The Good News

My lovely room-mate and fellow Utsunomiya adventurer Jessica in our hotel room. 8D And below: the view from our window

As per usual, I've got my headphones plugged into the computer and am now listening to the Philyjays rocking out. The only difference is, I'm doing it in a Japanese apartment in Oyama City. I must say, listening to their songs is quite comforting... it's nice to have a little slice of Australia with me. Although people talked about having "full immersion" into the culture by only listening to Japanese music... I need my Philyjay fix, I'm sorry (it's taking me back to the concerts with Ling... people in Australia, seriously, go see them play sometime, they're at their BEST live... so full of energy and stage presence). :'D Okay, enough nostalgic music talk. xD I'm in Japan. What am I doing (isn't that the point of this blog?!).

So, what's THE GOOD NEWS?
The flying tin can hurtling through the sky that I rode to get here (also known as "the plane to Japan") didn't break up in the atmosphere, which is definitely a plus (I hardly got a wink of sleep, but I did get to finally watch Shane Acker's '9', which had some AWESOME robots and visuals... the plot was so-so, but man, those machines were just frightening eye-candy, which I loved xD). When we stepped out of the plane, a rush of cold air just swept over us and pretty much bowled us over. Gasps all around. Yes, right now, Japan. Is. Freezing!
Orientation and the day after the plane ride was a blur for me. Everyone was just really tired and fatigued from our general lack of sleep on the plane (ah! We had some fierce turbulence in the last 30 minutes to landing too, fun fun! The ride itself wasn't that bad, though :D) but I think the day involved a lot of lectures... and more lectures... and then a really awesome trip to a Japanese school (in pouring rain, but despite everyone being tired, the whole "we're in Japan" spirit was there and the Japanese students were all really enthusiastic, which helped). I got talking with one girl in particular, Arisa, a fourteen year old student who's going to Australia next year. We had a lot of fun talking a rather broken conversation of English and Japanese, haha. I've also learned that namedropping Japanese idol group Arashi gets you points over here too, wahaha. xD

That day, though, I made a terrible mistake. I don't know if it was just because I tempted fate by eating the dangerous mixture of plane food, Calpis Water (it's a soft drink) and convinience store onigiri... or perhaps the onigiri was off or something... but I payed the price. My gosh. Cue a lot of kneeling over the toilet. And waking up at night with a bad stomach ache. Thinking about onigiri and feeling nauseous. Opening my mouth. You fill in the blanks.

Onigiri are off the menu for a while.

The next day was much better, though, after my stomach recovered and appetite returned! My student group for Orientation (White Team... my Asian friends will probably be like, "appropriate group name, Lucie xD") took purikura (our team leader, Take, shouted us :D thank you Take - and I'll add the pics later 8D) and explored an AEON shopping center. And stuff. Sorry, I'm probably not making this entry entertaining but I'm too tired to edit or actually think, so... you know. xD

We took farewell photos, of course!
FIRST: White Team ; SECOND: The NSW AIIU Group


Day three, though, was special! I met my HOST FAMILY (after a ride on the Shinkansen with Jessica - a fellow exchange student going to Utsunomiya Kaisei :D - and Evan, who travelled onwards further through Japan). Below: The last of us left before we split up for the Shinkansen. xD


Mina's English is amaaaazing! She talks to me in English a lot, though, because she's so fluent, although I'll have to try to speak more Japanese. ><
And Yumi, my host mum, is also really really kind!

Oh, and we all wear red glasses. 8D STYYYYLE (xD)

At the station, I was greeted by two teachers (although I didn't get to talk to them... @_@ I will at school, though!), my soon-to-be classmates in Grade 1 (who don't speak much English yet :D I get to practice japanese so... thats good! xD), Atsuko (Mina's friend who also went to Aus... so her English is also great), and Yumi and Mina (of course). After awkward but sweet introductions, it was back home from Utsunomiya to Oyama City!

I'll write about today in more detail later, since I have to go to bed now! But today was the best day I've had so far, I think... xD It involved meeting the grandparents, and sushi, and trying strange foods... more on that later. 8D

Well, this entry has been a bit of a rush (you can probably tell, with my loose style of writing I'm using here) but my next entry should be more detailed, so yes. 8D

Well, mata ne!

- Lucie

Outbound!

When I found out I had been accepted into AIIU's Japan Exchange program, I drew the stereotypical robot picture above in joyous celebration of what was to come. Today, tonight, I'll be catching the 10'o clock Qantas flight bound for Narita Airport, Japan. "What was to come" now has. It seems strange that the Exchange I was so excited about, that generated the above image (drawn on the 17th November, 2009... quite long ago! xD) is now about to become a reality!

And here I am now, still sitting in my house at 2pm, watching the clock, suitcase packed and everything all ready to go, and despite all that, still the realisation that for the next ten months I'll be in another country hasn't hit me. Holy papolio! Still, I'm looking forward to meeting all the other exchange students at the airport... I'm sure when we all meet, we'll start feeling the excitement BIG TIME!

Anyway, this is it! Thank you to everyone who's wished me well (:'D), and you know, I'll really miss you all terribly (and my family... ;o; I'LLMISSYOU), but now, I think I'm ready (well, as ready as I'll ever be... xD) to go off exploring Japan. Here. We. Gooo!

オーストラリアのみなさん、またね！；＿； I'll ttyl, whether it be through skype, or when I get facebook again (xD yes Jiaqi), or through email, letter or this blog.

Time to catch that plane and dig my nails into the unfortunate person sitting next to me as it takes off... xD

Well, until my next post (in Japan, my gosh!)... jya ne!

Host Family Fun Time!

Only two more sleeps to go! ;o;

Wow, the realisation that I’m leaving so soon is still not getting through my thick skull. It’s almost like I know that I’m going off for ten months, but… it hasn’t sunk in yet. I suppose it won’t until I get on that plane. :’D

Anyway, here’s my belated Host Family Information (received on the 1^st of March):

"There are 2 people in our family. We are a small family but happy family talking a lot between the two. We often visit grand parents' house nearby and like barbecuing in the yard."

I'm really excited about meeting my first host family. Not only are they the family that will have to put up with me at my most clueless (with my constant "tourist expression" and broken, often incomprehensible Japanese) but I've had brief email contact with my host sister, Mina. When I read this:

"my mom and i will be at Utsunomiya station in 27th of March!

see u soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon <3
ルーシーに会えることを楽しみにしています(^A^)/"

... I felt all warm and fuzzy-like inside (I don't know if it's just my personal experience, but emails from Japanese girls tend to be pretty cute, and therefore come with a side effect of Extreme Happy Smile Fluffiness that cause even the most stoic people to melt inside! I dare you to look at that " (^A^)/'' " emoticon and say it doesn't warm your heart even a little!

Reading her email made me feel kind of welcomed, sort of as if I could put a name and face to the first family whose arms I would be stumbling into as soon as I got off the train at Utsunomiya Station. So I appreciated the email (thank you Mina :D)!

Kawaiiness aside, Mina mentioned that lately she and her mum are addicted to playing New Super Mario Brothers on Wii (and that her mum is "absorbed in playing it again and again" xD hahaha, go Mina's mum!) which is definitely cool, because I can see myself joining in enthusiastically until we're all eating up mushrooms, growing into giants and jumping on eachother's heads (both in-game and out-of-game, if possible!).

Apparently Mina has studied in Australia before, so her English is really good! However, I'm going to have to try and stop myself from resorting to English every time I'm in a pickle, and remind myself that I'm there in Japan to learn Japanese. I'm looking forward to speaking both English and Japanese with Mina though, because, after all, this is a reciprocal thing so the use of both languages will help the both of us improve (although I'm going to be the one who has to do most of the improving, because Mina's English = pretty awesome and my Japanese = faaail xD).

I'm looking forward to meeting the grandparents, too! Mina's family lives in Oyama City, so travel to school will take approximately one hour, and will be done, apparently, by bicycle, train and bus.

"There are four people in our family... Hikari was taken well care of by host family during her 1 year stay in Australia. Now we feel very close to the Australians and have decided to host Lucie in return for it."

Family two is a little more mysterious, but I’m looking forward to finding out more about them just as much, and really looking forward to meeting them (Hikari also goes to Utsunomiya Bunsei, so no doubt I'll meet her soon)! I can't wait to meet them either. :D

My host sister, Hikari (17) lives with her mother and father and cat (:D) in Utsunomiya. Hikari also has a 20 year old sister, Misato, who is a university student living in another prefecture. Going to school will apparently take me approximately 40 minutes and I’ll get there by train and bicycle!

"We are a cheerful family. Teruyo has gotten interested in the interaction with the exchange students at school, which led us to have decided to host Lucie. We often have chance to communicate with European people and the Chinese people and we parents would like our children to cultivate the international sensibility. We all have come to the conclusion that we try hosting an exchange student."

Host Family Number Three is gigantic (I’d like to remind you that this is coming from an only child from a small three person family!). My host sister is Teruyo (16), also a student at Utsunomiya Bunsei, who likes music (I wonder what kind?). :D She lives in Utsunomiya with her parents (who like golf), her 19 year old brother, Satoshi (who likes movies and anime… I think we’re going to get along xD), her 13 year old sister, Naruyo (who likes music, particularly saxophone… sounds sophisticated!) and little sister Hiroyo, 11 (who likes “tv games”, another thing I can relate to). A music, video-game, movie and anime loving family? I’m so there! 8D

They live only 20 minutes away from school, which I’ll get to by bicycle, which is also super-dooper!

All of my Host Families sound really interesting and kind, and I’m so grateful for them for putting themselves out to host me and be a part of what promises to be a very cultural experience! I’ll definitely do my best to not be so absent-minded, and during these next ten months, I promise I’ll keep my room SO clean that it’ll sparkle (messiness will resume only on arrival back to Australia 8D… mum, I’m just kidding… put the squeegee down). Of course, I’m really grateful to my families for agreeing to host me. <3

Also, thank you very much to the guys back here, in Australia, for surprising me on Saturday. Thank you very, very much. The photo is sitting in my room, ready to be framed, and the card is out in the display area in the main lounge room! xD I loved reading your messages, but most of all, I was SO SURPRISED TO SEE EVERYONE HIDDEN BEHIND THE CURTAIN OF DARKNESS! You guys gave me a heart attack (yep, before I go away to Japan... you kill me)! And as bemused as I looked when you threw a wedding dress at me (xD), I really enjoyed myself that night. I loved the photos, I loved the food at Fujiya, I loved the book (the ART OF TIM BURTON, MoMA EDITION?! :'D MAN, YOU GUYS GOT IT SPOT ON!!), but most of all, I loved all your company. Seeing and partying with you all before I left Australia was the best going away gift you could have given me. I know I seem kind of formal writing this, but I really appreciated it, everyone. Thank you all, really, very, very, very much! Really!
AHEM. But my overly emotional sentimental drivel doesn't belong here publicly on this blog, so I'll make sure to contact you on MSN sometime to thank you all individually, so GET ONLINE FOLKS! :D

Presents for Host Family Number One were all wrapped today! But I haven't actually packed all my stuff IN my suitcase yet. Yes, you heard me, I'm packing the day before. Oh ho ho ho, isn't tomorrow going to be a bag of laughs...

Signing off as it's late and I need to attempt to fix my horrible sleeping patterns that are all out of whack!

- Lucie