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05 Februari 2017 | Japan, Kyoto
Hey everyone,
It's been a while! Sorry for not updating my updating my blog that often. It's so much fun over here that I'm forgetting time often.
Let me think... It's been about a month, so I guess I'll have to start with the class exposition. The exhibition piece was properly finished before the deadline but I have to admit that I had to overwork quite a bit in the final stage, just like anyone else. Since the artwork is 60x160cm, it was quite a hassle to bring it to the gallery in downtown Kyoto - two transfers taking the train and walking a while - but luckily all went well on that hurdle. The best part of the exposition was the opening party at the gallery I guess. Mostly people of the art school I've been talking to, but it's nice to explain about your work to people who are seeing it for the first time and get complimented because of it after the hard work.
When I say 'the best part was the opening party' I actually mean the drinking party that came afterwards with most of my classmates, some friends of classmates and all the teachers as well, not the networking at the gallery. Yes, that's quite the professional attitude I'm having right here... But honestly, having fun talking, eating and drinking with everyone after a last spurt really is a good feeling.
After that... Ah right, I still had the silk screen assignment to take care of in the week following the celebration. Not as much as a hassle as the exposition piece, where I worked from morning until well over midnight for about a week, but enough to need about four days scheduled at school for the afternoon. Not a bad result eventually, although it's not my best course.
The best part of it was that the day after the silk screen assignment presentation, the opening party of the exposition of the other 3rd year illustration class took place, which had an entirely different theme and artworks. Very interesting to see, as I don't see the students of the other class all that often. By the way, when I say 'the best part was the opening party' I actually mean the drinking party that came afterwards, where all the teachers, the students from the other class and some friends came.
Ah right, I'm forgetting the day before! The goodbye party of the exchange students. Of course, I'm not leaving for quite a long time, but there was free food and drinks, which was enough to get me interested. Also, although I've rarely spent any time with the other exchange student as I was always talking with Japanese people, I've met some at the exchange student exhibition and figured it would be a nice idea to say goodbye.
And thus, I entered the party, ate too much food, talked for about an hour with two Japanese student office employees and kind of left with a quick wave to the rest...
Next thing is... Ugh, I'm really sounding like an alcoholic here, but we also went drinking with a bunch of guys from both illustration classes. I have to mention here, drinking parties are a lot different from Holland, as it's not that much about drinking. At the last one I had only one beer for example. At a lot of places where these parties are being held, there is a lot of food served, the music is soft, so you can easily hold a nice conversation and there are a lot of different rooms in different sizes. Which means your group is completely seperated from other visitors. In other words, drinking parties are being used to have a relaxed chat at a nice place from time to time, after studying or working hard.
To some of the more serious stuff, I got a part time job at cramming school as an English teacher on thursday afternoon for two hours and saterday morning for two. Surprisingly fun and fullfilling and a great way to earn some experience, plus a bit of money as well. As the shifts aren't that demanding, I will go to a job interview at another cramming school on tuesday. Same job, but instead of a class from one to eight students, there is a one on one system and different lesson material, so probably a very good experience if I get accepted. Somewhere in spring, after I earned a bit of money from part time jobs, I will use it to have my English tested as well by taking the TOEIC test. For these part time jobs not that much of a neccesity, as the level of English demanded is quite low. In the future it's probably going to pay off to have a prove of English language ability though, since it not my native language.
Speaking of qualifications, I passed the Japanese Language test level 3 (out of 5, 5 being the lowest), which means I can move on to two. Having a level 3 diploma is a bit like being able to prove I can hold a good conversation in Japanese at get the main storyline of spoken and written words around me. Level 2 or 1 is needed for working environment though, so I'm really happy I can move on to the next step and take the level 2 test somewhere around july here.
School work is all done right now, but I'm still working in the classroom from monday to sunday, morning until evening ten 'o clock. Ah, maybe it's helpful for understanding life here to mention a Japanese schoolyear runs from april to february, so technically the period right now is what summer vacation is in Europe. That being said, there is a summer vacation as well here actually of a little over a month, in which classes are still being given in a lesser amount.
Anyway, I'm doing a duo-exhibition with a good friend in june, so I want to make some really good artworks during the school break. Besides that, there are some other interesting things going on, but I'm not sure where it's headed yet so I'm keeping that for the next blog update.
Okay, that's all this time! See you and have fun, wherever you are :)
It's been a while! Sorry for not updating my updating my blog that often. It's so much fun over here that I'm forgetting time often.
Let me think... It's been about a month, so I guess I'll have to start with the class exposition. The exhibition piece was properly finished before the deadline but I have to admit that I had to overwork quite a bit in the final stage, just like anyone else. Since the artwork is 60x160cm, it was quite a hassle to bring it to the gallery in downtown Kyoto - two transfers taking the train and walking a while - but luckily all went well on that hurdle. The best part of the exposition was the opening party at the gallery I guess. Mostly people of the art school I've been talking to, but it's nice to explain about your work to people who are seeing it for the first time and get complimented because of it after the hard work.
When I say 'the best part was the opening party' I actually mean the drinking party that came afterwards with most of my classmates, some friends of classmates and all the teachers as well, not the networking at the gallery. Yes, that's quite the professional attitude I'm having right here... But honestly, having fun talking, eating and drinking with everyone after a last spurt really is a good feeling.
After that... Ah right, I still had the silk screen assignment to take care of in the week following the celebration. Not as much as a hassle as the exposition piece, where I worked from morning until well over midnight for about a week, but enough to need about four days scheduled at school for the afternoon. Not a bad result eventually, although it's not my best course.
The best part of it was that the day after the silk screen assignment presentation, the opening party of the exposition of the other 3rd year illustration class took place, which had an entirely different theme and artworks. Very interesting to see, as I don't see the students of the other class all that often. By the way, when I say 'the best part was the opening party' I actually mean the drinking party that came afterwards, where all the teachers, the students from the other class and some friends came.
Ah right, I'm forgetting the day before! The goodbye party of the exchange students. Of course, I'm not leaving for quite a long time, but there was free food and drinks, which was enough to get me interested. Also, although I've rarely spent any time with the other exchange student as I was always talking with Japanese people, I've met some at the exchange student exhibition and figured it would be a nice idea to say goodbye.
And thus, I entered the party, ate too much food, talked for about an hour with two Japanese student office employees and kind of left with a quick wave to the rest...
Next thing is... Ugh, I'm really sounding like an alcoholic here, but we also went drinking with a bunch of guys from both illustration classes. I have to mention here, drinking parties are a lot different from Holland, as it's not that much about drinking. At the last one I had only one beer for example. At a lot of places where these parties are being held, there is a lot of food served, the music is soft, so you can easily hold a nice conversation and there are a lot of different rooms in different sizes. Which means your group is completely seperated from other visitors. In other words, drinking parties are being used to have a relaxed chat at a nice place from time to time, after studying or working hard.
To some of the more serious stuff, I got a part time job at cramming school as an English teacher on thursday afternoon for two hours and saterday morning for two. Surprisingly fun and fullfilling and a great way to earn some experience, plus a bit of money as well. As the shifts aren't that demanding, I will go to a job interview at another cramming school on tuesday. Same job, but instead of a class from one to eight students, there is a one on one system and different lesson material, so probably a very good experience if I get accepted. Somewhere in spring, after I earned a bit of money from part time jobs, I will use it to have my English tested as well by taking the TOEIC test. For these part time jobs not that much of a neccesity, as the level of English demanded is quite low. In the future it's probably going to pay off to have a prove of English language ability though, since it not my native language.
Speaking of qualifications, I passed the Japanese Language test level 3 (out of 5, 5 being the lowest), which means I can move on to two. Having a level 3 diploma is a bit like being able to prove I can hold a good conversation in Japanese at get the main storyline of spoken and written words around me. Level 2 or 1 is needed for working environment though, so I'm really happy I can move on to the next step and take the level 2 test somewhere around july here.
School work is all done right now, but I'm still working in the classroom from monday to sunday, morning until evening ten 'o clock. Ah, maybe it's helpful for understanding life here to mention a Japanese schoolyear runs from april to february, so technically the period right now is what summer vacation is in Europe. That being said, there is a summer vacation as well here actually of a little over a month, in which classes are still being given in a lesser amount.
Anyway, I'm doing a duo-exhibition with a good friend in june, so I want to make some really good artworks during the school break. Besides that, there are some other interesting things going on, but I'm not sure where it's headed yet so I'm keeping that for the next blog update.
Okay, that's all this time! See you and have fun, wherever you are :)
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
