Again, it seems as though I possess no money skills at all. I thought I was doing a great job reeling in my spending, but my bills and receipts tell otherwise. Epic fail.
When you travel though you really just hafta do as much as you can. And yes, it will cost money. But when you are halfway around the world, you might as well take advantage of it. If you can't afford it, don't travel. The expense is part of the experience and there's no reason to be cheap. Or that's what I've come to believe.
Every penny has been worth it. You can't buy memories like these. And I can't but to think that there is no better time in my life to be in Tokyo than now. Tokyo really is a city for young people. If anything I have gotten my money at the karaoke and bars. Where else in the world do they have all you can drink for $20 or less?
Can't believe I only have a month left. I'm gonna get the most out of it.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
People
It is so interesting thinking about the conditions and choices that people made to get here. That sentence is a little confusing but consider these examples:
There is a man living in my dorm from Siri Lanka. He works at a computer company and has lived in Tokyo for over a year and will be around for a couple more. He is an engineer and was hired because the Japanese company had an international recruiting effort. He was explaining to me a project he is working on. It involves a portable hard drive, so that someone could carry something as small as a usb and then be able to run their programs/everything off any computer.
Another guy here is a bit of a nerd, but is from the states and started a job working for the Japanese government. He is white, but he passed the highest level on the national standardized Japanese proficiency test. He is now studying to take a national kanji test that is actually meant for Japanese people. I learned all about the alcohol taxes, etc from him, why you can get a bottle of skyy for less than $10 and the reason behind the different prices of beer.
Guy, from my Japanese class, lived his whole life in Manhattan. But five years ago, retired, sold most of the businesses he owned, and decided to move to Japan. He shipped his furniture and everything. I don't believe he knew any Japanese before coming. But he is totally happy here and loves Tokyo.
I met a few young (in their 20's) American guys that are working at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. That just blows my mind.
But besides personal examples, I always wonder about the non-Japanese people that run their own restaurants, etc here...
It is always funny to me to be greeted into a restaurant or sold something by someone who is obviously not Japanese, but is speaking to me in Japanese. Idk why, it just seems curious to me.
There are a lot of kebab places here, actually a surprising number. Almost all of them are run by Middle-Easternish men, usually from Turkey (based on their flag decorations). Some Indian restaurants. And when I went to Thai Fest in Yoyogi park, there were a ton of Thai people that were selling food and produce from Thailand.
I can't help but think about the sacrifices and planning that it must have taken to get here. Not only to learn the language, but to establish a business, leave their family and everything they love about their country, and relocate and adapt to the ways of Japan.
That is a HUGE decision to make. It is so different than moving to the U.S., Britain, or Australia, where the whole country is largely multi-cultural and full of immigrants. Tokyo, as cosmopolitan and international as it is, still is hugely mono-cultural, etc. Overall people look the same and non-Japanese are so easy to spot. I always wondered what it would be to live as such a minority.
I give huge props to all the people who are able to take risks like this. Afterall, life is meant to be lived to its fullest.
There is a man living in my dorm from Siri Lanka. He works at a computer company and has lived in Tokyo for over a year and will be around for a couple more. He is an engineer and was hired because the Japanese company had an international recruiting effort. He was explaining to me a project he is working on. It involves a portable hard drive, so that someone could carry something as small as a usb and then be able to run their programs/everything off any computer.
Another guy here is a bit of a nerd, but is from the states and started a job working for the Japanese government. He is white, but he passed the highest level on the national standardized Japanese proficiency test. He is now studying to take a national kanji test that is actually meant for Japanese people. I learned all about the alcohol taxes, etc from him, why you can get a bottle of skyy for less than $10 and the reason behind the different prices of beer.
Guy, from my Japanese class, lived his whole life in Manhattan. But five years ago, retired, sold most of the businesses he owned, and decided to move to Japan. He shipped his furniture and everything. I don't believe he knew any Japanese before coming. But he is totally happy here and loves Tokyo.
I met a few young (in their 20's) American guys that are working at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. That just blows my mind.
But besides personal examples, I always wonder about the non-Japanese people that run their own restaurants, etc here...
It is always funny to me to be greeted into a restaurant or sold something by someone who is obviously not Japanese, but is speaking to me in Japanese. Idk why, it just seems curious to me.
There are a lot of kebab places here, actually a surprising number. Almost all of them are run by Middle-Easternish men, usually from Turkey (based on their flag decorations). Some Indian restaurants. And when I went to Thai Fest in Yoyogi park, there were a ton of Thai people that were selling food and produce from Thailand.
I can't help but think about the sacrifices and planning that it must have taken to get here. Not only to learn the language, but to establish a business, leave their family and everything they love about their country, and relocate and adapt to the ways of Japan.
That is a HUGE decision to make. It is so different than moving to the U.S., Britain, or Australia, where the whole country is largely multi-cultural and full of immigrants. Tokyo, as cosmopolitan and international as it is, still is hugely mono-cultural, etc. Overall people look the same and non-Japanese are so easy to spot. I always wondered what it would be to live as such a minority.
I give huge props to all the people who are able to take risks like this. Afterall, life is meant to be lived to its fullest.
The Future...
I've met a ton of people recently with MAJOR positions/internships in Tokyo. Friends of friends. But they are my age. A couple of guys working at huge financial corporations (aka Goldman Sachs, etc.) One guy from Hawaii graduated and works a 12 hr day here, salaryman at 22. HUGE first job though.
It makes me feel like I totally have no direction with my life. Haha, I hate the question, "What are you going to do after graduation?" Honestly I still don't know...and I graduate in December. It is scary and exciting at the same time.
It makes me feel like I totally have no direction with my life. Haha, I hate the question, "What are you going to do after graduation?" Honestly I still don't know...and I graduate in December. It is scary and exciting at the same time.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
No More Excuses
The weather in Tokyo has gotten especially unbearable since last week. It is officially a sticky, hot, humid summer in Japan. Aka I easily get sweaty, grumpy, and sleepy...not a great combination.
But it is almost July, meaning I only have a month left. I can't believe it...
Time for some new goals:
1. No excuses: I need to back as much as possible into these last 37 days. No doubt I'll be tired and exhausted, but that's no reason to leave a party early. From now on I'm gonna be running on adrenaline and cheap (fake) coffee.
2. Go to class: For crying out loud, I need to show up to class. Being late is better than not making it at all. I can't afford to blow my grades.
3. Have as much fun as possible and make this experience memorable and worth it!
But it is almost July, meaning I only have a month left. I can't believe it...
Time for some new goals:
1. No excuses: I need to back as much as possible into these last 37 days. No doubt I'll be tired and exhausted, but that's no reason to leave a party early. From now on I'm gonna be running on adrenaline and cheap (fake) coffee.
2. Go to class: For crying out loud, I need to show up to class. Being late is better than not making it at all. I can't afford to blow my grades.
3. Have as much fun as possible and make this experience memorable and worth it!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Stupid
I feel like the biggest dumb ass right now. It's funny how something drastic needs to happen sometimes to snap you back to reality. And that's exactly what just happened to me.
I have been slacking in Japanese and my attendance has been terrible this week. Didn't go to class today or yesterday, and was late for like the 3 days before that. I figured, what the heck, I'M IN JAPAN. Class is everyday and I'm kinda fed up with it. I've already accepted the fact that I am loosing 10% of my grade between class participation and attendance, because between my weekend trips and other excuses, I won't be making it to 90% of the classes. So hafta forfeit that part of my grade. Alright, that's fine.
BUT I just RIGHT NOW realized that Sophia doesn't give +/-'s. SOOO A (100-90) is a 4.0, B (89-80) is a 3.0, and C (79-70) is a 2.0. Time to panic. That means I only can loose 10% of my remaining points in order to get a B, otherwise its a 2.0 on my transcripts! OMG. Crap. It wouldn't be too bad, but this class is 8 semester (12 quarter credits) and has the potential of seriously making a dent in the GPA I've worked 3 years for...
It's sad it takes this to make me care. There's no way this isn't gonna hurt. My 3.7 is history...
Time to put on the Bob Marley and start working.
I have been slacking in Japanese and my attendance has been terrible this week. Didn't go to class today or yesterday, and was late for like the 3 days before that. I figured, what the heck, I'M IN JAPAN. Class is everyday and I'm kinda fed up with it. I've already accepted the fact that I am loosing 10% of my grade between class participation and attendance, because between my weekend trips and other excuses, I won't be making it to 90% of the classes. So hafta forfeit that part of my grade. Alright, that's fine.
BUT I just RIGHT NOW realized that Sophia doesn't give +/-'s. SOOO A (100-90) is a 4.0, B (89-80) is a 3.0, and C (79-70) is a 2.0. Time to panic. That means I only can loose 10% of my remaining points in order to get a B, otherwise its a 2.0 on my transcripts! OMG. Crap. It wouldn't be too bad, but this class is 8 semester (12 quarter credits) and has the potential of seriously making a dent in the GPA I've worked 3 years for...
It's sad it takes this to make me care. There's no way this isn't gonna hurt. My 3.7 is history...
Time to put on the Bob Marley and start working.
Study Abroad - Classes = Perfect
As much as I am not ready to go back to the states, I just wish school was finished...
This is a testament to the fact that I always knew I would never be able to last a whole semester. Omg how do people do it? Seriously.
Leaving my place at 8am to go to Japanese class every morning, 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 3 and a half months = IMPOSSIBLE. I must look like the worst student ever. And there's a month and counting.
This is my last quarter of classes, so I'll let myself slack for now. I'm in Tokyo after all. I'd be happy with straight B's.
This is a testament to the fact that I always knew I would never be able to last a whole semester. Omg how do people do it? Seriously.
Leaving my place at 8am to go to Japanese class every morning, 3 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 3 and a half months = IMPOSSIBLE. I must look like the worst student ever. And there's a month and counting.
This is my last quarter of classes, so I'll let myself slack for now. I'm in Tokyo after all. I'd be happy with straight B's.
Short Phone Call
Today I woke up late for class, and instead of rushing to school, I decided to miss class so I could use the time to make a call.
I dialed my grandparent's house.
I admit I haven't really called home much. Actually I've only talked to my parent's once. And that's it. No one in my family is up late enough for the time difference that separates us. And I cannot even wake up in time for my morning classes, much less get up before then to talk before I leave. So this is actually only the second time I have actually called the states...as sad as that is for 3 months that have gone by already...
My grandpa answered and was quite shocked to hear it was me. After his characteristic quick words of greeting he passed the phone on to my grandma. "Hurry up Cora," I could hear him saying. "It's Laurel!" I could tell she was especially happy to talk to me. She eagerly asked me questions about Japan, my studies, and when I was coming back. We didn't speak for long, but it seemed to mean a lot to her that I called. I felt bad after for not phoning them earlier...
My relatives really made a big deal about this study abroad. I could never really understand until today.
I never realized what an impact one event would have on a culture. But from the second Pearl Harbor was attacked, a huge part of my culture died in my relatives. My grandparents were my age when they were interned. And because of that, almost no 3rd generation Japanese-Americans learned the Japanese language from their parents. Including my parents.
My parent's don't have Japanese middle names, but instead, Ann and Dale. My dad has not even traveled to Japan yet. And even my grandparent's have only made short trips here. We are not really in contact with any of my distant Japanese relatives and I truthfully don't even know what part of Japan my family's ancestors were originally from.
This study abroad is exactly the kind of opportunity that was not available to my grandparents or even my parents. Not only did they not have the money, but such a trip could pose a conflict of interests with their desire to be considered post WWII loyal Americans. With this realization, I know that I need to make the most of this experience. It took two generations for my family to not be ashamed of being Japanese.
I've met a lot of Nikkei jins (Japanese-Americans) here and it makes me happy that my generation is reviving aspects of Japanese culture. We are learning the language, traveling around the country, and filling in our understanding of ourselves. When I have kids, I hope Japan is not such a distant, foreign place to them.
I dialed my grandparent's house.
I admit I haven't really called home much. Actually I've only talked to my parent's once. And that's it. No one in my family is up late enough for the time difference that separates us. And I cannot even wake up in time for my morning classes, much less get up before then to talk before I leave. So this is actually only the second time I have actually called the states...as sad as that is for 3 months that have gone by already...
My grandpa answered and was quite shocked to hear it was me. After his characteristic quick words of greeting he passed the phone on to my grandma. "Hurry up Cora," I could hear him saying. "It's Laurel!" I could tell she was especially happy to talk to me. She eagerly asked me questions about Japan, my studies, and when I was coming back. We didn't speak for long, but it seemed to mean a lot to her that I called. I felt bad after for not phoning them earlier...
My relatives really made a big deal about this study abroad. I could never really understand until today.
I never realized what an impact one event would have on a culture. But from the second Pearl Harbor was attacked, a huge part of my culture died in my relatives. My grandparents were my age when they were interned. And because of that, almost no 3rd generation Japanese-Americans learned the Japanese language from their parents. Including my parents.
My parent's don't have Japanese middle names, but instead, Ann and Dale. My dad has not even traveled to Japan yet. And even my grandparent's have only made short trips here. We are not really in contact with any of my distant Japanese relatives and I truthfully don't even know what part of Japan my family's ancestors were originally from.
This study abroad is exactly the kind of opportunity that was not available to my grandparents or even my parents. Not only did they not have the money, but such a trip could pose a conflict of interests with their desire to be considered post WWII loyal Americans. With this realization, I know that I need to make the most of this experience. It took two generations for my family to not be ashamed of being Japanese.
I've met a lot of Nikkei jins (Japanese-Americans) here and it makes me happy that my generation is reviving aspects of Japanese culture. We are learning the language, traveling around the country, and filling in our understanding of ourselves. When I have kids, I hope Japan is not such a distant, foreign place to them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)