This was a big week for me. I was busy because it was the end of my first semester at Osaka University...Actually the nickname of Osaka University is Handai (kind of like how University of California, Berkeley is "Cal") so I'm going to call the school Handai from now on here on LJ...

I had to turn in a semester-end report to Department of Human Sciences...but most of my week was dedicated to memorizing my speech for the Rotary Club. I really cared about doing a good job on it. I've had shorter speeches in the past, but this one was for 20 minutes. I talked about Rotary service projects in San Francisco and my first (obviously very good) impressions of Rotarians as a high school student. I also talked about the suicide problem in Japan compared with that in the US, because that is what I'm studying at Handai. I had a podium and I could have read off the paper but I really don't like doing that. It's really important to me to be a prepared speaker if at all possible so of course I memorized the whole thing. I just sat at home and forced myself to memorize the four pages. (^_^)v I didn't have music or TV or anything on to distract me. There were times when I fell asleep while practicing...haha...It was boring, but in the end it felt really good to know my own speech well.


Katano is about 1.5 hours away from where I live. So that day (happened to be Valentine's Day)I got up at 8 AM, microwaved some fish for breakfast, and got my suit together. Probably my one regret though is that I was having a bad hair day. There was nothing I could really do to fix it! I already tried hair wax and hairspray! I hope the Rotarians didn't mind. It wasn't crazy or anything, but not the best. It did look less horrific after I put the suit jacket on. LOL (^_^)

Katano Rotary Club was great. That is my host club and the Rotarians are always very nice. In Japanese Rotary Clubs there are very few female members. There is only one female Rotarian at the Katano Club. There is also one female secretary named Kinoshita-san who is very nice and always emails me thoughtful comments on my speeches and reports. I appreciate that.

I rode the train to Katano-shi station and Mori-san, my host counselor, picked me up there. He has helped me so much since I got here! Especially with moving into my apartment. He got furniture for me from faraway places and let me borrow a lot of his stuff, including refrigerator, TV, VCR, and pots and pans.

I think my speech went well. I didn't do anything wrong, and I think I said my speech clearly and with confidence. Afterwards, some Rotarians came over and asked me, "Where did you learn to speak such beautiful Japanese?" and things like that. Actually in October, after my first speech at the Katano Club, the Rotarians acted very amazed and one even said that my Japanese was the best of all the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars he had EVER met. (^_^) Of course, I was happy to hear that because I had worked hard to prepare the speech. Honestly, though,I thought that that first speech was quite regular. It was decent and clear. I made no mistakes and had confidence, but I did not think it was like an amazing show or anything. However, the Rotarians seemed VERY impressed somehow so I was surprised. They kept complimenting me on my Japanese! Somebody even said that a lot of Japanese people can't speak as well as I do...I guess she meant public speaking.

One of the things that I was worried about during my speech was that very few Rotarians looked at me while I was talking. In America, people look at the speaker to show that they are attentive. but at the Katano Club, many of the Rotarians closed their eyes and looked straight ahead. I was worried that I was being too boring...but I talked on the phone with my sister Nance afterwards and she said that she had seen the same thing happen in Toyama and for all speakers. Nance said that it doesn't mean the Rotarians were bored...it is simply considered more courteous for audience members to look down or something in order to better absorb the content of the speech. I sure hope that is true!! Because I really hope I didn't bore the Rotarians!!

After my speech, I formally exchanged banners with the club and we took pictures.

I think attending Japanese Rotary club meetings is very interesting. I like comparing American clubs with the Japanese ones. In Japan, speeches and the actual meeting happen after the meal, but in America, people eat during the speech. Also, in Japan the meeting starts with everyone singing the Rotary song (it's in Japanese). Then people shake hands with their neighbors.

After the speech, one of the officers reads "messages" from each Rotarian. Most of the messages are formal greetings to the speaker of the day...for example, most of the messages from my day were "Happy to welcome Joyce" or something like that. It actually feels nice to receive formal greetings from the various Rotarians after giving a speech!

Since it was Valentine's Day (and in Japan girls give chocolates to boys), the one female Rotarian gave everyone a piece of chocolate. :)

I had a good time at the club. The Rotarians are really kind and I feel comfortable around them. I was glad to be done with that speech though. I usually get nervous before speeches! Stage fright? but usually when I am actually saying the speech, I hardly feel scared at all for some reason...

I'm going to visit the Tsurumi Club too. I would like to exchange banners there too.

I stopped by Kyobashi on my way home. There's a cheap supermarket there called Tamade. I basically had a shopping spree there and packed my refrigerator with all kinds of seafood. There was so much stuff at the supermarket. and a lot of people there! It took me a long time to find that supermarket. People on the street didn't know where it was either. I wandered around for quite a long time. Then I saw a lady on a bicycle and she was holding a "Tamade" grocery bag so I ran up to her and asked for directions. :)

Oh, it was Valentine's Day. I visited a department store in Kyobashi and it was basically a sea of women. They were all crowding around different counters looking at gourmet chocolate. There were so many different kinds. I didn't buy any chocolate though...it was like US $2 for one piece and I just can't afford that. and I don't really care for chocolate that is that overpriced anyway...haha...

I had the chocolate that the lady Rotarian gave me though!
So that was my fun Valentine's Day! I spent it with the Katano Club!