Interview, Food, Boredom, and Bikes

So this morning kicked off with the placement interviews to determine what level of conversation classes we'd be going into. Apparently, when my name was up and I was walking from the waiting room to the classroom where mine would be held, I looked terrified. To say that I am currently shy about speaking in Japanese is an understatement, and I expected the worst. My fears were by no means assuaged when I saw that I had two interviewers instead of the one that everyone else reported, nor by the fact that they were reading my (Japanese) essay from the application to the program. Being generous to my speaking skills and humble about my reading and writing skill, I'm about 10 times better at the written aspect, and I spent quite a lot of time working on that essay, with a lot of dictionary use. So my immediate thought was that they were going to hold me to that level, and that I was completely doomed.

But, the interview was surprisingly gentle. They asked me to introduce myself. When I ran out of ideas for what to say, they prompted me with questions--why I wanted to come to Japan, whether I like Japanese food, how Kyoto and Albuquerque compare, what my hobbies are, etc. They asked follow-up questions that flowed directly from my responses, which usually lead me into language dead-ends where I didn't have any idea how to answer. But they were always very friendly about it. In the end, it wound up being not nearly as bad as I had expected, despite the fact that I did just as poorly as I had expected. I once again feel like they got enough information in the right way that I'll be placed exactly where I need to be.

After that, I decided that my 3-egg breakfast had been entirely insufficient, and went to the cafeteria to obtain some much-needed protein. A quick tour of the options, as with so many other things at this school, put UNM to shame. The cafeterias are all run by the Rits Coop, which is a coop in the truest sense of the word. Members' desires run the show here, and profit doesn't seem to be a factor. I decided on the buffet after noticing the sign that said "1 gram = 1.05¥" and heaped a plate high. That price works out to $4.53 per pound, and it included plenty of meat, with everything cooked and absolutely delicious, in a country where meat is usually several dollars more per pound.

This leads to an interesting side note about how good Google's calculator has gotten. A search string of "1.05 yen per gram in dollars per pound" gives you the answer directly. I'm impressed.

Anyway, there was also free tea, both hot and cold. On first impression, the Rits cafeteria gets an unreserved two thumbs up.

After food, it was paperwork and info sessions, both of which were mind-meltingly dull and stretched for five and a half hours. After that, some of the other students at the I-House asked me to show them a couple of biking shortcuts I found while getting lost, and I got to play guide. I got to enjoy the perverse pleasure of a guide enjoying people complaining about a little bit of a hill (heh), and the less-perverse joy of being told someone else thought it was fun and amusing too.

The last note for the day is that I upgraded my Skype subscription, and now have a US phone number that people can call to reach me. If and when I get a cell phone, I can also forward calls straight to it. So my connection to home just got much stronger. My girlfriend called tonight, and while we've been talking almost every day, her being able to call me again is making me all warm and fuzzy. If anyone reading this wants my phone number, leave a comment and I'll get it to you (providing I know you and whatnot).