It’s already been two months since I left Haneda. As a student at Penn State Univ. for a month now, I’d like to give you an update.

The city of State College, a small town in central Pennsylvania State.
I’m here studying hard at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), which takes up most of the town’s area and population.

Here are the topics so far. First up: July 30

Haircut

July 30, 1969.
I got a haircut for the first time in about two months.

Come to think of it, the day before I left Haneda, I had my hair cut almost to a buzz cut, cleansing both body and soul.
……Actually, a senior studying abroad had warned me, “Haircuts in America are expensive!”

The barbershop here looks just like the ones in Japan.
Since I was told that getting a shave would be “expensive,” I sat down and said, “Hair cut only.”
At first, I asked if they had a sample style so I could get my usual slicked-back look, but they said, “No.”
I had no choice but to look around at the other customers and say, “Just like that guy. But ‘rather short,’” and then I closed my eyes.
After drifting off into a dreamlike state for a while to the sound of the clippers, I was jolted awake by the voice asking, “How do you like this?” I looked in the mirror and… Huh?!
……I still have what you might call a GI cut, or a crew cut.

In this town, a haircut without a shave costs $2. I left a quarter (25 cents) as a tip.

The University and the Students

I hear that Penn State has over 25,000 students every year from fall through spring.
It’s hard to describe just how vast the campus is. To my feet, it feels infinite. When you include the university’s scattered golf courses, farms, and campgrounds, it’s simply mind-boggling.

Penn State is quiet in the summer. Apparently, there aren’t even 5,000 students on campus.
The campus grounds, covered in grass, are shaded by dense stands of oak, ginkgo, and elm trees, with squirrels and bunnies darting about here and there.

Here’s what the students I saw on campus were wearing:

Boys
Many students have long hair in a Beatles-style cut or sport impressive beards covering their entire faces, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the Penn State logo paired with shorts or jeans. Bare feet, sneakers, or flip-flops.
Students with pipes in their mouths also catch the eye. I bought a pipe myself—a corncob pipe. It was $1.00.
Please judge my attire from the photo above.

Girls
Some had hair cut short, others longer. Round sunglasses, shorts, and ultra-mini skirts.
Some even wore slacks reminiscent of Parisian fashion. I thought belly-baring bikinis were only for swimming—how naive of me! I didn’t know where to look, or perhaps I was just gazing at where to look. Colorful, vibrant outfits paired with bare feet and flip-flops.

I was so naive to think that intimate interactions between boys and girls were something done at night or in secret. But here, in broad daylight, all around me... I wish they’d put themselves in my shoes!

The campus pool is even more stimulating. There are styles even more revealing than bikinis—the kind that make you want to scream, “Stop it!” They seem more enthusiastic about sunbathing than swimming.

Dormitories and Dining Halls

Student dormitories are lined up all over the campus. Apparently, they can accommodate over 10,000 people in total. Most were built four or five years ago and are seven or eight stories tall. Each dorm is fully equipped with a large TV, ping-pong tables, and other recreational facilities. They’re kept clean because the janitors come by every week.
My dorm is Shunk Hall. My room number is 103. It’s on the second floor of a seven-story building, but since the first floor is called the “ground floor,” the second floor is effectively the first floor.

The prevalence of telephones in the U.S. is impressive—this dorm even has a phone in every room. My room number is 814-865-0189. Feel free to give me a call when you have some free time!

I share Room 103 with Chen Yonghao. Chen is an international student from Hong Kong majoring in Architectural Engineering. Like me, he’s a hard worker.
Chinese characters always help us understand each other’s conversations. He’s a photography buff and often invites me out to take pictures.

The dorm stays lively long into the night. Since female visitors are allowed until 2:00 AM, it stays lively late into the night. Drinking is technically prohibited, but everyone drinks in moderation.

I’ve finally gotten used to the showers and Western-style toilets.

Meals are, of course, at the self-service cafeteria. It’s located in Pollock Hall, right next to Shunk.
In the morning, I usually have orange juice with bread, cake, or a donut. Plus eggs—either fried, scrambled, or boiled. And coffee or tea.
You can put whatever you want on your tray, and you’re free to go back for seconds as many times as you like. There’s plenty of milk available.

Lunch and dinner are lavish.
Meat, fruit, and ice cream are added to the menu. As for the meat, that’s one thing, but the fruit selection is amazing: oranges, grapefruits (about the same size and shape as summer oranges), grapes, bananas, watermelon, melon, cherries… a wide variety, and delicious!

If I go into any more detail, I’m afraid I’ll be told, “Go home already!” so I’ll stop here.

(Click here for campus snapshots)

Part1 Reading (12:28) on