Conference SPLAT!

(Note: I do have access to internet. That doesn’t mean I want to pay for it. So unless I happen to get to the Apple Store in Ginza or Shinjuku, these posts are going to be uploaded when I get back to Kyoto, but will be dated on the day that I write them in Word.)

So, the conference is over and done with – now the REAL fun begins! To be quite honest, as much as I was happy to present my work and try to get some feedback, I had a lot of trepidation. I am still getting used to the whole “present your work at a conference, be prepared to be chewed up and spitten out in a good way.” The only constructive criticism that I got? That I should not use the word “abate” because it is an intransitive (or was it transitive? I forgot) verb. The one that I should really use is “mitigate.” Constructive, that.

Granted, I was terrified. I was nervous. It was my first time at this particular conference, and my first time at a conference that was run by THE professional association for my field. So, in effect to be all Japanese and use onomatopeia: SPLAT. Literally. It was even worse than the time I presented the EXACT SAME THING (albeit with some updates this time around) last December.

There is the main conference that is held in the States, but each country/region has their own English-language confernece, and the one I presented at was the largest one in Japan. So it’s pretty big. But not as big as the main one – at the main one, graduate students are not even allowed to present.

In spite of my morning splat in terms of speaking I did learn a few things about presenting:

1) Until you are very well established in your field and you really, truly know your stuff to be comfortable talking about it in front of 20+ people, then prepare a speech and read from it. Notes won’t cut it.
2) Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Seriously.

Nonetheless, I got some mega conference-ing under my belt and am slowly getting more used to it. It was a lot of fun in that I actually met people – two girls to be specific: Kukhee and Jessica. They are both in a similar field, but good fun – one is actually on the Monbusho like me, but doing her Ph.D at Tokyo Uni. In fact, I am going to meet up with them for dinner this Tuesday in Shinjuku and one reason why meeting them was so much fun was because as Jessica put it – “It is GREAT to finally meet a fellow academic who cares about fashion!” I actually sat next to Jessica during a panel and left early, but ran into each other for lunch. Then we sat and talked for about 2-3 hours. I met Kukhee through Jessica, as the two of us (Jessica and I) split up for different panels. And let me say this – the food at the reception was killer. So yeah, in spite of my severe stage fright, cofnerneces are fun. Especially when you get to meet people like Kukhee and Jessica – you have really good conversations and you have fun ones as well.

It was quite all geeky but in the academic geeky sort of way. Given that I was the newbie and one of the youngest people there I just listened and watched a lot. I also asked a lot of questions – but not at the panels. Through Kukhee I met one professor who recently got his Ph.D at a particular uni that I am seriously eyeing for grad school; although he was not say a first or second year student who is still on campus most of the time, he told me he had a good experience and it is a good atmosphere. It’s not like one school which is out in the middle of nowhere, leading everyone to be all chummy, but rather a chummy-not-chummy sort of atmosphere. Meaning, everyone knows everyone and works together but it doesn’t mean that they are all up in everyone’s lives. There is more to life than just what is on campus; but in the case of the city school it is precisely because it is in the city.

But I digress. Back to Tokyo. I forgot to mention yesterday, that while I was huffing and puffing during my first foray into the Tokyo train system(s – there are three major train system,s all of which share stations at some points but you have to get out then back in if you want to transfer from one line to another. It’s messy but I think the NYC system is crazier), I passed by a sumo wrestler. He was wearing kimono and doing something with his cell phone. He wasn’t that big but you could tell that he was a sumo wrestler. I actually did a double take.

After the conference today, I went over to a neighborhood a little west of Ikebukuro, where one of the members of my forum, Mark lives with his family. I had asked him about changing my tragus earring to something that I can take out myself for when I have to (say, wedding – I don’t think a tragus piercing would go well in wedding photos). He invited me for dinner and I had a really good time. His son is so adorable!

I got back to my hotel at about 11pm – at first I was a bit nervous on going around Tokyo at night by myself, but Mark pointed out that the Kansai area is a bit more dangerous, especially with the yakuza presence (the Japanese mob) which is really well established in Kobe. There are girls in the miniskirts with over $1000 in their bags who come home piss-drunk at 3 in the morning and it’s totally safe, he said. I just have some trepidation because I don’t know Tokyo; at first, I didn’t know Kyoto, but now I am totally fine with it. Add to the fact that I am by myself and just meh. But I am getting more used to it.