I Need Somewhere for a Rest.

(Allusion to Home for a Rst by Spirit of the West)

Sorry, this is my rant, I'll try to keep it clean.

Well, as I might have mentioned before, my room here is an icebox. It is on the bottom floor, near the entrance with three walls touching the outside and the only source of heat is an air conditioner way up in a high corner. Luckily I do well with a few warm clothes and natural resistance to the cold. I've brought this up because I've found something colder than my room in this house; it's emotional climate.
Many of you know that I am quite independant, often awkward, I like technology and I like improvising, and I'll add to that that I can't stand being alone with nothing to do for very long (while I'm used to dealing with it, I become very depressed very quickly, hence my like of improvising and technology to keep me occupied).
Well, all this backfires on me with my current host family. My use of technology irritates my host father who makes computers an extremely limited resource in his house (despite their three comuters and 100MB/s internet connection).
Many of you know that I'm socially awkward and often do things which could easily be misinterperted, well, my host father does misinterpert these. So now I'm watching the way I walk (too silently without annoncing myself) and breathe (sighing as a meaningless way of exhaling) etc.
Many of you might also know me for my strange study habits, mainly not studying or sometimes making a reference sheet. Well, here I don't get to see my host brother very much because they're usually in their rooms studying (or pretending to) whereas I would rather learn without monotonous study (unforetunately I lent my kanji book to someone to read and other than that, all I could do is memorize my dictionary's mostly accurate translations). I'm guessing this lack of study worries him about my learning Japanese (in which I'm doing very well ahead of the other exchange students I have contact with (one came here a week after me, the other, six months before me).
And to add a little more, though this was expected, it is more dominate than I expected, my host family keeps track of when and where I go, I have to give a day's notice if I'm going to miss a meal and after supper it's too late to do anything (though I'll be up until at least ten, probably eleven, and I won't fall asleep until at least twelve).
It's not only I who get on other's nerves here either, but I won't get into that.
I would like to say though that while I'm having some trouble, it is a nice and hospitable family, though strict. I'm just not a good match for them.

Sorry again, but I've been a little stressed as of late.

Sorry I Didn't Post These Sooner

Here are some pictures of Kanazawa, I don't feel like explaining them right now and you can easily find that on tourist sites. I'd be happy to walk through them with any of you in the later part of my exchange, but for now, I'll just give you pictures.

Here are some pictures of my school, my classroom, class, the courtyard, one of the two buildings I have to scale between classes and about half of the student body's bicycles.

And here's the Rifare, it's outside at night, the first floor, bookstore, third floor and view:

Here are my classmates, some second and third graders (Japanese grades eleven and twelve respectively):

And here are some requested pictures of me in class, doing a presentation and my desk, presently (though not as much in the picture) littered in manga and games (ALL of which are Japanese).

If you want help learning Japanese...

http://jyapanisu.blogspot.com/

On time.

Like I said, updates Wednesdays and Fridays (so long as there's a computer free at the Rifare).

I also promised pictures didn't I?

Oh well, you guys can *slapped in face*

Fine. Here:...Crap, I didn't expect this computer to not be able to read a camera. Well, than again, when I go online, I get the mobile (dumbed down) sites. Sorry, I honestly didn't expect this, I'll see about getting those up before Wednesday.

Oh, right, I could do that... I'll tell you what I'm doing shortly, just bare with me if you're reading this now (my time).

And we're back.

Err, I'm back, but we sounds better, like a news cast. Anyways, I'm sorry it's been so long. So, rather than give the history lesson I was planning, I'll tell you about how I'm doing.

Now, for internet access I'm stuck between using the PSP (from which I can use my gmail account and facebook and a few other site but I can't post blogs(but I get my comments emailed to me)) , using the computers at the Rifare (which is why, henceforth, I'll be posting on Wednesdays and Fridays), and asking to use it a home where I must do everything to be invisible as their opinion of me plumets (everyone else offers to let me use their computer, my host family is considered quite strict).

As far a health is concerned, I'm fine. Running around the city keeps me in shape, the food is good and I've figured out which snacks I like, and I'm keeping well up the idea that Canadians are unaffected by the cold.

Now, as to the Japanese language, I've finally figured out how to affimitively answer every way you could be asked "do you speak Japanese" in Japanese, so, people are finally talking to me. It's not as advanced as I could hope, but I don't use my dictionary anymore. Also, I am now in possesion of a large stock of Japanese comics, games and media in Japanese. Reading and listening to it always proves interesting, especially since I found a well done 24-like show called Bloody Monday, and I'm buying the manga it's based on too (I've chosen this as the series I'm going to follow).

Appearance is something that has changed about me; I haven't cut my hair yet (I'm taking bets on when I'll get it cut), I'm wearing my school's uniform (a full suit now), I'm always well shaven.

Anyways, my half-hour is up and I have class. Picture will come shortly.

Sorry

for two reasons. The first, I haven't posted in a while. Restricted computer access and such. I have three posts in the making, but my computer time is limited and typing on my PSP is difficult.

Reason two, The next three posts might, oh hell, will definately inolve some ranting. Sorry, but after three months some things get a little annoying, so, in advance sorry.

That said, I'd also like to know who is still reading this blog. If you see this, please leave a comment with your name or something for me to identify you by (I'm just curious). Anyways, those entres will be up soon hopefully.

A Day in the Life... of not me.

Well, it's probably about time I tell you about my day, but my day right now is most filled with "I wish I had someone to talk to in any language," so, here's what I beleive to be the average day of any Japanese student.

Wake up, get into your school uniform and eat your basic Japanese breakfast (probably rice, fish and something else). Ride to school on your bike at a slow pace while avoiding pedestirans, and park your bike with the hundreds of others. Walk up to your one cubic foot shoelocker and switch your worn out whatevers for half-decent school sneakers. Then walk to class and wait for it to start. Don't forget to say "[formaility here] good morning [formality here]" to every teacher who passes you by as they say "Hi" (granted, you'll say your part so fast that only the last consonant will be heard).

At the begininng of class, you must stand up together as a class and bow to your teacher, but you'll probably just lean forwards as you sit back down. Now, if your a delenquent, you'll gradually undo your tie, unbotton your cuffs and a little of your shirt, drag your pants down, step on the backs of your unlaced shoes and untuck your shirt while talking back to your teacher (I talk back every once in a while, but I keep my uniform just that, uniform). Everyone else will sit, get bored, sleep (a lot), do some work, and basically not draw attention to themselves as the minutes go by. Only on the rarest of occasions will a question be asked by a regular student (no one rasies their hands, I guess being confused about how to do multi-dimensional algebra is a North American thing). An hour passes, you bow and the teacher leaves.

Now you get ten grace minutes. Spend them as you like. Walk around the class, eat, text someone while there's not teacher to confiscate your cell, do homework, chat in high pitch squeaky voices (sorry, but it's mostly true), or read manga. Ten minutes are up, another teacher comes in, well, here we go again.

Class is over again, and it's ten more grace minutes. Oh, go talk to the gaijin until all the girls scream at his ability to utter a single word of Japanese (and both parties run away, one for the sake of his ears, the other in amazement, but now that they know he can speak a few words, they'll only use Enrish with him), or try and get him to use some slang or answer a very personal question (oh, and if you're trying to think of a good question to ask a foreigner, try avoiding sex (embassing) and food (wayyy to generic and boring), thank you).

Twice more, than lunch. You eat the luch your mother packed in a rectangular-prism-shaped box. It has rice and something else. You might go buy something at the schools vending machines or shop. Other than that, it's just like an extended ten minutes.

Lunch is over, it's time to clean the class. The class president muttes the word "cleaning time," but while a few people have already put their stuff away, no one acts until the homeroom teacher arrives. All the desks are moved backwards, and than you go off to talk to your friends as the teacher tells you to mop the floors. Some of you actually decide to do some work, and the floor gets half cleaned, than all the desks are moved forwards and you help half-clean the back of the room. The bell rings, you have five minutes as the teachers change rooms.

Two more classes finish. You wait as the homeroom teacher returns. The homeroom teacher makes a few remarks, then you bow and the school day is over. You're an average student, you passed your high school entry exam (you got fifty-seven, you needed thirty to get in) and you make fifties and, on occasion, sixties on your exams. (I didn't do that poorly on mine, I passed three of them, and widely beat the class average on another, my average is an easy pass and is almost up to par with the class averages.)

Hey! HEY! Where do you think you're going? Home, no, you've got practice, remember? Everyday after school for two or three hours. It's probably baseball. Static streches and a few hours of practice, I wish I could tell you what a Japanese team is like, but I wasn't allowed on the running team.

Well, it's dark out now. You head home on your bike (they use generators to power a front headlight, but you'll be moving so slow it'll just sputter light every now and again). You might stop along the way to buy some snacks or por-... *ahem* comics (the largest section in books stores is the "boy love" section, followed by (superhero, sports and other manliness) comics, than relationship comics. The closest thing to actual pornography (aside from BL) are magazines about comics, or the comics themselves (which is plent considering) (no, I haven't bought any of this, though GTO is close). Chances are you won't buy very much because you only get money from relatives on new years day and you have no source of regular income (you can't work and you probably don't have an allowance).

So, now your home. Your mother is making the usual rice, fish, natto, miso soup and extra meal while you wait for your father to come home from work. You might play a few minutes of video games. (Gaming in Japan is something I have seen little of. If I understand it correctly, the reason there are so many games from Japan is because you either need to make a hundred simple games that kids will pick up and play, or you need to make the super-hardcore otaku games. Also, arcades are REALLY big here, and the games are amazing, they even have pods for Gundam which you sit in with pedals and joysticks and a 180 degree projected screen while fighting against players all over Japan. You can even buy a card to save your information (I have one for Half-Life and one for Mario Cart 2). In general, I think Japanese gamers are at the extremes of ither casual or otaku (geeks).) Your father returns and you have supper. By now you've changed out of your uniform. After supper you go to your room and either do homework, study or secretly play video games.

That descirbes Monday through Friday. Saturday is a special class which I have never attended and know little about (secret ninja and magical girl training?). You get Sunday off, and you'll probably spend it studying and taking a quick break for kareoke. I'm not sure about how much television you'll watch, but there are only a few channels, so whatever you watch, you'll probably stick to it (because you don't know enough about the internet, speaking of which, Japan is Yahoo! addicted, I shout with glee every time I see Google).

In your house there is probably a large collection of comics (that puts my family's library to shame), a television, no computer (my laptop wouldn't be too far out of date here), a DS, a PSone, everyone has a cellphone, a few games, yes your toilet has an electircal component (seat warmer for winter) and little else of interest.

You study hard to pass the university entrance exam and you will get hired upon leaving university to work for a company, or become a stay at home mom. You'll marry, have kids, and eventually, reluctantly retire from that same company that hired you all those years ago. You live as part of the country; you did what was expected of you and thereby you moved forward with your country. While you are an individual, you work with a sense of collectivity. In this way, Japan is what Russia wanted to be.

That is what I think I know of the Japanese lifestyle so far.