I’m not sure exactly when. But sometime this month will be exactly a year since I left Japan.
Since leaving Japan alot has happened. I was due to start a six month health course for entry into a Bachelor of Nursing but was diagnosed with Hodgkins’ Lymphoma. I won’t delve into my illness on here as this is a blog about exchange.
This made me think back over my exchange. There were tumor’s growing inside. I told people I was feeling sick. I was told over and over again ‘it must be stress’ or ‘you have a cold’. To the point where I myself began to believe it.
It’s crazy to think instead of spending all that money getting doctor after doctor to make poor diagnoses, a simple physical examination and blood test would have picked up swollen lymph nodes, fluid in my left lung, poor kidney function and anemia among sever other things.
But I can’t dwell on things too much, otherwise I’ll find myself getting angry. So instead I write down my biggest problem with exchange. The students’, from all different organisations are played like pawns. We did what we were told. Some of the people in the organisations need to get off their high horses and consider that the student could be right. We were not completely irresponsible. They all talk about communication, but it’s often one way.
However in saying all this some of the other points I need to point out are that given the chance I don’t really know whether I would change things if I could. If I had been diagnosed sooner I would have left Japan early. But I’m glad even through my suffering that I stuck it out till the very end.
I don’t think I will ever return to Japan in the future apart from maybe a holiday if I have the money or the time.
My future now is focussed on studying nursing and seeing where ever that takes me. My ultimate goal in life would be to be able to work with Medicines Sans Frontiers.
This rant it disjointed and unclear reading back over it. Maybe I’ll go over this another time when I’m not so tired. Or I might not
Photoset with 2 notes
Aomori and Miyage Prefectures
So I know it’s been a long time since I last wrote to this but I figured I should make and effort and start posting again now that I’m not feeling completely sick all the time.
But anyway recently I had my school trip to the Aomori and Miyage prefectures. Anyway the trip went as such.
I left the house early morning on Saturday to meet Tim and Akitsu at a station one stop down from my house to catch the subway into Tokyo and find the meeting place. After that we entered our groups and boarded the Shinkansen for Miyage.
Once in Miyage we went by bus to a place called Matsu-Jima where we had two hours to kill before our cruise around the area. For the two hours we walked around trying out various foods and just mucking around. The cruise was really good the weather was a bit cloudy so it didn’t look as spectacular as it could of. But I think when it has good weather the place must be absolutely amazing.
Afterwards we went to our hotel were we collected our luggage and went to our rooms. The rooms each slept two groups. We were lucky being a small group placed with another small group. The hotel was really cool, it was traditional style hotel with and onsen and the rooms were tatami matted. For dinner we had traditional style Japanese meals with the fifty million plates filled with a hundred million things. But it was most delicious. That night everyone ended up staying up to like two in the morning except for one boy in our room who was too serious to stay up. Earlier in the night a bunch of the girls came in and made tea for us. I find this most ammusing because anywhere in New Zealand there would be strict gender separation but here it was little to non except for that everyone had to be in their own rooms from ten thirty onwards and you weren’t aloud to leave the hotel after nine. Yes we could come and go as we wanted when nothing was planed withouth having to tell a teacher or anything.
The next day we woke up earlyand got ready for fishing, hiking and more fishing (with a giant net on the beach). It was so much fun allthough I need to get fitter again because the hike just about killed me. I was fine with going down. But any upwards slope allways gets to me. That night we watched Biohazard No.2 in the room and went to bed alot earlier because the next day we were going to our farrm stays and doing a few sight seeing things.
For the farmstay me and tim both gave speeches in Japanese for the opening ceremony. It’s amazing how I wasn’t nervous at all to give the speech nor about how well it was written. Possibly because I got a Japanese teacher to check it. But it made me feel good afterwards. I liked the introductions for the farmers saying what sort of things they grow in their introductions, all the farmers were saying things like I grow Apples/Grapes/Cherries/Other Delicious fruit and then there was one who was just like ”Hi I’m (name) I grow Beans and Potatoes”. It’s also funny how international the dress code for farmers is, somethings never change I guess. Our host farmstay were amazing there was four generations living in the house, which was amazing and old. It made me feel like I’d gone back in time about a 100years. The family was incredibly friendly, I found it ammusing how the little daughter was frightened of me because I’m a foreigner and she’d probably never seen one before apart from on TV and the younger host brother kept asking why I had blonde hair and why it was curly he was really cool though he kept on telling me about all the english words he knew.
That first day we put labels on bottles of apple juice and put them in boxes for about an hour and a bit. The next we went to work in the feild plucking leaves off the trees so they didn’t shade the apples, we also layed reflective sheets so the bottoms of the apples could get sunlight. I found it amazing how the Great Grandmother who said she was 87 worked a full day in the feilds doing more than us. She was climbing up ladders and getting to the high perches like she was still young. I have to say that women was as tough as old boots.
The meals at the house were amazing the families daughter (second generation) was an amazing cook and on the last night we had a barbeque with all the meat you could dream of (for Japan). It was also great getting good serves of fruit because being apple farmers and all they obviously had apples which are very exspensive here, I think also they must swap fruits with other farmers in the area because they had peaches ect aswell. All of which were amazing.
Anyway we returned home today and I got home about 6 o’clock after a long ride home. I gave my host family some gifts that I bought as it is customery to allways buy gifts when you go away here.
Enjoyment
So I’ve been up to quite alot lately, I’ll explain all the things I’ve done in the order that I think I did them in.
Last week I went to Shibuya to meet my counselor for dinner and to watch her Koto class, I even go to try it, incredible difficulty to even pluck the strings right. We also took Purikura. Afterwards we caught the subway to the stop past Tsukiji (which is the giant fish market in Tokyo), so the sushi place we went to for dinner was super frresh and exspensive. I was glad she was paying cause I’m pretty sure I couldn’t of paid for like anything. afterwards I went home, not the most eventfull evening but It was very enjoyable. I allso received some reward presents from her as a reward for being such a good student.
After that I went to Roppongi with my host sister and her friends aswell as Natalie who was the Belgium girl who was staying with us at the time. It was a fun day, Uni students are so much more easy to talk to than High School students. We didn’t do so much just looked at a art gallery. Watched a Japanese movie which I think I got about 50% of even though I was dieing of tiredness. Afterwards we lay on the grass In some park waiting for my host sister to return because she’d managed to worm her way into the TV ASAHI studio to go behind set and meet famous people. At the park there were lots of scary women hiding in the bushes to try and get a close up of celebrities as they got into there cars.
Next on my list of things I did was go with My host siblings and Natalie to see fireworks in Itabashi. My host mum dressed me up in My host dads Yukata and my host sister wore one too, my host brother didn’t want to wear one though. Anyway we spent ages on the subway going all the way to somewhere in Itabashi-ward of Tokyo. We went to my host families Uncles concrete factory. He was having some staff celebration evening so there was free food/drinks/games ect. It was a good night. The fireworks here are like the grand finaly fire work of any NZ fireworks.
Two nights ago my host sister and her friend took me to Minato Mirai to see Toy Story in English, I was surprised how many Japanese were there watching the english version. I guess maybe they wanted to try practice hearing english or possibly just wated to see it in its original langauge.
Last night we all stayed up to watch shooting stars but apparently the best time to see them was way earlier. Plus light pollution and all.
On a final note I need to start deciding about Uni and stuff next year and applying because from what I’ve heard everyone back in NZ is starting to apply allready.
So I moved away from the Hirose family about a week ago, It was sad to see them go but a good feeling that I get to go back. But moving on to more relevant things my New Host family are very kind, I hardly see the host dad because he works some crazy chef hours like seven days a week. My host mum has her own interior decorating business so she often has lots of time at home but she’s often working in her home office. My host siblings are really amazing. My host brother Yujin is a bit shy but warming up to me. My host sister Azusa is the oposite, highly outgoing. She’s at art shcool at the moment and she really likes photography too, she even has the same camera that I desperatly want.
At the moment I haven’t done so much with them because I’ve been going to Summer School. But I have a pretty full shcedule from Wednesday, I’m going to fireworks in Enoshima with them on Wednesday, Thursday I’m going into Shibuya to watch my Counselors Koto class and afterwards going to a sushi bar for dinner, someone called earlier (don’t know who) inviting us to a baseball match on the same day (oh how I hate conflicting dates and times). On friday I’m going to Roppongi with my host sister and her friends to see a Museum. Afterwards there going to a TV studio of some sort, my host sister tried to get me admitance but it didn’t go anywhere. She said that I can hang out in Tokyo with the girl from Belgium who’s staying with us from friday. Which will be allgood because it’s easy to kill time in Tokyo. Sometime next week I’m going to finally see Toy Story 3 because my host sister found and english movie theater in South-Machida plus one of her korean friends wanted to come and meet me. My final activity planed so far is an upcoming trip to Kyoto which I’m so excited about. I’m desperatly hoping JFIE will say yes. I’m yet to here anything but mind you I got to them on the weekend and I think there only bothered with emergencies on the weekend.
After summer school I’ve been eating out most days, not because I choose to but like my past host family making me lunch to take is Kinda inconvenient. I don’t really splash out much. Just the cheap plates at sushi places and other stuff. It’s nice because we often just sit there for a long time just talking about things. Except in the sushi bar, because there they have a bit of a “If your finished get out” mentality. Today we went to MacDonalds because I wanted the phone charms that they’re giving out at the moment. I got the one shapped like a packet of chips allthough I desperatly want the burger ones. I fear this may turn into an obsesion.
I don’t know what to say at the moment because I’ve contracted some illness from my host brother. It’s not to bad, just makes you super sleepy.
But so far here’s what I’ve done.
-Canooing
-Cherry Festival
-Park Golf
-Been to the onsen
-Eaten super fresh sushi
It’s all been really amazing, I have quite a few pictures but alot of pictures I need to get off my host families Camera. So yes there will be some soon. I also feel quite proud of myself I managed to spit a cherry pip a total of 8.1metres at the cherry festival. I think the best was 10metres so I didn’t do to badly, especially compared to my host dad who managed three.
Well, today I went with my Japanese teacher to try and join the photography club, I’m pretty sure this was like my sixth atempt to try and gather information/join the club. I was excited because I thought it would go well because there would be no “communication issues” because I had someone to help me talk to the Clubs Sensei. It failed.
IM NOT FUCKING ALOWED TO JOIN.
Why?
Because the teachers a racist and doesn’t want me to Join. What he said to Sensei was that “It would take me over a year to learn how to use a camera properly”. Not that he knew if I had any prior knowledge or photography or not. Oh and Sensei if you were too stupid too know people study photography at university, so of course I’m not going to be a “master” as you put it. I don’t care either, I just wanted to join and I have for some time. I was all rather excited when sensei said “oh looks like no one else is coming, do you want to find the photography sensei together. My Japanese teacher said that he was being unfair and cold. One of the students from the photography club before I talked to him last time even said oh “he’ll be happy that you want to Join” maybe if I was Japanese. Every other club has students come and go a various times throughout the year.
Anyway I was almost close to tears from his downright rudeness. I could see the obvious look of distaste (allthough distaste is probably the wrong word to use, It was more than that) the same distaste when I tried to talk to him at the sports festival and turned his back on me.
I could rant so much more, but I don’t even understand the reasoning behind his other bullshit excuses enough explain them.
Apparantly my counselor Megumi called this afternoon while I was out Curry Munching (auctuall Indian curry which was very tasty) and had my new host family information.
I will be living in Tookaichiba which is apart of yokohama. My new homestay is litterally 20minutes from Yokohama Station. Also another bonus is that It will be alot quicker to get to shcool, about 30minutes by train. Yay!
Any how I don’t have any information on the family as yet, but I’m sure that’ll come in the next week or so.
Firstly I can barely remember what I did on saturday, probably because it was just a do nothing day.
On saturday I went with my host family to watch my host brothers baseball match. It was enjoyable, I was into it. Like really into it. Because when his team doesn’t lose miserably we eat good food. His team played exceptionally well that day (still lost) so we ended up going out and buying a tonne of stuff from the bakery and binging on calorie rolls all afternoon.
At about five my host family decided that they were going to go to Atami, which is like my family back in New Zealand randomly deciding to go to Auckland early-evening. So we went spent maybe two hours going in and out of the bath and generally doing nothing. Afterwards we ate soba at a traditional styled restuarant where we sat on little pillows cross-legged it was auctually really nice and relaxing.
Today I had another half day of shcool. Typical. I don’t even know why we finish early anymore. I could of understood it if we were having a mass cleaning for the American Students coming tommorow like we did before parant teacher interveiws. But no. The shcool shall remain dirty, when I say dirty this word musn’t be taken lightly. It’s borderline shamefull.
After school I walked to the station and went to the bakery us Exchange Students recently discovered. Angela walked in too, after that we went to Machida and did Karaoke aswell as going to a second hand shop to look for skateboards. I think Angela enjoys not going home to early and I don’t blame her. I wouldn’t want to go home to that either. I’m hoping everything will work out for her.
I’ll start this post with how my day today was, basically I went to school; did three hours of english then left. I walked to the station today, a feat usually impossible these days but it was a clear un-muggy day with nice blue skies. I bought two cheese burgers from lotteria for lunch which cost me roughly the same as McDonalds would but lotteria tastes SOOO MUCH BETTER, and the meat looks semi-meatish unlike the stuff Macca’s serves. I got home and killed a few hours doing nothing.
We then left for my host grandmothers and stayed there for about half an hour, then we headed of accompanied by the lady who allways loiters at her house. We went to costco’s. Which is pretty much the whitist non-tourist place I’ve been here. It’s where my family buys all the bulk packs of their food.
I was dissapointed I was so broke. I only have 500Yen in my wallet right now and another 1000yen in my room. At the store they had a whole lot of branded clothes on sale for like 800yen or less. Gaghhh, atleast I’m being more frugal lately, its also because of these half days because I have spare time to fill and filling time here allways costs money. I aslo saw the camera I want their for 70,000 yen which is roughly the price of the older model in other places. But I couldn’t tell if the kit was with one lense or two because another lense drives the price up a bit but still a very good price.
Talking of Camera’s I’ve been continuing to try and join the photography club. I think people think I’m being a lazy shit about it but I am auctually trying. It’s hard when you don’t know WHEN, WHERE or WHO is in the club nor the teachers name. Mind you the time I did talk to him he wasn’t so friendly. I’ve talked to my Japanese teacher about it and she went to Onuki Sensei who said he would talk with the photography teacher. I’ve yet to hear anything. This week she said we’d go find him after school but that was uneventuative. I best be joined before the holidays.
Also my trip to Hokkaidou is coming up soon. I’m so gratefull for it like you wouldn’t believe but it’s gotten in the way of so many things. Litterally every other summer holiday event happening that I know of was in the space of my trip. Heres a list so far; JFIE Summer Camp Assistant Teaching English, Exchange Student Trip To Kamakura ( I know I’ve been there a million times but it’s with all the American students who are coming next week), Here’s the one I was most gutted about; The FIRST time people in my class invited me to go somewhere with them I couldn’t go because they’re going out on a day during my trip :(
Also as another note, I’m pretty sure I failed my english II exam I only got 40%, on my other english exam though I got 87% which is less embarasing. I’m still above average though because the schools average was 30% which is pretty low. It makes you think how low some of the marks must of been.
Finnaly, I have some things to be gratefull for; My Parants for making this trip possible and continuing to support me throughout. JFIE and NZIIU for being good exchange organisations who auctually care about their students. My host family(s) for being such good people, making me feel welcome, taking care of me and showing and teaching me lots about Japan. I have to explain how especially gratefull for my organisation and host family because of the crap going on with two of the other exchangers at my school. I feel so sorry for them having this crap going on, having host families treating them poorly and organisations who don’t really give a hoot.
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