I suppose there's a couple of ways of feeling settled in. One is to feel more relaxed and organized. The other is to
start fitting in with the routine. I was feeling less of the former and more of the latter this week.
I shouldn't feel rushed about it. After all, I still have 11-12 weeks to go in my stay here. However, I certainly would feel more pressure if I was only here for a two or four week SILAC course.
While last Friday was the first day of day of classes, Monday was the first of the full treatment. While Friday classes end at noon (11:50 actually), Mondays through Thursdays run to 2:30 with a lunch break. Afterwards, I head straight for the International Office to work four hours there.
The classes have been starting with a quick vocabulary quiz, then, the rest of the morning has been spent on vocabulary and grammar. The afternoons have focussed on listening and conversation practice. Declan spent some time with me between Monday and Wednesday introducing me to website production and programming using basic HTML language while the rest of the time has been spent on writing the journal.
I'm certainly learning a lot in a short span of time. I have been exposed to a lot of the material before but the instruction has been great so far. Maybe it's because they are explaining the small details better or maybe it's because I'm paying attention more since I've come a long way for this. Either way, with the teachers doing their instruction almost strictly in Japanese, the focussed atmosphere here helps.
One thing to keep in mind is that knowledge is cultural. One teacher returned our homework with one answer marked wrong on many of our papers. The question involved on which side the return address is written on a mailing envelope. I, like many of my fellow students, answer on the front. In Japan, it's the back.
Many students here know English to a point where it's been too easy to fall back to it in casual conversation. On the other hand, though we are all using the same textbooks, they're not all in the same language, depending on your preference.
The surprising thing I've been finding so far is that though I knew my vocabulary was weak, I am learning many more new words in the classroom than expected despite all my previous experience with the language.
I'm also really enjoying the website work so far. I did do a little reading on HTML language before I came which helped a lot. The work I'm doing so far has been good for starters but after looking at a fellow Canuck's previous work here proved that I still have a lot to learn (nice work, Kelly). I'll have to study her code sometime to pick up some pointers.
Speaking of Canucks, there's been quite a few students here with Canadian connections, maybe even more than there are from the U.S. I haven't been counting but there have been at least 5 resident Canadians, one or two with family there, and a few who just recently travelled through the country. Some are obvious. One walked into the International Office this week wearing an Edmonton Oilers (pro hockey team) jersey. I mentioned the big outdoor hockey game they had in Edmonton just before I left. She was already having a tape of it being sent to her.
I was very lucky that my family gave me a digital camera the day before I left. It was something I was considering for my shopping list while I was here but, now that I have one, I've been able to use it for my pictures on my journal pages. The quality is not quite there yet since I'm still learning how to work with it but hey, more great stuff to learn while I'm here.
I am going to have to learn to write faster (or shorter). I'm already behind but there's less to write about now that class and work have started (get up, school, work, dinner, homework, sleep).
Of course, it's not all been the same all week. I've still been trying to do a run or two in the mornings before class. It's been fun since I've been finding new places along the way. This week's discoveries include a couple of bathhouses and maybe a sumo training centre.
Mind you, I was learning there were more important things to figure out the sooner the better. When I mentioned in class that I was going to look for a place to exchange money, it was not encouraging to hear some of my classmates ask me to tell them if I found it, especially from the ones who have been here longer than I have. After a bit of a run-around during a lunch hour on my bike, I found out that the central post office was probably the best (and only?) place to exchange foreign currency. Apparently, the local banks may take up to a week to do the same.
I've also met a few students who are frustrated about not being able to find a gym to drop in to play sports like basketball or volleyball. We did manage to spend part of one lunch break playing a little 2-on-2 game of basketball (the school has a small court outside) but we'll have to wait to see if we can keep this up as the weather turns colder.
Despite all the talk I've had about the rain during the first week, it's actually been relatively mild and dry overall. Certainly, it's been warmer than in Vancouver, though I was beginning to think I had brought the rain over with me. It's made it easier to use the bike to get around. With the way the traffic is here (not to mention me getting used to the cars being on the left side) and the how narrow the roads are, I will avoid riding in the rain.
Naturally, part of the problem about spending the time here on the edge of winter are the short days. Street lighting is relatively spread out and fluorescent lights are mostly used, not so bright as halogens, so I always have to be cautious going home since it's always dark when I finish. Another student mentioned to me he'd heard that four students on bikes have been hit by cars in the past few months. I didn't want to spend a lot on lights but it helped that I brought a flashlight with me that I could mount on my bike with a 500 yen handlebar piece I bought at a local bike store.
After a long first week, this second one (at least the weekdays) went by pretty quickly. Friday is still a little shorter, since classes end by noon so I finish work before 6:00, but I spent most of the evening on chores such as laundry and checking the finances. I was invited to play a little poker too and came out ahead. I also got to try a 'kabocha' (pumpkin type squash) pizza which was pretty goo. It made for a late night (hit the sack at 2:00 am) to end the week.
I feel like I've settled in here in one other way so far. With the classtime and part-time work, I feel like I'm back at school all right, but I also feel a little bit like a "sarariman" (salary-man). Sure I may not work as late, nor do I go out drinking afterwards, but with the study and homework, I probably get about as much sleep.