Oh wow! So a lot has happened since I last updated (which I believe was Thursday night, maybe early Friday morning)... A quick summary of what happened this weekend and then I will go into large detail: Friday morning I moved into my new host family's home, then went on a field trip to see a Rakugo. Saturday, I went to the Welcome party hosted by the Stanford Kansai Club (basically a whole bunch of alums that live in the area) and then in the evening went out to a club till 6 a.m. (ish). Sunday, I went to a BBQ at Austen's host family's house. Wee, busy weekend!
Friday. Somehow I finally managed to get to sleep despite the massive butterflies flying around in my stomach. Woke up early, quickly finished packing, and met Uehira-san (the woman in charge of host families for SCTI students) in the lobby of the dorm at 11:00 am. From there we taxied to the home (there was no way I was taking my luggage on the subway, especially the way I packed it). The taxi ride itself seemed rather long, though the entire time Uehira-san basically gave directions to the taxi driver, who didn't really seem to know where he was going (Shouldn't a taxi driver know the city he is working in?). After two wrong turns, and going in reverse in the middle of the road, we managed to get to the new house, which by the way is in the "country-side" of Kyoto (in the northern part of the city). Anyway, it is in a beautiful, beautiful part of the city, and I really couldn't be happier with its location. Tangent: It takes me approximately 20 minutes to get to school -- five to walk to the subway, ten to take the subway, five to walk to school. Anyway, we unloaded from the taxi and my host mother invited us in. Mostly Uehira-san and my host mother chatted about stuff and occasionally asked me a question or two, which I answered to some extent. Uehira-san eventually left, to my dismay, and I was left to basically fend for myself. But my host mother and I got along very very well, despite my initial hesitation and fear. I unpacked a bit and we conversed mostly in Japanese, though sometimes she spoke to me in broken english when I didn't understand. Then, she proceeded to walk me to the station so that I wouldn't get lost. :)
These are all pictures I took while walking back to the house the other day. The area I live in is absolutely gorgeous and I can't get over how amazing it is!!
Anyway, so Friday afternoon, I met up with the rest of the Stanford students and we went to a Rakugo, which is essentially, as my friend Yan defines it, "a dude sits on a mat and tells a story." However, this "dude" is more like the equivalent of a comedian. While he is Japanese, he does his show all in English. When we first got there, Takano-san asked us if there were three of us who would volunteer to be part of the show when required. In the past, and sometimes even now, I would shrink away from such an offer. NONETHELESS, I am in Japan, so I eagerly raised my hand. And so did Ben and Elvia. The show itself was quite entertaining, as it interchanged between the storyteller and then this guy who performed balancing and spinning trips:
Anyway, I had avoided the first two opportunities to participate (as the first one involved improving slurping udon noodles and I'm not much of a fan of improv -- so I volunteered Ben for that one -- and the second one involved repeating the story teller, and Elvia decided to take on that task). So, as the last volunteer, I was asked to try and imitate the guy as he used these bamboo blind/shade/stick things that put together to create different things (he would throw these sticks and arrange them into different shapes, like the eiffel tower). Anyway, I was very very bad at this, it was so so funny. Everyone was laughing; granted, I should've felt embarased, and people said I looked a little bit terrified, but I thought it was a bunch of fun. I was actually laughing so much I ended up crying. Apparently, people got lots of amazing pictures of the whole experience. I guess I should be seeing these on facebook soon (lol)!
Then I went home and hung out with my host family. I spent time with my host brother -- his name is Kenji. He's 14 and in his third year of middle school. He plays soccer, specifically forward/striker, and he's in high school level english. So he spoke to me in broken english, I spoke to him in broken japanese, and we got along just fine. I met the grandfather, and he is hilarious. He's just this jolly old man who kind of keeps to himself but he's super sweet. And my host mother informed me that Maki (my host sister, who is 22) was going to come for the weekend as she lives in the city next to Kyoto. She goes to nursing school there but came out to meet me! Though I was super tired, I wanted to stay up and wait for her. She finally got in around 10:00 pm and then she, me and Kenji (I know that is totally bad grammar, I apologize), but we sat at the dining room table, talking and getting to know each other. My host mother made hot chocolate and then my host father rolled in around 10:30. He's a doctor at Kyoto University and has very very long hours. So then we had family time till 11:30ish, then I took a shower, set up my futon, and went to bed. Went to bed happily I might add. My host family is pretty cool.
The next morning I headed out to school to meet at 10:00 am to go to Nishijin Textile Center, where we watched a mini Kimono fashion show and then learned how they make kimonos. The kimonos were so so pretty!!
From a critical fashion connoisseur perspective (via CFS), the models themselves needed a little bit of work but the stage was the right size in order to present and showcase the kimonos. It was interesting to note that the announcements (e.g. "Welcome to Nishijin.....) were in english, japanese, mandarin, and I believe, korean? Anyway, I want the red and yellow kimonos in the pictures because they were AMAZING!! After the show we went on a tour of the building and saw how kimonos are made. Basically, they grow/breed silk worms, take the silk worms, boil them, harvest the silk, dye the silk, weave it, make the kimono. I have yet to decide whether or not this is animal cruelty considering that the silk worms get boiled. The arguement is that they wouldn't really survive in wildlife but I don't know....
Then we went back to Doshisha for a small party. The party was long but at least it had good good food. Then I headed home for a bit, chatted with Maki and my host mom. And then a group of us met up at 9:30, my host sister included, and we went and hung out in Kyoto downtown till the epic 5:00 AM. Maki and I rolled in at around 6 AM and crashed (after showering). HAHA, it was absolutely fabulous. I had so so so much fun. And Maki and I majorly bonded.
Sunday was pretty low key. I went to Austen's host family's house for a barbecque with Matt. We were there for three hours and some. Lots of good food, lots of Japanese conversation, lots of fun overall. Then I rolled back home, hung out with my host fam, took Maki to the Kyoto Station so she could catch her train on the way home. :( I won't get to see her till next week, but that's okay. My host mom and I hung out, I studied, then we both went to sleep around midnight. All in all, amazing weekend, amazing friends, amazing life.
Hi Saroya:
ReplyDeleteWow, is all I can say! What a whirlwind of a long weekend. I am so happy for you. This experience will be with you forever.
Your host family sounds amazing. It's wonderful that you get to experience different parts of Kyoto. And that you get to live in an area that you really think is lovely. Does the family speak Kyotoish japanese too?
Your Japanese is getting more fluent I presume. That will help when you find an intership. Are all the cars small cars or can they fit large cars like our Avalon on those small roads?
Interesting question about the silk worms. Silk worms are clearly not as evolved as a lobster, and they boil lobsters to death, too. That aside, the kimonos were beautiful. Was that a trip arranged through the school?
Since you don't have internet at home anymore, I know it's harder to do your blog because you can't get it done during the middle of the night. But we love it over here, so keep it coming!
What does your host father teach at Kyoto U? Is there something there you could assist with for an internship? He may have contacts in many academic areas that the school doesn't have. You should ask. And maybe, if you swing something, you might be able to stay with them through the summer if you pay them something for the room and board. It would be much easier than setting up an apartment for 2-3 months. If you like the idea, present it early to give him and them plenty of time to find opportunities for you! Maybe even Maki may be a great source. We know the Japanese are very gung-ho on education. There may be labs or research projects ongoing that you could help in.
p.s. You're matra worked.
Saroya! How absolutely awesome! To have bonded with Maki is such a plus! Everything seems to be working out. Tell me, you haven't said much about exams, or homework. Is it just not that rigourous so that you can spend time outside, learning about Japan and speaking Japanese?
ReplyDeleteRenee said you're looking into a possible internship? How does that work? Are there contacts through the Stanford Center there?
Do you have a phone yet?
Keep on writing. Magnena says hi. She read the blog too.
love ya,
PS WE haven't received any students yet for the Inventors Without Borders summer institute. Forrest is pretty disappointed. Just wanted you to know because of your internship searching. Likely, there won't be any conflict here if you do get an internship there.
Tante