The story begins way back in January when I applied to participate in the Vulcanus in Japan program. Those chosen would travel to Japan for one year during which time they undergo a Japanese language course for 4 months followed by a 8 month internship with a host company. The chance of being chosen to participate is very slim and I didn't really think I had much of a chance!
However, in March an e-mail arrived saying that I had been short-listed and then in May two days before my final examination began, I received an e-mail telling me that I had been chosen! And so the whirlwind began! Plane tickets, meetings in Brussels and visa applications in Rome and two months of hard work so as to save money for the plane ticket to Tokyo. On Monday 30th September at 13:00 I left Malta international Airport for Frankfurt and two days later landed in Narita Airport Tokyo at 7:30am!
My dormitory is in the Kanagawa prefecture and I live in Higashi-totsuka which is in Yokohama. It's a quiet place, very peaceful and across the road from my dorm there is an elementary school which guarantees that every morning I leave my dorm and smile watching the children run into school. They are the cutest little people I have ever seen, and of course they all stop to stare at me and giggle! The dorm is tatami-style, so I sleep on a futon rather then a bed and go everywhere in slippers rather than shoes. It's very important that you remove your shoes before you enter the house, so a room at the entrance is reserved for shoe cupboards! Although this was slightly weird at the beginning, a week later and I can't wait to get home and take my shoes off! The futon is growing on me slowly...very slowly! It isn't the most comfortable bedding in the world and don't even get me started on the pillow...which is as hard as stone! However, yesterday I got a decent night sleep without waking up feeling like I was hit by a train so I think it will work out for the better. We also have a canteen which prepares breakfast and dinner, and the food is actually pretty good and cheap! It's rather amusing to have dinner, everyone is so quiet it's unbelievable!
The language school we attend is in Shibuya and the course we are following is very intensive and demanding. Sitting here trying to revise my vocab for tomorrow and wondering if it will get easier with time...wondering if eventually the words will make sense without me having to rack my brains! The language is not easy and very frustrating...they have so many different forms of the same word depending on who you are speaking with. By the time I get home at night I'm already exhausted...and I need to revise Kanji, vocab and grammer for the next day! I'm slightly disappointed as I hoped we would have more time to explore and see the city instead of being inside the same building for most of the day. However, being able to speak the language is vital for your survival in Tokyo so I guess I have to hang in there and keep trying so that eventually it will pay off and we will be able to communicate with the people around us rather than just ourselves!
So back to it I guess...tomorrow is Friday γο½δΊε and hopefully we will all have a good week end and a bit of a rest!!
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