a kinder, gentler week?

weill in japan: day 34

Week five is beginning. The course is rounding the last turn and heading for the home stretch. Today was a day very much like any other, but we were told of incredibly minor changes in the course's direction.

In response to last week's discussion, the new schedule for this week was distributed during the first hour. It looks remarkably similar to the planned schedule, with one big difference: more work. We now have a nightly journal assignment, to be followed by a one-minute speech on any topic the following morning. In an ironic twist, I can't think of anything to write for my first journal assignment in Japanese, despite the fact that I've already written some 35,000 words for the web.

I've never really liked journal assignments, since I always fall behind. Even finding the 30-60 minutes it takes to write one of these articles is getting tougher as my schedule once again heats up this week. My commitments are multiplying as the semester draws closer. Trying to coordinate club meetings, web publications, and the upcoming Weill in Japan topic center will take a long time. All of the club plans have to be finalized by orientation in two weeks' time, while the web stuff can wait for a little longer.

I'm still waiting patiently for the results of the midterm exam. My grade in the course doesn't matter, since I'm already done with my Japanese minor back at Carnegie Mellon. No date has been set for the exam to be returned.

No major events are being planned for the next couple of weeks, so I'm free to make plans on my own. Money just keeps slipping away, so I might have to limit my shopping.

Hobby: Collecting straps for little electronic devices. Most young people have a large clump of trinkets and charms tethered to their mobile phones. Most are given away for free as gifts or are sold in capsule vending machines for ¥100 or ¥200. Some tethers are sold in department stores for as much as ¥1000 ($8.30) or more. I have loops to put straps on my electronic dictionary, my SwanCrystal, my Game Boy Advance, my USB memory device, and my digital camera. The possibilities are limitless and relatively cheap.

Campus was quiet today as it was on Friday, as many students took class trips after their midterm exams. My class (C5) went to Harajuku on Friday, while the C3 folks headed out to Kichijoji today after their exam.

I'm not getting a full night's sleep this week so far, and I definitely need to work on getting my energy up in the morning. I hope this week turns out okay.