Surely, SURELY, things must have happened since my first few days at work. I mean, Interlude 2 was all about Typhoon 10 and my 1/2 day off.
And where the hell are the pics? Surely, as a foreigner in a not-so-foreign land, I must have snapped at least a few pics. Some of you after all saw me with a digital camera snapping Kodak moments.
So just what the hell is going on?
Well, here's the skinny. Some things just seem to take a lot longer in Japan. I still haven't gotten a mobile phone yet, nor gotten paid, nor have I got internet at home. On top of that, last week was the Obon festival where millions of Japanese people go to their hometowns to honour their ancestors. While it's not an official holiday, most people take a few days paid leave.
Last week was consequently very quiet in the office. With not much to do, I was able to sit at my desk and compose my blog entries. This week however is the week before school starts, and most of the students are actually here continuing to work on their summer extra-curricular activities, most of which seem to revolve around the upcoming sports meet.
I too have been busy at work, getting things ready for classes next week.
All this combines to make it hard for me to blog. But that doesn't explain the lack of pictures. Rest assured I have them, and when I get my internet at home, I'll be making a bunch of edits and new posts. So in the coming weeks (though, not this week), you can expect:
1) pictures
2) life in Japan
3) my school
4) what do I eat for dinner?
5) ????
6) profit!
Well, sayonara for now.
8/17/2006
Interlude 2
Today, I was supposed to go to my Prefectural JET Orientation. Sadly, Typhoon Number 10 had other ideas, and early this morning I received a call from my school (my first official telephone call on my newly connected phone!) informing me that it had been cancelled.
Of course, that meant I needed to go into school.
I called a taxi-cab, and as I chatted up the driver, it turned out that he was the driver that often drove my predecessor to school. We talked for basically the entire trip, which ended up costing about ¥1200, or about $12. I leapt out of the cab after saying my thanks and dashed for the front door.
The sky is a light grey, and the rain that falls alternates in medium showers and heavy torrents. The only constant seems to be the wind, which shakes the trees outside the teachers’ office windows. At 9AM this morning, the Vice Principal announced to all that the reports said that around 3PM the storm in our area would peak. A-sensei, whom I got to chat with extensively when we were the only teachers in all day last Tuesday, said that he was going take a ½ day paid vacation to get home early, and suggest I might do the same.
So here I sit, having submitted my form that informs the school of my intent to take a ½ day off, leaving me with 19.5 more days this year. There is a form for everything here, from taking leave to taking business trips, and oddly enough many of these requests seem to be approved well after the fact. I guess this is not so strange in a society that treasures the collective over the individual. It is assumed, I think, that such things like vacation and leave will be taken at time that will be minimally disruptive to those around you, or will not interfere with your normal duties.
I also had to fill out the remainder of my business trip form, which I had filled out over a week ago, to explain that today’s JET Orientation was cancelled. Had it gone on as scheduled, I would have also had to write a report detailing what I did at the orientation.
Japan, it seems, is a country obsessed with bureaucracy. And like all bureaucracies, they move slowly. For my phone line, it took almost a week for a technician to toggle a switch and connect it. My Alien Registration card will end up having taking some 12 days to process, delaying my acquisition of a 3G phone. My internet, when I try to set it up, will take almost a week before a technician can come by. It’s an odd dichotomy in a society so advanced in many other aspects.
Ooh! Even if it’s coming out of my paid vacation days, I have a 2.5 day weekend!
Of course, that meant I needed to go into school.
I called a taxi-cab, and as I chatted up the driver, it turned out that he was the driver that often drove my predecessor to school. We talked for basically the entire trip, which ended up costing about ¥1200, or about $12. I leapt out of the cab after saying my thanks and dashed for the front door.
The sky is a light grey, and the rain that falls alternates in medium showers and heavy torrents. The only constant seems to be the wind, which shakes the trees outside the teachers’ office windows. At 9AM this morning, the Vice Principal announced to all that the reports said that around 3PM the storm in our area would peak. A-sensei, whom I got to chat with extensively when we were the only teachers in all day last Tuesday, said that he was going take a ½ day paid vacation to get home early, and suggest I might do the same.
So here I sit, having submitted my form that informs the school of my intent to take a ½ day off, leaving me with 19.5 more days this year. There is a form for everything here, from taking leave to taking business trips, and oddly enough many of these requests seem to be approved well after the fact. I guess this is not so strange in a society that treasures the collective over the individual. It is assumed, I think, that such things like vacation and leave will be taken at time that will be minimally disruptive to those around you, or will not interfere with your normal duties.
I also had to fill out the remainder of my business trip form, which I had filled out over a week ago, to explain that today’s JET Orientation was cancelled. Had it gone on as scheduled, I would have also had to write a report detailing what I did at the orientation.
Japan, it seems, is a country obsessed with bureaucracy. And like all bureaucracies, they move slowly. For my phone line, it took almost a week for a technician to toggle a switch and connect it. My Alien Registration card will end up having taking some 12 days to process, delaying my acquisition of a 3G phone. My internet, when I try to set it up, will take almost a week before a technician can come by. It’s an odd dichotomy in a society so advanced in many other aspects.
Ooh! Even if it’s coming out of my paid vacation days, I have a 2.5 day weekend!
Settling in
True to his word, F-sensei was in front of my apartment at 8 AM. Despite the tiredness I had felt the night before, I had not gotten much sleep. The heat and humidity which I had hardly noticed the night before, was oppressive and damp this morning. Sweat was starting to bead on my arms and forehead and nose.
We drove to school, with F-sensei explaining that this was the best route to take by bike. I paled at the thought. I hadn’t touched a bike in 15 years, let alone ridden one in a semi-urban environment. Before long we were at school.
The morning passed quickly, and by noon we were out again to get more of my life set up. A trip to the bank revealed that I could not create an account without my Alien Registration Card, or in lieu of the card a letter issued temporarily from City Hall. We headed to City Hall next, but by the time I had managed to get my letter issued, the bank had closed. My card, said the paper issued to me, would be ready on the 22nd. I glanced at my watch. It was the 10th.
The next item on the agenda was my keitai, or cell phone. The Vodaphone shop, just outside of the JR station, was small but heavily air conditioned. All manner of futuristic phone lined the walls, but my desire for one would not be sated there. Farcically enough, I needed a bank account and my Alien Registration Card to open an account with Vodaphone. It looked as if I would have to wait a while to enter 3G heaven.
With that, our day came to a close, and after returning to school to pick up our bags, F-sensei drove me home. I promised to practice diligently, a promise I ended up breaking due to the deflated tires on the bike my predecessor left me (and unused for the most part by her).
The next morning was again swelteringly hot, and I woke up extra early. I didn’t relish my trip to school; I was dealing with distances and time schedules unknown to me. Walking to the JR station, I bought my ticket and stared dumbly at the train schedule. The sign indicated a train was coming in a few minutes, and another one some 10 minutes later. As the train pulled into the station, I hovered nervously at the door, wondering if it was the right train. The direction was right, but I knew there was an express train that skipped the stop I needed to get off at. I got on and hoped for the best.
As the train pulled out of the station, I belatedly asked a fellow passenger if the train stopped at the next station. She dutifully informed me that it did not. Fighting a moment of panic, I could do nothing but get off at the next actual stop and make my way back, and hope that it wasn’t so far as to make me late for school. Luckily, the express train skipped only the station near my school, so I switched trains and made my way back in good time.
By the time I arrived at school, I was covered in a film of sweat, and it was a blessed relief to sit at my desk in the air conditioned staff room. Soon a few teachers showed, the majority off on paid holiday or off doing some sort of school duty. F-sensei sauntered in, and by mid-morning we were off again. We headed to Yoshizuka station, where I was to go next week to various JET functions. Under the threat of a convective thunderhead, we toured two buildings before grabbing a lunch of fried rice, dumplings, and ramen.
The afternoon was filled with a visit to a local medical clinic, where I was subjected to a battery of tests. It was a pleasant experience, and during my examination I was surprised to discover I was still running a fever, a fever which had gone unnoticed because of the heat, and that the medication offered for asthma treatment were virtually identical to the ones I had back home. My cold/asthma attack, which had all but faded, was treated with an almost bong-like nebulizer, and by the end of the almost 2 hours I was there, I had a bag full of new meds. It was the end of the day, and F-sensei drove me home. The past 3 days had been eventful, frustrating, enlightening, and nerve-wracking, but by the end of it I was starting to feel like I was settling into my new home.
We drove to school, with F-sensei explaining that this was the best route to take by bike. I paled at the thought. I hadn’t touched a bike in 15 years, let alone ridden one in a semi-urban environment. Before long we were at school.
The morning passed quickly, and by noon we were out again to get more of my life set up. A trip to the bank revealed that I could not create an account without my Alien Registration Card, or in lieu of the card a letter issued temporarily from City Hall. We headed to City Hall next, but by the time I had managed to get my letter issued, the bank had closed. My card, said the paper issued to me, would be ready on the 22nd. I glanced at my watch. It was the 10th.
The next item on the agenda was my keitai, or cell phone. The Vodaphone shop, just outside of the JR station, was small but heavily air conditioned. All manner of futuristic phone lined the walls, but my desire for one would not be sated there. Farcically enough, I needed a bank account and my Alien Registration Card to open an account with Vodaphone. It looked as if I would have to wait a while to enter 3G heaven.
With that, our day came to a close, and after returning to school to pick up our bags, F-sensei drove me home. I promised to practice diligently, a promise I ended up breaking due to the deflated tires on the bike my predecessor left me (and unused for the most part by her).
The next morning was again swelteringly hot, and I woke up extra early. I didn’t relish my trip to school; I was dealing with distances and time schedules unknown to me. Walking to the JR station, I bought my ticket and stared dumbly at the train schedule. The sign indicated a train was coming in a few minutes, and another one some 10 minutes later. As the train pulled into the station, I hovered nervously at the door, wondering if it was the right train. The direction was right, but I knew there was an express train that skipped the stop I needed to get off at. I got on and hoped for the best.
As the train pulled out of the station, I belatedly asked a fellow passenger if the train stopped at the next station. She dutifully informed me that it did not. Fighting a moment of panic, I could do nothing but get off at the next actual stop and make my way back, and hope that it wasn’t so far as to make me late for school. Luckily, the express train skipped only the station near my school, so I switched trains and made my way back in good time.
By the time I arrived at school, I was covered in a film of sweat, and it was a blessed relief to sit at my desk in the air conditioned staff room. Soon a few teachers showed, the majority off on paid holiday or off doing some sort of school duty. F-sensei sauntered in, and by mid-morning we were off again. We headed to Yoshizuka station, where I was to go next week to various JET functions. Under the threat of a convective thunderhead, we toured two buildings before grabbing a lunch of fried rice, dumplings, and ramen.
The afternoon was filled with a visit to a local medical clinic, where I was subjected to a battery of tests. It was a pleasant experience, and during my examination I was surprised to discover I was still running a fever, a fever which had gone unnoticed because of the heat, and that the medication offered for asthma treatment were virtually identical to the ones I had back home. My cold/asthma attack, which had all but faded, was treated with an almost bong-like nebulizer, and by the end of the almost 2 hours I was there, I had a bag full of new meds. It was the end of the day, and F-sensei drove me home. The past 3 days had been eventful, frustrating, enlightening, and nerve-wracking, but by the end of it I was starting to feel like I was settling into my new home.
8/16/2006
Interlude
I'm getting ahead of myself, but it's a fun diversion, I assure you.
For the most part, my route to school has been a brief 10 minute bike ride to the local JR (Japan Rail) station, followed by a 2 minute ride on the train to the next station over, followed by a 10 minute walk to school. Once it cools down a bit, I'll start biking to school and save myself the 3 bucks for a round trip on the train.
Except for today. In the recent local news is the latest typhoon to hit southern Japan, Typhoon #10 (tai-fuu 10-gou). It should pass by Satuday morning, but the leading edges of it hit Fukuoka Prefecture this morning. As I looked out the window, I noticed it was raining a bit. So donning my purpose bought raincoat, I trundled outside. As I started my walk (20 minutes), as I didn't really trust myself to a bike in the rain, I noticed that it was starting to rain harder. By the time I got to the local (different from the JR line) tracks, it was a torrential downpour.
Now, for the most part, I have never needed an umbrella. Toronto is nicely laid out so that unless you prize walking, you can wait out storms under bus shelters, and if you do get caught out in the rain, it's running between the bus and subway station, or car park etc. So, I figured, as a bold and rugged outdoorsman (yes, please roll your eyes now), I was going to be fine with just my raincoat.
Now I know why Japanese people all carry umbrellas.
I'll admit the top half of my body was relatively rain free. Of course, being under a raincoat meant that in the sweltering humidity, the top half of my body was soaked not by rain but by sweat. My legs and shoes were soaked through and through, and though the laptop backpack I bought comes with a rain cover, that didn't stop the rain from soaking the shoulder straps and moving through into the inside. As a result, many of the papers in my backpack got wet, and more alarmingly, my laptop got wet too. Here's hoping that in 24 hours or so when its dried out, it works fine.
By the time I got to the JR station, I was a miserable, sweaty, foggy-glassed, mussed hair, wet pants and shoes and socks ALT. I limped into the AM/PM Convenience store, bought the biggest terry cloth towel I could find, bought an umbrella, and proceeded to the platform. Infuriatingly, by the time I was done paying at the counter, the sun had come out to grace the fair people of Fukutsu. More infuriatingly, I was the only visibly wet dog there, and those around me were dressed as they always were for work. What a sight I must have looked.
I am convinced now that Japanese people have some sort of ability to phase out of reality slightly, so that what seems like a torrential downpour to me is only a light refreshing shower to them. I am mostly dry now, but I will sagefully call this my first lesson on the practicalities of living in Japan.
I may try to update again later today, as I will be out of the office tomorrow for a seminar, but if not, stay tuned for further adventures next week.
For the most part, my route to school has been a brief 10 minute bike ride to the local JR (Japan Rail) station, followed by a 2 minute ride on the train to the next station over, followed by a 10 minute walk to school. Once it cools down a bit, I'll start biking to school and save myself the 3 bucks for a round trip on the train.
Except for today. In the recent local news is the latest typhoon to hit southern Japan, Typhoon #10 (tai-fuu 10-gou). It should pass by Satuday morning, but the leading edges of it hit Fukuoka Prefecture this morning. As I looked out the window, I noticed it was raining a bit. So donning my purpose bought raincoat, I trundled outside. As I started my walk (20 minutes), as I didn't really trust myself to a bike in the rain, I noticed that it was starting to rain harder. By the time I got to the local (different from the JR line) tracks, it was a torrential downpour.
Now, for the most part, I have never needed an umbrella. Toronto is nicely laid out so that unless you prize walking, you can wait out storms under bus shelters, and if you do get caught out in the rain, it's running between the bus and subway station, or car park etc. So, I figured, as a bold and rugged outdoorsman (yes, please roll your eyes now), I was going to be fine with just my raincoat.
Now I know why Japanese people all carry umbrellas.
I'll admit the top half of my body was relatively rain free. Of course, being under a raincoat meant that in the sweltering humidity, the top half of my body was soaked not by rain but by sweat. My legs and shoes were soaked through and through, and though the laptop backpack I bought comes with a rain cover, that didn't stop the rain from soaking the shoulder straps and moving through into the inside. As a result, many of the papers in my backpack got wet, and more alarmingly, my laptop got wet too. Here's hoping that in 24 hours or so when its dried out, it works fine.
By the time I got to the JR station, I was a miserable, sweaty, foggy-glassed, mussed hair, wet pants and shoes and socks ALT. I limped into the AM/PM Convenience store, bought the biggest terry cloth towel I could find, bought an umbrella, and proceeded to the platform. Infuriatingly, by the time I was done paying at the counter, the sun had come out to grace the fair people of Fukutsu. More infuriatingly, I was the only visibly wet dog there, and those around me were dressed as they always were for work. What a sight I must have looked.
I am convinced now that Japanese people have some sort of ability to phase out of reality slightly, so that what seems like a torrential downpour to me is only a light refreshing shower to them. I am mostly dry now, but I will sagefully call this my first lesson on the practicalities of living in Japan.
I may try to update again later today, as I will be out of the office tomorrow for a seminar, but if not, stay tuned for further adventures next week.
8/15/2006
Arrival at Genkai
I was greeted at the airport by K-sensei. Super friendly, and with truly amazing English skills, we drove from Fukuoka International to the school. The 40 minute trip flew by—I was in a daze from my first meeting, and the conversation flowed almost seamlessly from English to Japanese and back.
We arrived at Genkai High School around 2 PM, and I was struck by how like and unlike a “normal” Japanese school this was. There was of course the standard metal gate, familiar to anyone who’s ever seen an anime or show that featured a Japanese school. But instead of the single edifice bisected by a central column with school clock, I encountered a squat U-shaped building surrounding a courtyard. To the left was a large gymnasium, set beside a large dusty field that encompassed both a general sports ground and baseball diamond.
K-sensei led me indoors, where I first met a few of the administrative staffers, and then it was off to meet the Principal, U-sensei. The Principal is a kindly looking man, with an easy smile and a genial demeanour. Yet I will not soon forget the words he said that resonated with me, and revealed to me the steel core that must lie at his centre: “We expect great things from you.” I felt an electric shock run through me with those words. I was truly in uncharted waters. My only guidance was the dim recollections of my own high school days, of little help in a country on the other side of the world, in an education system so radically different from my own. After my meeting, K-sensei led me upstairs to the teacher’s room and showed me desk.
I was still in my suit at this time, nattily dressed if a bit wrinkled looking. The heat was oppressive, but survivable, and soon enough my supervisor, F-sensei appeared. A youngish looking man, I was later genuinely surprised to find out he was over 40. Again, my Japanese confounded him. While some people had known that I could speak some level of Japanese, no one had realized just how well I spoke it. This seemed to be a sort of point of contention. I had the feeling that perhaps it was better if I stuck to English, as that was what was expected. It would take a few days before this feeling went away, and instead I begun to feel solace in speaking in English with my JTEs (Japanese Teacher of English). The ability to use English naturally with people who understand it makes me feel inordinately better. I recall an intense desire to speak English after just a week in Japan during my last visit, so being able to speak it at work serves as an immense stress relief.
Soon after, it was off to my new home. A short 10 minute drive from the school, it actually takes about 40 minutes by the combination of walking, biking, and train-riding that I do. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The apartment was a squat, ugly looking building, 4 floors with two units on each floor. The central staircase split the building in two, and as I climbed to the second story and my front door, I felt a keen sense of déjà vu. The building, built no doubt in the 60s, was starting to show its age. As I followed the gas company representative that had preceded our arrival to set things up for me, I was struck first by the oppressive heat, the first time I had truly felt it, and the dinginess of the place. There was a true sense of feeling that the place had been lived in many times before. In Tokyo, we had been treated to a polished, modern hotel that catered to Western visitors. Here, I was faced by the reality of a Japanese apartment, strangely familiar because it reminded me of my cousin’s home in Fukuoka City.
Having successfully gotten my gas affairs in order, F-sensei then took me to the local Home Wide, a large Walmart-like store that encompassed everything one might need for house and home. I bought a couple of bags worth of groceries, and soon we were on our way back. F-sensei treated me to dinner at a nice, off-the-road steak house. I’ll confess that by this time I was too tired and still suffering from my cold to make much conversation. After a dinner mostly free of any awkward silences, F-sensei drove me home. I of course had to come in the next day—I was already on the company clock and wasn’t getting paid to lounge about. F-sensei explained that he would pick me up tomorrow, but on Friday I would be traveling to school myself. I nodded my thanks, the gravity of his words unable to penetrate the fugue settling into my mind, and I went upstairs, quickly put away my groceries, set my clock and fell into a troubled JET-lagged sleep.
We arrived at Genkai High School around 2 PM, and I was struck by how like and unlike a “normal” Japanese school this was. There was of course the standard metal gate, familiar to anyone who’s ever seen an anime or show that featured a Japanese school. But instead of the single edifice bisected by a central column with school clock, I encountered a squat U-shaped building surrounding a courtyard. To the left was a large gymnasium, set beside a large dusty field that encompassed both a general sports ground and baseball diamond.
K-sensei led me indoors, where I first met a few of the administrative staffers, and then it was off to meet the Principal, U-sensei. The Principal is a kindly looking man, with an easy smile and a genial demeanour. Yet I will not soon forget the words he said that resonated with me, and revealed to me the steel core that must lie at his centre: “We expect great things from you.” I felt an electric shock run through me with those words. I was truly in uncharted waters. My only guidance was the dim recollections of my own high school days, of little help in a country on the other side of the world, in an education system so radically different from my own. After my meeting, K-sensei led me upstairs to the teacher’s room and showed me desk.
I was still in my suit at this time, nattily dressed if a bit wrinkled looking. The heat was oppressive, but survivable, and soon enough my supervisor, F-sensei appeared. A youngish looking man, I was later genuinely surprised to find out he was over 40. Again, my Japanese confounded him. While some people had known that I could speak some level of Japanese, no one had realized just how well I spoke it. This seemed to be a sort of point of contention. I had the feeling that perhaps it was better if I stuck to English, as that was what was expected. It would take a few days before this feeling went away, and instead I begun to feel solace in speaking in English with my JTEs (Japanese Teacher of English). The ability to use English naturally with people who understand it makes me feel inordinately better. I recall an intense desire to speak English after just a week in Japan during my last visit, so being able to speak it at work serves as an immense stress relief.
Soon after, it was off to my new home. A short 10 minute drive from the school, it actually takes about 40 minutes by the combination of walking, biking, and train-riding that I do. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The apartment was a squat, ugly looking building, 4 floors with two units on each floor. The central staircase split the building in two, and as I climbed to the second story and my front door, I felt a keen sense of déjà vu. The building, built no doubt in the 60s, was starting to show its age. As I followed the gas company representative that had preceded our arrival to set things up for me, I was struck first by the oppressive heat, the first time I had truly felt it, and the dinginess of the place. There was a true sense of feeling that the place had been lived in many times before. In Tokyo, we had been treated to a polished, modern hotel that catered to Western visitors. Here, I was faced by the reality of a Japanese apartment, strangely familiar because it reminded me of my cousin’s home in Fukuoka City.
Having successfully gotten my gas affairs in order, F-sensei then took me to the local Home Wide, a large Walmart-like store that encompassed everything one might need for house and home. I bought a couple of bags worth of groceries, and soon we were on our way back. F-sensei treated me to dinner at a nice, off-the-road steak house. I’ll confess that by this time I was too tired and still suffering from my cold to make much conversation. After a dinner mostly free of any awkward silences, F-sensei drove me home. I of course had to come in the next day—I was already on the company clock and wasn’t getting paid to lounge about. F-sensei explained that he would pick me up tomorrow, but on Friday I would be traveling to school myself. I nodded my thanks, the gravity of his words unable to penetrate the fugue settling into my mind, and I went upstairs, quickly put away my groceries, set my clock and fell into a troubled JET-lagged sleep.
Shinjuku!!
OK, not really so exciting as to warrant the double exclamation marks, especially in light of my asthma problems, but I didn’t let something as simple as a cold keep me down.
We arrived at the Keio Plaza Hotel, and were escorted by JET staffers to pick up our keys, orientation packages, and luggage. Inside our orientation packages were a variety of books and papers, all pertaining to JET life and the up and coming year. The room keys were electronic RF cards, and I kept mine in my wallet and just held up my wallet to the lock to gain room access. Neato.
I hauled all my bags up to my room on the 21st floor and was the first to arrive. I immediately took the bed closest to the window. Stupid, because I didn’t realize said bed was actually a fold-out couch. Oh well. My roomies ended up being people from Toronto, so that was a really nice touch. No having to make convo with a bunch of rowdy ass Americans.
My first order of business was a shower, and then me and one of my roomies went out for dinner. Our first dining experience in Japan? Royal Host. It’s a family restaurant kinda deal, but with it being in the heart of the Shinjuku hotel district, I guess they’re used to foreigners. After that, despite our tiredness, we decided to explore. Man what a good idea. For the first time since leaving Canada, I felt that I had arrived in a foreign country. Shinjuku at night is pretty cool, and we didn’t even manage to get to the really downtown portion of it. I think though we were in the night-life area, so we walked around generally making asses of ourselves as we gawked at things and spoke overly loud English for the benefit of the passers by. At one point, we were approached by a club greeter, asking if we were looking for a good time at the bar, probably complete with hookers. I brushed him off with a “naw I’m cool man.” The look on his face was priceless.
Before long however, exhaustion set in, and we decided (after a brief bout of being lost) to head back. We had, after all a full day tomorrow.
The next day was all conferences and seminars. Like a good little JET, I attended most of mine, with the brief excursions to the walk-in clinic and pharmacy to get my meds. The meds completely fucked me up, possibly because I hadn’t eaten all that much, but more probably because I was already jet lagged. So despite my ardent desires to go out and get fucked up that night, I ended up collapsing in my bed and sleeping most of the night. The only really exciting thing that happened was my trip to Yodobashi Camera, the electronics superstore, to buy my Canon Wordtank V35 Electronic Dictionary.
Next morning, yep more seminars. In the afternoon, we had our Prefectural meetings, a messy and disorganized affair where we learned of our flight plans, and the fact that virtually all of us were going to have to repack our stuff to get it under the 25 kg domestic flight checked + carry-on luggage limit. As panic and pandemonium set in, we were all wondering just what the fuck was going on. Thankfully, there was already a delivery service being set up for us, courtesy of the Keio Plaza Hotel and Kuroneko Yamato Delivery, so it was a simple thing to go and get a shipping box, toss in the stuff they gave you from the various seminars, plus some stinky worn clothes, tape it up and ship that shit. It cost me about ¥1700 (about $17 CND) to send my stuff, and even though they ended up not charging us for extra weight at the airport, I was glad not to have to carry an extra 15 kgs of crap with me.
The next day was an early morning, once again. We were supposed to assemble at 8:40 AM, but two people were late and got a pretty serious dressing down from the head of the Fukuoka BoE JET Programme Office that, I heard, almost left them in tears. Rough business in a country that values punctuality.
From there, a short jaunt to Haneda Airport. My companions were a couple of other kool kats I had met, all of course headed to Fukuoka. Michelle from Toronto, headed to Iizuka, Ben from West Virginia headed to either Oomuta or Kurume (I don’t remember), and Kousaku, a Nisei from Cali with a fairly similar story to my own, headed for Fukuoka City (the lucky bastard).
The flight, a JAL 777, was such a welcome relief from the crap that was NWA, and was brief. As we tracked the flight’s progress on our individual television screens, as we neared Fukuoka, as I we touched down, I was getting more and more nervous.
What was to await me here? How would I get along with my new teachers? Collecting my luggage, I walked out only to be greeted by a sea of placard holding people. My new life as an ALT had truly begun…
We arrived at the Keio Plaza Hotel, and were escorted by JET staffers to pick up our keys, orientation packages, and luggage. Inside our orientation packages were a variety of books and papers, all pertaining to JET life and the up and coming year. The room keys were electronic RF cards, and I kept mine in my wallet and just held up my wallet to the lock to gain room access. Neato.
I hauled all my bags up to my room on the 21st floor and was the first to arrive. I immediately took the bed closest to the window. Stupid, because I didn’t realize said bed was actually a fold-out couch. Oh well. My roomies ended up being people from Toronto, so that was a really nice touch. No having to make convo with a bunch of rowdy ass Americans.
My first order of business was a shower, and then me and one of my roomies went out for dinner. Our first dining experience in Japan? Royal Host. It’s a family restaurant kinda deal, but with it being in the heart of the Shinjuku hotel district, I guess they’re used to foreigners. After that, despite our tiredness, we decided to explore. Man what a good idea. For the first time since leaving Canada, I felt that I had arrived in a foreign country. Shinjuku at night is pretty cool, and we didn’t even manage to get to the really downtown portion of it. I think though we were in the night-life area, so we walked around generally making asses of ourselves as we gawked at things and spoke overly loud English for the benefit of the passers by. At one point, we were approached by a club greeter, asking if we were looking for a good time at the bar, probably complete with hookers. I brushed him off with a “naw I’m cool man.” The look on his face was priceless.
Before long however, exhaustion set in, and we decided (after a brief bout of being lost) to head back. We had, after all a full day tomorrow.
The next day was all conferences and seminars. Like a good little JET, I attended most of mine, with the brief excursions to the walk-in clinic and pharmacy to get my meds. The meds completely fucked me up, possibly because I hadn’t eaten all that much, but more probably because I was already jet lagged. So despite my ardent desires to go out and get fucked up that night, I ended up collapsing in my bed and sleeping most of the night. The only really exciting thing that happened was my trip to Yodobashi Camera, the electronics superstore, to buy my Canon Wordtank V35 Electronic Dictionary.
Next morning, yep more seminars. In the afternoon, we had our Prefectural meetings, a messy and disorganized affair where we learned of our flight plans, and the fact that virtually all of us were going to have to repack our stuff to get it under the 25 kg domestic flight checked + carry-on luggage limit. As panic and pandemonium set in, we were all wondering just what the fuck was going on. Thankfully, there was already a delivery service being set up for us, courtesy of the Keio Plaza Hotel and Kuroneko Yamato Delivery, so it was a simple thing to go and get a shipping box, toss in the stuff they gave you from the various seminars, plus some stinky worn clothes, tape it up and ship that shit. It cost me about ¥1700 (about $17 CND) to send my stuff, and even though they ended up not charging us for extra weight at the airport, I was glad not to have to carry an extra 15 kgs of crap with me.
The next day was an early morning, once again. We were supposed to assemble at 8:40 AM, but two people were late and got a pretty serious dressing down from the head of the Fukuoka BoE JET Programme Office that, I heard, almost left them in tears. Rough business in a country that values punctuality.
From there, a short jaunt to Haneda Airport. My companions were a couple of other kool kats I had met, all of course headed to Fukuoka. Michelle from Toronto, headed to Iizuka, Ben from West Virginia headed to either Oomuta or Kurume (I don’t remember), and Kousaku, a Nisei from Cali with a fairly similar story to my own, headed for Fukuoka City (the lucky bastard).
The flight, a JAL 777, was such a welcome relief from the crap that was NWA, and was brief. As we tracked the flight’s progress on our individual television screens, as we neared Fukuoka, as I we touched down, I was getting more and more nervous.
What was to await me here? How would I get along with my new teachers? Collecting my luggage, I walked out only to be greeted by a sea of placard holding people. My new life as an ALT had truly begun…
8/13/2006
Come fly the ghetto skies...
Ghetto airline. That’s the flight I took to Japan. It’s interesting, because I’ve flown to Japan a number of ways before. Of course the ones that stand out the most are my most recent—Air Canada/ANA flights through Vancouver to Osaka. Fair food, if a little cramped, but nothing to really complain about. In the dim recesses of my memory, I recall taking JAL, the king (queen?) of the crop way back when. Great food, pretty stewardesses, a comfortable way to cross the Pacific.
Then there was my JET flight to Japan. Now, I seem to recall hearing somewhere that Northwest Airlines was once primarily a carrier for soldiers moving to and from duty stations, or on leave visiting their families. I guess they never really made the transition into serving paying customers.
Ok, so I didn’t pay for my ticket. The Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education did though, and considering the cost associated with it ($2500 USD, compared to the almost $1000 less for the American Airlines flight), you figure that they’d treat you right. Apparently, that part of the training and operations manual got tossed out.
In Toronto, we managed to get to the taxi runway before being called back for being overloaded with baggage. How and why this was discovered at that point I will not know. I do know that this delayed our departure by an hour, and when we finally were in the air, it was for less time than we were waiting.
While Detroit airport was nice, we didn’t really have time to explore it. A few hours later we were being boarded for our long flight to Tokyo. The 747 was old and showing its age. I, being ever so lucky, was stuck in the middle seat of the left bank of seats, far to the rear of the plane. While this was uncomfortable, I had already mentally prepared myself for a long and tiring flight, so I wasn’t expecting too much out of it. In retrospect, knowing I had a cold, I should have just bought some cold medicine to knock myself out for the duration. At least then I could have been rested for Tokyo. However, at least I could look forward to knocking back a whiskey or two, right?
Guess again. While beer was being served, it was $5USD per can, and cans of Budweiser and Miller at that. While the juices and pops were free, half-way through the drink service they ran out of Ginger Ale, and the following morning they ran out of orange juice. For my first meal, I was offered chicken or beef. When I asked for chicken, the stewardess promptly informed me that they were out of chicken. Fan-fricken-tastic. I knew there was a reason why my BoE was paying so much for my flight.
At least the movie line up was not too bad. The first movie was the Antonio Banderas give hope to disadvantaged inner-city youth flick (filmed in Toronto). That was followed by Ice Age 2. Next up was the painfully hard to watch RV, with JoJo and Robin Williams. I cannot adequately describe the crappitude that this movie displayed, with it’s over-used clichés and formulaic narrative. It’s a testament to my boredom that I was able to watch it at all. Last was the Starbucks movie Akeelah and the Bee, which was surprisingly good.
By the time the last movie had ended, I was essentially used up in terms of my patience. My seat, which was broken, was always in a reclined position, which meant that for the times when the seats had to be in the upright position, I had to sit ramrod straight lest it being to slide back again. With a jet full of JETs headed off to new lives for the next year, everyone had generous amounts of carry-on luggage, so the space between my feet was occupied by my over-stuffed back-pack, preventing me from really being able to stretch out.
By the time I arrived in Tokyo, I was beaten and exhausted. My cold had managed to get worse by an order of magnitude, and I was still looking at an almost 2 hour ride into Shinjuku and the Keio Plaza Hotel. I had a seat bench to myself on the bus, which allowed me to simply shut down as we rode to the hotel. But as the buildings grew taller, and the streets more crowded, even I felt more and more excited.
Next stop: Keio Plaza Hotel and the Tokyo Post-Arrival Orientation...
(Also, I don't seem to be able to upload pics yet, so I'll do that when I get internet access at home.)
Then there was my JET flight to Japan. Now, I seem to recall hearing somewhere that Northwest Airlines was once primarily a carrier for soldiers moving to and from duty stations, or on leave visiting their families. I guess they never really made the transition into serving paying customers.
Ok, so I didn’t pay for my ticket. The Fukuoka Prefectural Board of Education did though, and considering the cost associated with it ($2500 USD, compared to the almost $1000 less for the American Airlines flight), you figure that they’d treat you right. Apparently, that part of the training and operations manual got tossed out.
In Toronto, we managed to get to the taxi runway before being called back for being overloaded with baggage. How and why this was discovered at that point I will not know. I do know that this delayed our departure by an hour, and when we finally were in the air, it was for less time than we were waiting.
While Detroit airport was nice, we didn’t really have time to explore it. A few hours later we were being boarded for our long flight to Tokyo. The 747 was old and showing its age. I, being ever so lucky, was stuck in the middle seat of the left bank of seats, far to the rear of the plane. While this was uncomfortable, I had already mentally prepared myself for a long and tiring flight, so I wasn’t expecting too much out of it. In retrospect, knowing I had a cold, I should have just bought some cold medicine to knock myself out for the duration. At least then I could have been rested for Tokyo. However, at least I could look forward to knocking back a whiskey or two, right?
Guess again. While beer was being served, it was $5USD per can, and cans of Budweiser and Miller at that. While the juices and pops were free, half-way through the drink service they ran out of Ginger Ale, and the following morning they ran out of orange juice. For my first meal, I was offered chicken or beef. When I asked for chicken, the stewardess promptly informed me that they were out of chicken. Fan-fricken-tastic. I knew there was a reason why my BoE was paying so much for my flight.
At least the movie line up was not too bad. The first movie was the Antonio Banderas give hope to disadvantaged inner-city youth flick (filmed in Toronto). That was followed by Ice Age 2. Next up was the painfully hard to watch RV, with JoJo and Robin Williams. I cannot adequately describe the crappitude that this movie displayed, with it’s over-used clichés and formulaic narrative. It’s a testament to my boredom that I was able to watch it at all. Last was the Starbucks movie Akeelah and the Bee, which was surprisingly good.
By the time the last movie had ended, I was essentially used up in terms of my patience. My seat, which was broken, was always in a reclined position, which meant that for the times when the seats had to be in the upright position, I had to sit ramrod straight lest it being to slide back again. With a jet full of JETs headed off to new lives for the next year, everyone had generous amounts of carry-on luggage, so the space between my feet was occupied by my over-stuffed back-pack, preventing me from really being able to stretch out.
By the time I arrived in Tokyo, I was beaten and exhausted. My cold had managed to get worse by an order of magnitude, and I was still looking at an almost 2 hour ride into Shinjuku and the Keio Plaza Hotel. I had a seat bench to myself on the bus, which allowed me to simply shut down as we rode to the hotel. But as the buildings grew taller, and the streets more crowded, even I felt more and more excited.
Next stop: Keio Plaza Hotel and the Tokyo Post-Arrival Orientation...
(Also, I don't seem to be able to upload pics yet, so I'll do that when I get internet access at home.)
“Woah...” (Neo, The Matrix)
Well, what did I get myself into? As I write this, I have just finished dinner at home (some chicken kara-age, rice, and a big bowl of salad), the second night of eating a real home cooked (well, sort of, but more on that later) meal.
It has been a whirlwind of events, and sitting here, exhausted, I am in real danger of forgetting what happened to me over this last week. Memorable is not word enough to describe this last week, but then again, tired is not word enough to describe my energy levels.
So what happens next? I will not be wired until closer to the end of the month, but I will have time next week at school, when most of the teachers are away on business or vacation, to update my blog. Resisting the temptation to do a crazy mass update, I will instead give you a new update every day.
Stay tuned...
It has been a whirlwind of events, and sitting here, exhausted, I am in real danger of forgetting what happened to me over this last week. Memorable is not word enough to describe this last week, but then again, tired is not word enough to describe my energy levels.
So what happens next? I will not be wired until closer to the end of the month, but I will have time next week at school, when most of the teachers are away on business or vacation, to update my blog. Resisting the temptation to do a crazy mass update, I will instead give you a new update every day.
Stay tuned...
8/07/2006
Mucus and asthma and pills, oh my!
Well, I'm finally getting a chance to update my blog after a very tiring flight and first night in Japan, but, humble reader, you will not get a chance to hear about that today. I'll be sure to do a more thorough job in a few days though, once I get settled in my new apartment.
So I have hopefully piqued some interest in you with my entry title. As some of you may know, last Tuesday I caught a cold. Well, considering my track record at Canadian Tire, it's probably not too surprising that I started my JET life with a cold.
This cold decided to migrate with me across the Pacific via Northwest Airlines, the king of all ghetto airlines, and landed in Tokyo at approximately 3:40 pm local time. Like the body, mind, and spirit of the person the cold inhabited, the 13 hour flight, with it's pressurized cabin and recycled air, the cold became a lot worse for wear. So that night, I managed to get a few hours of sleep (after a fun night of exploring the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, where my hotel is), but over night my asthma started to kick in. By morning, I was wheezing, and my head was at that time composed of some 78.3% mucus, some of which was expelled during a hot shower.
By the time 8 am rolled around, I realized that letting nature run its course was not going to work out. The woman at the hotel store where they sell some drugs told me to try the medical walk-in clinic on the 30th floor. I followed this advice, and so started my very first, official life-in-Japan function.
Its funny. The walk-in clinic was for the most part no different than the ones I went to in Toronto. I got in, talked to the lady at the counter, filled out a medical history and why I wanted to see a doctor, waited, saw the doctor who gave me a presciption for some meds, and was on my merry way to my first official JET function.
There were some key differences though. First was the speed at which all this happened. I was in and out of there in about 40 minutes, though being there first thing in the morning probably had much to do which that. More importantly though, the staff there was nice and polite! A far cry from the almost surly staff you normally find at Toronto medical facilities.
I'm still pretty ill. Because I didn't have time to wait for the injections (I would have needed 2, set 40 minutes apart, and at the time I was in danger of being late to my first JET conference), the doctor gave me a prescription for a multitude of pills. After my conference, I headed out to a pharmacy. Because I don't yet have my national health insurance card, I was forced to pay in both cases 100% of the fee. I was expecting my wallet to be at least a hundred dollars lighter, but in the end everything only cost me about 30 bucks. Not bad at all, and when I do get my card and fax the clinic and pharmacy my info, they'll reimburse me for the insured costs.
Well, I'll end this entry with 2 pictures. The first is the clinic I went to, and the second the drug cocktail I have to take for the next 3 days. Fun times at Keio Plaza Hotel!
So I have hopefully piqued some interest in you with my entry title. As some of you may know, last Tuesday I caught a cold. Well, considering my track record at Canadian Tire, it's probably not too surprising that I started my JET life with a cold.
This cold decided to migrate with me across the Pacific via Northwest Airlines, the king of all ghetto airlines, and landed in Tokyo at approximately 3:40 pm local time. Like the body, mind, and spirit of the person the cold inhabited, the 13 hour flight, with it's pressurized cabin and recycled air, the cold became a lot worse for wear. So that night, I managed to get a few hours of sleep (after a fun night of exploring the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, where my hotel is), but over night my asthma started to kick in. By morning, I was wheezing, and my head was at that time composed of some 78.3% mucus, some of which was expelled during a hot shower.
By the time 8 am rolled around, I realized that letting nature run its course was not going to work out. The woman at the hotel store where they sell some drugs told me to try the medical walk-in clinic on the 30th floor. I followed this advice, and so started my very first, official life-in-Japan function.
Its funny. The walk-in clinic was for the most part no different than the ones I went to in Toronto. I got in, talked to the lady at the counter, filled out a medical history and why I wanted to see a doctor, waited, saw the doctor who gave me a presciption for some meds, and was on my merry way to my first official JET function.
There were some key differences though. First was the speed at which all this happened. I was in and out of there in about 40 minutes, though being there first thing in the morning probably had much to do which that. More importantly though, the staff there was nice and polite! A far cry from the almost surly staff you normally find at Toronto medical facilities.
I'm still pretty ill. Because I didn't have time to wait for the injections (I would have needed 2, set 40 minutes apart, and at the time I was in danger of being late to my first JET conference), the doctor gave me a prescription for a multitude of pills. After my conference, I headed out to a pharmacy. Because I don't yet have my national health insurance card, I was forced to pay in both cases 100% of the fee. I was expecting my wallet to be at least a hundred dollars lighter, but in the end everything only cost me about 30 bucks. Not bad at all, and when I do get my card and fax the clinic and pharmacy my info, they'll reimburse me for the insured costs.
Well, I'll end this entry with 2 pictures. The first is the clinic I went to, and the second the drug cocktail I have to take for the next 3 days. Fun times at Keio Plaza Hotel!
8/04/2006
Saying my goodbyes...
Well, it's come. In less than 10 hours, I will be on a plane headed to Detroit, and then to Japan. I think there was always a part of me that was convinced that I still had some more time--time to clean up my room, time to pack, time to get my affairs sorted, time to say my goodbyes. Yet here I stand at the threshold of what may indeed be a life altering adventure, the reality of what I am about to embark on ever-so-slowly starting to set in.
I look around my room, still in disarray, still filled with many of the relics of my life here. And yet there is a sense that it is no longer mine. Gone are the clothes that were piled up on the old and unused computer chair. Gone is the giant monitor and computer that once dominated my desk. The shelves that once held my treasures from childhood sit empty, their contents now dormant in grey or plastic storage boxes.
This strange sense of disconnection seems to have permeated my last night in Toronto. I gathered with some of my closest friends for a final dinner, and at times I felt a strange sense of separation from the conversations at the table, content instead to be a silent observer. I climbed the steps up to my front door, in a strange way no longer at home, knowing that my life was now packed in 2 suitcases, a knapsack, and a laptop bag.
It is the first time I have truly felt a sadness in my leaving for Japan. The time, I am sure, will fly by. And yet I will return to a Toronto, to a Canada, to a life here that's changed forever.
It's hard not to sound melodramatic, hard not to let this odd sense of melancholy twinge my writing, hard not to sound emo. I wasn't really sure how I felt tonight until my dog Dana poked her head into my room, and just looked at me with her big dark eyes. When I called her, she plodded over and lay down at my feet, content to let me scratch her back. It is not too much of a conceit to say that my puppy knew that I was leaving. I'll confess, dogs are a weakness of mine, and I am more greatly affected by them than I would care to admit.
Be good Dana-dog...
I look around my room, still in disarray, still filled with many of the relics of my life here. And yet there is a sense that it is no longer mine. Gone are the clothes that were piled up on the old and unused computer chair. Gone is the giant monitor and computer that once dominated my desk. The shelves that once held my treasures from childhood sit empty, their contents now dormant in grey or plastic storage boxes.
This strange sense of disconnection seems to have permeated my last night in Toronto. I gathered with some of my closest friends for a final dinner, and at times I felt a strange sense of separation from the conversations at the table, content instead to be a silent observer. I climbed the steps up to my front door, in a strange way no longer at home, knowing that my life was now packed in 2 suitcases, a knapsack, and a laptop bag.
It is the first time I have truly felt a sadness in my leaving for Japan. The time, I am sure, will fly by. And yet I will return to a Toronto, to a Canada, to a life here that's changed forever.
It's hard not to sound melodramatic, hard not to let this odd sense of melancholy twinge my writing, hard not to sound emo. I wasn't really sure how I felt tonight until my dog Dana poked her head into my room, and just looked at me with her big dark eyes. When I called her, she plodded over and lay down at my feet, content to let me scratch her back. It is not too much of a conceit to say that my puppy knew that I was leaving. I'll confess, dogs are a weakness of mine, and I am more greatly affected by them than I would care to admit.
Be good Dana-dog...
8/02/2006
F@cking Northwest Airlines
Two posts in one day! Good god the sky must be falling.
Ok, I'm going to rant now, and its really for no good reason because JETs from parts of the world that are not North America have only 20 kilograms in one suitcase alloted to them to pack their lives into to travel to Japan. Let it be known that Americans and Canadians get more than twice that, at 46 kilos and 2 suitcases. I have no right to bitch about not having enough luggage allowance, but that is exactly what I am going to do.
I have finally managed to do a trial packing run with my luggage, and despite my earlier confidence, I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE. Sonnova...
There isn't really much more than I can say about it. I have one large suitcase, and one medium suitcase. The larger one is pretty loosely packed, and weighs some 23.8 kg. My medium suitcase is rammed to the gills, and as of now weighs 20.7 kg. I can in theory put more stuff into my medium, if I can somehow manage to find the space. It's looking pretty grim truth-be-told.
There is a sort of silver lining in these storm clouds of aggravation. My dad has volunteered to take some of my winter stuff to Japan with him when he travels there at the end of October, and then ship it to me from there, thanks to the far more generous allowance of Air Canada's Elite travellers program. Now, I just have to make sure I don't go overboard with winter stuff...
And to those travelling from places that are not Canada or the U.S., my condolences...
Ok, I'm going to rant now, and its really for no good reason because JETs from parts of the world that are not North America have only 20 kilograms in one suitcase alloted to them to pack their lives into to travel to Japan. Let it be known that Americans and Canadians get more than twice that, at 46 kilos and 2 suitcases. I have no right to bitch about not having enough luggage allowance, but that is exactly what I am going to do.
I have finally managed to do a trial packing run with my luggage, and despite my earlier confidence, I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE. Sonnova...
There isn't really much more than I can say about it. I have one large suitcase, and one medium suitcase. The larger one is pretty loosely packed, and weighs some 23.8 kg. My medium suitcase is rammed to the gills, and as of now weighs 20.7 kg. I can in theory put more stuff into my medium, if I can somehow manage to find the space. It's looking pretty grim truth-be-told.
There is a sort of silver lining in these storm clouds of aggravation. My dad has volunteered to take some of my winter stuff to Japan with him when he travels there at the end of October, and then ship it to me from there, thanks to the far more generous allowance of Air Canada's Elite travellers program. Now, I just have to make sure I don't go overboard with winter stuff...
And to those travelling from places that are not Canada or the U.S., my condolences...
Counting the days...
Its hard to believe that in some 3 days time, I'll be on a plane headed back to Japan. The reality of it started to hit me, oddly, on the way to a family dinner, when I realized that it had turned to August somehow without me knowing. Of course, I blame my blissful month as an unemployed bum.
I've been lazy about updates, I know. In part, I have been legitimately busy with some last minute preparations. Not really a good reason, but I digress.
The truth of the matter is that most of what I've been doing in the last few weeks has been fairly routine. I spent a day at the CN Tower, a fun day revisiting an attraction I hadn't been to in over a decade, but ultimately pretty banal in execution. I bought luggage, gave Power of Attorney over my bank account to my mother, purchased gifts for my teachers and family, snapped pics of Toronto, et cetera et cetera ad nauseum infinitum. For just about every JET that travels to Japan, there are an equal number of blogs to catalogue their trials and tribulations.
No, I'm not going through a bout of self criticism with regards to my own blog. After all, it remains, as always, primarily a tool to give my friends a glimpse of what my life will be like in Japan. Its the mundane aspects of my last few weeks which has prevented me from posting anew.
I'll retract that last statement. Not everything has been mundane, and so I'll give you the skinny on the good stuff that's happened.
The best things by far have been the time I've got to spend with my friends. A wicked farewell party at my fav hang out Las Iguanas got me completely loaded. Beers, lemon drops, and heartburn inducing tex-mex all served to remind me just how much I'll miss everyone. Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet--now I'll be able to keep in touch.
Just tonight I got to have a kick-ass dinner with the family. Baby back ribs, and a fully loaded baked potato. It's a meal I doubt I'll see for a long long while. My only regret was the collective realization amongst my family members, that we get together for such dinners far too little.
And perhaps finally, I've found out that my new co-ALT will also be from Toronto. A Chinese-Canadian girl, coming with Group C (i.e. end of August). Cool beans.
I've been lazy about updates, I know. In part, I have been legitimately busy with some last minute preparations. Not really a good reason, but I digress.
The truth of the matter is that most of what I've been doing in the last few weeks has been fairly routine. I spent a day at the CN Tower, a fun day revisiting an attraction I hadn't been to in over a decade, but ultimately pretty banal in execution. I bought luggage, gave Power of Attorney over my bank account to my mother, purchased gifts for my teachers and family, snapped pics of Toronto, et cetera et cetera ad nauseum infinitum. For just about every JET that travels to Japan, there are an equal number of blogs to catalogue their trials and tribulations.
No, I'm not going through a bout of self criticism with regards to my own blog. After all, it remains, as always, primarily a tool to give my friends a glimpse of what my life will be like in Japan. Its the mundane aspects of my last few weeks which has prevented me from posting anew.
I'll retract that last statement. Not everything has been mundane, and so I'll give you the skinny on the good stuff that's happened.
The best things by far have been the time I've got to spend with my friends. A wicked farewell party at my fav hang out Las Iguanas got me completely loaded. Beers, lemon drops, and heartburn inducing tex-mex all served to remind me just how much I'll miss everyone. Thank you Al Gore for inventing the internet--now I'll be able to keep in touch.
Just tonight I got to have a kick-ass dinner with the family. Baby back ribs, and a fully loaded baked potato. It's a meal I doubt I'll see for a long long while. My only regret was the collective realization amongst my family members, that we get together for such dinners far too little.
And perhaps finally, I've found out that my new co-ALT will also be from Toronto. A Chinese-Canadian girl, coming with Group C (i.e. end of August). Cool beans.
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