The first week of school at KCP was a good one. I have one of the same teachers from last quarter, and two new ones. I like all of them. On thursday was the ochakai for the American students and I was there to help. I served the food and then took it out and also gave them the cups of tea and removed them when they were finished. The tea ceremony class also started the same day and continued on Friday. It is different this time around, I suppose because its the winter. Instead of pouring water from a kettle you remove it from a larger pot on the floor with some type of ladle. So far its been tough on my legs. I can sit long enough to do the whole procedure I learned in those two days, but by the end I cant feel my legs at all. So far I have been alone in the morning tea ceremony instruction, but there will be a new American student joining me next friday. There is no practice this coming monday.
Everyday in KCP Level 4, we study new kanji and a lot arent words so commonly used in conversations but more so in writing. We now have small group discussions about selected topics once a week before we write a composition about it. These are opinion conversations and writings, so we have to either agree or disagree, which is different than our writings from last quarter. It is definitely a noticeable change from last quarter in Level 3. I think I will be more challenged, as Level 3 was a lot of review for me. Having to work harder, I will enjoy class even more this time around, not that it wasnt enjoyable before. There is one other American in my class, but he is a Japanese descendant from Hawaii.
The other day I went to a korean restaurant with some american students and we had yakiniku. The grilled meat was very good. After that I went back to Shinjuku and met one of the new korean students in my class. She brought her friend and we had a couple drinks at the bar. We stayed a little too long though so I missed the last train. I slept in McDonalds for a while and then went to a cafe and my friend came and met me. He’s the one who works in Shinjuku trying to save up money to go to Australia in April for maybe 2 years. He works at night so he was able to meet me at 4am.
I finally went to Shimokitazawa which is only 2 subway stops from the Shinjuku station. I went with Dave and my friend Joe who also lives in the Fuchu dorm with me. We saw a series of very odd short animations, including one about tooth man, the man who lived under the subway car seats, and a fish talking on its way from the market to being eaten. This trendy area is full of cheap stuff and interesting restaurants. I bought a jacket and jeans for $7 each. We went to this one Japanese restaurant and they were hiring staff. I forgot to ask but maybe I will go back to see if I can get a job there making use of my UC Santa Cruz dining hall work experience and my short time as a busboy in Long Beach.
The other day I went to a korean restaurant with some american students and we had yakiniku. The grilled meat was very good. After that I went back to Shinjuku and met one of the new korean students in my class. She brought her friend and we had a couple drinks at the bar. We stayed a little too long though so I missed the last train. I slept in McDonalds for a while and then went to a cafe and my friend came and met me. He’s the one who works in Shinjuku trying to save up money to go to Australia in April for maybe 2 years. He works at night so he was able to meet me at 4am.
I finally went to Shimokitazawa which is only 2 subway stops from the Shinjuku station. I went with Dave and my friend Joe who also lives in the Fuchu dorm with me. We saw a series of very odd short animations, including one about tooth man, the man who lived under the subway car seats, and a fish talking on its way from the market to being eaten. This trendy area is full of cheap stuff and interesting restaurants. I bought a jacket and jeans for $7 each. We went to this one Japanese restaurant and they were hiring staff. I forgot to ask but maybe I will go back to see if I can get a job there making use of my UC Santa Cruz dining hall work experience and my short time as a busboy in Long Beach.
No word from gaijinpot on the teaching jobs I applied for. Living in the dorms is proving to be far more expensive than staying with a host family. Even when I try to spend my yen carefully it just disappears in an instant it seems. Hopefully I will have a job soon to offset the terrible negative flow of funds. We have our first test on tuesday, so I will do some more studying again tonight. I guess thats it for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment