Blog Project! w00t!

Hey all,

So you'll (hopefully) get an e-mail from Chris tomorrow, which will really be an e-mail from me. Like Natalie and Mia I received this scholarship that has a necessary service component. My service idea: a blog project. I'm trying to get all the Hoos studying abroad in Asia to create a blog to educate others about and incite others to study abroad in Asia. That being said, it'd be really cool if you all would jump on board, so to speak, and create your own individual blogs and then send me the link so I can put it on the main blog page for this project.

By no means is this an attempt to undermine the integrity and spirit and honesty of this here blog. It's just something I have to do. I'm sure you all understand. Just think of this as an opportunity to get really creative on your own page for (once again, hopefully) lots of study-abroad hopefuls, like your classmates and others in the Asia-centric departments.

I've already created the main page for this blog project and my own blog if you guys want to check those out: http://destinationasia08.blogspot.com/ and http://jeannetteinjapan.blogspot.com

I hope you all are enjoying your very extended breaks :) And sorry that I've been so M.I.A. on this blog. I will post more. Scout's honor.

D-elicious K-uisine

So I spent about 6 and 1/2 hours today with my grandparents learning how to make lumpia... and my family didn't die immediately after consuming it.

In fact, they said it was delicious, so maybe all you fellow Kongs have that to look forward to when we get sick of Japanese food (as if).


... oh, and maybe Mia and Teresa can join us. I did end up making FIFTY-ONE lumpias in the batch today. And fried rice!

Housing!

He finally did it! Thanks to you guys who went to see Chris! See, of course there's an explanation behind delaying notification to us!

So looks like it's DK HOUSE for me.

Did any of you all get homestays? And who else will be basking in the lovely abode of the Donkey Kong?

Also hey, has anyone been looking into the visa thing?

Rescue

Hey! Let's not let this thing die!

As we anxiously await housing information, has anyone new purchased tickets? I'm thinking of actually just arriving the 1st of April instead of earlier...but still not definite yet (obviously). And coming back July 31st instead of staying afterwards. I think by that time it might be nice to just go home. And plus, Dan was saying since there aren't really 'exams' for the classes, we'll be done like a week before the 31st anyway and would have that time to just do whatever. Also, I believe housing would end that day, so that's another thing to have to worry/think about then.

Also, if you've thought about it, how much luggage are you planning to bring? I really don't want to have a buttload to lug around but I'm not sure how to pack lightly for 4 whole months. At least it'll just be plain hot when we get there (right?) so we don't have to pack different seasonal clothing or anything. I also want to have enough space to be able to bring back gifts, souvenirs, clothing. Sigh this is going to give me a headache.

Okay, peace for now!

OH SNAP v. 2.0

Sooooo guys.
Dan told me that the guy at the exchange student office at Sophia said that one Chris Payne has our housing info.
Has anyone gotten it?
He better get on that.
Or else.
Yeah, that's right. I said 'or else'.

Have a great first weekend that we would be at school!

OH SNAP

Guess what today is?




THE FIRST DAY WE DON'T HAVE CLASSES HIGH FIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess who's back...

...Back again...

It's been great catching up with all of your lives since I've been gone. Hope everyone's New Years celebrating went swell.

Anyhoo, Korea and Japan were great! Though apparently, the friends and I brought the cold everywhere we went, so for all you wondering, that is why it suddenly got cold in ol' Virginia.

So whilst in Japan, I took a little visit to our soon-to-be University. Unfortunately I could only make it out on a Sunday, when it was about to close (5pm), so needless to say, it was really empty. I did walk down the main 'street', saw the buildings, used a bathroom, saw the 3 cafeterias, went into the 7-11. It is small, in case you haven't heard. They have a cheerleading team because they think it's cool because they see it in American movies. They call themselves the "Lollypoppers" which I find HILARIOUS. I also met a few of our soon-to-be classmates, by way of Dan. And heard some interesting stories about other classmates, and some teachers.

Also went to some good restaurants. And I have quite the collection of those cards they give you that they stamp, and you get some sort of discount or something after you've spent a certain amount of money, plus some coupons and the like. Plus a Mister Donut card. I really want a small stuffed animal lion. It's 500 points. I have 30, but that's beside the point. You guys will help me, right? There's this cheap bar in Shinjuku that I frequented (300yen/beer), but even if you don't drink, the atmosphere's kinda cool. It's a standing bar, that mainly gaijin go to, but Dan and I definitely met some interesting people, including these two old Japanese men (I got a business card from one of them!)

Also some cool places to go that will be even more AMAZING when the weather is nice: Fuji-Q (amusement park with some world record holding rollercoasters, though it will suck when the lines are long - I went when everyone was in school so it was great), Disney Sea/Land - I went to Sea and it was a lot of fun, though supposedly it's more for couples to go to because it has more shows and pretty views and things. Fun shopping area nearby too. Odaiba - SO much fun. There's this arcade open 24 hours with TONS of games, purikura (which OMG how did I forget about THOSE and how much FUN they are?), and sporting like baseball and bowling. Pretty pretty scenery too. Yokohama too. And then Karaoke. I'm not a huge fan because I don't sing, but I love hearing others sing! So you all better practice up! (Greg, could your last post's title have been a reference to Foreplay/Long Time?!) And izakaya restaurants are quite fun and enjoyable.

One last note, SAVE YOUR MONEY NOW. As you probably know, the USD does not go very far, and Japan is EXPENSIVE. Traveling, food, entertainment, shopping...it SUPER adds up. My friends who had Wachovia/Citibank cards had no trouble with withdrawing cash from ATMs, but you should check if there's some sort of international fee. Citibank is good though because there actually are Citibanks in the big cities, so if you needed to go to the physical bank, you can find one. Have some credit cards ready as well, though many places don't accept them, but for big purchases, they would be very good. But make sure to notify the company that you'll be abroad or they will most likely restrict the account after your first swipe. And beware that there's usually a fee to make international charges.

So anyway, it's time for me now to get a job or 2, and start studying up, and learning how to cook and such. And if you're curious about anything else, feel free to ask!

IT'S BEEN SUCH A LOOONNNGGG TIIIIIMMMMME

Hey there homies... just wanted to give y'all a little insight into what I've been up to this break:

(1): Gregory Weaver has continued his job as a cashier at Farm Fresh and took back his title of fastest cashier in the store within the first week of his return. BAM! Free Starbucks, here I come!

(2): Gregory Weaver has been substitute teaching for Virginia Beach City Public Schools. So far, he has subbed for a middle school Japanese teacher, middle school science teacher who only needed replacing during her homeroom and planning bell so that the bright green Greg could read the large chunk of Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids that he didn't read in Japanese Lit class, French high school teacher, and two high school math teachers. Tomorrow he returns to the French school to teach Social Studies. He did in fact catch a really rich-looking white girl cheating on a math test. Cha-ching!

(3): Gregory Weaver has been playing video games. In fact, he's been playing a lot of Rock Band and is trying to push himself through expert level drums, which isn't going so well. Furthermore, he was SO EXCITED about the launch of Final Fantasy Tactics for the PSP that he bought a PSP and the game, raising this month's credit bill to over $800. Thanks so much, saxophone case!

(4): Gregory Weaver has not been following through with his goals for the winter.

(5): The last movie the aforementioned name saw was.................... huh. I don't know. But I did watch The Sarah Conner Chronicles tonight on Fox. Where the hell did Terminator 3 go!? Regardless, I've started watching Psyche and am hankering for some American Idol on Thursday. Ooo ooo, let's all bet when it comes down to the last ones!

(6): Tiring REALLY early. Have a fun night everyone!

Hello!
I hope you all are doing well (and enjoying the fact that everyone else is getting ready to go back to school).
I just had a question for the non-dk house people.. did anyone hear from Payne/Sophia on housing or anything? Or do you know when we should expect to hear from them?
-M

I AM BOOKED

kk minna!!!

~NEWS UPDATE~

i am booked into the Yoyogi Hostel from March 26 until April 1. they only allow for 6 consecutive night stays with online booking so that's what i'm doing. there are tons of conditions for staying there, BUT there is NO CURFEW. so, if i decide to stay out all night and go wild, i may. however showers can only be taken at night and you cannot be at the hostel between 9am and 5pm. weird, i know, but apparently that's how hostels run. i also bought myself a membership to youth hostel international for like $28 online. if i had chosen to stay at an actual hotel, the bill would've been about $950. and that's for the cheapest of the cheapest hotel. by staying at this hostel, it's only $150 and i may or may not have to be charged extra because of my nifty hostel membership. sweet, yeah?

turns out that i'll likely be flying on the 25th from Dulles. ANA has direct flights from there. Thai Airlines does also. i am determined to try and fly a 4star airline, so i have to decide between ANA or Thai. ANA has my current pick though.

the flight i really want will set me back $1923.99 on cheaptickets.com.

it's a direct flight via ANA

Tue, Mar 25
Depart:
1:13 pm
Washington, DC (IAD)
All Nippon Airways 7029operated by UNITED AIRLINES INC.

Arrive:
4:20 pm next day
Tokyo, Japan (NRT)

Fri, Aug 15
Depart:
4:00 pm
Tokyo, Japan (NRT)
All Nippon Airways 7028operated by UNITED AIRLINES INC.

Arrive:
3:34 pm
Washington, DC (IAD)

With this, I'll arrive in time to make my check-in and won't be hassled too bad.

Bah... i really hate this whole travel thinger.


-UPDATE-
i have been shotdown by poppa bear. i will be takin' UA. which is the exact same damn flight only $600 cheaper. hehehe. ^___________^

airfare.com

use it!!!

tickets that show up as $600 or more elsewhere are majorly discounted here.

my new airfare price is... *DRUM ROLL*

$1342.22

Airline
From
To
Departue
Arrival
Stops
803 United Airlines
IAD-Dulles Intl, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA
NRT-Narita, Tokyo, Japan
Tuesday25 Mar01:13 PM
Wednesday26 Mar04:20 PM +1

Elapsed Time 0 hr 0 min -->
804 United Airlines
NRT-Narita, Tokyo, Japan
IAD-Dulles Intl, Washington, District Of Columbia, USA
Friday15 Aug04:00 PM
Friday15 Aug03:30 PM


sweet, no?

- UPDATE PART II -
turns out that i will be heading to china pre-Japan. i'll be in china for chinese new year! wheee. I'll be flying over there on 2/4 and will be heading back 2/25. exactly one month before i'm due in Japan. should be fun times.

ちょう がっかりしてんよ．．．

こんにちは！私は今ちょっと大変だから休んでここに私の思い出を書く。私はMCATを受けた後のよていはまだまだ決まっていない。それはね、私の一番大変なことだよ。そして、集中できないし何もしたくないし仕事も探したくないし大変。どうすればいいかしら？

みんなは今何してんの？遊び？アルバイト？休み？

ああああああ～

ひまだな～

本当に勉強しなきゃけど私の頭はからっぽいよ。

写真がないけど．．．

さよう～
テレサ

Google Maps is the Best

Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone had a great holiday season! I'm back from the bowl game which we lost literally in the last two seconds.. oof. It was a great game to watch though! And Jacksonville was so super warm! I've got a few days before I ship off to NYC for a Media Studies trip. I'll be there for a week, and hopefully after that I'll get to start break for reals! It'll be high time for some job-workin, self-improvin, Japanese-studyin hima na toki.

This morning I got curious and managed to find Sophia and the DK House on Google Maps! Here's the map I made. I marked the Sophia Yotsuya campus, DK House, and the Nishi-Kawaguchi Station near the DK House. If you draw a straight line from DK to Sophia it's about 9-10 miles. I tried making a line along the train route and it's about 12 miles, although I'm not sure whether we'll need to switch trains or anything en route. It's no UVA, but it's not too bad if you ask me!

So my anime pic post for today is a continuation of pretty much every pic I've posted so far; the ever suteki na, Kaleido Star!
If anybody wants to watch this show, I'd be more than happy to burn copies of my DVDs and mail them! It's a great watch with a super-motivating main character! Jen, this would be a good starting-out anime for you =D I got season 2 for Christmas XD

And Greg, I would be honored to sit by you on the plane, should the opportunity present itself! =D

Ja mata!