Movin' on

Well, school's finished. For good, I mean. Yep, 1,446 (count 'em!) hours of Japanese study later and my Japanese still sucks. Hehe :(

The graduation ceremony was last Friday. All very emotional. Or it would've been had I not been quite so hungover (it was my birthday the day before).

So what's next...well, for those of you I haven't already told, I was lucky enough to get a job lined up at a publishing/communications company near Nagoya (i.e. a 50 -odd minute train journey from my current location). So I'll still be in the area, and it's nice that I can remain in an area where I have friends and a support network (god knows I'll need one), and it's nice to think that I will be able to come back to Okazaki from time to time, hang out at the local (to the school) bar, meet people etc.


So, I need to change my student visa to a work visa. This process takes a varying amount of time (usually about a month), and while this process is going on I am given a kind of in-limbo visa which doesn't allow me to either leave the country or rent a proper apartment. So, when I leave my apartment (I have to be out tomorrow) I am going to move temporarily to an old, nearby house belonging to a friend of a friend, that they were kind enough to agree to let me stay in. No Internet so...I may be out of communication for a while (I'll still be checking e-mail as often as possible).

Anyway, must get back to packing, will write more later (probably).

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Final week

Alright gang

Just a quick note to let anyone who is actually still interested that I am in fact still alive...just slightly busy with various things.

This is my last week at school, which is something that fills me with a peculiar feeling of both not wanting to leave (since I like the school, the student lifestyle and many of the teachers) but also of feeling glad that it will end (since I am kinda sick of this style of study and I feel like it's not having much of an effect any more, and I really really need a break and my brain is melting argh argh my brain is melting).

Another reason why I am anxious about leaving is that I currently have no definite place to live after I leave (I am currently living in student-owned accommodation and will have to get my ass out the door by Tuesday 25th). I currently have several possibilities, but nothing is confirmed yet, and I think not knowing where I will be in a little over a week is something that my personality type just can't handle.

Also I still have no job. I interviewed at a company the week before last, but I still haven't heard a peep from them, so I'm not feeling particularly hopeful about it. So my current (vague) plan is to find somewhere to live, convert to a tourist visa (which lasts for 3 months) and kind of bum about looking for a full-time job and doing occasional private lessons at my school. Maybe travel a bit as well. Then if nothing comes up I guess it's back to blighty. I really have no idea right now. Guh.

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エンジンぬいぐるみ！？

http://rocket-craft.com/

Homepage of a website that makes anatomically-accurate cuddly-toy cars, ostensibly for display purposes. OK then.

ロケットクラフトはクルマやオートバイのエンジンなど、普通では売っていない「ぬいぐるみ」を製造販売しています。お店のディスプレイやお部屋のインテリアにおひとついかがですか？

Some of their stuff is actually very cute:
http://rocket-craft.com/works_train01.html
http://rocket-craft.com/works_bus01.html

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ピックルです！

This is too cute: http://www.ubu.com/outsiders/365/2003/205.shtml (download the mp3)

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More guff

2 posts within the same week! Gadzooks!

Sorry about the last post, I didn't mean to sound overly miserable, or ungrateful as to my current situation (I am anything but). Strange thing is, I've felt a lot better since writing it. Just a lot more content within myself. I think I might be manic depressive :(

But anyway, I've had an enjoyable weekend...went out on Thursday and then I Friday myself and a friend sat outside the school bar all afternoon and much of the evening, drinking beer (my friend, being Dutch, has clued me into the proper pronunciation of "Hoegaarden" BTW), accosting teachers and acquaintances as they went past, forcing them to sit and chat with us. To their credit, we were unable to persuade any of the teachers (who were still on the clock at that time) into drinking with us. Saturday and today have been spent indoors (mostly because of the heat), watching movies and more Mystery Science Theater, doing nothing in particular (minimal studying, hehe), and finishing off my rirekisho (Japanese-language resume (sorry don't know how to do the accented characters on this Jap keyboard)).

As you can see from this example, the Japanese resume is a totally different beast to its Western counterpart. It's completely standardized; you buy the form from a convenience store, fill it out by hand with your personal details, work and educational history, and a little about your interests and why you're applying for the job, and send it off. Apparently it has to be filled out by hand so that the employer can garner some kind of idea of your personality through handwriting tests. This does not work in one's favor if one happens to a) be foreign and b) have worse handwriting than a doctor with Parkinson's, both of which apply to me. Still, hey ho.

Also, due to my being outside for most of Friday, I am currently pockmarked by mosquito bites. The mosquitoes here also seem to be a totally different beast to their Western counterpart, and I find they are a lot nastier. I wouldn't be at all surprised if I found out that the Japanese used their mosquitoes to torture POWs during WWII. The bites kind of leave you with this absolutely horrible itching/burning sensation for like 3-4 days. Plus they kind of make the skin around the bite go all kinda puffy and icky. Maybe that's just my gaijin reaction. I was wearing sandals and my feet seem to have well and truly gotten it the worst (Don't click here!)

Anyway, I think I've been writing this as a means of putting off doing homework, so better get back to it.

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