YAY! Tests are coming to an end! I finished one more today. Next week leaves only 3 tests/presentations or whatever things. Umm that's all I guess...
I dunno what else to talk about sorry, all I have been up to for the last week is study - test. study - test. study - another test. bleagh... it's almost over, I guess, that is as far tests and school stuff is concerned.
Oh, one short thing: I saw Death Note the movie 2 the last name. It was really engaging!! That's all.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Shizuoka Mayor 静岡の市長
Well, guess what? I got up today, and while munching on some senbei (rice cracker thingy) I put on my suit. Only to discover two things: No tie, and it's raining. So, leaving with Nick and Ouji we headed for city hall threatening to hail a taxi the entire time. Luckily we made it to city hall without getting drenched thanks to our umbrellas.
After a short meeting with Harasawa sensei we proceeded by elevator to the 8th floor via the eleventh floor.... why the elevator couldn't stop on the 8th floor I still don't understand. There we met up with two men from the mayor's office who we exchanged greetings and were informed of the order they wanted us to sit in the Mayor's office. Then after 5 minutes of akward silence we were allowed to enter into the Mayor's office.
It was really interesting. We all got a little introduction and then in between either conversation by the two office workers or the Mayor, we got asked questions like "What sort of culture shock have you experienced?" "How's Japan?" and other little questions. Although, I think the best thing I have to take from the experience is that the Mayor mentioned the Huskers and asked how they were doing this year. It turns out he had been to a game when in the US one time. Sweet.
I'll have pictures when they get back to Harasawa-sensei from the Mayor's office.
Well, to switch notes...
It feels like a lot has happened this week but really not too much has happened I think... Next week is chock full of reports and tests so I am getting busy with all sorts of preparatory work... but besides that I should be in bed now but there's a party going on. Sasha (pronounced zasha), one of the germans, has his Ping pong club here in the next room so I got to know them a little. I learned the kanji for "eagle."
Besides that I haven't gone anywhere today... at all. We are in a Typhoon threat area. Actually it has been raining and blowing all day pretty hard... it seems to have laid off a little but it was pretty bad earlier. Btw we had a little argument here today about Hurricane and Typhoon and what was the difference. Checked Webster. A Typhoon is a Hurricane that occurs in the region of the Phillipines or China sea. Otherwise they both mean big ugly rainy storm.... or storm with over 76mph winds that is ocean based.
To take advantage of the time indoors I made mochi... more on that later. I have to work on my presentation about my experience... :)
After a short meeting with Harasawa sensei we proceeded by elevator to the 8th floor via the eleventh floor.... why the elevator couldn't stop on the 8th floor I still don't understand. There we met up with two men from the mayor's office who we exchanged greetings and were informed of the order they wanted us to sit in the Mayor's office. Then after 5 minutes of akward silence we were allowed to enter into the Mayor's office.
It was really interesting. We all got a little introduction and then in between either conversation by the two office workers or the Mayor, we got asked questions like "What sort of culture shock have you experienced?" "How's Japan?" and other little questions. Although, I think the best thing I have to take from the experience is that the Mayor mentioned the Huskers and asked how they were doing this year. It turns out he had been to a game when in the US one time. Sweet.
I'll have pictures when they get back to Harasawa-sensei from the Mayor's office.
Well, to switch notes...
It feels like a lot has happened this week but really not too much has happened I think... Next week is chock full of reports and tests so I am getting busy with all sorts of preparatory work... but besides that I should be in bed now but there's a party going on. Sasha (pronounced zasha), one of the germans, has his Ping pong club here in the next room so I got to know them a little. I learned the kanji for "eagle."
Besides that I haven't gone anywhere today... at all. We are in a Typhoon threat area. Actually it has been raining and blowing all day pretty hard... it seems to have laid off a little but it was pretty bad earlier. Btw we had a little argument here today about Hurricane and Typhoon and what was the difference. Checked Webster. A Typhoon is a Hurricane that occurs in the region of the Phillipines or China sea. Otherwise they both mean big ugly rainy storm.... or storm with over 76mph winds that is ocean based.
To take advantage of the time indoors I made mochi... more on that later. I have to work on my presentation about my experience... :)
Friday, July 6, 2007
Newt/gecko! イモリ・ヤモリ
-6-
As requested by my cousin I am supposed to throw up some Engrish examples. Exhibit A is a Women's clothing store.
I guess I spoke too soon. About the bike that is. I got a flat Thursday, this time in the front tire. I fixed it Friday. Yeesh... all my luck.
Exhibit B is .. well.. maybe a salon, I am not sure.
I went to a japanese tea ceremony thing at school Friday with a bunch of other exchange students a group of korean students visiting Shizuoka. It was pretty amusing. Most of us/nearly all of us really have no clue how to participate in tea ceremony. So, there were lots of mistakes and funny occurences but I still am not sure I could explain the details of tea ceremony right.
Basically, we all entered the place and after they shifted us around into a circle around the edge of the room, the passing of the kashi(candy.. kinda). Before you take your kashi off the tray and set it in front of you, you have to bow and say something like "I'll go ahead of you." Then you wait until everyone has done so and then you slowly unwrap it and eat it. When finished you carefully wrap up the remains(leaf/packaging etc) and make it pretty.
At this point the actually tea part begins. In a nutshell, you get tea along with bowing and picking up the cup with your right hand and placing it on your left hand. Then before you drink you make the part that is before you at the beginning switch to the opposite side with 3 turns.
Then when you are done you do the same thing in reverse. Then more bowing etc.
We all got to try our hand at whisking the tea properly. . . my partner said he couldn't get it right but I got told that I did a really good job. . . not that I had any clue what I was doing. I just mimiced to the best of my ability.
In another story, I was looking through the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan (english version from 1983) , something I have been doing pretty often, and found something kind of disturbing. In the Adultry「姦通罪」 section in reads, : "Until the 1947 revision of the Penal code, Japan's adultry laws punished women far more severely than men. Under the present code, however, adultery is no longer a criminal act." The fact of the matter is that I don't know if this still holds true but the entry goes on to explain the past laws and how the postwar constitution's part on equality prevents such as being a criminal act. Also, towards the end it mentions that the decision was also partially based in Japan's tolerance for husbands' extramarital affairs. Also, "Adultery is still considered grounds for divorce." Oh, random entry thing too, you are considered an adult in Japan once you become 20.
Another random thing is that the sigting of a small creature in the hallway on the second floor here. A not wholly unwelcome critter, and more importantly not a cockroach or a spider. We had a gecho/newt, and while the jury is still out as to what it is was... it is undeniably cute.
なんか言いたい事があったんだけどな～ 覚えていないけど。。。
ドカーン、自爆。 結局覚えてない。。
ま、最近天気はそんな悪くないと思う。 ただ暑い。。 ま そういう事と言いたいけど 今雨を降るのはまた始まった。。。
As requested by my cousin I am supposed to throw up some Engrish examples. Exhibit A is a Women's clothing store.I guess I spoke too soon. About the bike that is. I got a flat Thursday, this time in the front tire. I fixed it Friday. Yeesh... all my luck.
Exhibit B is .. well.. maybe a salon, I am not sure.I went to a japanese tea ceremony thing at school Friday with a bunch of other exchange students a group of korean students visiting Shizuoka. It was pretty amusing. Most of us/nearly all of us really have no clue how to participate in tea ceremony. So, there were lots of mistakes and funny occurences but I still am not sure I could explain the details of tea ceremony right.
Basically, we all entered the place and after they shifted us around into a circle around the edge of the room, the passing of the kashi(candy.. kinda). Before you take your kashi off the tray and set it in front of you, you have to bow and say something like "I'll go ahead of you." Then you wait until everyone has done so and then you slowly unwrap it and eat it. When finished you carefully wrap up the remains(leaf/packaging etc) and make it pretty.At this point the actually tea part begins. In a nutshell, you get tea along with bowing and picking up the cup with your right hand and placing it on your left hand. Then before you drink you make the part that is before you at the beginning switch to the opposite side with 3 turns.
Then when you are done you do the same thing in reverse. Then more bowing etc.We all got to try our hand at whisking the tea properly. . . my partner said he couldn't get it right but I got told that I did a really good job. . . not that I had any clue what I was doing. I just mimiced to the best of my ability.
In another story, I was looking through the Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan (english version from 1983) , something I have been doing pretty often, and found something kind of disturbing. In the Adultry「姦通罪」 section in reads, : "Until the 1947 revision of the Penal code, Japan's adultry laws punished women far more severely than men. Under the present code, however, adultery is no longer a criminal act." The fact of the matter is that I don't know if this still holds true but the entry goes on to explain the past laws and how the postwar constitution's part on equality prevents such as being a criminal act. Also, towards the end it mentions that the decision was also partially based in Japan's tolerance for husbands' extramarital affairs. Also, "Adultery is still considered grounds for divorce." Oh, random entry thing too, you are considered an adult in Japan once you become 20.
Another random thing is that the sigting of a small creature in the hallway on the second floor here. A not wholly unwelcome critter, and more importantly not a cockroach or a spider. We had a gecho/newt, and while the jury is still out as to what it is was... it is undeniably cute.なんか言いたい事があったんだけどな～ 覚えていないけど。。。
ドカーン、自爆。 結局覚えてない。。
ま、最近天気はそんな悪くないと思う。 ただ暑い。。 ま そういう事と言いたいけど 今雨を降るのはまた始まった。。。
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Watermelon? 西瓜
-8-
Watermelons are 'spensive here but I found some at the dollar store, slices that is. For only a DOLLAR!!!!! Which is phenomal because a soccer ball sized watermelon typically costs 10+ dollars ... yeesh. Haven't eaten the watermelon yet but it looks good.
Fact you can ignore if you would like but I encountered a little creature in the kitchen the other night. Good news is he is now dead, bad news is he was a cockroach. Did you know that if you only smash their abdomen and then attempt to clean up with a tissue that the legs still function just fine??? Nothing quite like the shock of the all the legs flailing when you think the things already dead… especially at one in the morning.
Watermelons are 'spensive here but I found some at the dollar store, slices that is. For only a DOLLAR!!!!! Which is phenomal because a soccer ball sized watermelon typically costs 10+ dollars ... yeesh. Haven't eaten the watermelon yet but it looks good.
Survived Korean test barely… ouch. Not much to say here except when I see the Japanese I can’t seem to remember the korean but if I see the korean I can typically remember what it means. So, I think I might have gotten 11-12 out of 20 right on the last test… mostly because I only answered 15 of the questions.
Fact you can ignore if you would like but I encountered a little creature in the kitchen the other night. Good news is he is now dead, bad news is he was a cockroach. Did you know that if you only smash their abdomen and then attempt to clean up with a tissue that the legs still function just fine??? Nothing quite like the shock of the all the legs flailing when you think the things already dead… especially at one in the morning.
申しは 「申うし」 ではないですね。
でも申し暇だったらご覧ください
匿名のクラスメートへ
多分私の名前でも知らないでしょう。 私もあなたの名前にも知っていませんが今二ヶ月以上同じ授業を受けてます。 申し良かったらあなたの事ちょってでも知りたいんですから今週の金曜日“お茶”でもどうですか。 六時半駅と近いスタバで会わないですか。私は一人で座っていても飲み物を二杯持ちます。
無名のクラスメートより
そして僕の日本語は本当にまだまだと思っているんだけど 申し僕は日本語で挨拶をしたら その「日本語で話した！！」か「日本語うまいですね」と言う反応は嫌だと思う。 特にもう二ヶ月以上その人を知り合いとしていていた。 わかてくれるかな～。
六級
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