intothewoods
Truth seeker
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Seriously awesome. You will have so much fun!
Japan Internship
- Thread starter Etoile
- Start date
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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Updates!
Everything is pretty much solid. Fly to Tokyo on ANA May 13th (arrive 14th). Internship! Fly back on United July 2nd, NAD conference in Philadelphia. Fly back to Tokyo on United July 10th. More internship! Fly home August 5th on ANA.
Unless my wife decides to come visit me in August, in which case I can extend my ANA ticket up to August 12th with only $100 change fee. It's some 90-day ticket thing, if I change it outside that window, the price skyrockets.
Still waiting to hear back about what address I will be using in Tsukuba! I don't know if the dorms have their own addresses, or if the university address covers everybody, or what. I want to see about shipping some stuff there and also the phone I am planning to rent needs a Japan address to be sent to.
I decided to skip the yakkan shoumei, which is the document allowing you to bring in more than 1 month of medication at a time. Because I am flying back in the middle, I will just pick up the remainder of the medication then. If you are only bringing in one month, you only need to have prescriptions, not the yakkan shoumei. The paperwork for it is a big pain in the butt, so I am just doing the 1-month thing.
I am trying to squeeze in all my homework too...everything is easy as pie except for the 15-20 page paper due for my thesis. Yeah, just a little bit of work to do on it, LOL. It'll get done though...I'm actually pretty confident about getting all the homework done.
I ordered lots of new clothes for the trip! I have to look professional, but I have gained weight since going back to school full-time, so I needed new clothes. I got lots of mix-and-match-ables and of course there will be pix.
Everything is pretty much solid. Fly to Tokyo on ANA May 13th (arrive 14th). Internship! Fly back on United July 2nd, NAD conference in Philadelphia. Fly back to Tokyo on United July 10th. More internship! Fly home August 5th on ANA.
Unless my wife decides to come visit me in August, in which case I can extend my ANA ticket up to August 12th with only $100 change fee. It's some 90-day ticket thing, if I change it outside that window, the price skyrockets.
Still waiting to hear back about what address I will be using in Tsukuba! I don't know if the dorms have their own addresses, or if the university address covers everybody, or what. I want to see about shipping some stuff there and also the phone I am planning to rent needs a Japan address to be sent to.
I decided to skip the yakkan shoumei, which is the document allowing you to bring in more than 1 month of medication at a time. Because I am flying back in the middle, I will just pick up the remainder of the medication then. If you are only bringing in one month, you only need to have prescriptions, not the yakkan shoumei. The paperwork for it is a big pain in the butt, so I am just doing the 1-month thing.
I am trying to squeeze in all my homework too...everything is easy as pie except for the 15-20 page paper due for my thesis. Yeah, just a little bit of work to do on it, LOL. It'll get done though...I'm actually pretty confident about getting all the homework done.
I ordered lots of new clothes for the trip! I have to look professional, but I have gained weight since going back to school full-time, so I needed new clothes. I got lots of mix-and-match-ables and of course there will be pix.
rida
rope grupie
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- Sep 9, 2007
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Updates!
*snip*
I ordered lots of new clothes for the trip! I have to look professional, but I have gained weight since going back to school full-time, so I needed new clothes. I got lots of mix-and-match-ables and of course there will be pix.
Weather for the time you will be here:
May is can be rainy or wonderfully springy with nice temperatures (over 20C) but without the horrible humidity of summer.
June is when the Tokyo area enters rainy season. That means gray skies, at least a little rain almost everyday if not all day long. Temperature are around 20C. But when the sky breaks for little pause in the monsoons, the temperatures rise above 25C and the humidity is high (around 80%).
Around the first week to mid July we get out of rainy season and enter the hot summer time with temperature constantly above 25C (also at night) and humidity around 80%.
Everywhere you go though they have air-conditioning, so if I'm going out wearing tank-tops I make sure to carry something to wear on top as it can get chilly otherwise.
Any other info, just ask!
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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It was so good to finally meet you!
It was wonderful to meet you and everyone! I loved all three of you! You were too kind, getting dinner - thank you so much! Looking forward to seeing you again!
rida
rope grupie
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You are welcome!
Let me know when you plan to go to Sanrio Puroland, we might tag along ^_^
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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I definitely will, I think it would be even more fun with friends!
rida
rope grupie
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Keroin
aKwatic
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<--- Hoping for pics of the school and surroundings.
Seconded.
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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<--- Hoping for pics of the school and surroundings.
There are a few!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meredith/tags/ntut/
I will get more when it is not gray and rainy.
YourCaptor
Cute Girl Connoisseur
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- Jun 17, 2007
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Wow, everything is so clean.
I think those vibrating things, you put them under your pillow. When the alarm goes on they wake you up.
I think those vibrating things, you put them under your pillow. When the alarm goes on they wake you up.
YourCaptor
Cute Girl Connoisseur
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? wasn't their. huh
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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Where did your post go?!
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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Things are going very well. I am picking up Japanese Sign Language at a rapid rate, but virtually no spoken Japanese. I am getting pretty good with katakana, but I only know a couple of characters of hiragana. I think I have learned about three kanji characters!
I tried the onsen in my dorm tonight. It's not the super awesome kind of onsen, which is outdoors in the winter and steamy etc, it's just a little pool in the shower area. I used the squat shower first (had a seat to sit on, it was fine) and washed thoroughly. I wasn't going to do my hair, because I just did it yesterday, but the other girls in there were taking a really long time and I wanted to follow their cues in the pool. Finally one of them went into the pool, I finished up, and went in. It was hot water. Yup. I don't think I'll do it again, though, at least not in front of the girls in my dorm. I don't think anybody gives a rat's ass about what you look like in there, or even looks AT you, but I am uncomfortable with the nudity. (When I was thinner, I loved it, and routinely went naked at parties...now I am a fattie and I hide.)
My work has been somewhat boring, I only do about an hour of work a day, but I sit in on over five hours of classes. So for four hours a day, I sit there and look pretty. And American. I look American.
I haven't been wearing my hearing aids here, and today I finally figured out why. I use them primarily for speech - I can hear environmental sounds pretty well, like horns honking or a motorcycle roar, but I don't hear speech well at all so I wear hearing aids. But here...I don't understand the speech anyway. Putting on hearing aids will not make me understand Japanese! So I just go without them, unless I know I'll be speaking English.
I miss my wife a lot. She didn't tell me that she would be offsite at work again today, so once again I can't contact her. I couldn't contact her all last week, either, and the weekend before she went to the beach with C. I don't think she realizes how much I miss her, how desperately I want to hear from her, how much I fear losing her because I don't hear from her as often as I'd like. Not really anything I can do about it, though, except tell her when I do talk to her how much I love her. It makes me sad, but most of the time I am too busy to notice.
My friend from New York is coming next week, and I have a day off to get him acclimated to Tokyo. Then the following weekend, we're going to Kyoto together. It should be nice...I need some hugs! I haven't had any since rida hugged me a week or two ago. She is helping me out SO much, too...I'd be having a really hard time if not for rida!
I tried the onsen in my dorm tonight. It's not the super awesome kind of onsen, which is outdoors in the winter and steamy etc, it's just a little pool in the shower area. I used the squat shower first (had a seat to sit on, it was fine) and washed thoroughly. I wasn't going to do my hair, because I just did it yesterday, but the other girls in there were taking a really long time and I wanted to follow their cues in the pool. Finally one of them went into the pool, I finished up, and went in. It was hot water. Yup. I don't think I'll do it again, though, at least not in front of the girls in my dorm. I don't think anybody gives a rat's ass about what you look like in there, or even looks AT you, but I am uncomfortable with the nudity. (When I was thinner, I loved it, and routinely went naked at parties...now I am a fattie and I hide.)
My work has been somewhat boring, I only do about an hour of work a day, but I sit in on over five hours of classes. So for four hours a day, I sit there and look pretty. And American. I look American.
I haven't been wearing my hearing aids here, and today I finally figured out why. I use them primarily for speech - I can hear environmental sounds pretty well, like horns honking or a motorcycle roar, but I don't hear speech well at all so I wear hearing aids. But here...I don't understand the speech anyway. Putting on hearing aids will not make me understand Japanese! So I just go without them, unless I know I'll be speaking English.
I miss my wife a lot. She didn't tell me that she would be offsite at work again today, so once again I can't contact her. I couldn't contact her all last week, either, and the weekend before she went to the beach with C. I don't think she realizes how much I miss her, how desperately I want to hear from her, how much I fear losing her because I don't hear from her as often as I'd like. Not really anything I can do about it, though, except tell her when I do talk to her how much I love her. It makes me sad, but most of the time I am too busy to notice.
My friend from New York is coming next week, and I have a day off to get him acclimated to Tokyo. Then the following weekend, we're going to Kyoto together. It should be nice...I need some hugs! I haven't had any since rida hugged me a week or two ago. She is helping me out SO much, too...I'd be having a really hard time if not for rida!
seela
Quark Thief
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I'm so envous of you getting to go to Japan! I'd love to visit there myself, mainly Kyoto. But all I get is 16 weeks in measly Poland.
I get the missing your wife part very well. I did Erasmus exachange during my first university degree studies and I missed everybody a lot for the first 2 months or so. After it it got better and I wouldn't have wanted to even leave when the year was up.
I get the missing your wife part very well. I did Erasmus exachange during my first university degree studies and I missed everybody a lot for the first 2 months or so. After it it got better and I wouldn't have wanted to even leave when the year was up.
Etoile
Mod, 2003-2015
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I'm not doing much, really
And if I was closer, I'd give you a hug everyday!
(so when you'll come down next time, I'll make sure to hug you tons!)
Yay! I am going to be in Tokyo this weekend, staying near the Kita-Fuchu station...wayyyyyy out there, I know, but I found a nice lady on CouchSurfing so it is free! She knows of some vegetarian places near her, so we are going to check those out, but otherwise I am schedule-free!
rida
rope grupie
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Great!
Saturday is another school event!!! (we did not have that many in my days ... lol), but Sunday afternoon I need to go buy some electronics and DIY kind of things. I'll drop you a line!
DVS
A ghost from your dreams
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I thought this would be a fitting thread to post this. I saw these videos while browsing the Internet last night. Wimp is one web site I tend to enjoy. I always find interesting videos on it.
The first one is a time lapse of Japan and if you are from Japan or have been there, I'll bet you'll see something you are familiar with. But, even if you've never been there, it's still very cool. The second half of the video is my favorite part, but don't pass up the first part, either. Might I suggest that you watch this one in full screen, if you can.
http://www.wimp.com/journeyjapan/
Being a musician, this second video sparked my interest. And because it has a bonsai tree in it, I thought of Japan, too. Music (here, it's actually more rhythm than just music) can be found in most any place.
http://www.wimp.com/bonsaitree/
The first one is a time lapse of Japan and if you are from Japan or have been there, I'll bet you'll see something you are familiar with. But, even if you've never been there, it's still very cool. The second half of the video is my favorite part, but don't pass up the first part, either. Might I suggest that you watch this one in full screen, if you can.
http://www.wimp.com/journeyjapan/
Being a musician, this second video sparked my interest. And because it has a bonsai tree in it, I thought of Japan, too. Music (here, it's actually more rhythm than just music) can be found in most any place.
http://www.wimp.com/bonsaitree/
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