You know you're turning Japanese when...

• I make it important to separate trash properly, PET bottles go here, cans go there, combustibles go there and paper go here!
• I actually get really upset when there is the smallest rubbish on the floor, for e.g. my piece of gum wrapper fell out of my pocket and it was too late to pick it up, I felt so bad 
• Being incredibly uncomfortable when there is no music to play in the bathroom. I'm not even kidding I get really really uncomfortable and I feel like the rudest girl not having music on lol
• When using Eastern toilets is a natural habit now
• Saying sorry for the smallest thing 
• Having the habit not eating and walking at the same time
• Paying with ATM/EFTPOS is no longer existant in my head 
• My phone is on silent 24/7, I don't even know what my ringtone is because it feels like it is culturally unacceptable to have it on normal mode where ever I go
• Trains being late by 3 minutes is such a big deal to me, holy crap 10 minutes back in Australia, no worries! 
• Adding 'ne' to the end of every sentence. "Ganbatte-neeee" "Sou dese-neee" "I am so tired... neeeeee" "It's okay neeeeee" 
• Saying daijoubu 100 times everyday 
• Adding that seaweed topping for the rice is a must now, can't have rice with out them funky tastes, funky tastes as in it is very delicious-neeee
• No miso soup? GET OUT
• No green tea? GET OUT EVEN MORE 
• Bowing to awkward type friends. Oh I met you once no hi 5's, no besos, no kissy kisses on cheeks or hugs, just oh hey we're not close so *bow* (A-Frame bows sort of things ya know) 
• When someone asked you "What's this in tagalog/filipino?" and 100% dead set Japanese came out and I had the biggest mind blank, it feels like my brain is too small to take two languages so it got rid of Tagalog - woops (I didn't know how to say, hello how are you in filipino... I need to be shot)

You know you're missing Australia when all you can think about are... 

• Banana buzz from Boost Juice
• Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee 
• Mum's cooking, I can't believe you can't get KANGKONG in this country. There is no point of even attempting to make sinigang, no point. Cooking sinigang with out kangkong is blasphemy anyway! 
• Meat pies... drenched in tomato sauce omgotou I miss you ne----- 
• Red skins, maltesars, red frogs, eclipse chewy mints (oh my gotou i miss you so much), jaffas, chocolate bullets from DJS 
• GRAVY, I MISS YOU GRAVY 
• I miss a soft bed, futon? Get outta here
• RED VELVET - someone tell me where to get something red velvet flavoured in this country 
• Driving... being in a car. I miss not taking public transport. It's easier here but still, just being comfortable getting to a far destination is just a hidden thing I'm taking for granted 
• Eating and walking, damn I miss you
• Not being stared at, ya'll look like me back at home and I'm so grateful for that haha (Ya'll black too)
• I MISS USING AN IPHONE
• Crude jokes, I miss saying what I feel and saying it bluntly in a joking manner. They hardly exist here, damn! 

Ne, 

Gerry desu 

Photo Entry - Ikebana Exhibition

Hello friends! 

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with my blog. I can see with the views I'm getting so many clicks and I don't know where you guys are all coming from lol. But anyway continuing on! It has been a very busy week with just going to uni and being social. I've been going out nearly everyday of the week and I need to take it easy. This post is all things Ikebana いけばな！Earlier in the week went and visited the Ikebana club with a few of my friends as my friend Suvd is the leader of the club . Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. 

Ikebana is harder than you think. And no way means putting a bunch of flowers together any way you want. I did a bit of research and they say it is a form of art where nature and humanity are put together. Ikebana also emphasis minimalism, the arrangement of the flowers can be based on a 'scalene triangle' where there are three main points that symbolises heaven, earth, man or sun, moon and earth. So these three points all have to placed in a triangle form and they all have to be a different height and placed at a different angle. It is harder than you think and after you hit those three main points you can then decorate it a bit more. That was the Ikebana I learnt for the week, there is heaps more to it but that's the only thing I understood that day. 

Continuing on Saturday was more of a museum hopping day. First up was the Ikebana exhibition and there were so many old ladies! It was so damn cute, the average age was probably 60. Here are some photos but be warned not for people who aren't interested in flowers and art and especially men. 

Photo Post #5

Ramen time!

The many faces of Jake-san

He eats like a little boy

My ikebana

Sumo Saturday

Sumo Saturday everyone! Massive new experience and everything was just amazing. Trying new things and going to new places every weekend is starting to get overwhelming and I can't keep up with my emotions haha. 

I regret not reading up everything I needed to know about Sumo before the match. It wasn't so much being lost on how the wrestling matches go but it was just the whole culture behind it all, what was the meaning of them throwing salt before every wrestle or why did they have to pump each other up so many times before actually touching each other. 

I was really into it. I was always going for the underdog. Today was the 7th round and there was about 12 or even more (I really can't be bothered getting out of my bed and getting the sheet to see how many matches there were today) matches today in the higher league so whoever had less wins I'd root for them haha. The last match was very hyped up because the number one sumo in the league who had 6 wins and 0 losses was versing a guy who had 0 wins and 6 losses. Poor dude man I was really rooting for the underdog but I knew he had no chance, and he was BIGGER than the best sumo! 

But of course I realised the bigger wasn't necessary the better. So much skill involved. That's why as souvenir I bought a guide on sumo techniques so I can be the number one master haha. Nah seriously the ticket was $50 but it was such a fun experience. Anyone who comes to Japan will need to put this on their bucketlist! 

The one thing I loved was outside the stadium seeing big fat sumo's in their floral feminine yukatas just walking so casually was just a beautiful scene. Especially when three big guys was trying to hail a taxi. I laughed inside so hard. Anyway here is a video if you want to have a glimpse on what it's like. I'm going to read the history of sumo now cause I am so damn interested in everything! Also trivia, the best guy in the league atm is actually from Mongolia and not even Japanese! 

  Sumo Saturday from Gerry Narciso on Vimeo.

Shake dat ass, booty booty booty!

What do you expect, she's from Baltimore!

Love G

Student Exchange - That Love/Hate Relationship

A common question asked by a lot of teachers, Japanese people and even friends back at home "日本の生活はどうですか？”/How are you adjusting to the Japanese lifestyle? And I'm being realistic, it is freaking hard. I'm going to try to avoid this making a massive rant or anything but being a foreign student especially in a country that is completely opposite to Western culture/lifestyle is flipping hard! 

Firstly, I love being in this country so freaking much, being foreign does give you perks. You're given special attention from a big handful of people. They're the gems that try really hard to make you adjust to this country and genuinely want to be your friend and will still be your friend even after you've pissed off back home. Majority of the time these friends are the Westernised Japanese kids. They've been to Canada/USA/Australia or just have a strong passion to learn English or just really love Western lifestyle. They're interested in you and they hope that talking to you will let them learn more English and vice versa with them teaching you Japanese.

So there is positive attention, but then there's negative attention. Sticking out like a sore thumb sucks. You get that kick that "oh yeah you're foreign" especially from kids cause they don't know any better. Adults will see you, look away and do a double take and probably say to themselves "Ah a gaijin (foreigner)" but then there are those kids who see you... look at you... and continue to stare at you... then even go behind their parents to hide... but take another peek. Gees didn't know I was that scary. That put aside, it feels like you're constantly being judged. Being in Japan, you seriously have no idea what is socially/culturally accepted. To the small things like "Is it acceptable to blow my nose in public?" "Is it culturally accepted to answer my phone call here?" "Is it culturally accepted to eat my apple by not cutting it into pieces?"... I just never know!

The touchiest subject I might ever talk about is SELF-ESTEEM. So many girls especially in my program are or might be experiencing this, but damn your self-esteem will drop maybe to the lowest it has ever been if you let it get to you. Not high school students, not graduated uni students and not middle aged women but female university students take fashion to a whole different level. There are two categories: those who don't take fashion seriously or the ones that take fashion seriously and go over the top. There is no in-between. Girls come to uni in heels or wedges, shortest skimpiest skirt, a lot of make up and their hair looks like they took 2 hours to do. They come to uni as if they're going to Pontoon on a Friday night. I am not even exaggerating. All the exchange kids go to uni and they dress completely casual, sweats, jumpers, jeans, vans/chucks, a plain t-shirt. We stick out even more because we are all so plain jane compared to the Japanese girls. Seriously you know you've come to a fashion obsessed country if even socks are used as a flipping accessory!

You can't help it but feel like you're underdressed every single day. The girls try really hard to impress one another and especially to impress boys. It feels like it's more on the former though. It is a massive competition with one another on who can dress more kawaii or more prettier. Who can outdo who. Sometimes it even feels like girls are just making themselves look like meat to men, I'm not trying to sound feminist but it seriously makes me always want to go up to a girl and cover their damn legs. You can show all the legs in the world but showing any form of cleavage is culturally unaccepted. So flipping weird, it's the same damn thing! With that all being ranted out, at the end of it foreign girls just feel like they need to dress kawaii as well, or need to put make up as well because seriously at the end of the day you're also comparing yourself to them.

I feel my blog is massively long and I havn't even covered the courting lifestyle in this country. I'll save that for another day when I'm really feel like ranting about it haha. But that all being said, the massively love I have for being a student exchange is just simply all the challenges it brings. I love learning something new everyday, I love going to a new place every weekend and I love knowing my own capabilities. Japan is seriously endless in terms of things to do and things to eat. I seriously grew up with freedom at home, I would get in trouble at times but my parents gave me the freedom and never sheltered me. But being alone is a new world.

Anyway I've lost count on how long I've been here but it's almost two months.  I've seen a lot of beautiful things and on top of that made a lot of beautiful friends. The opportunities just keep on coming and I'm loving every minute. Hard reality that this isn't all rainbows and sunshines, there's also the dark days but just the fact I'm travelling just makes it all worthwhile.

Miss Australia and I miss home, but where I am and what I'm doing, can't freaking complain!
Love all!
G

P.s: Here is living proof I am having a ball in this country. Lol just kidding I was waiting for laundry to finish.