Another Orientation and More Introductions

Only the new students were required to be at the first half of the orientation to get a more in-depth description about the program, its history and goals. The program's supervisor, Ken Hase-G* (Hase-G was a nickname one of the boys I became good friends with started calling him), introduced all of the professors and staff involved and then each and every new student were asked to introduce themselves and state their major. There were students from all over the world: South Korea, Taiwan, China, Australia, France, Africa, Russia, and Sweden. In total there were only 30 new students accepted that semester, and with the 20 students that were already there for one semester there was only a total of 50 people within the program. I felt really lucky to be a part of the program because it took me about 5 months of paper-work, essay writing and interviews to get accepted and I was chosen at of hundreds of people all over the world that applied. To be honest, I didn't think I would have gotten selected.

After the first part of the orientation we were all brought into a bigger room where the students from the previous semester were waiting. Lina, Kallie and I took our seats in the front and center of the room and looked around to see if we could spot the people we knew. We spotted James and waved at each other and then I pointed out Cindy, who was sitting alone in the back, and then they told me where the Swede boy from their school was sitting. He was a massive and tall blonde who had smug facial features and always wore a smirk on his face. Lina and Kallie told me to be careful to not let him notice that I'm looking at him otherwise he'd think I was checking him out. Malinda, "The Boss", came in and sat in the back with a curly red-haired girl and a tall, scrawny mousy-haired young looking boy. The French girls all sat in a table with each other and kept to themselves. A new-comer group of blonde, white American boys that all looked identical sat at their own table, looking scared and helpless. The Swedes and I could already tell that there were cliques established within the program, both in the previous semester students and newcomers; and we were our own clique.

At that part of the orientation everyone stood up and introduced each other (gah! so many introductions) and then Hase-G explained what we were expected to do that semester. First he talked about the classes offered during the semester and the procedure for signing up for classes. Each class was an hour-and-a-half long and held just once a week, except for Japanese classes that had their own special circumstances depending on if one took a regular or intensive class. After taking a placement test, each student is assigned into a class appropriate for their level.

A = Beginning
B = Beginning/Intermediate
C = Intermediate
D = Intermediate/Advanced
E = Advanced

Individuals were placed into different leveled classes for each different Japanese language subject such as Kanji; Speaking and Listening; and Grammar. Therefor, a person could be placed into level C Grammar, Speaking and Listening but test poorly on the Kanji section of the test and be placed into level A Kanji.

We also had the option of learning more than just one level of Japanese at a time. Let's say that if a student was placed into A, he or she could choose to take a regular Japanese course and learn the entire A level material within one semester. If the person is super-crazy (like I was) they could choose to take an intensive course and learn both A and B level material within one semester. Keep in mind that back in America (and the other countries that everyone came from), universities take a whole year to teach just one level. Therefor, by taking a regular Japanese course through the study abroad program, a person comparatively learns an entire years worth of Japanese in just one semester. And, by taking an intensive course, a person learns TWO YEARS worth of learning Japanese at their home university in one semester (or three months).

Each different level of Japanese courses were usually held twice or more a week with regular classes lasting the normal hour-and-a-half long each day, and intensive courses lasting three hours each day. Kanji classes were held just once a week.

After explaining how the Japanese placement and courses worked Hase-G told us about the Individual Research Project we were all expected to complete. Before being accepted to the program, each applicant had to write a one-paged essay describing what they wished to research and why. Hase-G then explained that they put us into groups of people with related subjects and work together on an end-of-the-semester presentation. He told us to meet with our groups and then he proceeded to call out the names of each person and what group they belonged to. I was grouped with the people who all had Korean related subjects, but I was researching post-war Japanese literature and it just didn't fit. I asked Hase-G if I could change my independent research project's subject to 入れ墨／irezumi (traditional Japanese tattooing) and he gave me the 'OK' and put me in a group with four Australians who were all researching sub-cultures and art in Japan.

I was excited to have changed my subject because it would be a lot easier and it would give me the excuse to visit various tattoo shops in Japan. It would also give me the opportunity to share with people that I had tattoos, including a full back tattoo. The Australians decided to make me the group leader even though I had just changed my subject and wasn't exactly sure what I would be doing. We were all slightly confused as to what was going on and how we were supposed to tie our research together and give a presentation connecting them all at the end of the semester. This confusion would last until the end of the semester until the day of the presentations.

Shortly after meeting with our groups orientation ended and the newcomers were given the Japanese placement test. Those who had no Japanese language skills were taken to a different room and given their books and other materials for the level A course. There were only about ten of us who took the placement test. The placement test was really REALLY hard. Since it was a placement test originally created by the Japanese embassy for foreigners wishing to get popular scholarships to Japanese universities, it was written for people at an Intermediate/Advanced Japanese level. The listening section was way too fast, and they used Kanji that I had never seen on each question so I had no idea what it was saying. The only sections I was able to do well on was the essay and Kanji sections. The test ended and we were told that our scores would be posted at our dorms the next morning.

After the test I met up with the Swedes in the ISC (International Student Union) where I talked to a whole bunch of people for the first time. Lina, Kallie and I were invited by Malinda, Kana and James to go to 花見／hanami (literally flower watching) which is a popular event in Japanese culture. We were to go to a park and meet up with a group of the students from the previous semester to eat and drink under the sakura trees that were currently in bloom. Before parting, we were introduced to the other girl from California, Kacey*, who had just arrived the night before. Kacey seemed sweet and bubbly but reminded me of all of the college girls that I absolutely abhorred. We invited her to come along as well.

To be honest, the Swedes and I were kind of put off and annoyed by most of the people in the program, especially the group of people we were going to meet in the park. In the next entry I'll talk about my blooming dislike towards Kacy, my annoyance towards the other students, and going to hanami.

-Ofilia