Now that is some hard core karaoke-ing.

The rest of the tennis club was going to pull an all nighter singing, but I left early. I was so exhausted and ready to pass out. Overall yesterday was a great day to work out my laughing muscles :D

By the way... if any of your comments are regarding the blog, please comment on this site rather than Facebook.

Thank you for all your previous comments! ^__^

Oh Shit its an..... EARTHQUAKE!!!

Haha just kidding... we just had an earthquake simulation. It was pretty awesome, and considering how our group was second to last to go, our earthquake was a shallow one.... which basically means it starts off right away, and gets bad really fast. The simulation was done in a room that resembled a kitchen. As soon as we felt the tremors of an earthquake we had to cover our heads with a cushion... that was oh so conveniently on the kitchen table. Didn't you know? All families just HAPPEN to have a cushion on their tables... duh... our simulation was of a level 7 earthquake. Some pots even fell down. The last group to go experienced a blackout during their earthquake. Even though I was supposed to be frightened... it was pretty sweet.

Anyways, before the earthquake simulation, we had a simulation of a house caught on fire, and what you would do. To help us out with this, we watched an education film... where the main character died and passed out in almost every situation. Rather than being the 'how to stay safe' video, it was more the 'how many different ways can you die' video. So after the video each group went into a room where a smoke detector sounded. As soon as you hear that you have to crouch low and go towards the walls... also if you have any cloth, cover your nose and mouth. You have to make sure you crouch low or else a buzzer sounds saying you are too high up.

There are several doors in the 'house' but only the one we need is open (they try to trick you). The best part about these simulations is that you can see the group before you on a TV screen. Haha it's like a game show. There are cameras throughout the simulation so you can see everyone laughing from all angles. One of my friends brought a camera in with him, so when we watched his group on the screen, you can see several flashes go off. The smoke is turned on at the start with Group 1, so the later groups have a smokier 'house' to go through.

After those simulations, we were taught how to use the extinguisher. Instead of the white foam, they filled them with water. Then they projected a fake fire on a screen that we had to put out. At the end of all the simulations, we got to watch a video. It was supposed to be really serious, but everyone laughed. You probably would too if you heard a Japanese person's voice dubbed over in English with an Australian accent. Also the English lines were so limited... one of the characters kept asking this one woman "are you ok? are you ok? lets go." and "Pull yourself together." The woman was directing these questions towards a grandmother who was trapped under a bookshelf. Then the lines repeat again in the street ... and then again throughout the video. So.... that was the end of that.

By the way, today I joined the tennis team, and also the SISEC club :) There are like 15 different types of tennis teams, depending on how serious they are. Unfortunately I was rejected from 4 of them because I am here for only one semester :( So sad... oh well.

Blah..

Nothing too interesting happened today... but I will clue you in on a random fact. For one thing, unlike America's whole aisle of cereal choices, Japan has about 3 or 4 different types. I am craving some lucky charms... or even Honey Bunches of Oats. Oh and I also got the results of my Japanese placement test! I scored into level 2... which is not super, but it's not bad either. I'm content with my placement. Other than that... there are no more life changing events that occurred to me today.

:(

I had such a nice long blog entry... but then the internet froze, and I lost it all... :( No I have a headache and am just too tired to write it all over again... but no worries... I will still update the photos. Hope everyone enjoys them ^__^

Picnic, Karaoke, and way too much food...

Although unbelievable, I woke up at 6:45 am to go jogging with my host dad while Mayuki took her bike. It was chilly, but a nice way to wake up :) Later we had our first picnic under the cherry blossoms. After our jog, my host dad went back to the park to reserve a spot.

Unfortunately the weather sucked... it was cloudy and really cold. All of us still went a bit camera crazy even if the weather did not agree. Also two birdies from our badminton game broke... but we still had a good time cause we played several drinking games, and sang a whole lot. A group next to us danced too!! Like drunken ballroom style dancing. Even though it was freezing, the kids had ice cream and shaved ice that they bought from the mini tents. I tried the shaved ice and it was sweet and delicious ^__^

After the picnic, where the adults got buzzed... they decided that we should go to a karaoke. In the karaoke room, it's as if my host mom turned into a school girl. She was bouncing around and dancing something her friend and her had previously choreographed. When it was my turn, I realized that my voice totally sucks ass. Despite this, I sang two songs: 'Suddenly I See' and 'The Yellow Submarine.' The book where you can choose songs is MASSIVE!!! You really need to know what you want to sing or you will get lost.

When it was time for the kids to sing, it felt like "Alvin and the Chipmunks" were sitting on my shoulder and screaming in my ear.... but the kids were so cute that I really couldn't complain. They too had choreographed moves. My host dad was hysterical. His tune was way off, but he was so into the song!! After we went over a friend's house and we ate and drank some more.... I am so stuffed. Still another awesome day in Tokyo ^__^

Okonomiyaki Night \(^_^)/

So today I finally got in some exercise. After about two weeks worth of just eating and sleeping, I was definitely out of shape. My jogging consisted of half jogging/ half power walking/ half staring at the the trees and meandering through the park... there is a large park by the apartment, where rows of cherry blossom trees are. Today there was a Sakura blossom festival with large blow up bounce things for kids to go into. There were also various stands for food, and little games. Surprisingly Japan is a huge fan of kabob places... or so it seems because there are kabob joins all over Tokyo, as well as small stands at this festival.

The park is HUGE because there are several tennis courts, along with tennis courts with a wall... for those single players who can't find a partner :( and also a baseball field, a track (although its more like a giant dirt circle) and also golf/ cricket type field, a couple of streams, and also just plain grassy areas where SO MANY people have picnics. Speaking of which... my host family and their friends are having one tomorrow!! I will make sure to take lots of photos :)

Tonight my host dad made Okonomiyaki which was SOOO incredibly delicious. For those who don't know what it is, Okonomiyaki translates to "somethings that I love" ... at least that was what I was told. First you make a doughy substance with special flour, then add chopped up cabbage. After that you just throw in anything you like. For ours we used shrimp, cheddar cheese, and scallions. We had this heated plate, which you could probably get away with using a pancake hot plate, and cooked it. Afterward my host dad cooked small strips of bacon and topped it. But thats not all... once that's all cooked, you get to top it with special Okonomiyaki sauce, mayo (in Japan mayo is actual delicious), fishy flakes, and greens. My lovely meal was accompanied by an apple beer that had 3% alcohol... haha I'm so hardcore :P By the way I took photos so take a look!

Currently I am in a food coma... but it was worth it. Tomorrow morning my host dad and I are going jogging again at 7 in the morning!!!!! After we will have the picnic. Haha I feel like all I do here is eat amazing food.... and take a photo of it. By the way, tonight at the dinner table I heard the story of how my host parents met. It was hysterical hearing their individual sides and the initial impressions. They are way too funny :D

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By the way, just to comment. That guy in the photo is leaning up against a stranger. He later started moaning and talking in his sleep. I had to bite my lip from holding back my laughter...

Just another day in Tokyo

So today I had my Japanese placement test. Glad that's over. Honestly though, it wasn't that bad... kind of. The kanji became really difficult really fast, but the grammar portion seemed easier than I expected. Afterward we had a party to welcome all the international students. It was really cool when the karate club performed.. they asked for volunteers after their performance and this tiny girl came up. But seriously... her kicks were so strong you could hear the contact like BAM! That just shows you should never judge a book by its cover. Even a tiny Japanese girl can have a bit of Jackie Chan in her. After that four people, including me, went out celebrating. Others went too, but we separated.

For food we decided to go to Shinjuku and found this place that costs only 270 yen for everything!! There are also no waiters and everything was done from a electronic pad at the table. Pretty awesome... Before that we also hit a bar and got a drink to toast the end of the placement test ^^ Yay!!! So many people were incredibly stressed for it.

On the way home.. I once again got lost at the Shinjuku station, and this girl with really good English helped out us. Turns out she goes to Sophia too!! and we exchanged infos :) Her friend was the one who designed the cool black and purple bags that Sophia students were giving out. After I finally sat down on the station we went two stops and at another stop.. the train just stopped. Everyone got out. All of a sudden you see these cops trying to drag a girl out. I had no clue what the hell was going on... I just switched to the other train that was heading home. I'll let the cops deal with the situation. On that train though was the most hysterical scene EVER. I almost burst out laughing from seeing this. I posted the photo below in a different post.

Now I am home, updating my blog, checking email, and will probably pass out soon :)

Just another day in Tokyo

Crazy Night of Fun XD

So this happened two nights ago... but I forgot to update the blog. My bad. The night was so crazy awesome!!! I first met up with my friend Mark, and his two friends. By met up, I mean I got lost at the Shinjuku station and had them come find me :P Shinjuku station is one of the biggest stations and has so many entrances... its not even funny. Basically for any possible direction on a compass... Shinjuku has the exit to match it. After asking 4 people for directions, I finally had Mark and co. come find me. I felt that it was the right decision.

After we met up, and all the introductions were over with, we walked to some local bar in what is basically the Red Light district of Japan. I was informed that guys who travel alone through this area are chased down and convinced to go to some (and I quote) "Titi-bar." Luckily this did not happen to us... although I think it would have been entertaining. The bar we went to was really nice, and the drinks and food were really good!! Unfortunately I'm blanking on the name.

After the bar, we walked around and finally decided on staying out all night, and going to a club called Feria. Considering how it was Tuesday night, it was pretty much empty and was more like another bar. The entrance fee is 1000 yen (= 10 bucks) and covers 3 drinks for girls, or 2 drinks if you are a guy. We sat for a bit on the first floor, where the music was blasting like crazy, and after went to the third floor. It was quiet and there was hardly anybody there. We just sat at the bar, and eventually made friends with the bartender. He was hysterical with impressions and his English was really good!! His girlfriend is adorable!! <-- He showed us some photos :)

A little while later this Japanese guy sat down by us. I think he was pretty tipsy at this point and ordered a champagne bottle. The cheapest one starts at 160$$. Craziness. Anyways, the bartender was like you guys want a glass? The guy overheard that it was one of our birthdays soon, so he toasted. After that bottle was finished... one of our friends ordered another bottle. Haha bottle wars ^__^ The mystery man (don't know his name) was just smitten with our AMAZING Japanese speaking ability (total lie) so he ordered another two bottles of red wine, and bought food for us. Even though it sounds it... it wasn't sketch at all.

By the way.... small side note... in Japan if you can say "konnichiwa" everyone automatically says "Jyozu ne!!" which sort of translates to "Wow your Japanese is so good!" This is a total lie and in all honestly your Japanese probably sucks. If a Japanese person were to come to the U.S. and say "Hello," we would probably be like "wuts up?" or "what do you want?" Japanese people are very encouraging ne?

So back to the story, the mystery guy ended up pretty much spending 1000 dollars on us. The bartender drank too and so did another server! Even the owner of the club came down and met with us. It sort of feels like a dream now. It was so much fun!! Haha the bartender even gave us his business card and said that if we came back another night, we should let him know and we can be on his guest list. Aka cheaper entrance fee ^__^ Talk about totally sweet!

Currently it is Thursday and my placement exam is tomorrow :( At 8 pm I was supposed to register for my classes back at GW, but unfortunately I am an idiot. I completely forgot my GWeb password, and after guessing a couple of times, I have been banned. Cry me a river... Now I have to wait till who knows when to sign up for my classes. As I said on Facebook.... this is definitely an FML situation.