April showers bring...homework

Listening to: Quiet elevator-esque music
Currently drinking: Well, it WAS supposed to be a double, short, nonfat mocha...but I'm pretty sure it's a caramel macchiato, whatevs


Why is it that I feel most comfortable at coffee shops? I just find it really funny that I make this huge effort to go on a big adventure, explore different cultures, and yet here I sit at Starbucks, doing the same exact thing I do at home in Bellingham; the only difference is that it's easier to tune out other people's conversations when you can't understand them...oh well :/ I'm sorry for not posting since Osaka, but this last week as been kind of insane. Culture classes have finally begun, and apparently I have to be enrolled in, count'em, seven of them (not including my language class). Here, each class is only worth two credits, but when I go back home they will be worth four, so I'll be returning with about 24 credits for just this quarter! Anyway, the entire campus is crawling with people right now because all the clubs have their stands set up, and in a way it's comforting to have a bunch of students here, but it's also just an eensy bit obnoxious when you're trying to rush from class to class. After a full day of classes, I pretty much just set my stuff down, make a snack, and study until it's time for bed. All this week I've felt incredibly exhausted, and I've only just realized that it's because my brain has been running at full capacity without downtime. On a side note, I heard that studying burns calories, so maybe that's why all the girls here are so skinny...


I've also been noticing a severe change in my wardrobe choices. Around campus, hell in Japan, if you aren't dressed to the nines, you get stared at hardcore (almost to the point of leering). You also get stared at if you are wearing a shirt that shows any part of your upper arms or chest, so tank tops are pretty much out of the picture :( I actually feel kind of bare and embarrassed now if my shirt feels too low, and I always try to wear a cardigan or sweater over all of my dresses. It'll sure be interesting when I get back to the States and feel like everyone's naked hehe...

Polka dots, flowers, it's all gravy here :)

These overalls can convert
 into shorts...I love them

Ok well aside from learning how to dress like the locals, I'm also actually learning school-like things :) The class that I am "studying" for right now is Japanese Sociolinguistics, and it's probably the subject I am most interested in. Our first topic is Aspects of Sexism in the Japanese language, and I haven't been able to stop reading...well, besides right now. I've taken a lot of sex, gender, and equality classes back at home, and it's really amazing how similar Japanese and American societies are when it comes to using feminine terms in a derogatory way. Here's an interesting fact for you: The kanji character for woman, when doubled is called memeshii, and is used as an insult to men. It roughly translates to the english word "sissy," or in the famous words of California's former governor, "girly man." The kanji character for woman when tripled, is called kashimashii, and means "noisy." Apparently if you get three women together, you get a lot of noise...hmmm.

As a woman, and a self-proclaimed feminist, I feel like I should be irate, but mostly I'm just interested. I wish I had all the time in the world so I could study every language and see the way gender dynamics play in all societies, but I don't think I'll live that long (or have that much money), sad face. I also wish that gender dynamics, linguistics, and social justice was highly lucrative in the work world, but, you know... pipe dreams. I'll probably end up scrubbing toilets at some decaying bowling alley, meh. Alright well, that's enough for now. Homework hooooooooooooo! (erm, that was my thundercats/study call)

Thanks for putting up with me and love you lattes~