Not to harp on the whole China/visa/China visa thing, but --
1. I went back to the consulate to pick up my passport this morning and the visa itself is SO not as cool-looking as I thought it would be. I have no idea what I EXPECTED it to look like...
...actually I take that back. I just looked at it again for the first time since this morning and didn't initially see the detail that I now see, like a subtle image of the Great Wall behind some text that IS actually - DARE I SAY - pretty cool. NEVERMIND. I'll never prematurely judge the design of a visa ever again -- I have surely learned this, one of life's greatest lessons, today.
2. It was actually really nice to be out and about on a Friday before work. Normally on working days I'll get up a few hours before needing to be at the school for some Lauren-time, but rarely do I go out and interact with the Jworld unless it's for a run, and that's just in my hood. Word. Anyway, I felt all productive and stuff. Word.
3. Walking back to the metro from the consulate helped me realize that even though I'm nervous about going to China (which is so STUpid, I know how to travel, I've been LIVING in another Asian city with just as many language and cultural barriers for crying out loud, what's my PROBLEM? And what's with these CAPITAL LETTERS?) I know it'll obviously be worth it. Just picking up the visa made me really happy to be out doing something, to be out just -- living. (Seriously, I was so stupidly giddy about it I kind of felt like skipping but was afraid I'd fall into the canal I was walking/not skipping next to.) I just like -- life.
---
In other news, February's LaBloPloMo wasn't entirely successful but I do intend on attempting a post-a-day in March as well. March. March as in March. March as in the month I leave Japan. March as in WHAAA!?
In other other news, I've decided to start my six-month language project in April. I've been building my resources steadily and probably DO have enough to start in on the first language this month, but with the China trip, the last three weeks at work (including crossover training with the new teacher that I need to prepare for), mounting farewell party invitations (oh, how awful for me!), and orchestrating an international move, it seems I'm going to be a touch too busy to devote serious time to it. And it should have serious time devoted to it. Plus after the inevitable huge amount of floundering after returning stateside (what am I doing with my LIIIIFFFEE!!?!??!?!), it'll provide me with a purpose for living! Hooray!
In other other other news, dang it! There are several incredibly cool new students that I'm really sorry I won't be able to work long-term with.
In other other other other final news of this jumpy, poorly-written post -- 26 days.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Top 3 Stereotypical Things to do on the Way to the Chinese Consulate for Procuring a Visa
1. Read Beijing guidebook on the train and subway
2. Listen to Mandarin language-learning audio walking to consulate
3. Wear communist socks throughout
That was my Monday morning. I think I'll just stick with the socks for tomorrow when I go to pick up my passport though. The visa is Y15000 for Americans and Y7000 for everyone else. If I had known how to scoff in Mandarin while turning in my application, I would have.
No I wouldn't have.
By the way, I'm going to China! I'm not sure if I ever made an official announcement. But I am! I leave on Sunday for Beijing and return on Wednesday. I'm kind of freaking out.
Everything is pretty much set except for sleeping accommodations.
While dropping off my visa paperwork on Monday, there was an American girl and a few other foreigners (I didn't recognize their passports or accents - perhaps Eastern European) in the consulate office (which looked and felt like a good ol' 'Merican DMV on the inside). They annoyed me. I realized that I really like not being around people that say things like "oh my Gawd, I can't wait to take pictures of all the crazy shit in Chiiii-naaa to show my boyyyfriend!! I heard they hang cat corpses from the clotheslines before they eat them. Do you think that's twrue-wa!?!"
I hate being a lone foreigner near a group of loud, obnoxious foreigners. It's like I get lumped in with them or am responsible somehow for not saying anything to them about being loud and obnoxious.
Then I heard: "K guyz, let's book our hostel tonighttt!!!! !!!"
So I changed my plan from staying at a insanely cheap hostel ($6.25 a night!) to a hotel (not yet booked yet but so totally will be).
I feel strongly that it'll be worth the extra RMBs.
1. Read Beijing guidebook on the train and subway
2. Listen to Mandarin language-learning audio walking to consulate
3. Wear communist socks throughout
That was my Monday morning. I think I'll just stick with the socks for tomorrow when I go to pick up my passport though. The visa is Y15000 for Americans and Y7000 for everyone else. If I had known how to scoff in Mandarin while turning in my application, I would have.
No I wouldn't have.
By the way, I'm going to China! I'm not sure if I ever made an official announcement. But I am! I leave on Sunday for Beijing and return on Wednesday. I'm kind of freaking out.
Everything is pretty much set except for sleeping accommodations.
While dropping off my visa paperwork on Monday, there was an American girl and a few other foreigners (I didn't recognize their passports or accents - perhaps Eastern European) in the consulate office (which looked and felt like a good ol' 'Merican DMV on the inside). They annoyed me. I realized that I really like not being around people that say things like "oh my Gawd, I can't wait to take pictures of all the crazy shit in Chiiii-naaa to show my boyyyfriend!! I heard they hang cat corpses from the clotheslines before they eat them. Do you think that's twrue-wa!?!"
I hate being a lone foreigner near a group of loud, obnoxious foreigners. It's like I get lumped in with them or am responsible somehow for not saying anything to them about being loud and obnoxious.
Then I heard: "K guyz, let's book our hostel tonighttt!!!! !!!"
So I changed my plan from staying at a insanely cheap hostel ($6.25 a night!) to a hotel (not yet booked yet but so totally will be).
I feel strongly that it'll be worth the extra RMBs.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Oh, LaBloPloMo, how I've neglected you these past few days.
Oh well!
No but really. I can't necessarily blame lack of time for the negligence because I try to uphold the idea that you've got to make time in your life for the things that you care about. And though I care about writing and sharing my experiences and lame vlogs, I suppose I was just making more time for other things I care about too (like yoga and movies and the insane amount of social obligations that have arisen due the school-wide announcement that I'm soon to be leaving).
PLUS since I hit the one-month-til-I'm-home-mark this past Tuesday, time has been moving at an even warpier speed than the crazy quickness Japan-time normally goes at. (The illusion[?] of time's super-speediness is also what I'm choosing to blame my heightened state of clumsiness on. No one/thing has been walked passed without being bumped into this week. NO ONE/THING.)
I'm tired.
Oh well!
No but really. I can't necessarily blame lack of time for the negligence because I try to uphold the idea that you've got to make time in your life for the things that you care about. And though I care about writing and sharing my experiences and lame vlogs, I suppose I was just making more time for other things I care about too (like yoga and movies and the insane amount of social obligations that have arisen due the school-wide announcement that I'm soon to be leaving).
PLUS since I hit the one-month-til-I'm-home-mark this past Tuesday, time has been moving at an even warpier speed than the crazy quickness Japan-time normally goes at. (The illusion[?] of time's super-speediness is also what I'm choosing to blame my heightened state of clumsiness on. No one/thing has been walked passed without being bumped into this week. NO ONE/THING.)
I'm tired.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
depressing post of the month
Tonight the boards at Hakata Station listed the trains on my line as being well over an hour behind. After going up to my platform to check out the queues (which wound and wound), I waited 30 minutes for a train to come, and once one did, wasn't even close to being let on.
I tried to kill time by listening to a Mandarin lesson on my iPod, but finally decided to take a cab, because my feet were killing me and I didn't want to deal with waiting for the next train that was scheduled to arrive 40 minutes later (that I could tell -- the boards/announcements aren't in English, so it's hard to tell which number corresponds to what) that I might not have gotten onto, and would have been all sardine-like and squished had I gotten on, and that would've taken 20 minutes longer than normal to get home on because when the train is packed like that they drive slow as molasses.
When I got back down to the main station one of my students ran up to me and we were all "can you believe the lines!?" and decided to share a cab since she lives only a station away from me. I learned from her that there was an "accident" at a station two away from mine in Hakozaki. I asked: "a train-train accident or a person-train accident?" and she kind of winced and swallowed and nodded at the latter.
The term "accident" is what is used to describe a suicide - a lot of them done by jumping in front of a train or on the tracks - which is exactly what an accident isn't, except nobody here will acknowledge otherwise or say ANYthing about it, at all. I gasped and told her I felt bad about being annoyed at such little things like the long train lines and thinking about how my feet hurt and not wanting to be on a crowded train after finding out the reason for the delay, but she didn't react, waited a moment, and asked me how work was.
It's just strange -- me wanting to talk about it and think about it and shake my head and be sad about it out in the open, and her, swallowing it, along with so many others here, down down down into that national pit of non-acknowledgment where so many Japanese things - "accidents" and otherwise - go to die.
I tried to kill time by listening to a Mandarin lesson on my iPod, but finally decided to take a cab, because my feet were killing me and I didn't want to deal with waiting for the next train that was scheduled to arrive 40 minutes later (that I could tell -- the boards/announcements aren't in English, so it's hard to tell which number corresponds to what) that I might not have gotten onto, and would have been all sardine-like and squished had I gotten on, and that would've taken 20 minutes longer than normal to get home on because when the train is packed like that they drive slow as molasses.
When I got back down to the main station one of my students ran up to me and we were all "can you believe the lines!?" and decided to share a cab since she lives only a station away from me. I learned from her that there was an "accident" at a station two away from mine in Hakozaki. I asked: "a train-train accident or a person-train accident?" and she kind of winced and swallowed and nodded at the latter.
The term "accident" is what is used to describe a suicide - a lot of them done by jumping in front of a train or on the tracks - which is exactly what an accident isn't, except nobody here will acknowledge otherwise or say ANYthing about it, at all. I gasped and told her I felt bad about being annoyed at such little things like the long train lines and thinking about how my feet hurt and not wanting to be on a crowded train after finding out the reason for the delay, but she didn't react, waited a moment, and asked me how work was.
It's just strange -- me wanting to talk about it and think about it and shake my head and be sad about it out in the open, and her, swallowing it, along with so many others here, down down down into that national pit of non-acknowledgment where so many Japanese things - "accidents" and otherwise - go to die.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sometimes, after a class finishes, I'm tickled by the words I've scrawled on the white-board that came about during the class (for spelling and/or new vocabulary purposes) and curse myself for not having a camera on me at all times to capture the unintended hilarity. The words on the board remaining from tonight's lesson on present hypothetical conditionals:
subterfugezombie attack
molester
bumble bee
How does a combination of words like that even happen!? I was in stitches.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
I had a bunch of things that I intended on accomplishing today (mostly to be done this evening) that I wrote out last night so I wouldn't neglect/forget them. They were:
1. 20 min. Chinese language study
2. 15 min. China trip planning
3. 30 min. exercise
4. LaBloPoMo entry
5. 15 min. language goal preparation research
6. 30 min. reading
But after getting to the school this morning and looking at my schedule I realized CRAP tonight was the night I agreed to go out with some of my students after class. ZEE GOALZ! ZEY WON'TNICHT BE ACHIEVEDenSCHTEIN! It was totally fun and worth it though, except when I broke the news about leaving next month and it got a little sad -- they immediately planned a farewell party though so HUZZAHNACHT.
Ok, I'm done with the fake German.
#4. CHECKENSBURG.
1. 20 min. Chinese language study
2. 15 min. China trip planning
3. 30 min. exercise
4. LaBloPoMo entry
5. 15 min. language goal preparation research
6. 30 min. reading
But after getting to the school this morning and looking at my schedule I realized CRAP tonight was the night I agreed to go out with some of my students after class. ZEE GOALZ! ZEY WON'TNICHT BE ACHIEVEDenSCHTEIN! It was totally fun and worth it though, except when I broke the news about leaving next month and it got a little sad -- they immediately planned a farewell party though so HUZZAHNACHT.
Ok, I'm done with the fake German.
#4. CHECKENSBURG.
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