Orientation Adventures Part 2

This is incredibly late, but ever since classes started I have been indescribably busy. In any case, here is part 2. This is mostly just photos, so I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Tomorrow is Halloween, so I'll try to have a post about what I see at the Halloween party I'm going to (in Ikebukuro, so it is sure to be interesting) at some point in the future.

Orientation Adventures Part 1

Here is the post that (I assume) you all have been waiting for--the ultimate rundown of everything I did over orientation! Everything that occurred between the day after I arrived at my dorm and the day before classes started is in here, with a lot of pictures.

Anyway, let's get on with it, because this is really long. I did make it two parts, so hopefully it's more manageable that way.

Japanese Placement Test

Last week, I took the dreaded Japanese Placement Test.

This is the map of the two tracks (Regular and Intensive) and what they equate to on each other's route. If you don't understand it at all, don't even worry about it.

I didn't bother to study, and to be honest, I don't think it would have made any difference.

We arrived at Sophia on Thursday morning in the pouring rain, marking approximately the eight millionth day so far that it has been raining. A good setting for what was about to go down.

The Dorm

As I mentioned in a previous post, the dorm I am staying in is DK House Nerima.

What follows will probably sound rather negative, but I have been incredibly spoiled by the proximity of Kenyon's dorms to my classes (and also the amount of space my previous rooms had. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone). If nothing else, this is extremely detailed, for those of you who are interested in the dorms.

Why is it green? Who knows!

The Arrival

Yesterday, after an arduous 13-hour flight, I arrived at Narita airport just after 3 PM. 

My view shortly before we landed.

After going through customs and meeting up with CIEE staff, we all made our way to the hotel where we stayed for the first night. Once we got to the hotel, they gave us money for food and told us that we could go anywhere nearby if we wanted to grab something to eat. At this point I was almost too tired to move (I fell asleep on the bus ride there and was quite ready to do so again), but I went with my hotel roommate to 7-Eleven, where I was greeted by the best bread selection I have ever seen.

The Final Countdown: 24 Hours Remaining

What's my favorite color again?

It is officially 24 hours until I board the plane to Narita!

I am rather stressed out about leaving.

Of course, I'm excited, too! Excited beyond words, even, hence why I cannot seem to find the words to describe just how excited I am.

I'm excited.

Yes.

Seriously, though. If nothing else, this should serve to show that, if you are stressed out over the prospect of leaving your home country and everyone you know for nearly an entire year (or a semester, as the case may be), you are not alone.

To be honest, it still hasn't hit me completely that I'm going to Japan for an entire year. I don't think it will until I get on the plane. Or maybe not until I arrive. I guess we'll find out.

I will make another post when I have reached the hotel, should I be functional enough to do so.

Housing Assignment

On September 6th, I found out what dorm I will be living in for the first semester! (And possibly the second semester as well, but I think it depends on what CIEE arranges, so we'll just have to wait and see.)

I will be living in DK House Nerima, aptly named for its location in Nerima, a suburb to the west of Tokyo.

It is about 40 minutes away from campus, which is quite a bit less than what they said the average commute would be (60~90 minutes), but I do wish that there weren't any transfers mid-commute--that way I could study without being worried about missing my stop until I got to Yotsuya station. Given that you can walk from one end of my home campus to the other in 10 minutes or less, this kind of travel will be hard to swallow at first.

Gotta love that 8 AM commute.

In any case, the area is quiet and there are a ton of shops nearby (Family Mart, Mister Donut, Daiso, a bookstore, a coffee place, a 7-11, the list goes on...), so that is pretty nice. Since Nerima is in the western part of Tokyo, I'm closer to places like Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku, which I would definitely like to visit at least once.

I may never leave Nerima, though, with stores like these.

When I actually arrive, I'll take some pictures of my room and the dorm in general, so stay tuned for that!

Introduction & Application Process

Hello! This post is actually a bit belated, but better late than never.

Apologies for those of you who expected a good introduction, because that is not my strong suit.

My name is Ashley! I am 20 years old, and I hail from northern Virginia. I attend Kenyon College in Ohio, a small school which consists of approximately 1,600 students, where I am a Japanese major. I will be studying abroad in Tokyo, Japan from September 15th, 2016 to July 31st, 2017. I am going through the CIEE Tokyo Arts and Sciences program, and will be studying at Sophia University, a small school (relatively speaking--there are about 13,000 students!) in the center of the city.

There is not actually a whole lot for me to say about myself, so instead I'll talk a bit about the application process, for those who may be interested.