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Long time, no see.

Winter break here in Japan is near. It's getting colder and colder, and my time to be home comes closer and closer.

Many things have happened since I've last wrote on this blog, but memories I'll let them be. I can tell you all, though, that I miss everyone of you. I'm having a terrific time here, surely something I will always have stories of to tell at parties, but I would like to be with you all. The season demands it.

I can't wait to come home.

Warm Waters

For your information, I smell great right now. You decide whether or not I'm being sarcastic.

My loyal readers and such, the events from today aren't all that interesting, but aren't worth being mentionless. This day began like most other days: early wakage, stretchage, runnage -- the typical stuffage. But today was no ordinary day. No, twas not! I ad to get medically examined! <-- This checkup is required by all foreign students studying at Kobe. It was...well...funnish?

Everyone else at the dorm was awake this morning, making it where Josh, Lennart, and Jasper were able to transverse with me across Sumiyoshi to Kobe University. Great, dandy, cold walk. A walk full of senseless gabberings and blah blahs of all sorts. Within the hour, we all arrived at the hospital, and followed a convoluted route showing us gaijin where to go. When you follow arrows, you end up places. Usually good places. And we...ended up in a good place! So no worries there!

The line began amassing. Boys in the morning, girls after the boys. Like lab rats, we are pushed in and had to sniff out the cheese to get us back out. After tossing my information left and right, I'm now sure Japan has a taste of what is Bo on many pieces of paper now. Height, weight, stripping, x-rays, electrogram, more stripping, eyes, and total misguidedness later, I found my exit with two new cards, one for my keeps that I believe says I am an official student at Kobe University, and another card that I gave to them that had all of my info printed on it. Huzzah! Bo has been ran like a rat, but he made it out with the cheese, that being he was able to miss some of his classes (and the parts he went to were so much fun!).

So after class, I had lunch like usual, and I drank tea with Chris, onlooking Kobe (I'll show you the view we were seeing soon enough). And then, I consulted my fears and went to the IC Cafe. I walked by to see who was in there and went straight to the bathroom again. While there, Sweet Courage whispered in my ear, and a certain headstrong person walked into the cafe. I first gave Clement the money I owed him, and then I sat and did my homework. I figured someone would interject with the want of a conversation, and though this didn't happen, many eyes interested in my doings where looking my way, beckoning conversation. And I simply said in broken Japanese, "Can anyone help with my homework?" And instantly, I mean in a matter of milliseconds, a cute Japanese girl shot her hand straight to the heavens as if to purposefully poke a whole in the sky. She came over and sat next to me, and another seeming genki girl sitting closer also helped. They helped with homework that was truly easy, but I used it as an ice breaker, and ice surely broke. Afterwords, I asked their names, and both replied Yuka -- same name but spelt differently, mind you! We talked a little bit in Japanese, and I learned new words (which I'm sure I've forgetten. Let me check...Yup! They aren't there!). They even showed me to a convenient store to help me find instant coffee.

Point being, I made friends, and I made friends by trying hard. I overcame fear. I overcame a stifling fear that grew and festered. I simply said "No, not like this," this being the usage of an experience of a lifetime. I said no to dwindling it all away and chose not to pine anymore. I jumped.

I jumped.

And the waters were everything I thought they'd be.

Humbling River

Today was a day meant for overcomming. I woke up early to stretch and run. I did my budgeting for the day and showered. Brushed my teeth and dressed. Then I just sat on my bed, lolling in and out of sleep, unwanting of the day to come. But, like we all must, I accepted the day’s burdens and headed to class. I was tired. On many planes. Tired of being awake. Tired of walking. Tired of having responsibilities unlike I’ve ever had before. And tired of my language barrier.

Learning a language has been by far the hardest challenge I’ve ever took on. I’m not sure if I’ve even accepted it yet, let alone offered a hand to shake. But I know what it takes to learn. I know exactly what to do, and I’m so afraid of doing it. We all can relate to this. We know how to ask the right questions and reply back with good answers, but fear makesus hesitant.

I know what I must do to learn This Language, but I’m leaning on a cliff, looking over at the pristine waters that shine brilliantly in the sun, looking over and too damn scared to jump. All that is between me and a chance of a life time is the jump. How do I jump?

So I walked to class, and I did alright in my morning classes. After lunch, I decided to skip my afternoon classes (don’t worry, they aren’t required. Just there if I need them.) and headed to the IC Café. Tons of student tutors are there to specifically help one with Japanese and Japan. This is a hot spot for learning Japanese. This is the answer to all of my questions. I walked up to the door of the IC and saw a ton of people. They were still eating lunch. So I walked away and went to the bathroom, hoping the numbers would decrease, which they did, but barely.

I stood 10-15 minutes outside the doors wondering whether or not I should go it. I was afraid. I am afraid. Of what? Of not knowing enough Japanese!? You are in Japan to learn Japanese! I need to be in that room learning this beautiful language. So after a 30 minute walk home, I regret I didn’t jump. There I was, looking at the clear blue sea, sun lit and all, and couldn’t jump.

Again, this is very hard for me. I see my wall. I see the wood, nails, and hammer. I know how to build my latter, but I’m intimidated by how big the wall is. I can never cross it on my own. I’ll need help.

And then I thought of a song to which this blog is named after.  I’ll let you take a listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkxdXj7PxRU

If I never make the jump or climb, my cliff and wall will always be there. But if I jump and climb, I can swim in placid waters and explore new worlds.

I have to jump. I have to build. And tomorrow, I will.

A Good Walk

A good walk is a long walk.

  A beginning with no end.

A good walk is a time to think.

  Reflect, feel, breathe and see.

A good walk is a long walk.

I’m typing this pretty early, but with good reason. I’ve already had a pretty eventful day. In case time isn’t your forte or you simply lack the ability to guess when I toped this, Friday be the day we are concerned with. So snuggle in the feeling of a Friday, the day that you most welcome stressful events because Friday night and the weekend are poking their heads around the weekly bend. I believe some of you say TGIF. So put your TGIF reading glasses on, and enjoy what’s to come.

I had one big goal today, and that was to buy my Re-entry Pass. A Re-entry Pass lets you go to the zoo and see the pandas play with each other for as long as you want…or so I wish. No, a Re-entry Pass is a document that allows one to leave a country that one’s current visa has allowed one to enter AND return to said country after the short leave. Firstly, I had to let Kobe University know that I am leaving, so I took a grand 80 minute walk to campus and back to simply tell them, “Hey guys, hope you have a good Christmas!” After that, I packed my bag with my passport, alien registration card, and mullah. I also had to pay my rent for three months, so I packed a little extra cash. After readying myself, I headed to the front office to ask where I could pay my rent, and they told me my bank (I had to register to a Japanese Bank about a week or two ago for some reason or another, probably the Japanese efficient, red tape, crap machine). So off down Sumiyoshi mountain!

My third step was to get on the Hankyu Railway (there are three railways in Kobe. In order from North to South: Hankyu, Hanshin, and JR. I live in the mountains which are towards the north so Hankyu is the closest). This was my first planned trip to Sannomiya, the biggest station in Kobe where all three lines meet and the hot-spot for all your delights. I was a bit excited to check out the place.

I arrived around noon, and headed south from the station (I had a map on me, telling me where the Kobe Immigration Office, the place to get the Re-entry Pass, was. I passed my bank on the way, so I decided that after all was said and done, I’d add an adventure to my adventure. I also passed a guard near the bank and decided to ask him where this certain government building was. Like all Japanese I’ve asked directions for, he was most helpful. One right, pass one road, and take a left on the second. Within 3 minutes, couldn’t help but see the immigration building.

I walked in, and the gaijin alarm went off in every Japanese worker there. Tons of pointing and bits of broken English later, I’m shown to the office I needed to be in. A total of 10 minutes was all it took to get what I needed. At one point, it got a bit odd. I was told to purchase a stamp from a convenient store down stairs and then walk back up to give them the stamp. I guess convenience means something entirely different in Japan. Anywho, I got my pass. (To Rebecca and Jordan, last step now is to actually be standing up on the altar next to you both. J)

I left the building and walked through a pretty park full of people playing. Possibly perfect if I ponder longer on the park. But I won’t, so to SMBC (my bank) to give them money!!! I waltzed myself in there, used broken Japanese, and found myself at the teller giving her my much undeserved money. I went from not having my bank book on me, using a card I didn’t need to, writing and asking dumb questions, and actually giving her normal, hard cash. Let’s hope I have no charges for trying to use a cash card that has no money on it!

So double check. Re-entry Pass and Rent done. Now what? Well, my day was already over and it was nearing one in the afternoon, so I decided to take a cool walk from Sannomiya to Sumiyoshi. Wasn’t entirely the best decision I’ve made, for it was worth it on an exploration front, but it was completely tiring. So explains why it is almost 5 PM and I feel like it is 3 in the morning.

Plans for tonight are still uncertain, but friends and family, Bo is gonna take a nap. Let the night demons come when they will. In the mean time, I love you all and I’ll post more videos and blogs in the near future. Hope life in Knoxville is dandy. Just remember where you’re at and where you’ve come from. Smile every day, and cry with friends.

Patterns

I’m getting a little behind on keeping you interested, so I’ll skip some events here and there to keep you all and myself updated. If you are lucky, I might mention some untold stories…

I’ve been picking up a pattern and a schedule of late. It goes as follows:

6 – Wake up, stretch, run up an absurdly large hill

7 – Take a shower and do some grammar study

8 – Walk to school (good 40 minutes of my day)

9-12 – Classes full of learning Japanese!

12-1 – Lunch with all my international friends

1-5 – Classes (if I so choose to go. They aren’t required. The time is bested used to study Japanese with the locals.)

5 –Walk to Sumiyoshi (another good 40 minutes of my day)

6 – eat a delicious, wholesome meal for only 350 yen.

7 – Eat donuts

8-10 – Waste time with poker

10 – Sleep till the angels sing (or angles, as I keep typing!).

So that is a basic day in my magnificently, stressfully fun stay here in Sumiyoshi. It isn’t so bad. I’ll put up a video soon of what my abode looks like. To me, it looks like the perfect start to a scary Japanese movie. That thought definitely helps me sleep at night.

Dyad

In the last installment, I made it to Sumiyoshi Station. I thought my stress would be lifted for a bit longer than it was. In an email from my supervisor at Kobe University, she told us gaijin to meet at Sumiyoshi Station. My first thought was, well, stations can have more than one entrance, can’t they? So I replied to her seemingly vague email asking specifics on where to meet. With a prompt response, she told me that there was only one 

and that I couldn’t miss it!

Guess what I did!

Yup, as sure as the rising Sun, I blew right on by it. Not my fault, though. When I made it to the ticket gate, there were two exits. 50% at that point. I took the right exit. In hindsight, staying near the gate would have been wise. And now that I think about it, I think my supervisor told me to meet at the ticket gate. Hmph, so it was my fault after all! Anyway, I walked down the stairs and saw a white guy with travel bags, looking lost and confused. Definitely in my boat. I stroll over to the fellow and throw my native tongue, American, on to the blok…and with American I was responded to! though it was some odd variant I couldn’t make out. The guy I met was Gareth (whom I called Gunter for a week or two till I remembered his actual name). He is a Brit (explains the deformed American) from Sheffield University. Tall, little chubby, goofy…gaijin. Like me! So hey, instant buds. We began to talk, and as we become more familiar, a local interrupts us with really broken American. We eventually figured that another white guy was waiting for us up back in the station. We head up, and see another tall, skinny, extremely white gaijin with bags that cannot lie about who you are. This fellow’s name is Josh. He like Gareth is from Sheffield. We chat, and with a snap, the Gaijin Damn breaks, and the cattle start to round up. Third guy I met was Colton (Cole he prefers). He reminded me immediately of Malik, a friend of mine back in the States, but that doesn’t help you. Think Californian, like Ubercalifornian, with like wicked clothes, and like cool hair, and, you know, yeah, like a sweet accent. To this moment, I can’t tell if I like the guy. My hesitance started with a phone call. Immediately after meeting him, he received a phone call and wipped out fluent Japanese. Once he was done, I complimented him on his Japanese, telling him he sounded great. He shook his head and said he isn’t that good. Modest. Modesty! Come on, man. You are good. Don’t wave off my compliment. Being modest is no better than telling half truths – you’re still lying. Eh, whatever, looking upon this with patient eyes, I know this is only a silly pet peeve of mine, but it still irks. Anywho, more are still to arrive. Out of all who showed up that day, only one is really worth remembering for your sake. Lennart Jacob, a German from Hamburg. I don’t really have an idea of what German’s look like, but he fit my mental image of one perfectly. For lack of better terms, Aryan. Tall (relatively. Hell, I’m relatively tall in Japan), blonde hair, blue eyes, strong shoulders. Aryan. We waltzes towards our gathering gaijin gang with his 1940s travel bag and 1945 jacket. This guy, my friends, is a guy I’ll be sure to mention in more blogs. An atmosphere about him is goofy, yet thought-provoking. Entirely enjoyable.

The boat was now ready to set sail with the set of us. We back a bus, I offend a local, and the boat makes land at Sumiyoshi Kokusai Gakusei Shukusha, my home for the next year.

Monad

            ひさしぶり。Everything here is beginning to settle in. I’m over a cold, have nearly got my bank stuff sorted out, and am starting to pick up on some sort of schedule. Yay for responsibilities!

Now where to start? I last left you all when I was in 弥富市(Yatomi). I’ve left you all in a murder mystery type of drama. So much has changed since leaving on the Kintetsu Line to Nagoya. I’ll begin with the journey to 神戸(Kobe):

I woke up at 4:30 AM on Sunday, October 2^nd (wow, was it really that long ago?) to a cool morning. I showered, dressed, and tidied up my packs. I said my goodbyes to Stephanie and left her my Kit Kat pumpkin cheesecake snacks as an appreciation gift, though I owe her so much more than that. I left her place at 5, and made my way to the 5:20 AM local train. The ride to Nagoya was simple enough since I’ve taken it a good amount of times to understand where I was going. I also had in my arsenal of knowledge enough Japanese to ask for a 新幹線            (Shinkansen, aka bullet train) ticket. The train wouldn’t leave till 6:20 or so, but I made my way up to the platform anyway. While waiting for the train, I had time to enjoy that which was a very quaint morning. I’ve always classified the day into four colors. The mental image I get of the morning is a sky blue one, much like the sky itself. It seemed everything in the station and the city of Nagoya were radiating this sky blue color. Again, quaint. Something you wouldn’t mind waiting on a train for.

The Shinkansen arrived, and I grabbed a window seat next to the exit. My huge blue suitcase demanded I be close to the exit! This ride on the Shinkansen was much more relaxing than my last. I looked less of a gaijin (foreigner in Japanese, somewhat of a racial slur, but also a joke amongst us gaijin). Because the Shinkansen is usually garnered to long journeys, the view becomes beautiful, for one sees much of Japanese landscape, varying as it is. From rice field to congested cities, bay to mountains, it was all pleasing to the eye.

I arrived in Shinosaka, and had 7 minutes to make my next train. This station was frustrating and I was unfamiliar with its layout, logistically mostly. Anywho, I got on the wrong train. I predicted I would, anyway. Just enjoying the adventure I suppose! Good news was that I knew the name of the main station in 神戸 and the one of the station I needed to be at. So in the end, I made it to 住吉駅(Sumiyoshi Station) in one, great big blue, gaijin piece!