#speaking partner

I would love a speaking/learning partner! I’m re-learning everything for the fun of it (I used to run an esperanto club in high school RIP) and it would be so cool and helpful to learn alongside someone else. Esperanto ain’t so popular these days lol

Hey guys I'm in french four but I want more conversational practice. If any of my followers know french I would love to try and have a conversation with you. I'm pretty bad at grammar but I hope it's not too awful. If you're interested just DM me or something.

So...yesterday...Orientation stuff, banking session and speaking partner!

Orientation Stuff: Typical orientation stuff!  And if I already wasn't dead set on NOT getting a bike, this convinced me even more!  I think it's wonderful for people who are confidant enough to ride them, I'm even jealous!  But the roads are far too narrow and the traffic is far too different for me.

Banking Session: So much fun. Not.  I really liked it the way the leader of the orientation talked about Japan's banking system..."Japan's technology is futuristic, but their banking system is still in the middle ages", (not exact quote :P ).  So yeah, basically you have to fill out 6(?) forms with repeatetive information. Also, you have to have a copy of your passport (picture side and the side with your address).  But the kicker?  The kicker is having to make a signature for yourself that you can write EXACTLY THE SAME FOUR TIMES. YES YOU HEARD ME, EXACTLY THE SAME.  You see, in Japan, people have a little stamp with their name in kanji and stuff that they use to sign documents and whatnot.  Us foreigners do not...so we have to make our own little "stamp" so to speak.  Fun times.  I ended up screwing the paperwork up close to 4-5 times.  I had to leave by 5pm, so I ended up not even finishing the session. Ugh.

Speaking Partner: Tomomi or "Ton-chan" is super sweet :]  We talked about our families and friends and pets and so on.  She could only stay for an hour because it was 6PM already and I felt bad for her having to come to school for only such a short time (she commutes by train 2 hour TO school and 2 hours FROM school!).  But it was super nice to meet her and I look forward to hanging out with her more.

After all that I wanted to go to the super market (TOPWORLD), I NEEDED to go to the supermarket, but I was so tired.

Today: More Orientation Stuff, Buying a Cell Phone, MORE Orientation Stuff, and Picking Up ID Card.

More Orientation Stuff: Just...orientation stuff, nothing to write home about.

Buying a Cell Phone: There is a SoftBank (widely-used cell phone company) kiosk in the Conbini (convenience store) on campus.  Your choice was a pre-paid phone in either black or white.  No cute pink phones for us gaijin. :[  In total it was 12,000yen which is roughly $153 bucks (as of August 2012).  It comes with a 3,000yen pre-paid card and a charger (chargers aren't usually given WITH the phone here, it seems...so it was even more a of "deal").  You get UNLIMITED text and email for 300yen a month...Pretty nice.  However, the actual phone usage is a little steep. 60yen per minute or so.  So, phone usage will only be used in emergencies.

MORE Orientation Stuff: Consisted of what to do and not do while living in the dorms.

ID Pick Up: I picked up my ID.  I also stopped by the Banking Session and turned in my forms, so hopefully, that's that....with that.

Annnnnnnd, I also went to TOPWORLD after school.  Picked up bread, ham, mustard, salt, water, a bathroom caddie for my shampoo and stuff, annnnnd spoons.  I think that was it.  Nothing fancy.

Most everyone is going to this "fancy" get-together somewhere where you have to catch a bus and a train to and from and then pay 2,500yen to get in and blah blah blah...I admit, it would be a good chance to meet people, but 1) I am dead tired and 2) I don't like being around people getting smashed which is what the FaceBook page kinda hinted at.  Not my style.  

It was pretty neat, on the way back to the dorms from TOPWORLD, I greeted a lot of Japanese people with a "konnichiwa" and a casual head bowing motion.  I even saw a little girl, like...5? And she was staring at me and I said "Konnichiwa!" very brightly and she looked at me in awe and was like "...konnichiwa" lol, it was really cute.

Okay, this post is done. Long. And done. lol