04.09.05
Getting settled in
I’ve never gone to an all women’s school before, I’ve never lived in a dorm before, and I’ve certainly never been to Japan before. So this trip is an adventure on many levels. Plus, I’m not a teenager anymore, so my mentality will be a little different from the women in the school and the dorm.
For instance, there’s a curfew of 9:50 p.m. Severe in my late teens and early twenties, but now, it’s not so bad. I’m no longer a party monster, so I’m usually at home anyway. I may go out drinking with my Japanese girl friends occasionally, but I won’t want to stay out all night dancing like they do. We’re allowed, as long as we submit a request in writing 24 hrs in advance.
But the cherries and plums are coming into bloom, and before classes start, it seems like some sort of anime shojo fantasy come to life. If only I weren’t coming down with a cold…
My dorm room is small. It’s too messy right now to take a picture, but when I’ve gotten a few folders to store my disaster pile of papers in, I’ll take one. My room is perhaps 5′ x 9′, but I have a couple of deep storage areas. A closet, a deep pantry, and cupboards above each. The one above the pantry is deep enough to store my big suitcase, and I’ve put long-term storage items in there. The closet only had four hangers, so I had to buy more.
The bed has only a 3″ thick mattress on top of wooden slats. It’s a lot harder than my bed at home, which has a thick pillow-topped mattress and box spring. At first, I woke up (when I could sleep) feeling like I was beaten black and blue, but now I’ve been getting used to it. I somehow managed to receive three blankets, and Ms. Somekawa told me that no one would notice if I took another sheet to use as a top sheet (no fitted sheets). I helped myself to another pillowcase, too, and stuffed one of the blankets inside to act as the pillow I usually sleep with under my knees (for my back).
The desk is built into the room under the window, and I have a small secretarial rolling chair. My view consists of the tiny courtyard and glass enclosed hallway to the E and F block upper levels. There’s a door there for some room I haven’t figured out the name to yet.
I also have some bookshelves, which I’ve got both books and toiletries on, including my shower bowl. And I have a phone, but I can’t call out internationally from it, although I can receive international calls. There’s a curfew on that, too. I should only receive calls between 8:30 and 22:30 JST, so for California, that’s from 4:30p.m. PDT to 6:30 a.m. PDT. I’m usually in my room from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. PDT and from 1:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. PDT. Keith figured out a way for him to call me fairly cheaply, because the cheapest phone card I’ve found is about 50 cents per minute from Japan to the U.S.
The letter I received said the dorm would supply some things that the year-long students would have to bring or buy: a mattress(!), sheets, blankets, pillow, shower bowl, towel, flashlight, disaster cap(!), plate, bowl, cup, cutlery, trash basket, and laundry hanger. I figured I would have to buy anything else, so I found a nearby shop called “Outlet” which sells housewares, and assorted novelties (from Disney stationary to the “traditional” boobie mug). I bought, over time, two washcloths, one dish cloth, one hand towel, one deep fry/sauce pan, hangers, skirt hangers, a portable laundry hamper, fabric softener, Japanese chopsticks, a soap dispenser, an alarm clock, and a rubber scraper/spatula. I have to go back for another skirt hanger because one broke already. The prices are very cheap. I wish I had seen the laundry detergent here (Tide) before buying some from a local drugstore (Beads).
However, the third night I was there, Ms. Nishizaki, our dorm mom for E&F blocks, drew myself and the other two 3 month foreign students aside to a closet, where she supplied us with other kitchen utensils. So now I have a cutting board and knife, a small sauce pan, a pasta strainer, and a rice cooker and rice paddle. She’s been very caring towards me, even though I don’t understand much of what she says. I’m sure if I need anything else, I could go back and ask her. I don’t intend to cook too much, though. The dorm has a cafeteria which serves dinner for ¥500 (about $5) a night during the week, and the school cafeteria serves lunch for a maximum of ¥400 (about $4). Apparently they’re both closed on weekends, so I’ll have to figure out something.
There’s an international food market at the nearby Hiro-o Plaza which sells American food, but it’s expensive. I love ethnic food, so I figure I’ll use the American food as comfort food, when I’m sad, or sick. I mention sick, because I have a funny feeling in my throat, like I’m about to come down with something. I stayed in all day Saturday, but Sunday I went out because I promised the other foreign students I’d go to Shibuya to go shopping. Here’s a movie of the cherry blossoms scattering in the wind like they do in most girl’s anime.
I went to Shibuya once with my Japanese partner/mentor, and it’s very crowded. I bought an electronic dictionary and a cell phone, called a keitai (kaytai) denwa in Japanese. I had to get a pre-paid keitai because I’m only here for three months. It’s a little disappointing because I wanted to get one of the phones that you can use to pay for things with. Oh well.
Gradually, the other foreign women in the three month program arrived. There are six of us all together. Hye Young Lee is from Korea. Narintip “Cat” Panipat is from Thailand. Anna and Lenka are from the Czech Republic, and Angvara “Ang” is also from Thailand. There are also two one-year-program students from Korea, Jin Young Park and Ji Yoon Kim, and a variety of foreign full-time students, like Laura from Taiwan. The three month program is very condensed, so we have many events together. Next week classes start, and the week after, we will register for the classes we want, which is backwards from SCU.
Cat and Ang; Anna and Lenka; Hye Young
Things seem to be going swimmingly, except I have a little tickle in my throat that seems like I might be coming down with something. Drat.Bonus photos of University of the Sacred Heart:
Photos from around campus. The blooming foliage is too irresistable. Check out the bi-color plum blossoms!
From the steps near the South Gate.
The Main Gate and the “Sakura Tunnel” leading from the Main Gate to the campus. Gorgeous.