I Think the Madness is Getting to me Slightly

I`m worried that I`m going to forget how to live in the UK by the end of the year... It`s very strange; at first, everything seems really odd and totally bizarre, but then you learn what it does and then have a think about it and realise that it`s actually a really good idea and makes perfect sense. For example, that odd key/stick thing I had to plug into the wall back in the hotel when I first got here (2nd entry think), it means you`ll only use power when the key is in the room, ie, when you`re there, so there`s no chance of you leaving a light on when you leave in the morning and wasting electricity. And all the power cables over the streets, I used to think they were there just because the Japanese just didn`t care about them looking messy, but then someone pointed out that they have them overhead because of all the earthquakes; if they get damaged they`re a million times easier to fix than if they`re underground.

Also, it`s been a bit rainy recently, not so much in the last 2 weeks, but a little bit nonetheless. Anyway, when this happens, all the shops stick out these little racks of thin plastic bags which you slip your umbrella into to stop it getting everything else wet, so you can put it back in your bag or under your arm while you go round the shop, and all the clothes/book etc shops, (basically everything other than food) give you a little rain cover which opens at the bottom and slips over your normal shopping bag so your purchase doesn`t get wet on your way home :-)

Oh, and I made it to Osaka, only for a few hours though, have to go back many times for a proper look. Anyway, Osaka central station at rush hour: Think Waterloo at the same time, 5 times the size, multiply the number of people by about 10 and give them all a couple of Ecstasy pills and you sort of get the idea. Oh, and Osaka is only the 3rd busiest station in Japan (and the world actually), after Shibuya and Shinjuku in Tokyo.

We had our medical check-ups this morning, something every Japanese uni student has to do annually. It was never really made clear what the results of these tests would mean for us, although I havn`t entirely ruled out the possibility that they might expel you for being overweight or something as it might explain why there are so few fat people in Japan... Anyway, I had an electrocardiogram, whatever that is, a "health examination" which involved being prodded with a stethoscope in various places (I`m no medic but I can`t really think what interesting sounds my hip makes...) and another X-ray. I did mention the one I had 5 months ago (which they ordered me to get and pay 80 pounds for), but they basically said "well, you should be fine. Probably." How very reassuring.

My supervisor just found me here in the library, and I got the distinct impression he`d been looking for me... How did he know? Maybe he`s tracking my mobile, you can probably do that with a Japanese phone... Anyway, he wants me to talk to some prospective Birmingham exchange students and convince them to apply there by telling them what a great place it is. At this point I realised that when he said "talk to", he meant "lie to"... Also, and apparently there`s another sake fest tomorrow evening in his office...

Oh, and I had a seriously crazy language teacher this afternoon. I think she was on some sort of mission to destroy the self esteem of everyone in the room. She asked us all for our placement test results, and then asked us how long we`d been studying Japanese. "2, 2.5 years" I replied, to which she comments "oh, long time" Which is Japanese Indirectness for: "What, and you`re still at this level? Wow you`re stupid...". A bit later she decided to have a go at one of the Korean students: "Hmm, Korean students are usually very good at Japanese" (Translation: "Why are you so crap?") and one of the Chinese students: "Did you really get level 5? Maybe it`s just because you know what the symbols mean..."

I went to Ikea as well! It`s exactly the same as the UK! I heard the Swedish students have been going there every weekend for lunch... Also, it turns out Ikea packaging and the chopstick-only culture here can cause a few problems...

P.S I wish this story was mine, but I have to credit Marina with the best "Aaah! Foreigner! Run!" story I`ve heard here. Basically, she walked past her neighbour playing in a park with his kids, and decided to say "Good Morning" to them. In response to this, he grabs both his kids, holds them close to him tightly and gives Marina a look which she described as "DON`T YOU DARE EAT MY KIDS!!!!!"

P.P.S I have money! Lots of money! (Well, to be more accurate, I have a moderatly large amount of money and Gucci has a little bit more as well...)