Gatherings and Goings About
Since my second day, I’ve been living a pretty full life. Right now I’m sitting with my notebook, some Miles Davis, and a few new stationary items (which are startlingly expensive in Japan,) after a long day of placement exams and lectures.
Since arriving in Japan, I’ve already met up twice with Ayako and Tomoko, who both came to OU the past semester on a spring break exchange program. Going out to eat and walking around with the two of them has resulted in what are probably my favorite two experiences in Japan thus far, despite the fact that the Japanese fries me, and I’m sure I come off as awkward as it makes me feel.
When my first week in Japan, abruptly cranked into motion on 09/08/09, slowly stopped spinning, and rolled past the cherry and the lemon into the weekend, I went to meet Ayako and Tomoko at a nearby kaitenzushi restaurant. We ate a decent amount of cheaply priced sushi and had a decent amount of conversation, stopping only to impose ourselves on some poor waitress, so that we could ask them to take our picture.
After lunch, the two showed me around campus, and most of the surrounding area. We briefly visited a lot of the temples around the school, and went to a nearby area that was pretty busy. All said and done, we walked for about 5 or 6 hours, before eating dinner and then splitting off for the day. It was really a lot of fun, and I’m already starting to get to know this part of Kyoto really well. 
When we met up for the second time this past Wednesday (the day before my orientation began) the two brought a friend along (Shihou-san,) and we all went to an Indian place near campus, where once more we ate lunch and spent a lot of time talking. We hung out from 12 until 3, and then split off our separate ways. It was a very enjoyable afternoon, but at the end, it really left me receding into discontent.
When you remove my voice, what of interest is left to me? I’m not a powerfully energetic person, nor am I well-suited to party-like get-togethers. I’ve certainly begun to feel the pressure of one of my major original fears. By no means am I brilliant, but it seems to me that my defining quality is my flavor of intellect.
The side thoughts that I have up until now included in these writings, and intend to continue to produce in the writings that follow, will remain absent from this post, in recognition of my inability to verbally recognize my inner voice when interacting with the Japanese.
It is exhausting to speak and understand a new language all day. These are good pictures.
Zack, It is guaranteed that plenty of people will find you interesting and seek you out and plenty others will think you a nerd! Just be confident in yourself, please.