Back to Tokyo, full week of work and assignments

How is everyone? I am here again! I feel a bit "disconnected". Internet connection at home is not working yet (already mad about it I have checked and I have been told that I had been phoned while I was in Taiwan but my Japanese phone did not work there and therefore not trace of missed calls.. :-(
The reason for phoning me? Checking my long name! I am sick about it, yes, my last names are complicated and before I came to this country I just simplified them to my first name and first last name but it has even given me more problems!

I have been told that Monday 24th everything will be fixed... and I pray and cross fingers for it to happen, finally!

Enfin!
This week, back from Taiwan, where I had a great time and met lots of young, enthusiastic and interesting people from the Asia-Pacific region. I was gladly surprised by the quality of the events and fellows as well as the country. Taiwan is an amazing country and the people really were very kind. I felt more comfortable there with my poor Chinese but communicating in English was much better there than it is in Tokyo!

As you can see above, I have posted one picture. It is about the class I took before the vacacion "Global Business Leaders". Nice memories!!
By the way.... little quiz... who are the only 3 Japanese people in the class? ;-)

After this week full of exams and assignments of all kinds I am taking the time to discover my new neighborhood. I have done a "little plan" (things to do and places to visit) that will most probably be useless because I will improvise along the day.
I wish you a fantastic weekend!

Where is the people?

Konnichiwa!　こんいちは！　

I am writing to you from the Uni. Although I moved last Saturday, the Internet connection is not yet available.
I love my new apartment. I have a kitchen, lovely bathroom full of buttons that I still have to understand, huge bed and giant TV screen. The view to the Tokyo skyline is impressive.
Since I moved I sleep like a baby (before I did not have problems but now... I sleep like a bear! ;-)
I have to say that I miss the hostel (and specially their staff) where I spent more than 6 weeks! (they were about to make a "farewell" party just for me! :-)

In Tokyo, still warm. The first night in my new "a-pa-to" I woke up sweating like a chicken. In the middle of the night I had to go and check which one of the remote controls belong to the air-conditioned. Every night I have more or less the same problem (I dont dare -yet- to leave the machine working while I am sleeping).

Speaking of machines... this morning I have had a big problem with the waschine machine. I could not make it work further than the 1st stage and I dont have instructions in English :-/
Since one of the good things of Tokyo is that many shops dont close or close late at night, I thing that I will go to a "laundry with coins" if I want to have washed and dried my clothes for my trip tomorrow.

Ah, speaking of my apartment... is very special. I am living on the 14th floor of a 32floor building. We have a reception as if it was a hotel and a wonderful hall and reading room on the ground floor. On the basement a gym and a "onzen" (温泉 －or japanese style bath-). To my surprise, on the first floor next door, a golf-club. Yes, you understood well, a place where I can practise my golf skills... any time because it is open 24 hours!

By the way, I have not forgotten that my city: Vitoria-Gasteiz (for those that did not know it) is celebrating the festivities!! :-)
In Tokyo, plenty of "matsuries" as well and of course a matsuri (祭)is nothing without fireworks (I remember when I was a kid that in all the festivities in Spain that I went to I expected the night where the turn was to the famous Japanese fireworks!).
To the fireworks is quite usual to see the ladies dressed in Yukata （浴衣　－casual summer kimono made of cotton－). Girls look incredibly beautiful when dressed with Yukata but I dont find it comfortable for myself and one I used it I did not stop sweating...

Last Sunday I had the chance to see some of them. It was an amazing scene but not the fireworks but us. We gathered in Biergarden, yes, we are in Japan! We had a BBQ outdoors... and it started raining! but.. nothing happens! we got umbrellas, transparent raincoats and continued cooking and eating. As you can imagine... we went back home wet, very wet!

This week, my first day from my new apartment to Waseda. The first thing I notice... where is the people? Everything was quite calm. The trains were packed but not "over-packed" as usual. On the streets I did not have to step on others peoples feet to go my direction... the answer? Holiday time!!! Yes, many companies are on holiday period and many "salary men" as well (not to mention universities, that will enjoy almost 2 months of free time! -not our case-).

This week I have attended a special course from the Waseda Business School. It was about developing Global Business Leaders and some of the ETP Students have joined the rich group of students coming from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Japan and some names of countries that was only the second time that I heard (ex-Soviet Union ones). My first impression... this boys and girls looke so young.... my surprise... most had around 30 years old and some of them had even family and kids! We have had the chance to work together with them preparing a presentation for today which means that we have spent time exchanging views and ideas. The opportunity has been very positive.
From today... one week holiday!

Yes, but my holiday are almost always a bit "special";-)

I applied for an Asia-Pacific Seminar being held in Taipei (Taiwan) and I got a place. Since one of my ambitions since long has been to get to know better what is going on in the Asia-Pacific area mainly because as it is so far from Europe we dont really pay attention, this time I will have a real insight from the other participants with whom I will live for more than a week.

When I come back from Taiwan we resume the classes and lots of assignments are due in that week.
Now that I am settled in my new place and neighborhood I need to start doing sports (nothing done for almost 2 months!!! shame on me!) Yes, its true. However, it does not mean that I dont do exercise everyday (I promise that going to the train station with 30 degrees at 8:30a.m., travelling in a packed wagon almost smashed against the other travellers and going up and down the stairs for the right platform is quite exhausting!).

I go now. Following my motto "do a new thing everyday" I will go home through a different path, I will buy some food that I have never tasted before and I will try to make visual contact with the people (very hard thing to do in this country... but it has worked very well the last days! :-))

Take care and have a great weekend!