こんにちは みんなさん、
I just had my first week of classes at ICU! Though it seems like forever ago, it was only a week ago that I stepped off of my flight into Haneda airport (the better airport in my limited opinion). Even though the airport is relatively easy to navigate and access, I ran into my first problem when I had to locate the airport post office to pick up a package. I didn’t know where it was, and had troubled asking for where it was with my jet-lagged mind. For the life of me, I could not remember the word in Japanese for post office (郵便局 yuubinkyoku for those curious). It was a simple word that I had heard in class a million times, but when it came to the time when I actually needed it, it escaped my mind. I came to realized the obvious that conversations in a language classroom setting is tremendously different from the everyday interactions. In class, I could speak in set phrases and had time to think about what I was saying. However, in real life Japanese conversation as in other languages conversation, everyone has a different speech pattern and the flow of the conversation is also important to keep in mind. I didn’t know how much I rely on English in my everyday life until it was absent. I also quickly realized the extent of my limited Japanese skill, and am resolve to study harder this summer to, at the very least, be able to hold a short conversation with the locals around me.
On the hand, Tokyo is truly a city well accustomed to tourists. Before I came to Japan, I was super nervous about navigating the terrifying and convoluted-seeming train system in Tokyo. However, now that I’m here, I can say that I really like the public transportation they have here. I love how the train could take you almost anywhere in the city, with clear signs and labels in both Japanese and English that is easy to navigate.
I also really love how pretty ICU is. This campus is probably not the typical Japanese college campus as it was modeled more like an American campus, but I’m glad for the similarities.
