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I will be in Waterloo Friday and Saturday for convocation! You can reach me at the Best Western St. Jacobs Country Inn.
Phone 519 884 9295. Ask for my mum.
Hi. I'm back. I just finished one of the most wonderful one and a half months of my life. Every single day was different and exciting and I was constantly surrounded by and meeting great people.
I have added another roll of photos from my trip. There are a couple more to come once I get them developed.
[Update: Galleries taken offline]
Miho, Sawa, and Ki-chan celebrate the win of a Pooh Bear toy from the UFO Catcher.
Before the feeling wears off, I want to share some of my impressions about returning to Canada. Already I am sure to have forgotten some of them.
One of the first noticeable differences is size. Everything here is bigger. The streets, the portions, the houses, kitchens, yards, cars, and, of course, people.
Fashion is worse. People here wear anything, whereas in Japan most people dress to impress.
The computer keyboards are different. I keep typing a happy face like this '( And doesn&t an ampersand make a nice apostrophe? Of course it takes very little time to readjust.
Hardly anyone smokes here which is really nice. Places are by default no-smoking whereas in Japan you can smoke nearly anywhere.
The service here is much less friendly than Japan. I ordered a hot dog at the airport and though the girl was not rude, she was not exactly friendly and did not seem to care too much about my business. In Japan you cannot enter an establishment without a warm "welcome!" and an exuberant "thank you, come again!"
Strangers seem friendlier here. I find when out walking I am more likely to be greeted with a smile and "hello" than I am in Japan.
Design is better (aesthetically) in Japan. Products and advertisements look cooler than they do here.
Canada is a lot greener. You can walk down the street amongst trees, lots of houses have green yards, cities have lots of parks, and even in the North of Toronto, Canada's biggest city, I can see fields with cows.
I have some more stories and photos to share which I can hopefully submit over the next week or so. Ciao for now!
My trip to Japan is quickly coming to an end. I have had an incredible time without a single idle day.
The exchange program ended on Friday last week. Thursday I enjoyed a big party with the "study pal" group at Poole, Friday I partied with Tom, another ex A.I. Soft intern and friend from Canada, and other friends, Saturday I went to a live house event with local bands to see my host brother's band and my host brother's younger brother's band perform.
I spent Sunday packing and after a teary goodbye with my host family, set off for Tokyo on the overnight bus. That has to be one of the most uncomfortable ways in the world to spend eight hours! Tiny seats with no armrests. The gentleman in front reclined his seat until it rested on my knees!
I spent the next few days in Tokyo graciously hosted by my host mum's sister and their family. On Tuesday I cut off my golden locks for a job interview on Wednesday.
Wednesday night I headed for Matsumoto and on Thursday I visited my old office, practiced with my old breakdance crew, and went to a party with some old friends.
Today it's back to Tokyo, then on Monday, back to Canada!!
I finally got some of my film developed and have uploaded the results. Here is the
first roll, and here is the second roll.
[Update: Galleries taken offline]
And you thought your style was creative.
I would have liked to write an update each week so you could understand exactly what I have been up to in Japan, but if I spent my time writing instead of doing interesting things, then I would not have anything to write about. So instead I opted for doing interesting things and maybe I will have a chance to share some of those stories here in the future or share some new experiences as they happen.
For now I will give you the week, ok, scratch that, day of May 17th as a sample of my busy schedule.
Monday May 17th
7:30 Wake up. Shower. A delicious breakfast is always laid out for me.
8:55 I usually bike to school - about 5 min - but today I'm lucky and get a ride from my host mum! I've been told to go early to check my mail box.
9:00 First period. Japanese class. My classmates are mostly Chinese and therefore can read the Chinese characters used in Japanese text. They're way more advanced than me and I struggle to grasp what I can. Though the class is difficult, the teachers are great and do their best to accommodate me. I'm learning a lot.
10:30 There's a half hour break between first and second classes. I used to find the classroom I needed to be in for next period and maybe chat with some friends (or strangers!) in the hallway.
11:00 Second period. I'm assisting an English class. Though I didn't bring many of the things that I should have brought to Japan: a map of Canada, information brochures about the University of Waterloo and Renison College, souvenirs, recent family photos; I do have a postcard of the Candian Flag, some Canadian Currency, old family photos, and some good stories to tell. I was to do a presentation on differences in family values in Japanese and Canadian societies. I use the opportunity to also give a bit of a talk on Canada and myself.
12:30 Lunch time! I go to the cafeteria and, after getting stopped by a few people on the way to chat, I go to the glass display case with real live examples of todays menu. I pick whatever I like or, if all equally unappetizing, I go with whichever meal has a name that I can at least partially read. As I walk between the tables to the kitchen voices go quiet, heads turn, and as I pass the girls wisper "kakkoii kakkoii!" (cool cool!) in excitement. So, as you can see, there are some similarities between my life in Japan and my life in Canada. I wish!
13:20 Third period. Today is the first day of our "study pal" meetings. Yoko, the girl I was paired with, I had actually met the week before. She helps me with my Japanese homework.
15:00 Fourth period. We met in the first week with the principal who suggested we write a report back each week to Renison college about our experiences. The other exchange students, Anita and James, with the exception of Mike, were also free in fourth period. So after some discussion we decided we would each write one report and I would write the first week's report. So that's how I spend my fourth period.
16:30 School is over! But don't celebrate yet. I agreed to help Yoko with her English. The "study pal" thing is supposed to be a symbiotic relationship. So for the next hour and a half or so I teach English. You don't realize how complicated a language can be, even when learning one, until you try to teach one. Why do you go "by" car, but "on" foot? Try to figure out a general rule for the word "with". It is amazing how much knowledge we take for granted.
6:30 I'm exhausted and heading home. Often Kentaro, my host brother, invites some friends over or invites me out to some kind of gathering, but today I eat at home. My host mum always makes some delicious meal and I often have a glass of beer with dinner. Pair this with virtually no exercise and I have been getting a little less toned during my time in Japan!
11:30 I excuse myself to my room where I check email, study study study, and eventually turn the lights off around...
2:00 zzz