Kat has failed to make Ramen

I talked my roommate's ear off last night. i think it's mostly nervous. my social interaction nerves are quite shot. I'm trying though.

Much socialization seems to revolve around drinking here. i think some of it is 20-year-olds taking advantage of it. some of it may be that it makes it easier to relax if everyone assumes everyone is buzzed (including themselves) even when you know they're not. but i hear that some of that doesn't change as the year progresses.

I had my first serious conversation in japanese today. it was short, but practical and effective. someone came looking for Lee-san (my roommate) and i had to explain that i was here by myself and that she had gone to Don Quixote.

Yes, you did read the title right. i have, for the first time since i was six, failed to make ramen. it wasn't for any lack of skill in cooking though. i can't seem to operate the hot plate. i spent some time translating most of the labels and buttons, trying things along the way. then i asked someone for help, and watched someone use theirs. i followed their instructions, but still can't make my hot plate function correctly. and there is a lot of annoying beeping involved. i will try to ask someone to come tinker with it with me when people get back from their various outings. part of me hopes that it's broken so that i won't look like such an idot, but the other part of me just wants to eat my miso ramen in peace as soon as possible. i also have to discern the trick of getting hot water from the bath. cold showers/rinses are fine for now, but i'm not doing it in the fall or winter.

for those interested, my skype is functioning and my user name is babelguppy. i used it with my mom today, so though the wi-fi can be a little fritzy, it works well enough. i heard we won't get net through the ethernet until october, but hopefully, that will make things better. the net seems to have stabilized a bit though since we first got here. i'm also managing to check my email pretty regularly, so that is a good form of communication, too. i can't get a cell phone until i get and "alien card" which we will be working on as a group tomorrow.

there appears to be a dog-park accross the street that i haven't noticed so far because it was either late or raining. many of the dogs don't seem to like one another right now.