Progression

Where to start... Well, to get the "me" stuff out an done with, I needed a 150 on the Japanese proficiency test to get into the advanced class. I got 210. Apparently that's really good, except no one would tell us what the highest possible score is. And I finally have a decent pillow now, but I'll get into that in a bit.

So far I can't say I have any complaints about anything. I'm not saying that because I haven't tried to find something negative, I did once I remembered that I'm supposed to be in awe of this place since it's my first time here. I guess the most negative thing is that transport is expensive. It's about $10 for a "triple ticket" to Beppu. It allows you three rides on the Oita Kotsu. If you know where to get off, you can ride the bus there, take care of business, and ride back with a ticket to spare.

Beppu itself is supposed to be rural. I dunno about any of you, but I grew up on the line between Osceola and Polk counties in Florida. We had two grocery stores, a gas station, library, some churches... Really not too much besides houses, and even those were separated by a lot of bare grass and long roads. Beppu? Yeah, no. 3-5 story buildings everywhere. Look down one street, nothing but buildings. Look down the other, buildings right up to the water. Houses, repair shops, supermarkets. Not what I would call rural. On our shopping tour, though, I didn't get to see very much. I got what I needed, my pillow, first thing. We had an hour at the first store, and I was done in about 10 minutes. Second store, then home. You can stop here if that's what you wanted to know about.

I figured that would be the end of my day. I was planning on going home, preparing for the next event on Thursday, and watching anime. Instead I spent about 4 hours having a conversation with a guy from Australia, who'd been born in Israel. Originally, it was an intellectual conversation. Then it derailed when I said, in passing, that I was Christian. I forget why I said it, or how it was related, but it shocked him completely to hear that I was able to follow science and politics and philosophy, but be Christian. I wish I could have given him the kind of "evidence" he wanted, but anything I could bring up is beyond my comprehension and explanation. How can you describe how prayer affects the world, when you have no idea how God works? It's really not for me to understand in the first place. The conversation DID, however, lead me to wonder why I carry around a small metal cross as a symbol of a religion that's supposed to be about love. After all, that cross is a device upon many were tortured and died, including my Lord himself. We moved away from the conversation back to other topics, from the purpose of martial arts to the psychology of marketing, and eventually I found that I'd missed dinner and had no time to buy breakfast... So the guy I was talking with offered dinner. He had gone shopping hungry, and had far too much food (as I saw myself). We cooked, ate, and I finally went home. So, today I'll be preparing for the events on Thursday and Friday instead, and having dinner with the students from Africa I met when I first got here.

I should probably also point out a few things... First, that Christians as a whole must be doing a horrible job of adhering to the religion if there are people who view it as negative in every way. Second, as Americans, we must be doing terrible if foreign people are shocked to find out that different states are like different countries. My conversation partner was shocked when I said I felt I was leaving home when I left Norfolk, not Dallas.

My experiences here have been very stimulating... And healthy. I feel completely different here. I'm sticking to my push-ups and sit-ups. I'm eating regularly, and not just bread and cheese and sugar (hurray for a cafeteria that serves curry, chicken, pork, rice, vegetables, soup, and all for cheaper than any meal at my home college). I'm learning again, writing again, finding new music, reading essays. I suppose the only bad thing is that I haven't learned to cook for myself yet (beyond heating meat on a frying pan, like I did last night). But that's a "yet," just like I can't walk on my hands yet. But I intend on being able to do both before I return home.

How's all THAT for progress?!