Random School Bits

Rits is quite different from Kyoto University in more ways than one. I thought I would hash them out here.

The Good Differences:
1) Teachers in the language program are more accesible - that means they are more friendly and more approachable than the ones at Kyodai. I was worried that I would be lost in a tide of grammar and mis-translation for my grad seminar presentation come July, but one of the teachers actually speaks amazing English (went to grad school in Madison, WI), and is a professor in one of the departments - he does the teaching Japanese for fun I think. So I will go to him and ask if we can go over my report/speech when the time comes. I do not think I would have been able to do that without much trepidation at Kyodai because the atmosphere is more welcoming here. You know your teachers are cool when they describe the most of the female Japanese student body as `Barbie Dolls` (and trust me, they are).

2) Japanese kids are friendlier here. Granted, I am the only foriegn student in the Hogakubu and they probably think that it is amazing that a foreign student is not only interested in the koto, but can play it a bit too. I still suck compared to the other people (Hogakubu also has shamisen and shakuhachi) but one kid asked if I wanted to perform a song together for the concert in July, one that is to my ability. At first I thought I wouldn`t be able to do it because I was thinking of joining Kyodai`s yacht club with Colleen but that is way too physically instensive for me. So, I still have my Sundays free and I will perform a song in the concert this July. That means I have to practice my ass off.

Speaking of Hogakubu, I went to practice this Tuesday - it is officially on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I can come whenever I want as well. Maybe next week, when I add the concert song to practice for, I will come on Thursday afternoons before my grad class because I have 6 hour break in between classes; I really don`t want to spend 6 hours in the library though it would be good time to get alot of work done. But I also need to practice.

3) Printing is FREE, easy and there are students doing `work study` as computer lab assistants just like in the States to help out if there is a problem. There are computer labs a plenty - simply put there are more facilities and resources for students, especially international stduents, whereas at Kyodai you had a small computer lab in the library that international students can only use, and the printer did not work most of the time.

The Bad/Annoying/Interesting Ones:
1)One cannot park your bike at will on campus. There are actual bike parking-traffic control people in the mornings and sometimes, the queue of bikes out of the East Gate can stretch out to the main road. Another reason why I won`t ride my bike to Rits: if I have to park my bike all across the other side of campus, I will be late most of the time. There is this phrase in Greek that expresses my feelings about this: `Varieme.` It kinda means `I don`t wanna...I`m lazy...It is too much to bother with.` So yeah, the issue of not only riding my bike all the way but the PARKING makes me recoil further on the notion that I will ride my bike to school.

2) It is a bit lonely here. Most of the foriegn students at Rits are undergrads in the SKP program, and the only other grad student that I know is Ulyana. But, my schedule is so busy that I am sort of ok with it - plus I know the kids from the Hogakubu so all is not lost. Since I am taking Kyodai Japanese classes this semester and I live so close to Kyodai I still see my old friends most of the time.

3) It is far. To think, I go abroad to London to get the `living close to campus` feel - I still walk a half hour or take the bus. I think I am just destined to commute to whatever school I attend to; although in grad school I am going to try my hardest to live as close to school as possible if I live off campus which would be very likely since Mel will come along (unless I get free housing as a gradaute RA and it`s is couples/family housing)

4) It is quite crowded. All the time. Even though KYodai is more vast, I don`t get that claustrophobic feeling. There is a new building going up at Rits, on the site of an old quad area - Ulyana bemoans this fact, saying it was really nice to hang out there this semester. And the roads/walkways aren`t as wide either - combine it with rather tall buildings, and I actually feel like I wam trekking the streets of Manhattan, but not quite - in a bad way. It kinda makes me uneasy.

5) Big campus. I am lucky I haven`t gotten lost at all. There are actual roadsigns.

Now, I am off to tinker with my schedule one more time, print it (for FREE!) and then it`s off to the library (seats may be comfier, but Kyodai`s library is prettier. Still, they got one of the most important things: WINDOWS. Lincoln Center`s library was underground and looked like a factory.)