So how familiar is everybody with the concept of "culture shock"?
I'm not too well versed but the basic premise is that for the first week, you shit yourself with apprehension and disorientation but after that, you start to be amazed by all of the interesting things about the host culture. You are constantly in awe of all manner of things, from the crazy little tricicyles that the grannies ride around on to the bizarre new language you find yourself surrounded by.
After that you start to become a little jaded and realize that everything is all rosy and that the place you are stuck in really sucks and is probably the worst place in the world despite the fact that it's really not that bad when you look at it objectively.

That's kind of what i'm dealing with right now. I'm even sick of mountains. Where i'm from, in the good country of Iowa, they have a nice, safe, flat place to build houses on. You can see the horizon. Chances are, i'm not going to be able to see the horizon for a long while, unless you call the ocean the horizon, which is totally different. I also miss corn. Rice paddies just don't have the same aesthetic. Also, i have to get used to working really late. The last class most nights ends at right around 9:15 or so, which is fine most of the time, but after a week like that it kind of wears on me.

I think it would be much better if i were able to speak japanese. It's strange though, after a day of bombardment with the language it just doesn't sink into my head, actually, i feel less motivated to learn japanese after a day of exposure to it. I think it probably just seems like a futile endeavor and i give up before i start.

Hopefully the upcoming trip to tokyo this weekend for the film festival will spice up my appreciaton for the country. More likely, i just need to better adapt myself and get used to the scene here.

Or, i could always just bail out, fly back to the US and live with my parents until i'm 40, maybe.