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kazariToday did not turn out the way I thought it would. I had anticipated waking up to a baking heat and rolling out of bed gleefully late with either sewing or a trip to the fabric store followed by sewing on my itinerary. I woke up instead to a fantastic thunderstorm and a Facebook message from one of the girls here at Iowa from NUFS. She asked if we could meet up, and after their orientation I stopped by her room. Her and her roommate, another girl from NUFS, were trying to figure out how to get a cellphone. So, I dove in and gave them the lowdown online of American cellphone options. Still a little confused and unsure, the more outgoing one of the pair suggested the mall. I said I'd go with and translate. I was having flashbacks to my own first week abroad the entire time. They tracked down the other two girls here from NUFS and the five of us boarded the bus to the mall. I was able to be a decent intermediary between the girls and clerks in the cellphone stores and three of them got cell phones. I was a little surprised, though, that no one else seemed to be surprised when I would switch casually into Japanese and then back in English. Culture shock on my part?
After we made it back to IC, I saw Nana and crew and said a quick hi before showing the girls John's Grocery (they were worried about buying food and snacks and the like with Target and Walmart and such all so far off) and the area around it as well as where my apartment was. I let them ditch their things while they went off to Burge for dinner and I think by then two of them were calling me their savior goddess (which they then changed to the Japanese term for Lady Liberty/Statue of Liberty because it has a similar phrasing, but is "American") and another commented that she wished she'd met and gotten to know me in Japan. Poor girls. I think orientation was less comprehensive than they'd hoped or needed and the group was feeling a little lost. And, I think they had more than a little sense of relief at having someone around who was capable with Japanese language and had the time/patience to answer their questions and show them things. Their first day of actual class is tomorrow. I hope it goes well for them.
One funny note about the crew: They are going to confuse the world horribly as three of the four have Y names: Ayumi, Yumi, and Yuma. Mari's lucky. Mari is a name the general populace can handle. I believe Ayumi and Yumi are roommates, too. And, Yumi and Yuma are already the object of affection of all the other exchange students. The Chinese and Korean guys have been trying to schmooze their way in unsucessfully. Apparently, someone told Mari she looked like a Gremlin. Poor kid! She does have a sweet little face so I see how someone could make the Gizmo comment, but still. Oh, and when they came back to pick up their things after dinner, they were all mesmerized by the tail end of Project Runway on TV. It was complete silence for 15 minutes. I think at least one of them decided to get a TV after that.
It was a nice day.
After we made it back to IC, I saw Nana and crew and said a quick hi before showing the girls John's Grocery (they were worried about buying food and snacks and the like with Target and Walmart and such all so far off) and the area around it as well as where my apartment was. I let them ditch their things while they went off to Burge for dinner and I think by then two of them were calling me their savior goddess (which they then changed to the Japanese term for Lady Liberty/Statue of Liberty because it has a similar phrasing, but is "American") and another commented that she wished she'd met and gotten to know me in Japan. Poor girls. I think orientation was less comprehensive than they'd hoped or needed and the group was feeling a little lost. And, I think they had more than a little sense of relief at having someone around who was capable with Japanese language and had the time/patience to answer their questions and show them things. Their first day of actual class is tomorrow. I hope it goes well for them.
One funny note about the crew: They are going to confuse the world horribly as three of the four have Y names: Ayumi, Yumi, and Yuma. Mari's lucky. Mari is a name the general populace can handle. I believe Ayumi and Yumi are roommates, too. And, Yumi and Yuma are already the object of affection of all the other exchange students. The Chinese and Korean guys have been trying to schmooze their way in unsucessfully. Apparently, someone told Mari she looked like a Gremlin. Poor kid! She does have a sweet little face so I see how someone could make the Gizmo comment, but still. Oh, and when they came back to pick up their things after dinner, they were all mesmerized by the tail end of Project Runway on TV. It was complete silence for 15 minutes. I think at least one of them decided to get a TV after that.
It was a nice day.
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Date: 2008-08-30 07:41 am (UTC)Seriously. When they showed their intros, every single one going "And I have my own store, and this is my brand, and blah blah," I was flipping them off and asking why the fuck they were even there. Bad selection committee! Bad! No biscuit and tea with Tim Gunn!
Um... yeah, I don't recall seeing any of those outfits on the show. Shame. I'd love to buy one of Chris March's human hair outfits--they were SO AWESOME. Sewn with threads of win, I tell ya.
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Date: 2008-08-30 07:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-30 07:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-30 07:55 am (UTC)