The class registration system at ICU is somewhat bizarre. At UNC, you get the approval of your advisor before the registration period, and then register online at any computer – even your own. At ICU, by contrast, you must use computers in either the Integrated Learning Center (ILC) or Othmer Library. After that, you take the courses you have selected to your advisor for approval, then hand-deliver your selections to the first floor of the ILC.
In any case, I ended up taking a regular Japanese class (6 credits), a class on contemporary Japanese history (3 credits), and a class on Asian music (3 credits). Regarding the Japanese class, I had to take a very hard placement test in order to determine what level I should register for. I managed to get into the fourth of six levels. As to my other classes, I had hoped to take a class on Japan’s international relations, but it falls within the times I will be taking Japanese. >:-(
I will be in class from 10:10 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The only exception to this rule is Tuesday, when I finish at 12:40 PM. There is supposed to be a lunch break scheduled into each day, but all of my non-Japanese language classes consume them. The only reason I can leave early Tuesday is because of the weekly service at the university’s chapel. I don’t have any Saturday classes, fortunately. (Yes, they’re possible here.)
On top of this schedule, I’m pondering joining several clubs. One is Model United Nations, which I’m almost certain I will join if possible. There’s also a club where everyone studies a certain country for a while, a funk band, a big band, and an intramural soccer group, any of which I might join. We’ll see.
It’s tough to meet any Japanese people here. I’ve met a number of other gaikokujin, but I haven’t really bonded with any of the Japanese people I’ve met. That may change, though. Yesterday we (meaning I and several foreigners/transfer students) could attend a get-together with Japanese people from English classes. I feel like the meeting had a number of awkward moments, and there were times when the foreign/transfer students talked among themselves. However, we are meeting for lunch on Tuesday, so maybe we can all get closer then.
Yesterday (Saturday) I and some guys from the dorm went Shinjuku and Akihabara, which are neighborhoods/wards in Tokyo. Both were very consumer oriented; the latter is geared towards geeks, gadget lovers, anime fans, and otaku (nerds). (One of the guys in the group claimed there were cafes where one could sit down and pet real cats.) There are many cafes in Akihabara where women dress up as maids, and we saw one where they dress up as cats. Maids were also handing out leaflets and things outside. There were stores there where one could buy…certain kinds…of DVDs. (To be fair, though, we saw seedy places in the Kabuki-cho district in Shinjuku as well; the district is particularly a place of sin and recreation at night.)
In any case, I looked at some prices for the Nintendo DS Lite game system and got varying results. One shop charged about $170 US for it, but another place charges less than $120 US. That’s a savings compared to $130 in America, but a used unit runs for $109 at ebgames.com, while a used regular DS is $80 or less. Plus, as one of the guys pointed out, I have to consider the price of the train ticket. We’ll see if I get one.
One last thing: while cruising around Shinjuku, we saw a temple/shrine complex. The approach was between two modern buildings, with lanterns and lions of stone at the front. After passing through many red gates and going by many lamps, we saw a door on the right with a large gold pattern/seal on it. Nearby was a source of water with which to wash one’s hands. What seemed like the main temple had bells to ring (I didn’t, being an uneducated gaijin with unwashed hands), as well as some stuff inside which I did not look at well enough. There was also a place on either side of the temple to post one’s wishes on wooden plaques.
This is a city with far too much to see in one lifetime.
In any case, this entry has gone on long enough. I’ll post some photos soon, and I’ll describe the ICU campus. Today will be fairly quiet, I think. Peace out.
No comments:
Post a Comment