Note to parents: I know this is probably a story you don't want to hear, but looking back, we just laugh now!
So, as resourceful college students, through our group blog we tried to figure out ways we can save money in Japan. The DK House gang decided we would buy bedding for our dorm room instead of renting it because the rental fee is 11,025 yen/semester (about $110) plus an optional mattress fee of 525 yen. Through Natalie's research, we found that we'd be able to purchase bedding for under $80. Thus, we canceled bedding rental with S. Uzuki, the manager of DK House, who made sure we understood that this meant we would not have bedding until we bought it, and we'd be sleeping on a wooden bed. So, we made our first objective upon arriving in Japan to go search for bedding, and we'd be set. Well, as it happens, we didn't even get to the dorm until nearly 8pm and we were pretty tired, and we didn't have much time or energy to go shop around and buy bedding. I said that I was probably tired enough from the flight/jet lag that it wouldn't make a difference if I had bedding or not. And that could not have been farther from the truth.
It wasn't the wooden bed that was the problem for me (or the others it turned out), it was the COLD. I only had my small suitcase and backpack with me since my big suitcase was going to be delivered from the airport the next morning (I didn't mention this either...we three girls went to the Black Cat/KuroNeko delivery service and had our heavy things (my one big suitcase) delivered straight to the dorm (for a reasonable price, don't worry!) but it wouldn't arrive until the next morning between the hours of 9am-12pm (and hey, just like in the U.S. it didn't arrive until almost 12!) We did this to avoid riding the trains with huge luggage, especially during the rush hour bustle. And it ended up being a rather good idea, since we would've had to go up and down stairs, and get lost with all of this in tow.) So basically I had very minimal stuff with me.
Anyway, around 11:45pm, I changed into these gym sweats as pajamas and kept on my long-sleeved shirt and zip-up hoodie, put my wrapped-up yukata on the bed as my pillow, and covered myself with my towel. I wasn't down for long when I realized I was way too cold to fall asleep.
12:04am: I got the T-shirt I had packed in my backpack and stuck my legs in it because there was some skin exposed from my gym sweats, and also put on a pair of socks. Got back on the 'bed' again.
Still too cold. Shoved on my jeans over my gym pants. Put on T-shirt over long-sleeved shirt and zipped up my hoodie again. Tented the towel over my face so the CO2 from my exhales would stay under the towel and keep me warm.
12:something am: Went to the bathroom. Thought about taking a hot shower, but the showers close at midnight and don't open until 6am.
1-ish am: Tried to stay in one position so the wood under me would warm up.
1:later am: Went to the bathroom again, just to move around some. Passed by open-doored non-occupied rooms with bedding inside and was so desperate and wanting to take it for my own that I walked into one and started feeling the blankets and futon, etc. I decided against taking even a blanket because a) I'm not sure where the security cameras are in this place, b) I felt it'd be awkward if the manager and his wife saw me on camera or found me returning it to the room in the morning c) Maybe it was just stubborn me, but I wanted to do this on my own.
2:ish am: I checked my clock again and made my way to the A/C unit remote control. I started playing around with buttons and noticed that the highest temperature you could set it on was 30 Celsius. Which I couldn't really realize is actually quite...warm...because my brain was frozen. But even with my frozen brain, I came up with the idea of checking the temperature read-out on my little clock and switching the setting to Celsius. After seeing that it was about 18 Celsius, I realized that hey, maybe 30 Celsius would be a lot better. So relying basically on my Chinese-reading ability, I played around with the remote and got hot air to come out. I celebrated by sitting right under my heater and played several rounds of 3 different types of Solitaire.
3 am: The room was sufficiently warm and I was getting tired, so I headed back to bed under my towel. The rest of the night still went by pretty slowly though, as even though it was warm, it was still a little hard falling into a deep sleep on a hard wooden box, basically. After waking up pretty often, I finally got out of bed at 9am to join Natalie downstairs in the cold lobby to wait for our luggage. We exchanged stories, and luckily both had figured out how to use the heater, but we found out later that Greg had not, but at least he had all his belongings which meant he had more clothing to layer.
We ended up searching for and purchasing bedding the next night. A 3-piece set (futon, padding, and comforter) for a total of 7920 yen. The best part was that it was a pretty bulky bag of stuff as you can imagine, and we carried it all the way home, and had to ask for directions 3 times and most people told us to take a bus or call a cab, but the san-nin felt we could do it and didn't want to spend that extra money after going through all this trouble to save money in the first place. We were quite a sight though, for sure.
So, for a savings of about $31, was it worth it? Of course! Twas a great and unforgettable adventure!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Backtrack a bit...to the bedding situation
The Second...
Hurrah! I am here!
Flight went smoothly. Greg, Natalie, and I started from Dulles together and met Teresa at the gate. 14 hours went by reasonably quickly, with meals, movie time, Pokemon, podcasting (Greg brought along a nice recorder so we take time to record events and our thoughts orally), and such. Daniel greeted us at the airport, and then we took two trains for about two hours or so (parting with Teresa as she is staying at hostel a ways away from us), and got to the DK House (uh, after getting lost a bit).
The manager, S. Uzuki, gave us our keys (there's a key card to get inside the building, as well as the room key) and a tour of the place. I'll take pictures soon. I'm on the third floor, with Natalie the floor below, and Greg the floor above. The floors are separated by gender, with lavatories and laundry facilities on both ends; the shower/sauna areas, kitchen and lounge areas are on the 1st floor. I'll also take pictures of my room when I'm actually unpacked and it looks organized (eh, which might take a while, knowing me). There's lots of storage room, including secret compartments in the bed, I have a walk-out balcony overlooking the Sakura (cherry blossom) road, there's a mini-fridge, A/C unit, and internet available. So far, I cannot make it to/from the train station without extra turns/getting lost, so this is something I need to work on in the upcoming days. First, I have a pretty terrible sense of direction; second, I don't pay attention to things/where I am going if someone else is leading; third, everything looks the same to me (there's a convenience store and Pachinko parlor/arcade nearly every corner). This is a horrible combination for getting around places...
It already feels like I've been here awhile, which I attribute to all the walking we do (I should've brought a pedometer!) and how much we've been getting done/attempting to get done. Everything becomes quite the adventure when Greg, Natalie, and I are together (we've dubbed ourselves the "San-nin" (三人). We've explored the area around our dorm and the main area of Warabi city, applied for our 'alien registration cards' at the city ward office, exchanged money, eaten a range of food, made our way around on trains, bought bedding for our rooms and other things. Probably the most difficult thing is just not having phones/an easy way to stay in contact with one another. Today I visited Sophia (Jouchi) University, used the gym, ate at a cafeteria, and used the computer lab, all under the tutelage of Daniel.
Picture time!
This is the fort that the San-nin made in the basement the night before our flight. It was mighty impressive and awesome to sleep in, especially with that small space heater pointed right into it.
Waiting at the gate! Teresa and Greg in the foreground, Natalie on the phone in the back.
All of us on the 1st train.
Our first meal in Japan. By the time we made it to the dorm and got somewhat settled, it was pretty late so we didn't travel far for dinner. We ended up at Yoshinoya, a popular and ubiquitous hot shop-type restaurant. We all ate a nice hot bowl of gyu-don (牛丼) which is beef on rice basically. Haha, sorry I took this picture at a horrible time...no one's judging...we were really tired...
On our way to register as foreigners, we came across a McDonald's inside a big supermarket so we went for it. I had the Teritama special, which is a teriyaki burger with egg on top (or like a Teriyaki-style Gusburger for you UVA-folk).
Our first "real" night and we already got our taste of sushi! Be jealous! It's called kaitenzushi (回転寿司) for the way the plates of sushi wind their way around the restaurant on a conveyor belt. This restaurant is in Shibuya, and not only does the wait line wrap around the seats lining two walls, on busy nights, it even trails out the door around the corner. Each customer must eat 7 plates (2 pieces of sushi per plate) in 30 minutes, and then you are welcome to stay as long as you want, otherwise you have to give up your place. I easily ate 9 plates in way less than half an hour, and at 105 yen a plate, it's not a bad deal for a sushi dinner. I loved the lively atmosphere, and it was delicious, so hopefully I'll have plenty more chances to eat there.Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The First
As my father pointed out earlier as we were watching TV, at this time next week, I'll be up in the air...on my way to start my semester abroad in Japan!
I've been anticipating this for so long simply because I've wanted to do the whole study abroad thing for years and now it's finally coming to fruition. Plus this means I can finally stop having to explain to UVA friends who ask me how Japan is already how I'm not actually in Japan yet even though yes, it's almost April...and to other people how no, I'm not actually IN school right now, I'm technically studying abroad yes, I realize I'm still in the U.S. but...you get the idea. So far the only bump in the road is that the exchange rate keeps fluctuating...to not work in our favor so much. Oh, and also that I haven't been studying Japanese at all, and by now, I really need a refresher...
It's been a long process, with researching programs, applying, working with teachers and advisers for recommendations and credit stuff, and waiting. A whole lot of waiting. Then after being accepted, it's filling out forms for the school, figuring out wire transfers and other financial matters, getting a Visa, buying tickets, etc...and soon, packing. Thankfully, one of my fellow exchange students started up a lovely blog (you'll find a link to it in the sidebar!) for all of us studying at Sophia University next semester (there's quite a few of us!) where we've been able to share information, vent about the process, and just work our way through all the details. Much thanks of course to my parents too, who are providing me with this opportunity in the first place and for dealing with my incessant and eternal procrastination with...just about everything. But I mean, I've provided them with my lovely presence for the past 2 months at home. Soon they'll miss me, I can just feel it already. I am their favorite daughter after all. Parents (I hope you're reading...), four months will fly by though! And I promise I'll call...at least once this time...
Anyway, I think most things are set for my trip. I'm traveling on the same flight with a few of the others, so 2 of them are staying the night before at our house for easier access to Dulles Airport. Now, normally I would probably pack all my things the night before my flight, but since my friends will be here, I thought I'd get a head-start. So today I opened a suitcase and threw clothing from my drawers to my floor. Tomorrow I think I may try to fold some of that clothing and put it in the suitcase. Baby steps, that's how I like to do things.
It's probably time for me to wrap up, but I hope you'll continue to follow me throughout my experience!