Kyodai liked to keep me waiting and this seems to be continuing. My friends from my degree class are all at the stage of collecting their visa.

I have not, once again, received anything...

They did say it would be early September and it is currently not even late August (or maybe it is, how do you judge the late/earliness of a month?) but PANICKING. The thing is, it takes one week for the consulate to process the visa application. That means at the very latest I could hand it to them on the 13th and I love leaving things to the last minute normally... but that is just too close for comfort.

And there are still a million and one things I should be doing. Instead, I'm panicking inside my head or trying to prevent the panic by playing video games.

I've been thinking about a list recently. I'm not much of a list person because that implies organisation and as I've already said, panicking is my friend... but here is my to do list, that is undoubtedly incomplete and useless.

SARAH'S PANIC REDUCING LIST THING

1 Bagpack - I love shoulder bags because they are pretty. But I also love carrying everything I've ever owned ever with me at all times. I can't take another year of shoulder-breaking agony. This time I will be sensible, if I need to carry around uni books, my netbook, massive Japanese mobile phone, denshi jisho, camera, make-up bag, hand sanitiser and all the other kinda pointless stuff I must always have... then I will be spreading the weight across two shoulders.

2 A decent sized suitcase - I love clothes and hats and shoes and all other pretty things. And I need to take more clothes than I will ever need.

3 Camera Case - I'm indelicate and it will stop it getting scratched and stuff.

4 Small, travel sized toiletries - I know I can get everything I need in Japan. Except deodorant because the Japanese don't sweat like us white folks but when I first arrive after over 24 hours of travelling and with the wonder that is jetlag, I am not gonna want to investigate for shower supplies. I can do that once I've got my bearings.

5 Yen - I wonder how many people travel from Scotland to Japan. It is probably more than I think but still not enough to justify easy access to yen. I have no idea where to get it/how to get it... but I have the advantage of being one of the last to leave. When I discover this information, I will pass it on!

6 Studying Materials - I need to decide what I really should take to Japan and what I could live without... of course there is always the option of buying cheaper study materials in Japan and leaving more space for stuff I don't need.

7 iPod - smashed the screen of my most precious electronic device after 4 years of beautiful friendship. The replacement will hopefully be just as loyal and help with don't-talk-to-me-I-have-earphones-in-and-am-too-cool-for-your-words.


It doesn't seem like much to do and it seems like it's still kind of far away but... I don't feel prepared. Maybe it is something you cannot prepare for. Maybe it's going to feel like this no matter how much I pretend organise but... I just want to know what to be ready for.

Flights

Of course I am flying to Japan (the other option was to walk but I doubt I have the stamina).

I've been putting off booking the actual flight for a while, but still casually browsing my options for ages. Mostly because.... scary and I needed to have my parents around.

But! It has been booked and I will leave Edinburgh on the 21st of September and arrive in Osaka at 2pm the next day. The flight was under £600 which isn't too bad.

It was a (partial) success. On one hand, I desperately wanted to land in Japan during the day. Something about landing when it was dark made me nervous. And it seemed... friendlier. But... I didn't want more than one change. Of course I have two.

But! They aren't terrible. Two hours in London, two hours in Beijing.

My flight also leaves earlyish in the morning which is a positive, I didn't want to be waiting all day. The excitement may have killed me and dying now would just be the biggest anti-climax in the history of the world.

One of the stupid things I am looking forward to is the "lasts".

Things that won't be easy to get in Japan that my parents or friends couldn't send. Take-out food. Shopping with my friends. British chocolate (apparently Dairy Milk doesn't taste the same in Japan and they probably could send chocolate but... shush). Video games not on my DS. My friends. My parents. And the dogs! And more food because food.

Not that I want to leave these things but I like the idea of experiencing them for one last time before I leave It's sort of comforting.

Another thing I am looking forward to is my best friend is coming to see me at the airport. Of course I'll cry and it's nothing short of tragic my dogs won't be there... But I want to see the people I will miss the most just before I leave for something close to 11 months.


Back to relevant stuff...

Once I arrive in Osaka, I will be getting some sort of magical bus/taxi/horse-drawn carriage to the Ritsumeikan dorm/apartmenty things where I will sleep on the floor.

http://www.yasaka.jp/english/index.html

Here is the link.

They are suggested by Rits where my boyfriend is going so he passed on the knowledge. I'll talk more about how they were and my flight once I am in Japan!

I should warn I may not have internet straight away. My boyfriend's accommodation make you set it up yourself and he doesn't really know how long that will take... More exciting Japanese mysteries!

I have some pretty good intentions ( but when do I not?) I want to explore a little and have an idea of Kyoto before classes start and I am thrown into the university routine. And work out buses. Public transport is intimidating enough in Edinburgh.

And I want a bike. I love bikes. Like so much. Except Scotland isn't bike country. Rain and wind and more rain constantly doesn't encourage cycling.When I imagine myself on a bike in Kyoto it is slightly more idyllic than the reality will be. I will probably be huffing and puffing down the streets, cursing the tail end of the Japanese summer.

And the excitement of Japanese grocery stores and convenience stores...  And Japanese food and... too much excitement for now!

Sarah ^^

Something I am hearing a lot of just now is... "not long now. Are you excited?"

Of course I am!

But... there is a lingering doubt. I passed my course but not the exam. In all honesty, I did not do as well as I should have, partly due to personal issues and partly because I didn't study as much as I should have. Speaking Japanese makes me so nervous, I can barely formulate sentences and... scary, foreign countries.

For years I have romanticised Japan. The beautiful, unusual Orient. I wonder how much I really know about life in Japan. There are so many acknowledged contradictions; modernity, tradition, cities, country, serious business, crazy television. But is that even a true representation? I know, I know I will see all of this soon. But I don't want to walk in blind. I want to have an idea of what to expect. But then I want to uncover Japan for myself.

Perhaps I am subconsciously contradicting myself to feel more at home when I arrive there.


And there's the logistics.

The boring stuff. Getting from Osaka to Kyoto, getting from the dorm to university. Booking flights. The weight limit for my luggage.

Is it stupid that I think about that? I'm moving out of my flat in Edinburgh currently and I couldn't even fit half of my clothes in my suitcase. Next year, I have to fit my basic needs, winter and summer clothes, shoes... into a suitcase. With a weight limit.

Japan has always been a dream. I am spending too much time remembering that dreams aren't always what they seem.

Applications, Applications and Waiting

Today, let's talk about the application process.

Applying to Kyodai (Kyoto University) was painful. Not because the application was particularly hard. All I had to do was fill out some basic information, have a medical exam and evaluate my Japanese and English abilities.

What was difficult was sending out my application in March and not hearing anything until July.

I guess I was at a disadvantage straight out, on my degree course nearly 20 people are going to other universities. Constantly I heard about other people receiving their acceptances when I had applied before them and still hadn't heard anything.

It got to the stage where I was concerned I had not made it into their exchange program.

That's the thing about these exchange programs, especially when they are an obligatory part of your course. It appears as though acceptance is guaranteed but no one ever actually says that. So not hearing anything made me think I was the first in the history of ever to be rejected.

Yeah, I'm that overly worried, paranoid person.

Once I finally received my acceptance letter, it was much the same thing again. Plus a housing form which was rather basic. You don't get to choose a preferred dorm (which is kind of annoying). They choose for you depending on where you will spend the amount of time.

Accommodation at Kyodai is very cheap. Especially compared to some of the other universities in Kyoto and there isn't much difference in price between the dorms. From the pictures I've seen, they do look quite basic but I don't think that's a bad thing. Maybe a little boring.

The deadline for sending the second set of forms is rather narrow (like the first one but I didn't have my sensei keeping me right with deadlines!). I received the forms on the 11^th of July and they were due on the 20^th. But I sent them an email and they were very understanding.

Another small issue is that when they will be sending you the Certificate of Eligibility in early September which is slightly frustrating if you want to fly to Japan early like I do.

But the forms are simple and all you really need to send is a copy of your passport, some small pictures of yourself and the filled-out forms.

Unlike other universities such as ICU and Ritsumeikan, Kyodai do not ask for financial statements or proof that your parents have ￥9999999999. And you don't need to get a chest x-ray unlike Seikei and Rits. And no need to write anything detailed in Japanese unlike Rits...

You do need to write something in english just explaining why you want to go to Kyodai, how you think the exchange will benefit your Japanese language skills and how multicultural experience have helped you in the past.

I found the application process long more than anything else. I would be lying if I said I wasn't slightly frustrated at how long it took them to get back to me especially considering I had no time frame. Kyodai themselves say that acceptances would be sent out on a “case by case” basis.

So! If you are applying to Kyodai, you need to be much more patient than I was!

Sarah

Since I was little, I have dreamed of going to Japan. I blame my brother who forced me to watch anime in the native language. Like many childhood interests, I grew out of anime but I never grew out of liking Japanese.

So at twenty, two years into a Japanese degree, I am heading to Japan, finally, finally. For one year I will be an exchange student at Kyoto University.

This blog will be a place to word vomit. I like to talk and like to ramble. But I want it to be useful. I could not find much information from exchange students at Kyoto University so I want to detail my experiences. From accommodation to classes to the areas surrounding Kyoto University itself.

I do not start classes until October and will not be leaving for Japan until September. In the mean time, I'll discuss my experience of the application process, getting a visa and finding a flight.

Sarah.