Adventures of a Baka gaijin (stupid foreigner)

Walking around with Kotaro this weekend, I realized something that probably the Japanese don`t even notice. There are an incredible number of ads. Everywhere. All the time. Bright colors, attractive signs, cheery music, etc. All. The. Time. Even on loop. I pondered what it would be like to work in a store with annoyingly cheerful music on loop. The results were grim. I wouldn't last a shift.

It has been starting to get tough. I don't know

how to say what I want to say, and it gets incredibly frustrating. However, everyone is so incredibly patient. If I don't understand, they speak more slowly, use smaller words, or offer me a dictionary.

There have been a couple of times when I've wanted to break down. One was after coming back from Nagoya for the first time, and just being so "bo-ke," or "stupid tired" that I wanted to crawl into bed and not get out, ever. That passed, luckily and I made it a few more days before it happened again. When I tried to call Dad using my computer and he didn't pick up, it was tough. I just wanted to hear a familiar voice, speaking in english. Sure, when we're all together here, we speak english, but these people aren't my family. At least not yet.

On the hilarious side, here's a picture of me sitting at my tiny computer:

Funny, isn't it? I've actually not been taking that many pictures. I keep forgetting I have a digital camera now. I do have some, and I don't know when I'll put them up, maybe tomorrow. We have a holiday for the Autumnal Equinox.

I went to the Center for International Programs today to do some homework, and ended up talking to Oya-san about hiking, and she lent me a book on hikes in Japan. I don't know if I'll be able to do a big overnight trip becuase of time and equipment constraints, but Kashima-san helped me do some research on Tate-yama and Tsurugi-da-ke. Like I said, everyone is so incredible nice and helpful. I feel a little out of place, actually. Getting stared at while walking around is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's an ego booster, but on the other hand, I have different fingers...sorry, on the other hand, all that attention makes me really self-conscious.

Sunday, we went to a multi-cultural event in one of the older districts of Nagoya to a Yokiso, or traditional style house. The house was owned by a man who had built up a department store chain and had wanted to encourage multi-culturalism in Japan. Pretty cool stuff, neh?

We got caught in a downpour of epic proporsions. My poor shoes were still wet from going out in a typhoon to buy beer, and then they were soaked again. It was nice, minus the mosquitos the size of dauchshunds and the rain. We talked to many nice people, sometimes in Japanese, sometimes in English. We got to see a traditional kimono dressing ceremony, which was interesting, if slightly boring, and also an ocarina performance. Yes, that's right, ocarina: it's not just for little boys wearing green trying to save the world.

After the party, we had some free time to wander around a nearby temple and street fair for some sort of temple festival. The temple was very large and very nice. I want to learn more about such things, but my Japanese just isn't up to the task yet. It's one of my personal goals now, in addition to so many other things.

That's a part of the temple. I didn't take many pictures, because I hope to go back in better weather.

I dont know if I'm actually going to lose weight here or not. Everything is just so delicious, and the Japanese grandmas they have in the kitchen of the cafeteria here keep us incredibly well-fed. I need to start going to the gym. I definitely will if I can get a chance to go hiking on these mountains.

Anywho, enough rambling on my part, the forum is open for discussion.

Missing you.