Big In Japan

Okay, this update has been a long time coming. That being said, it’s gonna be a long post. Over the last two months I went from having too much time to write to having no free time at all.

Let’s backtrack two months to the beginning of December. After getting back into the States I battled the nefarious jet-lag beast for a full two weeks before my internal clock reset itself. By that point it was almost Christmas and I was preoccupied by holiday happenings. After Christma-New-Years week it was time to pack and get ready for the move back to Kalamazoo.

Back up at school I was quickly overrun with classes, homework, real work, and catching up with friends. What precious little time I had to myself was taken up by figuring out why financial aid didn’t pay out and re-signing up for my Japanese minor.

If this sounds stressful and overbearing do not fret. I’m really enjoying myself. I’ve worked harder and had more fun since this semester started than I have in a while.

Now that you know where I’ve been, how about what I’ve been doing…

Right when I got back to the States I had a plan on how to fool myself into not getting jet-lagged. It was simple; just stay up on the flight back and until (local) bed time in Detroit. That way I’d be really tired and sleep all night and be back on local time. Everything went to plan until at 3:00am Detroit time my body said “Hey! Its 5:00pm, why aren’t you up!?” and I snapped awake.

In those first few weeks back I played a lot of Playstation at some weird hours of the morning.

As I settled back into American life I noticed a few little things from Japan that were not obvious while I was there but have since come to my attention.

The Japanese hate passing money directly. Wherever you go there’s a little tray (like at a U.S. restaurant) to put your money in. Then, the person behind the counter takes the trey and counts the money. It, I surmise, is “rude” to pass money directly.

Another oddity which I notice immediately on my return was how small all Japanese cars are. The tractor-trailer is almost unheard of over there. The one you see are A LOT smaller than their U.S. counter-parts. And I assume you all know the size comparison between a U.S. and Japanese made car is…

There are also a lot of things I need to go back to Japan and do, as I seem to have missed them on my last trip. First, I didn’t listen to any radio while I was there. I have no idea what it’s like. Secondly, I need to visit an “Onsen” or hot spring. Third, I need to tour around the south of Japan more. There are a lot of historical sites I missed. The list goes on…

Moving on to this semester, I’ll start at the beginning. By the time the semester started I knew there was something wrong with my financial aid. Usually it pays out a week or so before school starts. It didn’t. So, as soon as I could I went and asked what happened. Turns out when I siphoned off money from this semester to boost the fin-aid for my Japan trip, I took a little too much… and still owed the school money. Oops. Luckily my boss at my old job was gracious enough to rehire me at my old pay rate and I was financially solvent again in no time.

I moved back into the dorms this semester. My reasons are varied but include not having a monthly rent and having all my meals prepared for me (Mmmm, cafeteria food). I also don’t have to go outside to do laundry and get a really fast internet connection.

I met my roommate the day after I moved in. He’s a really good guy. He’s very studious which is good because it keeps me studying. On the other hand I’ve introduced him to (and since hooked on) a particularly addicting Playstation game…

As far as classes go I have three that I’m enjoying and one I have to kvetch about.

First, my Japanese language class is the easiest thing ever. After studying in Japan in Japanese studying here in English is a menial task. Concepts we brushed over at NichiDai, we spend two weeks on here. There’s another person in my class who also recently came back from study abroad. It’s nice to have someone to chat with about things I did and saw who has had similar experiences.

Secondly, my “Nature of Language” class is perhaps the most interesting of the semester. We started with the most basic elements of language and are working our ways up to ever more complex parts. I think having studies two foreign languages helps give me some perspective and insight that other students might not have. That is, to know another language is to know one’s own.

Thirdly, “Japanese History Thought Film”. What can I say except that this class is my reward for working hard the other 165 hours of the week. So far in the first 4 sessions of class we’ve gone over ancient Japanese history and watched Rashomon and The Seven Samurai. (I love Kurasawa films). Now we’re reading “The life of an amorous man.”

Lastly… The class I have… issues with. I will refrain from saying anything too brazen as I need a good grade in this class to graduate (it’s my senior seminar). I’ll leave it at: I dislike the person ideals of one of the two professors and I don’t feel I should have to do graduate level research as an undergraduate.

Work is going fine. There is a good mix of old and new people working there. My boss and boss’s boss are the same which is good. The store has moved locations since I left. We now have more floor space and a bigger beer cooler, but less room for back-stock (the old place had a basement). The new store is well lit and in an attractive location, so it’s all good.

Well, its Super bowl Sunday, the beer cooler at The Den has broken, it’s almost kick-off time and I’m heading into work. Until next time.

Ja Mata Ne.