My Daily Life

So today I realized I have only offered you a small window into life in Japan. Therefore in this post I will draw you a picture of the more mundane aspects of what I do everyday.

Everyday I wake up around 7 and get dressed. I get my school bag together, then go downstairs. I always say "ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) to my family. Then I have breakfast. Every morning I have some juice (which is much sweeter than in America) some type of fruit, and then one piece of toast. The bread they use is an inch thick, so one piece is pretty filling.

After breakfast I leave for school and say "ittekimas" (I'm leaving and will return) and my host family says "ittarashaimasu" (google it). I ride a bicycle for about 5-10 minutes to a bicycle parking lot. The bike ride can be a little scary, because the roads are narrow and the cars are usually going pretty fast, not to mention the other bikers, pedestrians, and motorbikes.

I park the bike at the special bike parking lot. Then I walk about 5 minutes to the train station (densha eki). I use my train pass to get in then wait about 5-10 for the next local train to take me to school. Usually I am on the train/at the stations for about 20-30 minutes. Once I get to the station near school it is about a 5 minute walk to Osaka Gakuin.

Right now, I have been showing up early for class. Now that I am more used to the route to school I won't leave the house so early from now on. My Japanese classes are everyday of the week for a little over two hours. In the evenings several days a week I am taking a Japanese film class and a Japanese theatre class.

After my languages classes I have lunch with the other exchange students and Japanese students. We have been going to different places everyday for lunch trying new foods.

Right now the evening classes haven't started yet, so after lunch I have gone out with various ofther exchange students to explore Osaka. I have been out shopping and sightseeing etc.

Usually I try to be home by 6:00 for dinner. When I get home I say "tadaima" (google it) and whoever's home says "okaeri" (you returned). My Host mother has thus far made something different for dinner every night, sometimes I try it and can't eat it but for the most part I have enjoyed her cooking. After dinner I do homework and visit with my Host parents and Host brother Akinori. Around 9 I take a shower, brush my teeth, say "oyasuminasai" to my parents (goodnight) and go upstairs. I don't actually go to bed until midnight, so during my free time in the late evening I go on the internet and update all my stuff, check emails, skype, etc.

And then I sleep : )

My life is actually pretty routine now, but I do plan on going on a lot of weekend trips as well as longer trips on my holidays.

The reason I emphasize the daily greetings is because they are important in every day life. The way I've had it explained to me is that the daily greetings (aisatsu) are a way to show respect and to acknowledge one another in everyday life.

Jya Mata