Week One!

 Note: I have now enabled anonymous commenting, which means you can leave comments without needing to log in to anything. I hope this fixes any problems you may have been having.

This week was busy, being the first full week of classes and all! So busy, that I am currently enjoying a nice, quiet weekend -- Inga and I went to the grocery store today and then I worked on some homework, and tomorrow we're going to do a bit of shopping in downtown Yokohama, I think.

This semester I'm taking seven classes for a grand total of 12 credits, which will convert to 18 credits under the UW system. I'm taking my core Japanese classes, which make up the base of the Japanese Language Program, in addition to four specific subject courses and one course offered in English by the International Center. My specific subject courses are Intermediate Newspaper Reading I, Intermediate Pronunciation I, Intermediate Composition II, and Intermediate Modern Text Reading I. My International Center course is called Social History of Post-War Japan -- I think it'll be a very nice follow-up to my Emergence of Postwar Japan class that I took during spring quarter!

Choir practices also started this week! I had my first rehearsal on Wednesday, and on Friday night I was asked if I would like to become an official member! Our first concert will be a Christmas-themed concert; we'll be singing a bunch of songs I learned during my time working at camp in addition to a really fun, really DIFFICULT a cappella version of the Totoro theme song! I'm so excited -- I've made many friends already, and everyone is so nice.

I got a package from home last Saturday night, which was a great way to start the weekend. I'd love letters, by the way! I haven't gotten any yet and I'm quite jealous of everyone here who has. My mailing address is as follows:

Catherine Bass
Shimoda Student Village #A348
2-59-7 Hiyoshihoncho
Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken, JAPAN 223-0062

Please remember to address any letters with my FULL NAME (that means writing out "Catherine") as I'm not registered as Catie, so anything addressed as such has a chance of not making it to me.

Since it was a busy week, I didn't really have much time to take pictures, so I'll leave you with some pictures of campus I took on my first day of orientation and then promptly forgot existed. Enjoy!

The lovely Inga in front of the new library.

This is me in front of the old library -- it's also the oldest building on campus!

And here's the super-awesome, ridiculously large East Gate!

 That's all I have; I'll make sure to take more pictures soon so you can get a feel for what campus is really like. :)