First Day

The weather is killing me.

Seriously I don't know how the people in Kansai live in this heat for the whole summer! I have NEVER sweated this much in one day ever. Thankfully, most buildings have AC so it's somewhat manageable. But besides that, today was the first day of "real" orientation. The schedule was jam packed full of mandatory sessions we all had to attend. However, in between all of those tightly packed sessions, we were somehow supposed to go submit all our forms, pay our fees, register for classes, register our laptops, pick up our cell phones and try to fit in some time to eat all by 5 o'clock pm today. Somehow, I managed to use every minute I had and pulled it off, though it is a bit of a blur arlready! On the bright side, I got a lot of exercise! ^^

I also had my Japanese placement test today....yeah....we had to write basic Kanji, 205 level stuff which I haven't written in years..it was a bit embarrassing. =S They asked grammar questions about stuff I knew I had learned before, but had forgotten so for those of you going to Japan soon, it's advisable to study a bit!

I met one of my Japanese speaking partners today. She was very cute! But I was a bit shocked to find out that she barely knew English. So, it was up to me to pull out all the Japanese I had (which isn't much) but we managed to understand mostly what the other was saying, though we did have a couple "huh?" moments....ok a lot of them! I have never tried this hard to speak Japanese before and I must say it was a bit painful. =S However, this is why I came to Japan in the first place so it's a good thing! I'm going to meet my other partner tomorrow so hopefully it goes well.

Then, to end my day, I got lost walking back to my dorm by myself....they told me it was a straight path going back to the dorms..but it was a maze. I better learn quick! =S

Pre-Japan

So I decided it's finally time to start writing here! =)

OMG!!! Where has the time gone?? I just realized today I have less then 3 weeks to go before taking off to Kansai Gaidai! I feel really excited but also really anxious as well. Everything seems to be coming together nicely. =) I'm relieved Kansai Gaidai is quite organized and keeps you up to date about everything that is happening. I just met my speaking partner through email and she sounds super nice! ^^ Can't wait to meet her! I hope my second speaking partner will be just as awesome! (Yes I signed up for 2 since I can use all the speaking practice I can get. Plus I get to meet more people this way! )

FYI for those of you who will be going to Japan in the future and will need to take more than one month's supply of medication with you. You need to fill out a form called the Yakkan Shoumei and send it to the Ministry of Health in Japan to have it approved. Their drug laws are SUPER strict! However, because of the Canada post strike, I decided to UPS it there instead so there would be plenty of time to receive it before I leave, but I received it already after only 2 weeks via regular mail... =S...there goes $75 well spent  =(

The only thing I am worried about right now is bringing money to Japan to pay for my dormitories. It's too expensive to bring that much cash, but I seriously thought everywhere in Calgary would have traveller's cheques in yen! I didn't find out until today that no exchange places carry yen traveller's cheques and if I order them from a bank, it'll take 6-8 weeks. =S

I'm getting really anxious now! But in a good way! =) It's definitely more stressful to be moving right before leaving. I have to worry about getting all my things moved, and then trying to find everything I need without unpacking....just to repack it into a suitcase (If that makes any sense at all!)

Let's also hope I don't get lost in the airport trying to find my gate...although those of you who know how well my sense of direction is, may worry a bit. =D

Until next time! ^^