Dirty Japanese

This book is seriously genius. Though it would seem at first glance a rediculous guide to communicate nasty pickup lines and scandalous statements in Japanese (although they definitely do exist), it's actually a very practical expression book and culture guide! But first, here's some of my favorite dirty phrases...hehe

What the fuck?
nande yanen
なんでやねん！

I am a pathetic bed wetter
watashi wa sho mo nai onesho desu
私輪しょうもないオネショです。

Shit, I'm really fucking baked
yabai ore itachatte iru wa
ヤバい、俺、イちゃっているわ。

That girl from the club gave me the clap.
kurabu no ko ni rimbyo o moratcchatta
クラブの子に淋病をもらっちゃった。

bukkake (skeet skeet skeet)
bukkake
ぶっかけ

I need to shave my bikini line
bikini rain o soranakya
ビキニライをそらなきゃ。

playing the skin flute
shakuhachi
尺八

Fucking cops.
poriko no aho
ポリこうのアホ

It's a biker cop!
shirobai da
白バイだ！

I know, graphic but hilarious. However, that's only about a third of the book. The rest is quite useful: casual greetings for friends, how to describe people (ditz, recluse, lazy bum), witty sayings, and things young hip people do for fun. There's plenty of practical phrases to get you by without sounding like a robot foreigner full of textbook-produced expressions (I know I need that). It's really a great insight to how the younger generation of Japanese people really speak among each other and what they're all about, although some of it may seem a bit strange and perverse. Like the author admits, "When you're among friends or fellow debauchers, let's face it--'Konnichiwa, yoroshiku onegai shimassu' is going to make you stand out like...well..a foreigner."
Dirty Japanese by Matt Fargo

The Plan.

I just wanted to jot down exactly what I hope for this blog once I actually get to Japan. I hope to write as often as I can (hoping every day in the beginning) but it all depends on Internet availability. Internet is not as common in the average Japanese home as it is in America (yeah, surprised me too) but it'll definitely be available at the University where I'll be spending most of my days.

If you know me, you know I love to take videos and pictures, so I'll be adding all those and as much detail of my experiences as possible! I'm way excited!

Keep in touch with Skype! It's free and I'll get a web cam so I can really say hi! My screen name is calyon42.
Oh, the other thing: I've found out there are 45 total participants in the Fall program, and only a couple others go to school in California!! I'm really gonna be out of my element!

Nerves Setting In

So I successfully finished Japanese class, along with the culture class I mentioned in the previous post. Both turned out to be extremely rewarding, for my own personal growth as well as for the development of my language skills. I can't decide if I feel better equipped to deal with the language barrier now, or more frightened now that I know what I'm up against; there's just so much more to learn, I may have just been more comfortable being blissfully ignorant! All is well though, I'm trying to calm myself as I count down the weeks to my departure (less than 4!) and sadly to my boyfriend of 6 years' departure for his own China/Vietnam study abroad trip (less than 3 weeks!). That could be a whole post topic in itself, but let's just say he's been my other half for more than a third or my life and separating for so long may be the most difficult thing I've had to do. However, I know we'll both be off having the times of our lives and coming back together will be that much more sweet.

As an update, I've received my Certificate of Eligibility (a requirement to apply for a visa) from CIEE in the mail, and am about to send it in along with my passport for my student visa! I've made flight arrangements, and now just figuring out how I'm going to pack for 5 months in a foreign country and how to deal with money. Apparently using an ATM or credit card is the way to go, along with plenty of travelers checks. It is a cash society, so I'm going to have to get used to carrying yen with me all the time. CIEE reports that past students have spent about $5000 per semester (I'm assuming that's not including extra travel expenses and all the dough they dropped down on nightlife fun), so that gives you and I an idea of how expensive Tokyo really is.

I'll also say that the Tokyo travel guides I recommended (Lonely Planet and Eye Witness books) are extremely helpful and complement each other very well. Lots of pictures and visual aids in Eye Witness, and plenty of detail and insider info about Tokyo in the Lonely Planet guide. I can't seem to research this country enough! It's definitely getting me excited enough to look past the jitters and realize how priceless this experience will be.

I think I'm learning Japanese,I think I'm learning Japanese,I really think so.

I've come to the end of my first week of Japanese 101 at Santa Barbara City College, and I have to say it has been almost everything and somehow absolutely nothing like I expected it to be! Surprisingly though, I'm already getting the hang of writing and reading hiragana (one "alphabet" of Japanese characters), and I even find it refreshing and relaxing to practice the different strokes of the characters. What's so shocking to me is not only how difficult it is to memorize the characters and be able to translate them into the syllables that make up a word, but then on top of that having to be able to memorize what that word actually means (and I'm only learning ONE of the alphabets so far! There's still katakana to learn!). I've definitely got my work cut out for me.

My professor is pretty great. She's a middle-aged woman from Japan who has definitely had a lot of life experience, and she's got some funny little quirks about her (like the fanny pack she wears while teaching and the Pokemon pencil pouch she leaves on the table in front of the class). She makes us sing songs about little bears rivaling against fried shrimp (?) and watch those oh so entertaining beginning language videos from the 80s. Class is always pretty amusing.

So I'm thinking about taking an additional 2 unit course that lasts 4 days (but all day long each day). It's almost like a full Japanese culture and language immersion workshop. The days include hands-on experience practicing and watching presentations about speech synthesis, origami, chigiri-e art, calligraphy, anime, tea ceremony, kimonos, flower arrangement, sushi making (and eating!), Japanese music and theater, and so much more! It's four full days of almost everything Japanese I've wanted to experience and try, so I'm hoping this will be a cool introduction to the culture before I go to Tokyo (and also that it's not too much fun so that it's spoiled for when I get finally there!).

Anyway, here's a few "fun facts" I learned this first week:
*The number 4 and the number 9 are the unlucky numbers (like 13 is to us). The reasons? The word for 4 can also mean dying, and the word for 9 can also mean suffering. Don't stay on either of those floors in a hotel!
*My name pronounced in a Japanese accent is cherushi raian. Ha!
*Santa Barbara City College is pronounced Santa Barbara Shitti College. Hehe.

We'll see how much I can actually keep stored in my long-term memory to bring with me to Japan, but I know even this little bit is going to make my transition so much smoother! I'm getting more excited now than ever!

A Quick Note

So I just found out during my stay in Japan, Sophia University hosts an annual music festival (student music groups) and a dance festival (student dance groups)! And I can join any one of 250 extracurricular activity groups, including filmmaking, Ikebana (Japanese art of flower arranging), modern dance, skiing, scuba diving, and travel groups, as well as a ton of volunteer opportunities! Okay, only I would get this excited over this...
Events & Organizations

One Step Closer

So, it's official now! I signed my contract to "accept" my acceptance into the program, and with $2000 down (eeek), I'm definitely going abroad! I think I've finally passed the extreme anxiety stage I've had about the trip for the last couple months, and now the excitement is resurfacing once again.

I also just finished writing a letter to my home stay family (whoever they may be...I don't find out anything about my living situation until I land in Japan) about my personality, lifestyle, family and friends, as well as what I hope to gain from the experience. It got me all excited, but this was definitely a difficult task, to explain myself sufficiently in one page, worrying not only how my personality could be interpreted on paper, but also how it would be once translated into Japanese for my family to read of course. It's really important that I be extremely honest about who I am so that I will be matched up with the perfect family for me, but it's difficult to reexamine who you are and portray exactly who you think you are in words. I'm sure I did a good enough job though, and this really got me out of the nervous slump I was in and made me realize I really am one step closer to this experience. It really just hit me that I've now reached out to my family in Japan, that they are a tangible entity and not just a dream, and that I will be meeting them and living with them very soon! Japan is real and all my daydreaming will be coming true before I know it! I almost don't want to count down the months...I'll get all nervous again!

Accepted!

I've now officially accepted by Sophia University in Tokyo as of this morning! It's scary, now I have to make flight arrangements! eeee