Foreign Frustration / 1 Month Mark

So tomorrow i will have completed my first two weeks of class at Hokusei Gakuen Daigaku.  My first day of class was ridiculously overwhelming. I found out I was in the 3rd level class (out of 1-5, 5 usually having no American students because its so advanced), even though i was sure I was going to be in the 2nd.  As I sat down in my seat, I was totally unprepared for the rush of papers being given to me by the teacher to put in a large binder (which I later found out contained a majority of my homework for the semester) and labeled - Reading, Listening, Kanji, Journal, and the other which escapes me currently. But our classes revolve around Speaking, Listening, Writing, and Kanji practice.  The teacher spoke continuously in Japanese and I only heard an English word whenever no one could understand the word in Japanese, which was fairly rare.  I have 4 different teachers, one for each day i'm in class, and i have Wednesdays off.  They gave us our entire schedule of class activities, assignments, due dates, and quiz/test dates the first day.  I have 2 quizzes almost every day, which is still a frightening thought to me. I have sort of gotten used to learning Japanese grammar in Japanese, but luckily the grammar items are things i've already learned. I hate the book we use though, Minna no Nihongo. I miss using Genki and its cute little illustrations. We use 5 different books, and on different days, which i was not aware of the first week. -______-


My host mom is still extremely nice, but i've hit a low tolerance level with the two boys, as they're constantly screaming in a high-pitched voice for no reason. I usually take to my room when it happens to try and escape it but i can't, since the noise permeates the thin, Japanese style walls. Dai also caught a cold this week and has been coughing everywhere and though Kumi gave him some medicine, she didn't seem to be worried at all. She looked shocked when i told her I had a sore throat today, particularly since I explained to her that while I want to enjoy the cultural aspect of S.A., its worth 3 Japanese classes in 1 (12 units) and if i don't do well, I can kiss my GPA goodbye. This was hard to convey, as the boys are in elementary school and don't have grades. I really cannot get sick, but every time I get on the bus or am at school, I hear someone who has a cold.  I'm trying really hard to try and stay patient, but the lack of experience with extremely rambunctious boys is causing their over-energetic voices to wear me down.


I've also had quite the experience by learning how to be a commuter.  It's really strange for me to have no independence on when I can go somewhere, as its all dictated by what time the bus comes and stops running. It seems so expensive to have to pay $4 to go back and forth on the bus and then another $4.60 to take the subway to and from school everyday. That's almost 4000 yen in transportation for 4 days. -________-


Last weekend, Tiena, Katie, Charlotte, Yumika, and I went shopping at Odori Station's "Pole Town." I'm still not sure why it's called pole town, but I wish i would have been able to stay for the entire day. I would've needed it to thoroughly explore the entirety of the shops.  I ended up buying a 40's style dress I've been wanting for a month from Spiral Girl, plastic sushi earrings, and leggings. Leggings are super popular in Japan and are worn with everything and anything and come in dozens of colors, styles, and patterns. 


This week, we had Monday and Thursday off in addition to Wednesday because of national holidays. Wednesday, I was able to go to Soka Kindergarten and played with the kids. The girls took to me pretty quickly and took my hands to walk me up and down the halls into their classrooms. The boys seemed afraid of me, which i was expecting.  I had so much fun, in spite of the language barrier even with 5 year olds.  I played in the kitchen with them and read to them and along with them. Books for 5 year olds are the easiest, since they don't have any kanji. The even had the Hungry Caterpillar (in Japanese, of course).  The teachers were extremely nice and helpful, though i'm sure they were wondering why exactly I went.  I was only there for 3 hours, as school ends early on Wednesdays for the Kindergarten, but i'm hoping I can go back every week. My hopes of being a kindergarten teacher have actually been strengthened by this experience, which I, too, was surprised about.  The kids were loud at times, but more than anything they seemed excited and willing to play the games, sing the songs, and say the numbers of the date.

Little bento boxes made out of clay.

Can I be a teacher here now, please??

Last night, a big group of the international students went to the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters baseball game at Sapporo Dome.  I was really hoping the game would be better than American baseball, but my hopes were crushed. The only interesting thing about the game was the crazy crowd participation. Almost every person there was singing the songs (they have a song for each player on the team) and hitting their plastic noisemakers together in a rhythmic fashion.  It was infectious for the first 5 innings, but after the Eagles were up 2 points (in a 3-1 game), I got tired of singing and clapping. We left at the beginning of the 9th, as there was little chance of the Fighters winning. I couldn't find the bus stop, so I had to walk with everyone else to Fukuzumi station to catch the bus home from there. It was freezing. I can't believe how quickly it became a Hokkaido Autumn. It has been overcast for the last week, but the clouds shift often enough to catch a quick view of the amazingly blue sky that reminds me of home.

I've been in Japan for 1 month. 1/4 down, 3/4 to go.