My crazy family + my crazy life

[akujunkan]

Mon Pere, who has REFUSED for my entire life to offer advice (or even a sounding board) concerning things he is ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT, like the relative merits or demerits of: career choices, education choices, banks, credit cards, loans and finances, etc. etc...

...has now decided that he is going to find an apartment for me Kyoto. Never mind the fact that he has NOT ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT: living in Japan, the city of Kyoto, Japanese landlords, Japanese apartments and what they include, the differences between apartments Japanese people rent to other Japanese people versus the "apartments" they rent to foreigners, transportation in Japan, restrictions put on Japanese who live in dorms or extended-stay hostels...the list goes on and on and on and on.

Every time I explain to him that I cannot live somewhere because:

• It it actually a hostel; I have stayed there and it is full of loud, drunk foreigners at all hours of the day and night despite what the website says!
  
• It is actually a hostel and there is no way I am living somewhere with shared bathrooms, a shared kitchenette, and an 8pm curfew
  
• If the website is in English (and geared to foreigners in general) the apartment will be in a shittier building with shittier service than other apartments available to people who speak Japanese, can search Japanese-language realty sites, and interact with their landlords in Japanese
  
• It is [x] hours' walk from the neighborhood where my university is located
  
• The buses between the apartment and my university stop running at around 7pm
  
• That is a ridiculously small amount of space/facilities for a ridiculously inflated monthly rent
  
• It would make more sense for me to find an apartment once I am in Japan and can see the facilities, see the neighborhood, and negotiate on things like key money

...and so on.

And oh yeah, have I failed to mention:

GUESS WHO'S GOING BACK TO JAPAN NEXT MONTH!

That will be all.

Comments

[nokiirat.livejournal.com]

wahoo!
is this through school? or did you zoom through au and find a job already?

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

I'm actually doing it through the AU dual degree program, although it's only possible because I scored a Monbusho, which is Japan's answer to the Fulbright.

[dark-waterlily.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!
This is something good, right?

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thanks! You better believe it is. I'm terribly sad to be leaving Homeland Central: the best friends of my life are here and I love the city, but I miss Japan.

[firesign10.livejournal.com]

Wow! When? how?

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

My departure date still has to be set (long story, but the school wants me to arrive half a month before my funding starts, and 1.5 months before I receive my first disbursment).

And I'm doing it because I was selected to receive this scholarship (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monbukagakusho_Scholarship). So yay!

[bloody-american.livejournal.com]

That's awesome! ;D

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thanks:-) I'm pretty stoked.

[hang-fire.livejournal.com]

hay cool! Pick me up somethings fun when you go back. And...uh...dun forget to mail me back my suikoden's before you go? >.

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Haha, no prob. I should be visiting home early next month--send it then.

Ummm...

[bran420-7.livejournal.com]

Congrats for you; but my self pity requires


WAAAHHHHHHH!!!

Re: Ummm...

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

I know! I'm pumped, but it's waaaaaaaay too soon.

1) I will be back home to visit before I go.
2) This is my third time so now you guys have no excuse not to come over and visit me!

[theosakakoneko.livejournal.com]

WOW!! You are going to study then? At a uni or independent? What are you studying? Politics? More info please!! And CONGRATS!!!!!!!

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I'll be earning a Masters at Rits in Kyoto (on a Monbusho), writing my thesis on Japanese nationalism.

Which is why it's ironic that you moved to my area of the midwest right as I'm geting ready to move to your area of Nihon, :-\

[theosakakoneko.livejournal.com]

I know wtf. Awesome though. Good luck, girl. Sounds amazing.

[cienna.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's great news! (Especially since you will also be getting out of that scary place you have been living. XD) Congratulations!!!

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm gonna miss the landparents loads, but am VERY MUCH looking forward to living in a real apartment again.

BTW, let me know if you visit Kyoto at any point after mid-September, cause that's where I'll be!

[cienna.livejournal.com]

Awesome, I will let you know! Let me know if you're going to be in Tokyo too and maybe we can meet up. Our apartment is always open for visitors. XD

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Oh good, lord. There is a possibility that I may actually be flying in to Tokyo, because Rits did not actually look at the ticket reservation request I sent to them. So you may have to put up with me sooner rather than later;-)

[cienna.livejournal.com]

Oh, that sucks! Yeah, definitely let me know if you need a place. I'll be there from Sunday.

[kegsoccer.livejournal.com]

Wow, have a great time :)

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! (And woah--you have a livejournal now!)