Earthquakes and Bank Accounts

Yesterday the JS group went to visit an earthquake simulator at a emergency center learning place. After experiencing the simulation, I can't imagine what the real thing would feel like. Scary. I hope I won't have to experience a huge earthquake while I'm here! I also realized at the emergency center that I am not capable at using a Japanese style toilet.  I mean, I guess I could if I really tried hard too, but it's just a bit too intimidating...so for now I'll stick with the Western style toilets haha.

There was also a health exam at Waseda yesterday, which if you want to use the gym at Waseda you have to take. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to complete all of the necessary requirements of the exam that day. Since my right eye is pretty bad, the lady at the eye testing station told me to have another eye exam at a later date. I mean, I am already aware that my eyesight in that eye is bad, so I don't really need to have another appointment. I guess if I go I'll just show them my prescription and try to explain that my eyesight is nothing new, but I don't even know if I'll have the time to go. I also wasn't able to do the urine test that day, so I have to have that exam at another date too. As much as I want to use the Waseda gym, I can always just jog outside, or go with my host father sometime (who goes everyday at 6 in the morning...lol).

For lunch I ate at a tendon (tempura and rice) restaurant near Waseda with some Team members. It. Was. So. Good. Seriously. All my money goes towards food here. So bad. I was pretty tired yesterday (I sorta had a fever the night before and was just generally exhausted from walking around at Kamakura), so I was ready to just go home and sleep. Before I could go home, however, there was the last orientation session for our program. My program has been really great and has done so much for us. I'll definitely miss seeing everyone from my group on a regular basis! But I know I'll see them throughout the year :)

I also figured out my schedule (for the most part)! I'll be taking Japanese Intensive 3 (trying at least), Exploring Tokyo (we go on field trips around the Tokyo area and it's taught by my program director), War and Peace, and a Japanese Language, Society, and Culture class (where we read Japanese novels and learn about Japan). I've heard that classes at Waseda are really easy, so I hope that my schedule won't be too hard!

That night I had the first home cooked dinner from my host mom. She made yakisoba and other delicious side dishes! Although things are still a bit awkward at times, I really am super thankful for my host family. And so far, they seem to like me! My host mom told me that my host brother and father had both become more あかるい (bright) since I've come. It's almost been a week since I've come here! I also watched some kid's shows with my host brother here. We watched Pokemon and a show called Hanakapa(?). I could understand some of it, but to be honest I was so tired that I spaced out for most of it haha.
Also, every night I've been at my host family I've had some alcohol. I mean I know I can refuse, but I want to spend time with them (and I don't mind drinking as long as I don't drink too much) and I don't want to be rude. They really like alcohol lol. I'm going to become fat...
Also (was this last night?) I was invited to go with them to Okayama too. I'm so excited to travel with my host family!

Today was technically the first day of classes, but since I have no class on Friday I was free. I used this time to open a bank account here (I have to for my scholarship) with some Team members. Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I thought it would be! I think it was even easier than it was when I opened my account in the U.S. (although my account here is a bit different). After the bank we ate lunch at an Italian place in Ikebukuro since we were already there for the bank account. Ikebukuro feels somewhat nostalgic now (and I'm pretty familiar to certain areas of it now). It was a lot of fun hanging out there during orientation. I think I'll always like that section of Tokyo.
Oh an on a side note, I though it was really interesting how my 5 year old host brother went to the conbini across from our apartment by himself this morning to buy milk. I would have never been able to do something like that by myself at that age! すごい!~

Anyway, I stopped at cute  furniture/trinket shop on way home. As usual, things were cute but a bit expensive. I really need to sit down and budget someday soon. After that I walked around my home area a bit more, but I still want to explore so much more! And there seem to be so many yummy looking restaurants that I hope I can visit!

Tonight's dinner was oden; my first oden in Japan! Basically oden is a big bowl of boiled eggs, daikon, mochi, little sausage (in ours), some types of tofu, konnyaku, etc. There was also cucumbers, sushi, drinks of course, and other delicious things. (I took a picture and will put it up later!~). My host mom's friends and their kids came over too which was a lot of fun. They were all saying how my Japanese is good for the amount of time I've been studying (it's not) and were talking about how I'll be popular with the boys here (lololol). They were really nice people, and tomorrow we'll be going to a small festival with them which will be a lot of fun! They were also asking me about if I could help teach their kids English through art or something fun like that, which I would be glad to do if I have the time. Overall, I'm really glad about the host family I've got :)

Tomorrow I have my first class (on Saturday sadly) so hopefully that will go well! Goodnight all!~