I received a letter from the Japan Embassy stating I had been accepted for the Monbukagakusho Scholarship 2007 for Special Training Colleges in late December 2006. This weblog was made with intentions especially to give succeeding students an idea of what to expect, as I try to describe the experiences I go through waiting to go to Japan, living in Japan, and inevitably the time when I will have to leave Japan.
It's been exactly a month since the letter was sent and till now I have only been told what the names of the Japanese language institute and College I will be attending lessons at are. I'm actually pretty worried to say the least. Flight info, arrangements, procedures and such have not been talked about or even vaguely seem to be gonna talked about in the near future (if this sentence makes any sense to you). I have serious doubts over surviving with a 134,000 Yen monthly allowance in Tokyo even given the counsellor's very strong confidence that the amount will be more than enough (you can buy books she says). With a monthly expenditure of up to 80,000 Yen on a dorm room excluding water, electricity, gas and what not bills, textbooks and other materials to be paid by oneself, the expectant transport fees that might be incurred living at a dorm that might be quite a distance from the school, it's hard to imagine what kind of life I can expect there. Let's just say all evidence points to a pauper's kind of life: scrimping on food, running home early after school everyday since I won't be able to afford hanging out elsewhere and etc. you get what I mean. Anyway, whatever, I have parents to fall back on so that will be the emergency back up. If not, I guess I will have to get a job... Geh.
I had to withdraw from the university some time back to avoid paying the second semester's fees since I obviously won't be able to make the exams. It is kinda strange pulling out since I had enjoyed my first semester there doing mostly Japanese Studies modules and delighting at the opportunity of going on a student exchange programme to Japan. The grown ups don't get why I should pull out from a degree course to do a diploma course but I know what I'm doing. I particularly liked the assistant dean's reaction when I told him I wouldn't be attending his lectures on Approaches to Japanese Studies anymore (he's also the vice head of the JS department). He seemed pretty excited, the kind of reaction in one who displays genuine interest in Japan not limited to or biased to any particular aspect or within the realm of academics or career opportunities. Yea, he's a nice guy.
