So, yeah, I'm back in America now. Actually, I've been back in America for a week now, but I've been in a frantic scramble to get stuff done since I've been back. This is the first day I've had since I've been back in Morgantown to just sit around and do nothing. I'm rather fond of that idea right now.

I've been down on campus more times than I care to recall during the past few days. I've called at least a dozen numbers about apartments, and none have worked out so far. I've tried to get a work study, and I was later informed that I can't get one until fall. I've talked to my advisor about my major and my classes for summer school and fall. So, this is kind of what I'm getting so far... Key points here:

1.) Academics. I have my schedule worked out for summer, and it looks pretty good. I'm going to take English 102, just because I don't have that credit yet, and I need it. After that, my advisor talked me into taking economics 201, because she says it's just generally good to have and it's still a requirement for my current major. Then I've got two other bull shit courses I'm going to take just to fill in credit hours. One is a communications class that's "film appreciation"; we just watch a bunch of movies and write reviews on them...

About my major, my advisor kind of talked me out of changing it. I told her that all I really want is to get a degree and start working, and I've slowly realized that it doesn't really matter what kind of a degree I have, so long as it's a degree. In that respect, keeping my current major will save me a lot of time and money. Another reason that I didn't want to continue with the international studies is because I loathe politics, and I didn't want to get into the higher level polisci classes for my major. But my advisor told me that I don't really HAVE to take polisci classes; there are other things that I can substitute for it. So right now, it looks like it's still international studies for me.

2.) Housing. Housing in Morgantown SUCKS. It sucks because it's so difficult to find. I've learned in the past week that I simply cannot afford a single bedroom apartment. It can't be done. And I was getting pretty panicky there for a few days, but now I've got more options; three friends have agreed to try to fit me into their housing plans for this summer/next year, which is grand, because the more people you have, the nicer a place you can afford for cheaper. If that fails, I've also got another individual friend who's agreed to go in with me on an apartment. Roommates... eh. I don't really want them, but I can't afford to not have them. So the housing search continues, just in a different direction now.

3.) Money. I'm getting kinda tight on cash. I don't know what it's going to be like for me if I get an apartment or whatever over the summer and I don't have a job, but Owen thinks he can get me a job at the computer labs -- and it ISN'T a work study, so that means I could start immediately. Or so we're guessing. If I could get this job, it'd be great. I need money. Badly...

Well, that's where I am right now. So now I'm going to leave you all with some photos that I've taken since I've been back. Just a few small ones; nothing special...

( This is what it was doing when I got back... )

My flight out is tomorrow. I'm making this post at 9 PM, Monday night, my time. It's 8 AM, Monday, in America now. I'm going to fall asleep eventually tonight, I guess, wake up tomorrow morning, have breakfast with Briana, and then the taxi's picking me up at noon to take me to the airport... My flight leaves at 3:20 PM. That'll be 2:20 AM, Tuesday, in America. When I land, it will be about 5:30 PM in America, in Chicago, and then I'll arrive in Pittsburgh at about 9 PM. Mom's got a hotel room reserved, so I won't have to endure more traveling that night and can crash as soon as I get back to Pittsburgh.

I'm nervous and stressed out, of course. I've got those pre-departure anxieties. More than anything else, though, I'm looking towards my less immediate future and seeing troubles; I'm concerned now about what's going to happen to me after I get back. There's so much I've got to do, and I've got to do it as quickly as possible. So much to do, and so little time.

But mostly, I can't wait to eat a pizza, see my friends, and play with my ferrets. My babies.

Yeah. I'll be home soon. Just need to mellow out a little first...

If you've just started reading, this is the third of three posts. The previous two are posted below, in order. I'm making an individual post for each day of my three day trip to Kyoto with Briana, so catch up before you start reading this entry.

I slept a little better the second night with the ear plugs, but still not perfectly. I think that was also the sleeping in an unfamiliar place thing coupled with the noise. But regardless, we got up at 8 and were showered and checked out by 8:45. From there, we put our bags in some coin lockers in Kyoto station and hopped on the JR Line to go to Nara.

( Starting into the finale... )

This is the second of three posts covering my trip to Kyoto, if you've just started reading now. This post covers day two. First day is below.

The second morning kinda sucked because some of the other jerks staying in the hostel decided that they were going to use the common area for drinking and partying until the early AMs -- which is cool, except that our room was right across the flight of stairs going UP to the common area, so we could hear everything. And they were very loud. There were notes posted everywhere to "please be considerate to other guests and shut the hell up around 10 PM, thanks", but no one seemed to pay those any mind. I went up and told them that they were being very loud and needed to settle down around 12:15 AM, and they did... ...a little. But not enough that I could sleep comfortably for a while longer.

Grrr, assholes...

Anyway. Briana and I set out on our own again. Whitney had school until noon-ish, so we got some things done before meeting her later. So this is where our day started.

( Here we go again... )

So Briana and I got back from Kyoto last night. It was rather exhausting, yes, but it was definitely worth it. I'm really glad I got to go before I had to leave, because it was hands down the best thing I've done in Japan so far. Kyoto was incredible, full of temples and shrines and all sorts of ancient things. It was also very unusual to see the modern Japanese city just kind of built up around these landmarks. Typical contrast of Japan, I think.

The only thing that I can think of to describe everything we saw was that it looked like something out of a fairy tale. I took pictures, but I only had the memory card that came with my camera, and it filled up before the first day was over. I ended up buying three more disposable cameras out and about, and went through them all, so I guess I'll have lots of good, old fashioned photographs when I get home. I got some good shots the first day, and then a few miscellaneous ones after, but mostly, I'm just stealing a bunch of Briana's shots to post here.

I'm going to make a separate post for each day that we were there, because these posts are going to be incredibly photo intensive. So this post is one of three, for the first day.

I got up at an agonizing 6:15 AM to rush off with Briana. We had to be checked into our hostel by 11 AM, and it takes about three hours to get down to Kyoto from Nagoya by the trains. We got these really great passes for the JR Line, and had planned to take that down to Kyoto instead of the bullet train, to save a ton of money. And a ton of money was saved. It was kind of nice to see the scenery, too. I nearly spazzed when I saw these huge Appalachian wannabe mountains lurking on the horizon on the way down -- and we saw HORSES!!! We were REALLY going out into the boondocks. There were rice fields everywhere...

We got to Kyoto without much trouble and checked into our hostel, then hit up the local McDonald's for lunch. At the McDonald's, we met with Whitney, a friend of Briana's who is a high school exchange student living in Osaka and going to school in Kyoto. She knew the area really well and was kind enough to show us around and play tour guide for us while we were there. After we all got some food in us, we set out.

( And here the tourism begins! )

This post has the potential to be very long. I haven't updated since Thursday, before I was going to call Tara George-Jones in the OIP (Office of International Programs) at WVU. And many, many things have happened since then. In an attempt to keep this post's length under control, I will state the important news very quickly:

I'm coming back to America on Tuesday, March 13.

After talking to Tara (finally), she told me within the first few seconds of our conversation that if I was really as unhappy as I am here and as concerned about my major as I am, that I should just come home immediately. We worked out the details of my finaid and my scholarship; I won't have to repay the finaid I received for this semester as long as I remain enrolled at the university for this semester, but then I get a failing mark for the entire semester. I can keep my scholarship if I earn 12 more credit hours over summer school to balance out my credit hour requirement for the Promise. It's gonna be rough, but I'm going to give it my all. I need to be back in time for some good academic advising and summer school registration, which, for me as a failed sophomore, will be April 10th. Hectic schedule.

I just booked my flight today. I've got most of the details of my moving out settled now, but it's still going to be a lot of work between now and then. I have something to do almost every day before I leave, and I'm really pushing my financial resources here. But I think it'll be okay.

Briana and I have a short trip planned to Kyoto together next week (the last week I'll be here; wow, 14 more days), because she thought it was a crying shame that I'd been in Japan all this time, am leaving prematurely, and was never once really out of Nagoya. I agree. So we booked reservations at a hostel and are going to be trekking around Kyoto and Nara from Tuesday the 6th to Thursday the 8th. We're also running around so I can do a lot of souvenir shopping and other stupid, silly little things before I leave. Today we took some purikura together. The shots are really blurry because my hand is quite unsteady, but they're managable...

( Purikura here. )

So I kind of freaked out again last night. Yeah, I had another one of my fits where I just really wanted to go home. It was also another fit about my major going nowhere and me having no future and such. See, it's interesting; I get the impression that people thought I'd be fine after J.B. got here because I wouldn't be alone all the time. That's not true. I still angst. The only difference is, now I can scream at him over the phone. Hahah.

I've already decided I want to change my major. I decided that a long, long time ago. So now I feel like every day I spend here in Japan is just me wasting time. It's another day I could be going home, where I could go to summer school, try to get into something better for next year, just do SOMETHING REMOTELY PRODUCTIVE with my life. So every day here is a day wasted.

I took my argument to OIP at WVU again. I've sent them, my advisor, and other people many e-mails before and have been ignored before. I have been trying to contact someone at WVU for over a month now with no results. I sent this last, semi-angry e-mail, and so help me god, if it's ignored again I will ring their fXXking phone off the hook. Just watch. I will call them at 9 AM, when their office opens in America, and ring, ring, ring non-stop until someone answers that damn phone. I will not let those assholes abandon me in this country.

The more I've thought on it, the more it seems I could come back and not be put that far behind. If I can get 12 credit hours in summer school, it would totally kill me, but it would save my PROMISE scholarship. Then the issue after that was, how do I finance that? Well, many people are telling me now that I don't have to pay back scholarship and grant money. Which, if that's true, I could use to pay for my summer school. I've got enough left in my bank account right now.

I think I could do this and not totally screw myself. My graduation would most likely be set back, but I don't think it matters, anyway; it would be at this point because I decided a looong time ago that I need to change my major ASAP when I get back, and doing that will set my graduation back. So what's it matter? I could just take a bunch of bull classes over summer to keep my scholarship for another two years, and there you go.

If they keep ignoring me at WVU, I'm really tempted to just get on an airplane, come home, and be like, "Oh... ...didn't you get the memo...??" It would serve the bastards right for not answering the desperate e-mails of a kid they sent to another country. Jerks.

Today was INSANE. I had been told that around 5 PM was when J.B.'s flight was arriving, so from that time forth, I had been hoping for a phone call. I got one from him around 6:30, and it wasn't a very good one. He said the people who were supposed to meet him at the airport didn't meet him, and he couldn't get ahold of this guy he'd been trying to ring for a good while now. When I asked him where he was, he said that he was in the Starbucks outside of the south exit of Kanayama Eki... ...with about 150 lbs. of American luggage. The brief conversation ended with something like, "Okay, at least you know I'm here." But no more than fifteen minutes later, he called again, and my quick solution was, "Do you want to come here for the night??" "Yes, please."

I set out with Briana (who had literally just gotten back from Sakae and was exhausted) to meet him in Kanayama. Briana, thank you so much again and again and again for helping me out... We were about halfway to Kanayama when J.B. called my phone to tell me he'd finally gotten through to the guy from ECC and that he was going to be escorted to his apartment. He asked if we were almost there, and when I said yeah, he told us to just come on ahead. I had no idea what was going to happen. I don't know if he really did either.

I was a nervous wreck this entire time. I'm really glad that Briana was with me to remind me to breathe properly, cause I was seriously wigging out. I was probably more stressed than even J.B. was, but then again, I think it takes a lot to stress him out.

We got to Kanayama, went out to the Starbucks, and looked around. I didn't see him inside. But then I saw a gaijin (of course, sticking out like a sore thumb) in a camo jacket outside on the sidewalk, and I freaked out. I jumped up and down and acted like an idiot, and he saw me, and we met in the door and I attacked him. Hahahahahah~ I hurriedly introduced him to Briana, and then we went outside where we met his escort, a really nice man named Will, and some random Japanese girl who was with him. Heheh... We all piled into the van, and then, to my utter confusion, we were driven to J.B.'s new apartment.

His apartment is SO NICE. I am SO INSANELY JEALOUS, you have no idea. He has a large kitchen area with a real table and chairs and more of a stove than we've got, a bigger fridge, a living room area with a sofa, TV, DVD player, coffee table... and him and his roommate (Phil, who's actually a pretty chill guy) have WONDERFUL tatami mat bedrooms!!!! Their bedrooms are seriously about the size of my entire apartment!! AND!!!

!!! THEY HAVE A WASHER AND A DRYER !!!

The location is amazing, also. It's about 20 minutes walking distance to Sakae and just a block or two from Nagoya Station. Superb!!! I am so going to be at his place all the time over break. If it weren't such a long journey (about a half hour), I would definitely consider doing my laundry there, too. Ugh, a dryer!!! I'm so jealous!!!

We ended up hanging out for a couple hours, just gabbing and chatting. Briana and I ended up catching the last train back; I didn't get home until nearly midnight. I can't remember the last time I stayed out so late... Briana seemed to hit it off really well with Phil, too -- she told me later that he reminded her of someone she knew in high school. J.B. and I had some private discussions to gossip and such, which was just amazing. It was so good to talk to a friend from Morgantown again. You all seriously have no idea; I feel so relieved right now I could cry. We all four made plans to go to Outback tomorrow for dinner, and maybe drinking afterwards, but before that, I'm going to go get J.B. in the afternoon and try to show him around Sakae some.

He gave me a Valentine's Day present. Two bottles of Forks of Cheat's spice wine. I was amazed that he could even get the stuff through the airport, but incredibly grateful, nonetheless. Of course we had to open one bottle tonight to take a swig. Great stuff there.

I'm so excited right now. I wish tomorrow would come sooner. I already feel like my life's gotten better. For the first time since I've been in Japan, I feel like I've really got some stuff to look forward to now. And his time here is going to be infinitely more awesome than mine has been so far.

I got an e-teddy bear today. To anyone who isn't hip to this, the "teddy bear" is a running inside joke now between myself and a handful of friends. Basically, I hate teddy bears, so everyone should give me one. Yeah, that's about it.

But I actually GOT a teddy bear today. (Well, like I said, an e-teddy bear.) When I logged into Facebook and saw this little teddy bear icon sitting in my "gift box", I just couldn't stop grinning. I think I laughed out loud after reading the note tagged on it, too -- because teddy bears are just that cliche... I couldn't stop smiling for a long time after that, so I changed my Facebook status to "Amanda is grinning like the Cheshire Cat". I then felt inspired and viewed much online artwork of Cheshire Cats, and have decided that I really would like to read Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking-Glass, and other works by Lewis Carroll, even though they are little more than the product of opium, in my opinion. Anyway, here's my clumsily crafted contribution.



Purposely disproportioned.



Yeah. It's not the greatest thing; I did it up in about ten minutes. Whatever. It entertained me for the time being. And I felt like sharing. So bleeehh.

The Cheshire Cat is my new interest. It fascinates me. I like the really evil, stoned looking ones the best; Disney's Cheshire Cat is too plump and happy looking. I think the Cheshire Cat should look more sinister and mischievous. Because God knows cats really ARE sinister and mischievous...

Anyway. On a closing note, I'd also like to add that I received a MASSIVE Valentine's Day package from Mrs. J and Mrs. Greenly, and it was FANTASTIC!!! More on that later perhaps, but thanks a TON, guys, if you're reading this!!! I love you bunches~!

Briana and I went to Sakae for the first time in a while today. We went to the post office and were going to go to the grocery store afterwards, but we somehow ended up going to Sakae instead. I'd been needing to go to the Mandarake to get some pricing information on some manga that Kimmerz wanted, and I also had a hankering for Starbucks. (I've been begging Briana for coffee for ages now, but we've been avoiding Starbucks for ages... I finally got her to cave today.)

I think I shattered my diet today with the Starbucks and the doughnut I absolutely had to get with it, but I guess it's not so bad considering that we did so much walking today and all I had for breakfast was some instant oatmeal. I'll just have some yogurt for dinner tonight or something and hope that covers my (hopefully slimming) rear... Try to go for overkill on the tae bo, too... But my GOD, that frappucino was delicious...

After hitting up the Mandarake, we stopped in the Tokyuu Hands, this department store that I've been wanting to go in for some good cooking utensils for a while now. This place was great; it had all sorts of delightful Western cooking ware in it. I got some measuring cups with cups and mililiters on them, AND I got a real potato masher!!! I almost bought a cheese grater, but I resisted. I found some real shot glasses, too -- glass. They were a riot; they had single shots, shot and a half, and double shot glasses... Hrmhhh... Right near the sake bottles. Hah.

We stopped in another comic store after those two destinations were covered, then went back to the station to get myself a new Totoro plushie (I sent the last one to my mama), and some coffee to wrap up the day. We also snagged some Lush soap in there somewhere. Wonderful stuff... So I've got photos of my new plush and a cell phone strap I got in there, too.



This is my cell phone. It's so Japanese. It's got so many danglies on it... But hey, at least it doesn't jingle or have any huge plush objects hanging from it. Let's break them down!



Here's a close-up of my danglies. I've got two Tamagatchi, a shiba doggie with some green tea, a mamegoma (in the sphere), and my new donguri (or acorn) charm I got from the Totoro shop today. Yay.



Close-up of my Tamagatchi, cause they're cute. Hahah.



And the blue donguri!!! I love it, it's so pretty~



He's great. His mouth is open. I love it. And how's this face for you??:



Heheh.

So, yeah, I guess today wasn't too bad. At least I got out of my room again. That's always a colossal victory for me!! Tomorrow, though, I MUST get out to the grocery store. I've been putting it off for entirely too long now. AND NO MORE DOUGHNUTS!!!! *slaps her own wrist.*