LONGER ENTRY!
SO. Finally time to write. I don't even know where to start, there's so much to talk about and so many pictures to spam you with... so let's just jump right in, shall we? XD
First thing: I didn't know 11 hours in a plane would be THAT long. I hadn't slept much in the days leading up to the departure, so the "let's pull an all-nighter and then sleep lots on the plane" totally failed. I slept like a log from 1 to 6 on wednesday night. XD Which doesn't mean that I wasn't still tired on the plane, so I really, REALLY tried to sleep, but in the end, I only dozed for about one and a half hour in short intervals. On the other hand, that way I got to see how a sunset and a dawn look while flying above the clouds and in the opposite direction of the sun's path. Unfortunately I didn't manage to take even one decent photo on the plane. :/
While we (we meaning Annika and Sarah, who are both from my Uni. I've been friends with Annika for a year already) had no stress whatsoever with getting checked in in Cologne, taking the ICE to Frankfurt, or anything having to do with the flight from Frankfurt to Nagoya, our one hour in Nagoya had us in a panic.
Yeah, you read that right. One hour.
Now, all of you who've been to Japan before know that when you arrive, you have to get registered right there at the airport. You get your fingerprints and a photo taken, then you have to go through customs with your luggage. So we waited in the line for the registration for about 15 minutes or so, then we waited at the luggage check-out for another 10 or 15 minutes until our suitcases arrived, then customs took at least another 5-10 minutes.... by the time we arrived at the check-in line of ANA, a female staff member was already hurrying alongside the queue, asking in a loud voice for people who had tickets for the flight to Kumamoto. Our luggage was x-rayed and our e-tickets were processed faster than we could blink when we answered her, and then they let us through the safety-ckeck line for staff members. By that time we had around 3 minutes left until the gate was closed and OF COURSE our gate was the very last one at the end of the LONG corridor. >____> While we were running I heard Annika having trouble breathing, which was just awesome, considering she has Asthma. v___v
But anyway, we reached our flight and arrived savely in Kumamoto. XD
Since then, our tutors have been running around with us getting our paperwork sorted out. You know, the usual. Alien registration card, exchange student medical insurance, bank account, getting our student IDs. We took our placement test yesterday and have been figuring our which Japanese courses we want to take, and which we need to take skills-wise. We haven't really had the time yet to see much of the city, but our tutors took us to the largest shopping streets in the city when we were looking for cell phones (No AU for us T___T the contract conditions were just too expensive compared to the Softbank Prepaid conditions. But hey, I've got TV! :DDDD)
What we've seen of Kumamoto so far, though, has been really nice. The way from the airport into the city proper was dominated by fields and suburban areas with lots of typically Japanese houses.
This was also when we realised that Kumamoto has PALM trees. XDDDD
Did I mention I've only been wearing t-shirts since we arrived? :P
The International House complex is situated right between a little river and a small mountain.
Unfortunately, the river is not visible from our balcony. :/ It would be on the far left of this picture. But the view is nice anyway ^^
The view from my own balcony is not as nice, I mainly see other dormitory buildings and the bike parking and garbage areas, but on the left side the complex borders on a suburban area with both traditional Japanese houses and smaller apartment complexes, and I can see a little bit of the mountain.
By the way, when I say balcony, it sounds like I have an awesome place to put an armchair and take a sunbath or something. It's not like that. It's barely enough room for the air-con motor and the laundry.
Which brings us to the subject of my apartment. I'm sharing with three other girls, from Poland, China and Korea respectively. We share the bathroom, the toilet, and the DK (Kitchen + Dining). No photos of the girls, but of the apartment. XD
The Japanese have a fairly complex garbage seperating system in place. Burnable garbage, plastic garbage, paper, PET bottles and landfill waste. Burnable garbage is mostly like "Restmüll" in Germany and Plastic is a lot like the Green Point. Only there's no extra garbage for compost and extra PET bottle separation instead. The even go so far to take off the label and cap from the bottles and put them in the Plastic garbage. >__>" And beverage cartons are Paper, after you've washed them out and cut them up too be a sheet. v__v"
Now to my own room! :DDD
It's small. XD Like, 8 square meters or something. XD But who cares, it's comfy and less space to clutter up. XDDD
Do you see that poster there on the wall? Yessssss. This is not a poster. IT IS A PORTRAIT.
SHO-CHAAAAAAANNN <3<3<3<3<3<3<3
This beautiful, beautiful picture LOOKS like a fanart, only it's not. Because fanart, by definition, is done by fans. And the artist is not a fan, but loves me enough to draw Sho for me anyway.
I LOVE YOU TOO ANNE!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
Unfortunately, Sho-chan seems to be reluctant to be caught on camera (at least without buying the proper licenses first, haha. >_>"). I took about 20 photos and this is the least blurry one. I don't even know, maybe it's because the Faber Aquarell makes the paper shine? ;____;
Now, do you know what is awesome and not so awesome at the same time about Japan?
The non-human thingies running and flying and jumping and crawling around. O____O
You feel really at home when you get greeted by HER at your post box.
Neither do you want HER in your room.
Thank god for fly screens, even if the brush-y part doesn't close completely. I don't want a 5cm monster like her in my room. DDDDD:
On the other hand, having HER or HIM running around on your campus is pretty cool:
Kawaii deshou? ^__^
To close this introduction, have a pic of Sarah sanjilops and Annika! :D
It's good to be with other morons. XD
Come again next time when I tell you about our awesome discovery trip to a hidden mountain shrine! :DD
First thing: I didn't know 11 hours in a plane would be THAT long. I hadn't slept much in the days leading up to the departure, so the "let's pull an all-nighter and then sleep lots on the plane" totally failed. I slept like a log from 1 to 6 on wednesday night. XD Which doesn't mean that I wasn't still tired on the plane, so I really, REALLY tried to sleep, but in the end, I only dozed for about one and a half hour in short intervals. On the other hand, that way I got to see how a sunset and a dawn look while flying above the clouds and in the opposite direction of the sun's path. Unfortunately I didn't manage to take even one decent photo on the plane. :/
While we (we meaning Annika and Sarah, who are both from my Uni. I've been friends with Annika for a year already) had no stress whatsoever with getting checked in in Cologne, taking the ICE to Frankfurt, or anything having to do with the flight from Frankfurt to Nagoya, our one hour in Nagoya had us in a panic.
Yeah, you read that right. One hour.
Now, all of you who've been to Japan before know that when you arrive, you have to get registered right there at the airport. You get your fingerprints and a photo taken, then you have to go through customs with your luggage. So we waited in the line for the registration for about 15 minutes or so, then we waited at the luggage check-out for another 10 or 15 minutes until our suitcases arrived, then customs took at least another 5-10 minutes.... by the time we arrived at the check-in line of ANA, a female staff member was already hurrying alongside the queue, asking in a loud voice for people who had tickets for the flight to Kumamoto. Our luggage was x-rayed and our e-tickets were processed faster than we could blink when we answered her, and then they let us through the safety-ckeck line for staff members. By that time we had around 3 minutes left until the gate was closed and OF COURSE our gate was the very last one at the end of the LONG corridor. >____> While we were running I heard Annika having trouble breathing, which was just awesome, considering she has Asthma. v___v
But anyway, we reached our flight and arrived savely in Kumamoto. XD
Since then, our tutors have been running around with us getting our paperwork sorted out. You know, the usual. Alien registration card, exchange student medical insurance, bank account, getting our student IDs. We took our placement test yesterday and have been figuring our which Japanese courses we want to take, and which we need to take skills-wise. We haven't really had the time yet to see much of the city, but our tutors took us to the largest shopping streets in the city when we were looking for cell phones (No AU for us T___T the contract conditions were just too expensive compared to the Softbank Prepaid conditions. But hey, I've got TV! :DDDD)
What we've seen of Kumamoto so far, though, has been really nice. The way from the airport into the city proper was dominated by fields and suburban areas with lots of typically Japanese houses.
This was also when we realised that Kumamoto has PALM trees. XDDDD
Did I mention I've only been wearing t-shirts since we arrived? :P
The International House complex is situated right between a little river and a small mountain.
Unfortunately, the river is not visible from our balcony. :/ It would be on the far left of this picture. But the view is nice anyway ^^
The view from my own balcony is not as nice, I mainly see other dormitory buildings and the bike parking and garbage areas, but on the left side the complex borders on a suburban area with both traditional Japanese houses and smaller apartment complexes, and I can see a little bit of the mountain.
By the way, when I say balcony, it sounds like I have an awesome place to put an armchair and take a sunbath or something. It's not like that. It's barely enough room for the air-con motor and the laundry.
Which brings us to the subject of my apartment. I'm sharing with three other girls, from Poland, China and Korea respectively. We share the bathroom, the toilet, and the DK (Kitchen + Dining). No photos of the girls, but of the apartment. XD
The Japanese have a fairly complex garbage seperating system in place. Burnable garbage, plastic garbage, paper, PET bottles and landfill waste. Burnable garbage is mostly like "Restmüll" in Germany and Plastic is a lot like the Green Point. Only there's no extra garbage for compost and extra PET bottle separation instead. The even go so far to take off the label and cap from the bottles and put them in the Plastic garbage. >__>" And beverage cartons are Paper, after you've washed them out and cut them up too be a sheet. v__v"
Now to my own room! :DDD
It's small. XD Like, 8 square meters or something. XD But who cares, it's comfy and less space to clutter up. XDDD
Do you see that poster there on the wall? Yessssss. This is not a poster. IT IS A PORTRAIT.
SHO-CHAAAAAAANNN <3<3<3<3<3<3<3
This beautiful, beautiful picture LOOKS like a fanart, only it's not. Because fanart, by definition, is done by fans. And the artist is not a fan, but loves me enough to draw Sho for me anyway.
I LOVE YOU TOO ANNE!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3<3
Unfortunately, Sho-chan seems to be reluctant to be caught on camera (at least without buying the proper licenses first, haha. >_>"). I took about 20 photos and this is the least blurry one. I don't even know, maybe it's because the Faber Aquarell makes the paper shine? ;____;
Now, do you know what is awesome and not so awesome at the same time about Japan?
The non-human thingies running and flying and jumping and crawling around. O____O
You feel really at home when you get greeted by HER at your post box.
Neither do you want HER in your room.
Thank god for fly screens, even if the brush-y part doesn't close completely. I don't want a 5cm monster like her in my room. DDDDD:
On the other hand, having HER or HIM running around on your campus is pretty cool:
Kawaii deshou? ^__^
To close this introduction, have a pic of Sarah sanjilops and Annika! :D
It's good to be with other morons. XD
Come again next time when I tell you about our awesome discovery trip to a hidden mountain shrine! :DD