LBC: A Loli's Day in Hawaii

It's no secret that we all lead very different lives. Mine happens to be insanely busy.

This week's Carnival theme was "A Lolita's Day in Pictures", and unfortunately for me, it was a school day. xD So at risk of ruining the image you have of me, here is my submission.

I like to hope you think of me as a creative and edgy person who always looks stylish, rather than a college student working on her driver's license and scarfing down Subway between classes, but hey, what can we do.

Also, you'd think living in Hawaii, this post would read something like "I awoke to a gentle sunrise and the peals of dolphin laughter, stretching out of my hammock where I fell asleep outside my grass shack..." No. Sorry. xD

I awoke at about 5 AM to the violent vibration of my cellphone, which never leaves my side. The crackling air conditioner overhead is the next thing I hear, and it sounds kind of like money burning.

Then I proceed through the usual formalities, of hiding anything that naturally occurs on a woman (Iron your bangs! Pluck that stray eyebrow hair! Conceal everything!). Then I carefully pack and prepare clothing and supplies for the evening ahead, a dance and entertainment event called "Thank God for Vampires".

Unfortunately, lolita, shoes, wigs and makeup are heavy, and lucky me, I have classes all day first. So by the time I'm ready to head out my load looks like:

Once that's done, it's time to drive. I hop into my vehicle of choice, "Blue Rose"...

... plug in my iPod, and hit the road. The morning soundtrack was a mutually agreeable choice of ONE OK ROCK on shuffle, much to my uncle's relief. 

I go through the morning classes, lugging the weight of my double life up and down stairs, back and forth across campus. Three classes and a can of Monster energy drink later, I find myself in the sanctuary of my favourite part of the day... a sacred lunch hour!

And of course, what do lolitas eat for lunch? Surely they dine only on parfaits and bear-shaped macaroons, like the tales of my outings in Japan. And what else to wash down those sweets, but tea and lattes served in fine china?

And surely, I ate on the pristine Hawaiian beach?

Ahaha, no, there is nothing cute about what I ate. In fact it is probably the least lady-like lunch, except for the fact it was vegetarian. You could say, it was a salad between two giant croutons.

Yes. In spite of the low-carb diet I say I'm on, I succumbed to the call of a Veggie sub. :P 

And about dining on the beach, no. The only sea by my campus is the sea of butt-emblazoned sweatpants walking around outside. 

Sure enough, my lunch hour passes before I know it...

And it's time for my last class of the day, where of course, I take thorough and diligent notes.

AT LONG LAST, classes have ended, and I rush back to the cafe area to meet with a dear friend. She is a Journalism student and, funnily enough, she wanted to interview me about the Lolita community in Hawaii.

If we were going to talk about Lolita, it was going to be over some kind of cute food damn it. Or actually, that's just an excuse. The truth is I'm addicted to the frozen yogurt shop by my campus and go just about every day and not even an interview was going to stop me. xD 

Pineapple frozen yogurt with lychee boba, strawberries and kiwi. 

I mean, low carb diet!!

You are probably wondering when I will get to the Lolita part. Well hold your horses, because it turns out, I didn't even have all of my outfit packed. Not only did I forget tights, but I also left home without lashes, lash glue or circle lenses. So that means... TO THE MALL!

Ala Moana mall is actually a pretty cool place to hang out. It is mostly out doors and they keep it very clean. Not to mention, there are cool stores there like Shirokiya, and Q-pot. But actually, I just like to look at the fish in the giant outdoor ponds, which flow down stream throughout the mall. 

After my mad dash to finish my outfit, I rush back to campus and hijack the biggest air-conditioned bathroom for preparation. A bit of cursing and a magical girl transformation later, I emerge somewhat successfully in my Atelier Pierrot outfit.

After that, it was a relatively stress-free night of hanging out with friends, and enjoying good music at The Venue. My good friend Alice Demize also came in Atelier, so we were matching! 

And well, now you know my secret, that I am actually a totally normal and boring person. xD But enough about that, how did everyone else spend their Lolita Day? Let's go under the tent and take a look-see...

 ☆ Päivänvarjon alla ☆ Teh Pastel Unicorn ☆ Melting Mind of Liz Juice ☆ A Lace Jail ☆ Sparkling Girl ☆ Toothless Tigers ☆ Fashion Fairytales and Sewing Secrets ☆ 

xoxo, Cherie.

PS... if you can find all the Tiger & Bunny things, you're my new best friend! xD

You can compare with my "Lolita's Day in Nagoya", written about a year ago, here. 

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!

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...