The Saga of the Cell Phone

I feel like I've been on a marathon run for the past few days. Seriously, Monday, Tuesday, and today all seemed to pass in a flash. I guess I attribute this to the massive amount of Japanese homework, combined with the adjusting to my new location, plus getting ready for Golden Week (which starts tomorrow -- so excited!). But literally, I'm creeping up on my thirtieth/thirty-first day in Japan, meaning I've been here for approximately a month. It's definitely strange, as I feel that I've been here so long and simultaneously not at all. It's a very strange quasi-temporal stage that i'm in right now. Perhaps it's also strange because being abroad makes everything else in my life, meaning everything back in the states, feel like ages ago. I say all this and imagine my Mother freaking out, telling me I have to come back and I can't just stay in Japan for the rest of my life (lol!). Don't worry Mom, I will be returning to the states sooner or later (meaning in 3 to 6 months, depending on if I can get an internship or not...).

Anyway, moving away from serious contemplation and sentimental thoughts, today was such such a long day. I forced myself to get up this morning at 8:45 like usual (after falling asleep around 2 in the morning), got dressed, ate breakfast, took the subway and walked the rest of the way to school. Pretty normal. Met Austen in the cafe downstairs from the Stanford center and together we groaned about the impending exam. My midterm wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. For starters, it was only three pages (not including the kanji part and the listening comprehension, which had their own pages; so if you put them all together the midterm was five pages). The grammar multiple choice on the first page was pretty simple (I say this now and hope I'm not jinxing myself at the same time...), the written portion on the second page wasn't entirely difficult, and the reading comprehension didn't appear to be to difficult to understand, though when I reached that part of the exam I started to feel a tiny bit sleepy, which was most definitely an issue. Have you ever fallen asleep in an exam? I have and it's terrifying. But that is a side story for another time. Anyway, the kanji part also wasn't that bad; I think I only left one or two blank, and the listening portion was not to stressful either (in high school, doing listening comprehension for spanish would always stress me out). To an extent, it, listening comprehension, still does, but not as much anymore. But I'm just glad that the exam is over and I can enjoy Golden Week without studying (to a certain extent....I have a vocab quiz the day we get back to school --- WHY????).

After a quick lunch, Matt and I took the bus to our Ward office so I could pick up my certificate for foreign resident something or other. I don't really remember the name, and the name in Japanese is ridiculously long. The purpose of this certificate, the SOLE PURPOSE, is to allow foreigners to get cellphones. Pause for a moment. Japanese beaucracy is absolutely frustrating. First, you have to go in to get Alien Registration, because walking around with your passport is just not enough. Then after getting your receipt for your Alien Registration card (which you can get in 2-4 weeks after applying), then you get this extra certificate. Generally, you can get the certificate when you get your receipt. HOWEVER, I had to wait a week because the Ward office had so many applicants to get my certificate, which I only needed to get so that I could get a cell phone. What I don't understand is why couldn't the receipt be what is needed to get a cell phone as literally both pieces of paper have the same exact information on them. Why do you need to have another form, have more traffic, create more filing, by creating a separate sheet of paper? For some reason, it is necessary. Anyway, we went to the ward office, Matt leading the way through tiny alley ways and back streets because I had no idea where we were going, I filled out some paper work, and finally received my green sheet of paper. My second step towards getting a cell phone.

During orientation, representatives from the Japanese cell phone company AU came and introduced the various cell phone plans we could get to us. I won't lie, I didn't pay too much attention since a) it was rather confusing and b) I am surrounded by tons of engineering college students who want certain things at the most affordable price, so I figure someone will tell me in plain english without complicated jargon which plans have what and what is most affordable. Sure enough, my plan worked. Matt and I talked about which plans were available and I chose something pretty affordable and flexible. But finding the au store proved very very difficult. So the representatives told us to go to a certain store...well, after an hour of wandering around the Shijo-Karasuma intersection trying to find this one store, following directions that took us in EVERY direction, we finally asked a policeman, who responded with perfect directions in Japanese, instead of struggling and handwaving, we found another au shop. And the clerk who helped me was super super nice. Basically, I told her I wanted this plan, one of the phones that cost me zero yen, gave her all the necessary paperwork, and told her the phone had to be red. Of course, Matt actually did most of the conversing. Granted, my Japanese is a lot better. However, my vocabulary isn't exactly as expansive as Matt's is. But 2.5 hours later, I had a beautiful RED phone (my love affair with the color red continues).

Tangent. Japanese people do not text. Instead, they email! So when you get a cellphone, you get a separate email address with it. Kind of nifty, kind of unnecessary. So now anyone can email me, considering my plan gives me free email (receiving and sending). People can email me from their home emails, work emails, and their phone emails (this is for those with Japanese phones). Pretty neat. End tangent.

Austen and I then walked around the downtown area for a bit (Matt headed home to skype with his girlfriend and set up a taxi to pick him up in the morning), chatted, did some shopping. I found this darling hat that was on the pricey side...but I absolutely love it! Then we went our separate ways, and I took the subway, walked home (there was a full moon tonight -- absolutely gorgeous), and when I walked in the door, was greeted with Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner! Funny thing, when Austen and I were walking around earlier, we walked by a KFC and discussed the possibility of trying it in the future to see how it is different from American KFC. It was so good!! I'd almost venture to say just as good as American KFC, except with A LOT less grease. I didn't feel like I'd ingested a pound of lard along with my meal at the end. :)

Then I spent the rest of the evening packing for Golden Week. Golden Week is a national holiday across Japan, starting April 29th and going till May 5th. I'll be traveling to the farthest island Kyushuu and then a few other places. I'm excited to go see more of Japan!! My shinkansen leaves tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. so I have to be up a little bit earlier than I am generally...ARG. One of these days I will either go to bed early or sleep in. Don't know when that will be, but hopefully one of these days. Anyway, considering that I will be traveling a bunch, I don't think I will be doing much/or any updating for the next week considering I don't know where I will have internet etc.

I'm so behind on all of my emails. I promise promise promise I will answer things eventually!! And I promise lots of pictures and a huge update when I get back though! Off to explore JapanLand!