untitled. HA. i wonder how you say 'untitled' in japanese.

Hi everyone! i'm hyper (did you know that hypo actually means something is slower than usual?! HA, see i DO learn things fro, biology!) AND i don't want to do my homework, so i thought i'd post a thing.

Seeing as most of you are on work experience, and nothing drama-ish is really happening, i thought i'd give you some food for thought on the japanese culture! yay.

Konichiwa. Onamae wa stacey des!

When you leave the house in the morning, or at any time, you say 'itekimasu!' It basically means 'I'm going, see you later!'. Anyone left in the house replies 'itterashai!', which means 'have a nice day, see you later!'.

When you come home after school or from being away, you say 'todaima', which means 'i'm home' and i forgot what you're supposed to reply. i'd ask my jap student but she's sleeping.

Before you eat meals or snacks you say 'itedakimasu' which is like a prayer/giving of thanks sort of thing. i never remembered to say it in japan, and so got strange looks when i started scoffing my food and no one else had even said it yet. fun times. if the food you're about to eat looks good, you say 'ooishiso', if it tastes good you say 'ooishi' and if you enjoyed your meal you say 'ooishikata'. i had fun doing that in food tech today. they all thought i was a fruitcake.

If you're still hungry and want more, you say 'mosukashi kudasai', but if you're full you say 'ippai'. At the end of a meal you say 'gochisosama', which again, is like a giving of thanks.

'aishiteru' means 'i love you' and is my favorite word. i say it all the time to my jap student and she cracks up laughing.

'sumimasen' is what you say when you've done something you shouldn't have, like bumped into a stranger in the street, or ripped a hole in one of the paper walls. i didn't do that, if that's what you're thinking.

Most japansese girls i've met are obsessed with boyfriends, or knowing if you have a boyfriend. For this reason, i wouldn't get too close to any member of the opposite sex in their presence, for you run the risk of them creating ideas in their head, and then passing these ideas on to thier friends wothout you knowing. Believe me, i know. makes interesting converstation though.

In jap houses, you have to take your 'outside shoes' off in the foyer of the house, then put your house slippers on. BUT, you can only wear house slippers on the wooden floors (which usually consist of corridors, stairs, and the kitchen), NOT on the tatami mats (the rest of the house). It's really funny because sometimes you have to cross wooden floors to get from one tatami room to another, so you're putting slippers on for like 2 seconds. you CAN'T walk around in socks on the wooden floors, AND you have to take your house slippers off to go to the toilet, and put your toilet slippers on. No slippers fit my feet in japan anyway so none of this really mattered.

Oh yeah, most of the older toilets in japan are like urinals in the ground. Even for girls. It's really, really, really weird. We were warned of this, but nothing could really prepare you for the shock. haha.

Finally, 'Oyasuminasai' means 'good night'. Oh yeah, there's also 'kawaii' which means 'cute'. You hear it an awful lot from teenage japanese girls, especially when you start pulling out the clothes with cartoons on them.

YAY so that was my rant. i know laura and emily and i forgot who else will know all of this. BECAUSE WE WERE OVERSEAS TOGETHER! i know it was pointless and boring BUT I HAD FUN. not really. but anyway. going to healsville (i think that's how you spell it, but WHO CARES!) tomorrow and need to sleep. not really. well i do but i think my door is stuck. AND then there's the blasted homework.

to all, good night.