Glico

One month to go back, in the middle of the W Cultural Shock

2007-11-18T09:41:00.001-08:00

And four week and the experience is done. I do not realize that has an end. I cannot right now make a balance and I start to see that will not happend until I will be at home. Is extrange and we did not analize those but the feeling of missing starts now. I wanna see my friends in Spain, if they still remember me. I wanna sit and drink a good coffe. Make a meal by my parents, and talk with my grandpas at dinner. I miss them and the food they cook. So here we go, start the W proccess, a little bit late, but it cames on time more or less. Like we analized all happend in the right moment and I am expecting to have my confortable feeling about to feel at home here in Japan, but I did not have time enough with all the university cram, the trips and visits. I just realize that all were so fast in here and the feelings that I will need one month away from here to see what happened in this semester on KG. Another fear is the shock of change that a Japan experience makes to me. Is the first time in a Asian abroad experience, but do not think change that much the difference between Germany or Northern Ireland (Others abroad places). But in this time I will not have time enought to think. So I hope to find a break to balance all it.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20786&l=e8758&id=722556890

Meanwhile more photos from Tokio, that showed me the rude part of the Japanese People and the truth about the nicer Osaka people are. A conflict between a Shinkansen Ticket seller and a Gaijin (foreigner). He was just so rude. But one person do not make the Japanese stereotype. So let's keep looking for it to avoid it.

Asia and the opposite way of living: Thailand

2007-11-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

Easy to compare, to create this vision before to go. But nothing to do with that we saw there. I was without any expectation, like I did with Japan before to came here. I am talking about Thailand and the thai people. Yellow shirts, tuk's tuk's and the bargain about every you get there make another stress. Even for me sometimes the food and the smelings were harder that I thought. Maybe is because of my addapt to Japan, this big differences between the two cultures, or just it was so hard. You can smell the pollution in the streets, the traffic is just crazy. And in an Cinema session a documentary about the king made all the people in the room rise up and make silence till he images appeared in the screen. Anyway we had a good time my brother and me. Bangkok night, with some new friends, a couple of days in Koh Samed, an Island were we had our cheap paradise with sports, massage, and great food in the beach. And in the way back some tour in the old Capital of the country. More images in the link below:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18938&l=3b0fd&id=722556890

The name is Thai Hundle bahts, the english accent is very nice, like the people in there. The thai food were amazing, and I recommend the live thai fighting, funny how the people bet inside. I will came back there, that what I thought before to came to Hirakata again. I'll try not to haggle in Japan, is not that common here at home.

Coming Back in the Rush time

2007-11-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

Almost one month after, I post some entries I was preparing after a Rush time. Brother, Sussanah and Katrina made me happy the last month I didn't appear in my Seminar House and University. The friends from Japan see me again. I was out Japan, even if I was visiting the most typical places. I was with the people who came more than the enviroment. The first week My brother invite me to one week in Thailand (more details in the entry "Thailand, hundle bahts"). After this, Susanah came and kidnap him to move around Kansai Area. And Days after cames Miss Otremba. A rent house for a month, relax and a big 4 days trip to Tokio show me that I am more close from Europe again. I wanted to know the point of view of them about Japan. That are some of the phrases I heard:

"Japan is amazing, great, different, but is not a country to live for me. The people, behaviors, don't make me feel to live here"

" The Japanese ladies have the legs so strange don't they?"

" I don't know, something, maybe the differences in the way of living, think, one month is ok, maybe a year, but not more. And who does more is because the person loves this places, no matters what"

"The food, amazing" & " I am not gonna eat this"

That are some of the analysis I took from their experiences, and oppinions about what they saw here. Is a point of view to see the Cross culture between Japan, Germany and Spain like we saw in Class. That are some photos related with this time:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=20772&l=66f6a&id=722556890

Hope you enjoy like I did this time.

Sunday Mornings

2007-10-06T13:02:00.001-07:00

One of the things I love more. Sunday mornings in Caffe Raffine. The park in front of my hause has some water games for the childrens. So the families goes there to have some sunbaths and the small kids to play with the water. The music is relaxing, the coffe is not that bad, and the atmosphere is great and paceful. The another day the cheff were out and ask when we were from, we answer from Spain and he bring us a magazine full of spanish dishes pictures. He was pointing and I was saying the names. I did understand that he loves garlic Soup of them all. It was half past five and I decided to prepare some Gazpacho before they close at six O'clock. So I give to him. I didn't know if he likes but I leke to prepare it to the man. Here is a video of were it is the place:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=6636821890

The next time I'll prepare him the Soup.

Karaoke night fever

2007-10-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Video shows more than words. A normal friday night, international friends after an spanish gourmet. Even the worst Karaokes in Japan has the facilities to enjoy enough. We were all night long in room number 15 dancing and singing non Japanese songs this time, but Kool and the gang and Another classics were the stars of the night. That another thing that you would not expect to do like to eat raw whale. Things that doesn't work in your Culture start to fit in your normal enjoy when you start to live in Here.

Photos Below :

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=16801&l=dd67e&id=722556890

and videos in my facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=6635901890

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=6635851890

Steep Fuji

2007-10-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

Going back to the time. That's explain the new knowledges about how to travel in bus in Japan. The idea was to go to Fuji Sama. In the beginning was a easy trip. The travel agency "Help Us" to find the tickets. The situation where to fails attempts to get the ticket for more than 2 hours. The first session get us the idea of travel by a rented car when we listen the word Navigation. No maps, no troubles, even if the car will talk in japanese, we can understand left and right in japanese, so it will be easy. After three rent a cars shops, when nobody talk eigo (english), we knew that all the cars were already rent out, or simply they wouldn't want to get involve to explain every single detail of a renting proccess with or level of JPN, possibility discard because we're talking about Japanese, that helps you in every case. After that rent-Oddisey we return again to the agency where the guy working ther talks neither english. So there we were using lively the Yahoo! translator in Internet to make us understand what he says about how dangerous was to climb the mountain on this dates. So we get the tickets after 7 hours later we go out home. The bus works on nights, and having less places, you have the possibility to sleep with JR flips flops and curtains everywere. We saw Kyoto in the night before goes to Shinjuku and we use for first time the idea of bending machines in a restaurant. You enter, choose your food in the menu and pay in a machine that give you a ticket, to give to the waiter. Another right idea in Japan. The steep climb was somehow hard but the Sunrise up there, no words to explain. We were the three going up, and just five minutes before it starts people like ants come around us to enjoy that moment, half an hour later we were more that 20 people watching it. Unforgettable experience and my sport shoes brokes of running down. Like we are in Japan, we climbed Fuji guys!

Photos Below:

http://furman.facebook.com/n/?photo.php&pid=30909954&op=1&view=all&subj=722556890&id=28303453

http://winthrop.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2044267&l=4d69e&id=45505059

No time, no Hurry

2007-10-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Three weeks after the Opening this B-log I find time in the schedules live to continue a little bit more. More dinners, raw horse in a Yakitori Restaurant, many Japanese exam and the trip up to Fuji are the small things that has happened in this days. But is interesting how every day I'm more amaze to be here and I cannot believe it, as I tell by phone the another day, all the forms, recomendation letters, all the works to get money, and every step I did in the four months before came here it's worth. Every day around the community I said at least a couple of time a day. Ey, we're in Japan!. The just laugh and think that's true, I hope, or simply they think I'm silly, but anyway that is True. It's happening to me in the same way with the Japanese Lenguage. All the people around me knows more Japanese that I've never see. It's like that I have no clue about Kanjis, Hira, Kata or everything, but what is gonna be the difference when I came again to europe? We will see if this period worth as well.

Adapting to the Social Net Live

2007-09-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

A normal trip 30000 Km (about 18700 miles) makes change you the every day live. The very never ever things that you think you'll use, are now the day live activities. I never thought to use Skype, I didn't trust in the used time of write in the facebook, and the dedication for a B-log were things to see, not to work on it. But the situations change the mind. I see myself reflected in situations as when I teached my mother use the Microwave Oven, or explained how to send an E-mail to my aunt. Sounds like weird but is the same situation of being in work and don't see the soccer match the day before, what to talk then in coffe time?, weather or politics? and what about if you didn't watch the news? Anyway all this friends nets are evolving to introduce you in this game. What not to try? and what to do it? The end is that in less than a week I become a Oficial member of the Facebook, I talked with headsets like a phone secretary and I'm writting this lines on my Brand-New B-Log. But tomorrow I hope to go and visit or friend Fuji for three days. I need this nature days, and valuing will better this, but I'll make the photos thinking to post on here, will change my climbing? Don't think so.

Danjiri Festival 2007

2007-09-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

In Osaka Prefecture there is a district call Kishiwada. Each year they celebrate one event that takes two days. This year it is september 15th and 16th. How to explain. As people tells is one of the most dangerous celebration in the whole country, since in a hundred years more than 80 people have died in this event. If you wanna see more details go to

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15066&l=171c8&id=722556890

and see the album in detail. The best explanation is shown in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1FnCpQs6yg.

Firsts Weeks or Cultural Shock

2007-09-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

That's how my odyssey starts in Japan. Three weeks ago I landed in this Island and is getting better each day. I still dont realize that I'm here, but each small detail is showing me that I'm not in Europe the lasts days. We will see. The first dinners and the athmosphere of an International Community hide us the normal day live in this country. The way of work, of behave, of riding bike is different and looks like is going to amaze me the hole semester. All the small details entertain me the hole day. Even no time to think meanwhile I walk or I go shopping.