The Usual Suspects

Okay, so, you all know what I did in Takaoka (the name of the town)(if not, read about it) but what I avoided for lack of time (at eleven o'clock at night) were the people I met. Actually, if you read it I gave them basic descriptions, but really, that's nothing compared to what I know about them and their experiences. So without further a due, I'll tell what I know:

The first on the list is the tall blond Aussie. He's witty, funny and understands what I mean when I reference the Internet et cetera. He reminds me of my brother, and actually, he's hoping to go into gaming as well. He's been here nine months and while he is not fluent in Japanese, he is more than comfortable. Considering Japan wasn't his first choice and that he didn't study, he's doing very well, and it's comforting to know that it would be difficult to walk away from this exchange without learning Japanese. According to him, you learn Japanese exponentially, so even though we (recent arrivals) don't know much now, we'll learn much more than we'd expect once we get to talking to people. Also, despite not being his first choice, he still really enjoys it here.

Next up is the other Aussie, who is also very tall (they're both as tall, if not taller than me). If I'm not mistaken, he's of Japanese ethnic background which dominates his looks (edit: he's Chinese), but not his accent or his personality. He seems almost fluent in Japanese as he spent much of his time studying. He was basically the speaker for the group when we were lost in translation. Also, both Australians HIGHLY suggest getting a cellphone if you're going to be in Japan for a while. This makes more sense to me now that I realize that the Japanese don't have as much access to or use computers the same way we do (probably because they're not into piracy and forgery and their phones are pretty powerful on their own).

Next up, the tall American. He's exactly what you would expect from an American guy. He's tall, strong, ostentatious and he has a one track mind. Even so, he's funny and easy to get along with. Also, he's purposefully playing up his American traits. All in all, he's not a bad guy.

The other American is not as talkative. He's quiet, nice and missed the train to Takaoka on the first day. He's not afraid of talking, and he has some good input, but I haven't talked to him as much. Still, he's a good guy.

So, now we get to the Canadian girls. The first is tall for a girl with curly blond hair. She seems independent and strong enough to hold against the Aussie's wit without being snobbish.

And the last is the other Canadian girl. The running joke has been that she's a nun. She's nice, polite, cheerful and has never gone skiing or snowboarding. Still, even she is strong enough to last through the exchange I'm sure. Rotary wouldn't have sent her otherwise. That goes for the whole group, Rotary did well choosing these people.

I'll also offer what I know of my exchange at this point. Rotary, you'll probably want to listen (err, read) up. I'm being hosted by the Rotary club of Kanazawa. They have me set up with three host families and a private school with their Interact club which I'm thinking of joining once I have proper command of the language. While three host families seems like enough, I'm getting the arbitrary end of the stick. Due to the intense need for students to study, two of the three families are avoiding having a gaijin distraction in their house holds. I'll be staying with this host family for the first half of my year (and logically, the other two will fit evenly into the other half). This irritates me a little as I'd prefer to be move around more than this, however, I don't see what I can do. Entrance exams are extremely important in Japan and therefore, so is the studying. Next, aside from it's all-as-one philosophy, Japan is easily a U.S.A. country wannabe. Engrish (that's not a typo) is everywhere, it's "in." So, it wouldn't be too hard to go most of the year without learning Japanese (especially when you're stuck in an Engrish speaking house for half of that), however I see this and an annoying challenge (getting everyone not to speak the same three sentences of English) and I've five reference books, one Japanese comic, memorized all the kana, three private lessons at school a week, soon more lessons at an international building and all my skill being used to counter this. And finally, today, my homeroom teacher realized that I can speak basic sentences. So, if my new found friends will speak in simpler words more slowly in Japanese, I think I stand a good chance. And the final issue is more a half-request. I think the Australians are right in saying that a cellphone should be high on my list of things to get. I'll be looking into it. To whom it concerns, please ask a (preferably female) teenager about the importance of a cellphone before you make any decision. I'm up for another chat if you would like to discuss it directly.

Other than that, I've little to say. So I'll reply to a few comments.
No, I don't add pictures to previous entries, but I do repost entries few times after I've finished typing them to work out the bugs. If an entry is over an hour old, I'll probably not edit it ever again.
Also, I don't know why but comments don't appear in the same window as the entries. You have to click comments to see the individual sets. I'll see if I can fix this.
To those of you who would like me to email you, I'll only do so if I have something specific to say directly to you, otherwise, everything I want people to know is in the blog.
Also, this blog is of my point of view, if you have a problem with it, tell me and I'll rectify it (no, no one has asked for that).
I don't use names, only two, I think, have slipped out in the whole thing, this is for privacy reasons (granted, figuring out whom I'm writing about isn't too difficult if you know them).
And just because homesickness hasn't hit me hard doesn't mean I don't miss everything.