カルピス:体にピス (Calpis: peace for your body)
So that's why it's called "Calpis". You learn something new every day. (Sorry, the TV here keeps showing that same advertisement over and over.)
Well! So far the “drink a bunch of tea and don’t sleep on the plane!” method of beating jet lag seems to be working nicely. It feels much more like 4 PM than it does 3 AM. I am here, in Tokyo, at my gate to leave for Nagoya. I have about two hours here, so it’s all smooth sailing from now on. Miraculously, not only I, but also my luggage(!!) arrived safely on the Chicago-->Tokyo flight. The luggage is checked on to Nagoya, so I’ll be able to pick it up and then ship it to my host family as planned.
Going through customs wasn’t worth the freak-out. They didn’t even ask to see any of the things I thought they might need to see, and even though the girl spoke to me only in Japanese I did it! That’s right! My rudimentary Japanese is enough to navigate customs and airport security! やった〜！(I did it!)
Now I have to decide whether to splurge for internet to upload this, or just wait... days... I think I might splurge. It’s like $6 an hour and I’ll only use an hour or less, just to upload this and... check twitter.
I only have an hour of battery left anyway and I don’t see any American style outlets right now and my adapter’s in my checked bag.
There are a few other IES students here with me. Well, one for sure IES student, and 3 other college-aged looking girls. (The guys from the plane I was wondering about are not here.) No one seems very talkative, though. Fair enough, they’re probably tired. I AM CAFFEINE BUZZED. Whatever, we’ll all meet each other properly soon anyway.
I just want to throw my arms up in the air, Hiro-from-Heroes style and shout やった〜！
This beats the heck out of the bout of anxiety I started having halfway through the flight.
Still need to:
-Actually get yen, which means no vending machines for me right now. :( Oh well, there will be plenty of time for Japanese vending machines. I still have food left over from the flight anyway. And pretzels from Mom. Love you Mom! And chocolate from Torffy! Love you too Torffy!
-Figure out how the heck my cell phone works. I managed to call home, but I don’t know how to turn the annoying sounds off or anything.
Okay another one of the girls is also for sure on IES. She's studying our kanji. ...How good of her.
I... don't know if I brought that sheet. Whoops.
What did they ask you at customs? All I remember is hearing words I knew I'd learned before but didn't understand, staring blankly at the serious expression on the custom's guy's face, and then blurting out アメリカから来ました！, which caused him to smile and はい、どうぞ me on through.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that bit about Calpis is interesting. Who knew. Now you've gotta try Pocari Sweat. You won't like it. It tastes like Gatorade.