Sep
4
Funky town
It might be just an illusion, but Hirakata as a whole feels really safe to walk around. To cherish the feeling, I decided to go jogging last night. Yes, me. In a foreign environment. In the dark. With my non-existent sense of direction. And I had no particular reason to do it, either. I didn’t even bring my running shoes with me. I just felt like running. So I ran to the campus, which was open and had two guards at the gate instead of the usual one who is there at day-time. Who the hell pays these people? I didn’t have time to think about that as I made my way to the CIE office, which was open (at around 9 pm), checked my mail and ran back home.
I would like to thank the academy
The most important and prestigious event of the whole orientation week was probably the opening ceremony that was held to foreign students. The CIE staff advised us to put on our best clothes because all the biggest personalities of the Kansai Gaidai as well as international speakers were present at the show. I had my suit with me due to undisclosed reasons (Terkkuja Äidille!) and thanks to that I was able to get properly annoyed when people were taking part in the ceremony in shitty clothing.
What I mean is, even if you don’t have a suit you can try to bring at least one set of straight trousers and a normal shirt with you. Is walking around with a sleeveless basketball shirt and A GODDAMN BASEBALL CAP TURNED BACKWARDS THE BEST YOU CAN FUCKING DO? IS IT REALLY? At least have the minimal courtesy of taking that epitome of assholism off your head when you’re eating at a dinner buffet with the president of the school and all the other distinguished guests. I mean, shit. There must be a limit to ignorance and it’s set much lower than that.
The microphone explodes
The buffet itself was something apart. It will be best described with a photo.
1/50 tables + "chinese burns" and yakitori/takoyaki stands
When everyone was full, different groups, built around the idea of going to a karaoke room later in the evening, started forming. Only, the groups formed at the buffet had absolutely nothing to do with the final setup that eventually reached the karaoke place. The evening itself confirmed two things: a) It is absolutely impossible to be quiet enough when walking through the residential area to reach one’s home while drunk, and b) Japanese people can’t hold their liquor. I think that one girl was ready to pass out after maybe seeing a beer. All in all, the evening allowed me to make some new friends, waste money on booze and talk bad Swedish in an obnoxiously loud voice while finding my way back home. In other words, a successful evening out.
-Antti