antiziosadventureinokinawa

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

Springbreak - Mainland - Okinawa

, I think I maybe should write more about what’s happening currently, like the Hari boat race I was supposed to participate in but it got cancelled due to rain, but nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Well I went into town the other day because mum asked me to buy a pair of earring for her. So yeah. And since I’m not done with springbreak. Let’s go back to that kinda downer of a story.

So me and my sister arrived in Tokyo, and spend some time in Shibuya walking around and discovering that place. Went to a icecream bar that had matcha icecream with like seven different intensities of matcha. So we had to try it. And it was really good. We also got our nails done, a first time for me. Although I feel kinda bad for my sister, because they couldn’t speak English and she couldn’t speak Japanese, and we were not sat next to each other. So it was more she just got whatever. Still it wasn’t bad. We also went to Yoyogi park, not really any cosplayers there at that famous bridge, not that I expected it because it was the wrong day and all. And maybe it’s not that popular anymore either. Also so many people, do not recommend so many people.

Then my parents arrived, I went to Narita airport to get them, and my sister took our luggage to the new place. Which was an apartment instead of a hotel. And in a calmer neighbourhood compared to Shibuya. Some of you who watch Sailor Moon might recognize it. Azabu Juban. We mostly went around the neighbourhood exploring. One day we went to Asakusa, well we went halfway and then took a taxi. So we explored that shrine area, and took a boat back to our house. One of the day before leaving Tokyo, we met up with my friend Mimi, who I had gotten to know while in Sweden a few years ago, we went to an Izakaya, and had a whole conversation in Swedish, when my whole family were present, because she’s that good at Swedish. But when apart form my family I managed to hold my one in Japanese. Even if I’m still not that good. We also went up Tokyo Tower at night, I kinda wanted to see the One Piece exhibit they had, but didn’t want to put the rest of them through that. We also had okonomiyaki and monjayaki because Turtle told me to.

So the day of departure arrives, and we get 2 different taxies to the station, with like 10 minutes apart. So mum and dad gets to the big opening, me and my sister arrives on the backside. We have no way of contacting each other. I can’t call numbers outside of Japan, but I can communicate with my sister though LINE. My sister can’t use her simcard because she has a temporary sim from Japan to be able to use the internet. Also I can’t recieve calls. Finally I managed to get ahold of a friend back in Sweden, who call my parents and we can finally find each other. 0/10 Do not recommend. Like me and my sister should have split up. But we get onto the Shinkansen, and we managed to buy food as well but all of us were kinda hungry and upset at that point. 

So we arrive in Kyoto, such a difference from Tokyo. Apparently buildings in Kyoto can’t be too high, so the skyline is so different, and people are acutally dressed in more traditional clothes, like I saw kimonos at the station. In Tokyo there were only kimonos near the temples. So that night we met up with Fanny, a friend from Gothenburg, to go out to eat. Next day we visit the Nijo castle and the Kinkakuji and take a taxi back because walking that long is tiring. That evening I discover I’m getting sick and my stomache is really not happy. So the coming days I spend indoors and we go to Hiroshima and I’m still sick and miserable. Still staying in my hotel room because I can’t be to far from the toilet. Yaay. The only thing I see of the memorial park us from my hotel room. (Will probably return with my sister this summer). We go to a cool ryokan (traditional inn), with an onsen, with private rooms because my sister had tattoos, still sick but getting better. Also they had like the best of food at that place. Would go again. So we have one night in Fukuoka before going to Okinawa. We also have Okonomiyaki hiroshima style which was something I really had wanted to try. We also met a cool guy who could speak English as company for lunch, he was some sort of ambassador-ish-thing between France and Japan.

So of to Okinawa. Learned from our mistake, and we still got separated, because our taxi thought we were going international, but a short busride later and we were reunited.

In Okinawa I was somewhat better, we went to Shuri castle, went to kokusaidori, and sister and dad went to the north for the aquarium, I didn’t have energy for that so me and mum went on kokusaidori she could get some gifts from the people back home. And then they went home and I was left all alone again.

(Also I might expand this in the future, but I’m to tired currently and am going to bed.)

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

Spring break-Hokkaido

So I haven’t updated this in months because i forget cause im lazy. So school has already started but that is for another story. I might even turn this into half or something.

So Spring break started with me being afraid of my grades and feeling like a failure but it didn’t go as bad as I thought but I was pretty down at that time. The trip with my family was pretty much planned at that point with hotels being booked and whatever so I just had to clean my room and get ready and pack.

The first destination was Hokkaido via Kansai airport where I met up with my sister. Since the plan left pretty early I thought about taking a hotel room in Naha but decided to take a taxi instead. Because the busses here in okinawa isn’t like it is back home, and since I wanted to make sure I didn’t get there too late I ordered a taxi at like 5:30am. And I didn’t sleep that well that night. But I was there on time and had no problems, and arrived at Kansai waiting for my sister. Also since I didn’t have her flight numbers at hand it took some time before I found out where and when she was arriving. After having found her gate and something to eat I had to wait for like 2 hours because she had to go through the boarder control.

When I finally met her we hugged beacaue I had missed her so. We had lunch and went around Kansai airport while waiting for our plane to Hokkaido (New Chitose Airport). Well in Hokkaido it was more waiting for that bus, and I have to say I really enjoyed the airport because it had some pretty cool food related stuff that you could buy, like fresh crabs and seafood in general. But still waiting for the bus to take us to the hotel my sister kinda fell asleep because she hadn’t slept properly on her flight either.

Finally arriving at the hotel we were both exhausted but when we first got into the entrance we realised the place was huge, like they had a merry go round and three front desk and we had to go to the north one to check in. We were in an annex to the main building but it was pretty good. Also people helped carry out bags which feels kinda surreal, cause I feel like that’s something I should do myself.

The next day we will up pretty late cause we didn’t have any alarms because we were both so tired, but with that all the breakfast places had closed for time being so we had to go to the konbini to get food. Well we had to find the konbini as well, navigating the hotel was a bit of an adventure tbh.

But we rented our skiis/snowboards. Had some lunch and then started skiing.

The slopes I think were longer then the ones back in Sweden, but shorter than the alps. Also they didn’t keep up all the slopes either, especially the harder ones, idk why, maybe to make them even harder, or to allow it to become a ‘puckelpist’ (to lazy to look up the word in english).

That evening we went to the chineses restaurant, they had like 10 different restaurants in this hotel and the hotel across the street, and you could eat at both. We had thought to go to the izakaya first, but it was some time we would have to wait, and most of the others were kinda expensive, so we just went to the other side of the hotel, which probably took like 5 minutes at least. Maybe.

Next day we had breakfast at the traditional japanese place, which I really enjoyed, but my sister less so. Not that she thought it was bad, just that they har lots of strange stuff. So it was time for another day in the snow. Also I have to say that I did miss my own equipment, because the things I have are probably a bit higher standard than the rental equipment. That evening we actually went to the izakaya, which was worth it, so good, with all the fresh fish Hokkaido had to offer, well some of it. We had some.

Third, and last day of skiing, we had breakfast in the chinese restaurant again, and I’m not sure I would qualify all the food there as breakfast, it was delicious. After that it was out skiing, and the weather was a changable as ever, I mean sometimes it was sunny and clear, while other times it was snowy and cloudy, just like back home. But also the snow was so much higher and plentiful than back home. So yeah. That evening we were at a teppanyaki, where you grill your own meat, which was a first, but really fun.

The morning after it was another breakfast at the Chinese place, because we couldn’t be bothered to try a new place, because the other place in out hotel that had breakfast was such a long queue, and the place across the street, we didn’t know how to navigate and find what we wanted. Then it was on a bus back to the airport, and onwards to Tokyo.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

It kinda feels like I’m failing most things atm. I  mean like. general B1 was bad, but I can hopefully make it up, because I can take a retest, and I wasn’t as prepared for it as I should have been.

Listening comprehension was like I’m failing this test so bad and I don’t know why, I just couldn’t understand anything. Maybe I hadn’t slept enough and was like generally feeling bad about everything, like I’ve been doing the past days.

So now I have a conversation test tomorrow, a small, not very important test in grammar tomorrow, Kanji that I’ll probably pass, and reading comprehension that I feel like I will fail.

So yeah. I’m feeling pretty low atm. And I know that even if I fail, I’ve managed to even get here, and that is something to be celebrated, but I just feel so lost and like even if I fail, it’s a failure and I just might sink deeper and deeper into depression. I’ve talked to both dad and T about this and I know that they support me no matter what.

But I miss mys family and friends and it feels like I’m failing and that just makes it so much worse, so I just kinda wanna wrap myself in a bed and sleep forever.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

A new year celebration in the beginning of December

So remember me saying that I was going to be part of a new year celebrations on television. So this is the story.

So Wednesday (6th December) I had some contact with the coordinator for the exchange program, so that evening he sent me a message if I wanted to come with and cheer for the vice president of our school when he preformed a traditional Okinawan song, the next day. So I accepted, because it seemed like an interesting thing to do, even if it was short notice.

So come Thursday with lessons the whole day and a test the last lessons, so luckily we got out a little earlier, so I had time to go back and change my clothes a bit. I don’t think those clothes were the best for the event, because it was so formal, but it was all I had. I wasn’t horribly out of place, but still. Also one of the other exchange students had ripped jeans so…but we were only 4 (Me, Sasha, Gil and Folksong(?)) exchange students, and the only students form the school who came to cheer for the vice president, probably because of the short notice so yeah.

But leaving the school, after having some trouble with the Folksong because of miscommunication, but we managed to be collected and ushered onto the bus, which is the same bus they picked us up in when I arrived in Okinawa. Anyway. The bust was like full off people who had come with us to cheer as well, but it was all staff. Also some of them did a small dance as part of the cheering.

Well arriving at the hotel it was so big and cool and pretty beautiful and sooooo many people inside and everybody was dressed up, some in also in different costumes, and at least 2 people in mascot costumes so yeah. We had to put on a shirt like thing on top of our clothes so with the name of ryudai and so we looked somewhat uniform and yeah. So we had 2 tables, and I think every company had like 2 tables so yeah. And since we were 3 we had to wait to eat until after the performance, but it was alright, but probably because they shouldn’t see plates on our table when we cheered.

So we had a repetition, and I wished I could have seen the dance properly because I was standing behind the table. So we listened to the songs by the contestants until the vice president was performing. Since we were cheering, with some of the staff dancing, and we exchange students saying good luck in our own language (Lycka till!). While the vice president performed, we stood there cheering, and I remember my face being itchy, because in that situations where you’re not allowed to to move you feel everything, and not allowing myself to move. But the vice president did a great job and I was so honored to be able to see it.

The food was so delicious and so beautiful, and we talked to some of the staff which was pretty funny because it was a mix of English and Japanese and alcohol. Mostly because out of the 4 of us, there was one who was really good at japanese, I’m just okay, and the 2 others are beginners and didn’t speak any Japanese like 2 months ago. But I tried some Awamori, something with Shikuwasa and then something like really strong whiskey. Which wasn’t that bad, just very strong. Feels like the sort of thing you should drink when having a sore throat. I even got to take a bottle with me home. So yay. Not that I know what to do with it now, cause I don’t drink that much alcohol, but I’m saving ti so my sister can try it. If anybody wants it after that just ask for it.

As dessert we had a like sweet thing, bakelse, can’t remember the English word atm. Update this in the future if you ever remember. You probably won’t though. Anyway. After that it was time to announce the winners so me and Sasha had to go to the stage to take the presents so the vice president wouldn’t be forced to hold it the whole time.

Also there is an interesting thing about the price ceremony that I won’t publish here, but if you wanna know, send me a private message, and I might tell you. Or I might have forgotten it by the time you ask so no can do. If I’m smart I’ll save a note somewhere about it. Its more like a thing you might be able to work out, but i hadn’t thought about the possibility before.

So the winner was announced, and we all danced the traditional new years “dance” up onto the stage, took some pictures, and then we were done. So it was back into the bus, this time only the exchange students and the coordinator. idk where everybody else disappeared. I felt kinda bad for the coordinator, since he had an hours drive home, we arrived at school pretty late, and he had to be up at 6:00 the next day for work. The other students also had class the next day, two of them at 8:00, except me, cause I don’t have any lessons on Fridays. So it was then time to get back home to the apartment, and sleep.

So that was the story of how I got on Japanese TV, or will get on it. Because it should be sent at new years. Because I’m writing this before the it’ll be sent but I’ll post it after it has been sent because I don’t want to spoil anything, even if I haven’t really.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

Update for the first time in forever.

So uhm yeah.

I was planning on making a update like every week and see where that got me, like everything else in my life. Or something. But life keeps going on and maybe I’ll actually manage to do something here. I’ll keep trying at least.

So to start things: I’ve installed pokemon go and hopefully it’ll make me get out a bit more, because I need those pokemons in my phone. (Also because for the first time I have a proper phone and internet so yeah. Go me.)

So I’ve been to Rycom again with some friends, and bought some stuff that were pretty cool. Like a muffler to keep me warm cause my throat getting cold makes it hard to breath and even worse when I try to move, like move up the stairs or something.

I also went to a barbecue with some Japanese students from the tourism class, a class I randomly stumbled upon because I talked to another exchange student Em, who I don’t think I’ve really talked to before, so we went to the library. While we were there she told me she were going to a tourism class for like the first time so I just went with her because she invited me. So we ended up being invited back, because why not. (The class is in English so). So we kept coming back and they invited us to the barbecue they were planning. So we went. And it was pretty cool. Like one of the guys comes from Hokkaido and his parents had sent him the Hokkaido style food. So I naturally had to bring some Swedish delicacy, like turkisk peppar, which wasn’t that liked, but also after eight, which was more appriciated. I also tried to eat stomach, which was pretty chewy and not very good. But oh well. So yeah I had a pretty good time there. There were also some pretty funny discussions about sex and relationships. I probably lost the finer details because I’m not that good at Japanese...yet.

So next highlight was this. So a friend of mine, Akari, who I met at peraperadan asked me out of the blue if I wanted to go to a concert with her, like the next day. So I was like why not? That’s how I ended up watching this band Def Tech like out of the blue. They were really cool and would defiantly see them again if given the chance, though since this is just one year in Okinawa I’m not sure that will happen. After that we went to Rycom for a tendon dinner.

Small things. I’ve been to like 7 peraperadan which means I get some “money”. That is a home made 100-dollars. It looks nothing like a real 100 dollar bill, but collect 300 and you can “buy” something from the teacher. So we’ll see where that goes.

Also the local cat, Michelle, has managed to sneak into my room twice and I do want to feed her and take her to the vet because she has these wounds on her the she keeps licking open. She’s apparently allergic to some bugs around here so that why, but she’s just so gosh darn adorable. I know I know, feeding here is irresponsible so I don’t do it. And she isn’t that much into like cuddling but whatever. She’s a cat so whatever attention is good attention I guess.

I still have some things to write about, but those things might not get posted until after the New Year because I don’t really want to spoil things. Even though I’m sure that nobody reads my blog for spoilers on new years television in Okinawa. I don’t wanna risk anything with that. But yeah. I’m gonna be on television. Stay tuned if you wanna find out how I did it (I was free and lucky. That’s all to how I did it).

But yeah. Hopefully the next part will come out soon enough and not in like months like this one. As for my next post it’s probably going to cover the international festival and the visit to a elementary school. And maybe some more school in general. Maybe. Unless I fail at life and listening comprehension cause that shit’s hard. Maybe I should have gone B1 instead of B2. Oh well. Until next time. Because now I need to go to bed. Go figure.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

The weekend

Last weekend was a long weekend since monday was a national holiday (aka sports day) and Okinawa had a festival with the worlds largest tug of war.

Well Saturday we went to the bigger San-A in Nishihara with my friends from Micronesia, Shinsuke and the guy from Serbia who’s name I can’t spell. I actually found some decent nail polish, although I want to go to a salon and get acrylic nails, which I couldn’t do at home with work and all. Have to fins a place first. There are some local places but idk if they do acrylic. After that we all got out to a local izakaya where I tried all sorts of stranger things, like enoki mushrooms, clams, some strange root, potatoes with strange fish thing, raw horsemeat, baby octopuses.It was really funny and interesting.

Sunday was the largest tug of war (綱引き) but before that we went to eat some local Okinawa soba, that you could have with either belly pork, or pig feet and it was tasty. The tug of war was the next thing on the agenda. It was pretty cool how they organized everything, even though our side was pretty bad at pulling in time. So we lost but we still got to cut the rope and take a keepsake with us. It’s supposed to bring good luck for the upcoming year. We then went on to the festival which I think was a beer festival, but they had other things as well, I tried shaved ice which was soo good. There were some fireworks and the walk back to Shinsuke so he could drive us back to the dorms.

Come Monday everybody was to tired to follow me to the beach with Akari, a person I met at the peraperadan who offered to take me to the ocean. So it was just the two of us off to the sunset beach, and the beaches in Okinawa are so beautiful, with it’s white sand and warm light blue ocean. I would definitely recommend a visit. Since American village was right next to the beach we went around there and checked out different stores, like a Christmas store, they even had advent calendars. There was also this shop with home made jewellery, and I had to stop myself from buying dolphin wind chimes, because those would be so easy to take home with me. It was then of to Rycom, the largest shopping mall I’ve ever seen, to buy a yoga mat, which I’ve been missing, and some things from the hokkaido fair, and since Akari comes from Hokkaido it was pretty fitting. I also tried Omutaco, which is something between omurice and tacorice. So yeah, local food has been pretty awesome so far.

And that was my long weekend.

Life has now returned to normal, kinda. I’m still having some trouble with which classes I should take because my school has pretty strict rules about what I can and can’t take that will go towards my credits. So yeah. Well I’ll have to be done by friday. well most things have to be done by Friday. Will have to visit the bank to pay liability insurance and then everything should be done. I hope. Or something. Oh well should probably go out now and fix the things so I can return to the information about jasso.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

The first school week is coming to an end so I should probably do something about that, like recap it or something. I still have tomorrow, Friday, but I’m not sure if I wanna take the lessons on Friday. Well I’ll still go tomorrow and see what they’re gonna be like, cause I still have another week until I have to register so that’s good.

Mondays first lesson was history of Okinawa 2, which means it’s about before it became part of Japan, I’ll probably take it cause it seems interesting. Then there was also Japanese conversation, which felt kinda hard because I’m so hesitant to speak, and I know I should speak more to practice but I’m just caught in a bad circle kinda.

Tuesday was just grammar, but that felt like the hardest part so I might just go down to grammar B1, I’m not sure yet. I felt so bad when she said that we should know it, and I’m so unsure about it, maybe I’ve managed, maybe I’ve not.

Wednesday was like completely full with kanji, so many kanji to learn, around 1500 words in total. Japanese culture which seemed to be more discussion and small presentation every lesson, while Okinawan culture is more listening to the teacher, but both offered some field studies, like tea ceremony or clothing. So that will be something to look forward. Last I had a completely voluntary ‘lesson’ which is for people that want to practice English, well for exchange students it’s more about meeting other Japanese students, since we don’t have many other ways of interacting with them. So I mad a new friend and we’re going swimming this Monday. So I would say it was a success.

So today was reading and listening. And yeah. idk anymore.

The weather is still to hot even if it has rained today, I’ve tried Okinawa soba and that was so good.

[antiziosadventureinokinawa]

First week

So I left Sweden early morning on the 24:th with a tearful farewell to my parents and sister, I did have company by a classmate who were heading for the same place as me, but different ways. So at London we separated with me going to Tokyo and him to Hong Kong, and then both of us to Naha. I probably was a bit luckier as I didn’t have as long time to wait for the next plane in either places.

I actually found a Harry Potter store on Heathrow which was kinda funny, and had some pretty disgusting noodles for breakfast. So onto the flight for Tokyo, which became late because of some baggage och passenger or something, and the flight was pretty boring, tried to sleep but couldn’t sleep very well, and it was so tight, somebody wanna donate so I can take first class back home? So I watched the third season of Broadchurch instead.

Arriving in Tokyo we were like an hour late, which made me kinda nervous because my plane should have left in an hour I wouldn’t have had time to do anything. Luckily they were waiting for me at the airport and having booked me on a later flight and went with me through the whole process which made my life so much easier since I had to check out my luggage and check it back in. So then I had to navigate Haneda airport to my flight, which was also kinda interesting. I think it’s much bigger then I realize. But I got on the right plane, even if that was also a bit late, and arrived safe and sound in Naha, where I found the pick up crew for the Ryudai.

Also it was so hot and humid and I had a sweater and a tanktop. When I left Sweden I was also wearing a jacket, so it was quite a shock. When arriving at the International house we were given a pack of papers about different things, like life on campus and applying for residence card and so on, and we also got introduced to our tutors, well those of us who were lucky to already be assigned out tutors. My tutor didn’t have that much time, but she took me for a short shopping to buy some food and some necessities like toilet paper. During the night I had trouble sleeping since I missed my family and hadn’t figured out how the air con worked. So it was a pretty miserable night.

The next day (26:th) I met Yudai (who was one of the exchange students to sweden last year and who knows my tutor) and met up with my tutor to go for some proper shopping at San-A. Luckily of the the previous Swedish student had left some things so I didn’t have to buy nearly as much new stuff, because my kitchen was pretty much fully equipped. But like pillow and some other stuff needed to be bought. And food. And an adapter for my computer, because the one I bought didn’t work for some reason. Then in the evening we met up with Yudai and classmate to go out eating. And it felt kinda strange cause everything seems to be pork everywhere. I prefer chicken or fish or something vegetarian. Oh well. Still had problems falling asleep and missed my family.

The 27:th I set up internet in my room and Rina (my tutor) gave me a tour around the campus and we filled in the necessary papers (somewhat) in preperations for the next day. Talked to my friend T and I cried for a while, because I missed my family and friends like crazy. Then I talked to my sister and dad and cried some more. Slept better this night since I had talked to friends and family and I’d learned how to use the aircon.

28:th (Thursday) we went to the Nishihara town office to register for residence card and National Health Insurance. I also got my student card. Talked to some more exchange students because why not. Also most of out conversation is in English, because I’m not that comfortable with Japanese. So yeah. That will hopefully change soon enough.

29:th (Friday) orientation with even more information and introduction from the police. I’m thinking about singing up for the peraperadan where I’ll be able to interact with Japanese students that wanna practice English. Had lunch with some of the exchange students which was pretty funny. The the afternoon it was also a briefing of class registration and learned what people would be in my class.

So on Saturday I didn’t do that much other then say in my apartment and study kanji, also talked to mum for the first time since I left. Today I went to San-A and did some shopping. Also I’ve grown more and more used to the weather so I’ve pretty much stopped using the air con even if it’s 30 degrees Celsius outside and pretty humid, or maybe it’s just gotten a bit colder and less humid. I also saw the small park 南上原糸蒲公園 and that had some pretty good sight over town.

So school starts tomorrow. Wish me luck.