Konnichiwa!

Konnichiwa!

I'm waiting for my visa to come through the mail and praying that my passport won't end up on the black market.

I leave for Japan August 31st and will arrive at the Kansai International Airport (KIX) September 1st at 6:20pm. I know I can handle the 13 hour plane ride, but I really really want some good movies to be playing! As a precaution, I'm limiting my movie views this summer because I don't want to end up drooling on my 13 hour neighbor. Lets call him Ned.

Once I get to KIX I have to boot scoot n' boogy through customs and immigration before my ride leaves me sleeping in the airport.

After I arrive at Kansai Gaidai University (KG) I'll be settled into a temporary dorm with temporary roommates for orientation meetings and the class lottery.

To sign up for classes each exchange student (there are 400-750 of us) will receive a number. If you get a low number (98) you're most likely going to get the classes you want. If its a high number, expect squat. Luckily, I don't need any classes this semester to graduate. However, I might cry myself to sleep if I end up with all business classes.

Here is a list of what I know about my semester so far:

• I'm going to have a required friend known as my Japanese-Speaking Partner. S/he will be Japanese and learning English. Once a week we'll meet and help each other learn the language.
• I'll be living in a eight tatami mat dorm room with one other person. My bed is a floor futon. I'm really excited about being able to stuff my bed into a closet to save space. I will be sharing a full scale kitchen, bathroom, common room, computer room, and study area with the whole floor. There are four Seminar Houses (dorms) within a 20-30 minute walk to campus.
• Earthquakes are frequent and according to my advisor its not uncommon to wake up due to the swaying. I'm not so excited about that.
• The KG campus is in the middle of a triad of three cities. One of such cities is Osaka the second largest city in Japan.

I have a lot to do to get ready!