Mortal words

It's about time I remarked on the passing of Nitin Bezbaruah Sarangapani.

He was out celebrating his 24th birthday with friends this past Saturday night. Around 1am on Sunday, he spoke with his parents (I assume so they could wish him a happy birthday), and some time after that
he was shot dead by as yet unknown (or at least, unrevealed) assailants.

As of Tuesday night (all time references in this entry are in the Texas time frame), his parents still had not seen his body, the police had only given them a case number, and there was no further answer to "why." The various Assamese mailing lists have been abuzz and distraught with the news all week. His passing is felt, literally, all over the world.

Nitin was a Marine on reserve and very enthusiastic about this "calling." So much so that there were, at times, arguments in cyberspace and not a few harsh words said. He was eager to serve in Iraq, but (as my mother tells it) he never went as his parents feared losing him.
Alas, to lose him right in their hometown, with his entire life ahead of him, to an "enemy" they never knew they had.

I wasn't particularly close to Nitin. In fact there were times I had issues with or questions about him, but that doesn't mean I can't be deeply touched by this tragedy. I think part of it is the nature of the Assamese community in America. We really are a family. We have our rifts, our quarrels, our stupidities, but, it's been proven time and again, that no one fights his demons alone.

I hate being away from the community (particularly the Houston community I grew up with) at times like this. Geeta Auntie's passing was a similarly difficult time for me. To be unable to be with the rest of my "family" while they face this and to be without the rest of my "family" while I face it proved then to be more difficult than I expected. I was able to attend a Naam for Geeta Auntie, but it will likely be two years before I can physically join in my family's grieving for Nitin.

The inability to partake in these rituals is a twofold tragedy for me. First and obviously, I can not join my community in commemorating Nitin's life. Second, these rituals are fading. This was clear already at Geeta Auntie's Naam. A few adults read and sang, but most of the teenagers/young adults sat toward the back and bowed their heads. The words are in the tattered pages of decaying books, which only one or two families possess and must share with the rest of the gathering. The tunes are not written down at all. They are part of the collective memory... but a memory *from* Assam, to which many of my generation will never have access. I recognized several tunes and choruses and was able to join in, but I was the only one my age. I don't even want to think about what will happen when...
We will survive. All the little parts that make us who we are. We must.

And that of course is another reason I am deeply touched by this particular tragedy, especially given Nitin's age. It seems I hear about death more and more these days. Often, with the elderly or frail, it is expected; sometimes, as now, it comes as a shock. But in recent years, it has come "too" often. I realize my parents' generation is aging, which means their parents, their relatives, their older siblings, with whom they have had little or no contact at times, is aging as well (faster even, if they are still in India). And yet I am surprised, unprepared... and scared. Not by death. Death doesn't scare me, it never has, but loss... the loss of love... when all too often important things are left unsaid... that is another matter.

I know it is just another phase of life. As Stefanie has entered that phase when the marriage of her friends or the birth of their first child is no longer surprising, my parents' have entered that phase when the passing of their parents' generation is, sadly, also no longer surprising. But maybe right there in that sentence there is solace, for there are certainly many many more babies in the "family" these days.

And knowing and feeling these things now, being frightened now, that can serve us. We still have plenty of time to preserve and pass on our rituals, to reinforce and emphasize the importance of our ties. As Nitin joined us in life by using a mailing list to connect the Assamese youth, so he can join us in death, if we use the awareness this tragedy gives us to begin the process of connecting Assamese youth with our parents.

*********************************************************************
In lieu of sending flowers, the bereaved family is requesting all well wishers to send cash contributions payable to Nitin Bezbaruah Sarangapani Memorial Fund and mail to 12007 Klein Meadow Dr., Houston, TX 77066. The money collected will be used for charitable cause.

Funeral Services at:
Brookside Funeral Home
3410 FM 1960 West
Houston, Texas 77068
Tel: 281-397-0800

Cemetery:
Klein Memorial Park
FM 2920 Tomball, TX 77377

Friday 9/30/05
6-8 PM Public viewing (Family is requesting well wishers to use the public viewing on Saturday)
Saturday 10/1/05
12 - 1 PM Public viewing
1 - 2 PM Memorial service
2:30 PM Police escorted procession to the cemetery for burial with full military honour
4:30 PM (estimated) Naam Kirtan (Prayer)/Refreshment at Sarangapani's home followed by dinner

Always hungry

I have been eating *so much* lately. I don't understand why... well, I have some suspicions, but so far no evidentiary support. Anyway, the point is that I've been eating a lot. Yesterday, while studying for my First Big Test, I ate half a pack of Pocky (only 82JPY, but not as fun to eat alone) and twelve gyoza. No part of this was dinner, which was udon and a bamboo shoots/mushrooms/potato/peas concoction I'd prepared the day before.
Today, I had this huge break between two parts of the test, so I came all the way home for a lunch (I normally come home after class and have a proper late lunch/early dinner). First, I stopped at Kado (as it would be spelled in katakana, but the letters on the shopfront read "Cadot," I think it has something to do with it being an "epicerie et vin" or something) to purchase some ready-made lunch, as I didn't quite have enough time to cook up my own. I bought a tuna onigiri (I'm still convinced somehow that these things are awesome, even though they taste a bit boring until you get to the good stuff in the middle - I think it has to do with the novelty and presentation), a pack of sushi rolls and inari (four of each), a packet of "O-inari" (which I think/hope are the tofu pouches into which you stuff sticky rice for inari and I'm super-excited about trying it out), and a box of


(Are they Crunchy? Are they Funky? Are they... Crunk even? No, they're **~Crunky~**. I saw these yesterday and was dissuaded by the price, but today I couldn't help myself.)
After having eaten all but one of these nine "Kuranki Bisketto" (the last of which I probably will have eaten by the time I finish this post), I can say with some authority that they are not actually "with chocolate." It's more hazelnutty, which is nice, but not particularly satisfying as, for the past week, for the first time in my life, I have had a bona fide

CHOCOLATE CRAVING. (I can deny it no longer.)

If you know me, you'll know this is *highly* irregular, but then, since coming to Japan, I don't think I've exactly been myself in most respects. Besides the chocolate, pizza, and idli cravings, I seem to have become more lactose intolerant (not the kind that just goes away if I keep at it), even *thirstier* than before (if you can believe it), and (if the Shoji Class project/presentation this Friday is successful in any sense) more creative, less self-conscious, and more leader-y.

So anyway, back to my eating habits. I had all four pieces of sushi, all four inari, the one onigiri, three of the bisketto, and half a liter of water for lunch. Something tells me the Japanese would be *shocked* by my American appetite. But honestly, this is a bit irregular for me. Just now, for dinner, I had half a cup of rice (half a cup when dry) and a good-sized portion of salmon (into which I rubbed wasabi, red chili powder, black pepper, and salt two nights ago - mmm good) cooked in egg and bamboo shoots, and at present I am in the process of finishing off the Crunky cookies.
As much as I am craving pizza etc, my lunch today, for being pre-made, was really good, and way more satisfying than a similar pack in America would have been (stupid "California rolls," what kind of crap is that, really). I don't think I'm tired of Japanese food (honestly, I never eat out, so that couldn't be it); I think I'm tired of my own food. Hmm, well hopefully with time I'll get better at it. I'll let you know how the O-inari works out.

Today at lunch

There was a little festival right outside my front door.



Above, everyone pigging out (even the cops enjoyed a beer). I finally realized why the landowner and friends had been cooking outside all morning.
Below, a close up of what I think is the altar.


The sounds were the really incredible part. I wish I could post videos here too (I tried, didn't work).

My apartment

Yes, it's pink. I wasn't kidding.


From the front door: shower/bath on the left, followed by the toilet room, refrigerator in the back right corner, bedroom through the sliding door.


The view back from the sliding door: fridge on the left with microwave and rice cooker on top, sink, gas rings, front door.


Bedroom from the sliding door: mattress, table with computer, sliding door to balcony, chair and "desk."


Bedroom from balcony-side: foldable table with tiny drawers, sliding door with kitchenette behind, closet.

Lights out in Humble

51 minutes ago I received the last email from my mom, saying that the lights were flickering and therefore she was turning off the computer. I keep hitting the New York Times, hoping for more updattes. Perhaps I should be checking the Chronicle more often too.

I know everyone keeps saying that Rita is going further East, but these satellite images are less than comforting. And somewhere in the Times, I read someone (I've read so many articles now I can't remember who said what where) say that Houston is better prepared (than New Orleans)... but have people forgotten when the Medical Center (and various other parts of Houston) flooded, stranding/killing people in elevators and destroying years of lab work? Even if Houston escapes the worst, there's still potential for problems. I can't believe there are still people in Galveston and Beaumont.

Rita

Don't be scared, be safe.

I've been hearing about the awful conditions in Houston right now (and Rita hasn't even made landfall yet). I hope you all have stocked up on food and water. If you're not evacuating (like my parents), hopefully you've boarded up your windows and filled your bathtubs and all that other fun stuff. If you have evacuated, hopefully you're not stranded on the road somewhere in Houston (or between Houston and Austin, as Richa's parents almost were) without gas or with a broken down car.

Everyone else, not in the path of the hurricane, please cross your fingers and keep Houston (and my parents and Tigger) in your thoughts... Hopefully they'll get through this with minimal damage, as they did in 1983.

Oishiiiiiiiiii

Today I had the unagi I bought at Itouyokaado for dinner. If it were fresher, it would have been much better, but as it is... Oh man. I ate the *whole thing* myself, all 980JPY worth. I thought it'd make two dinners for me, but I just couldn't get enough, and I figured it might not be as tasty as leftovers anyway so... I have no regrets.

In other news, the Islanders walloped the Rangers last night, a fitting and (very) satisfying precursor to hockey's comeback season. Yes, I'm going to be reporting hockey news from time to time. No, I've never actually seen a hockey game myself.

I'm feeling unusually tired at 10pm... it must be food coma.

Miscellany

Another thing that amazed my Dad... folding chairs like these just sit on the sidewalk at bus stops. No one takes them; people use them. Pretty extraordinary.


Not particularly humorous except that Jared Fogle's in Japan. (I apologize again for the angle.)


A poster in Itouyokaado, a mall (sort of) in Musashi-sakai. It says, "PinkyBell: Here we have all kinds of socks inspired by cute and sweet girls and their families... Let's find lovely socks at pinkybell and enjoy fashion."
Mmmm, Engrish. There were some awesome Engrish t-shirts in Harajuku. Another thing I intend to buy/collect.

Today in class Koumatsu-sensei asked if I'd cut my hair (I wear it pinned up since it's hot), and after I explained, she added "You have a small face. That's nice/good. Japanese people have big faces." ????
I've also become the go-to exotic specimen. Even though I have said multiple times that I'm from America, whenever other countries and/or customs come up, inevitably sensei turns to me and says, "Ee to, Indo wa...?" comes up. Today it happened twice: in discussion about writing country names in kanji and in discussion about world religions. It's also happened in relation to population and dowry/bride-burning. Fantastic. I used to fight it in America, but I'm feeling rather resigned right now. (At least they know what India is, after all.)

Who's excited about Hockey?! Rangers at Islanders "tonight" (preseason).

Some pictures

So I don't know how many I can post. I guess we'll find out. I have others (like of the Meiji Shrine), but for some reason I can't rotate them, and as I don't want everyone to have a crick in his neck...


So this first... we were wandering around Harajuku, trying quite unsuccessfully to find the interestingly dressed people, but we did find this! A Nathan's hot dog stand. I hope Brett gets a kick out of this. Philip just happened to end up in the picture, but really, the point of it was the hot dog stand.

There's Lolita...
and then there's Gothic Lolita.

And then there are those we'd rather not see at all, whom Phil and Stu dubbed "CrotchMan and AssGirl." I know it needs to be rotated, but I really thought this deserved immediate posting. You can't really tell from the photo, but the man is wearing shiny tights (and bearing his midriff and treasure trail), and the back of the woman's dress is almost nonexistent. They started out taking pictures of other people, then attracted quite a crowd themselves. In fact, I think that was their tactic.

For the most part, the clothes weren't *that* outlandish. Stu's sister apparently dresses like this on a regular basis, whereas these kids bring their costumes in rolling suitcases, change, and then stand on the sidewalk outside the Meiji Shrine every Sunday for the express purpose of being photographed. And we indulge them! That was the most curious part (which is why most of my photos are of other people taking photos or unposed). As far as I can tell, it isn't much of a "culture" or lifestyle. Not the way we expect goth or punk or whatnot to be elsewhere. But it is an incredible social phenomenon to witness. I was astounded by the way two girls with very little presence who were doing nothing more than standing in the middle of the sidewalk could gather a swarm of people... and I suspect the fact that they're not striking or traditionally attractive in the first place has something to do with this blatant fishing for attention.

What's interesting to me is that, despite all the "nail that sticks up gets hammered down" ideas about Japan, they still seem to love their sticking-up-nails and in a way few other places do... how else could kids pull this off elsewhere? They'd be considered posers or sell-outs where I come from. Because at the same time, they don't quite stick up, do they? Because here in Harajuku it's expected and accepted and everybody does it. They have their own little niche in society, and society displays its acceptance by indulging their intrinsically self-conscious egoism, manifested in ritual Sunday attire.
And in a way I don't think the Japanese are completely oblivious to what they're doing either.
Stu, Phil, and I were just sitting on the sidewalk, like everyone else, and a man actually approached me to take my picture. Obviously I wasn't dressed "oddly" (except that I'm perhaps not nearly as feminine or fashionable as your average Japanese girl walking the street) I'm just different. 100% naturally different. Who knew that still counted for something?

Still, I am terribly tempted to try it one day. After people-watching for a while, we wandered around a bit more (including into a Tintin store) and found Takeshita Dori (where someone called Stu "Slim Shady" in an effort to lure him into a store), where many of the "trendier"-seeming shops were, including Gothic Lolita supplies (we were not allowed to take pictures in the stores). It's quite expensive stuff, but I fully intend to acquire a complete Gothic (maybe or maybe not Lolita) costume while I'm here and have a go at crowd-fishing in Harajuku.
(I guess I am living out a fantasy, buying clothes I've always wanted, but never felt legitimate enough to wear... but, like I said, you can get away with that here.)

A world of a laughter, a world of cheer?

At 6:30 am, my neighbor's alarm clock went off...
Yes, that's right, it played the classic "It's a Small World After All."

And, to make matters worse, it seems the alarm's owner hit snooze, because not too much later,
it went off again.

d'oh.

I would really love some

IDLI. I think I was dreaming about it the other day actually...

Today, after spending my morning making flashcards of the kanji I theoretically already know, chatting online with Fuji, my sister, and Brett, after dinner and a shower, I headed down to Philip's room. Actually, Tuesday, after that last post, I ended up in Philip's room with him and Tad. This time it was Philip, Tad, Stuart, and me. (Stu doesn't live in our building but also comes from Leeds.) We watched some Red Dwarf and Spaced (both very enjoyable, and actually, I thought something about the main guy from Spaced reminded me of Owen... his facial expressions or something), I helped Philip make hotcakes for him and Tad, and I ate a "pot" of his ice cream. Oh man, their English English is awesome and dreadfully contagious. I'm afraid when my vowels slip that they think I'm stupid or teasing, but really... I've noticed my tendency to imitate in the past, but I've never been around anything as drastic as this so, I'm suddently very self-conscious about it.

Anyway, tomorrow we're planning to go into Harajuku. Apparently Sunday is when Tokyo youth go out in their finest attire. I'll take my camera, and *eventually* there will be pictures.

Speaking of pictures, Fuji cut his hair. And I nearly had a heart attack when I first saw the picture (I definitely screamed out loud). I still experience minor shock everytime my email opens and there he is... and there his hair isn't. Alas. We move on.

But back to me, here, in Japan...
Friday after class I attended a "nomikai" with my Shoji class. There was very little "nomi" involved at this nomikai actually, though I've been told nomikai are pretty serious drinking parties. (Incidentally, Philip, Tad, and Stu went to the Tennis Circle's nomikai at the same time and there was *loads* of drinking; they got back at 4am and Tad's been hungover all day... he also managed to spend about 10000JPY.) There was TONS of food though, and the profs footed most of the bill. Each of us only paid 1000JPY. I had my first onigiri, which I found quite charming and yummy. Japanese food is so subtle, and there's something so appetizing about the rice alone. Onigiri doesn't seem that hard to make, so maybe I'll try my hand at it one of these days. Would make a pretty nice, portable lunch.

I should get to bed as I need to go grocery shopping before heading out tomorrow. The weather's finally starting to cool off some, most notably in the evening. I'm a little worried about how the heating in my "flat" is going to work out...

Even I notice

how leftist (in the silly way) the New York Times can be, but
I still read it.

"The new Human Development Report 2005, recently issued by the U.N. Development Program, is blessedly undiplomatic in its willingness to point figures - at just about everybody. It notes that the U.S. and other rich countries seem unwilling to provide a total of $7 billion annually for the next decade to provide 2.6 billion people with access to clean drinking water. That investment would save 4,000 lives a day, and the cost is less than Europeans spend on perfume - or than Americans spend on cosmetic surgery."

"Two countries that should be the leaders of the developing world, China and India, are both off track and should be ashamed of their records. In India, among children 1 to 5, girls are 50 percent more likely to die than boys, meaning that each year 130,000 Indian girls are discriminated to death."

--Kristof

Igirisu kara kita otoko no hito to Nihongo ni tsuite

Did I mention that three of the boys from my intensive Japanese class (all from the same university in England) live in my building? 213, 214, and 216 (and I'm in 224). It makes things a little interesting in class when we role-play:

Sensei: Tonari no hito ni uchi ni iki-kata o kiitekudasai. [Ask the person next to you how to get to his/her house.]
Phillip-san [whispers]: ...but we live in the same building...
Me [whispers back]: just pretend...
Phillip-san: Indu-san no uchi ni ikitaindesu ga, dou ittara ii desu ka? [I want to go to your house, how should I go? ... which is funny too because the ~taindesu construction implies some pretty serious feelings of desire]
or
Sensei: Tonari no hito no heya nitsuite, kiite e o kaitekudasai. [Ask about your neighbor's room, and draw a picture.]
*time passes*
Sensei: Tad-san, Phillip-san no heya wa dou desu ka? [Tad, what do you think of Phillip's room?]
Tad-san: Phillip-san no heya to watashi no heya ga onaji desu. [Our rooms are the same.]

Anyway, they're all three very cute kids. I've been picking up Tad's music on iTunes, including some recordings of him beat-boxing, and Chris plays bass. Phillip's my favourite though. He always seems on the verge of asking or saying something, but seems hesitant, like he doesn't know quite how to go about it with me. Today in class he asked me how things were going (in Japanese), and I asked him if he cooks for himself. He says his rice isn't great, so I was extolling the virtues of my rice cooker. After getting home, I caught him and Tad doing laundry, looking a little stressed out and confused about it. When we said good-bye afterward, he seemed like he had more to say, but nothing came out. Very cute. Maybe tomorrow, I will make rice in my rice cooker and take some to Phillip-san. He's also said he likes anime, so maybe, if he brought some with him, I could ask to borrow some (or watch together). He seems a little more open to making friends and hanging out together outside of class than Tad or Chris. It might also be nice to cook with (or for) someone. I just don't want to come across as too forward or something...

As for Japanese, it's not too bad yet, considering we have four class periods a day. Some of the grammar is review, but I've forgotten nearly all my kanji (Chinese characters), so I'm practicing that outside of class. Yet... Kishimoto-sensei, the teacher of my NYU summer course, kept emphasizing that Japanese was easy but... no way. I think he was just trying to encourage optimism, but honestly, there are so many different ways to say the same thing... well, it's not *really* the same thing. The literal translation is the same, but you use one when you want to imply such-and-such emotion and you use another for such-and-such emotion or... some other nonsense. Conditional, tatoeba [for example]...

V-plain +to +Clause2

Clause2 is an automatic consequence of V-ing

V-plain -[u] +[e]ba +Clause2

the condition has not yet been realized or is counter-factual or purely hypothetical, and has an iff implication

V-plain +nara +Clause2

the condition was mentioned previously in context, as in "if it is the case that" or "since" V (originated by someone other than speaker)

V-plain-past +ra + Clause2

the condition must be completed before Clause2 takes place

Or transitive and intransitive... why do there have to be two different verbs for "I open the door" and "The door opens"...? I mean, really. And there's no consistent rule there either... sometimes the intransitive is an [u]-verb and the transitive a [ru]-verb, sometimes the two start with the same syllable... The content is clear from the kanji, but it's entirely possible I'd read it out loud incorrectly.

I can't keep all these little details straight when I'm actually trying to *use* and speak Japanese. I wonder if it takes longer for a Japanese child to get to the same competency level of an English child. I wouldn't be surprised.

As complicated as it can get, I find it really fascinating... on multiple levels. The kanji are really cool to learn, to understand how they developed (and it's always fun to translate them literally, "tomorrow" for example is written with two kanji - "bright" and "day"), and all these little contextual/emotional details that are embedded in the grammar... is it because Japanese developed specifically to be a more emotionally expressive language, or is it just because it's relatively phonemically poor and they therefore had to improvise a multitude of ways to say everything without saying a lot? And I wonder, because so much emotion and implication *are* embedded in actual grammatical constructs, is chatting online in Japanese generally less ambiguous than chatting in English sometimes is?

Technically

I did not post on 9/11, not the 9/11 everyone in the States experienced. Remember I'm at least 13 hours ahead of you and did not blog for the 24 hours of official mourning.

Surely everyone reading this knows me well enough to know that Katrina and 9/11 have weighed heavily on my mind without my saying so. Every evening, I read the morning New York Times, and I feel utterly useless over here... and I know I can't even begin to comprehend what's going on, not having witnessed any of it, not even on television.

And I know I don't need to use my blog to remind you to think about Katrina or 9/11, because I know those of you who read my blog are equally horrified by the loss of life (in every meaning of the word) and equally disturbed by the current state of the union - the capacities of our "leaders" (how about Barbara Bush's remarks, eh?) and the frightening fact that my countrymen voted for them.

Maybe the main reason I don't write about them though is because my talking doesn't really do anyone who's actually suffering any good. It almost feels cheap to me.

Yeah, so that's the extent of my tribute to all those who have lost their lives in any tragedy ever. I am humbled before you.
Words are useless.

School

My first week at ICU was spent in various orientation activities. For those of you who didn't know, the "normal" school year in Japan begins in April, so here at ICU there's a whole other category called "September students." Actually, there's a whole lot of categorization going on here: April students, regular students, September students, one-year regulars, kenkyusei (that's me), transfers, exchange, etc. Well as you can imagine, most of the September students are international, so all of my time the first few days was spent interacting with other people like me.

Actually, the only way they were like me is that they were foreigners (gaikokujin, gaijin), which doesn't mean I was instantly comfortable with them or eager to make friends. Most of them are still in college and therefore younger than me, plus we're here for, I think, fairly different reasons. Whereas I want to visit various places in Tokyo to witness how Japanese youth behave and interact and perceive their world, the other students want to go to Harajuku and Shibuya to shop and take pictures of Ganguro and Gothic Lolita. So while we all approach our surroundings as outsiders, I'm just not terribly interested in gallavanting around town with them as tourists. Plus, I think I perceive my time here as just beginning, settling in, *living* here, whereas I think they feel much more transient.
Unfortunately, because we're grouped together as September students, as Japanese language students, as international students, most of my interaction is only with fellow foreigners. I've emailed a student singing group and the university glee club, in the hopes of joining an organization for pleasure and in order to meet Japanese students, but I haven't heard back from anyone. Clearly, witnessing all the dorm initiation activities happening on campus right now, living off campus also somewhat impedes my integration. I'm actually not too upset about this, as I'm not really interested in another undergraduate college experience. Mostly I want to read and work, but "friends" would be helpful, if only to improve my Japanese.

There's more to it, I think, than how we approach Japan though. I know I was spoiled by Princeton. (And this applies to the Japanese students I've encountered too.) Though it's very unreal and feels untrue when the ITO foundation officers tell me I "must be clever" because I'm from Princeton, though it was shocking when even the ladies at the Real Estate Agency office went berserk on hearing that, not only did I attend Princeton, but my sister also attends Stanford, the truth is that students from schools of different characters develop into different "breeds" of people. I don't mean to imply that no one at Princeton was flaky or shallow or stupid, but somehow the institution, its people (students, faculty, administration), its legacy and its reputation all subtley mold the (sub)conscious. This is why Deepa is a loner at Stephens; this is why I'll likely be a loner here at ICU. From only two days in class, I have already noticed that my powers of analysis, inspection, investigation (or willingness to exercise the above) are not what the others are used to (and I am hardly an intellectual, compared to my friends). In Japanese, though I probably know fewer kanji than the others and have certainly been out of practice much longer, I can follow Sensei just a little better, I can answer questions faster and just a little more thoroughly. In Shoji class, when planning out the survey for our Nomikai (social binge-drinking party) research, I somehow ended up being a directing force, developing questions and pointing out perspectives that the others were (at times visibly) surprised to hear. In fact, I could already see myself becoming frustrated if this (admittedly stupid) little project isn't as thorough or interesting as I know it could be. (Which I guess is related to popular culture studies in the first place - how people tend to assume there are no real, substantial, and interesting questions.) All the more reason to jumpstart my own research, so I can become absorbed in my own project and not get personally involved or frustrated by stupid things in class.

But alas, I still don't have my allowance for September, and yesterday I spent nearly 10000JPY (~$100) buying kanji renshuu (practice) notebooks, composition notebooks, a new bag, tupperware, bathroom cleaner, etc. Living alone is fabulous (perk 6: leaving toilet door open), but it requires such attention to detail.

First impressions of Japan

I was unprepared for how beautiful Tokyo would be.

We took a bus from Narita Airport to our hotel in Shinjuku, where I was to meet my fellowship grantors and we were to spend one night, before I could move into my apartment. The drive was about two hours (Narita is actually about 40 miles east of Tokyo) through green green and more green. I had no idea it would be *so* green! I tried really really hard to stay awake the whole time, so I could thoroughly savor my first glimpse of Tokyo, but alas, long drives always lull me to sleep. Still, even if I had been awake, I'm not sure I could have really even *defined* my first glimpse of Tokyo. Even in the city there is lots of green, so it wasn't really clear when we crossed the threshold of Tokyo anyway. This may sound surprising, as one always hears about how everything in Japan is so cramped, but they really make the most of what little space they have, coaxing every last bit of love and energy from the earth. There might be a fence behind an apartment with what seems like barely enough room for one person to stand in between, yet often bamboo and other Japanese trees stretch over and above the fence.
After Texas, where land is so cheap that strip malls stand empty and unleased, after New York, where even the parks are paved, and after India, where they seem to destory everything they touch (hyperbole... but not by much), there was nothing in my experience to which I could compare it. The only American city I've been to that *might* give you a sense is Chicago, but the scale and aesthetic are so very different. Even the architecture. Chicago's famous for its architecture, right? Well maybe I just wasn't paying attention when I was there, because I don't remember being this impressed. Everything in Tokyo seems like some architect thought it was his big chance or his first chance or his last chance or... something. Unique, imaginative, gorgeous... It's no wonder that futuristic/cyber-punk/sci-fi movies like Blade Runner and The Fifth Element clearly draw from Asian inspiration.

And yet... I have yet to have an "Oh my god, I'm in Japan" moment, because somehow it's still very familiar. Though some things are delightfully exotic (the flora, the street signs, the glove-wearing bus drivers and full-suited cabbies), while we were in Tokyo-proper, I more often than not noted the similarities between it and New York. They've had to deal with similar space restrictions, crowding, commuting. There are entire streets dedicated to wholesale restaurant supplies (Kappa-bashi), including plastic models of food (apparently a major tourist attraction/souvenir but very expensive), inexpensive electronic goods (Akihabara), everything required to keep a metropolis functioning. Everyone's well-dressed and/or fashionable. Everyone's got places to go and things to do. I don't want to say it's *just* a city, because, I mean, well New York isn't *just* a city, but... it's something like that. I don't know what I was expecting. I don't think I had anything in mind, really, but... I didn't expect to feel so at home so soon.

Maybe what adds to the comfortable feeling is the people. They are *nothing* like New Yorkers. In fact I have never met more helpful and accommodating people. They may not smile at strangers while walking down the street but, unlike in New York where they don't smile with an air of "I'm too busy/good for you," it seems to be because they're too shy or afraid to offend. If you do stop them to ask for help, even if they're in a rush (which of course many of them are), they will do their very best to communicate what needs to be done. One bus driver even got out of his bus to walk my dad and me to the correct bus stop. And while we're talking about Japanese behaviour, my dad was amazed when one morning he went to the local McDonald's (it was the only thing open when he woke up at 6am) for breakfast, a hat was sitting on one of the tables. He sat there and ate his breakfast, as did everyone else in the restaurant, and watched people come and go. And still the hat was sitting on the table. No one touched it. Until some time later, a little old woman came in, saw her hat and retrieved it.

It's amazing that Japan is just like you've heard, even in (inconceivable to Americans) ways like that. NYTimes op-ed columnist Kristof mentioned, after Katrina, that in his time in Kobe after the 1995 earthquake, he found only one man who had seen only three looters... none of whom were Japanese.

Did I mention that I love it so far? The little old men wear fishing hats and the women carry umbrellas in the summer sun, just like I expected/wanted. Little round-faced boys wear suspenders and hats with chin-straps to school. A volunteer from ICU came to my door selling Hello, Kitty paraphernalia to support Cambodian amputees. Everyone on the train last weekend seemed to be carrying a violin case. There's a ramen shop on every corner and an amazing abundance of hair salons/beauty parlors/barber shops. The danger signs sport cute little cartoon animals; the vending machine buttons light up prettily even when you're not buying anything (and apparently there are some that even talk to you... in the local dialect!)...

And all that just from a week in Mitaka (and a couple days in Shinjuku). I don't really have any money right now, so I'm probably not going to do much travelling just yet. With what I have, I first need to buy all my school supplies and a few more things for my apartment, so you'll have to wait to hear about things like Shibuya and Harajuku and various tourist attractions.

I forgot to mention that

My dad said that
the number of people in India beneath the *Indian* poverty line is equal to
the population of the United States.

India

We arrived in Delhi and collected our luggage then went out to the waiting area. Deepa was supposed to meet us and chill until our next flight (domestic to Guwahati). Well my dad and I waited for hours and hours, and there was no sign of Deepa. I was rather worried that something had happened to her, because we'd been in email contact and I'd told her of the itinerary change just before leaving Houston... and then, around about 1 or 2am (we'd been there since 11:30pm or so), I saw her walking (gorgeous girl that she is, who could miss her) through the waiting area.
Turned out she'd been waiting *outside* all that time, and it had never occurred to her to come in, nor had it occurred to me to go out. What precious hours we lost. I was very very upset with myself... but ecstatic to see her. A kindly, rule-bending (surprise surprise) guard let her sit in the inter-terminal waiting room with us, but, alas, she could not board the bus to the domestic terminal.

The bus, that was something. It *looked* like one of those chartered buses, you know, with the huge baggage storage space on the sides... but no. If you bent a bit and looked under it, all the space beneath the bus was actually empty. No floor, no cubbies, just air behind those giant doors. So everyone's baggage was piled *inside* at the front of the bus. And women in dresses and saris had to climb over mountains of luggage to get off the bus at their desired terminals. Once again, I was astounded by the shit Indians put up with in their everyday lives. It frightens me to think what might have happened if there had been an accident or fire on the bus. But there wasn't, and I am therefore able to make these comments after the fact. The strange and hazardous bus situation is just one small example of the many reasons India is not the vacation and tourist hot-spot it could be.
The best part about Delhi (besides seeing Deepa) were the glimpses of the city through the bus windows in the wee hours of the morning. What a mess. Buildings peeked out from behind foliage, as if they knew they were intruding, and well, even I get a thrill out of the exotic, foreign sights and sounds of India.
The wait in the domestic airport... not so exciting. The flight, unbelievably cold. We flew Air Deccan. Very cheap, I recommend it. But if you take Air Deccan, be sure to have a sweater or blanket accessible inside the plane as well as some food. We were surrounded by Indians. Indian Indians. I wasn't uncomfortable, not like I am around ABCDs, it was more mixed. On one hand, I was disgusted by their filthy habits, their rude ways; angered at the way they don't follow directions and how everyone assumes the rules don't apply to *him* (even when breaking them endangers everyone on the flight). I was amused (in a condescending way) when everyone flipped open his/her phone as soon as we landed (before we'd been given permission) and proceeded to call their waiting parties and speak in loud, I-am-the-only-person-on-this-cramped-plane voices. On the other hand, I like the way they (most of them) smell. Spicy, earthy, woody... like home somehow, even though my 'rents' home doesn't really smell like that.

My mom's side of the family came out to meet us at the Guwahati airport. It was my first time there in seven years. At first, on the drive from the airport to my grandmother's home, on the new highway, I thought things were different, better. The countryside along the highway is absolutely gorgeous. Assam is veritable jungle, and the sprawling hills are blanketed with tropical plants and trees of all varieties. To the side of the road, little shanties and shacks look confused and lost in all that wilderness, fishing nets hang on poles or submerged in marshes, the skeleton for the National Games stadium is being erected... It's all very charming, in it's discombobulated Indian way,
until you notice that the hills have great blocks of red earth carved thoughtlessly out of them, left bare and exposed to the elements. That they're shrouded in haze. That the highway is littered with refuse and that the tents all along the feeder house the hungry and homeless.
And Guwahati itself...
The streets are mud; knee-high piles of trash line the curbs; the dust is so thick that I'd blow my nose and the tissue would turn black (graphic, I know, but I'm trying to tell you what it's really like). I would occasionally attempt to brush sweat from my neck with my fingers, and my fingernails would be full of dirt. Where does all the dirt and dust come from, you ask?
Assam's hills are red clay. They cut down trees and make their quarries and don't take any preventative measures. The rain comes and washes everything into the river, onto the streets, and then it dries and floats on the air and coats everything.
My grandmother's house relies on a well, ground water, which they have to pump intermittently to keep the water running (no hot running water, for those of you unfamiliar with Indian conditions). They'd keep bowls of boiled water for my dad and me, and every morning we would refill our bottles. But there was always sand in our drinking water, from that well, and I can only wonder what *doesn't* get boiled off... what seeps from the surface - the plastics, the paints and cleaners, the modern chemicals - into the river, even into, possibly, the ground water. And let me say that it is *ridiculous* that Guwahati should be on the banks of a river as large (you can't see the other side) as the Brahmaputra and that its residents have to rely on *ground water.* The city can only provide each household half and hour (max) of water a day. And the electricity? Comes and goes. And if it goes at night, you haven't a chance of sleeping (no a/c, just fans, and did I mention Assam's a jungle?).

These people pride themselves on their cars, on their fancy-schmancy cell phones, on their cable television, on their computer/IT jobs... but they don't have sanitary, potable, running water. They don't have reliable electricity. A girl can't marry who she wants. A baby is abandoned in a stranger's garage. A customs agent asks us our caste and feels it's necessary tell us he's a Brahmin (in, yes, the 21st century). An arthritic woman has to climb two flights of stairs to reach her bedroom. A girl child is sent to live with strangers and work in their kitchen and is referred to as "that."
Now I can't help but love my family, but even they make me so angry. They just sit there and take it, and when we point out how they shouldn't have to live, what their government should be doing for them, the corruption, the laziness, the inequality, the prejudice, some even have the gall to say "What do you know? You don't live here." Well granted, my cultural preferences are certainly American when it comes to manners, decorum, even certain standards of cleanliness. But I don't think whether or not *every* child deserves the best health care, education, and upbringing possible is really a matter of debate. Not that America has achieved this ideal, not that it could ever possibly be achieved (there are too many variables in the equation), but India doesn't even seem to take steps in that direction. Because they don't seem to share the opinion.

Deepa told me that India offered America $5mil for Hurricane Katrina relief. Well, certainly this is one blatant example of America failing to take care of its own. But I have yet to see India *ever* take care of its own. Put your money where your mouth is, I say. $5mil won't do squat for America, but it could probably do a hell of a lot for India.

But what do I know? I don't live there, and I don't study it. All I know is what I saw, and what I saw makes me angry. Angry angry angry. Not just for the sake of my family. For the sake of the gorgeous environment they are destroying. For the sake of the stranger, the (likely low-caste) servant girl whom no one else seems to think about, who will spend her life washing other people's dishes and never having dreams because she can't even conceive of something different until she's married off to make more poor souls just like her.

They have their Bollywood and their beauty parlours and their Von Dutch paraphernalia, and they think they're as good as or better than the West. The only thing they've learned from the West is superficiality, and I'm ashamed that that's what the West has passed on best.

Last days in the States

So... *deep breath*

My parents had a housewarming party on August 13th, at which they also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary (technically the 30th anniversary of the first time they met) and announced my graduation and my cousin Pranami's recent marriage. I had invited some old friends, but only two responded in the affirmative, so rather than have a weird 100s-of-Assamese-people-with-two-American-friends party, I uninvited them and told them we'd hang out separately. This turned out to be a wise move, as there were lots of little children running around and no responsible "big kids group" (as there was in my day) to keep them in check. So, besides answering "So are you excited?" (with reference to Japan) over and over again, I spent the evening hiding billiard balls and my coolest Star Wars toys from tiny hands. My dad rented a margarita machine, which was a fantastic idea, except that, with the a/c working so hard to cool that many people on a hot mid-August Houston night with the outer doors constantly opening and closing, the circuit tripped repeatedly. People hardly noticed though, kept chatting away, and my poor dad kept running out to the garage to flip the breaker (I'm not sure I'm using the correct terminology for all this). All in all, I'd say the party was quite a success. People came from all over, and Sid's dad and sister even stopped by on their way up to Austin for the closing night of Sid's play. It was very touching to see so many old and new faces there to support my parents. Even though parties are so much work, I do hope my parents have more (or that people at least visit them often), because it's an awfully big house for just two people and a cat. On another note, it was very bizarre to see a whole new generation of kids in the position my friends and I (who were "the little kids") used to be in. An out-of-body experience almost. And to think Jaana and Raxi are going off to college and Orie is a junior in high school... messes with my head.

So the following week was pretty quiet. My sister hung around for a few days. We ran errands and hung out with some of her old friends. Amber (who actually came to the housewarming party) has a new baby (born in May); it was very exciteen to see her as a mother. I also spent one evening with Stefanie, going through wedding and honeymoon pictures. It was a lot of fun actually, and I wish we'd been in better touch through college. I'm so honoured that I got to be a part of the wedding though, and I intend to find the perfect gift for them while I'm here in Japan. We went and saw the house she and Chris built and were closing on that week; I'm so glad I don't have such grown-up concerns on my mind just yet, but Stefanie seems perfectly at ease with it all, which is reassuring. I sort of see Stefanie as my Amber, so perhaps in four or five years, I'll be meeting her first baby as well. She also made the observation that Lisa has always been mature and independent for her age, so in a way it makes perfect sense for her to be ready to marry, so I feel "better" about that (not that I was feeling bad). I just wish I had gotten to see Lisa and meet her fiancee Mike before they left for Virginia and I left the country. I'm hoping desperately that she (and her parents) will come out to Japan/Osaka to meet (her brother) Michael this winter once his mission's over. That would be something, to hang out with Lisa in Japan!

The *really* exciteen thing that happened during those last weeks was that my hard drive failed. Yes, my brand new, less than three-month-old Mac. It just up and died on me, the 15th I think. This was *very* upsetting, tear-worthy in fact, as I had spent all my time since arriving in Texas ripping all my music and inputting everyone's addresses and phone numbers, and, if I had to get the hard drive replaced 1) the data would likely be unsalvageable and 2) I wouldn't have enough time between getting the computer back and leaving the country to redo all the work. But my sister drove me to the Galleria Apple store where they took my computer and said it would be done by Sunday (the 21st) at the latest. It was the best I could hope for, since I would be out of town for the weekend anyway.

My sister left the 17th and Brett arrived the 18th. My dad and I met him at the airport; we drove to the car rental place and picked up the rent car (a very girlie royal blue sporty car of some sort complete with a ridiculous spoiler) then drove back to my 'rents' house for lunch. My dad reheated everything, the fish and veggies and rice and I don't know what else. I think Brett was a little shocked, but my parents thought it was very important that we have a good meal before hitting the road (surprise surprise). So we ate a lot, my dad left for work, and Brett and I took off for Austin. I drove most of the way (being more awake and more comfortable in a non-SUV than he), and we arrived at his sister Jodi's house around dinnertime. We had barbecue (mmm brisket) for dinner, for which I was very grateful (it was on my list of things to do/eat before leaving the country), and then crashed at the house. We "helped" Jodi give Arden (born in April) a bath, complete with frog towel (I do think Arden is the most adorable baby I have *ever* seen, no offense Amber) and then watched some rather entertaining vintage sex-ed (VD) videos. I don't remember exactly *why* Jodi and Owen had these videos, but yes there was a real purpose to it.

The next morning I met Fuji, the only one of my friends besides Stefanie to yet make any effort to see me. Okay, wait, that's a bit of a lie. Benton did call the day before I went to Austin, and I did talk to Chip at some point, but besides Stefanie and Fuji, everyone else was mostly talk. Time was getting so short though that I decided it was up to everyone else to make the overture. I intended to slowly savour my last week and didn't want to be bothered with the stupid scheduling crap I always seem to end up doing. So back to what I was saying, Fuji picked me up in the morning from Jodi and Owen's (very cute) house. We had a quiet, pleasant brunch, except for when he said he intended to cut his hair (DON'T!!), and I returned his box set of Neon Genesis Evangelion. He even "allowed" me to see the house he shares with Phil and Bogart (the dog). I got the feeling he was a little reluctant to let me go... can't say I blame him. ^_~ All joking aside, I'm really glad he's still such a big part of my life, even with all we've been through. (Yes, Fuji, I just publicly acknowledged how much you mean to me.)

Back at Jodi and Owen and Arden's house, we all fell asleep in the drowsy Texas summer afternoon. Then Owen took Brett and me to a local (very cool) music store. There was a live act there from (come to think of it) New Orleans. The best part though were the free vinyls Owen picked up on the way out and that Brett bought me Sin City. ^____^ We also got ice cream at Amy's, which was pretty swell too. ^_^
That night, after the grandparents picked up Arden, Jodi, Brett, and I met Owen at a bar near the Alamo Drafthouse. I had my very first Mexican Martini (yum!) and Brett ordered some exotic Brazilian thing. I don't remember the name of it. I think Jodi had a Mojito, which I tasted and hated because of the mint. Everyone else in the joint seemed to be drinking Cosmopolitans... even the males. Very disturbing. From there we went to the Alamo, where Owen had reserved us seats, for Brett's and my very first Sinus Show (Red Dawn). Each of us got shout-outs from Owen during the show (very cute), and our meal was (surprisingly) on the house (don't worry, we left a generous "tip").
Owen had another show to do, so we said good-bye and Jodi drove us up to the grandparents' (Owen's parents') new house in Austin... in a pretty ridiculous neighborhoud with street names like "House of York" and "Prince William" (all the more ridiculous because Owen's parents are originally from the UK). But the house (huge, no matter what John and Judith say) overlooks a nature preserve, and they have a glorious back deck (with way too many stairs) and a colour-changing pool and hot tub. The three of us soaked in the hot tub until Brett got frighteningly pruney. When Owen joined us, he was full of energy and very eager to watch Sin City, but the rest of us couldn't stay awake unfortunately so he watched it alone... and loved it.
The next morning, John and Judith had made an elaborate brunch for us, with enchiladas and fruit and I-can't-remember-exactly-what-else. I was quite amazed by their generosity, especially since I had never met them before, but didn't quite know how to get this across without being incredibly awkward or crude. Owen had a Red Cross training session (wow! I just realized what incredible timing he had with that) so he had to run again, and John and Judith had errands. Jodi, Brett, Arden, and I hung out and watched a squirrel attempt to get at the Egerton's squirrel-proof feeder, and then, sadly, it was time to go. I'm really grateful for getting to see Arden as much as I have. She promises to be quite a handful... but what an incredible baby. ^_^ She's so curious and eager to be self-reliant and already has such personality... I am an unabashed, avid Piglet Pie reader.

Brett and I returned to Humble and my 'rents' house after returning the car. Again, we were overfed... all week long. In fact, I put in so many requests, that my Mother spent the entire next day (Sunday) in the kitchen. Quite a labour of love, and I was really touched. There were no meals that day. Brett and I just ate as it came off the stove. And what a bounty! Bhaja maas (fried fish - catfish), aloo paratha, luci and aloo bhaji... it was really unbelievable. And the next day there was choph (I really have no idea how to spell that), which Brett and I helped her make. During the days we lazed around, I re-ripped most of my music and he played bass, and in the evenings we watched movies - Mulholland Drive, The Iron Giant, Sin City. As for my high school friends... Benton stopped by one afternoon on his way back to school (BYU), Joy dropped by one evening after class (coming straight from Houston), and then, the last day, Brett and I drove into Rice Village to meet Trey, Richa, and Sid at a bar. It was a short visit... to be honest, I had little patience for socializing at that point but knew I would regret it if I didn't go, so thanks everyone for making the effort. In the end I was unable to make all the final, long personal phone calls I'd wanted to, which was a little upsetting. I hope you (you know who are) understand, and please know how much you mean to me. And remember, two years will fly by. There's no getting rid of me.

I don't know how much of that was interesting to anyone... I apologize. I'm working toward Japan, I promise.

So the itinerary was originally as follows:
Houston (24th) -> Paris (25th) -> Delhi (25th/26th) -> Guwahati (26th-30th) -> Delhi (30th) -> Tokyo (31st)
However, our Air France flight was late arriving in Houston on the 24th, which meant we would miss our connection to Delhi, so our travel agent switched us to a KLM flight to Amsterdam with a connection to Delhi. After a little confusion and hassle at the check-in counter in IAH (Bush Intercontinental), we were given boarding passes and checked our baggage. (Prior to this, we saw Brett off in the domestic terminal for his flight back to New York. To understate, it was nice having him around to keep me sane during my last week.)

And I think that's more than enough for today...

Multi-use blog, Kavalier & Clay

1. I got a shout-out from Fuji in his blog (see the rants on public awareness), which was very sweet in its Fuji-way.
2. Ryan is using my blog for a project in Gun's class at Cornell. The base project is Beehive, and he's working on CorONA.

I got back to reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay last night, after a brief hiatus due to moving and all that jazz. I just finished Part IV: The Golden Age, and I am very much distressed. *spoilers: do not continue if you intend to read the book* The rape of Sammy, his subsequent (voluntary) break-up, the death of Thomas, the near-suicide of Josef... I'm so upset. I was dreaming about them all night long, making up my own conclusions and somewhat-happy endings. I'm almost afraid to keep reading because, given the time period and reality, things can't end well, but at the same time, Michael Chabon has me on the edge of my seat, and I'm dying to know what happens next. I am so impressed by him.
*still more spoilers* The talk about fairies, heroes and their wards... it's interesting that a similar thing happens with manga (Yaoi). I wonder why. I may have to look into this eventually, perhaps in grad school, as my fellowship is supposed to take a different turn.
*end spoilers*

More orientation today (getting a bank account too) and tomorrow is registration.
Oh, and I had a cold shower this morning. It seems my gas has been shut off. I suspect the last tenant did not pay his/her last bill, and there is some miscommunication at Tokyo Gas, so that, even though their rep came and turned the gas on for me just five days ago, they think I'm the guy/girl who lived here in June and never paid.
Poop.

Just might have to draw this now...

What kind of assassin are you? by Bradhadair
Last Name:
Gender:
Favorite Element:
Weapon:	katana
Animal Sidekick:	panda
Reason for killing:	Your family was brutally murdered in front of your very eyes, and you are trying to find their killer; killing everyone that stands in your way.
Outfit:	Short red dress with a black hooded cape over it
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Perks of living alone:

1. sleeping in only underwear (or *ahem*)
2. doing everything/anything in only underwear
3. drinking all of the orange pineapple juice by self
4. drinking all of the orange pineapple juice straight from the carton
5. playing same playlist over and over (and over) again

I don't know you, but thank you for the free wireless.

Dear world~

It is still raining here in Mitaka. Has been since about 5 or 6pm. It's quite comforting actually. It's been so hot and humid (though not as bad as Guwahati) since we arrived; maybe it will cool off a bit now. *crossing fingers* Additionally, the sound is glorious, steady drumming with intermittent thunder. The sounds of this city are really invigorating. I have a short video featuring the crickets, which I'll post later. I only wish I could convey the smell as well.

My dad left today. We intended to take the 58 to Mitaka Eki, but the bus that drove by was 51. I let it pass (I can't read enough of the kanji at the bus stops to completely avoid disaster, but I can read enough to avoid complete disaster), and, when no 58 came, we boarded a 91 for Musashi---- Eki. I *thought* it was bound for Musashi-sakai Eki, the station nearest my neighbourhood, but no, I should have looked closer. It was bound for Musashi-kougane Eki (I don't know the kanji for "sakai," so I didn't look very closely - mistake, since I know the kanji for "kougane"). As it became clearer that we were getting farther and farther west of our ultimate destination (Shinjuku and then Narita Airport), I turned to the woman sitting next to me and said "Sumimasen, cono basu wa doko made ikimasu ka?" (Excuse me, where does this bus go?) I was able to understand her explanations and express my concern, and she set me straight. At Musashi-kougane, I bought us one-way tickets for Shinjuku, where I put my dad on the airport bus. He's very cute in his way, though we do stress each other out so much. I do appreciate his concern and fussing, even if I find it unnecessary and am still too immature to let him just do it and ease his mind. Really, I'm glad he was here to help me settle in (other students seemed impressed/jealous too). And he may be starting his own blog soon, now that's he's heard about mine.

Being here has given me some confidence in my Japanese while also making it very clear that I have a long way to go. Everyone is very patient and gives me a chance to try to use my Japanese. I'm just hoping I'm as quick with languages as I've always thought. That old fear that such abilities go with age has begun to haunt me again. Tomorrow is the placement test for the Japanese Language Program. While I certainly don't want to be lost in class, I'd really like to place out of Intensive level 1, if only to get this fellowship off to a speedy and productive start (especially since Intensive students aren't allowed to do much else).

At some point I intend to purchase iPhoto (and Pages, as I need to submit Word compatible documents to the fellowship, go figure). Until then I'm afraid I can't post or send any pictures (they're huge). But be comforted. I have *lots.* Hundreds from India alone (not unexpected, as I hadn't been in seven years). I'll try to update about the India trip and first impressions of Japan over the next few days, with or without pictures. Have patience though, if the entries are long. There has been a lot to digest.

Back to cramming... I mean, studying. ^_~

Nothing much new

Just wanted to let people know that my dad and I are still alive. I don't have internet in my apartment yet, so I'm writing again from the hotel in Shinjuku. We're planning to take a tour from here, since it's my dad's last day in Japan. Tomorrow he'll leave Japan in the afternoon, and arrive in Houston four hours after he leaves Tokyo. Pretty crazy how that works, huh?

I don't know when I'll get to email or post again. I think my internet service begins in October or something. I'll be pretty busy though, so it's probably for the best that I'm not too distracted. I hope everyone's doing well.