Work Hard Play Hard!!

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Konbanwa!

So the semester has started at Ritsumeikan University, and it started with full force indeed. As mentioned before we have at least 8 courses and you get A Lot of readings, homework and presentations everyday. So after being away for a couple of weeks, it was lets say, refreshing to get back to reality 🙂

Well even though the workload is heavy, it is actually fun to go to campus every day. Mainly because you always interact with new people from all over the world, and you always have lively discussions in class, especially between USA & Europe, and China / rest of Asia & Japan. I must say, after already spent a semester here at Ritsumeikan, we European people might come from different countries and cultures, but we do have a lot in common. One can argue that the language, and,-or cultural barriers can never connect us hundred percent, but when being exposed into such complex society as Japan, and being mixed with so many different nationals, you kind of realize that you share some common things with other Europeans.

Except for classes, we have of course “late night socialized a lot”. I mentioned Kamogawa in my last blog, and we have spent a couple of nights their pre – “gameing” and then went to nightclubs…. BUT in Japan, nightclubs always close really early because of noise problems, neighbors and so on. So at 1, or if you are lucky it will close by 2 o clock AM. The majority of us are reaching our peak at that time. So it is a little bit annoying not being able to dance anymore. However, in Japan you sing Karaoke the whole night instead….. and OMG I LOVE KARAOKE!!!. For those who know me, I can’t sing at all, but no one can sing karaoke during late hours, well maybe the Asians cause the all have beautiful voices. But the rest of us, yes us foreigners, we are just screaming to all different national famous songs, and American famous songs….. and yes it sounds terrible but we have so much fun. ABBA is a classic choice for many Germans / Frenchies, but personally I prefer Buffalo Soldier… You can either go to a Bar who has a karaoke set up, or you rent a karaoke room (different sizes available) for a couple of hours. I know it sounds weird, but it is so much fun!!!!!! So another thing you have to try when in Japan.

The weather is still really nice and warm here so we have been to the beach a couple of times. Or it is a lake named Biwako, but honestly there is no end on that lake, it looks exactly the same as a normal ocean / beach. We also have been to Osaka, which is kind of famous city and it is really big and has a good night life. The annoying part is….. that the train home stops at 23.30, so you have to pull a so called “all nighter” which means you are taking the first train in the morning, around 5.30 AM and you will be back home in Kyoto, in you room around eight o clock in the morning! So therefore, going to Osaka happens one time each semester, but it is worth it!

I also have during these two weeks been visiting some temples and shrines. I also went to a flea market and bought a Kimono and Yokatta ( summer version of Kimono).

10620771_10154558425170004_4275730010101558015_n IMG_6889 IMG_7130 IMG_7279 IMG_7289 IMG_8323I don’t know if I mentioned it before but if you are being sick or having a cold or whatever, you need to wear a mask. So the reason for wearing a mask is to protect others from your sickness. If you are a public transport, any kind and coughing without any mask, people will take action a move as far away as possible from you. They even give you most awful stir, like they think you have Ebola. I’m actually just waiting for the Japanese government to say that everyone must wear a mask because of the ebola outbreak, cause they love their masks. Reason why I’m bringing it up, is because I am at the moment sick, and walking around with a mask 24/7, and it is kind of a struggle.

 

Matane

 

SouSou

Cissi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to reality….

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Ohayo Gozaimasu

Back to reality??!!, not really yet. I’m at least back in Kyoto, Japan. I moved into the same room as last semester, the only difference is that there are 25 new students at my dorm. The majority of the people living in this dorm is from Aussie land, and then it’s a nice mix with people from al over Asia, Europe, North / South America, and Africa. So it has been a lot of social networking during these days, and yesterday we had our dorm welcome party.

The majority of the exchange students from last semester have went back to their home’s since they already spent a semester or a year in Kyoto. We are 10 “oldies”, as we call ourselves, and around 160 newbies, hmm maybe some more. Well, what I do know is that most people that are doing an exchange year in Japan are here for the Japanese language. So all these new students are eager to start develop their Japanese skills, and you walk around and hear people comparing their knowledge / levels in Kanji, Hirgana, Katakana and their Japanese speaking skills. I’m gong to be honest; it is quite interesting to observe this. Mainly because they don’t understand how good all of them are in their own ways, and that Japanese is so difficult to learn, and as the semester starts they’re gonna wished for being placed in a lower level since the workload can be really a lot! ( Words from former Japense language students). However, the workload is a lot for everyone. For us European students we have to take 8 – 10 courses to get the same amount credits as in Europe.

As mentioned, a lot of social networking lately, one thing that I love with Japan is (except for karaoke) Kamogawa. 🙂  Kamogawa is the name of a river that is REALLY LONG and goes thru Kyoto and some other cities! ( Lacking in Geography skills ). However, Kamogawa in Kyoto downtown is a very special place. It is as mentioned a river, but it is also place where people meet up and have drinks / beers, yay whatever you like. It is a place where gaijins (foreigners in Japanese) can meet Japanese people that are interested in speaking English, or at least can do it a little bit. There are no bars, you have to buy your drink at the convenient store close by and you are just mingling around. Ritsumeikan University students has a “claimed” spot, well it’s usually just the same place we always meet up, just under the bridge and you can go alone and there will always be people there. It is really cool place and the environment is really  unexplainable and you meet people from al over the world that are in Japan for different reasons, such as language teachers, backpackers, bankers and so on. So if you are ever in Kyoto, Japan travelling around, make sure to at least have one beer at Kamogawa, it is in a way something magical over it.

On Wednesday we will have the course registration and then on Friday school starts, yepp really convenient that we only have one day of school before the weekend starts.

 

IMG_7926     Kamogawa during the day!

Matane

Cissi

 

U of G – Week 2

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Did you know…

That milk is sold in transparent plastic bags in Canada? Apparently it is much cheaper to buy a bag with 3L of milk than it is to buy 1L or 2L of milk contained in carton. The bag contains within it 3 smaller bags of 1L milk each. However, it is also possible to buy 4L of milk divided into two bags. Fascinating.

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Dear reader,

Another week and yet another blog entry. This time I will be focusing on living on campus, its pros and cons, as well as my observations so far. I will also tell you a little bit about how my lectures went, and, of course, a bit of drama. Brew your tea, add some “half and half”, stir in a bit of honey, take a sip and read on.

Living in the East Village

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First of all, I’m currently living on campus in a residence community called East. As I mentioned in the earlier post the East residence is divided into two parts: Village and Residence. I live in Village. Which is pretty much the “adult” part of town…or village. You get the point.

Moving on!

The East Village is a, usually, quiet and serene area with townhouses. Within the residence is a building merged into the townhouses called The Town Hall. Inside are the mailboxes, laundry room, games room (with tennis and pool tables, and a TV), as well as beverage and snack machines, and a large room upstairs which you can rent.

On the opposite side is a building called East Residence. This is where all the youths usually reside. You can also find a convenience store in there (quite convenient, eh?), the East residence desk, and an ATM.

I have yet to see the insides of the East residence rooms. However, the village townhouses are quite similar to each other, and are reasonably furnished. For example, the townhouse I’m currently living in is shared with three other women other than myself. We each have our own room, and each floor, there are 3, has a bathroom and a shower. Except for the first floor/ground floor which has the kitchen and dining/living room. Quite cozy, too.

Lately I have been referring to Canada as a “zoo”. Why? Well, let me tell you something. I saw a skunk the other week, I see more than 5 squirrels every single day, adorable chipmunks passing by, and there is at least one ground hog in my front “yard”.

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Suite mates

So far I have, sadly, not been able to properly communicate with my suite mates. They seem to be too busy with their own lives to even care about whom they live with. I managed, however, to have a nice conversation a couple of times time one of them.

Not wanting to be the annoying suite mate I have been ignoring the whole awkward situation and gone on with my life. However, I did send an email to the lot about meeting up. Guess how many replied? So frustrating.

Classes

IMG_1772IMG_1769My first week of lectures was both exciting and disappointing. I ended up dropping a couple of courses due to their irrelevance, and chose three new ones instead. Latin, here I come! However, before I was even able to drop out of my courses, I needed to speak to my programme coordinator, who, by the way, is six hours ahead of me in time. Thank God, he answered quite fast (at 1 AM his time) and I managed to drop and register the courses within a day. Thank you so much Berndt Clavier!

The teachers here, mostly, refer to themselves as professor or doctor X. and, thankfully, they also tell you what to call them. You see, we don’t use titles or prefixes in Denmark or Sweden. Meaning I currently have to restrain myself from calling the professor by their first name. That would be rude unless they told you otherwise.

Something I discovered here in Guelph was the i-clicker. This device is used in class as a tool for multiple choice questions. For example, in both the history courses I am taking we often use the i-clicker during the lector. The professor allows us a certain amount of time to pick our answer, before ending the question and showing us the answers. These quizzes count towards your final grade.

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Sincerely,

Lady Diala

and so it begins…

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I attended my first lecture today 🙂 the course is called “Media Campaigning”. It’s pretty interesting but I’m still having trouble deciding which courses to pick as those I really wanted were full (Fashion Marketing and International PR).

Another first today, I did laundry here 😀

I also signed up for “a few” societies at the freshers fair: football, netball, badminton, rugby, hockey, and cheerleading 😀 oh and a book club where we watch movies instead of reading the books 😀
I’m probably going to have to pick 2 or 3 of those (sports teams), since I can’t be in 2 places at once :/ as much as i would love that!
I met and LOOOVED the football team so that’s a sure one. And cheerleading starts tomorrow, We’ll see how that goes! 🙂 /Dania OUT!

Week 1 in Edinburgh and QMU

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Let’s get this blog started! 🙂

It’s been a busy week for me here, so this will be a summary of week 1.

I have settled into my new home on campus, got myself a gym membership, and enjoyed the Fresher’s Week (organized activities for the first year students, like parties, tours of the city, comedy night, traditional Ceilidh Dance, pub crawl, and much much more).

I’ve made loads of friends already and I’m loving the atmosphere here. We’ve also had pretty amazing weather.

It’s a new week, I start my first class today and I get to sign up to some societies at the freshers fair. Wish me luck! /Dania OUT!

Pre – Arrival Stress

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Konichiwa!

Wow, I have been home in Sweden for seven weeks for summer vacation. Time has just rushed away, and in four days I’m heading back to Japan. So yes, pre – arrival stress with VISA’s, tickets, and documents that need to be handed in at both Malmö University and Ritsumeikan University. However, I feel calmer since I already spent one semester in Japan. So, I was thinking to give you little information about Japan and the city Kyoto that I’m living in!

Kyoto is the old capital of Japan, and it is deeply rooted as being the cultural heritage of Japan. There are more than hundred of temples and the atmosphere in the city is, hmm how should I explain it… The first word that comes up in my mind is spiritual, but that’s not really accurate, but it’s neither religious it’s just very peaceful and quiet, which can be frustrating sometimes, I’m not going to lie. However, it is really beautiful and my dorm is located right beside a bamboo forest and mountains, and it takes me approximately 15 minutes to bike to my campus. Well it depends, it’s SUPER hilly in Kyoto and sometimes you just have to walk up those mountains 😉

 

They have (I think) 3 campuses so far, I however only spent time at two of them, Kinugasa, and Biwako- Kusatso Campus (BKC) in Shiga. BKC campus is an hour away with bus or train. It is really different from Malmö University, and only at Kinugasa there are 20. 000 students, and we all have lunch at the same time, yes you probably can imagine the lunch lines and people everywhere. You have classes from 9. Am – 21. Pm. Not everyday but in general it is long days and attendance is mandatory.

A HUGE surprise when I arrived last semester was that Japanese people don’t know any English. I am usually really relaxed when travelling around the world and solve the problems as they occur, but I was not prepared at all that they weren’t able to even say Hello in English. So that became a huge culture chock for me, and during my whole stay you just have to accept that you are alienage from the Japanese society. So I therefore decided to take Japanese classes, which helped to a certain degree and you could survive in daily situations, such as going to the supermarket, public transportations, restaurants and so on and so forth.

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My first weeks before school started we were visiting several temples and cultural heritages and the cherry blossom viewings (Sakura) was going on, so I got to experience amazing places and meet other international students from all over the world. It was a great experience, and I still have contact with some people around the world, and I’m looking forward to meet 120 new students from other partner universities this semester.

I will keep you posted.

 

Dozo Yoroshiku Ongeaishimasu 🙂

Cissi

U of G – Week 1

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Did you know…

that the “Poutine” is a common Canadian dish which originally comes from Quebec? The dish basically consists of fries, curd cheese, and gravy. You can also find different toppings sold at various restaurants and fast food chains, such as a vegetarian poutine.

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Dear reader,

This week has been just as hectic, if not more, as the previous one. With the orientation week and its 500+ events, culture clashes from left and right, and a certain juvenile suitemate. The o-week, as they call it here, was amazing. People were everywhere beaconing students to listen to their cause, inviting others to taste some delicious vegan BBQ, get a free book or buy a plant. However, before the o-week was kicked off, Move-in Day made its appearance. It all started on a hot summer day, one busy Saturday morning…

Move-in Day

I woke up early that day excited, and exhausted from the day before. I quickly finished up some dishes from last evening, and went back up to my room, waiting. Didn’t last long since I quickly got bored and decided to clean around the house, watch some TV shows, cook, Skype with my family, print and cut out coupons, and before I knew it, it was quite late in the afternoon. Nobody had turned up yet. Suddenly the front door to the three story townhouse was opened, and in came a girl. The said girl shot me a quick “Hi, I’m Ta ta~.” put her stuff away inside her room, locked the room, and left the house. She came back the evening before classes were supposed to start. That is, four days later.

However, the day after the disappointing “move-in day” another girl moved in. I greeted her with a smile and offered her a hand. Alas! I was, yet again, shot a “I’m La la~.” And she continued with an upset visage “I don’t like it here. I hate this place.” I dared ask why, and was met with a shaking head and another mumbled answer “I really hate this place.”

The third and last girl moved in while I was out busy with o-week. We accidentally met when an RA (residence assistant) rang the doorbell. She was a nice girl, and we quickly agreed on a basic kitchen rule.

Other than these three instances with the suite mates, I haven’t had the chance to actually sit and chat or get to know the people I’m living with. I’ve been trying to strike a conversation, you know, a simple “good morning, how are you today?” and was either answered with a “hi, ok” or a nod. All of them always seem to be in a hurry, and mind you, I have not been constantly trying to get to know them, oh no. I’ve been leaving them alone to their business and stuck to my own. However, none of them as much as communicate with one another. One is always running around (probably sorting things out) or in her room, the second is always in her room and I barely ever see her, and the third prefers to skip classes (since she hates the university, although she assured me that nothing was wrong with it) and watch Bollywood movies with wine all day and night.

The audacity!

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Pictures from the Orientation Week.

The Pep Rally

Putting aside boring residence problems, I would like to tell you all about my pep rally experience. However, first I presume I must clarify the term itself. A pep rally is intended to “pep” (energize) an audience before a sports game. The whole point is to get people excited and pepped. That is in briefer terms: to encourage the school spirit. The whole pep rally is seen as a huge support to the team who will be playing and cheerleaders usually also show off some dance moves and keep the audience cheering.

My role in this:

Each on-campus and off-campus residence community was divided into several groups of students. You’ve got North, East, South, West, and the off-campus living students. East was divided into East Village and East Residence/Side. And East side/residence was also divided into smaller groups, depending on the different names of their buildings. The whole dividing act was also applied on the other residence communities. I live in East Village, and had to pep with my fellow EV’s.

We got a t-shirt with the residence logo on (a monkey holding a banana in my case), and we were to learn some “dance moves” within a couple of hours before the actual event. Fantastic! Everybody was nervous and we all complained about not having had enough time to practice. Nevertheless, the pep turned out well. We danced, bumped into each other, and had a laugh. An overall great and unique time was had.

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Pictures from the Pep Rally.

Niagara Falls

Naturally, if you’re in the area of the famous waterfalls you ought to pay them a visit. START International had such an event planned, and I quickly signed up for it. I’m so glad I did. The Falls were absolutely astonishing. Although, I must say the pictures and videos I have seen of them kind of make them look bigger than what they actually are. Don’t get me wrong, the Falls are quite huge and sprayed a shower-like mist whenever you got close. My point is, don’t expect them to be covering the entire area like I did. Because they don’t.

Moving on, my group and I were guided to a big cruise-like boat and were given a plastic poncho which was supposed to protect us from the “mist”. I’m glad I brought my raincoat with me. Because the “mist” was like a shower, a heavy shower of rain which made me laugh in delight. The experience was quite hilarious. Though I do think I’m one of a group of few who found it so.

The remaining of the time my group and I took a long walk around the area, which looked strangely Americanized, and we ended the whole trip with a visit to Hershey’s Chocolate Factory.

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Pictures from the Niagara Falls trip.

Sincerely,

Lady Diala

Pre-Autumn Semester Shenanigans – Week 3

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Dear reader,

I finally arrived to Guelph on the 26th, and was thrown right into a neatly scheduled breath taking, feet exhausting, sweaty, hilarious, bonding, and welcoming three days. I cannot express with my current vocabulary how much I enjoyed this three day event with START International and its amazingly talented team. Here you have a snippet of the shenanigans I was so blessed to be a part of:

Caesar Windsor

However, before we move on to Guelph I would like to talk a little bit about this casino my uncle so kindly invited me to. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t play, but we did get a delicious taste of the amazing Market Buffet located in the heart of the fancy place. They had everything from international food to salads of all kinds, and an enormous ring buffet filled with sweets. My favourite dish was the Pasta Your Way section, where you had the choice of various meats, fish, and bird. Afterwards you get to choose the pasta type you prefer, along with a souse. Delicious.

U of G – START International Day 1

I woke up at 6 AM sharp to get dressed, eat a healthy breakfast (just this once), and head towards the University Centre. On my way I was greeted by several brave squirrels, brave because they dared come close rather than run away, and a few students. An overall good morning.

Upon arrival to the UC I found the registration table, registered, signed up for the trip to Walmart, and chose East Side Mario’s as my preferred restaurant to eat at in the evening. Had I ever been to the restaurant? No. However, Italian rarely disappoints.

The trip to Walmart was through your typical American, yellow school bus. The shopping itself was quick and smooth.

Upon return we all, international students alike, went back to our residence to get rid of the burdens of dorm room essentials, took a bath (well I did), and went back to the bus stop area by the UC. There we took a regular bus, our group led by a START International worker, to the Italian restaurant. On our way we all chatted, got to know one another, and had a laugh at how silly the idea of “milk in bags” sounded.

The restaurant itself was very noisy and stereotypically Italian decorated. The food was amazing and so was the service. They we tipped well for that.

We went back to our separate dorm rooms by foot, and had a long talk about TV shows, books, the weather, culture and expensive dairy products on our way there.

The START International team also had a games night arranged. Fun, loud, and ridiculous would be the appropriate terms to use for this event.

U of G – START International Day 2

I started the day with a well-planned breakfast (leftover pizza from the day I arrived), and went by foot to the UC. The place was crowded by happy-tired students, who stood in three long lines. One queue led to the registration table (you would get a tag with your name and country flag on it), a second to the bowling registration table, and a third that led to the breakfast buffet. The said buffet consisted of tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for drinks. Scones, muffins, cinnamon buns, jelly filled puff pastry, and fruit for food. What a way to start a morning, eh?

After “breakfast” we went down to the basement, named Peter Clark Hall. On our name tags we also had a number indicating the table we were to sit at for the rest of the day. Skipping through the funny and very informative presentations given by university staff members and the 12th Councillor herself, Leanne Piper, we were invited to lunch; three tables at the time. Wraps, dessert, and drinks were supplied to everyone in big numbers. After we got our food we went back to the table assigned to us, and started socializing some more.

I met people from all around the world that day. You name the country and/or continent and I can assure you that I’ve met at least one person from there. Amazing. Not only did I meet people through the exhausting Campus Chase, but also through simple incidents such as having a person open the door for you, inside the elevator, at the stores, and even at the bathrooms! People are so incredible nice it’s almost suspicious. Maybe I’m just paranoid.

We ended the day with a noisy dinner, again, and went back home from fear of having a skunk spray us. Yes, I actually saw a skunk. On-campus. I’m loving Canada already.

U of G – START International Day 3

Once again, registration and breakfast at the UC.  We had several people come up on stage and present or explain rules, buildings, the weather and what to wear, and we were also advised to visit the services fairs which not only gave away neat freebies, but also encouraged us to join their movements. Interesting.

After the supplied lunch, we took a quick city tour in Downtown Guelph, before ending the day (well for me mainly) at Diana Downtown, an Indian restaurant.

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This will be the last post related to the Pre-Autumn Semester Shenanigans. I’m, finally, going to start my long awaited semester at the University of Guelph on the 4th of September. Please stay tuned for “the real deal”, as they say nowadays, since much more is yet to come.

Sincerely,

Lady Diala

For Illustrated Shenanigans Please Click Here.

Pre-Autumn Semester Shenanigans – Week 2

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Balloonapalooza

Dear reader,

Snow cones, glazed popcorn, and cotton candy are only a few among the many delicious sweets one can enjoy at the annual Balloon festival held in Downtown Windsor, Ontario. Sweets, food, beverages, face paint, and “tattoos” can be purchased at the various stands spread around the closed streets – no cars may pass while the event is held. Along the sidewalk, with perhaps a glass of cold lemonade in hand, you can watch and admire the huge tomato or pickle. If you’re into Sesame Street you will absolutely adore the several foot tall Ernie, Abby, and Big Bird. Should you be more into fast food, then don’t fret! A large hot dog can be seen, but not eaten, by the sidewalk next to Frenchy’s Poutinery.

What am I babbling about you may ask?

Well, the quadruple Oed word I entitled this post with is literally a balloon festival. You can do so many things there: casually stroll down Downtown Windsor and look at the large balloons, donate to the Breast Cancer Foundation among many others, ride the Ferris Wheel or the Berry Go Round, drink a glass of lemonade, eat glazed popcorn, try out your luck with the many games. There are hours’ worth of fun and relaxation down there!

Personally, I went there with my uncle and his family. We had glazed popcorn, cotton candy, my first snow cone (cherry flavour!), face paint, rode several of the rides, tried out a few of the games and ended the day with dinner by the river. An overall amazing day.

Sincerely,

Lady Diala

For Illustrated Shenanigans Please Click Here.

Phillip Island och skola!

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Hej!
Har varit på Phillip Island sist jag skrev! Det var fantastiskt, där fick vi se en massa djur och gå runt på Melbournes första farm. Vi hälsade även på lite koalor, kängrur och pelikaner. Kommer lite bilder längre ner! Vi var på en choklad fabrik och på en känd strand Woolamai Beach. Denna helgen som precis varit var jag på en AFL match (Aussie ruled football) kul men kallt var det. Dock förlorade hemmalaget (Melbourne FC) stort.
Har även en del att göra i skolan, tre inlämningar denna veckan (två var i måndags) och en nästa vecka. Sen rullar det på och jag har inlämning/presentation varje vecka hela september. Tur att vi inte har så bra väder, lättare att sitta inne och plugga då!
/Lotta