Sanda Campus

(Still doing catch-up, but I plan to knock several out tonight - here we go!)



Last Wednesday I decided go to the International Student Coffee Hour at KGU's Sanda Campus. Thankfully, transportation was funded by the school. I say thankfully because I didn't realize it involved a one hour bus ride and then a one hour bus ride back (on the last bus, by the way). It was on a weekday, so not a lot of people were able to go due to classes - there were about eight of us. But, there were around 40 or so Japanese students waiting for us. We felt famous.

The campus was even smaller than mine (Uegahara) but it was very beautiful. It had more of a forest feel to it, even being walled in by tall, piney trees in some spots.

The actual buildings were also very European-castle like and sometimes even Hogwarts-like. It was really neat.

The energy of the people I talked with was so much better than that at the Coffee Hour we had at Uegahara. We pretty much stayed in the same groups and talked in depth, laughing a lot. In Uegahara, it was a huge room with probably well over a hundred people and I would talk with someone for maybe five minutes and then they would move on to meet more people. Many people also went for classes to that one. However, this Sanda Campus is much smaller and they actually wanted to connect and chose to come for fun. Also, the international group/club/organization that had control of the event were so energetic. They met us when the bus pulled up to the campus, waving and jumping. Then, they were peppy and comedic the entire time. They also loved how into photography I was and one of them had a Sony and we were like photography buddies the whole time.

(Bit of a time jump, but two of the people we met are going with some study abroad students and I somewhere tomorrow. This happened when I wrote my first month marker post as well - getting worried about relationships and then someone reaches out and/or says yes to my invitation - hmmm)

Also, on a totally inconsequential note, we saw chairs in the study area of the Sanda Campus that we have at UNLV. The same chairs. There was also a little tea area with tatami flooring and a small garden view; a circus club practicing plate-spinning, juggling, and so on; beautiful sunset; and delicious lemon tea.



It went a little late, so I couldn't eat with my host family - but they left food out for me and I had a delicious pilaffe with beef, peppers, and onions.


On the bus ride, I learned that KGU has a pool, so I will be checking that out next week for sure. Unfortunately, three people were queasy from the bus ride and one actually got car sick. I don't get nauseated from vehicles, but I did feel uneasy during the bus rides - almost like a roller-coaster? There was one part, however, where we drove through a long tunnel and eventually saw the green opening gradually approaching - it reminded me of Spirited Away and made the bus ride more like an adventure.

I forgot to mention, but on Monday, my host family and I had sushi! Their sister/sister-in-law visited while I was in Tokyo and she brought some sushi for us. It was so delicious! There was a sushi roll not pictured in the photograph but was very sweet and full of various flavors. On top of that, thanks to their sister/sister-in-law I was able to try a Japanese green melon that is like honeydew but juicier and stronger as well as biwa, an orange fruit that is amazing. It was like a mix of cantaloupe, mango, kiwi, and plum...kind of. According to my host mother, children like to peel the thin skin, leaving it attached near the bottom, and then cut two little holes to make a squid or octopus. (She laughingly confessed she would often do it as a kid). Of course, I tried it and it looked nothing like a squid or octopus, but it was fun! On top of that, the seeds are large and smooth and slightly resemble Tigers Eye stones. I actually found biwa to be very delicious and refreshing.

Before I leave, here is a picture I took of a small staircase on my way to school. Even the stairs are like gardens!