Bon Joviness aside, we just had our midterm exams, officially putting us halfway through the program. Honestly, I completely phoned it in this week, and I think that the feeling was shared by many of my classmates. Especially during news class, where we were all basically falling asleep the entire time. The radio-listening portion of the class, in particular, is a real snoozer. It's almost impossible to understand the NHK announcer, even after listening to him say the same thing several times, and, when the sensei asks us questions, we sort of stammer something generic with blank looks on our faces and let her fill in the rest of our sentences while we nod along as though it were exactly what we had planned to say.
It didn't help that I got a migraine on Wednesday. How do I know I got a migraine? Day-long headache, photophobia plus nausea equals migraine. It happens to me rarely enough that I can't remember the last time I had one, but they always suck. I took the day off and spent it in the dark feeling sorry for myself.
But even if that hadn't occurred, and even if newspaper class (which I unfortunately did not get to miss) were not a chore at times, this still would've been a highly unmotivated week for me. I think it started to dawn on me on Monday that I've essentially given up my entire summer to school, and I was none too happy with the realization. So, for the midterm exam, I really couldn't bring myself to study. After all, my grades here don't factor into my GPA, so what's the point in busting my ass for the A when cruising along with a B will do? Hell, I think I only need a C or C+ to get credit. So, last night, instead of staying up late cramming, I went to bed at 11 and slept for a solid 7 hours. Instead of bringing my materials with me to review on the bus and during the breaks between test sections, I brought my iPod Shuffle. I just sort of chilled.
Frankly, I felt kind of like the Dude, abiding.
Anyway, I think it was all for the best, because the exam wasn't the genitalia-inverting horror that I believe we all expected.
Last weekend, on Saturday, we had to get up at the butt-crack of dawn (well, close enough) to go to Kamakura (again) to see the Tsurugaokahachimonguu Shrine (again) and eat okonomiyaki (again). Well, all those "again"s were just for me, since I'd been there before for my homestay. There were at least as many Japanese buddies there as there were Yale students, as well, but the real highlight of the trip--for everyone--was that my host family managed to swing by and walk with us for a while! Atsuko-san drove over with Marichan and Sacchan, and their cuteness was admired by all.
No one ever would have guessed that cute little Mariko kicked a church during my homestay. It was great. We were walking along, and she was practicing ballet kicks against random walls on the street, when I hear her mother say, in Japanese, "you shouldn't kick churches." I look back, and, sure enough, there's a building with a huge cross slapped on its side. Mariko's response: "what's a church?" She didn't know the Japanese word for church. Or possibly even the concept. I think that's just awesome. How many countries are there in the world that Christianity never really got its greedy mitts on, discounting the Islamic and Communist ones?
Two, I guess, if you count Israel. Still, Japan has its own style of fucked up. So does Israel, but that's neither here nor there.
Hopefully, this adorable church-kicking family will be able to come to Tokyo some time in the next month.
Anyway, I promised more pictures, and here they are! Atsuko-san sent me pictures she took during my homestay, and I've also uploaded some pictures of my apartment.
Making a children maki roll: before.
Children maki roll: after.
Unwrapping! My hand looks giant.
The triple-sibling specialty roll was a real family favorite.
These kids hate walking. Maritan actually rode on my back for most of the time when she visited us all in Kamakura last weekend.
At the okonomiyaki place.
I'm really not good for much else, apparently.
Mariko made a face in her ice-cream. When I pronounced it an "aisu-jin"--literally "ice(cream) person"--the kids became ecstatic with glee. I think that the Japanese generally find foreigners playing with their language incredibly amusing and unexpected. I like to do it fairly frequently, and I usually get a good reaction.
Pensive. And messy.
A closet entirely devoted to shoes (and a tiny fire extinguisher) welcomes me home every day.
My room right after I moved in. The table is about twenty times more cluttered, now.
View from the balcony.
Part of the balcony, with the hang-drying bar and a machine that I think might be capable of producing hot air. I still haven't dared to touch it.
Another view of my room and the narrow little hallway leading outside.
The kitchenette lines one side of that hallway.
Bathroom.
Hello, robot toilet!
This washer-dryer may look very convenient, but you can dry your clothes for three hours and still come out with damp socks. They really love hang-drying here. Scary thing is, I've started to like it, too.
Also, I promised to link to another blog with photos from the night our Yale Japanese senseis took us out to dinner.
1 comment:
the chaildren so kawaiii
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