Jet Lag = pretty pictures!

ごめん、みんな。I haven't posted for two days! This will be a semi-short post with pictures to make up for it, because my Wednesday was a haze of arriving and my brain shouting at me "Go to sleep, you dummy!" I was met at the 正門, or main gate, of the University on Wednesday morning by Yuki-san, who was a grad assistant/teacher in the Japanese department at Clemson last year. (It was so nice to see a familiar face!) I was then shown around town by my tutor, Marina-san. We ran around town buying various things for my room while she tried to get to know me better. I wanted desperately to make a good impression but my brain was working so slowly! As an example, during the car ride to a soba place called "Tsurutsuru" (the sound of someone slurping noodles, which is really hard to get myself to do) Marina-san asked me "誕生日はいつ？" (tanjoubi ha itsu?) To my non-Japanese speaking readers, this is the very simple question of when is your birthday, but to my jet-lag fogged brain she might as well have spoken Cambodian. My thought process was hilarious looking back, but just sad at the moment. This is how it went: "Tanjoubi... I know that word! It's like half of joudan (joke) and half of daijoubu (okay)... what does it mean?" Eventually I figured it out and answered. Thankfully Marina-san and Rei-san, Marina's boyfriend, were really cool about the fact that I was dazed the entire afternoon. After shopping I returned to my room ("before" pictures below) to try and put it together!

Some quick notes about my room: it's teeny but awesome! It's pretty much like an efficiency apartment- there is a fridge, kitchen area, bathroom and bedroom area. I do have a mini balcony too! Oh, and a big things to John Heatherington, who was one of the Clemson study abroad students here last year, and who left me so much stuff, including a bunch of dishes, a summer futon, a rice cooker, a microwave... 本当にありがとうございます！

< ごめん、みんな　gomen, minna: casual way of saying sorry, everyone 正門 seimon: main gate　本当にありがとうございます　hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu: thank you very much! 写真 shashin: picture(s)>

写真

Jet-lagged me was excited about the complimentary striped pajamas and the stuff to make tea in my hotel room.

View from my hotel window in Komatsu. Yes, those are rice fields and a church.

On the bus on the way to Fukui from Komatsu. The hardest part of riding the bus was figuring out how to buy the ticket. I watched about 10 people do it before I successfully bought one.

Room before organization and after shopping. Note the kanji flashcards.View from sliding glass door to the balcony!