Summer in IUJ

Wow, I can't believe my last post was in autumn last year. I totally skipped through two seasons. So here's a recap:
In winter, I got DUFF-ed for the first time and it really affected my self-esteem for the next few months. Academically, now that I am more familiar with the system of this university, I did better than the fall term. I was really happy that my efforts paid off :) It wasn't all about studying though. Surprisingly I went out more in winter than I did in autumn. This despite my initial plans of just hibernating till spring. My friends and I went to the Tokamachi Winter Festival which is like a snow sculpture festival with lots of food stalls and entertainment. We also joined the IUJ Ski Day and learned how to ski at Hakkaisan. This was an experience I'll never forget. I was nervous about it but it turns out I did not too badly, I did not fall down as much. I guess all those rollerblading and ice skating helped. I even went up the slope three times! I wouldn't mind doing it again next year but I suspect I might be lazy. 

After the ski day, we also went to the Ojiya Balloon Festival. I was tired from all the skiing but I'm glad my friends made me go. The fireworks and illuminated hot air balloons against the backdrop of the evening sky was really breathtaking. It was worth delaying my plans to just take a hot shower and sleep. I even went to Hakuba to visit my elder sis and her family who went there for skiing. It was a four-hour journey by local train with many transfers and I was glad to reach my destination even without mobile internet (I made a screenshot of the transfers before travelling). 
The winter season seemed long but the arrival of spring was a nice surprise, especially since it coincided with the end of the winter term and the beginning of the term break. We went to Shizuoka, Yume no Tsuribashi and Tokyo. We explored tea farms, went on a sky walk (which was supposed to have a good view of Mount Fuji but it was cloudy that day), walked along the "yellow brick road" which traversed a sea of yellow grass, visited a colourful and beautiful shrine, took a walk on a rope bridge crossing a pristine emerald river (which was in a place more rural than Urasa), ate for the first time at a standing sushi bar (really delicious), visited the Yayoi Kusuma art exhibition, ate really good pancakes in Tokyo, snuck into a university in our quest to get a good view of Mount Fuji and took good photos of sakura at all the places we visited. If I were to just name the places we visited it may not sound impressive but after listing down some of the stuff we did, it was pretty awesome. We had adventures and misadventures but had a good time.
The end of our vacation marked the start of the spring term. If I thought this was the term I could enjoy sakura and other flowers, I was sorely mistaken. I had decided to take two economics-related subjects in addition to my other course-specific subjects and the two subjects really challenged me mentally and intellectually. Luckily I had good friends around who helped me with these subjects. One of the professors of the economics-related subjects I took, has a reputation here as being scary and strict in grading. Each class was nerve-wrecking because he would call your name and ask you questions related to his lesson. I was always terrified because I had not taken his previous subject which had a lot to do with what he was teaching.  As if being asked questions (which was akin to being put on a witness stand) wasn't enough, we even had to do presentations on academic papers that he assigned to us. That was the height of my fears. I didn't like doing presentation but more so in front of the professor who would ask tough questions. He is the Snape of IUJ. Nonetheless, I learned a great deal; I enjoyed his class (despite the nerves) but it also made me realise that I'm glad I'm not majoring in economics. 
The spring term was definitely more hectic for me compared to my fall and winter terms. I didn't get to pay much attention to my Japanese class and didnt submit most of my homework on time. I did the do-your-homework-one-shot-and-submit-before-the-exam thing. Because of the tight schedule I didn't go to many events like how I did in winter but somehow managed to go to Britney Spears's concert which was like a week before finals! I can't believe I managed to pull that off but I did. I wouldn't call myself a Britney fan but I enjoyed her performance; she is a true performer and I admire her dancing skills and stamina. 
It was also Ramadan during the spring term so it was all about balancing my obligations with my studies. I was able to fast but I regret that I couldn't do the additional nightly prayer or join some of the break fasting sessions with my fellow Muslims. I did manage to attend some break fasting events but not all. Maybe next year I might me more free and I can join more. 
Well, that was my not-so-brief recap of the winter and spring terms :D
Summer is in full-swing here. It's so hot and the cicadas are quite loud. I need a fan!