Tues 5/7: Placement test and health check
Apr. 10th, 2008 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tammaiyaI don't know what it is about Japan, but I seem to wake up 15 minutes before I set my ipod alarm to go off. It's odd. Anyway, got up, faffed around on the net and did a run through on kanken DS, noticed it was even MORE gross and rainy than the day before, and actually remembered to have breakfast. Go me! I ate the onigiri though, not the fruitcup, because it was due to expire at 1pm that day (Japanese expiration labels are very particular) and I could always have the fruit jelly for breakfast the day after. It was nothing to write home about; like, not terrible, and it's not like it was EXPENSIVE, but I probably won't buy onigiri from the combini again unless I'm desperate.
Then I had a shower and got dressed, and after all that it was time to go so I grabbed my pencil case and vamoosed. It said the test was from 11 on my info sheet and I got there at 11 on the dot but the guy was already explaining. Total opposite of orientation the day before. o.O; Not that I really had to listen. It was kind of hilarious to hear the same explanation I've heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR in high school when I had to do the maths/english/whatever competitions (use a pencil. stay within the lines. be very careful not to get the number wrong because you'll get all the questions following wrong. a computer will mark this so don't just scribble lightly in the box, fill it in properly), only in Japanese.
The test itself was... interesting. It was about an hour long, and it didn't have any oral component. Mostly it was grammar, with a small amount of kanji and appropriate situational responses (like saying "okagesamade" when someone asks "ogenki desuka?"). The beginning was incredibly easy, and then the second half was actually quite tough. Especially the last question, which was a writing question and said, in a kanji filled question, to write what you thought was particular to Japanese society and Japanese people.
Me: ... I don't even want to answer this question in ENGLISH! >O
But I scrawled something off with my little remaining time about it being much more rigid and status-oriented and then in my last minute I added something about there apparently being rules about what not to do even in dating and sex, which is totally different to the west, even while I was wondering if that was the most advisable thing to write but I was under time pressure, okay, I didn't exactly have time to filter for appropriateness. *shifty*
After I got out of my exam, I discovered that someone had taken my umbrella. There were a lot of them in the foyer and mine was fairly generic, not to mention fairly cheap, but I was still annoyed, especially since it was still raining. I explained what had happened to the staff at the Japanese Language Centre and they loaned me an umbrella-- which reminds me, I have to go buy a new umbrella so I can return theirs. I'm thinking of buying a permanent marker at the same time and writing "TOTTARA KOROSU" (if you take this I'll kill you) on it, which I probably shouldn't, but TEMPTING. I should at least write my name, anyway.
I'm still establishing myself, so I have to go out shopping with fair frequency, mostly for food. I decided this time to actually try using the map of the area we got given to find some of the proper shops-- since by the time I wanted lunch the cafeteria had stopped serving food again (I have since discovered that it has been serving lunch this week, just it's only been doing it for an hour every day and between the sadou-bu on monday and me just eating late on Tuesday I kept missing it. I still haven't eaten there, actually, and since I had late breakfast I'm going to miss it today, too) and I had to go out and buy lunch ANYWAY.
I asked some directions to the "supermarket" on my kind of confusing map, which confused the girls I asked because, it turned out, it's not REALLY a supermarket, it's a food shop. Whatever, I got there. The irony is I'd actually walked past the main shopping area on my way from the station on the first day because everything is around there, mostly, but I'd forgotten. I was quite excited to discover there was, in this other area, a far superior combini (which has nikuman! omg yes, I so have to go and get me some, maybe today for lunch), a fruit shop, a bottle shop, and a japanese cuisine street store. So I bought myself niku iri yakiudon (ie, baked udon with meat) for lunch, 2L of water because it was 200Y and that gives me a while before I run out, and STRAWBERRIES AND APPLES, GLEE. I was surprised by how cheap and delicious the strawberries were, oh my god. I totally left my parents a voicemail just about the strawberries, they're that good. They were only 300 yen for a reasonably sized punnet, and they're SO DELICIOUS. I think mum has endorsed me buying them, since she told me last night "they've got lots of Vitamin C, keep eating them" so I won't feel guilty about spending my money on them. XD The apples... they came four wrapped in plastic. That's a peculiar thing about Japan, they seem to like wrapping fruit in plastic. I don't really understand. But man, these apples, right, I go to buy them and the shop guy is like, so you want the smallest ones? They're small, but delicious! And I'm thinking, dude, I don't know about delicious yet but I don't know what planet you'd classify these as "SMALL" on! They're the same size as a normal sized apple in Australia. All the other apples were like, mega monstrous eat your head size. O.o; I can only assume they're genetically modified.
Meanwhile it's raining this whole time and I'm also trying to juggle my umbrella along with all the food. Just keep that in mind. (PS: I love my hoodie! it keeps me and my head warm. <3)
So I walk back from the area around the station to my uni cafeteria to eat my udon, and by this point the sauce has spilled out the edges of the plastic container, much to my annoyance. And this actually turned out to be really troublesome, because sauce got on the table and there were no serviettes in the cafeteria and I hadn't been given any with my meal. Like, wtf? Japan is all about the cleanliness and politeness! WHERE ARE THE SERVIETTES? (I was sort of wondering if Japan didn't DO serviettes, but I got given them both times I ate out in Shinjuku yesterday, so it just seems there are no serviettes at my uni cafeteria.)
Also, Japanese garbage continues to disturb me. When I'm confronted with public bins that do the recycling thing, I have no idea what bin to use or if the bin I need is even THERE. @_@
Anyway. I took my other shopping back to my room, ate half of the ridiculously delicious strawberries, and bummed around until I had to go to my health check. When I actually read the health form, I was amused to see that the urine test was basically checking for untreated diabetes, because it just felt... so redundant to me. XD Still, it's nice to know that it was all sugar and ketone free.
The health check itself was... an experience. I feel I can now relate to a bunch of shoujo manga set in schools which have these scenes. XD; The boys did their check in the morning, our check was between 5 and 6pm. There were 8 stations, and it felt like being hearded like a sheep. First was the urine sample (and I think I now understand the reason for the peepole? It seemed a lot quicker for her to unscrew, dip the stick in and rescrew it than with a proper urine jar, plus they took up less space and could just go in a test tube rack), then the eye test, after which I had to go into a room and take my bra and anything with metal off (IE, ALL MY COATS) and go out in the fucking freezing cold to get to one of the x-ray vans for a chest X-ray (I actually got confused and did this out of order as the second last thing), then back for blood pressure (which was weirdly high for me, dunno what was wrong), height/weight measurements (it seems, despite huge dinner and lunch, I'd lost 2kg. must be all the walking), then a hearing test which essentially consisted of the person asking, can you hear my voice? yes? great! you can go now! and giving me a piece of paper all in japanese about when the results will be out (not until may) and what are good results for the vision, height/weight, etc ones. Although not blood pressure. Which is annoying because it's the one I was wondering about.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention but the test results for my placement test came out THE SAME DAY AT 3PM, like whoa, dude. I'd already checked them-- I'm in the 500 class, which is intermediate-advanced and sounds about right to me (they go from 100-- beginner-- to 800)-- but I went back to check them again because I was curious to see if Kathleen (a German girl in the ISEP programme who lives in my dorm) was in the same class as me. She's not, unfortunately. D: But we may still have other classes together, who knows.
On my way out of the centre I ran into some Taiwanese guys in the research programme and chatted to them for a while in Japanese, which was cool. They're not living in the dorm, they're renting a nearby apartment, but I think one of them was in the same level Japanese class as me so I might see them again.
I then spent a fair amount of time in my room bitching about how cold my feet were-- I've only got sneakers here, and they're not the best for rainy weather. The cuffs of my jeans were wet too. ;___; My mum has sent me three other pairs of LEATHER shoes, though, so hopefully they'll get here soon. Meanwhile I have to find myself a longer coat; I have lots of things to keep me warm on top but my only pants are jeans (x2) and none of my coats go past my hips. COLD LEGS.
Eventually, at like 9pm, I was like "oh hey I kind of need dinner, don't I" and since it was dark and rainy and stuff, and it's fairly safe and quiet in my area but I'd PREFER not to go out alone, I rugged up with a billion layers (cardigan, hoodie, jacket, scarf, beanie, gloves) and went upstairs to see if Rachel wanted to come with. (We have doorbell/intercoms! despite having really tiny rooms! XD) She was already in her PJs, though, so I ended up hanging out in her room for like two hours talking and watching tv. (She won a used tv in janken, the same way I won a ricecooker). Talking ENGLISH, yes, I know, so great for my Japanese. XD; But it was really fun, and I'm glad to have made the kind of friend who I can hang out with and go into town on weekends with here in my dorm already. Plus, when I looked at the time and was like OSHI- I really need to go to the combini to get dinner! Rachel was like, I love cooking! let me cook you tamagoyaki! :D so she gave me tamagoyaki and strawberry yoghurt, because she is a totally awesome human being. I'll have to pay her back somehow.
Her room is much more exciting than mine, though, because she's got photos and everything up on the pinboards and it looks all very colourful and personalised. Maybe I should do that... I have two pinboards, one above my desk and one above my bed, and right now I don't have anything on them. Hm. *contemplates*
... If you send me mail I'll totally put it up there? :D (Mostly joking, although if anyone actually DOES want my postal address I'm happy to give it to you.)
Clearly I need to get pretty posters from games etc I like. It's the only solution. *nod*
Anyway, when I eventually got back to my dorm room I talked to/emailed some people, including Kaori, who I was meeting up with the next day to get a temporary alien registration card, hopefully buy a mobile phone, visit the Australian Embassy out at Mita and do some shopping. So the next post will be all like, exciting and filled with Shinjuku. Stay tuned, I guess. *g*
Then I had a shower and got dressed, and after all that it was time to go so I grabbed my pencil case and vamoosed. It said the test was from 11 on my info sheet and I got there at 11 on the dot but the guy was already explaining. Total opposite of orientation the day before. o.O; Not that I really had to listen. It was kind of hilarious to hear the same explanation I've heard EVERY SINGLE YEAR in high school when I had to do the maths/english/whatever competitions (use a pencil. stay within the lines. be very careful not to get the number wrong because you'll get all the questions following wrong. a computer will mark this so don't just scribble lightly in the box, fill it in properly), only in Japanese.
The test itself was... interesting. It was about an hour long, and it didn't have any oral component. Mostly it was grammar, with a small amount of kanji and appropriate situational responses (like saying "okagesamade" when someone asks "ogenki desuka?"). The beginning was incredibly easy, and then the second half was actually quite tough. Especially the last question, which was a writing question and said, in a kanji filled question, to write what you thought was particular to Japanese society and Japanese people.
Me: ... I don't even want to answer this question in ENGLISH! >O
But I scrawled something off with my little remaining time about it being much more rigid and status-oriented and then in my last minute I added something about there apparently being rules about what not to do even in dating and sex, which is totally different to the west, even while I was wondering if that was the most advisable thing to write but I was under time pressure, okay, I didn't exactly have time to filter for appropriateness. *shifty*
After I got out of my exam, I discovered that someone had taken my umbrella. There were a lot of them in the foyer and mine was fairly generic, not to mention fairly cheap, but I was still annoyed, especially since it was still raining. I explained what had happened to the staff at the Japanese Language Centre and they loaned me an umbrella-- which reminds me, I have to go buy a new umbrella so I can return theirs. I'm thinking of buying a permanent marker at the same time and writing "TOTTARA KOROSU" (if you take this I'll kill you) on it, which I probably shouldn't, but TEMPTING. I should at least write my name, anyway.
I'm still establishing myself, so I have to go out shopping with fair frequency, mostly for food. I decided this time to actually try using the map of the area we got given to find some of the proper shops-- since by the time I wanted lunch the cafeteria had stopped serving food again (I have since discovered that it has been serving lunch this week, just it's only been doing it for an hour every day and between the sadou-bu on monday and me just eating late on Tuesday I kept missing it. I still haven't eaten there, actually, and since I had late breakfast I'm going to miss it today, too) and I had to go out and buy lunch ANYWAY.
I asked some directions to the "supermarket" on my kind of confusing map, which confused the girls I asked because, it turned out, it's not REALLY a supermarket, it's a food shop. Whatever, I got there. The irony is I'd actually walked past the main shopping area on my way from the station on the first day because everything is around there, mostly, but I'd forgotten. I was quite excited to discover there was, in this other area, a far superior combini (which has nikuman! omg yes, I so have to go and get me some, maybe today for lunch), a fruit shop, a bottle shop, and a japanese cuisine street store. So I bought myself niku iri yakiudon (ie, baked udon with meat) for lunch, 2L of water because it was 200Y and that gives me a while before I run out, and STRAWBERRIES AND APPLES, GLEE. I was surprised by how cheap and delicious the strawberries were, oh my god. I totally left my parents a voicemail just about the strawberries, they're that good. They were only 300 yen for a reasonably sized punnet, and they're SO DELICIOUS. I think mum has endorsed me buying them, since she told me last night "they've got lots of Vitamin C, keep eating them" so I won't feel guilty about spending my money on them. XD The apples... they came four wrapped in plastic. That's a peculiar thing about Japan, they seem to like wrapping fruit in plastic. I don't really understand. But man, these apples, right, I go to buy them and the shop guy is like, so you want the smallest ones? They're small, but delicious! And I'm thinking, dude, I don't know about delicious yet but I don't know what planet you'd classify these as "SMALL" on! They're the same size as a normal sized apple in Australia. All the other apples were like, mega monstrous eat your head size. O.o; I can only assume they're genetically modified.
Meanwhile it's raining this whole time and I'm also trying to juggle my umbrella along with all the food. Just keep that in mind. (PS: I love my hoodie! it keeps me and my head warm. <3)
So I walk back from the area around the station to my uni cafeteria to eat my udon, and by this point the sauce has spilled out the edges of the plastic container, much to my annoyance. And this actually turned out to be really troublesome, because sauce got on the table and there were no serviettes in the cafeteria and I hadn't been given any with my meal. Like, wtf? Japan is all about the cleanliness and politeness! WHERE ARE THE SERVIETTES? (I was sort of wondering if Japan didn't DO serviettes, but I got given them both times I ate out in Shinjuku yesterday, so it just seems there are no serviettes at my uni cafeteria.)
Also, Japanese garbage continues to disturb me. When I'm confronted with public bins that do the recycling thing, I have no idea what bin to use or if the bin I need is even THERE. @_@
Anyway. I took my other shopping back to my room, ate half of the ridiculously delicious strawberries, and bummed around until I had to go to my health check. When I actually read the health form, I was amused to see that the urine test was basically checking for untreated diabetes, because it just felt... so redundant to me. XD Still, it's nice to know that it was all sugar and ketone free.
The health check itself was... an experience. I feel I can now relate to a bunch of shoujo manga set in schools which have these scenes. XD; The boys did their check in the morning, our check was between 5 and 6pm. There were 8 stations, and it felt like being hearded like a sheep. First was the urine sample (and I think I now understand the reason for the peepole? It seemed a lot quicker for her to unscrew, dip the stick in and rescrew it than with a proper urine jar, plus they took up less space and could just go in a test tube rack), then the eye test, after which I had to go into a room and take my bra and anything with metal off (IE, ALL MY COATS) and go out in the fucking freezing cold to get to one of the x-ray vans for a chest X-ray (I actually got confused and did this out of order as the second last thing), then back for blood pressure (which was weirdly high for me, dunno what was wrong), height/weight measurements (it seems, despite huge dinner and lunch, I'd lost 2kg. must be all the walking), then a hearing test which essentially consisted of the person asking, can you hear my voice? yes? great! you can go now! and giving me a piece of paper all in japanese about when the results will be out (not until may) and what are good results for the vision, height/weight, etc ones. Although not blood pressure. Which is annoying because it's the one I was wondering about.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention but the test results for my placement test came out THE SAME DAY AT 3PM, like whoa, dude. I'd already checked them-- I'm in the 500 class, which is intermediate-advanced and sounds about right to me (they go from 100-- beginner-- to 800)-- but I went back to check them again because I was curious to see if Kathleen (a German girl in the ISEP programme who lives in my dorm) was in the same class as me. She's not, unfortunately. D: But we may still have other classes together, who knows.
On my way out of the centre I ran into some Taiwanese guys in the research programme and chatted to them for a while in Japanese, which was cool. They're not living in the dorm, they're renting a nearby apartment, but I think one of them was in the same level Japanese class as me so I might see them again.
I then spent a fair amount of time in my room bitching about how cold my feet were-- I've only got sneakers here, and they're not the best for rainy weather. The cuffs of my jeans were wet too. ;___; My mum has sent me three other pairs of LEATHER shoes, though, so hopefully they'll get here soon. Meanwhile I have to find myself a longer coat; I have lots of things to keep me warm on top but my only pants are jeans (x2) and none of my coats go past my hips. COLD LEGS.
Eventually, at like 9pm, I was like "oh hey I kind of need dinner, don't I" and since it was dark and rainy and stuff, and it's fairly safe and quiet in my area but I'd PREFER not to go out alone, I rugged up with a billion layers (cardigan, hoodie, jacket, scarf, beanie, gloves) and went upstairs to see if Rachel wanted to come with. (We have doorbell/intercoms! despite having really tiny rooms! XD) She was already in her PJs, though, so I ended up hanging out in her room for like two hours talking and watching tv. (She won a used tv in janken, the same way I won a ricecooker). Talking ENGLISH, yes, I know, so great for my Japanese. XD; But it was really fun, and I'm glad to have made the kind of friend who I can hang out with and go into town on weekends with here in my dorm already. Plus, when I looked at the time and was like OSHI- I really need to go to the combini to get dinner! Rachel was like, I love cooking! let me cook you tamagoyaki! :D so she gave me tamagoyaki and strawberry yoghurt, because she is a totally awesome human being. I'll have to pay her back somehow.
Her room is much more exciting than mine, though, because she's got photos and everything up on the pinboards and it looks all very colourful and personalised. Maybe I should do that... I have two pinboards, one above my desk and one above my bed, and right now I don't have anything on them. Hm. *contemplates*
... If you send me mail I'll totally put it up there? :D (Mostly joking, although if anyone actually DOES want my postal address I'm happy to give it to you.)
Clearly I need to get pretty posters from games etc I like. It's the only solution. *nod*
Anyway, when I eventually got back to my dorm room I talked to/emailed some people, including Kaori, who I was meeting up with the next day to get a temporary alien registration card, hopefully buy a mobile phone, visit the Australian Embassy out at Mita and do some shopping. So the next post will be all like, exciting and filled with Shinjuku. Stay tuned, I guess. *g*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 04:01 am (UTC)your test sounds so much harder than mine. mine's apparently based on the JLPT levels so there's a massive jump between level 2 and 3. guess where i fall? level 3's too easy for me but dude, level 2 is sometimes too hard for me >.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 02:45 pm (UTC)Oh yeeaaaah, there's a huge jump between levels 2 and 3 of JLPT. D: That kind of sucks, I'm sorry. I really like that we have so many different streamed levels for our classes.
Btw, what's your number so I can add you to my keitai?
no subject
Date: 2008-04-11 03:57 am (UTC)i got into all level 2 classes this semester! yay, go me! ^_^
my number's 080-6753-1540 so feel free to give me a call so we can do things XDDDD
no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:28 am (UTC)Seriously, during the summer the fruit price cheapens drastically because they tend to import more, but after that you'll be hard pressed to find fruit for less than 100Y. Do you have a small freezer? If you have space it's worth freezing some now.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-10 05:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-13 02:08 am (UTC)