Gosh I have been reaching home around 8pm for three days in a row now.

On Monday, we had a welcome party at campus.
On Tuesday, we went to Tenjin to exchange money.
Today, we went to window shop at Tenjin.

Things are expensive here.

July 7th is a festival in Japan. They call it Tanabata. It's derived from the Chinese's Qi Xi. The Japanese write wishes on pieces of paper called Tanzaku and then hang them on bamboo trees. When I came back to the dorm today I was told to write my wish too. So I did, and hang it up. The tree is nice, especially so when decorated with the colorful strips of paper. Not telling you my wish though =p

We were shopping at Tenjin today. There is this underground shopping mall located at the subway station. I thought it's just one floor, but soon found out that there are 8 floors in the building (only one is underground though). We could only do 4, then we gave up.

Oh, I am placed at level 3 for the language class. Tomorrow will be the first day of class. Looking forward to it =)

I guess being in a foreign country and not knowing how to speak the language really forced me to be more alert and observant. I now can remember the way to school and the way back from school. It's quite an achievement for me. I do not even know how to get to Mongolian Barbecue in Ann Arbor until now although I have been there a few times. Worse, I do not know how to get to my own high school until I drive there once in Form 5 even though I went there everyday for five years. But here I have been keeping my eyes wide all the time. I look at things around me. Although sometimes I do still forget and become blur, I still think I am doing a better job. It's exciting to explore and to discover. To look at new buildings, different people, the way the shops are displayed, how people greet us, the way they carry the big umbrellas, how they cycle, how they bow...

And everything is in Japanese! Except for the names of places which are spelled in English alphabets, almost everything else are Japanese. And I ordered the wrong udon today because I didn't know how to pronounce the Kanji. I really salute people who come here not knowing Japanese. I am having quite a tough time, and I am sure they face something more terrible. How do you order when you can't even read the menu? How do you ask for directions when you don't know the language and they don't know yours? (happens to me all the time...)

But the good thing is, they are very helpful. At least the people I have met are. Always willing to help when we ask. That makes me feel safer.

Feels bad to leave Pooh chan and Strawberry and bobo and comforter at home alone all the time though =(

Jaa, mata!