Back Once Again With A Brand New Edition

So I’ve been away for awhile again.  The power cord for my laptop got busted and funds are low so I haven’t been able to purchase a new one straight away.  To get online I’ve been using either my mom’s company-issued laptop or my brother’s agonizingly slow PC.  Also, as the time draws nearer, things are getting more hectic because I have to get ready to leave for Japan.  So let’s get with the recap, word?

I already mentioned that I got accepted into the JET Programme for the 08-09 year, I also found out that I will be placed in Kobe, which is 20-30 minutes West of Osaka.  It’s one of Japan’s designated cities, it’s a port city, and apparently very metropolitan.  I’ve heard it referred to as Japan’s San Francisco, which is right up my alley.

I’ve already been chatting with other JET participants that are currently there as well as fellow newcomers to the Kobe ALT scene; which is awesome because it does away with lots of initial awkwardness, hopefully; and also almost every question or concern you have about living in your specific city is pretty much answered before you even board the plane.

I don’t really know any Japanese so I’ve been taking a class the Consulate offers once-a-week in SF before I leave.  It’s pretty helpful so far, I just find that when the teacher asks us to say something in Japanese, if I don’t really know it, in my head I start speaking Spanish like somehow that will suffice.  I’ve haven’t said anything out loud yet, but knowing me, it’ll happen at some point.

Oh, and Graduation! It was nice, it was fun, it was mellow.  Gavin Newsom, the current Mayor of San Francisco, gave our commencement speech.  He’s got quite the female following, but he’s sort of irritating to me.  He always sounds like he’s selling something.  Not to mention that throughout his speech, he was hoarse and sounded very much like the piano-playing Muppet, Rowlf:

The amount of graduates was just overwhelming.  My mind was fully boggled.  Check this photo out on Flickr.  At one point, there was even a news helicopter flying over the stadium to do a report on the ceremony, which someone commented to me later on that they actually saw it on the news.  I guess a ton of people just wanted to hurry up and get out with tuitions going up every year…

But the ultimate, out of the entire event, was the entire Creative Arts section.  There were between 8-10 different sections for graduates to line up in so you can march down to the field: Creative Arts (CA), Social Sciences, Humanities, etc.  In order to get the the CA section, I had to walk through all the other groups and since it was right before the ceremony began, I could hear various professors from different departments telling the graduates to line up single file so the ceremony could begin.  I reach the end of all the groups, where CA graduates are located and everyone is just milling around, having conversation, grabbing programs, fixing themselves up, etc.  There are no professors around and most people don’t know we’re supposed to be lining up and those that do just stand in one spot with the idea that the line will form in front and behind them.  It was quite amusing.

Then, once we’d marched in and were all seated, the real fun began.  There was so much side commentary about the ceremony that you would think it was Monday Night Football or something.  I only knew and small handful of people and was lucky enough to sit with an old friend who also didn’t know very many people and was also graduating that day (I think we saved one another).  Then, anytime something was mentioned that made the graduates clap and cheer, the Creative Arts section was entirely lackadaisical or felt downright opposite.  I mean, when they introduced the President of the University, there was jeering.  And when Mayor Newsom was speaking, there was nowhere near the excitement as displayed by other departments.  I mean, one girl even screamed out “Gavin, call me!”  Yeah.  It was like that.  I laughed through my entire graduation ceremony and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I guess that’s a decent enough update for now.  Hopefully I will be successful in maintaining updates.  I want to blog regularly again to keep Fam and Friends updated, too.  But now it’s late and I’m going to roll into bed because it’s been quite a long weekend already and it’s only Saturday.  Tomorrow better be mellow.