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오랜만이에요. 여러분 어떻게 지내셨어요? 지금 저는 일본에서 살아요. 정말 재미있어요.　（すみません！私の韓国語の能力はまだ下手だ！でも、頑張ってね～）

月曜日にとても興奮している～ヽ( ´¬`)ノ ﾜ〜ｲ !!

フィルム研究クラスの後、友達と渋谷に行って、成人式に振袖を探すつもり。

素晴らしい振袖を見つけるなら、成人の日のために素敵のを貸すつもり。

渋谷店で一番安いのは４０，０００円ぐらいもするけど、全体経験は一期一会だろう？

皆さん、どう思っている？

It's been a while, how are you all? I'm living in Japan now~ It's really interesting!

I'm really excited for Monday. After my class, my friends and I are going to Shibuya to go looking for a long-sleeved kimono for my coming-of-age ceremony! If we can find a nice one, then we plan on renting it. Unfortunately the cheapest one in the Shibuya store is about $440 to rent, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience right?

What do you guys think? Have you heard about the coming-of-age ceremony before? Do you think it would be weird for someone who isn't Japanese to attend? Haha does it seem like too much to spend on renting a long-sleeved kimono just for a day? I think that truly, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it's not too much. kr-aki.co.jp/products/list.php… which ones do you like?

Well, I guess first of all I should apologise for my deviantart being so dead lately. I haven't been able to get out and take pictures, and sometimes I feel as though I have been all around my city. (In reality though, I've barely even explored a part of it!) My camera is slowly gathering dust. BUT! I can promise that I will have SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES in, well, 2 and a half months! Want to know the reason why? : DDDDD

I GOT ACCEPTED TO WASEDA UNIVERSITY! I received my official acceptance on June 4th! Unfortunately, for now it seems as though the other girl from my school didn't get accepted, so it may just be me from my school. (She is in talks with Waseda though, so let's all keep our fingers crossed for her!) And according to previous students, not many go from Canada, so I may be the only Canadian! (Especially this year, I feel like there will not be many international students because of the earthquake.)

So, starting in September, I will be living in Tokyo! Waaaah, it really is a dream come true. I am so excited, and sometimes it seems like the day I leave is coming up fast, while other times it seems as though it is taking forever. There is still so much to do in order to get ready to go though >.> Multiple doctors appointments, optometrist, dentist, travel shots, allergy specialist etc. And there is still so much I am going to have to do once I get to Japan, like alien registration and enrollment and auuuugh just everything! But I was looking at the schedule for the school year and omg wow, there is so much to do! So many festivals and outings and the Waseda-Keio baseball match! Golden week! 紅葉狩り and お花見！節分！Guided tours in Ueno Zoo every 3 weeks! Sumo demonstrations and 着物 dressing! I could go on forever and ever! One of things I am the most excited for though is the Waseda Festival!

Now all that's left is to figure out how to pack for an entire year with only 1 checked bag and 1 carry-on, with a checked bag weight limit of 50 pounds.

That's all I can think of for this update~ Oh, I am thinking about getting an 8th piercing, so that may happen before the end of the summer.

I feel bad that I haven't had anything to put up in a long time. I do have my camera with me, but right now, school has been busy, plus I feel like there is nothing new or exciting to take pictures of here.

Hmm...updates on my life recently would be that I am working through the stages in order to go on exchange to 早稲田大学(Waseda University) in Japan next year! I just had my exchange interview on the 20th, so we will find out our results in 2-3 weeks. I really want to get excited for it, but at the same time, I don't even want to think about it until I know if I even passed the interview.

I have no idea what my chances are like either ;__;. I don't know how many people were interviewed for Japan, or how many people chose 早大(Waseda) as their first choice vs. 2nd choice. The only information I do know is that 慶大(Keio) (my 3rd choice) accepts 3 people, so I will assume that 早大 also only accepts 3 people.  Waaaah I feel like I am not going to get it ;_____; there are probably so many applicants that are more qualified than me! Even the girl I was talking to while waiting for interviews was in 3000 level rather than 2000 level like me. FFFFFFFFFFFFFF...at least my only consolation is that she was a first year, and they usually do not want to send first years on exchange. Hmm...well, if I think of it like that...there are only 15 people in the 3000 level class...and they could possibly chose 明治(Meiji) or 獨協大学(Dokkyo University) since they are only taught in Japanese.

Plus there is the new school this year 一橋(Hitotsubashi), so that leaves a possible 6 universities that people can go to in Japan. And hopefully they would chose someone from my program, or someone who has knowledge of Japanese over someone who has no knowledge and whose program has nothing to do with Japan. Hmm...perhaps I shouldn't be so worried....LOL! Nevermind me~

Nothing else much to say really...I went out and got my cartilage pierced last weekend (hurrah for not being able to sleep on my right side any more). Reading week is coming up in a month, and hopefully since Western and York's reading weeks coincide, I can finally have people come visit me!

Man, there is such a difference between first and second year! All of the first years in my suite are able to party, meanwhile I've only had 2 days of school and I already have a test and two essays due next week. WAT! I also have my first Japanese oral presentation! It's a 自己紹介. Ugh and then the week after next we have to do a writing assignment called 自分について. And for my social science class we had to write a 2 page auto-biography. Ugggh. Oh well, this year will be hard, but..meh.

We are learning 500 kanji this year *__* Plus the 150 we learned last year. (Plus the 400 something I learned in high school/over the summer/studying for the JLPT/studying for AP Japanese) So by the end of the year, I will almost be halfway done learning the jōyō kanji!! They better not add any more ;___; 2,136 already seems like a huge number >.<　Haha, I still need a lot of grammar though Look how basic my 自己紹介 is:

みんなさん、はじめまして！私はアラーナと申します。アラーナとよんで下さい。カナダから来ました。今トロントに住んでいますが、二週前にロンドンに住んでいました。ヨーク大学の二年生です。専攻は東アジア研究。今年日本語、現代の日本文化と社会科学を勉強しています。今年は料理しならいたいです。家族は父、母、兄と姉が二人います。私のしゅみはしゃしんじゅつです。私は読書が好きですが、少ししか読みません。今大学の寮に住んでいますから、いつでもあそびに来て下さい。それでは、どうぞよろしくお願いします。

And don't even get me started on vocab XD Man I only have like, 1,000 something words.

Meep. Oh well, so far...the suite has been...well, different from last year. The three first years that we live with are big partiers (who spill beer everywhere and don't clean it up. And use my drinking glasses as shot glasses without telling me). But my job in res has been going well! It's so easy xD They really do pay you to do your homework for 3 hours. And it is a good motivator as usually after I get dinner, I'm just like: I don't want to study/do work anymore. But I mean, if you are going to sit there for 3 hours, you might as well be doing something.

We've unfortunately managed to acquire an infestation of fruit flies in the suite >.< And we have no access to apple cider vinegar until Monday. Uggggh.

Anyway, how was everyone's first week back? Lot's of homework?

Well first of all, this is a new journal system...huh, well okay then.

Second, I hit 20,000 page views yesterday!!! WOOOOOOOOO! I feel bad though that I haven't been very active with posting photos lately though ;_; I just don't know where to go to take photos, and I don't have a lot of money to travel to new places. Perhaps I should just get on a bus one day and take it somewhere in London and explore.

Third, I got a new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, well I didn't get it but my dad's old Pentax is malfunctioning on him, so he finally decided to upgrade his camera and he bought a used Nikon D80! And I'm allowed to use it when he is not using it. (Which means I am going to be stealing it VERY often) >

Hmm, I decided to grow out my natural hair colour this summer. My hair is starting to easily fall out because of how much I have damaged it >.< So say hello to a blonde me! Ha ha, it's going to be SO weird! I haven't had my natural colour since grade 6!

So unfortunately I didn't have any luck trying to find a job this summer >.< I'm still on the look-out, but now with only 1.5 months left before I go back, I'm pretty sure people will not be willing to hire me. In the end, this is somewhat good news for all of you who personally know me. I am going to be coming home to London a lot more often starting around February/March during second year. Maybe even every weekend in order to get my resume out in time for summer hiring!

I did manage to get an English tutoring job twice a week though until the end of August, and I have a Night Porter job at school as well! If all goes well with the Night Porter job, by just working the minimum one, 3 hour shift a week, I will earn over $1,000 (before deductions and all that sucky stuff) by the time school ends! But of course I am definitely going to try and do more than one shift a week!

As for the tutoring job: it's my first time tutoring anyone in anything. So the first meeting was like the awkward meeting from hell, full of her asking me grammar questions to which I had no good answer >.< However after the first meeting, things picked up and now I feel like some teacher; planning lesson plans complete with worksheets, 'in-session' exercises AND homework! This girl is going to hate me by the end of it : P

Oh, I also got a job as a Calumet Peer Mentor at York! (What is with all of this school involvement?! Where was it in high school?) It is not a paid job, but at least it's another thing to put on a resume. Each mentor gets 20 mentees and we are just supposed to talk to them throughout the school year and try to get them more involved. I am either going to be really good, or incredibly bad at this! : P I'm voting incredibly bad!

In other news, I'm really sorry I ended up missing the cosplay picnic today! I really wanted to go, but then yesterday/last night I must have eaten pork (which I am allergic to) as well as something off at Sunfest, because I was up until 7 this morning sick! Then my dad dragged me along to get a new camera and phone batteries, and I ended up getting sick again the moment we got home >.<<< And then my parents ordered Thai food tonight since they are going away tomorrow. My mom told me the wantons were beef, and they were good so I ate some. Guess who found out they are pork? Ugggggggh I didn't even have a chance to get over last nights ugliness and now I thrust this on my stomach. I think I will just go die in a corner tonight.

I'd rather not end this journal off on a gross note, so I will say that I have the car all next week and my parents aren't home if anyone wants to do anything!! Also this amazing thing I found on tumblr:

"The awkward moment when your friend's fat arm makes you look naked media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li7zgy…"