Getting settled

Since settling down, I have learned how to get around the campus and even how to get around downtown. The only thing I am still working on is the sleeping schedule. The beds are much less comfortable than ones in America. They have a flat surface and they give you an extremely thin mattress pad, a comforter, sheets, and a blanket. So far, I have been sleeping on everything possible to make it thicker but I still have not been able to sleep through a whole night.


Some things I've learned so far about Japan is:

• The sun rises much earlier than in America so I have to get used to light coming in early.
• The toilets sometimes talk to you, play songs and noises, and sometimes are just holes in the ground.
• The birds sound like bears!
  
• You can find almost anything in vending machines.
• All of the food is delicious. I have yet to have something, besides fermented bean sushi, that is not good (knock on wood).
• They are very intense about staying clean and throwing away garbage. They have certain garbage bags that are color coordinated with information on what is allowed or not allowed to be thrown away. If you throw out your trash and do not separate it, they will go through it and make you do it right.
• Taxis are not a set rate, they are negotiable. The more Japanese you know, the better.
• Everything is smaller here.

The school is located on a hill that looks over the town below and the view is beautiful at any time of the day. I went shopping downtown the last couple of days to get the essentials. The center of downtown is 40 minutes away by bus so it's not easy to get down there everyday. I went grocery shopping and also bought some other cute things. They have anything and everything you could ever want at the shops. Convenience stores, like 7-11's (which they have here), have anything from food to alcohol to fireworks. It's pretty cool. We bought some fireworks one of the first nights we were here and shot them off at the beach after we got back from the bar.
There are about 35 people in my program (Japanese language intensive program at APU) and we mostly all hang out together. I have realized that I do need to start meeting other people, especially Japanese students so I can work on my speaking skills. I have met a few but I know in the next couple of weeks I will get to meet many more.