welcome bazaar - 8 april 2006

Written on the 9th April, this describes probably the most anticipated event of the year for those staying outside the campus. Will post up pictures when I can.

Update 21 Apr : pics attached

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This is our 5th night here in Niigata. My overdue menses came 2 weeks late. Coupled with the stress of settling down in a foreign environment, the maddening cold weather, learning new things all the time and the lack of sleep from the previous weeks, my body finally gave way. Not only am I bleeding, but I think I'm having a mild case of diarrhea, slight fever and some cold.

Syakir taught me not to put on the heater at such a high temperature even though I feel terribly cold from the weather outside. From his own experience, he almost fell sick when he first arrived as well. But he learnt to control the temperature within and without the room by setting the aircond to about 25deg Celcius, switching on an additional heater in the kitchen area and letting the hot water run in the shower before bathing.

On my own, I've learnt to “recycle” my limited clothes in any way I can. We are all given a key to the laundry room to wash and dry our clothes. Each of these facilities cost ￥100 each. Hope I'll have time to do the laundry tomorrow, and some room cleaning.

Just before going into the Welcome Bazaar - lots of 2nd hand electrical items and furniture

The best thing that has happened this week must've been the Welcome Bazaar organized by the International Volunteer Club students. I managed to buy 2nd hand items for such cheap prices. I bought a hair dryer, mini heater and a small table for ￥200 each. Other than that, I also got myself a clothes hanger, rubbish bins, laundry basket and some bowls, and all of these cost me less than RM50 in total!

We were one of the first few to be admitted into the hall

Stereo radio going for a song

They are pretty systematic. You'll have to wait outside the hall by 9am to get your queue number. The doors will be opened from 1pm onwards for 10 minutes for each group of 12 people. Since the Malaysian senpai's had a bad experience with some people who cut queue last year, they decided to reach there by 7am this time around. It was raining and the wind didn't help.

Heaters for sale, I got mine for only ￥200!


I got my rice cooker from a neighbour who was buying a new one

But we were rewarded when we got to be the 1st dozen to choose our goods. After 2pm, the hall was opened for everyone to snap up the rest of the items. The only thing I regretted not buying was the microwave oven, and maybe the kotatsu. Where else can you get electrical items in pretty good condition for about 1/10th their original price?

It was a bit faulty, but this laptop managed to be sold at the end of the day

Will write more. Need the sleep. The Malaysian students have organized a get-together in Teradomari, some place by the sea where they're gonna have makan-makan and just chill out with each other. I hope to be better to enjoy it.