Thursday, July 23, 2009
♥ さよなら あめりか
I apologize for not writing anything in the past two weeks. Least to say it's been hectic and I'm just trying to get everything settled and situated. I'm 98% packed, just need the computer packed up and need to weigh the bags to make sure they're within limits. For some reason my Tokyo bag is so much heavier than my spare bag even though less is packed in it. Damn you physics. I hate chu. Anywho, I know hiragana now!! Whoooot! Still getting those last 30 or so gojuon, dakuten and handakuten, and yoon symbols straight away. Once I'm really gung-ho on that it is katakana study, then I can actually start really learning the language. Whooot. Always exciting. I'm not very good at language so at the moment I am so happy I'm actually grasping some stuff. あか わいん を ください！ (aka wain wo kudasai/ I would like a red wine please) No kidding wine would be good right now T__T.
Ugggh, see, I'm tired, but I don't want to go to bed... going to bed means this is all really happening. I am excited, don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled, but I always have a nice suffocating feeling before I embark on these trips. It's just nerves, and as I said before, a healthy dose of fucking terrified is always good for the soul. I've never been to Asia before, so that's awesome, but I suppose I was used to being able to blend in if I wanted to. In London I actually got a bit of an accent so by the end I was being approached by tourists, giving them directions, talking with them, gushing about London. In Israel my hair made me look like a local, everyone was talking in Hebrew to me when I wasn't with our stupid group being lead around like pack mules... I suppose that's why I liked just running off from the group with my fellow heathens and rebels, haha, mainly the Lyco crew, and just exploring on our own. I love being immersed in a culture, experiencing it and discovering it for myself. I loved being able to assimilate, and I guess I'm just seeing that as not being a possibility in Japan. Main reason is obviously appearance, haha. Also there is just such an entrenched tradition in Japan that no matter how much reading I do, I will never be able to fully understand. That really intrigues me, and of all the things, I think it bothers me the least. Hopefully I can just make friends who will like gushing about their tradition. We don't have that in America... yeah we have 4th of July and Thanksgiving... oh boy we blow up things and eat a fuckton. The reason I love history so much is because i love learning how things became what they are today, what made humans act the way they did, why the world is how it is today. Sure I go all the way back to medieval, but that was the basis of civilization in my opinion. Things started changing, Europe was being formed and thus the world was being opened (albeit not necessarily willingly). Japan, and Asia in general, has such a rich history and culture, I'm so jealous of it. They have a lot they take pride in.
Okay... well... that tangent is done, haha. If any of you are interested in Yaizu and where I'm living, my pred made me a fabulous interactive map that you can play with HERE!!! . ALT Apartment is my apartment... which reminds me! If you want to send me letters/goldfish crackers/money you can reach me at the following address!
マネンテ クリスチーナ
1169-D Kohiji
Yaizu-shi
Shizuoka-ken
Japan
425-0086
マネンテ クリスチーナ is my name in Japanese (Manente Kristina aka Manesote Kurisuchina ... at least I think that is how it is pronounced... I don't know katakana yet so I was just looking it up... eep... help?)
So yeah, I head to NYC tomorrow, swinging by Philly to pick up the fabulous Jamie and then we head to Jamaica, NY... aka JFK to camp out for two days at a hotel and go to the NY pre-departure orientation and Ambassador's Dinner... ooh la la, haha, yay free dinner.
I should have internet at the hotel, but come Saturday who knows the next time I will get to be on. There's internet in Tokyo, but I don't know how much of a chance I'm going to have to hang out with it, lots to do... not to mention I'll be in freaking Tokyo and I will not be at my computer.
So, until then... じゃね！
2:32 PM
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