The more I see other's blogs, and watch my roommate blog every night, the worse I feel because I update so infrequently. The truth of the matter is, I never really feel like there's much to say. I've been this way with blogs I've had in the past, too; it's not that I never do anything, because I've been doing a lot here, it's just that I sort of feel like the things I do aren't incredibly important, or worth re-capping. Like, I've visited various cities and have gone shopping; I went to some temples in Kyoto during orientation week; I've hung out with friends, new and old, and have had a lot of fun. But I sort of think all of these things seem just so normal--of course I would see shrines in Kyoto, of course I would go to big cities to shop, of course I would hang out with my friends. So I guess I shouldn't feel so bad about not blogging, if I didn't feel the need to.
I'm also not incredibly big on taking pictures, as I've said before--I have taken pictures of things, but more often than not I tend to forget my camera at home, or just not feel like taking a picture. This seems a little bit selfish now, like I'm not sharing what I'm seeing and doing with everyone back home. I'm going to try and make an effort to keep my camera on me more, and take more pictures--it's my new goal!
I've felt, these last few weeks, like things haven't really started yet. Yes, classes have started, and I've made new friends and have done things with them--but the majority of the Japanese students don't start class until this Monday, and it feels like the campus is just so full of other exchange students, and all of the Japanese students that are around are just so interested in meeting and speaking English to us, that it's starting to grate on me a little bit. When I think study abroad experience, I think of being one of the few foreigners amongst a sea of natives--I guess that so far, I've felt so surrounded by other exchange students (especially other Americans...), that it doesn't seem quite like I'm fully living my study abroad experience yet. And I knew it would kind of be this way--I've read other KGU student's blogs, and listened to these exact same complaints before. I feel like this is a great exchange program, and I definitely enjoy it and would recommend it to others, but there is something about the way the CIE has all of us lumped together in one building, and just about how there are so many exchange students at this school, that I think makes it a little annoying at times.
Maybe this is just a sort of delayed culture shock--though it isn't the Japanese culture that is shocking me, but more of just the student life culture, or something. I feel like once my old Japanese friends are on campus, and fall rolls around, I can get more in the sync of things, and I'll feel better about everything. I'm not having a bad time by far, I've met some students who are actually having regrets about coming here, but it's usually because they don't mesh well with the Japanese culture, or can't make friends, or something; I'm getting along fine, but just get frustrated with being in the CIE all day with all the other kiddos, sometimes.
It'll get better.
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