Arrival and First Day of Orientation
As my previous post indicates, I arrived on campus at around 2:30pm Tuesday April 2. I was a bit flustered from the cab ride and hauled my two large suitcases towards Komachi hall, the only residence hall on campus. As a brief introduction, AIU is a very small and very new university: it was finished only a couple of years ago and enrolls approximately 600 students (not including international students), 150 of which spend a year abroad. So, as you can imagine, the campus is quite small. Anyway, I made my way to Komachi Hall pretty easily and once inside I saw three tables set up for orientation. I dropped my bags off in the lobby area and headed to the first table, where I received an orientation schedule/campus map, was given the highlights of the orientation activities for that day, and directed to the next table. Here I received a larger orientation packet and my room keys, and was asked to hand over my passport so that a photocopy could be made - this was for the application for an Alien Registration Card that all foreigners who reside in Japan for more than 90 days must obtain. After all this was said and done, a "Peer Helper" assisted me in moving my stuff to my room, 533. I don't remember the helper's name, only that he was a resident Japanese student in his third year.
When I arrived, my roommate was not in, though his stuff was already set up. The room is relatively small, but serviceable. It would do just fine as a place to crash for the night and to hold my stuff. I wasn't planning on spending a lot of time in my room anyway. More info on the room and pictures will be in the next blog post.
I dropped my stuff off, collected what I needed, looked over the orientation schedule and tried to catch my breath. The campus was a bit busy with new students coming in, finding their rooms, picking up their luggage, and Peer Supporters, RA's and administrators doing their best to assist everyone. I made my way to the brand new library, where I needed to have my photo taken for my school ID.
At this point I was in a state of minor culture shock, as there was a lot of Japanese being spoken and not a whole lot of English. Even at the orientation desks, I was greeted in Japanese first and then in English. I was very self-conscious about how little Japanese I knew and was starting to feel some misgivings, and a little stressed out. But once I was in the library, I was able to relax.
The library, for a brief moment, was newly built and still under minor construction for the last finishing touches, and wouldn't open "officially" until April 14. The whole building is made of native Akita cedar, and still has a beautiful cut-wood smell. Because there was still construction going on, they wanted to minimize the amount of dust and dirt coming in from the inside, so they had large paper mats on the ground to deposit your shoes, and a box of slippers for using indoors (this is actually pretty common for Japanese homes in general, but at AIU the library was the only building where this was necessary). None of the slippers were anywhere near my size (a trend that will be recurring like a bad dream in the coming weeks) and I saw a few people going about in just socks, so I did the same.
When I approached the group of people chatting and waiting in the main lobby area (there were tables and chairs to sit) I was approached by another Peer Helper. Her name was "Mami," and was a sophomore Japanese student. I found her name to be apropos because she was very friendly and warm and instantly caused my stress to go away. She asked me where I was from, why I chose AIU, and all the other introductory questions that would be asked ad naseum over the next few days. She told me my number for the ID card (1) and invited me to mingle with the other people waiting.
I mark this moment as the pivotal point in time where I fully stepped into my study abroad experience. Up until this point, I had been very much on my own and while I was enjoying the exploration and minor interactions, I had still been very much a tourist and observer. And I could of continue to done so at this point...in fact, almost every cell of my being begged me to do so. When I am put in a new environment with new people and unfamiliar surroundings, I am inclined to become very reserved, introverted, and shy. In the face of uncertainty, my response is to close up into a safe ball of observation. But I also knew from past experience that this safe response to new situations severely limits my ability to really learn from difference, my ability to connect with people in general, and also makes me very self-conscious. If I wanted to grow as a person and make the most of my experience in Japan, I had to learn to take risks and put myself out of my comfort zone. When Mami invited me to mingle, I was torn between doing what I naturally wanted to do, and what I knew I should do if I was going to truly experience Japan.
After a moment of hesitation, I took a deep breath and walked over to a table of four. There were three Japanese students and blond-haired, blue-eyed guy who was clearly European. I said hello and introduced myself, and felt a bit strange because I normally don't do this and was feeling a bit uncomfortable. But the four of them brightened instantly and shook my hand in turn, introducing themselves and where they were from. I don't think they had really introduced themselves to each other either, because after my initial introduction they then began to do the same for each other in earnest. I pulled a chair over.
The three Japanese students were from varied parts of Japan, I can't remember exactly. You'll have to forgive the lack of names in the upcoming narrative because I met a lot of people and forgot most of their names as soon as I stopped talking with them - especially since Japanese names have a hard time sticking (English is hard enough!). However, I do remember the European's name because he and I ended up chatting for quite some time that day, and have spent some time together over orientation. His name is Anders, he is from Norway, he is 24 years old and is pursuing a Masters in International Relations with a focus on economics from the University of Oslo, located in the capital of Norway (also named Oslo). We talked about the usuals: where we were from, what we studied, when did we get to Japan, how much Japanese did we know, etc. He didn't know any Japanese at all, which was comforting for me because I also knew next to nothing. As a table we began exchanging common phrases in English and Japanese, including ohayo gozaimasu (good morning), arigato gozaimasu (thank you very much), and do itashimashite (you're welcome).
After having our mugshots taken for the photo ID we all headed for the tour of campus. Anders and I were the only international students in our tour group, so most of the tour was in Japanese...one of the two tour guides did give us a quick translation for us as we passed through the lecture halls, the faculty offices, the Administration building, the health and counseling centers, etc. Anders and I spoke to each other about what we thought of AIU so far and how it compared to our home universities. Anders mentioned he could use a coffee, which I found kind of humorous since I do not drink coffee at all and couldn't believe he needed one at 4:00 in the afternoon. Apparently in Norway they drink coffee all day long. I told him I did not drink coffee, to which he replied, "Well, nobody's perfect I guess" and we both laughed.
Back at the cafeteria, we had a mini-orientation session to explain to everyone how the cafeteria operated and the an overview of the events for the coming weekend. The orientation was for incoming Japanese freshmen and International students (the spring semester is the first semester of the year for Japanese students). The orientation was conducted in both Japanese and English, which made it a bit long. When we arrived at the cafeteria, Anders led me to a group of other international students, some of whom were peer helpers who soon left the table to make room for other orientation goers. Anders introduced me to another Norwegian who also goes to the University of Oslo. His name is Hans Petter, he is also 24 and is pursuing a Masters in Human Geography (specifically Urban planning). I found Hans Petter to be similar to me in many ways, in that he was a bit more reserved and introspective. As with Anders, Hans Petter and I talked about the usual introductory stuff, our conversation sometimes going off into tangents about the differences between Japan and our native countries.
It is interesting talking with these Norwegian friends of mine because at times I feel like we are hardly any different in age and maturity, but at other times I can feel the age gap a bit, especially when it comes to life and world experience. In Norway, the government gives an allowance to its citizens for vacation time every year, so many Norwegians do a lot of traveling over the years. Hans Petter spent four months traveling South America, as well as many European countries and Russia. Anders also had some extensive travel experience, all of which made me feel my inexperience keenly. But I also found it very enjoyable to talk with them about their travels and broaden my own horizons a bit.
We stayed for dinner, and a woman from the Administration office, Suzuki-sama, came over to check to make sure that the katakana spelling of our names was correct. At this point I think it is a good idea to explain the different Japanese scripts. In japan, there are four different scripts used: kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Romaji. Kanji are imported from China are in addition to having a particular pronunciation they also carry (often two) meanings. Generally, nouns and the base form of verbs are written in kanji (usuall two per word). Hiragana is a Japanese "syllabic" script, meaning that every symbol represents a particular sound. There are about 42 different hiragana for sounds like "a, e, i, o, u, ka, ke, ki, ko, ku, sa, se, si, so, su, ta, te, ti, to, tu" and on and on. They are less complex than Kanji in form. Katakana function identically to hiragana, however katakana is used for words with foreign origin. Sentences often have all three scripts at the same time. If you feel overwhelmed by all this, try having to learn it. Anyway, Romaji is the roman lettered form of japanese. So, "arigatou gozaimasu" is the Romaji form for "Thank you." Romaji is generally used on signs and maps, primarily for tourists.
Anyway, since our names were in English, they wanted to make sure that the katakana spelling of our names were correct. Trying to get "Hans Petter" in Japanese was a bit fun (we settled for Peter) but Jason Diaz was no problem. Below is my name written in katakana:
Since not all computers support Japanese characters, I drew it out with a highlighter. As you can see, the katakana spells "Jeison Diasu" which is a very close approximation of how my name is pronounced. Right now this is the only katakana I know how to write, but within the month I should be able to read and write all the hiragana and katakana.
After dinner we headed to Ander's apartment, which is in "Global Village," an on-campus apartment complex with double-sized rooms. They are pretty small (I think the "double" is probably the equivalent size of a single bedroom in the Circle Apartments at IC) but were nice. A lot of things in Japan are smaller than I am used to, but I am not having a lot of trouble adjusting to this. We met Ander's roommate Dustin, who is from Minnesota. I don't know as much about Dustin at this point, except that he is about my age, about three years into college (Winona State College), and with the dreadlocks, penchant for smoking and drinking, and very laid-back "I don't care about anything" outward attitude screams of contemporary American Hippie. He is actually pretty cool when you get to know him and has some interesting ideas, as do all "hippies" I'm sure, but it's been kind of fun for me to get a glimpse of the variety of American personas that have made it to AIU. (One of the peer supporters, Wes, who is recently turning 21, goes to Ursinus College - surprise! - and is the classic college jock with the barrel shaped body, crew cut hair cut, fraternity membership, and stories of being so drunk he once streaked naked through Komachi hall (freshman dorm) last year. So much for leaving American ridiculousness behind). While I try not to place stereotypes on people, these two fit so perfectly it's priceless. I wonder what stereotype I fit under. Leave a comment if you have any idea. Anyway, moving along.... We did have fun but eventually called it a night, a combination of jet lag, orientation drain, and the need to unpack and meet our own roommates (Hans Petter and myself anyway).
Back at my room, I began unpacking and organizing all of my things. While the room itself is smaller than what I am used to, there were actually a lot more shelf space for me to play with, so it felt a bit bigger than it actually was. I met my roommate, Won-Young. He is from South Korea and speaks very good Japanese, while his English is about the same as the rest of the incoming freshmen. This is his second semester at AIU, so I didn't see him much during the orientation period. We chatted...again...about the usual introductory stuff and quickly talked over about some roommate logistics: locking doors, sleep schedules, having friends over, drinking (Which is technically not allowed in the dorms, but we are both of age and I really don't care as long as no one is being stupid), etc. He is studying Japanese Literature, so we have in common an interest in the cultural aspects of Japan. We didn't talk for too long as he was going out to drink with some of his other Korean friends and I wanted to finish unpacking and get to bed. I went to sleep feeling pretty happy with the day and not the least bit homesick.
When I arrived, my roommate was not in, though his stuff was already set up. The room is relatively small, but serviceable. It would do just fine as a place to crash for the night and to hold my stuff. I wasn't planning on spending a lot of time in my room anyway. More info on the room and pictures will be in the next blog post.
I dropped my stuff off, collected what I needed, looked over the orientation schedule and tried to catch my breath. The campus was a bit busy with new students coming in, finding their rooms, picking up their luggage, and Peer Supporters, RA's and administrators doing their best to assist everyone. I made my way to the brand new library, where I needed to have my photo taken for my school ID.
At this point I was in a state of minor culture shock, as there was a lot of Japanese being spoken and not a whole lot of English. Even at the orientation desks, I was greeted in Japanese first and then in English. I was very self-conscious about how little Japanese I knew and was starting to feel some misgivings, and a little stressed out. But once I was in the library, I was able to relax.
The library, for a brief moment, was newly built and still under minor construction for the last finishing touches, and wouldn't open "officially" until April 14. The whole building is made of native Akita cedar, and still has a beautiful cut-wood smell. Because there was still construction going on, they wanted to minimize the amount of dust and dirt coming in from the inside, so they had large paper mats on the ground to deposit your shoes, and a box of slippers for using indoors (this is actually pretty common for Japanese homes in general, but at AIU the library was the only building where this was necessary). None of the slippers were anywhere near my size (a trend that will be recurring like a bad dream in the coming weeks) and I saw a few people going about in just socks, so I did the same.
When I approached the group of people chatting and waiting in the main lobby area (there were tables and chairs to sit) I was approached by another Peer Helper. Her name was "Mami," and was a sophomore Japanese student. I found her name to be apropos because she was very friendly and warm and instantly caused my stress to go away. She asked me where I was from, why I chose AIU, and all the other introductory questions that would be asked ad naseum over the next few days. She told me my number for the ID card (1) and invited me to mingle with the other people waiting.
I mark this moment as the pivotal point in time where I fully stepped into my study abroad experience. Up until this point, I had been very much on my own and while I was enjoying the exploration and minor interactions, I had still been very much a tourist and observer. And I could of continue to done so at this point...in fact, almost every cell of my being begged me to do so. When I am put in a new environment with new people and unfamiliar surroundings, I am inclined to become very reserved, introverted, and shy. In the face of uncertainty, my response is to close up into a safe ball of observation. But I also knew from past experience that this safe response to new situations severely limits my ability to really learn from difference, my ability to connect with people in general, and also makes me very self-conscious. If I wanted to grow as a person and make the most of my experience in Japan, I had to learn to take risks and put myself out of my comfort zone. When Mami invited me to mingle, I was torn between doing what I naturally wanted to do, and what I knew I should do if I was going to truly experience Japan.
After a moment of hesitation, I took a deep breath and walked over to a table of four. There were three Japanese students and blond-haired, blue-eyed guy who was clearly European. I said hello and introduced myself, and felt a bit strange because I normally don't do this and was feeling a bit uncomfortable. But the four of them brightened instantly and shook my hand in turn, introducing themselves and where they were from. I don't think they had really introduced themselves to each other either, because after my initial introduction they then began to do the same for each other in earnest. I pulled a chair over.
The three Japanese students were from varied parts of Japan, I can't remember exactly. You'll have to forgive the lack of names in the upcoming narrative because I met a lot of people and forgot most of their names as soon as I stopped talking with them - especially since Japanese names have a hard time sticking (English is hard enough!). However, I do remember the European's name because he and I ended up chatting for quite some time that day, and have spent some time together over orientation. His name is Anders, he is from Norway, he is 24 years old and is pursuing a Masters in International Relations with a focus on economics from the University of Oslo, located in the capital of Norway (also named Oslo). We talked about the usuals: where we were from, what we studied, when did we get to Japan, how much Japanese did we know, etc. He didn't know any Japanese at all, which was comforting for me because I also knew next to nothing. As a table we began exchanging common phrases in English and Japanese, including ohayo gozaimasu (good morning), arigato gozaimasu (thank you very much), and do itashimashite (you're welcome).
After having our mugshots taken for the photo ID we all headed for the tour of campus. Anders and I were the only international students in our tour group, so most of the tour was in Japanese...one of the two tour guides did give us a quick translation for us as we passed through the lecture halls, the faculty offices, the Administration building, the health and counseling centers, etc. Anders and I spoke to each other about what we thought of AIU so far and how it compared to our home universities. Anders mentioned he could use a coffee, which I found kind of humorous since I do not drink coffee at all and couldn't believe he needed one at 4:00 in the afternoon. Apparently in Norway they drink coffee all day long. I told him I did not drink coffee, to which he replied, "Well, nobody's perfect I guess" and we both laughed.
Back at the cafeteria, we had a mini-orientation session to explain to everyone how the cafeteria operated and the an overview of the events for the coming weekend. The orientation was for incoming Japanese freshmen and International students (the spring semester is the first semester of the year for Japanese students). The orientation was conducted in both Japanese and English, which made it a bit long. When we arrived at the cafeteria, Anders led me to a group of other international students, some of whom were peer helpers who soon left the table to make room for other orientation goers. Anders introduced me to another Norwegian who also goes to the University of Oslo. His name is Hans Petter, he is also 24 and is pursuing a Masters in Human Geography (specifically Urban planning). I found Hans Petter to be similar to me in many ways, in that he was a bit more reserved and introspective. As with Anders, Hans Petter and I talked about the usual introductory stuff, our conversation sometimes going off into tangents about the differences between Japan and our native countries.
It is interesting talking with these Norwegian friends of mine because at times I feel like we are hardly any different in age and maturity, but at other times I can feel the age gap a bit, especially when it comes to life and world experience. In Norway, the government gives an allowance to its citizens for vacation time every year, so many Norwegians do a lot of traveling over the years. Hans Petter spent four months traveling South America, as well as many European countries and Russia. Anders also had some extensive travel experience, all of which made me feel my inexperience keenly. But I also found it very enjoyable to talk with them about their travels and broaden my own horizons a bit.
We stayed for dinner, and a woman from the Administration office, Suzuki-sama, came over to check to make sure that the katakana spelling of our names was correct. At this point I think it is a good idea to explain the different Japanese scripts. In japan, there are four different scripts used: kanji, hiragana, katakana, and Romaji. Kanji are imported from China are in addition to having a particular pronunciation they also carry (often two) meanings. Generally, nouns and the base form of verbs are written in kanji (usuall two per word). Hiragana is a Japanese "syllabic" script, meaning that every symbol represents a particular sound. There are about 42 different hiragana for sounds like "a, e, i, o, u, ka, ke, ki, ko, ku, sa, se, si, so, su, ta, te, ti, to, tu" and on and on. They are less complex than Kanji in form. Katakana function identically to hiragana, however katakana is used for words with foreign origin. Sentences often have all three scripts at the same time. If you feel overwhelmed by all this, try having to learn it. Anyway, Romaji is the roman lettered form of japanese. So, "arigatou gozaimasu" is the Romaji form for "Thank you." Romaji is generally used on signs and maps, primarily for tourists.
Anyway, since our names were in English, they wanted to make sure that the katakana spelling of our names were correct. Trying to get "Hans Petter" in Japanese was a bit fun (we settled for Peter) but Jason Diaz was no problem. Below is my name written in katakana:
Since not all computers support Japanese characters, I drew it out with a highlighter. As you can see, the katakana spells "Jeison Diasu" which is a very close approximation of how my name is pronounced. Right now this is the only katakana I know how to write, but within the month I should be able to read and write all the hiragana and katakana.
After dinner we headed to Ander's apartment, which is in "Global Village," an on-campus apartment complex with double-sized rooms. They are pretty small (I think the "double" is probably the equivalent size of a single bedroom in the Circle Apartments at IC) but were nice. A lot of things in Japan are smaller than I am used to, but I am not having a lot of trouble adjusting to this. We met Ander's roommate Dustin, who is from Minnesota. I don't know as much about Dustin at this point, except that he is about my age, about three years into college (Winona State College), and with the dreadlocks, penchant for smoking and drinking, and very laid-back "I don't care about anything" outward attitude screams of contemporary American Hippie. He is actually pretty cool when you get to know him and has some interesting ideas, as do all "hippies" I'm sure, but it's been kind of fun for me to get a glimpse of the variety of American personas that have made it to AIU. (One of the peer supporters, Wes, who is recently turning 21, goes to Ursinus College - surprise! - and is the classic college jock with the barrel shaped body, crew cut hair cut, fraternity membership, and stories of being so drunk he once streaked naked through Komachi hall (freshman dorm) last year. So much for leaving American ridiculousness behind). While I try not to place stereotypes on people, these two fit so perfectly it's priceless. I wonder what stereotype I fit under. Leave a comment if you have any idea. Anyway, moving along.... We did have fun but eventually called it a night, a combination of jet lag, orientation drain, and the need to unpack and meet our own roommates (Hans Petter and myself anyway).
Back at my room, I began unpacking and organizing all of my things. While the room itself is smaller than what I am used to, there were actually a lot more shelf space for me to play with, so it felt a bit bigger than it actually was. I met my roommate, Won-Young. He is from South Korea and speaks very good Japanese, while his English is about the same as the rest of the incoming freshmen. This is his second semester at AIU, so I didn't see him much during the orientation period. We chatted...again...about the usual introductory stuff and quickly talked over about some roommate logistics: locking doors, sleep schedules, having friends over, drinking (Which is technically not allowed in the dorms, but we are both of age and I really don't care as long as no one is being stupid), etc. He is studying Japanese Literature, so we have in common an interest in the cultural aspects of Japan. We didn't talk for too long as he was going out to drink with some of his other Korean friends and I wanted to finish unpacking and get to bed. I went to sleep feeling pretty happy with the day and not the least bit homesick.
Orientation and Adjustments to Japan
I'm not going to go over all of the orientation activities, but here are some logistical things that might be a bit interesting. Most of these subsequent orientation meetings grouped the international students separately, so I was able to meet and get to know most of the other internationals (about 24 of us).
I mentioned earlier that the administration borrowed my passport so they could begin processing an "Alien Registration Card." This card is basically an ID card for foreigners who are residing in Japan for more than 90 days. We had a very long session with Japanese peer helpers with us where we had to fill out various Japanese forms for the card and other items (our passports were returned to us). Most of the forms were in Japanese, hence the helper. In addition, we had to write some things in kanji and katakana: the kanji I left to my helper, but I could at least sign my name in katakana. In addition, there was some confusion as to the order of the name. In Japan, you introduce yourself using family name (surname) first, then given name, and this is how you have to fill out documents. Semantics like "first name," "last name," "given name," and "surname" made the process rather...interesting. In addition, when filling out your birth date and the current date, you often have to fill it out using "Japanese era time" instead of the modified Gregorian calendar we use; each era is named after the emperor of that period (See this wikipedia page for more information)...that is, for my birth date I don't put 1986 as the year I was born, but rather 61, which indicates the 61st year of the Showa era. We currently live in the Heisei era, and the year 2008 is denoted H20 (not to be confused with the molecular formula for water...). It was kind of funny trying to fill out these forms since I needed help filling out the most basic of information, as I didn't know the kanji for "male" or "Student." After a few minutes or so I was able to quickly learn and fill out some of the information myself.
They took all the international students to a nearby government office to apply for the card, which would be completed a few weeks later (late April). This was quite boring, as you can imagine how long it must have taken 24 international students to go through the necessary procedures, even with help from the administration for translation. Until the card is processed, we are given a certificate stating that we were in the process of receiving the Alien Registration Card which can serve as a substitute. This certificate was necessary to both receive the actual card later in April and to show certain businesses or authorities as proof of residence - for example, opening a local Japanese bank account or applying for a cell phone plan.
While most of the administrative red-tape was pretty tiring to get through, my favorite part was the design of my own "hanko." In Japan, you don't normally "sign" your name on personal documents. Instead, you have your own "personal seal" which you stamp. Government offices have an official seal as well. The personal seal is basically like a stamp with your name on it. As a foreigner, I can design the seal to be in katakana or kanji. Kanji is much more beautiful so I had my helper find some kanji that would spell my name. According to Japanese pronunciation of the following kanji, she came up with these:
Ji - Affection, love, tenderness
Ei - prosper, thrive, fluorish
Son - holy, sacred, precious, respect, honor, value, prize, revere, esteem
The whole word in Japanese is "Jieison" or basically "Jeison" which is is the same as the katakana form of my name. I am incredibly pleased with the kanji selection because not only do they describe my name, they are beautiful in form and meaning. I was a little disappointed with the hanko when I finally received it because the limited space on the seal caused the first and last kanji to be squished a bit. I will upload a picture of it for the next blog post.
Friday morning began with a Japanese placement test, which was quite easy for me...I haven't taken any Japanese, so I didn't have to take the test. Three others are in the same boat: Anders, Hans Petter, and Leo from Austria. We would be registered in the most basic of basic Japanese language classes together, making it a small and intimate class. Most of the rest of Friday was other orientations for choosing courses, the library, etc. But in the evening we had a "Pizza Party" which was quite fun.
When we entered the cafeteria for the Pizza Party, we chose a slip of paper from a bag at random. On the slip was written a number and a letter. To start, we had to sit at the table with our number on it. I ended up at a table as the only international student. There were six Japanese girls and one Japanese guy there, and we actually had a really fun time talking and trying our best to speak English and Japanese. At one point, they played a few rounds of "Rock-Paper-Scissors," where the winner would choose a question for me and the loser had to ask it in Enlgish...eventually everyone asked me a question. In between each round I asked a question to the group (in English) which they all had to answer. We went over topics like why I was at AIU, what did I like most about Japan, what did I find the most different between Japan and home, etc. I asked them why they decided to go to AIU, where they wanted to study abroad (a requirement for AIU Japanese students), what they wanted to do when they graduated, etc. I had the most fun getting a feel for the personalities of my table-mates despite the difficulties in language. You really can communicate a lot to each other without using words to do so. Though my Japanese was poor, they were very appreciative of my efforts and taught me new phrases to use.
After about an hour, we flipped over the numbers on the table to reveal a letter, and found our new table. My second table wasn't quite as lively as the first one, but we did basically the same thing (no rock-paper-scissors though). By the end of the party, I was quite exhausted...trying to listen and communicate with people who don't speak a language fluently can be very tiring, and though I had a lot of fun, I headed to bed early.
Friday and Saturday were spent taking trips to the nearby Aeon Mall, and Akita City. I will upload pictures and talk more about these attractions in my next blog entry. Needless to say, it was a nice weekend and a break from the orientation craziness of the previous days.
By Monday, most of the serious Orientation stuff was over. I had to worry about registering for classes, which wasn't too bad, although I had to not only register for my classes at AIU but also for IC fall semester. Fortunately I had done some planning before coming to Japan so it wasn't too stressful, but I did have to note the time difference between Japan and when the IC course registration service would open.
Tuesday was the Matriculation Ceremony, which is basically a "Commencement Ceremony" where we have to dress up nicely and listen to the President of the University and other notables make speeches. All in all, it was the usual fare and not incredibly interesting. Afterwards was the New Student Reception where they served very good food, including native Akita fare. We played "Human Bingo." Basically, you had a grid of 24 boxes with questions in it ranging from "Do you like avocado" to "Do you know more than three languages?" You basically had to introduce yourself to as many people as possible, ask them a question, and if they had done the activity, you could sign their name. The first 20 people to fill out the grid won prizes. This was also quite fun, and I got major practice on the normal greeting ritual. Some students tried their hand at a Western-style hand-shake greeting. Most of the hand-shakes were pretty light, so I gave quick lessons on the best way to give a handshake (firm but not overpowering in grip, hold for a few seconds and look the person in the eyes the entire time). Again, pretty fun, but exhausting.
Interspersed between these activities, the international students spent quite some time getting to know each other. As a community I think we are quite comfortable with each other and excited to be learning Japanese language and culture. Most of the international students are actually older than me, ranging in age from 20 to 29. This sense of community is both a blessing and a curse at this point, because it gives me a group of friends to fall back on, but it also can limit my inclination to talk and meet with more Japanese.
After all the flurry of Orientation and meeting new people, I have to feel pretty comfortable here at AIU. There are still things to learn and explore and experience, and so it still feels quite new. But so far I haven't quite hit the homesick slump yet, but I know that will happen eventually. In the meantime I've been very much engrossed in my new surroundings, and haven't spent a lot of time catching up and reconnecting with my friends and family at home (I did speak with my parents over the weekend, though). I will try to make a better effort to do so in the coming weeks.
I think that's enough adventure for this post. I have decided to make my postings a weekly event. I will try to have a new post up sometime Sunday (Japan time) every week, so make it a habit of checking in when you can. My next post will focus on living in Akita: the people and places of my new home, including the school, surrounding area, and Akita-shi (Akita city). It will feature a lot of pictures: of AIU, the city, my friends, etc. In the mean time, I wish you all the best, and hope to hear from you!
I'm not going to go over all of the orientation activities, but here are some logistical things that might be a bit interesting. Most of these subsequent orientation meetings grouped the international students separately, so I was able to meet and get to know most of the other internationals (about 24 of us).
I mentioned earlier that the administration borrowed my passport so they could begin processing an "Alien Registration Card." This card is basically an ID card for foreigners who are residing in Japan for more than 90 days. We had a very long session with Japanese peer helpers with us where we had to fill out various Japanese forms for the card and other items (our passports were returned to us). Most of the forms were in Japanese, hence the helper. In addition, we had to write some things in kanji and katakana: the kanji I left to my helper, but I could at least sign my name in katakana. In addition, there was some confusion as to the order of the name. In Japan, you introduce yourself using family name (surname) first, then given name, and this is how you have to fill out documents. Semantics like "first name," "last name," "given name," and "surname" made the process rather...interesting. In addition, when filling out your birth date and the current date, you often have to fill it out using "Japanese era time" instead of the modified Gregorian calendar we use; each era is named after the emperor of that period (See this wikipedia page for more information)...that is, for my birth date I don't put 1986 as the year I was born, but rather 61, which indicates the 61st year of the Showa era. We currently live in the Heisei era, and the year 2008 is denoted H20 (not to be confused with the molecular formula for water...). It was kind of funny trying to fill out these forms since I needed help filling out the most basic of information, as I didn't know the kanji for "male" or "Student." After a few minutes or so I was able to quickly learn and fill out some of the information myself.
They took all the international students to a nearby government office to apply for the card, which would be completed a few weeks later (late April). This was quite boring, as you can imagine how long it must have taken 24 international students to go through the necessary procedures, even with help from the administration for translation. Until the card is processed, we are given a certificate stating that we were in the process of receiving the Alien Registration Card which can serve as a substitute. This certificate was necessary to both receive the actual card later in April and to show certain businesses or authorities as proof of residence - for example, opening a local Japanese bank account or applying for a cell phone plan.
While most of the administrative red-tape was pretty tiring to get through, my favorite part was the design of my own "hanko." In Japan, you don't normally "sign" your name on personal documents. Instead, you have your own "personal seal" which you stamp. Government offices have an official seal as well. The personal seal is basically like a stamp with your name on it. As a foreigner, I can design the seal to be in katakana or kanji. Kanji is much more beautiful so I had my helper find some kanji that would spell my name. According to Japanese pronunciation of the following kanji, she came up with these:
Ji - Affection, love, tenderness
Ei - prosper, thrive, fluorish
Son - holy, sacred, precious, respect, honor, value, prize, revere, esteemThe whole word in Japanese is "Jieison" or basically "Jeison" which is is the same as the katakana form of my name. I am incredibly pleased with the kanji selection because not only do they describe my name, they are beautiful in form and meaning. I was a little disappointed with the hanko when I finally received it because the limited space on the seal caused the first and last kanji to be squished a bit. I will upload a picture of it for the next blog post.
Friday morning began with a Japanese placement test, which was quite easy for me...I haven't taken any Japanese, so I didn't have to take the test. Three others are in the same boat: Anders, Hans Petter, and Leo from Austria. We would be registered in the most basic of basic Japanese language classes together, making it a small and intimate class. Most of the rest of Friday was other orientations for choosing courses, the library, etc. But in the evening we had a "Pizza Party" which was quite fun.
When we entered the cafeteria for the Pizza Party, we chose a slip of paper from a bag at random. On the slip was written a number and a letter. To start, we had to sit at the table with our number on it. I ended up at a table as the only international student. There were six Japanese girls and one Japanese guy there, and we actually had a really fun time talking and trying our best to speak English and Japanese. At one point, they played a few rounds of "Rock-Paper-Scissors," where the winner would choose a question for me and the loser had to ask it in Enlgish...eventually everyone asked me a question. In between each round I asked a question to the group (in English) which they all had to answer. We went over topics like why I was at AIU, what did I like most about Japan, what did I find the most different between Japan and home, etc. I asked them why they decided to go to AIU, where they wanted to study abroad (a requirement for AIU Japanese students), what they wanted to do when they graduated, etc. I had the most fun getting a feel for the personalities of my table-mates despite the difficulties in language. You really can communicate a lot to each other without using words to do so. Though my Japanese was poor, they were very appreciative of my efforts and taught me new phrases to use.
After about an hour, we flipped over the numbers on the table to reveal a letter, and found our new table. My second table wasn't quite as lively as the first one, but we did basically the same thing (no rock-paper-scissors though). By the end of the party, I was quite exhausted...trying to listen and communicate with people who don't speak a language fluently can be very tiring, and though I had a lot of fun, I headed to bed early.
Friday and Saturday were spent taking trips to the nearby Aeon Mall, and Akita City. I will upload pictures and talk more about these attractions in my next blog entry. Needless to say, it was a nice weekend and a break from the orientation craziness of the previous days.
By Monday, most of the serious Orientation stuff was over. I had to worry about registering for classes, which wasn't too bad, although I had to not only register for my classes at AIU but also for IC fall semester. Fortunately I had done some planning before coming to Japan so it wasn't too stressful, but I did have to note the time difference between Japan and when the IC course registration service would open.
Tuesday was the Matriculation Ceremony, which is basically a "Commencement Ceremony" where we have to dress up nicely and listen to the President of the University and other notables make speeches. All in all, it was the usual fare and not incredibly interesting. Afterwards was the New Student Reception where they served very good food, including native Akita fare. We played "Human Bingo." Basically, you had a grid of 24 boxes with questions in it ranging from "Do you like avocado" to "Do you know more than three languages?" You basically had to introduce yourself to as many people as possible, ask them a question, and if they had done the activity, you could sign their name. The first 20 people to fill out the grid won prizes. This was also quite fun, and I got major practice on the normal greeting ritual. Some students tried their hand at a Western-style hand-shake greeting. Most of the hand-shakes were pretty light, so I gave quick lessons on the best way to give a handshake (firm but not overpowering in grip, hold for a few seconds and look the person in the eyes the entire time). Again, pretty fun, but exhausting.
Interspersed between these activities, the international students spent quite some time getting to know each other. As a community I think we are quite comfortable with each other and excited to be learning Japanese language and culture. Most of the international students are actually older than me, ranging in age from 20 to 29. This sense of community is both a blessing and a curse at this point, because it gives me a group of friends to fall back on, but it also can limit my inclination to talk and meet with more Japanese.
After all the flurry of Orientation and meeting new people, I have to feel pretty comfortable here at AIU. There are still things to learn and explore and experience, and so it still feels quite new. But so far I haven't quite hit the homesick slump yet, but I know that will happen eventually. In the meantime I've been very much engrossed in my new surroundings, and haven't spent a lot of time catching up and reconnecting with my friends and family at home (I did speak with my parents over the weekend, though). I will try to make a better effort to do so in the coming weeks.
I think that's enough adventure for this post. I have decided to make my postings a weekly event. I will try to have a new post up sometime Sunday (Japan time) every week, so make it a habit of checking in when you can. My next post will focus on living in Akita: the people and places of my new home, including the school, surrounding area, and Akita-shi (Akita city). It will feature a lot of pictures: of AIU, the city, my friends, etc. In the mean time, I wish you all the best, and hope to hear from you!
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