i'm in osaka!

This is officially the first post of MAYA'S MIND™!!!

I have been thinking about making a blog for years now and it’s finally happened. Woohoo!

Anyway, I’M IN OSAKA!!! Current thoughts right now:

1. I have to walk one hour to my school in dotonbori
2. I have to throw out the trash, but I’m too scared to because I don’t know where anything goes (the Japanese are very persistent on segregating trash correctly)
3. I need to wash my clothes
4. I need to figure out where my bag is
5. I feel sluggish because I ate too many sweets
6. Dreading the stares I’ll get walking outside with my big curly hair
7. I'm tired
8. Figuring out what I’m gonna eat for dinner at the AEON’s (japanese grocery store)

What I’m actually doing:

1. Writing this
2. Embedding this chair with farts

AHHHHHHHHH. TOO MUCH STUFF! Is this adulthood???

Okay, I meantioned the stares that I get walking outside. I think that when I went to Tokyo before, I didn’t notice it because I was with my family. But being alone some people really cannot help it but look at me. Especially the men. This police officer on a bike was biking past me and he literally did a 360 with his neck toward me. I was thinking “did I do something wrong?” I literally felt so bad because I was thinking how I must have accidentally walked in front of an ambulance or something because he looked at me like that. I think that guy was just curious about my luscious hair (as is everyone else).

The younger Japanese women don’t do it as much. Actually, yesterday, I was walking on some bridge and I noticed some girl in front of me. She was dressed so beautifully and she had her phone in her hand so I thought “oh, she’s taking pictures. let me get out of her way,” so I started speedwalking and she literally stood in front of me. I was thinking “oh boy. here it comes. she’s gonna call me a disgusting gaijn or something like that.” I took out my airpods because she was speaking to me, and then she was like “picture okay?”

I was like “huh?

She said "picture of me? okay?””

So I took pictures of her with her phone. I noticed that her Japanese iphone was A: very old and B: had the loudest shudder sound ever. The sound is for protection against creepy Japanese men taking pictures up girl’s skirts. Anyway, I took some picture of her for the most awkward amount of time. I was wondering when she’d take her phone back after about 15 photos.

She grabbed her phone back and asked me, “photo of you, daijoubu? (is it okay?)” and I was so confused. I was thinking 'did she want a photo of me on her phone? That would be strange.'

So I asked “what?” and my breath stank so much. “on my phone?”

She said “yeah.” But then I was thinking why would you ask me if it’s okay to take my picture if it was for me? She might have just wanted to take a picture of me but felt strange when I said “what?” in a confused tone.

I didn’t really want my photo taken at all. I was really sweaty and tired then and I just wanted to walk but she insisted and to deny a gift is not respectful so I accepted. It was genuinely so awkward and I’m laughing right now because of how random that experience was. Anyway, here is the pic she took of me:

Now that I look at it, it was pretty cool. I didn’t even notice the friggin' castle in the back. Thanks random girl! I should have talked to her more for Japanese practice and to meet people, but I have to give myself some leeway because I was so nervous yesterday. I just wanted to get back to the dorm and eat onigiris.

I have to go to Japanese learning school now and organize my trash. See ya’ later!