November

My last blog was about a month ago, and it is now already approaching mid-November.

I wonder where to begin. This past month has been relatively tough for a multitude of reasons. I had an interview with an investment management company based in the states that I had been interested in for a few years, but unfortunately after two interviews they decided to go with someone else.

For the first week after this occurred, I literally looked at grad schools, fellowships and job opportunities until 6:00AM every day. I was also frustrated with my lack of consistent friends, and instead of trying to meet with people, sat in my room on my computer and felt sorry for myself. I distinctly remember the lowest point I reached: Lying on my stomach on my thin futon in my spartan apartment, I realized that if I somehow choked on a sandwich (this is especially strange as I haven't been able to obtain many choke-inducing-size sandwiches out here) and died, no one would find out for an estimated two weeks. Looking back on that moment I can laugh, but at the time it was fairly depressing. I quickly realized that this was an unhealthy pattern, and not very useful for that matter, and was eventually (in about 4 days) able to ween myself off of that habit.


I decided to focus more on relaxing, having fun and meeting people, and I'm pretty sure that I have been successful in that regard.

I took a trip out to Kansai to see my old home stay family. I went by night bus for the first time in Japan and had an "interesting experience." I of course didn't know exactly how they worked, so I tried to nap while bright lights were blaring at my face, then after an hour gave up and tried to read. As soon as I started reading they turned all of the lights off. I ended up laughing myself to sleep, and now I fortunately have learned the order of things. My home stay family is doing well despite the fact that my home stay father has recently been stricken with a severe case of stomach cancer. He has lost a considerable amount of weight, but always seems to be in good spirits when I see him. It was nice to spend time with them and get a few home-cooked Japanese meals under my belt. On the same trip I also had the opportunity to see two other Fulbright fellows, both in Kyoto. It was comforting to hear that they were going through the same types of struggles, and we exchanged advice. One of the fellows also gave me some cooking tips, which proved to be invaluable.

In regards to cooking - one of the what I like to call "grown-up skills" that I sorely lack, I have been improving rapidly. Most of this comes from necessity, but I have recently become proficient at cooking a few, admittedly simple, meals. I really had no idea how inexpensive it can be. Fortunately I live near an almost criminally cheap supermarket, and am able to purchase chicken breast for something to the tune of a dollar-fifty. Combine that with some vegetables, fruits and rice and you have nutritionally complete yet thrifty meal on your hands. The Yakiniku Tare - or basically sauce for cooking meat - has seemed like (and I'm stealing this quote from a Japanese friend) "something that came down from heaven" as it quickly adds flavor to any bland recipe I can imagine.

In Fukuoka I have recently met a lot of people, and have been slowly realizing that having a variety of friends, as opposed to sticking with just one group, can be an advantageous position to be in. I've been hanging out with undergrads from places like Sri Lanka, Bulgaria, Korea and China, as well as first year masters students from Japan. This way, a decent amount of time I'm speaking Japanese, while still learning about cultures other than the US and Japan, which keeps conversations fresh and interesting.

I even went to my first official American football game in Japan. Just this past Sunday I went to a Kyushu University game, where they played Kyushu Sangyou University. I was told Kyushu University had a good team for the Kyushu area, but I didn't expect what I saw. Kyushu University absolutely destroyed their opponent, 44 - 0. The level of play was much higher than what I saw at Kansai Gaidai when I studied abroad there my sophomore year. The most interesting thing about the game: Kyushu University's team nickname - The Palookas - a name that truly strikes fear into opponents hearts. In case you didn't know (I sure as heck didn't), a Palooka, according to the American Heritage Dictionary is 1.) "Sports - An incompetent or easily defeated athlete, especially a prizefighter." or 2.) "Slang - A stupid or clumsy person."
Wow.

On the academic side of things, I have been focusing on my coursework, and more specifically my Japanese language courses. They are proving to be useful, and there has been a decent amount of cross-over between my Japanese language classes and my economics and management classes conducted in Japanese. It's always a great feeling to understand a word that you just learned an hour earlier in a different class. I have recently learned, however strange it may sound, that I need to study the USA more. In class I am frequently asked about my position or thoughts on certain historical and recent events in or regarding the states, and I in turn frequently have no idea how to respond.

I have downloaded a flashcard program on my computer which has helped me absorb material much more quickly than in the past. It allows me to test myself on recently learned Japanese vocabulary, characters and phrases every night, and this constant review has proven invaluable. In case anyone is interested, it's called "anki" (which means "memorization" in Japanese - but the program can be used for just about anything) and is available for free at: ichi2.net/anki/

My research has been slow to start. I have recently received some tips as far as preliminary research materials from my adviser, but I haven't put them to work yet. I have a feeling that I'll start digging into them soon, but I don't expect anything substantial to come about until next semester, which I feel is an understandable and acceptable time-line. In my research proposal I wrote that I'd focus on Japanese language and economics coursework during my first semester, and focus on research my second semester, and it's looking like it will turn out that way.

Lastly - Trips!
I recently went on my first Kyushu excursion with fellow Oberlin Alumnus Tom Newhall, over to a shrine in a town called Usa, in the neighboring prefecture of Oita. It was a nice, although short trip (basically one afternoon and evening) but it left me hungry for more. I'm planning on going back to Kansai later in the month for a large Fulbright fellow gathering for thanksgiving, which should prove to be "splendid." I think 12 of the 15 fellows are coming down, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing everybody and exchanging tales and insights. Also: on December 5th I'm flying to Seoul to meet up with my freshman roommate John Hugens, which I'm also very excited about. I've never been to, nor seriously studied Korea, so it will be interesting to compare the country to both Japan and China. A 5 day trip with free lodgings, free tour guide (John, if it wasn't obvious), and a exchange rate that's laughably in my favor - to say it simply, should be "fun."

Ok, well I hope everyone is doing well!

Max