I moved in the dorm in the 31st of August. And I still wasn't able to adapt to the Japanese culture. But ICU had a lot of plans and activities for us students, so if you were able to adapt or not, you have to play by the rules and continue life.
When I moved in to 2MD, people were very welcoming and kind. The first persons I knew and made friends are Joko-sempai and Yugo-sempai (I'm used to call everyone older than me sempai). We talked a lot in the first day. From video games, to Japan, and all other stuff. We also had dinner together since they had this initiation for old members of the dorm that you have to pay for all the food that the newcomers will eat. I felt really guilty but blessed at the same time.
Adapting is really hard for me. I had zero nihonggo skills, so the language barrier adds up to it. And I always forget the polite ways of greeting people and stuff. Good thing the dorm people are there to help me when I would ask.
ICU is a breathtaking scenery. Even as you step in from the gates, you are welcomed by the vast number of trees and the greens around. The university is really huge, so I'd have to ride a bike to go from my dorm to class. Even their dining hall is HUGE at first, but after knowing the number of students, I guess it is the fair size for the population. Everything is here, from library services. food, stores, banks, post office, computer use, and many more.
In every organization, there would always be a way to welcome new members. And for 2MD, it was a party. Obviously there was alcohol, so I had to drink with them (which is my first time to drink with friends). We also had an initiation, where we had to dress up as gundams (theme of our dorm) for the whole day in class. We also have to do "jingi", a stand-up comedy where we have to make the president laugh at our jokes until we can get a 'yosh' (approval) so that we could end our embarrassment in front of the women. It was difficult and embarrassing, but through that, I was able to get along with the dormers pretty well. I got to know them, they got to know me. And it helped in my adapting process. In the end, we had to do the bakayama presentation, where we have to dance in front students. It was really fun. That's our dorm uniform. :)
In registration day, I took the subjects Intensive Japanese 1 and Contemporary Japan: From Ramune to anime. They sum up to 18 units, which was the maximum number of units to take. In the first week, I was mentally drained from the intensive class. Because it`s my first time to learn nihonggo, it's really difficult for me to learn fast, especially the hiragana and katakana. Plus, I was pressured by the performance of my classmates, it's like they were having no problems on it at all. It was torment for me. On the last day of re-registration where you can change or drop your subjects, my Intensive Japanese teacher (Matsui-sensei) talked to me. She was very kind to ask about my problems and all in the subject. I told her that I was suffering. So she told me that she would help me in her free time for me to catch up. I was really touched, to see her as a teacher who does not want to spoonfeed her students, but wants her students to be equal in terms of knowledge level. It motivates students like me to study harder, knowing that our professors works hard too. But I have 2 scholarships as of now, and if I fail any of my subject, not only do I have to pay the whole amount of scholarship (amounting to Php500,000), but I would be a disgrace to my country as well. I may be a risk taker, but this time, the risks are just too high; and knowing my limits, I may not be able to achieve it. So I decided to change from intensive to Japanese 1 (normal pace). Right now, though I am less challenged because of the slow pace of the discussions, but I am happy to get high marks and perform at my best in class.
In those experiences, I learned to adapt really quick to the environment. Even I can't mention my name properly anymore (Id mention 'kuraku' instead of my real name Clark). And my expressions start to be like an ordinary japanese (with the "eeehhh", "soo desu ka", etc.) But hey, maybe its for the better, right? :)
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