This is not an airplane blog, but rather an airport blog.
Not written from the sky, but the ground.
Don't be sad, there just might be an airplane blog, too. Either now or on the way back (traditionally, my airplane blogs are on the flight from CA to Japan, so it'll probably be the way back.)
I am delighted right now because Kansai airport has free wireless internet. I didn't expect to be on a computer with internet again until California, so this was a pretty pleasant surprise. Before now, I've only heard of the cool airports that let you use internet for free and I've always wanted to end up at one.
I have over two more hours left to wait for my plane, so I am just hanging out here. I'm trying to figure out how much of my battery I should spare for the flight- but it doesn't really make sense to save lots of battery because, as I have stated in an airplane blog once, "there is no internet in the sky."Probably the only thing I would use this computer for would be to watch something I brought. I think I rememeber seeing some good stuff listed in the "in flight movies" list, so I think I should be ok with that.
Kansai airport is SO WEIRD to me. There are so many other foreigners and they're all speaking English and I don't know them!!!!! I started a conversation with another American woman who was behind me in line just because it was so weird for me to have to there and I wanted to talk to relieve the awkwardness.
....Is it going to be really REALLY strange to be back in the US?
I am hoping this visit to California gives me a bit of an idea of what reverse culture shock will be like next year when I move back.
I can already tell from this experience that it's going to be very sad for me to leave Kagoshima next year.
This is my first boredom induced blog in a while, come to think of it.
Airport blogs are very serious compared to airplane blogs. But equally scattered. Whoopee!
July 18, 2009
July 17, 2009
Parking spaces and dinosaurs
Yeah, it's a two blog night. I just thought of two different things I wanted to type about here.
In my very grumpy blog from the other day, I mentioned that I was told the parking space I thought was mine this entire time at my apartment building isn't actually the one I thought it was.
The next day, I got a letter from the building owners and I could tell that it was on the topic of the parking spaces, so I figured that they were just telling me what I already knew.
But, there seemed to be more to the letter, so I brought it into my Japanese lesson and let my teacher look at it.
It turns out that the space 55 has been erased, so the person who is assigned 55 has been parking in 54 (my actual space). The content of the letter was actually asking me if I had any complaints about my parking space being taken so much. But -I- had just barely learned about that spot the day before, so of course I had no issue with it.
My Japanese teacher called the company that owns my building and found out that the space I've been using (52) is unassigned to anyone. Of course, that's obvious because I've been parking there for almost a year with no complaints. Anyway, I told her to tell them that I would like to continue to park in 52 if that was acceptable and the person assigned to 55 could park in 54.
I don't know many details, actually, but I did get permission to park in 52 for now.
It was a pretty crazy mixup and I thought it was funny that I was asked if I had problems with the person parking in 54 just a day after I first parked there.
Now for the "dinosaurs" part of my post.
I realized recently that I've been making a pretty funny Japanese mistake for months now.
A way to say international exchange in Japanese is "kokusai (international) kouryuu (exchange/interaction).
Instead of "kouryuu", I've been saying "kyouryuu" which, I figured out recently, means "dinosaur".
"International dinosaur"
In my very grumpy blog from the other day, I mentioned that I was told the parking space I thought was mine this entire time at my apartment building isn't actually the one I thought it was.
The next day, I got a letter from the building owners and I could tell that it was on the topic of the parking spaces, so I figured that they were just telling me what I already knew.
But, there seemed to be more to the letter, so I brought it into my Japanese lesson and let my teacher look at it.
It turns out that the space 55 has been erased, so the person who is assigned 55 has been parking in 54 (my actual space). The content of the letter was actually asking me if I had any complaints about my parking space being taken so much. But -I- had just barely learned about that spot the day before, so of course I had no issue with it.
My Japanese teacher called the company that owns my building and found out that the space I've been using (52) is unassigned to anyone. Of course, that's obvious because I've been parking there for almost a year with no complaints. Anyway, I told her to tell them that I would like to continue to park in 52 if that was acceptable and the person assigned to 55 could park in 54.
I don't know many details, actually, but I did get permission to park in 52 for now.
It was a pretty crazy mixup and I thought it was funny that I was asked if I had problems with the person parking in 54 just a day after I first parked there.
Now for the "dinosaurs" part of my post.
I realized recently that I've been making a pretty funny Japanese mistake for months now.
A way to say international exchange in Japanese is "kokusai (international) kouryuu (exchange/interaction).
Instead of "kouryuu", I've been saying "kyouryuu" which, I figured out recently, means "dinosaur".
"International dinosaur"
Giant Dipper
So, just now, I was just in the middle of my bi-weekly(-esque) nighttime power-walk which is, indeed, turning into a jog little by little.
(Yep, I'm still keeping up on the exercising... all on my own, too. Impressed?)
Anyway, I was walking along and I just happened to look up and immediately notice the Giant Dipper.
I was surprised because I never really casually looked up, noticed, and identified a constellation before. I've noticed them before, but never so quickly and easily. I looked a little more and quickly saw the Little Dipper and Orion's belt (kind of made out the rest of it that constellation, too).
Truthfully, I've never really been able to follow the idea of the imaginary lines connecting certain stars to make a picture. At that moment, I could practically see the lines in my mind.
Impressed and inspired by this, I suddenly had tons of energy and ran the rest of the way back to my apartment building.
(Then wrote one of my very rare blogs... *grins*)
As trivial as this is, I want to remember this as a very very cool moment of my life.
It's Friday night, I head back to California on Sunday for a two week visit.
(Yep, I'm still keeping up on the exercising... all on my own, too. Impressed?)
Anyway, I was walking along and I just happened to look up and immediately notice the Giant Dipper.
I was surprised because I never really casually looked up, noticed, and identified a constellation before. I've noticed them before, but never so quickly and easily. I looked a little more and quickly saw the Little Dipper and Orion's belt (kind of made out the rest of it that constellation, too).
Truthfully, I've never really been able to follow the idea of the imaginary lines connecting certain stars to make a picture. At that moment, I could practically see the lines in my mind.
Impressed and inspired by this, I suddenly had tons of energy and ran the rest of the way back to my apartment building.
(Then wrote one of my very rare blogs... *grins*)
As trivial as this is, I want to remember this as a very very cool moment of my life.
It's Friday night, I head back to California on Sunday for a two week visit.
July 13, 2009
Today
TMI (Too much information) warning issued. Read at your on risk.
Today sucked and here's why-
1) I woke up at around 2:30 in the middle of the night suddenly because I was incredibly overheated.
2) I woke this morning to find period blood on my sheets so I had to wash them this morning. Fortunately, this also happened yesterday morning, so I was able to do it quickly and easily.
3) I had 4 classes today with 2nd graders. It's been really hot lately and there is no AC in elementary school classrooms- so I had to be energetic while becoming increasingly covered in sweat, hot, and also cramping at times despite motrin that I took.
4) The last class finally ended and I was more than ready to return to the office. I wanted to use the office bathroom because the crouching floor toilets at the elementary school are absolute misery when it's hot, you're sweaty, and it's that time of the month. BUT- I had to wait quite a while to get my car out because it was boxed in. There was some kind of swim meet that no one told me about ahead of time, so parents' cars were blocking the way in every direction.
5) I got back to the office and learned that I was parking in the wrong space at my apartment building all this time. I guess the person from my office accidentally told me the wrong space number. My actual parking space sucks- if I went into more about why this parking space sucks, I would be rambling.
*SIGH*
It'll be nice when this day is over.
Today sucked and here's why-
1) I woke up at around 2:30 in the middle of the night suddenly because I was incredibly overheated.
2) I woke this morning to find period blood on my sheets so I had to wash them this morning. Fortunately, this also happened yesterday morning, so I was able to do it quickly and easily.
3) I had 4 classes today with 2nd graders. It's been really hot lately and there is no AC in elementary school classrooms- so I had to be energetic while becoming increasingly covered in sweat, hot, and also cramping at times despite motrin that I took.
4) The last class finally ended and I was more than ready to return to the office. I wanted to use the office bathroom because the crouching floor toilets at the elementary school are absolute misery when it's hot, you're sweaty, and it's that time of the month. BUT- I had to wait quite a while to get my car out because it was boxed in. There was some kind of swim meet that no one told me about ahead of time, so parents' cars were blocking the way in every direction.
5) I got back to the office and learned that I was parking in the wrong space at my apartment building all this time. I guess the person from my office accidentally told me the wrong space number. My actual parking space sucks- if I went into more about why this parking space sucks, I would be rambling.
*SIGH*
It'll be nice when this day is over.
July 09, 2009
Julia ponders intangibility
From a chat I am having with Krystina--
[15:22] giuliafelix: I wonder if people who can make themselves intangible ever fall through the ground
[15:22] giuliafelix: like you're standing there
[15:22] giuliafelix: and you decide to make yourself intangible
[15:22] giuliafelix: so then you free fall into the ground
[15:22] Kshorsehick: bam!
[15:22] giuliafelix: and you can't get back up
[15:23] giuliafelix: you can't stop the falling by becoming tangible
[15:23] giuliafelix: because then you'd get stuck in the ground
[15:23] Kshorsehick: yeah
[15:23] giuliafelix: so you'd have to keep falling until you reached the surface of the other side
[15:23] giuliafelix: and then make yourself tangible
[15:23] giuliafelix: then you reorient yourself, stand on the ground
[15:24] giuliafelix: and then make yourself intangible
[15:24] giuliafelix: fall through again
[15:24] giuliafelix: and then you're home!
[15:27] giuliafelix: The powers of intangibility only make sense when you can fly.
[15:27] Kshorsehick: oh?
[15:27] giuliafelix: yeah
[15:27] giuliafelix: or else you fall through the ground
[15:27] Kshorsehick: oh
[15:22] giuliafelix: I wonder if people who can make themselves intangible ever fall through the ground
[15:22] giuliafelix: like you're standing there
[15:22] giuliafelix: and you decide to make yourself intangible
[15:22] giuliafelix: so then you free fall into the ground
[15:22] Kshorsehick: bam!
[15:22] giuliafelix: and you can't get back up
[15:23] giuliafelix: you can't stop the falling by becoming tangible
[15:23] giuliafelix: because then you'd get stuck in the ground
[15:23] Kshorsehick: yeah
[15:23] giuliafelix: so you'd have to keep falling until you reached the surface of the other side
[15:23] giuliafelix: and then make yourself tangible
[15:23] giuliafelix: then you reorient yourself, stand on the ground
[15:24] giuliafelix: and then make yourself intangible
[15:24] giuliafelix: fall through again
[15:24] giuliafelix: and then you're home!
[15:27] giuliafelix: The powers of intangibility only make sense when you can fly.
[15:27] Kshorsehick: oh?
[15:27] giuliafelix: yeah
[15:27] giuliafelix: or else you fall through the ground
[15:27] Kshorsehick: oh
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