Early Morning

I'm sure it's because of the time changes and stuff but I'm usually exhausted so early at night and I wake up as early as 5:30 or 6:00 AM. But it's a lot different here in Japan. Whereas the sun doesn't even go down in Michigan until sometimes as late as 9:00 PM, it disappears aroudn 5:30 PM here in Japan and the sun begins to rise around 4:00 AM.

Yesterday was the first day of orientation. It was filled with the usually tour, lunch, and long discussions but the part I hate to think back on the most was the placement exam. To put it best...

"It was everything I never knew and nothing I was ever taught"

That's it in a nutshell. It was all fluent Japanese. There was a writing portion, reading portion, and an essay portion. It was the most frustrating, difficult test I have ever taken. But I was warned before I came to Rikkyo that they usually place you too high or too low. I didn't mind being placed to low because I figured a lot of my learning and development of my Japanese skill would grow outside of the classroom. I guess I'll be in a lower level.. But we still have the interview (the second part to the placement exam) on Wednesday. The rest of orientation week will be spent getting information on the scholarships we've received, opening a bank account, and registering for classes.

Afterwards, my friends Kaitlin and Desiree headed to Shinjuku to celeberate our friend Kota's birthday. We went to this amazing restaurant that was on the 49th floor of one of the taller buildings in Tokyo. I have never seen a view SOOOOO amazing. I tried to take a picture but there are some things you can't explain well enough with something like a picture. Summed up, it's one of the best things I've experienced since I've been in Japan. We had a great time and it was nice to see people I'm familiar with. Afterwards my friend Hirotoshi helped Desiree and I get back to the Tobu Tojo line.

Well...I'm going to try and go back to sleep for an hour or so but I will be updating more soon.

じゃね！