THIS COMPUTER IS SO SLOW (updated~now with Friday’s events!!)

AGHHHH. That is pretty much the only thing that annoys me about this house LOL, otherwise I’m grateful they even have internet. I’m getting way too used to this Japanese keyboard with the weird punctuation.

NOTES BEFORE READING:

SO MUCH HAPPENS EACH DAY I CAN’T KEEP IT STRAIGHT IN MY HEAD. I have too much going on to feel like writing in a diary…I don’t have the time, and almost every night I’m hontou ni TSUKARETTA (exhausted). But, good news, I was asked to keep a diary from now on (more on that later).

Yeah so just the jist of everything again. Although the jist always ends up being a page long… WELL here’s my attempt to summarize what has happened since I last posted! XD

thursday :: June 19 - Haircut, another summer YFU exchange student (James) arrived
friday :: June 20 – I went to Matsumoto Castle and a beautiful shrine. Sadly, I wore ugly clothes that day and didn’t make an effort, so I kinda don’t want to show the pictures LOL.
saturday :: June 21 - I went shopping with my host mom, IT WAS SOOO FUN. I went to like the Japanese version of Kohl’s and the Japanese version of a Meijer’s clothes section (in it’s own building). Sounds shitty, but it’s cheap Japanese fashion, which rocks. Then I went to UNIQLO (like Gap) and the HYAKU EN SHOP (like the dollar store). We had to go to Uniqlo so I could buy polo shirts for school. Hyaku en shop was just lulz. LAST of all, we went to the yaoyasan (vegetable market) and Besie (giant grocery-kidzone-meijer-ish place). This is probably obvious, but I didn’t really think of it until I went shopping: since Japan is cramped for space, grocery stores and such have several floors. When you’re in a foreign country, grocery shopping is awesome. Everything’s the same, but different.
Then I made curry with my host mom that night. It was awesome, I fucking love curry. And it actually tasted good YAY haha.
sunday :: June 22 – This was a relax day, so I watched both Nodame specials (a total of 4 hours long… LOL). It was actually difficult to understand at times, but Eiji Wentz was in it so I watched it all anyway. Plus I had no idea how long it was and thought it would end after hour 1… then hour 2… yeah then I was like WTF WHEN WILL THIS END.
Then I actually drew in the sketchbook I bought at the hyakuen store.
It was raining, and everyone in the house was asleep from about 2~5 that day, so it was so peaceful… all the greenery and silence filled with rain was great. So yup, pretty relaxing day.

OH GOD THIS IS NOT A SUMMARY AT ALL HAHA and IT TAKES TOO LONG TO UPLOAD PICTURES. SORRY!!!

monday :: June 23 – I visited Higashijo elementary school with James, I’ll keep it short and sweet: Japanese kids are adorable, they pretty much love you unconditionally and hold your hand and pull you around. It’s so cute. At the same time, they’re really independent. In my 2nd grade class, the kids ran their own PE class–REALLY well. They played dodgeball, and they were FIERCE!! Also, they had a sort of home ec class with cucumber cutting. They used legit large knives and washed everything themselves. I was impressed.
tuesday :: June 24 - My second day at Higashijo elementary, the kids walked us all the way out and gave us a long loving good bye and were like ‘DONT FORGET US!!’. It was super cute, and I want to see them grow up.
wednesday :: June 25 – My first day at Nagano Nishi High School, it was totally ballin. I sit in the middle of a bunch of girls in the English club, they’re so friendly!! I love my classmates. They’re all really lively and cute and everyone just shouts ‘HALLO!!!!’ at me. I speak Japanese with them, although my class (1-6) is an English based course. They’re very unsure of their English. I read out loud during English class and they have to repeat after me, but everyone kind of just mumbles awkwardly IT’S SO CUTE. Japanese high school students are SO SO SO SHY. There are only 4 boys in my class and about 2 of them talked to met on Thursday, but it was more of interjection into my conversation than talking to me.

Anyways, I attended all my classes, and did not understand very much (KANJI. SO MUCH OF IT). What was awesome was I visited an ‘English oral communcation’ class, and basically everyone was ordered to get into groups and think of a question to ask me. They were all really excited to see me, it was really flattering. And yet scared of me, it was so strange. They seriously jan-ken-pon-ed (rock paper scissors) who in the group would have to ask me the question, and when they asked it was in a whisperish voice LOL. When I told them the languages I speak, everyone was whispering ‘kakkoii NE… sugoi’, LOL I FELT SO GOOD ABOUT MYSELF FOR ONCE, IT WAS GREAT. I feel like such an ass for admitting it, but I really enjoyed being in that class where people genuinely thought I was cool and feared me XD.
Thursday :: June 27 – Went to school again, same fun shit, I skip whatever classes I want ROFLMAO (*I have to try them once, though. I already attended a math class so BAM dONE!). IT FEELS FUCKING GREAT. I sat through History and then Japanese (pretty much a kanji lesson…wtf… X_X), then math came around and I was like FUCK THIS SHIT =D (<—my smug ‘i can finally skip’ expression) and left haha. I get to stay in the Eiken (english teacher’s office) whenever I skip anything. Two JET employees are there, I sit and chill with them, it’s great. I’ve found that I love school so much when I can just walk out of math class.

I met so many more girls in my class today, it was really fun, they love High school musical and Hanna Montana WTF LOL. I explained to them that it’s kid stuff in America and they were like ‘EEEEHHHHHHHHHH?!!’. I stayed after school for tea club and went with classmates, wore a yukata, it was awesome. Tons of more shit, oh god, but i have to sleep.

ALL OLD PICS SORRY
Some pictures I should have included in past posts (taken on my host family’s camera)
SORRY NO NEW PICTURES YET, IT TAKES FOREVER AND I REALLY WANT TO SLEEP.
I have a lot of other things to note about Japanese schools, but you’ll just have to ask me about it when I get back!! I wake up at 6 for school here~ yahhh.
I went to tea ceremony club today and wore a yukata, pics of that later, I PROMISE!!

 

(LOL CHECK OUT MY HOST MOM THROWIN UP OUR GANG SYMBOL)

WOULD CAPTION BUT I MUST SLEEP BYEBYE I WISH YOU WERE ALL HERE.

I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL ALONE TOMORROW, I’m scared haha! I take the bus, but I have to transfer buses and walk between buses and all this shit… it’s confusing right now, since it’s only my 3rd time going to school… but… I’ll do my best. x_x

FRIDAY UPDATE!

I managed to wake up on time, and decided to wear normal clothes today (I usually wear a uniqlo polo, pleated plaid skirt (ayumi’s), and high knee socks). Managed to get off at the right stops, but barely made it on time for class. First period was Kokugo (Japanese) LOL UGH it sucks hardcore, I hate it but I kind of wanted to suffer with my class. Bonding, you know? I thought I would be okay with listening to an old guy rambling about a horribly difficult Japanese text, but even when I’m motivated and concentrate… I don’t get it at all! So I ended up finishing my first AP Lit book haha. 

English Grammar was next, that’s always fun. I get to read to the class and Yoshida-sensei asks for my opinion of certain sentences (which is more common, is this correct, etc.) so I can participate for once. I actually feel like such a bitch for being fluent, though… I feel like they should hate me for it XD. Well that’s just my paranoia. I’m really impressed with the class though, it’s some pretty tough English. They break it down into a science and I really feel bad for them…because if it didn’t come naturally to me it would be so hard!!

I went to a different Oral Communcation class, and they had to ask me questions too. It was pretty much the same as the other day, except they asked me in English. They also asked me my favorite manga and anime and oh god I probably seemed like such an otaku rofl. They asked me if I knew what an otaku was and I was like Yeah… I went to Akiba… they all laughed, woohoo. I also met Adriana, this awesome girl from Florida and we want to go see the Hanadan movie together!! She’s so nice, and we’re into the same shit, so we talked a lot (me skippin class again YAY)

Then it was lunch time and I sit with Momo, Nanako (she has an evangelion folder and a totoro bento, d’aawwww), and Mio. My host mom makes my bento and it’s fucking delicious. Today after lunch the boys actually had the balls to talk to me, YAY LOL. They gave me their little introduction cards and when I talked to them they looked so nervous ROFL. They shouldn’t be shy… they’re all actually pretty hot (=confidence). One of them is into the Arctic Monkeys and I was like OMG ARCTIC MONKEYS!! DAISUKI!! (I LOVE THEM) and he was like MAJIDE!!! (OMG SRSLY??). It was a good moment. Anyways, I’m glad I’ve infiltrated the boy bubble in the class. It’s funny because they pretty much all gave me their intros at the same time, like it was their group decision because they couldn’t do it alone. 

Now is Math so I was like ‘uh, PASS’ and escaped. I’m using this Canadian JET teacher’s mac right now, he’s really cool. He’s a total slave to kanji, btw. Since he has only 1 class he has 6 free hours a day LOL and he just sits there writing kanji over and over again. (…So I get to use his mac…) XD

I love school soo much. Everyone is so freaking GENKI and I only feel this happy in American school once every two months. But I’m so happy every day. I get a ton of sunlight, too. 

I FORGOT TO MENTION: This school… has the best view… of Nagano. It’s unbelievably beautiful. Especially since I’m a first year, my class is on the 5th floor… it’s gorgeous. The windows are huge and half-open so we get this great breeze and being in the sun makes me really happy.

Going to school and having no homework and spacing out/doing my own thing during class. IT’S THE BEST.

OH I ALSO FORGOT TO MENTION: I got hit on at my bus stop on the way home yesterday, it was fucking weird. Just a note: when I wear my school uniform I look 100% Japanese and nobody even suspects that I’m a gaijin =D. Well anyways, I get a tap on my shoulder and I turn around and there’s some guy… like 20-30 years old? He didn’t look/smell drunk… ANYWAYS this is what happened:

me: Huh?
???: Wah, hontou ni kawaii, ne?
me: EH?? …..umm
???: *Gets the attention of the girl next to me* KAWAII NE
me: uh watashi wa ryuugakusei kara… zenzen wakanai… (I’m an exchange student, I don’t understand.)
???*: OHHHH anata wa chuugokujin!
me: *me and girl rush onto bus* uhh BASU…
???: BAI BAI!!!!!! *waves* 

 Yeah it was fucking weird. 

PE is next, and they’re swimming, so I think I can’t even go to that…

I forgot to mention, I love all the english speaking people here. I know I said english annoys me right now, but these people are awesome lol. Candice, an exchange student that’s been here a year, is totally ballin and we have great conversations. I love the JET employees, they’re awesome :3

 

 

OKAY I TOTALLY HAVE TO GO NOW I BET I’M PISSING HIM OFF HAHA

BYE EVERYONE!!

School festival next week :X