Down Time

One wonders what I expected when I made plans to visit my Meijo University friends while they still have school every day. And part time jobs. And boyfriends or girlfriends. And tests.

The days are long, so far each weekday spent at the university campus. On Monday, I went to an English class with some friends. Because of the 23 centemeters of snow, only about 10 of the 30 students showed. The teacher, a guy from Austrailia, asked if I wanted to be a part of class. Like at Bunkyo Univeristy near Tokyo, in this class I introduced myself, answered questions, and asked the students questions. Then it was the classic "free day" we all loved in high school -- sensei put on a movie (Meet The Parents), the students could study (not many did), or go to the library to check out a book for that book report with the looming deadline.

Come to think of it, that sounds an awful lot like high school in the U.S.A. A lot of things about college in Japan seem that way. Cliques. Cafeteria food. Goofing off in the halls in between classes.

As for me, a lot of reading. Watching people who are clearly watching me (I kind of stand out). Surprising friends who do not know I am even in the country (in all, there are about 80 students at Meijo who I would recognize well and who would definitely recognize me, these being the ones I lived with in the dorms for the past two summers at OSU. Countless others who have exchanged at OSU for a term during the school year might recognize me from seeing me on campus ... but at OSU ... I do not stand out at all).

So I read. Reading a book about Mike Royko, the famous Chicago columnist. Finished a book (finally) by NPR's Anne Garrels, who covered the Iraq war and its aftermath. Other books are on standby.

What did I expect? I guess I didn't think about the long days of nothingness. But really it is tolerable. So I do not complain. I see friends in the hall ... we chat, they go to class. Just like high school. Except that I do not have class. No complaints there. I walk around, look at the campus, the main tower, the surrounding brick buildings, the walkways, the students. The view ... the miles of homes and buildings, the hillside cemetary right next door. The sounds ... cleaning crews, vending machine refiller people, Japanese voices I cannot undertand.

And the reading.

Plus, tomorrow, I have booked a gig. Sitting around talking with a firend on campus Tuesday, I ran into one of Meijo's English teachers, who hails from Eugene and was a chaperone with the Oregon groups. He set up a visit to a class filled with the next group of Meijo students comming to Oregon. That is at 4:30 tomororw. I go to campus at 10 a.m. I guess I shall grab a book.

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Schedule notes -- Planned to go to Osaka this week to visit a friend there, but his mother got sick and that was scrapped. Going to Kyoto by next Wednesday. Not sure where I shall be for New Years Eve, maybe Kyoto, maybe Nagoya again. Dec.3 is my departure day, leaving Tokyo at around 4 p.m. and arriving in Portland at about 7 a.m. Dec. 3, finally stealing back that day I lost on the 12th.

To come --

more pictures, I promise (not today)

Christmas is for couples; singles to gather at pub (and other holiday notes)

Key words in Japanese (including the "anything is OK" phrase that never works.)

Stay tuend.