The last week of uni semester

It’s the final countdown…du du du duuu! Only four more days left of this semester and it will all be over…well, for another two months at least. Woo hoo!

So as a tribute to this last week, I am going to do a wrap up of my experiences here so far before I return to Australia for the summer holidays.

What to expect for this last week: One test, two speaking tests (but both ungraded) and three extra replacement classes. Oh, whoop dee doo…But frankly, I don’t care anymore because my UTS assignment has been handed in and that is what matters the most. Your performance in Japanese classes only account for 10% of your overall grade so しんぱいしないで！Here’s hoping for a distinction this semester!

What have I been doing in class: Funnily enough, you actually learn quite a lot of things if you bother to attend classes. LOL! Basically, you learn grammar, brush up on essay, writing and listening skills, learn pronunciation and intonation in speech class (this matters a lot in Japanese because you can say one thing but mean another) and learn a crap load more of kanji and vocabulary.

Note: Students are allowed to skip up to three of the same classes per semester before you get cut. Considering that each period is a different class even though it is on the same day…that is a lot of classes that you can bludge off. You didn’t hear it from me though!

What have I been doing in the dormitory: Your room eventually becomes your home and you find that you can spend a lot of time in it especially when the weather is extremely hot or cold. Most of the time, I am on my laptop either doing work (sometimes), streaming movies (often), and chatting (always!). I would definitely bring a laptop with you because it becomes your lifeline to your family and the world.

Food: I hope you guys can cook because it starts to get expensive if you eat out everyday! Comparatively, life in Japan is not that much cheaper than living costs in Sydney. A meal to fill you up will put you back anywhere between 400-1200 yen and upwards. A definite ouchie for those who are cooking-challenged but there are plenty easy things that doesn’t take long to prepare…like a diet consisting of udon and soba noodles. Ha ha ha! That being said, definitely go out and try some of the wacky food that is there on offer and try not to worry about the costs too much. Hey, how often do you get to be in Japan and besides, there is always the parents!

Drink: Fu fu fu, for those who love their alcohol, Japan is the place to be! A big bottle of Baileys will cost only half of the price of that in Sydney and beer is so cheap you could drink it like water. Alcohol is seriously cheap here and you can just buy them at the supermarket! Alcoholics need not apply.

Note: For parents who are reading this and are worried about their children going crazy in Japan, please replace ‘alcohol’ with the word ‘green tea’. LOL!

Life outside the dormitory: Nil.

Just kidding! Gifu isn’t as eventful as Tokyo or Kyoto but you can still do a lot of things here like going out with your friends for karaoke or meals, head to the shopping malls to hang out, take a half hour bike ride just for Freshness Burger (bonus points if you do it while it is raining), climb Mt. Kinka a few times (note: only crazy people do this), swim in the river, and then there is the occasional outing planned by SED. Of course there are more mundane things like doing your UTS homework (ew!), doing your Japanese homework (double ew!) or just chilling in your room. All in all, a pretty pleasant stress-free lifestyle with not as many worries or responsibilities. I am definitely enjoying myself here and it is something I will miss once I have to shoulder again the responsibilities of my old life.