With just over 2 weeks before I hop the ocean, you'd think that I'd be frantically organising those little things that requires organisation.. tying up loose ends, working out budgets, making lists of things to do.. being productive, is what it comes down to. So to recap:
What I was planning to do during my stay in Sasolburg:
- Unpack and repack my room full of boxes (to figure our what the hell is going on there)
- Go shopping for clothes that I can teach in, i.e. that weren't bought at the Salvation Army for 5 bucks and a piece of gum. In 1997.
- Study some Japanese that goes past 'konnichiwa' and 'arigato'.
- Brush up on hiragana and attempt katakana
- Figure out my finances
- Sort out my photos and make beautiful, cheesy photo collages for my blog.
- Mail a thousand friends
- Fill in my tax return forms
What I actually did during my stay in Sasolburg
- Walked around the town of my youth with a friend from my youth (who's still a good friend)
- Did hours and hours of reminiscing in nostalgia mode.
- Went for mid-morning walks in gardens with carel after which he gave me a crapload of movies and anime, and showed me a beautiful, silver flute.
- Watched countless episodes of Robot Chicken and Simpsons, and experienced braincell death because of that.
- Channelhopped (quite a novelty for someone who hasn't had a tv in years)
- Drove around town, in forgotten areas, past forgotten streets
- Sat on the back of a bakkie drinking beer, watching the sun go down and seeing two dudes play around with a bulldozer, breaking up logs for firewood.
- Chatted on MSN
- None of the planned things
For those with a short attention span, here's a picture of a rose.
(to be added later)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
Well, at least you are doing something.
well, I really don't feel like I'm not doing anything
because the days fly by, and I'm never bored
But it's that final-month impatience
everything happening so soon but nothing happening now
Is it spelled happenning?
Just spent an hour playing mermaid in the bathtub
Wait, I'll write
tonight tonight
Aaaah, i miss those weekdays of doing nothing which feels like something...
How many days to go before you fly away?
More than two weeks and less than three
Sounds like a lot, but will pass like a bolt of lightning
That sounds like the kind of thing you should be doing, rather than unpacking and repacking boxes (You can do that when you get here). I do suggest learning katakana though: it's the most useful of all the scripts for new arrivals/ non-Japanese speakers. (You can do it on the plane if you run out of time)...Oh, and wear the coolest (temperature wise) clothes possible for arrival in Tokyo and if you're wearing socks, be prepared to have them knocked off! (Tokyo has to be seen to be believed)
I'm, sure Tokyo lives up to the 'concrete jungle' that a real city can be.. My current reality of a city is Joburg central (I had a tendency to get lost on my own in Hillbrow central after sunset.. turn RIGHT if you want to get to Melville)
As for socks being knocked off.. do you think candy-striped knee-highs will be more of a challenge?
I'll leave those babies for winter though, toes and all..
I did manage to fill in my tax return forms though... so it wasn't ALL procrastination.
So the term is almost over, and there's nothing to be done but obsessively blog-stalk at work. I read yours for an hour today and feel acquainted with you now. (Hi.) Your writing is exponentially more intriguing than most of the boring stuff out there, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about Japan from a newcomer, and an insightful one at that. If you end up in the inaka village where Amanda lived, you will soon learn the joys of toothless/ elderly/ incomprehensible nihongo. (Countryside life is the way to go! People will give you a lot of vegetables.) See you around in the fall sometime!
--Rachel
How's the planning going for the Farewell/Birthday party? It's gonna be HUGE!
procrastination is the long lost twin sister of productivity. you need to visit both to have a balanced life?
ha, sorry, i'm just hi on german boys at the moment. "well, gutten abend to you" if you catch my drift. loving this city. i even bought a piece of the wall :)
seriously though. focus on everything african. catalogue and memorise souls, smells, sights and sounds for you will miss them.
aan die ander kant is die wereld baie kleiner as wat ons dink. sien jou aan die ander kant van die aardbol?
cheers :)
Re: The Party
Well, I did end out the sns'es, and R organised the venue.. So.. that's enough, right? People just need to pitch up, but more than enough were invited..
Re: Deutschland uber alles
(I must still figure out the kappies and the deeltekens on a laptop.. umlaut me..)
Thanks again vir die call vanoggend.. Dis altyd 'n inspuiting om jou stem te hoor. Dit laat my ook sommer voel dt die wereld ni so groot is nie, en 17 ure se vlieg nie so ver is nie. Dis net een planeet, after all..
Re: inaka nihongo
So that is where I will end up, the misty Tetta (which I have since seen via the wonders of technology, bonus points for the Niimi crowd)
Without the ability to speak Nihongo
but with enthusiasm
it's a wrapped-up lucky packet..
Cheers,
Marilu
suffering the withdrawal symptoms of a week without internet
Interesting site. Useful information. Bookmarked.
»
Post a Comment