OK, it's been a very crazy day! I arrived at Narita airport in Tokyo at 6am with all the other exchange students from around Australia. We have a three day orientation in one of the airport hotels, a nice one too! Just had a lovely, big Japanese banquet type thing for dinner!
We left the airport around 6:30am and it was freezing! The weather here is so bad, it might as well be snowing. Got to the hotel, had a short group work thing before heading into Tokyo. The traffic was pretty bad. It took us about 2.5 hours to travel the 60km into Tokyo.
Tokyo is simply amazing, even on a cloudy, rainy day where you couldn't see much, It is so big! We went straight to a school that is in the city, and really got thrown right into the deep end. We were ushered into this hall with a heap of Japanese students sitting there watching us, before being handed a microphone and being told to introduce ourselves in Japanese! Pretty sure I failed compared to the others, oh well.
At the school we also did other activities with them in the kendo hall (I now have a great activity for Ms Ball to teach us prepositions!), and also some calligraphy in a classroom where I failed epically yet again. I heard numerous gasps as I drew my kanji, I'm not even kidding lol! We all had to wear school 'visitors' slippers, which unfortunately came in only one size - a size that was way too small for my western feet. Ouchies...
We all then went for a week to a nearby garden (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3026.html or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rikugi-en), which was simply beautiful. I didn't get many photos as it was raining. Everybody had an umbrella, and in the narrow paths of the garden it sometimes turned into a war of umbrellas.
We returned back to the hotel, much quicker this time as the traffic was easier. And here I am, sitting alone in my hotel room being anti-social! I will get around to photos another time, I'm nearly dead.
Missing everybody,
Alex
PS: there are vending machines everywhere! the one downstairs sells cigarettes haha
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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It sounds so amazing!!! Everyone is missing you too! Olivia and myself decided to take on your role of bagging Caitlin out...It didn't work infact it was a complete fail =) haha
ReplyDeleteHope you are having fun!
Alex I'm so glad you're having a great time. I'm sure that your Japanese isn't as bad as you think it is and that you are going well. Remeber that they have all had alot more time in class to learn then you have because of the way marist works and you've learnt so much! It's so impressive what you've been able to learn by yourself!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with the beer and cigerets in the vending machines! when does the common room get that upgrade??? lol :p
Michelle