It has been a busy first week after having arrived in Kyoto last Monday. The usual necessities of unpacking, buying food, registering as an alien, plus school things such as payment of rent, finding classes, teachers and actually starting the school year. The school seems to be quite organised so that it has seemed very easy to do all these things. I had help to do the official things and the other girls in the residence have showed me around so it has not been too taxing.
I don´t feel particularly accustomed to this quantity of assistance and sometimes it doesn´t seem natural and the urge to refuse the help comes, but for once I have not and it is good to see the pleasure some people get through helping others.
The´Culture Shock´ that is well documented that happens to some people on arrival to a country so so different to their own doesn´t seem to have hit me yet. I am just absorbing all that is here, meanwhile starting class and getting on with everyday living and the obligations still pending from home.
The university, which although is quite big on ´freedom´ has, at least in my faculty, quite a structured class system which requires us to be there for the register to be taken... or there are actual practical classes to attend. Although this feels quite strange after being very independent in terms of taking charge of my own studies, it is quite refreshing to have some taught classes, something which I know some students would benefit from at home....
Shopping and eating in general has been an adventure. I am an extremely fussy eater, but am trying my best best to be more open minded on this side of things, especially as you more or less have to be here (certainly if like me you are quite unable to read what things actually are and have to guess). There have not been too many disasters and I have tried a great number of things already and found some good stuff! The emphasis here is really to adopt the way of eating. Western food is expensive and really doesn´t exist in the same format (which of course, why should it?) so although I need tea with milk (!), on the other hand the rest is all changing. I find the choice of vegetables particularly interesting but as with fruit it seems quite a bit more expensive than in the UK. Favourite thing so far: a triangle of rice with a seaweed/soy sauce blob in the middle. Great snack.
The people in general and the students particularly are really friendly, and go out of their way to help you out (it is quite obvious when we are lost/foreign). It is really refreshing to be in a kind and thoughtful environment.
I am beginning to find my way around, without too much difficulty. I have been loaned a bicycle, which is great to get around and a good way to see things, except the concentration needed to keep eyes on the road...
I have been for a few runs, it´s a fine area for this, especially in the early morning. Although I expect I make a strange sight, tall foreign girl running around (at least it seems that way, I am getting some strange looks!).
I had to check out the shopping, which proved more amazing than I expected. I don´t know if I will be able not to spend everything before leaving. There are so so many amazing things that exist here. For a start the choice of tights and socks! Plastic things in general... things you didn´t know you needed. I could go on....
So only a week in it seems like a whole lot has been done but I know the time I have here is going to go very quickly....
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