The last post in this blog... :)
Well, I'm back. The plane was delayed due to storms, but I finally made it home in one piece. (a few days ago, actually. I had no internet for a while.)
Well, "that stuff" I said I would talk about later:
To say it concisely, my host family was pretty bad. It seemed to me (and some others) that my host mom had some emotional problems-- I had to switch with four days left(lolwhat). My school experience was also pretty ... bad. My class, as one teacher put it, was a "dysfunctional class" filled with students who were completely uninterested in everything-- teachers complained about my class and how they would not respond or do anything. It took two weeks to get through the front side of an English worksheet while other classes finished it in a day and watched The Simpsons instead. Also, I was the only student not placed in an art course (or any sort of course at all) and had generally very uninteresting classes and teachers without any motivation or enthusiasm.
If you really want more information, ask me in person. :) Sorry if I'm sounding all depressing or something; just trying to relay some general facts.
Despite all of that, my experience was truly great and was a once in a lifetime opportunity-- I can't be thankful enough to all the people who helped make it what it was.
This blog will stay up here as an archive of sorts. Feel free to browse around.
さようなら。
Eli
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Coming home!
My last post from Japan...
Tomorrow at exactly 10:00 AM I leave for home. :) (I have sad and happy feelings about that. :D ) I'll be shinking (taking the shinkansen :P ) to Tokyo at 10:21 AM and will arrive there at 12:14 AM. Then my plane for America leaves at 4:00 PM and I get to the Chicago airport at 9:23 AM the same day... how does that work?! :P (14 hour time difference, that's how!) Though then I do have to fly to Chicago and then back to Madison... I'll arrive at 9:09 PM or so.
I did a ton of shopping today (well, a moderate amount) and got some people some pretty awesome gifts, in my opinion. :D
I SHALL SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON!!! (most preferably tomorrow or the next day!!!)
Eli
Tomorrow at exactly 10:00 AM I leave for home. :) (I have sad and happy feelings about that. :D ) I'll be shinking (taking the shinkansen :P ) to Tokyo at 10:21 AM and will arrive there at 12:14 AM. Then my plane for America leaves at 4:00 PM and I get to the Chicago airport at 9:23 AM the same day... how does that work?! :P (14 hour time difference, that's how!) Though then I do have to fly to Chicago and then back to Madison... I'll arrive at 9:09 PM or so.
I did a ton of shopping today (well, a moderate amount) and got some people some pretty awesome gifts, in my opinion. :D
I SHALL SEE YOU ALL VERY SOON!!! (most preferably tomorrow or the next day!!!)
Eli
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Unspecific Update (one of many)
A ton has happened... and there actually is a lot that I haven't written about... yet. I'll fill everyone in once I get back. Don't worry though (MOM), I'm completely fine and still doing great. :D
Today was also the last day of school. I got a card thing from my class. Again, more details about my school life and such when I get back. There's a LOT to say.
Instead of any more information or pictures, here's a haiku my YFU friend wrote on the plane ride to Japan that still makes me laugh:
We jumped on the rocks
And then we got too friendly
We went off program
My recent happenings are in no way related to that topic though... thank God. :) Tomorrow-- lots of shopping! (I already bought some fantastic terrible English shirts :D )
See you all in a few days. :) I can't wait!
Eli
Today was also the last day of school. I got a card thing from my class. Again, more details about my school life and such when I get back. There's a LOT to say.
Instead of any more information or pictures, here's a haiku my YFU friend wrote on the plane ride to Japan that still makes me laugh:
And then we got too friendly
We went off program
My recent happenings are in no way related to that topic though... thank God. :) Tomorrow-- lots of shopping! (I already bought some fantastic terrible English shirts :D )
See you all in a few days. :) I can't wait!
Eli
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Shopping and other stuff
So last night I went to Tsutaya again (that amazing store with a bunch of DVDs and CDs and Manga for rental) and finally got to take a lot of pictures after forgetting my camera the past two times we went there.
CUTE SUMMER WARS DRAWING THAT MADE ME MELT INSIDE.
Lots of love for K-On! :3
EVEN MORE LOVE FOR CLANNAD AND CLANNAD ~AFTER STORY~ <3
AND EVEN MORE LOVE for TORADORA! ... but there were no DVDs to be found anywhere. ;__;
So... Much... Hayate no Gotoku!...
Lots of Pokemanz
STUDIO GHIBLI <3
That's not Wallace and Gromit, it's Uoresu to Gurumitto, obviously.
More strange movie titles in Japanese:
Afterward, Taiga, Ryosuke and I went to the onsen/ofuro place again that is instantly recgonizable by a huge "ゆ" banner outside. (湯/お湯 means hot water, read "ゆ yu" or "おゆ oyu" - the 'o' in front just makes it more formal) They just got back from hiking up a 2,000ft mountain or something for a school trip and they were like we're all tired let's go sit in some baths so we did just that.
*****
BUT BEFORE ALL THAT, in school periods 5 and 6, we went to "clean up" ... basically meaning walking long distances around the neighborhood and playing with worms and moss and metal pincer things-- not much "cleaning up." But it was still fun.
*****
And right before this post, I went around shopping. Well not really... I tried to go-- I guess my mom was right when she says there aren't good any stores around here. :P She is going to take me to some Japanese-style shops and such on Wednesday, though (RIGHT before I leave!). :) However, today, I did stumble in on NODA-YA which is basically a "Gun & Figure" store... a strange combination.
And then I saw Rin (from こどものじかん, Kodomo no Jikan, A Child's Time).
But she was 6800円 (a little more than $68) so I was all like cry ;__; And no Mom, no children were harmed in the creation of that figure, anime or manga. Plus the manga was written by a woman so it's even more lolthisissoscrewedup-ish.
...NODA-YA did have some pretty awesome stuff though:
Lots of K-On! stuff. :D ...including a car, lolwut.
this made me lol
PEANUTS :)
Vocaloid :D
CLANNAD LOVEEEええぇ～ラブラブ
The original reason I went there was to look for some Haiji stuff... which I ended up not finding at all. :< In case you don't know (which you probably sadly don't), THIS is Haiji:
love.
...and that's all. Tuesday is my last day of school (Monday is a holiday, 海の日 umi no hi, Marine/Ocean Day), and I have to give a closing speech I think... totally not prepared for that. :) and then on THURSDAY, I leave for America! (leave at 10 and get back at 9 the same day or something... hah.)
See you all really soon!!! :D
CUTE SUMMER WARS DRAWING THAT MADE ME MELT INSIDE.
Lots of love for K-On! :3
EVEN MORE LOVE FOR CLANNAD AND CLANNAD ~AFTER STORY~ <3
AND EVEN MORE LOVE for TORADORA! ... but there were no DVDs to be found anywhere. ;__;
So... Much... Hayate no Gotoku!...
Lots of Pokemanz
STUDIO GHIBLI <3
That's not Wallace and Gromit, it's Uoresu to Gurumitto, obviously.
More strange movie titles in Japanese:
- The movie "Flushed Away" in Japanese is called マウス・タウン (Mausu Taun, Mouse Town)
- "Over the Hedge" is 森のリトル・ギャング (Mori no Ritoru Gyangu, Little Gang of the Forest)
- "Ratatouille" is レミーのおいしいレストラン (Remii no Oishii Resutoran, Remi's Delicious Restaurant)
- "Meet the Robinsons" is ルイスと未来泥棒 (Ruisu to Mirai Dorobou, Luis and the Thief from the Future)
Afterward, Taiga, Ryosuke and I went to the onsen/ofuro place again that is instantly recgonizable by a huge "ゆ" banner outside. (湯/お湯 means hot water, read "ゆ yu" or "おゆ oyu" - the 'o' in front just makes it more formal) They just got back from hiking up a 2,000ft mountain or something for a school trip and they were like we're all tired let's go sit in some baths so we did just that.
BUT BEFORE ALL THAT, in school periods 5 and 6, we went to "clean up" ... basically meaning walking long distances around the neighborhood and playing with worms and moss and metal pincer things-- not much "cleaning up." But it was still fun.
And right before this post, I went around shopping. Well not really... I tried to go-- I guess my mom was right when she says there aren't good any stores around here. :P She is going to take me to some Japanese-style shops and such on Wednesday, though (RIGHT before I leave!). :) However, today, I did stumble in on NODA-YA which is basically a "Gun & Figure" store... a strange combination.
And then I saw Rin (from こどものじかん, Kodomo no Jikan, A Child's Time).
But she was 6800円 (a little more than $68) so I was all like cry ;__; And no Mom, no children were harmed in the creation of that figure, anime or manga. Plus the manga was written by a woman so it's even more lolthisissoscrewedup-ish.
...NODA-YA did have some pretty awesome stuff though:
Lots of K-On! stuff. :D ...including a car, lolwut.
this made me lol
PEANUTS :)
Vocaloid :D
CLANNAD LOVEEEええぇ～ラブラブ
The original reason I went there was to look for some Haiji stuff... which I ended up not finding at all. :< In case you don't know (which you probably sadly don't), THIS is Haiji:
love.
...and that's all. Tuesday is my last day of school (Monday is a holiday, 海の日 umi no hi, Marine/Ocean Day), and I have to give a closing speech I think... totally not prepared for that. :) and then on THURSDAY, I leave for America! (leave at 10 and get back at 9 the same day or something... hah.)
See you all really soon!!! :D
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Purikura & some other pictures which are moderately humorous (and some bad English)
First of all, those 'other pictures' mentioned in the title of this post:
You CANNOT SURVIVE IN JAPAN without knowing this word.
How evolution worked in Japan (which actually didn't even happen if you read my favorite book mentioned earlier, "Stories About Jesus")
I broke out laughing in the middle of English class. (I want a robot that acts like a cat (not just a dog or a seal), and detects landmines, now what.)
AND THEN. After school I did purikura with the 語学部 (gogaku-bu, language club) at school of which I am a part of. If you don't know what purikura is, Google it (or click here if you're too lazy to). Basically we were all like LOLOL XDD WEEABOO PEACE FINGERS TEENAGE-GIRL FACES AND MAKEUP and then decorated ourselves with pens and animals and stuff.
It was pretty fun. I played Pokémon SoulSilver all day in school today 'cause I was SUPER bored (in the same room all day - no gym/computer/music classes). Don't tell. :>
Also random stuff I have no other place to mention:
...
SEE YOU ALL IN A WEEK. :D
You CANNOT SURVIVE IN JAPAN without knowing this word.
How evolution worked in Japan (which actually didn't even happen if you read my favorite book mentioned earlier, "Stories About Jesus")
I broke out laughing in the middle of English class. (I want a robot that acts like a cat (not just a dog or a seal), and detects landmines, now what.)
AND THEN. After school I did purikura with the 語学部 (gogaku-bu, language club) at school of which I am a part of. If you don't know what purikura is, Google it (or click here if you're too lazy to). Basically we were all like LOLOL XDD WEEABOO PEACE FINGERS TEENAGE-GIRL FACES AND MAKEUP and then decorated ourselves with pens and animals and stuff.
It was pretty fun. I played Pokémon SoulSilver all day in school today 'cause I was SUPER bored (in the same room all day - no gym/computer/music classes). Don't tell. :>
Also random stuff I have no other place to mention:
- Nobody has black umbrellas in Japan. If you use one, people will tell you it looks like Totoro's... just because it's black.
- Precious shiny stones / Keep shining and / it polishes beautifully
- One touch sport jug is water supply for athlete. It can be carries conveniently for all sport , easy drinking and ecology.
- FRESHNESS BURGER HERE
- (in classmate's English notebook) helekoputa, connputa, banna
- (on the purikura machine screen) It waits for a moment
- Press English↔日本語 button for English Expression.
...
SEE YOU ALL IN A WEEK. :D