#3.10.18

Je krásný pocit přivádět obrys k životu až na takovou úroveň, že mám občas i pocit, že na mě moje vlastní výtvory zamrkají a trhá mi srdce, když musím sem, tam nějaký detail jen sběžně přejít, nebo dokonce přeskočit a obrázek ošidit, jen proto, abych stihl termín, kdy to musí mít moje zákaznice "NUTNĚ" v ruce. S každým odevzdaným kouskem se na mě nahrnou dva nové. V každém je kus mě a mojí práce.

Because the four of them almost literally started from nothing. Their first performance evaluation was shown in episode two for like 5 seconds and that was it. Yet somehow they managed to make a name for themselves? Like Yue Yue and Bu Fan went ham on their reactions in episode 1 and 2 (also they’re hella cute together) and got the attention of the producers and editors. Ling Chao was so frickin adorable in Can’t Stop that everyone just started tryin to adopt him. Mu Ziyang led Dance to the Music and the four of them worked so hard that now they’re all past the second round of elims. Bu Fan used to be top nine. Ling Chao is top nine.

we recently moved from the old seminar houses into a brand new residence building called the Global Commons (「結」日本語で).

it was a pretty seamless transition - the school allowed up to 4 boxes/bags per student to be loaded into a moving van & delivered directly to our new rooms, so all we had to do was pack our stuff and head over on moving day.

the new building is crazy nice - new kitchen (with actual sharp knives!! and non-stick pans that really don’t stick!!), individual thermostats for each room, ridiculously prime aesthetic value Everywhere, and card lock systems rather than traditional keys.

some people weren’t super stoked to move in the middle of the semester, and tbh i can see why - it did take up a whole saturday more or less and it was a little funny to be uprooted not long after we’d finally gotten the swing of living in the seminar houses - but i’m really glad we got to. the seminar houses and the surrounding neighbourhood were awesome, very traditional japanese style, super cozy and homey, and a great way to make friends (especially in seminar house 3, because of the pod/apartment setup). having the smaller residences in an older, more traditional neighbourhood was a really neat way to start the semester. yui is essentially a foil to the seminar houses. while it still has a super japanese vibe, everything is totally new and super modern - it almost feels like we skipped ahead a few decades and are living in a totally different time. the neighbourhood has multiple primary and elementary schools and is full young families. yui is also closer to the city center (only a 15 minute walk) and main train station.

perhaps most excitingly though: everyone in yui gets a single room~

i’m really glad i started the semester with a roommate - we got along well and it gave me more opportunities to be social and build friendships - but i’m the sort of person who really values alone time. being able to transition from a double to single room midway through the semester gives me the best of both worlds - the initial social bonus, followed by some much needed down time. an added bonus: our new rooms are pretty nice and almost everyone from my seminar house pod is on the same hallways in yui!

it’s also really neat that we get to live with w a y more japanese students now, giving us more opportunities to speak the language and make friends from different cultures.

the one downside though is having to go re-register our addresses with city hall and the bike shops.. even so, it’s not that big a set-back.

i was initially a little perplexed by having to pack up and move mid-semester, but in the end, i’m really grateful the school decided to move us when they did!