Forgotten Youth.

Ohisashiburi, darlings! It's been almost a month since my last update, when I visited my wonderful host family. But how have you all been?

On this side of the world, I'm going through the busiest, most exciting and also scariest point of my study abroad. I'm adventuring out more than ever, but at the same time, unexpected bills and typhoons have come, homework and big projects came at me left and right, and I was hit with the shock that I have less than three weeks left before I go home.

To be honest, I'm in a bit of denial... I know my usual haunts backwards and forwards, I've made many wonderful, irreplaceable friends, and Nagoya truly feels like my home now. It was the first place I've ever lived on my own and I am proud of how much I've grown, as a student, and a person.

On one hand, I can't imagine leaving without the prospect of coming back. At the same time, I have to keep telling myself, this isn't the climax of my life, I have to keep moving on to the next chapter. Life is the sum of your experiences that make you who you are- it's not just achieving one dream, and bam, you've found your purpose in life. You have to stay ambitious and keep setting goals.

One of the best things I've done in Japan so far, was volunteer at an orphanage with my "Service Learning Across Cultures" class. It's one of the optional Culture Classes offered by NUFS, taught in English.

We spent the semester in teams, planning volunteer projects at one of the local orphanages. We also helped with their Sports Day, and helped the kids with chores around the orphanage, like cleaning and pulling weeds. In addition, we've been going in small groups to teach English classes and just play on weekday evenings.

So, this orphanage was less than five minutes away from my apartment this whole time, and I never even realised it was there. It's up a hill shrouded by trees and an overgrown driveway, with nothing to suggest children are there other than a "Children At Play" sign for cars.

No one ever mentions it, acknowledges it, or considers it a community responsibility. The adoption rate in Japan is actually very low... according to some stats from this prefecture, taken from several children's homes, only about one child is adopted every year. The other children who leave are either taken in again by their biological parents (which isn't necessarily a good thing), or they leave to find work because of their age.

This shocked me. Typical Japanese parents spend a small fortune on their children. Then there are the children in foster homes with nothing, not even up-to-date computers, with just a small fixed allowance from the government every month. They don't even get to go to uniformed schools with other kids, the home has their own school on the premises. It's a shocking contrast to the privileged youth on the outside; the uniformed Japanese student everyone automatically thinks of, when they think Japan.

To me, it seems these children in the home are just disposed of... one common reason is abuse, but it's more common for divorced parents to send their children there... in your country, do children of divorced parents just get sent to a children's home? The community I live in is practically oblivious to this, even though there are SO many children who need a caring home. Even though the children outside are given anything they ask for.

It really opened my eyes, and made me think about how much I take for granted myself.

I had heard before, that the Japanese government tends to hide 'embarrassing' problems like that. But to think they'd hide their own forgotten youth under the carpet too...

Enough ranting about that, I could go on forever. And to be honest, I don't have enough concrete information to rationally argue about this, other than my own experience.

Instead I'd like to talk about our projects. I lead an art group, and we set up a few fun projects for kids to express themselves.  My plan was to have each kid design their own puzzle piece, and it would be displayed as a group work in the community to call attention to the children's home. (I had done a similar project working with Foster Children in Hawaii, about a year ago.)  But due to my classmate's suggestions, and the fact we couldn't find a place to display the artwork, we changed our plan.

Instead, we had each child design their own "Pokemon Card", and in the stats box, we had things like "Favourite Food", "Super Power", "Future Dream" and such. 

Here was my example, haha:

Not everyone filled in every box, but a lot of the little kids wanted to be a "Pan-ya san" (guy who works at the bread shop) or "Keki-ya san" (guy who works at a cake shop). I think those are EXCELLENT ideas! xD All the bread and cake you could want!

Other groups set up a soccer tournaments, cooking classes, parties, and one group is trying to organise a campus tour of NUFS for older kids. It's been so much fun going to see them, getting to know them and feeling like we made their day special...

I hope that this class comes back next semester, and students keep donating their time, effort and smiles. I hope that they all talk about their experiences too, and word gets out. I hope more people in the community put aside their pride or shame or whatever it is, and make room in their hearts for someone who needs a home.

One thing our teacher told us, was that these kids don't know how to be part of a family yet, but they want to learn. They just need the chance.

SSG: How to get here.

I've done a few posts for the "Student Survival Guide", like acquiring cellphones, electronic dictionaries and using the trains... but I forgot one of the most important things about being an exchange student, and that's applying to be one!

Please note that I'm just a student myself; I'm not an expert or representative. So I'll be writing from my own experience. 

I am a student from a university in Hawaii, studying at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. NUFS is an excellent school that really watches out for its students, setting you up with monthly stipends, housing, bank accounts, field trips, etc. The Office of International Exchange will even help you out with work permits, if you'd like to tutor your native language at the NUFS or NUAS Language Lounge.

There are two programs at NUFS- Culture and Language. 

If you want to start or continue studying Japanese, then you enrol in the Language program. You'll have three hours of grammar classes three days a week, plus an Oral class on Mondays, and reading and Kanji on Fridays. 

I am not sure if the same is true for beginner classes, but at an intermediate-advanced level, all of my classes are in Japanese. My text books are also all in Japanese. However the beginner level text books are written with English explanations. 

In addition, Language students can enrol in Culture classes for more credits. These are conducted in English. They have a wide range of interesting topics, which change for Fall or Spring. For example, you can take Japanese Pop Culture, Japanese Food Culture, Tourism Management in Japan, and even Judo! This semester I'm really excited to take "Service Learning Across Cultures", which will allow us to volunteer in local orphanages, teach English and help out with community service. 

The cultural program requires no Japanese classes- so even if you don't speak Japanese and don't want to learn, you can come to NUFS to take classes. However this may set you back in school credits. Not to mention, culture classes only meet once a week in the afternoon- so if you are only in the culture program, you will have a lot of spare time on your hands. 

Nagoya is about six or seven hours south of Tokyo by bus. It's much quieter, and even though it has its Industrial areas, in comparison I find it rural. I like it though. Personally, I think the location forced me to get out and speak Japanese with real people. (Not that I don't like speaking Japanese, I'm just very shy!)

By the end of Fall semester, I could call services on phones, understand keigo and communicate. Then I could go out to visit friends and chat away informally. I was personally very impressed with my progress. 

On the other hand, a friend of mine was studying in Tokyo, and I was surprised to see her Japanese hadn't really progressed. She said she rarely hung out with Japanese students, and couldn't understand natural speech. We were at the same level when we came to Japan. 

I'm not going to lie, it takes motivation, thick skin and hard work to do the language course. Even if you make mistakes talking with people you have to keep at it, that's how you learn. I think of language like a muscle... when you're working out, it hurts when you start right? Because tissues break then build up thicker layers, becoming stronger. Your skills are just like that. Mistakes are embarrassing and they sting, but they make you stronger in whatever you do. 

Hopefully that didn't scare you. And it shouldn't. Journeying out to learn a foreign language is something you should be proud of, and want to work at. At least I think so...

Now that we have some background, let's address a few myths about studying abroad.

"You have to be fluent in Japanese to study in Japan."

Wrong. Though I took four semesters of Japanese at my University, many students came without studying Japanese at all. Is it a good idea to take Japanese before coming? Absolutely. My minimal, scrapped-together Japanese saved my ass when I first came to Japan. 

But literally, many students came without being able to read furigana, katakana or kanji. When Placement tests began, all they had to do was say they couldn't read Japanese, and they were taken to another classroom where, guess what- they started learning to read Japanese. No matter what level you are, you can come study Japanese in Japan. 

To be comfortable living here, I'd recommend knowing at least beginner's Japanese. But even if you don't, many pick it up the longer they stay here. 

"Studying Abroad will be too expensive."

It depends. For me, Studying in Japan was exactly the same tuition cost as studying at my home university. I just paid my tuition normally, and my university handled the cost with NUFS. It may vary by university.

To help with living expenses. NUFS offers a scholarship to all foreign students. Your rent is automatically subtracted from this each month, so you don't have to worry about paying a landlord or housing office out of pocket. The remainder of the scholarship is yours to make your life in Japan fun and comfortable. 

The text books are dirt cheap, compared to the US. In Hawaii some of my text books were $180+! My Japanese textbooks on the other hand, are as cheap as 1,500-2,500 yen, and I only need two or three each semester. 

The biggest cost may be travel. I was devastated when I started looking for flights to Japan, and thought, I may not be able to come after all. I scrambled and had a huge yard sale before school ended, and got even more depressed when I only made about $60. But I got back on my feet, and took up lifeguarding at the YMCA all summer, working every day and saving everything I could.

Finally, I found STA, a student travel agency that helps find discounted flights and travel deals. My agent helped me find a decently cheap flight to Japan. In the end, I still had to ask my parents for help with the ticket. But when they saw how serious I was about going, and how hard I worked, they agreed to loan me the money. :)

I still rely on my STA agent, who also keeps in touch to make sure everything goes as planned. If something as little as a flight number changes, maybe even four months out from departure, she emails and lets me know. 

Even after my terrible experience with Delta airlines last September, I emailed my agent to tell her. She helped change my schedule so I could fly a different, but just as affordable airline. So I guess my point about travel is, don't get discouraged, where there's a will there's a way... and you'd be surprised at how helpful people can be. 

"Studying Abroad will set you back in credits."

Since I attend school on mostly scholarships, I was worried studying abroad would push back my graduation date and jeopardise my plans. However, after talking with my International Exchange advisor, I found out that wasn't true at all! 

The typical course load at my university is capped at 15 credits a semester. Here at NUFS, if you take all your language courses and two culture courses, you also earn 15 credits per semester. My advisor even helped me find courses that corresponded with requirements for my major. Ask at Academic Advising, if there's an Office of International Exchange at your school. 

"It's hard to sign up; you need to apply like a year in advance!"

Typically, this is accurate. I got extremely lucky with my chance to study in Japan. 

As you all know, last March Japan was struck by Earthquakes and a tsunami. After that, many exchange students, even in Nagoya, were evacuated. Many students who planned to come to Japan changed their minds.

My Japanese teacher knew how badly I wanted to come to Japan, but I could never convince my parents to let me go. One April afternoon, she announced that the Advisor for International Exchange would come in to talk to us about an open spot in Nagoya. She made direct eye contact with me. The advisor told us that if we wanted to apply for the spot, we had to do it the same day, before deadline. When he left, I asked my teacher, "Should I go? Am I good enough?" and she told me I'd be perfect for it.

Instead of going home I went to the office to talk to the Advisor. I brought up all the urban myths I've just covered, all the reasons my parents said it was a bad idea. And as it turned out, all of those fears were false. Studying abroad in Japan was totally possible- and right within my grasp. 

From there it was a whirlwind. I had to complete the paperwork and applications other students had months to work on. I had to apply for my passport, my Student Visa, get (really awful) photos for immigration, and book my flights within a month. But it was totally doable. Compared to the horror stories I'd heard, it was painless. Or maybe I was numb to it because I just wanted to come, haha. 

So a lot of people tell me, "I always wanted to do what you're doing"... and I think, if you want it badly enough, nothing can stop you. 

If you do it last minute like I did, it's a lot of information to swallow at once, and it seems to have a thousand steps before you finally get here. But when you are here, standing at the top of the hill and looking back, you're proud of the climb right? When you were at the foot of the hill, did you think you had it in you to climb that high? 

Till next time,

Cherie

A Meet-up at Sweets Paradise

お久しぶりですね！Or in other words, long time no see.

November has been a busy month, full of midterms and impending projects. 

Last week I went to Hiroshima on an Excursion with NUFS, which I will write about when I have more time, since there is too much to say about it... and it wouldn't feel right to me to slap it in an entry alongside a Lolita meet.

I was pretty upset when I returned from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and frazzled from the trying midterms. Luckily, my Lolita friend in Nagoya sent me a message suggesting a meet-up. She wanted to go to a restaurant in Nagoya called Sweets Paradise.

For the reasonable cost of 1,480 yen, you get to eat all you want from a buffet of ice cream, chocolate fountains, cakes, cream puffs, mochi, you name it, they have it.

It includes 'normal' foods like pasta, udon, curry and soup, and also extends to their impressive drink bar, boasting cappuccino makers, every type of pop, juice, and tea. If you'd like to add nomihodai (all you can drink) alcohol, it is an additional 800 yen.

We met up at the giant golden clock in Nagoya Station. I decided to finally break out my entire Honey Cake set, including the ring, Pancake Purse and Ivory Jsk. My friend arrived in Baby's Alice Trick-or-Treat Jsk in black. While we were waiting for the other lolita, a Japanese girl in a Candy Stripper shirt asked to take our picture. She took out her phone and showed us she was a lolita too! 

The other lolita, my new friend, arrived in Meta's Honey Picnic heart apron skirt in mint, with a handmade bear broach. Together we had the perfect Honey and Bears theme.

Read more under the jump-cut!

October Wrap-Up

Can you hit the jackpot just for buying a soft drink at home?

When you use Suntory soft drink vending machines, you can be a big winner. When you buy a drink the numbers start rolling, and if you hit three sevens, you get the jackpot: a free drink.

I have yet to win, but the landlord always comes up behind me and cheers, "当たって！ナナ、ナナ、ナナ！" (Hit it! Seven seven seven!).

Why bring this up? I've had a tough past week.While taking my daily run, I tripped over something in the dark and deeply scraped my legs. Since I also sprained my ankle running last month, I've come to the conclusion that I need to stop running outdoors and try out the treadmills at the gym. Luckily, NUFS has its own gym open for students.

On top of that, I finally caught the cold that was going around. The only good thing was the vocabulary I learned to describe my symptoms and read medicine bottles. (Guess what the word for runny nose is? 鼻水 [hanamizu], literally nose water.)

My point is in spite of this, my friends and family cheer me on anyway, no matter what it is I'm going through. They inspire me and help me make it through.

October ended with NUFS' University Festival, and naturally, Halloween. 

University Festivals are unique to Japan... or at least, my college in Hawaii never had anything like this. Different classes, clubs and sports teams set up their own booths to raise money for activities. It's a really big deal, and not only students attend, but everyone in the town.

More under the cut!

Keep the Kabuki

Yesterday, I went on a NUFS sponsored field trip to see a Kabuki play in Fushimi. According to the Digest, it is one of the '18 Best Pieces of Kabuki'. Nobles of the Edo period found it charming, but college students may have a harder time relating to this ancient theatre art.

Let me say, it's not what I expected. While I appreciate the value of immaculate, painstakingly ritualistic performance, it was not my cup of ocha.

Pictures and video in the theatre were strictly forbidden, but I managed to steal a shot before the show started.

The costumes were stunning, even from high in the rafters where we were seated. I wish the camera rules weren't so strict, because the costumes were the only stimulating thing during two hours acts of dialogue.

My favorite parts were the brief moments when a geisha would enter the stage with her entourage. She wore layers and layers of vibrant embroidered kimono, with glinting golden adornments in her large, heavy-looking up-do. The geisha's black lacquered geta were almost a foot tall, a man humbly stretching to hold parasol for her against the harsh lights of the stage.

I had no idea that Kabuki theatre moved so slowly... the entire production was about four and a half hours long, split into three acts and two intermissions. Let's just say, a lot of people were doing their kanji homework in our group.

Essentially scenes would flow this way: a character enters the stage. Fans of that actor applaud or yell out their name. Long dialogue is delivered in a dramatic voice you can't understand unless you are fluent (and possibly also familiar with Kabuki). Sometimes the characters change positions or sit down.

That made up 70% of the show. The rest of the time, there were entertaining dances. Most of the second act had a pair of friends who had been tied up as punishment- one with his hands behind his back, the other with his arms tied to a long pole lying across his shoulders. 

While commiserating, they find a large canister of sake, drink, and begin dancing while tied up. The two friends were wearing vibrant green and orange hakama embroidered with circles, which billowed with every movement. Even while bound they managed to throw, catch and dance with gold fans, that glinted in the warm spot light. 

The live music was performed by an orchestra of sorts, equipped with shamisen, traditional drums and flutes. Sometimes they were on stage as part of the scenery, other times they were hidden behind set elements like fake tea house fronts. The kabuki actors added a staccato beat by 'stomping', or I'd rather say, cracking their sandal against the wood of the stage. 

I honestly preferred the intermissions. Not just because of the colorful omiyage tables and dango ripe for the purchase, but for the fellow audience members milling about. 

Many ladies came dressed in full kimono. One woman even painted her face, wore pink and red kanzashi, and vibrant kimono.

The theatre was gorgeous. The lobby was decorated in rust and gold hues, with lanterns, autumn garlands, and flower arrangements in every corner.

NUFS absorbed most of the cost of this outing, which I didn't realize until I got my ticket. As students, we paid 2,500 yen for the ticket, bus, and an obento meal... but just the ticket alone was 6,500 yen! No wonder everyone else was so dressed up... we were terribly under dressed!

Our next NUFS-sponsored field trip is a weekend excursion to Hiroshima. I am so glad our school offers us the chance to experience Japanese culture outside the classroom, and at a generously subsidized cost! 

Until our next adventure... 

Visiting the Gassho-zukuri

NUFS' latest excursion sent us blazing across three hours of open highway, to Shirakawa-go and Gokoyama. 

We spent the day visiting Gassho-zukuri, Japanese farmhouses which are at least 250 years old. They are made of wood from the tatami mats to the thatched roof, and completely sustainable. 

The best part is, you were able to walk inside some of them (removing your shoes first, of course). Some of them had exhibits and artifacts from every day life. To see the second level, you had to ascend a thin wooden ladder with steep steps. 

Shirakawa-go was mostly cheesy omiyage shops and cafes. On the map there was a lot to do, such as a nearby onsen, and a famous manor you could enter for an additional fee. However on our student cash and time limit, we barely had enough time for lunch.

My friend and I popped into this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The dining room was small, with service for about twenty people. Since the tables were full, my friend and I sat at the bar, next to an older man who was smoking a cigarette nonchalantly. There were just two tenants running the entire shop, including a window for ice-cream and kaki koori (shaved ice). 

My friend opted for the soba set, and I chose 'wild vegetable' udon.

Delicious! I am getting spoiled with this home-made Japanese food. 

I really want to return to the Gassho-zukuri houses on my own, so I can explore, observe and take the time to see it. I especially want to come in the winter, so I can see them covered in snow. I have seen photos, and they're so beautiful!

Wouldn't that be great to see such a sight? Then you could visit the onsen, and I here some of the Gassho-zukuri are run as simple inns where you can stay one night. Ahh, that sounds so cool, but also a little scary! 

To find out more about these amazing houses, visit this link! It explains their structure a lot better than I can.

And now, to move on with the lolita meme. Something I was craving during our sunny field trip!

Day Thirteen

... a picture of your favorite sweets.

photo source

Dango! I never had one until I came to Japan. Now, they are my favorite treat!

Oh, and in my last post, my friend Patrick asked about something on the Sakae Nova shop directory sign. There was something called 古いのコレクト on there, which I couldn't remember seeing. But I went back this week, and found a booth set up behind a curtain. A gothic lolita sat at a table, giving palm and tarot readings for a reasonable rate. There were diagrams of palms tacked on the walls, it was pretty cool! And so, that is what 古いのコレクト referred to.


I'd really like to have my fortune told! But maybe next semester, after my Japanese improves...

Field Trip Today!

Ohayou Gozaimasu folks! This morning is our first NUFS excursion, out to Nagoya Castle and Nagoya City.

It's pretty hot and humid, but I'm braving it out in Lolita, so please wish me luck!

Today's theme is "bears".

Since it is so hot, I put my hair up in two "bear ear" buns using bobby pins. With the matching British Bear headband, it is pretty cute I think! ^^

One of the highlights of this week was the Entrance Ceremony at NUFS. The really fun part was the reception afterwards, where clubs from the school put on presentations and acts. There are so many talented students here, from Harmonics to Jazz! 

Did I mention there was free food? Haha, I always took that for granted until I started buying my own groceries!

The best part of the reception was getting to meet the Japanese students! I made so many new friends. We laughed and talked about our interests, which as it turns out, are quite similar. (Go figure.) 

There's so much more I want to talk about, but so little time! And I don't really want to throw a jumble of text up here. 

So, today's Lolita Meme Theme is...

Day Ten

... What's in your Lolita bag?

You can click to make it a bit bigger if you like.

Contents:

• Rilakkuma wrist watch
• Nanette Lepore rollerball perfume
• Sephora mini lip gloss in light pink
• Bath and Body Works Lemon Blueberry chap stick
• Betsey Johnson glasses and case
• Floral Coin purse
• Last year's BTSSB planner (I keep business cards and receipts in it now)
• Little Twin Stars compact mirror
• Ruki! An amigurumi bunny my friend gave to me. I love to take him with me on outings and take blog-style photos.

Well, till next time! :) I have so many cool photos I want to share, maybe a photo dump is appropriate...?

First day of School!

Today was the day! Officially our first day of 'school' at Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. 

Of course it is just orientation this week. We spent almost three hours filling out forms today, such as Alien Registration. In the end we got a lot of useful information though, and had a super fun tour led by Japanese students.

The NUFS Campus is lovely, isn't it? I love how many trees there are, mixed with the hip design of the buildings. There is even a bus stop on campus, and more conbini stores than I can count. All in all, it is a very welcoming and comfortable campus! And with all the stairs and hills, you certainly get your work out.

I even saw a lolita during the campus tour! She was brave to wear it out in this humid, sticky weather. I was really surprised- she was wearing Angelic Pretty's Pastel Dot Ala Mode Jsk in black, from 2006! That one is pretty rare, isn't it?

I don't feel ready to wear lolita out and about yet, at least not until the weather cools off. I am not used to Nagoya humidity just yet...

Paging live from Nagoya!

Holy crap, I'm here! I survived my trip here to Nagoya!

It was the adventure of a lifetime just getting here, and by that I mean, I almost died! 

Here is the condensed version.

Since there were typhoon warnings for Nagoya area, our plane couldn't land at Chubu. Instead we landed at Narita outside of Tokyo. From there, our crummy airline just dropped us off and said "find your own way!" The only "help" they offered, was a form to collect reimbursement for taking the shinkansen to Nagoya.

I was so scared. I had never been in Japan before, had almost no money, and was beginning to doubt my Japanese as panic set in. Then suddenly, a young couple, H-san and Y-san, approached me and asked if I was traveling by myself. They said they were going to Nagoya too, and asked if I wanted to go with them on the shinkansen.

They waited for me while I got through customs. Then, they helped me purchase the right tickets to get to Nagoya on the shinkansen. They knew the way, and were able to get us to all the trains on time. 

In all, we rode two bullet shinkansen, a densha, and a bus. They even bought me my first ekiben from Tokyo station, which we ate together. They spoke little English, and my Japanese is pretty infantile, but we understood each other for the most part. It is a funny thing with language, when you are learning... I can understand perfectly well, but forming my own responses is difficult.

I don't know where I would be without them! There is no way I would have been able to get here safely by myself. Thank god for the rare few with golden hearts, helping others without hesitation...

I don't want to generalize, but it seems that attitude towards others is common here. The bus driver helped me take my luggage off the bus, and no sooner had I started rolling away than another gentleman asked if I needed help. When I finally got to my destination, the arrival crew took all of my bags for me and showed me to my room. I was a little embarrassed, but didn't want to be rude and refuse the kind gesture. 

Yes, I had a bad-- or TERRIBLE experience with my airliner, who dropped me in the middle of a foreign country (do not fly Delta!). However, the people here and the atmosphere reassure me, that things will look up.

In the mean time, I have all ready unpacked. Today's adventure, was a bit of shopping. I ran into one of my old classmates, B-san, who happens to be staying in the same apartment complex! Together, we went to a hykau-en store this morning; it is about the equivalent of a Dollar store in the US.

Here are some pictures of my trip...

Things I highly recommend buying: eco-totes and coin purses. The grocery stores charge 3 en per plastic bag, and you bag your own groceries. I like bagging my own groceries, and 3 en is only pennies, but still! I think the point trying to be made is that we should be more environmentally conscious anyway. 

Also, the coin purse. I came to Japan with bills, and as I made change, kept losing my coins. That would be a trivial problem in the US, but here, coins can be valued up to 500 en, or about $6. That being said, it is worth keeping track of them!

Tomorrow, there is nothing scheduled, so B-san and I might take the train into Nagoya city. I want to look around Sakae, and I'm sure there's a lot to do. Besides, I want to get a gift for B-san, who "fixed" my aircon. By that I mean, I confused my kanji, and set my a/c to "heat"! No wonder I was too hot to sleep last night!