Bowling + games night + 4 weeks in Japan

Yesterday was a nice day, I went out for curry with a mate and then in the afternoon we went bowling with the language school. I wasn't very good at it, but that wasn't noticeable in this group.

Bowling was really nice, we went to a huge arcade centre where people sat at machines and gambled. Some people there had obviously been sitting there all day and it's probably a daily routine for them. However, it was amazing to see how good they were at the games. We also got a voucher for a game for bowling, which the language school paid for as it was a public holiday on Monday, but a different one. Each of us had a go at the crane games, where you could get hold of a small cuddly toy with a controlled crane, but of course none of us succeeded. I'm not a fan of such games, as the grabbing arms never really take hold.

Be that as it may, bowling in this hall was fun and it was a good day.

Today, another school week is over and so is my fourth week of school. I've been in Japan, Fukuoka, for exactly four weeks now and it feels like time is really running out. This weekend I have a lot planned, for example tomorrow I'm helping out the school with new teachers by visiting their sample course and giving feedback. In the evening I'm going to karaoke and maybe to a club or bar afterwards, after all it's my birthday tomorrow!

But first to today: It's just about 3pm here and I'm waiting for a parcel, which should arrive by 4pm. Yesterday I found a letter in my letterbox saying that a parcel for me couldn't be delivered because I wasn't there. I then went to the central post office, where I was able to make a new appointment to collect the parcel again instead of picking it up there. Obviously the parcel carrier hadn't finished his route yet, so I went home empty-handed. Perhaps an early birthday present from home? Who knows, we'll see.

At the same time, I'm currently thinking about buying a projector here. A small one at least, because I'd like to have film evenings with the others at the language school and unfortunately there's no TV or projector there. But I don't know if it's worth it in terms of price, and you always have to be a bit careful what you buy when it comes to electrical appliances, because the electricity frequency here is not the same as in Europe and the projector might not work in Germany. But let's see, maybe I'll find a second-hand projector somewhere.

After a month, I've also realised how quickly time can really fly, which is why I've decided to take a martial arts course again. I think this is a really good way to make Japanese friends. And having Japanese friends could really help me to learn Japanese. Because I don't have so many problems with grammar and the difficulty of the language itself, but speaking and listening is still quite rare for me and I just need more practice. However, you can't practise this so well on your own at home and it's best to move around in Japanese circles.

So I go to the weekly games evening again today. There are some foreigners there, but also some Japanese who explain the rules of the game in Japanese and even though it's very difficult, my listening comprehension is getting better and better, especially for the actual spoken Japanese. We also learn listening comprehension at school, but how you learn to speak at school and how you speak in real life are two different things.

I also realise that I really need to take the trains out into nature more, which I haven't really done here yet. I brought extra hiking boots with me to Japan and have hardly used them at all so far. I want to finally see more of Japanese nature, because I like to be inspired by the tranquillity of nature. I somehow get the best ideas for projects, stories and dreams in those moments when you're alone in the moment.

I guess writing today just helps a bit to help me reflect on the last few weeks. I've learnt a lot of Japanese, I've learnt how to order food, how to behave normally so as not to attract attention and generally how to walk around Japan in a relaxed way. But I've also learnt that you can lose track of time very quickly if you don't actively plan things and do something about it. For me, this means that I go for a walk every day, read something and write a blog post. Ideally, I then learn Japanese and watch a film. So right now I still have to learn the new vocabulary for the week, and when I think about it, my tiredness comes to the fore. But I want to be the master of my senses and emotions, so I try to remind myself right now that I don't have to let cosiness get the better of me. Be that as it may, I think that's it for now. The parcel delivery man has just rung the doorbell and is now bringing my parcel up to the 12th floor. I'm very excited until then.