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The Center
The Center from the outside. Doesn't look like much, but it has a couple of things going for it:
a) cool parts below ground level
b) directly next to a zoo. As I take this shot, there are peacocks squawking and what might be monkeys screaming at each other directly behind the wall behind me. Good surrealist times. I figured I would finally deliver on my promise for pictures of the family and such. So, I present thee with:
A Day in the Life of Danny
6:18 First alarm goes off, loudly chirping for five seconds unless I can locate the damnably small snooze button.
6:31 I enjoy my last precious seconds of warm futon-ness. With one eye open I check for new texts that I need to respond to that may have been delivered during the night (Kanako, homework questions, etc.). Feel popular when I see the exclamation point of a new message. Exit bed, push aside Lee-chan when I leave my room, say good morning to my host mom, head to bathroom, brush teeth, gel, throw on clothes that I laid out the night before to minimize morning issues. Put toast in the microwave oven, lay out one dish and one knife at the table, return to room, prep backpack. If there's coffee available, I grab a cup and pour myself some. Strawberry jam and toast forms my breakfast, which I eat in front of the morning TV (the program is always the same - two morning show hosts, one guy and one lady, chat
Nana, again
The agreeable puppy. I'll post a picture of the annoying Lee-chan when I get her to hold still long enough. about current events with some clips, all very normal except for the backdrop. It looks like it's shot in a high-rise in Tokyo, because you can see all the famous buildings, but then you realize that there are, in fact, *fish* swimming around the city. So I guess it's a giant photo of Tokyo in the back of a fishtank filled with very clear water and pretty fish.) Take care of little chores until:
7:18 Depart for bus stop.
8:36 Arrive at Stanford center. Check my email, write, and respond. Take care of last-minute homework issues, and prepare for my first class (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday it's at 9).
10:00 Go to Japanese class.
10:55 Ten minute break. Let the familiarity of English conversation wash over me. Eat Doraimon snack cakes. Mmm, tasty banana-chocolate robot-teddy-bear.
11:05 Endure another hour of Japanese.
12:00 Meet up with people and wander around for lunch. This is pretty much one of three choices: obento , convenience store food (not actually that bad, they're different here and have semi-fresh food restocked every 4 or 5 hours), or Udon or Soba soup (tasty, but expensive).
12:40 Return to the center, hang out in the lounge,
Walking in the door
The view from walking in the door. talk to people, listen to Japanese TV in the background. On Tuesday and Thursday I have no class in the afternoons.
I then spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around the center, using the internet, talking to people, or trying to pluck on the center's electric bass (though without an amp). I try to get some homework done because it's very difficult to do it at home with the dogs around and the family to talk to. Eventually, around 4 or so, I'll drift out and either head home or swing by Kawaramachi or Teramachi and indulge myself in commercialism. Recently I found a guitar shop that doubles as a location for local music event flyers, so I sometimes swing by there to find out what's happening. At some point I'll begin my guitar lessons and it'll probably fall in this afternoon block.
When I get home, I usually am the first one there, so I go to my room, slide open my rice paper doors that cover the windows, turn on my very dim yellow light (there's also a retina-searing white one, but it's not really good for atmosphere
Main Lounge
Main Lounge. Glass and clean lines makes it feel open, along with the ridiculously low couches. On a side note, they are unbelievably comfortable if impossible to get out of. or enjoying the evening) and watch the sun set slowly behind the hills. The frogs chirp in the rice paddies at the bottom of my hill and the cicadas sing in the trees, and my guitar gently weaves songs to backup this symphony. I've improved a lot with daily practice, even in the three weeks I've been here.
8:15 My host mom returns home, and begins dinner preparation. Depending on when she gets home, we can eat anywhere in the range of 8:30 - 10:30. We'll sit down, watch some TV to take the burden off conversation, briefly chat about our days but a lot about what we're watching on TV. Having pictorial representations in front of you not only provides conversation topics but also makes sure you're both on the same page.
I'll take a shower sometime between 9 and 11, do a little homework, listen to music, but a good portion of time is the hour and a half of dinner (time to eat, chat, and watch tv). My host dad comes home sometime between 8 and 11, so we sometimes have him present for dinner, but many times it is just Mayu, my mom, and
Main Lounge
Main lounge from the other direction. Note the nice electronics. I or just my mom and I. Eventually I retire to my rooms and try to be in bed by 12:30 to start the next day.
~Danny
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clarification
Is Kanako a person, thing, or action? or did I miss this in an earlier BLOG. Keep that guitar humming!