Summer vacation is almost here and I would love to go somewhere exotic and new but I just keep reminding myself, Japan, Japan, Japan. This Summer I'm going super work crazy at the coffee shop. I will be going to work 4 days a week and because I will be opening mornings, my alarm will greet me with that "lovely" bomb ticking noise at 5:00AM. Whenever I have blood shot eyes and feel like I am going to drop from exhaustion I will just keep reminding myself, Japan, Japan, Japan. I have done a bit of math and figured out that if I save and work a lot this Summer that I will be able to make over 2K. Right now money wise I have almost 3,500 saved up and then with my blog money too, I will have about 7,000 dollars all together at the end of Summer. It's so exciting to think that I will have more than half my tuition in just a few short months.
I have already submitted my pre-application to the program which I am going through, AFS. And once Summer vacation really gets underway, I will submit my full blown application which consists of enough papers to make the tree in my backyard to look pretty skimpy. This application isn't due till the end of October, but because I am so anal about this project I want to get everything done before August.
In order to make my trip possible I know that I'm going to have to do some large fundraising projects. I have been pretty reluctant to tackle this because there is a strategy to go about this that is very foreign to me. I am still toying with the idea of having a huge potluck type thing where people can bring a dish (preferably Japanese) or they can bring a 10$ donation and eat as much as they want. I want to do this towards the beginning of September. If anyone has any other fundraising ideas I would be extremely appreciative of such.
Thanks for reading,
--The Japanese Hakujin, Zachary Shimmel
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
1 Fact About The Japanese Hakujin Every Day
1) I always sneeze once in really bright sunlight
2) I've eaten an organic pop-tart every day for a year
3) I have strabismus, farsightedness, and an astigmatism in my eyeballs
4) One time I saw an albino chipmunk
5) When I was a baby I crawled with one leg in the air
6) Bubble tea fights are the greatest
7) I partake in the intake of free pizza at the Jewish club in my school every Tuesday
8) My middle name is Mack. Making my full name Zack Mack Shimmel
9) I have always called it a Handburger
10) About two years ago I had a dream completely in Japanese but didn't understand any of it
11) This number seems to bring about gonzo sort of things
12) I have about 500 pokemon figures stored in egg cartons
13) Haruki Murakami is my favorite author
14) Cats make my nose sniffle and my eyes sanguine
15) When I sneeze people duck for cover
16) After Japanese, I hope to one day also learn Portuguese
17) I work in at Has Beans five days a week but I don't drink coffee
18) There is a skylight in my room right above my pillow
19) I never chose to love Japan
20) Hayao Miyazaki is my favorite director
21) About two years ago I had a dream in Japanese and didn't understand any of it
22) I dress my Choco-kirspies with about two thirds soy, one third ice coffee
23) I only know about 200 kanji
24) My dresser is coated with about a million stamps that my dad collected
25) A bomb was thought to be placed in a stuffed ape which was found on the corner of the block from where I work. Two blocks were closed off and customers were being shooed away by some empty headed firemen. Of course it turned out to just be a monkey doll with an alarm clock strapped around it's body... I made no tips T_T
2) I've eaten an organic pop-tart every day for a year
3) I have strabismus, farsightedness, and an astigmatism in my eyeballs
4) One time I saw an albino chipmunk
5) When I was a baby I crawled with one leg in the air
6) Bubble tea fights are the greatest
7) I partake in the intake of free pizza at the Jewish club in my school every Tuesday
8) My middle name is Mack. Making my full name Zack Mack Shimmel
9) I have always called it a Handburger
10) About two years ago I had a dream completely in Japanese but didn't understand any of it
11) This number seems to bring about gonzo sort of things
12) I have about 500 pokemon figures stored in egg cartons
13) Haruki Murakami is my favorite author
14) Cats make my nose sniffle and my eyes sanguine
15) When I sneeze people duck for cover
16) After Japanese, I hope to one day also learn Portuguese
17) I work in at Has Beans five days a week but I don't drink coffee
18) There is a skylight in my room right above my pillow
19) I never chose to love Japan
20) Hayao Miyazaki is my favorite director
21) About two years ago I had a dream in Japanese and didn't understand any of it
22) I dress my Choco-kirspies with about two thirds soy, one third ice coffee
23) I only know about 200 kanji
24) My dresser is coated with about a million stamps that my dad collected
25) A bomb was thought to be placed in a stuffed ape which was found on the corner of the block from where I work. Two blocks were closed off and customers were being shooed away by some empty headed firemen. Of course it turned out to just be a monkey doll with an alarm clock strapped around it's body... I made no tips T_T
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Japanese Word of the Day #3
Todays word of the day is otanjoubi （お誕生日）or just tanjoubi. Does anyone want to take a shot as to why...? Before you guys all shout out the answer (because clearly you know what otanjoubi means), I'll give you one hint. It starts with mybirthday and ends with isjuneseventh. Okay, otanjoubi doesn't actually mean all of that, but it does mean birthday, and mine happens to be on June seventh.
So maybe you didn't know what otanjoubi meant but I'm sure you'll guess what oriental cuisine I fancy for my otanjoubi dinner. Now for those of you that are saying 誕生日プレゼント忘れちゃった！しまった！(because obviously you say this all the time) it is totally cool that you forgot a present because you can easily give me a money contribution present with the chip-in button on the right. I think I'd rather go to Japan for eleven months than get some strange rainbow knit toe socks redolent of cat litter and box wine anyway. I know most teenagers are dying to get things of that nature but please, don't, please?
I know some people/religions recognize each otanjoubi as some sort of milestone where you have become significantly more mature. I'm sure that when I was younger I found an excuse for every birthday to be special too. Entering double digits, becoming a teenager etc. To my chagrin, similar to that of an elderly man who doesn't acknowledge his own otanjoubi, my otanjoubi has become frivolous. Just another day, another number, another cross on the calender, one day less till departure.
So maybe you didn't know what otanjoubi meant but I'm sure you'll guess what oriental cuisine I fancy for my otanjoubi dinner. Now for those of you that are saying 誕生日プレゼント忘れちゃった！しまった！(because obviously you say this all the time) it is totally cool that you forgot a present because you can easily give me a money contribution present with the chip-in button on the right. I think I'd rather go to Japan for eleven months than get some strange rainbow knit toe socks redolent of cat litter and box wine anyway. I know most teenagers are dying to get things of that nature but please, don't, please?
I know some people/religions recognize each otanjoubi as some sort of milestone where you have become significantly more mature. I'm sure that when I was younger I found an excuse for every birthday to be special too. Entering double digits, becoming a teenager etc. To my chagrin, similar to that of an elderly man who doesn't acknowledge his own otanjoubi, my otanjoubi has become frivolous. Just another day, another number, another cross on the calender, one day less till departure.
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