Walking. Eating. Shopping.
That, in a nutshell, is what I did for 2 days and 2 nights in Seoul. Last weekend, my mother, her cousin, and I went to Korea. With only 2 days, we were only able to explore the Myong-dong district, a hip, young shopping area peopled by as many foreigners as natives.
Seoul is only an hour away by plane from Fukuoka, but being an international flight, we were still treated to an airline dinner. I was asleep going, and judging by the meal coming back, I didn't miss much. Besides, food in-country is what I was looking forward to.
We landed in Korea at what seemed like the other side of Incheon International, and we were rolling at least 15 minutes on the ground. Impressive if you consider that taxiing to and from runways made up at least 20% of the time we were planed.
Arrival, otherwise proceeded smoothly and soon we were on our way to the Westin via shuttlebus. I noticed 3 things almost immediately. First, people drive on the right side of the road, figuratively and literally. Second, the highways and streets are wide and spacious, an almost welcome sight compared to the narrow deathtraps that are Japanese streets. Last, there were an inordinate number of cars parked on the shoulders of the highway. For what reason I couldn't fathom, but I saw one car virtually blocking an offramp. At one point, I'm sure I saw a food stand, doing business on the side of the elevated highway. All of this seemed foolish to me, but in Seoul it was business as usual.
The Westin was very posh, and the room we were in a very nice reminder of the Canadian essentials I miss in Japan; faucets that run hot water, stand-up showers, central heating, and wall insulation. Sadly, Seoul was pretty warm (about 3-10 degrees C), so I couldn't enjoy the benefits of modern construction techniques. Instead, we actually ended up sleeping with the windows open a crack and the heating turned down to 15 degrees.
Dinner that night was at a ma & pa joint, with wickedly delicious kalbee, fried-pork, and seafood-nabe (hot pot). Even my mother, normally adverse to meat, got in to a little kalbee action. The walls of the restaurant were covered in polariods of other satisfied customers, and we gladly added our own mugs to their collection. It will be fun to go back one day and find that picture.
We wandered around, soaking in the atmosphere. Being Lunar New Years Eve, many stores were closing up early, but we managed to snag a small truck selling little golden pigs, famous in Korea and those in the know for bringing good luck.
After we returned to our hotel, filled with ice-cream and kim-chee (not in that order), we ended up collapsing into sleep at about 2am. We'd be up in about 5 hours.
Despite the short sleep time, I felt pretty good for someone more-or-less constantly on the go for the last 2 weeks. Brekkie was at the hotel's Executive Lounge (thanks dad, for booking us as Exec club members), and soon enough we were out on the streets of Myong-dong again. First stop was the Lotte duty free shop next door, where I managed to get a fair chunk of my souveneir shopping done. You couldn't turn around without smacking into a Japanese person there.
After Lotte was Myong-dong proper, and I was surprised to see so many American chains there. Smoothie King (is this American?), Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and my personal slice of heaven, Burger King. I indulged my Whopper cravings later that night (and the next day), but for now it was off to find lunch.
Lunch was a bit of an ordeal, as we got ourselves a little lost and overshot the restaurant by about 6 blocks. A quick consultation of the map had us back on track, but by then my mother, no longer quite the spring chicken, was pretty close to collapse. Part of the wonder of Seoul is the seeming lack of crosswalks. I'm not sure if this is a phenomenon restricted just to just the Myong-dong district, or whether Korea is a nation of anti-crosswalk-ites, but crossing the street involved going downstairs to subway level, to a pathway lined with shops, and climbing back up. It seemed that many, if not all, the underground passage ways were interconnected, creating a large super network of underground passages. I can only think of two possibilities for this odd construction. One is the fact that Seoul is a sort of winter city. No snow when we were there, but perhaps on colder days people just stay underground. The other possibility is that they are ad hoc bunkers, in case ol' Kim Jong Il decides to start lobbing in arty. I seem to recall reading that Seoul is within range of North Korea's artillery.
We finally found our restaurant, and we were treated to a sort of chicken stew/gruel. I forget what it was called, (something like samgeta, but I'm working off a Japanese translation) but it was very tasty. I think, however, we enjoyed the simple act of sitting after our long trek more than anything else.
Following lunch, we wandered past a famous eyeglass store, and on a lark we decided to all make new glasses. I am pleased to say that my new glasses suit me very well, better in fact than my old ones. I am sadly to say that they also cost about 1/8 of my old glasses. At least I've got a REALLY nice set of back ups.
After we made our glasses, it was to the nearest department store, Shingekai. It was a very nice store, and while I was there I picked up a small North Face duffelbag, and a pair of Timberland loafers. After about an hour we headed back for our glasses (20 minutes a pop to make), and then wandered the streets of Myong-dong again, stopping in a variety of shops. A lot of the time was spent trying to find Krispy Kreme, which took some awesome 40 minutes or so due to us not knowing were to go, and by the time we got there, we just had the free donuts and just bought coffee before heading back to the hotel.
After a bit of rest, we headed out again, this time to a nearby restaurant that specialized in chi-gu. What that is I'm not sure, but it basically seems like a variation on rice-gruel. Good food, though we were confused at first on how to eat it.
Tired as hell, we headed back after dinner to turn in early, and all of us lay sort of comatose at one point or another before mustering the energy to bath. Our early night saw us asleep by 11pm.
The next day I felt the tiredness overwhelm me, and I was asleep until about 10am. By then, my mother and her cousin had had breakfast, and I woke up soon after and got ready to check out and go for lunch. Thanks to my new duffel I got rid of my boots and switch to my infitely more comfortably new loafers, and we wandered around a quiet, Japanese tourist filled Myong-dong. Most of the stores were closed, and would be until 11 or 12, but we managed to scope out a likely lunch venue. We then hurried back, checked out and settled our bill, and headed back for lunch. Lunch was delicious bulgogi, but a bit rushed as were on the clock for the airport limosine bus. We hurried back, me with a Whopper in hand, and made it back with about 7 minutes to spare.
The bus ride back to Incheon, about an hour, was quiet and a nice chance for us to unwind. There was however, one last drama for us to overcome. While my mother's cousin, of course a Japanese citizen, and myself, a non-permanent resident of Japan, had no problems procuring our boarding passes, my mother, who is neither of these couldn't be issued one until she presented proof that she had a flight out of Japan.
Everyone was very nice, and the delay only took up the time required to explain the situation, cross the terminal to the Air Canada check-in counter, and then pick up a reprint of the e-ticket itinerary at their office in the same building, but it was still a big relief when my mother got her boarding pass.
So in the end, how do I feel about the whole trip? It was certainly a learning experience, in that I got to finally understand what most JETs probably feel when they arrive in Narita for the first time. I arrived in Seoul, a modern Asian city, surrounded by language I don't understand. I also felt that Korea is a city trying to play catch up. It is a vibrant mix of Japan, China, and America, yet it doesn't seem to have it's own niche just yet. Every where I looked, I saw the glitz and glamour of down-town Japan, but in the morning light, the litter on the streets, the greasy stains on the kerb, and the buckets of organic food waste waiting for pick up reminded me of Chinatown. Ultimately, Korea left me intrigued and wanting a bit more. But in a sense, I'm also glad to be back home in Japan.
Pics to come when I have some free time this week.
2/19/2007
1/31/2007
Class 3-1, secure from Computer LL
Eventful week for me. In the wake of my recontracting news, I got my copy of WoW: Burning Crusade, and this week, so far, has been sorta busy with my Monday schedule being (my heaviest) being repeated today. Being the last day of January, it was also the last day of classes for the 3rd Years.
Really, classes for them essentially ended in December. With only a month left, and no more testing save for their various entrance exams, we did mostly make-work...or did we? When I look at the things I did for 3-1 when I got here, and what I got accomplished with them from mid-November till today, the latter half was much more unified and cohesive. Part of it of course is that I had better, goal-oriented activities, a result of the on-the-job training during my first few months. I think as well that it was during this time the class finally warmed up to me, and me to them. The last week of classes I had with them were essentially student-run, in that they decided what they wanted to do, and I facilitated. While it was a lot of work (preping 2 days of Jeopardy games is labour intensive), it was worthwhile.
Today, however, was the last day, and that warranted a special treat. While I like spoiling my kids silly, I think this was a great way to end the class. I played music, a mix CD that I made (which now all the kids want copies of), and the main activity was Bingo. Not English bingo, or vocab bingo, or any of the other activities that ALTs all over Japan use, but plain ol' vanilla bingo. The bingo-ball dispenser I bought from a store down-town, along with the prizes. First prize was the Right/Wrong Buzzer I've used so often in class. Second was a Nightmare Before Christmas card wallet, and 3 third prizes of giant Disney-themed pocky.
Of course it was a hit, and I had a blast doing it. They are a truly great bunch of kids, and I'll miss them. Of course, the flip side is that I don't have any more 3rd year classes, and I have my Thursdays completely free. Good thing I bought some DS Kanji training software.
Really, classes for them essentially ended in December. With only a month left, and no more testing save for their various entrance exams, we did mostly make-work...or did we? When I look at the things I did for 3-1 when I got here, and what I got accomplished with them from mid-November till today, the latter half was much more unified and cohesive. Part of it of course is that I had better, goal-oriented activities, a result of the on-the-job training during my first few months. I think as well that it was during this time the class finally warmed up to me, and me to them. The last week of classes I had with them were essentially student-run, in that they decided what they wanted to do, and I facilitated. While it was a lot of work (preping 2 days of Jeopardy games is labour intensive), it was worthwhile.
Today, however, was the last day, and that warranted a special treat. While I like spoiling my kids silly, I think this was a great way to end the class. I played music, a mix CD that I made (which now all the kids want copies of), and the main activity was Bingo. Not English bingo, or vocab bingo, or any of the other activities that ALTs all over Japan use, but plain ol' vanilla bingo. The bingo-ball dispenser I bought from a store down-town, along with the prizes. First prize was the Right/Wrong Buzzer I've used so often in class. Second was a Nightmare Before Christmas card wallet, and 3 third prizes of giant Disney-themed pocky.
Of course it was a hit, and I had a blast doing it. They are a truly great bunch of kids, and I'll miss them. Of course, the flip side is that I don't have any more 3rd year classes, and I have my Thursdays completely free. Good thing I bought some DS Kanji training software.
1/26/2007
It's Official 2: Back in the Orient
Just got word in the form of a neatly typed and stamped paper. My request for recontract has been accepted, and so I'm here in Japan for another year.
OK OK, so recontracting, unless you're a total fuck up, or did some bad shit, is pretty much guaranteed. But it's another weight off of my shoulders. My income is secure for the next 18 months or so, perhaps longer if/when I recontract again. While nothing in life is certain, I think I can be confident that at least my JET job is reliable. If nothing else, 20 years of the JET Programme has resulted in exactly NO increases in salary.
Lol, no bitching from me, other than the vague sense of dim outrage at this percieved injustice. For me, JET life is a sweet ride.
OK OK, so recontracting, unless you're a total fuck up, or did some bad shit, is pretty much guaranteed. But it's another weight off of my shoulders. My income is secure for the next 18 months or so, perhaps longer if/when I recontract again. While nothing in life is certain, I think I can be confident that at least my JET job is reliable. If nothing else, 20 years of the JET Programme has resulted in exactly NO increases in salary.
Lol, no bitching from me, other than the vague sense of dim outrage at this percieved injustice. For me, JET life is a sweet ride.
1/06/2007
Sky PerfecTV
Happy New Year 2007. World of Warcraft is back on my time-stealing list of activities, but oh, how that list has grown. Until now, most of my time was spent watching the same 4 channels on TV, watching shows and anime I downloaded, surfing the internet, plinking with my M4 and Colt, and occasionally playing a game or two on my PS2. Of course, many JETs feel an excessive need to "explore all the rich culture of Japan". On some internet forums, this excessiveness is called "green tea and onsens" as in "I came to Japan for the green tea and onsens."
Now I'm in a slightly different boat. I'm already well acquainted with the culture, and many of these "tea and onsen" experiences I had as a child. In truth, there's a certain sense of familiarity setting in for me here (that whole routine thing I keep talking about), so I'm reacting accordingly, and filling my life with the things that make me comfortable. Namely, that involves expanding on the list above.
I'll handle how I've done so in backwards order.
I spent a pretty traditional New Years Eve and Day with my relatives. This involved end-of-the-year noodles, osechi-ryouri (traditional Japanese food on New Years), and visits to two shrines to pray for good fortune in the next year. I also got some shopping in at the fashionably Canal City shopping mall. But most memorable was the 3 cold, cold hours I spent with my cousin, waiting in line at Toys R Us to buy a DS Lite.
There were some 200 units of various colours coming in, along with some PS3 and Wiis. When we got there at 7am, there were about a 100 people already in line, and at least 60 of them were Chinese. They were in line to get Wiis, not for personal enjoyment, but to put them in the back of a van, which no doubt is destined for a shipping crate to Hong Kong or China. I'm not sure if I should really be annoyed at this or not, but the gamer in me feels that those Wiis should have gone to locals who wanted it. Ultimately they will go to people who want them, but I doubt it's legal to sell Japanese market units outside of Japan. Of course, I'm hardly in a position to accuse anyone of piracy.
The first game I picked up was Final Fantasy III, and man, they do NOT make RPGs like this anymore. As FF XII only held my interest for about 6 hours before the style-over-substance brand of boredom set in, I'm happy to report that I've racked up 9+ hours on FF III with no end in sight. Other games I'm looking forward to: Super Mario Bros., a Kanji Dictionary, and a DS Cookbook. Nintendo is truly genius in making a gaming device marketable to all ages.
About 2 weeks ago, I made a trip into the city and picked up a new BB gun. It's an H&K USP from Tanaka Works. Well made, it's quite heavy. Sadly, as there's no hop on it, it's shoots pretty poorly, and the slide sort of sticks. About 1 week ago, I saw Casino Royale. Let me first say that Dan Craig makes a superlative Bond, and I can say that he's the best Bond since Connery. All the P99 action however caused an impulse purchase of a Maruzen P99, used from my local airsoft shop, with upgraded barrel, return spring, silencer, and optional mounting rail. Of all my guns so far, this is my favourite plinker. It's just fun as hell. I'm going to be adding a wire-mesh rack soon so I can hang my various BB guns like some sort of armory. Sick? Yes. Twisted? Yes. Fun? Most definitely!
To aid my computing, I bought a stand and keyboard for my laptop. What was once an awkward hunching experience is now something that approaches a normal desktop. Of course, that also means I have since been lured back into the World of Warcraft. With the surplus of time I had I made more progress in a week than I had in 4 months. Danarhys is, as of this post, 1 bar away from 46. A week or so ago, I was at 37.
So that's gaming, plinking, and computers covered. The last thing is TV watching (I'm rolling downloaded stuff into this as well, as it's effectively the same thing). Just before New Years, I picked up a Sky PerfecTV tuner and satellite dish. I couldn't get it installed until today, but I am so glad it's up and running. For about $55 a month, I get 70 channels, running the gamut from News to sports, movies, drama, variety, shopping, anime, documentaries, music, and about 50 stations worth of satellite radio. If that weren't enough, it's these things which make me happiest. Included in the channels are Discovery, History, National Geographic, and Fox, which need to real explanation. Add to these two channels that show all anime all the time (Animax and AT-X), as well as AXN, which shows hit dramas from the States (among them Lost and CSI:Miami), and I might as well just give up and never leave my house. All the shows are generally shown without commercial breaks, and most of the ads that come in a 8 or 16 minute block after the show are generally previews or ads for other shows on that channel. Terribly, terribly addictive.
Well, guess that's from my end. Back to rotting my brain silly as I watch animated dramas while I shoot my gun and kill online monsters. I live a blessed life.
Now I'm in a slightly different boat. I'm already well acquainted with the culture, and many of these "tea and onsen" experiences I had as a child. In truth, there's a certain sense of familiarity setting in for me here (that whole routine thing I keep talking about), so I'm reacting accordingly, and filling my life with the things that make me comfortable. Namely, that involves expanding on the list above.
I'll handle how I've done so in backwards order.
I spent a pretty traditional New Years Eve and Day with my relatives. This involved end-of-the-year noodles, osechi-ryouri (traditional Japanese food on New Years), and visits to two shrines to pray for good fortune in the next year. I also got some shopping in at the fashionably Canal City shopping mall. But most memorable was the 3 cold, cold hours I spent with my cousin, waiting in line at Toys R Us to buy a DS Lite.
There were some 200 units of various colours coming in, along with some PS3 and Wiis. When we got there at 7am, there were about a 100 people already in line, and at least 60 of them were Chinese. They were in line to get Wiis, not for personal enjoyment, but to put them in the back of a van, which no doubt is destined for a shipping crate to Hong Kong or China. I'm not sure if I should really be annoyed at this or not, but the gamer in me feels that those Wiis should have gone to locals who wanted it. Ultimately they will go to people who want them, but I doubt it's legal to sell Japanese market units outside of Japan. Of course, I'm hardly in a position to accuse anyone of piracy.
The first game I picked up was Final Fantasy III, and man, they do NOT make RPGs like this anymore. As FF XII only held my interest for about 6 hours before the style-over-substance brand of boredom set in, I'm happy to report that I've racked up 9+ hours on FF III with no end in sight. Other games I'm looking forward to: Super Mario Bros., a Kanji Dictionary, and a DS Cookbook. Nintendo is truly genius in making a gaming device marketable to all ages.
About 2 weeks ago, I made a trip into the city and picked up a new BB gun. It's an H&K USP from Tanaka Works. Well made, it's quite heavy. Sadly, as there's no hop on it, it's shoots pretty poorly, and the slide sort of sticks. About 1 week ago, I saw Casino Royale. Let me first say that Dan Craig makes a superlative Bond, and I can say that he's the best Bond since Connery. All the P99 action however caused an impulse purchase of a Maruzen P99, used from my local airsoft shop, with upgraded barrel, return spring, silencer, and optional mounting rail. Of all my guns so far, this is my favourite plinker. It's just fun as hell. I'm going to be adding a wire-mesh rack soon so I can hang my various BB guns like some sort of armory. Sick? Yes. Twisted? Yes. Fun? Most definitely!
To aid my computing, I bought a stand and keyboard for my laptop. What was once an awkward hunching experience is now something that approaches a normal desktop. Of course, that also means I have since been lured back into the World of Warcraft. With the surplus of time I had I made more progress in a week than I had in 4 months. Danarhys is, as of this post, 1 bar away from 46. A week or so ago, I was at 37.
So that's gaming, plinking, and computers covered. The last thing is TV watching (I'm rolling downloaded stuff into this as well, as it's effectively the same thing). Just before New Years, I picked up a Sky PerfecTV tuner and satellite dish. I couldn't get it installed until today, but I am so glad it's up and running. For about $55 a month, I get 70 channels, running the gamut from News to sports, movies, drama, variety, shopping, anime, documentaries, music, and about 50 stations worth of satellite radio. If that weren't enough, it's these things which make me happiest. Included in the channels are Discovery, History, National Geographic, and Fox, which need to real explanation. Add to these two channels that show all anime all the time (Animax and AT-X), as well as AXN, which shows hit dramas from the States (among them Lost and CSI:Miami), and I might as well just give up and never leave my house. All the shows are generally shown without commercial breaks, and most of the ads that come in a 8 or 16 minute block after the show are generally previews or ads for other shows on that channel. Terribly, terribly addictive.
Well, guess that's from my end. Back to rotting my brain silly as I watch animated dramas while I shoot my gun and kill online monsters. I live a blessed life.
12/26/2006
Happy Holidays
Well, it's a bit late, but Merry Christmas everyone.
It's been a while since I've updated this blog, no doubt owing to the normality creeping into my life in Japan. In the month and a half that I've remained absent from this blog, a few things have happened.
First, I have put in my papers to recontract for another year. It's hard to believe that 1/3 of my first year here is already finished. While I know a few people that are going back after this year, for me and many other JETs, 1 year is far too short. There's a general consensus that after your first year, you finally start getting the hang of the job.
What else? Winter. I'll say it now, winter sucks here. It's been unseasonably mild here this year, but that still doesn't mean it's not cold. Mostly, it's the lack of insulation in my apartment. While I've managed to take some steps, including foam-tape to stop drafts (or is that draughts...), bubble wrap on the windows (yes, this is an insulating material), it doesn't change the fact that underneath the bamboo tatami mats that cover the floor is bare concrete. This is a heat-sink par excellence, and regardless of what I do, my apartment is back to only a few degrees above outside ambient in about 20 minutes.
So my best friend right now is my kerosene fan heater. While my AC unit does have a heater function, it's just not enough to heat the room. The kerosene heater on the other hand warms the room nicely, and quickly. After all, it's using a fan to blow air over an open kerosene gas flame.
It's not without it's down side though. As this is a new model, there's virtually no kerosene odor--just at the start and end, where some kerosene residue is left over. However, it does leech oxygen out of the air, meaning that once an hour, I need to open a window or one of my sliding doors to recycle the air. Also, kerosene is relatively expensive. At about $14 for 18 litres, in the end it ends up being more expensive than if I was running my AC unit. While mileage varies, 1 18-litre gas container generally lasts me about a week.
School, of course is great as always. While it took a while, my students are really warming up to me. It's odd, cause I'm always waving at someone at school. While my students now that I speak Japanese, I only really use it with my 2nd and 3rd years, and then usually only outside of class.
While school was fairly busy, especially during the exam period, my last week there was deadly boring. Of course, the 18th marked the official end of the term, but the kids still have class, until the 28th. While it's only in the morning, it still means that winter holidays for them is only about 6 days long. How does this affect me? It doesn't. I don't have classes scheduled during this time, but I still have to go into work, unless I take vacation time (which I have). No lessons, nothing that needs planning. Filling a chair for 8 hours a day with out any work duties is BORING. While the 19th was a hectic and long day planning and executing the English club Christmas party, the rest of the time was filled with creative writing, reading, solitaire on my laptop, defragging my laptop, and drinking many cups of coffee. Personally, I can't wait to get back in January.
Well, that's about it for me for now. So to all my friends and family, Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best in the New Year.
It's been a while since I've updated this blog, no doubt owing to the normality creeping into my life in Japan. In the month and a half that I've remained absent from this blog, a few things have happened.
First, I have put in my papers to recontract for another year. It's hard to believe that 1/3 of my first year here is already finished. While I know a few people that are going back after this year, for me and many other JETs, 1 year is far too short. There's a general consensus that after your first year, you finally start getting the hang of the job.
What else? Winter. I'll say it now, winter sucks here. It's been unseasonably mild here this year, but that still doesn't mean it's not cold. Mostly, it's the lack of insulation in my apartment. While I've managed to take some steps, including foam-tape to stop drafts (or is that draughts...), bubble wrap on the windows (yes, this is an insulating material), it doesn't change the fact that underneath the bamboo tatami mats that cover the floor is bare concrete. This is a heat-sink par excellence, and regardless of what I do, my apartment is back to only a few degrees above outside ambient in about 20 minutes.
So my best friend right now is my kerosene fan heater. While my AC unit does have a heater function, it's just not enough to heat the room. The kerosene heater on the other hand warms the room nicely, and quickly. After all, it's using a fan to blow air over an open kerosene gas flame.
It's not without it's down side though. As this is a new model, there's virtually no kerosene odor--just at the start and end, where some kerosene residue is left over. However, it does leech oxygen out of the air, meaning that once an hour, I need to open a window or one of my sliding doors to recycle the air. Also, kerosene is relatively expensive. At about $14 for 18 litres, in the end it ends up being more expensive than if I was running my AC unit. While mileage varies, 1 18-litre gas container generally lasts me about a week.
School, of course is great as always. While it took a while, my students are really warming up to me. It's odd, cause I'm always waving at someone at school. While my students now that I speak Japanese, I only really use it with my 2nd and 3rd years, and then usually only outside of class.
While school was fairly busy, especially during the exam period, my last week there was deadly boring. Of course, the 18th marked the official end of the term, but the kids still have class, until the 28th. While it's only in the morning, it still means that winter holidays for them is only about 6 days long. How does this affect me? It doesn't. I don't have classes scheduled during this time, but I still have to go into work, unless I take vacation time (which I have). No lessons, nothing that needs planning. Filling a chair for 8 hours a day with out any work duties is BORING. While the 19th was a hectic and long day planning and executing the English club Christmas party, the rest of the time was filled with creative writing, reading, solitaire on my laptop, defragging my laptop, and drinking many cups of coffee. Personally, I can't wait to get back in January.
Well, that's about it for me for now. So to all my friends and family, Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best in the New Year.
11/05/2006
Happy 20th Genkai
Last week was a very long for me, and my overall health took a beating. Of course, I didn't help it any by eating basically crap all week, but it truly was pretty busy.
The beginning of the week started with a weekend of long shopping days, due to my dad's arrival and subsequent departure. While it was fun to spend time with the family, it was a pretty tiring affair. But I got to show my dad my apartment here, and we visited the school and met a few of my teachers. It was pretty fun.
The 31st was of course Halloween, and so I spent most of the day giving out candy, and wrapped it up with the ESS Halloween party. Fun times, but hauling candy and my costume (I did a whole Jason thing from Friday the 13th) was tough work.
The next day was business as usual, and Thursday marked the beginning of a long 3 days. Thursday afternoon was devoted to a rehearsal of the 20th anniversary ceremony for Genkai H.S. Lots of standing and bowing, though the assembly was capped by a special guest speaker, an Olympic Judo champ and Japanese hero, Toshihiko Koga. His speech was inspirational, if a bit on the long side. Friday, which was a national holiday, was in fact a workday for me, with a dress rehearsal and an afternoon of prep work for the ceremony. Saturday, we were at school at 8am for the real deal.
To the credit of all involved, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and the kids really showed their stuff. Many of the diginitaries were impressed by how well manner the kids were. Afterwards, the teachers and other various guests were bussed to nearby Hakozaki, part of what might as well be considered the Greater Fukuoka-city Area. At a swanky looking hotel, we had our reception/enkai. More speeches, made all the better with good food and nomi-houdai beer and spirits (that's all-you-can-drink). I was buzzed by 2pm, and I remained in this state for the next 12 hours.
The enkai ended at around 4pm, and I headed home. By then, I was completely exhausted, but I still had a dinner at the neighbours' apartment, and a karaoke session to go. I almost fell asleep at home, but made it to the neighbour's apartment. There, a nabe (hot pot) dinner, more drinking courtesy of my ALT friend Jon, and by 10:30 or so we were off to karaoke. There, we were met by more ALTs, and a 3 hour drinking, singing, laughing and dancing party ensued. It was fun as all hell, but left my throat raw.
So now it's Sunday evening. Somewhere between yesterday and today, I caught a cold, so I've felt kinda miserable all day. I slept almost all of today (with 2 brief excursions, for food and meds), and luckily, I get tomorrow off for the Friday we had to work last week.
Catching a cold sucks. Nevertheless, A Very Happy 20th Genkai H.S.
The beginning of the week started with a weekend of long shopping days, due to my dad's arrival and subsequent departure. While it was fun to spend time with the family, it was a pretty tiring affair. But I got to show my dad my apartment here, and we visited the school and met a few of my teachers. It was pretty fun.
The 31st was of course Halloween, and so I spent most of the day giving out candy, and wrapped it up with the ESS Halloween party. Fun times, but hauling candy and my costume (I did a whole Jason thing from Friday the 13th) was tough work.
The next day was business as usual, and Thursday marked the beginning of a long 3 days. Thursday afternoon was devoted to a rehearsal of the 20th anniversary ceremony for Genkai H.S. Lots of standing and bowing, though the assembly was capped by a special guest speaker, an Olympic Judo champ and Japanese hero, Toshihiko Koga. His speech was inspirational, if a bit on the long side. Friday, which was a national holiday, was in fact a workday for me, with a dress rehearsal and an afternoon of prep work for the ceremony. Saturday, we were at school at 8am for the real deal.
To the credit of all involved, the ceremony went off without a hitch, and the kids really showed their stuff. Many of the diginitaries were impressed by how well manner the kids were. Afterwards, the teachers and other various guests were bussed to nearby Hakozaki, part of what might as well be considered the Greater Fukuoka-city Area. At a swanky looking hotel, we had our reception/enkai. More speeches, made all the better with good food and nomi-houdai beer and spirits (that's all-you-can-drink). I was buzzed by 2pm, and I remained in this state for the next 12 hours.
The enkai ended at around 4pm, and I headed home. By then, I was completely exhausted, but I still had a dinner at the neighbours' apartment, and a karaoke session to go. I almost fell asleep at home, but made it to the neighbour's apartment. There, a nabe (hot pot) dinner, more drinking courtesy of my ALT friend Jon, and by 10:30 or so we were off to karaoke. There, we were met by more ALTs, and a 3 hour drinking, singing, laughing and dancing party ensued. It was fun as all hell, but left my throat raw.
So now it's Sunday evening. Somewhere between yesterday and today, I caught a cold, so I've felt kinda miserable all day. I slept almost all of today (with 2 brief excursions, for food and meds), and luckily, I get tomorrow off for the Friday we had to work last week.
Catching a cold sucks. Nevertheless, A Very Happy 20th Genkai H.S.
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