Concussion, Kansai, Kochidoki, Kenshuu

Concussion

After being recovered from all the illnesses in the first weeks of my stay in Tokyo, we finally went on the long planned ski-trip! It was amazing. The first day for the first time on the snowboard was great. I really enjoyed the sport and the teacher (Brandon) was kind and helping us very well with trying to get up and slowing sliding down. Unfortunately, I fell the next day when Brandon tried to teach me how to turn. Instead of letting the board do the work, I tried to go left and face the mountain while the board was not ready. This made me fall a couple of times before, but as we all know that is part of being for the first time on the board, so I kept insisting. And thus forced it. Both Brandon and Yoost saw me fall and came up the mountain immediately. My goggles were broken and thus I worried about getting new ones and spending once again four thousand yen. I boarded down hills and we went to sit in the nearest “curry” place. There I collapsed, and could only hang on Yoost's or Margreet’s shoulder with my eyes closed. I guess this is when they decided that I had to go the doctor and the next thing I knew I was sitting in the car to yet another hospital visit.

The first two months have not been easy, and the only thing I wish was that I could stop dragging on about yet another illness. The truth is I have no energy, backup, or resistance in any kind to fall back to. Last weekend I went shopping for new things for in my new home and after an hour I was literally exhausted and had to sit down. I guess it is a general lack of sleep and not having enough time to truly come to oneself. Further, I really miss contact with Holland and do apologize to a lot of my best friends not letting anything hear from me, as I feel I should. The only thing I can say to myself is that I barely have time to relax and be with myself and do nothing for a bit, that a phone call with home can already be too much, how weird that might sound.

Kansai

After another check up in the hospital in Tokyo (which was insisted on by the NRG, as a "sensei" (doctor) or in other words somebody with the authority to say "you are healhy enough to travel" had to give the green light) I was found seventy percent OK. I could join the rest of the students on the Kansai trip! It is funny how the Japanese know exactly how many percentage something is. Even more funny is that for several “percentages” they have grammatical constructions. Kamoshirenai. Shiyoo to omoimasu. Tsumori desu. Each one indicating how sure one is that something is going to happen or that you are going to do something. It is a delicate matter...

I was happy to go and now looking back to it, I did have a great time. Although during the trip I had difficulties enjoying the moment. This particularly, because still was so tired and the schedule was so overly full. And although there was time to rest, very little is enough if you have a general lack of sleep. I am beginning to understand how hard really the Japanese work and how they got the word "dead due to overtime” (karoshi) in their vocabulary. In Leiden we had already been joking, if Nihongo is like a train (the grammatical construction of needing a verb in the end of each sentence), then the JPP is like a shinkansen (bullettrain) or rollercoaster! I am learning that it is important to take your rest and come to oneself when the time is given, although it sometimes is so little. Moving last weekend to my new apaato (apartment) has definitely helped an amazing lot to be able to do so.

Kachidoki

Kachidoki. Meaning "Victory", "triumph". Harumi. or Clear sea, Open, Blue sky.

Indeed there is no better way to describe this place. I love my new home!!! I looked so much forward to moving last Saturday and for sure the feeling I got was everything I had hoped for. I finally have the feeling I am living in Tokyo. With moving and the start of the kenshuu (internship), I have the feeling I get the chance to make a new start and I am definitely grabbing it. I realize how lucky we are moving to this place, it is truly a unique opportunity to live here. It is totally Japanese style. Even most Japanese dont live like this anymore. After hitting my head a billion times the first day, I am now getting used to the low doorways and only do it when I wake up in the morning and not yet awake. The futon (bed on the ground that is put in the closet after waking up) sleeps perfect. The ofuro (bath top) is great. It is sometimes a bit cold (as it has no heating, nor airco), but that also makes it cosy. Now I have also Internet, I can start replying to the overload of emails of the last month and regaining contact with Holland and the rest of the world....

Kenshuu

The internship is so far so good. I am enjoying it. I am happy that I am back to what I like. I mean, studying Japanese has been a great challenge, but after half a year, eight hours a day, every single day Japanese, you sometimes forget what you did it for. Entering an open office space of more than 100 meters squared, sitting in between all Japanese at your desk is definitely a weird, but amazing. It is so extremely quiet that the first day I was afraid to get up to get a glass of water or go to the toilet. The people are extremely friendly and my department organized a welcome party for me on my first day. That was great. Sitting at the dining table with 10 other Japanese, including my “buchoo” (boss, head of the department, have to be in the office before he does, and leave after he does), "sempai" (higher in rank, older, in Dutch "meerdere") drinking, eating, laughing, and the occasion is you. That is special. The Japanese know as nobody else how to welcome someone, how to prepare everything tip top. I have never seen anything alike. Today and tomorrow I am helping at an international event on global warming after reading myself into the subject in my first days. I had a perfect day and looking forward to go again tomorrow. We will end the event by going to Karaoke with some Italian, Scotts, German, my Buchoo, sempai and me. Looking forward…

Big kiss from the girl who still has black eyes, a white spooky (or "angelwhite" looking) face, with a big smile on it.

Kirsten