It's not ALL fun and games, ya know...

Ok, so in looking over my past posts, it seems I have neglected in giving everyone a taste of everyday life in Japan. It looks as though Japan is just one, big, beautiful, historical playground... well it is, but that's beside the point! :) Most of these trips and sights have been visited on the weekend or holidays but during the week, I am a regular college student with a full load (17 credits) of courses. Let's run through the average day in the life of Sarah, shall we?

0700: Wake up. If it's Monday or Thursday, go for a run.

0730/45: Breakfast! A nice, thick slice of bread with jam, yogurt, tea, a peice of
fruit, juice, and water. Oishi!

0800/30: Pack the backpack and get ready to leave, or on Wednesday Mornings, I
will already be on the train to school. Mondays and Thursdays, class
doesn't start until noon, so push this time back to 1100.

0900: Commute. Catch the local train to the main station, and then a commuter
train to my school. Good time to study for a vocab/ kanji test(which I have
every day)!

1000: Arrive at school. All Japanese classes take place from 0900- 1200. They
are 50 minutes each, every day, twice a day. One class(which everyone must
take) focuses on speaking, vocabulary, and grammar. The optional class,
which I am taking, focuses on writing, kanji recognition, and grammar. LOTS
of reading.

Let it be known as I finished typing the last sentence, the mailman rang the doorbell asking for 'sararueezu?' He had an incredible package filled with chocolate chips, a cookie recipe, measurement conversions, a candle- the same kind I buy all the time(psychic?), A zombie book I have not yet read, and some rocking CDs. Thank you all sooooo much (you know who you are), it is an awesome package, can't wait to whip up some American chocolate chip cookies, which I have been thinking about for a while, actually... :D Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

1300-1315(Break)

1315-1445- Awesome poli sci/ history courses. Each class meets twice a week, 90 minutes each. I have the same professor from both of these classes. He as a wild, outspoken, pretty neat guy. I really like the material too, so that helps. One course is called Pacific Rivalry, a history based course where we discuss modern history (Post atomic bomb) as well as tensions in East Asia including the US. Peace, Development, and Democratization is the other course. It is more political science than history, and for the most part we discuss WWII, conflicting political ideologies in the area, and their ramifications on modern East Asia. Sweet.

There are two options from here, either return home, or lurk around and wait for my 1640-1810 class. The class is on Shinto religion, hence my knowledge on the Shrines and temples in the area (otherwise I would not know anything).

1500: Catch the train home (or sit around and do research)

1600: Arrive home, work out (or still sit and do research)

1700: Homework, study for tests (every day, no exception) or start my evening class

1830: Dinner!!!! I love dinner here,everything is fresh and healthy. I love
cooking (usually I only cook on weekends). I have recipes now. This makes me
very happy.

1900: study more. Do more homework. Play scrabble on free nights!

2100: Bath time!

2300: Bed!

So there you have it everyone, I do nothing but study during the week. The funny thing is that all of my tests and homework are in my Japanese courses. I have yet to have a single test in the afternoon classes. I am ok with this, though!

To give you a taste of my Japanese language class, here is an essay we had to write while in class, an essay test of sorts. I won't exaggerate or claim to be a language superhero. I prepared for this test days in advance, started in English, then translated it to Japanese, and wrote it out 10 times. The requirements were that we wrote about our everyday life, use current and past grammar, current and past kanji characters, obviously correct spelling, and then it had to be 400 characters. My particle usage is shaky, but because of my drilling, I wound up getting a 94/100! Nice.

私の生活
　　　　　　　　サラルイーズ
　　毎日七時に朝早く起きます。　私はお母さんのおいしい手で作ったパンやく果物を食べます。そして、おゆを沸かしてから、コーヒーを作ります。　朝ご飯のお後、　交野市えきから大学まで通います。　電車で四十五分ぐらいかかります。　
　　私は日本語とせいじの授業にきょう味があるから、好きです。　毎日、食堂で安くて、おいしいうどんを食べます。　日本の生活費は高から、けちな人になっています！
　　授業が終わった後、家に帰ります。　テレビでオリンピックを見ながら宿題をして、テスト勉強をします。時々、私はお母さんに日本食の作り方を教えてもらいます。　六時半ぐらい、お父さんは家に帰った時、いっしょにご飯を食べます。その後、お父さんは私の宿題を直します。私は　「宿題を直してくれてありがとう。」と言います。　十時ぐらい、部屋に行って、彼にメールを書きますけど、時々忘れてしまいます。
　　日本に来てから、　私の生活はとても楽しくて、おもしろいです。　もっと早くに来ればよかったと思います！

Or in English:

"My Everyday Life
Sarah Louise

Everyday, I wake up early at seven. I usually eat my mother's home made bread along with fruit and other such things. I also boil water to make myself coffee. After breakfast, I commute from Katano-shi train station to the university. By train, it usually takes about 45 minutes.
I have interest in both the Japanese and political science classes I am taking, so I enjoy them. Every day, for lunch, I eat delicious, cheap udon in the cafeteria. Japan's cost of living is rather high, so I am becoming a cheap person!
After classes end, I go home. I usually watch the Olympics while doing my homework and studying for tests. Sometimes I get my mother to teach me how to cook Japanese food. When my father comes home around 6:30, we all eat dinner together. After that, my father usually checks my homework. I always say, "Thank you very much for checking my homework!" Around ten I go to my room and usually write an email to my boyfriend, but regretfully, sometimes I forget.
Since coming to Japan, my every day life has become become very fun and interesting. I should have come sooner, I think!"

I personally enjoy the 'google translate' version much more. It just goes to show you that Japanese is pretty much impossible to translate directly and whowever designed google translate for Japanese had shoddy Japanese skills:

"My life
Sararuizu
Occurs early in the morning at seven every day. I promise I'll eat the fruit delicious bread my mother made by hand. And from boiling hot water, make the coffee. After your breakfast, Katano 通Imasu station to university. It takes 54 minutes by train.
I am interested in teaching because of the governmental and Japanese taste, I like. Every day, cheap at a restaurant, eat the delicious noodles.高Kara cost of living in Japan has become a mean person!
After the class, go home. Homework while watching the Olympics on TV, the test study. Sometimes I'll get to tell my mother how to make Japanese food. About half-past six, when the father returned home, eat a meal together. Then my father back to homework. I said "Thank you again my homework." Say. At about 10, go to the room, I write an email to him, would sometimes forget.
Since arriving in Japan, my life is very fun, and interesting. I think I should have come sooner!"



Yeah, that is much harder than it looks, and believe me, I can't just spontaneously produce something of that quality on the first try. Language learning is lots of hard work!

Now that you have a glimpse at the 'mundane' part of my life, we will get back to looking at the beautiful, historic part that I get to enjoy on my time off. I have trips to Hiroshima and the Osaka Peace Museum coming up pretty soon, so I will have a lot of good things to write about. Thanks for reading!

Sarah