Thank you Skype!

I'm supposed to be in bed by now... but I just wanted to thank the person who invented Skype. You are a genius! For those who aren't technologically-savvy, Skype is a program that allows users to talk with one another. So almost every night since my arrival in Japan, I've been able to video chat with my family via Skype. Every night (early morning for them) after practice, I can tell them how my day went, how practice went, how I'm feeling, etc. If I need any advice, they're just a mouse click away. Which is really great and comforting... to know that even though I'm miles away from home, I'm not alone. : )

Alienation

I am officially a registered alien now. Not kidding. I now have my "certificate of alien registration". Alien is the name given to non-Japanese residents. I'm glad it's finally over with. There are so many papers and documents needed in order to live here. Visa, foreign registration, health insurance, bank account, etc.... And the international office here isn't very international. Nobody there really speaks English. If you can't understand Japanese well enough, it's very hard to understand the important information they're giving you. Luckily, thanks to my host mother and a couple of friends here, I've managed to get all the necessary documents. One less thing to stress about : p

Living in constant confusion

I hit a low point a few days ago. Since I arrived in Japan, I've gotten accustomed to not always understanding what people are saying to me. It's amazing how I've managed to get by so far using gestures and logical reasoning. But the other day, the bank left a message to call them back. When I did, I couldn't understand anything they told me. Then I handed the receiver to the dorm lady so she could take the message for me. But then, when she tried to transmit the message to me, I couldn't understand once again. It's so frustrating not being able to understand, especially when it comes to important things like passports or money.

But then again, it's important to take things in perspective. Compared to when I first came, about a month ago, my Japanese has improved leaps and bounds. I speak with less hesitation (even though I'm always searching for words), have increased my vocabulary enormously and can read a lot more kanji characters. And that's only after one month. I still have about 11 more to go. So I'm trying to stay positive and just keep absorbing everything I see and hear. Except the rain. I'm trying to veer away from the rain : p (which is impossible by the way)

No Judo, no life

I've always thought I didn't have a life because of judo. When you train almost every day, including the weekend, there's often little time left to go out with friends. If you study at the same time, you have even less time... And often, if you do happen to have time, you are too exhausted to even consider going out. My friends can probably confirm this. How many times have I had to miss out on a party or activity because of judo? Many.

The other night at practice, a girl had a shirt that said " NO JUDO, NO LIFE". I couldn't help but find this funny. Because of judo, I've missed out on going out with friends or joining other sports teams. But judo has given me another kind of life, one that very few have the chance to experience. And right now, if I didn't do judo, I don't know what I would do with all that new found free time. There are many times where I've considered quitting judo because I thought it prevented me from having a normal life. But normal is overrrated : p Judo isn't always easy (far from it) but it brings me great satisfaction when I learn a new technique or finally execute a throw I've been practicing for months. So as long as I keep loving judo, I'll be putting on my gui and stepping onto the mats to keep learning : )

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. ~ Joseph P. Kennedy

Tough times don't last, tough people do. ~ Gregory Peck

Japanese class : 7A and 7B

Today, we were reassigned to a different Japanese class. Our class initially had 13 students. This week, about 8 students from Libya as well as a couple of students from other classes joined our class. The teachers decided a class of 25 students was a bit too big and so our class was divided into 7A and 7B. The students with a bit more difficulty were placed in 7B and the others who are a bit more advanced (including me) in 7A. The class dynamics are a bit different but I think the faster learning pace will be better for me.

* Note: In class, we have some listening exercises every day where we have to listen to some dialogue and then answer some questions or choose the right picture. After we listen, the teacher will ask: Maru (correct statement), Batsu (Incorrect statement), or Wakarimasen (I don't understand). That third option is quite useful ; )

I've also been doing some cooking (not Japanese yet) in my spare time (what free time!?!). A couple of pictures to give you an idea:

Yumm, a taste of home, some good old chili

Getting my feet wet

I finally had the opportunity to take the train and see something other than the university campus. On Saturday, my roommate Moe and I took the train to Shinjuku, a famous shopping district in Tokyo. I don't think I've ever bumped into so many people in one day. The train station is PACKED with people walking in all directions. In fact, pretty much anywhere in Japan is packed with people.

In Shinjuku, we did some shopping. I bought a one piece swimsuit (which is mandatory to enter the university's swimming pool), some clothes (ironically from H&M and Forever 21, which are both American stores), and a great Japanese cookbook in English. So as soon as I have time, I'll start studying Japanese cooking, something I've wanted to learn for some time now.

My favorite place in Shinjuku is probably the bookstore, Kinokuniya. I could spend hours in that bookstore (in any bookstore in fact), which has eight floors full of books. And on the 7th floor, there are plenty of English novels and books which for me was like paradise lol. At least I know where to go if I happen to finish all the novels I brought from Canada.

Moe, my roommate

A guy dressed as Johnny Depp (the resemblance is incredible!)

We came back late that day and I was pooped. Shopping itself is tiring, but in Japan, it's ten times more so, with so many people hitting you by accident and having to squirm your way around people in the streets or in the train station. Then, even once you're done shopping, to get back home, the trains are also crowded and there are often no places left to sit. By the time you get back home, you are exhausted.

Then the next day, I had to wake up early to take the train again, this time to Nihon Budokan to watch some of Tokai's judo club members participate in the "All-Japan University Students tournament" (English translation). The tournament site is enormous. I'd been there once before with my dad two years ago but I didn't remember it being so big.

There were only five mat areas... I say only because in each weight class, there were about 30-40 athletes. In Canada, even at our Nationals, we will usually only have about 15-20 per division. Honestly, compared to Canada, the number of people who practice judo in Japan is mind-boggling. I knew that before coming but seeing a tournament of this size was still a shock for me.

There are some interesting differences between tournaments in Japan and tournaments in Canada. They don't wear blue judogis. Instead, they use red and white belts to differentiate the fighters. Concerning the scoring, what would easily be considered a yuko in Canada isn't even acknowledged here. And what would probably be wazari or ippon in Canada is only given a yuko score. The tournament was very efficient... hmm... does that mean I'm saying that tournaments in Canada are not efficient? ; ) Compared to the little number of people that compete in tournaments in Canada and the long breaks when the tv screens don't work, Japan is a lot more efficient. The tournament started at 9 and was over by 3 o'clock. And that's taking into account the large weight divisions mentioned above.

I also had the chance to meet my dad's aunt, Shizuko. Only saw her for a few minutes, but I left a lot heavier than before. She gave me a bag full of Japanese snacks and some homemade applesauce.

My aunt Shizuko and me

Went back home after... tired once again. Took the subway all by myself on the way back. I'm starting to understand the subway system a bit better but I'm still clueless about all the different lines and types of trains (express, local, rapid express). Hopefully I won't have to get lost too often to figure it out : p

Subtleties of the Japanese language

Japanese is a very complex language. For example, we're currently learning about transitive and intransitive verbs. For those who aren't sure what the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is, Wikipedia can give you a hand: "a transitive verb is a verb that requires both a direct subject and one or more objects". Or as I see it: transitive = action verbs ; intransitive = passive verbs.

In English, we'll say:

1) I open the door. (action)
2) The door is open. (passive state or condition)

We use the same verb "to open" but we simply rearrange the rest of the sentence to convey the different meaning. Well.. it's not as simple in Japanese. In Japanese, different verbs are used depending whether the subject (i.e. the door) is opened by someone (action) or whether the speaker simply wishes to describe the door's current state (passive). In the first scenario, akemasu must be used, and akimasu in the second. A couple more examples if you're interested:

to drop: otoshimasu ; to be dropped: ochimasu
to turn on: tsukemasu ; to be on: tsukimasu
to close: shimemasu ; to be closed: shimarimasu

... and many more. That means more vocabulary to be learnt, memorized, and crammed into my already pretty full brain. But supposedly, we only use a small percentage of our brains... so I can't really say I've used up my brain's full capacity... yet : p

Learning Japanese also has its little moments. The other day, a student from England mispronounced the work jikan and instead softened the first syllable to make out the word chikan. The teacher started laughing hysterically along with a few other students. Wondering what was so funny, I looked up chikan in my dictionary. The definition: sexual pervert; molester. That explained it ; ) lol

It's also funny when the Korean students in my class speak in Japanese and I can't understand a thing. I wouldn't even think it was Japanese if I heard it outside the classroom.

Time to study again. Coming up this weekend: shopping in Shinjuku with my roommate and going to watch some of Tokai's judo girls fight in a tournament. : D