Had only a half day of work Saturday and Sunday off so I made plans to take a quick trip to Sasebo to visit some of my friends in the navy I had made. Sasebo was............................nice. A bit quiet and small, but nice (I'm still glad to be living in the city though, haha). Their house was pretty neat though because it was up in the hills with a great view/"traditional" Japanese style. All in all it was a pretty relaxing weekend, bbqed, went to a small karaoke bar, and got a quick tour of the navy base--that wasn't incredibly exciting but it was still sort of interesting to see how that was/know I was standing on US property. It was just kind of nice to get away and take a break from work as I know it will be EATING ME ALIVE this week (but in a good way I think).
Still a little sick, but finally starting to feel better, I just hope it goes away soon as I have no idea when in the near future I will have much time to rest...
Move into my apt this Wed!!! I am sooo excited. Although I still have no idea what it looks like. Normally when you replace a teacher, you take over their apt, so the other guys in my group have a layout drawing of their apt. However, the teacher I am replacing is married and does not live in company housing, so they had to find me a new apt. Which isn't a bad thing, just a little sad instead of getting a layout drawing I got a note saying "sorry no one has ever lived here so we have no idea what it looks like." BUT I DO know the location and it's pretty sweet. Walking distance to the train which can take me to Hakata station (where I will be working) in minutes, walking distance to the subway that will take me to Tenjin (downtown) in minutes, right by a park and a gym...etc. So yeah, I am happy! My work schedule is quite light as well. I don't know if that will change in the near future or not, but for now, I don't mind!!!
I promise I will upload my pictures soon. But to be honest I have been horrible about taking them! For some reason it feels really awkward at times to whip out a camera and snap a shot. So my pictures are random captures of things here and there. I will be making up for it though, promise!!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Something I am not getting good at
/refuse to do:
Pee in a Japanese toilet. I refuse to pee over a hole in the ground.
*clarification-these tend to be public restrooms. my toilet/many office toilets are western and quite nifty with seat warmers and "sound effects" so no one can hear your business.....
Pee in a Japanese toilet. I refuse to pee over a hole in the ground.
*clarification-these tend to be public restrooms. my toilet/many office toilets are western and quite nifty with seat warmers and "sound effects" so no one can hear your business.....
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Things I am getting good at so far
1. Using chopsticks to eat anything.
2. Smiling and bowing--works 99% the time you have no idea what someone is saying to you.
3. Charades (all this hand gesture practice).
4. Teaching! It isn't as hard or scary as it may seem =) It also helps that the students to practice on are AWESOME.
5. My sense of direction has improved.
2. Smiling and bowing--works 99% the time you have no idea what someone is saying to you.
3. Charades (all this hand gesture practice).
4. Teaching! It isn't as hard or scary as it may seem =) It also helps that the students to practice on are AWESOME.
5. My sense of direction has improved.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
when in doubt, draw pictures
So I had a bit of a scare Sunday when I realized Teddy, my bear since I was a baby, went MIA from my hotel room. The entire point of bringing him was to give me a sense of comfort if I felt homesick, so imagine my dismay when I realized he was gone :( I couldnt understand why the maid would steal an old stuffed animal, was she mad at me for leaving my shoes all over the room??? Then after a while I got a bit more rational and thought maybe he got caught up in the sheets when she changed my bed or something. So I went to the front desk and asked if they had seen a teddy bear. Of course she had no idea what I was talking about so we spent a good 20 minutes using gestures and overly emphasized words and that got no where. Finally she handed me paper and a pen and I drew a picture of a teddy bear. Then a picture of a bed. Then made gestures of changing sheets. Cue lightbulb above her head. She ran to the back, got another man who did not speak English well and talked for a bit with him in Japanese. Then he took the paper and pen and wrote out in perfect English for me -we will ask the cleaning lady tomorrow. I guess he didnt know how to say it though, which I found interesting. They wrote down my room number. Apologized only about ten trillion times to me (to the point I almost felt bad I even asked about my bear in the first place). Then, this morning I got the call that my stuffed animal had been found. I was reunited with Teddy around 9 am. He is a little beat up (and slightly decapitated stuffing wise) as he clearly went through the laundry, but he is a trooper so I think he will be just fine :).
On a more relevant note, I teach my first real lesson to real students tonight during training. All I know is we did a dry run last night and it was one of the most awkward 40 min of my life, and that was with native speakers. SOOOO we will see how THAT goes. However the students I have seen and met so far for the model lessons have really impressed me and are very sweet. So I am sure they will be very sweet and polite to me while I teach them even if in their heads they are like wtf is this woman talking about???
I took a walk this morning, when I really meant to buy some more casual shirts (the blurb in my packing advice sheet that said Id only need 3 casual outfits for training was a LIE) and realized nothing besides coffee shops and family marts really opens here until 10 am (LAZY!!! jk). So that led me to walking around parts of the city I haven]t been. This city is so easy to navigate, I love it!
*note- if there are weird typos or bad capitalization in my entries I apologize, because trust me, they bug me too, but I am typing some of these entries on the Japanese computer and have no idea how to fully use the keyboard.
On a more relevant note, I teach my first real lesson to real students tonight during training. All I know is we did a dry run last night and it was one of the most awkward 40 min of my life, and that was with native speakers. SOOOO we will see how THAT goes. However the students I have seen and met so far for the model lessons have really impressed me and are very sweet. So I am sure they will be very sweet and polite to me while I teach them even if in their heads they are like wtf is this woman talking about???
I took a walk this morning, when I really meant to buy some more casual shirts (the blurb in my packing advice sheet that said Id only need 3 casual outfits for training was a LIE) and realized nothing besides coffee shops and family marts really opens here until 10 am (LAZY!!! jk). So that led me to walking around parts of the city I haven]t been. This city is so easy to navigate, I love it!
*note- if there are weird typos or bad capitalization in my entries I apologize, because trust me, they bug me too, but I am typing some of these entries on the Japanese computer and have no idea how to fully use the keyboard.
2 things I already dont like about Japan
1. There is NO WHERE to throw your trash away. All they have are recycle bins for cans or bottles. So if your trash is in the shape of a can or small bottle, great, fabulous for you. However if you have anything else to throw away, enjoy a nice long walk around several blocks looking for a waste bin.
2. They give you the smallest glasses of water ever at restaurants.
Besides that everything is lovely. Including the weather.
2. They give you the smallest glasses of water ever at restaurants.
Besides that everything is lovely. Including the weather.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
This will be short
as I am typing on a Japanese computer that costs 100 yen/10 minutes. So far I have only been here 3 days and have already been having a blast. The culture shock hasn]t really hit me though. Above ground, downtown Fukuoka looks a lot like downtown LA. However, BELOW ground is this shopping center that stretches several blocks long and just screams HI YOU ARE IN JAPAN!!!!!!! haha. Last night did a little nightlife tour and met some navy people who luckily did not fit the stereotype of the drunken sailor boys. They dragged me to several night clubs and it was sort of similar to what is back home but at the same time isnt (for example 1 of the clubs names was Happy Cock). Today was my day off because I start intensive training tomorrow. I was supposed to see a shrine and immerse myself with cultural things but instead I hung out with Americans, drank Starbucks, ate *Italian food, drank French beer. Backfire! But at the same time it was fun and slightly comforting to be in the company of tall people who spoke perfect English and knew exactly what I was talking about. But life is good here so far and a lot of fun! I dont have internet permanently yet so I cant respond to msgs right away but I really appreciate them all and miss you all a lot!
Friday, April 4, 2008
Made it.
Warning: This is long.
So yeah….I finally made it to Japan. Only took me about 18 hours! Ha. This was my plane ride experience: first, I flew out of LAX on Malaysian Airlines to Taipei. It was a red eye so I left at 1:40 am. It was kind of swanky, the stewardesses wore kimono type dresses and the stewards wore tuxedos. LUCKILY it was kind of empty, so I had a lot of room to myself. I ended up ordering a Bloody Mary with my meal (whatever international flight drinks are free after all) and passed out for about 8 hours. Woke up and kind of freaked out because my knees hurt (I was in an awkward position) and thought my blood was clotting. Haha. I had heard and read about that happening on long flights, so cue the paranoia. I had a connecting flight from Taipei to Fukuoka and already knew I only had an hour and a half layover, which isn’t very much time in an international, foreign airport, so I started worrying when I saw my flight was scheduled to land later than expected, giving me only about an hour to make my second flight. Since I had no idea where to go, I spent the remainder of the flight deeply concentrating on it. I had a “I am definitely not in the US anymore” moment when they made an announcement that if you are transporting illegal narcotics, you will get the death penalty.
So we landed, I grabbed my heavy carry ons and booked it. Asked the first person I saw where to go, luckily she gave me legitimate directions, and I took a shuttle to the terminal that my flight was at and then went through security AGAIN. However, this was like the never ending airport. I shouldn’t have worried about my blood clotting so much considering I got plenty of circulation during my “workout.” Every time there would be a sign with my gate number on it and an arrow, I would turn the corner and see the longest hallway ever. Speed walk down that, turn the corner, longest hallway ever (repeat about 7 times NOT EXAGERATING) and FINALLY I made it to my gate. However, I already knew I had to get my boarding pass there (couldn’t get one when I checked in at LAX) and was already pushing time (they were announcing people on my flight to head to the gate for boarding) and looked around and realized there was no desk to give me a boarding pass. Immediately I FREAKED out because I was exhausted, sweaty, and remembered before going through security there had been a “connecting flight” desk for my airline but for different gates, and was like PLEASE TELL ME I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO GET A PASS BACK THERE! (all those hallways away + security). Then I looked around the corner and realized my gate was 2 storied and downstairs was the desk. Got my boarding pass and just made it on.
Now about this flight-I was already incredibly stressed out because of what I described above and when I walked on the stewardess said “I’m sorry ma’am but your luggage is too heavy and it is not safe, I will need to store it in cargo.” Except with her accent I thought she said something about Chicago so I freaked and then when she clarified I still freaked because I was afraid it would get lost and that I would have to pay a fee and literally almost burst into tears at this point. But she assured me it would be fine and not cost me anything so I calmed down a bit and realized the bright side-I wouldn’t have to lug it around the airport before baggage claim! It was only about an hour and a half long. I did not get an aisle seat and was inbetween two businessmen. I was the only foreigner on the plane. Yes, it really hit me then that I am now a foreigner, and have in the few hours I have been here developed a paranoia of offending people. The flight was hilarious as it was completely Hello Kitty themed. They even played this Disneylandish music with Hello Kitty cartoon creatures dancing on the screens during take off and landing. I spent the entire time feeling like a disgusting barbarian as I was sweaty and gross and figured I was offending the businessmen next to me. I also have a slight cough and was trying not to as I did not have a mask like everyone else who was sick. I had to keep borrowing one of the businessmen’s pens to fill out my foreigner form, and felt like I was bothering him. It was interesting. Needless to say, it felt amazing getting off that plane and realizing I was finally in Japan! Waited in a long long long line for immigration. Some Japanese women kept smiling at me, so I smiled back. They smiled more. I smiled more. It got a little awkward and I began wondering what they were smiling about. Then one leaned in and said “You are so beautiful!” and I said “Thank you!” (thinking uhhhhh I have never felt more disgusting in my life) and then as the line moved on I recalled a Japanese culture “lesson” I reviewed from a flyer my company sent me monthly about how in their culture they do not usually accept compliments as a means of humbling oneself. So I began to wonder if I offended her by thanking her for her compliment? By then my brain was frazzled.
Made it though immigration. Made it through baggage claim. Made it through customs. Was picked up immediately by my trainer. Had my excess baggage shipped to my school, took the subway to the hotel. Took the longest shower EVER. It is nice I get my own room. Small but nice. Might I add my toilet seat has a heater?? Haha! Met up with one of my co-trainees from Australia who will be working only about 15 min from me so that works out nicely. He worked for JET for 3 years before so his Japanese is much better than mine (nonexistent basically) so it was helpful having him there as we explored the city and got food, etc. And now I am taking a nap. I know this was long. Hopefully I can tone down the details for later entries so you all don’t get too bored with me =).
So yeah….I finally made it to Japan. Only took me about 18 hours! Ha. This was my plane ride experience: first, I flew out of LAX on Malaysian Airlines to Taipei. It was a red eye so I left at 1:40 am. It was kind of swanky, the stewardesses wore kimono type dresses and the stewards wore tuxedos. LUCKILY it was kind of empty, so I had a lot of room to myself. I ended up ordering a Bloody Mary with my meal (whatever international flight drinks are free after all) and passed out for about 8 hours. Woke up and kind of freaked out because my knees hurt (I was in an awkward position) and thought my blood was clotting. Haha. I had heard and read about that happening on long flights, so cue the paranoia. I had a connecting flight from Taipei to Fukuoka and already knew I only had an hour and a half layover, which isn’t very much time in an international, foreign airport, so I started worrying when I saw my flight was scheduled to land later than expected, giving me only about an hour to make my second flight. Since I had no idea where to go, I spent the remainder of the flight deeply concentrating on it. I had a “I am definitely not in the US anymore” moment when they made an announcement that if you are transporting illegal narcotics, you will get the death penalty.
So we landed, I grabbed my heavy carry ons and booked it. Asked the first person I saw where to go, luckily she gave me legitimate directions, and I took a shuttle to the terminal that my flight was at and then went through security AGAIN. However, this was like the never ending airport. I shouldn’t have worried about my blood clotting so much considering I got plenty of circulation during my “workout.” Every time there would be a sign with my gate number on it and an arrow, I would turn the corner and see the longest hallway ever. Speed walk down that, turn the corner, longest hallway ever (repeat about 7 times NOT EXAGERATING) and FINALLY I made it to my gate. However, I already knew I had to get my boarding pass there (couldn’t get one when I checked in at LAX) and was already pushing time (they were announcing people on my flight to head to the gate for boarding) and looked around and realized there was no desk to give me a boarding pass. Immediately I FREAKED out because I was exhausted, sweaty, and remembered before going through security there had been a “connecting flight” desk for my airline but for different gates, and was like PLEASE TELL ME I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO GET A PASS BACK THERE! (all those hallways away + security). Then I looked around the corner and realized my gate was 2 storied and downstairs was the desk. Got my boarding pass and just made it on.
Now about this flight-I was already incredibly stressed out because of what I described above and when I walked on the stewardess said “I’m sorry ma’am but your luggage is too heavy and it is not safe, I will need to store it in cargo.” Except with her accent I thought she said something about Chicago so I freaked and then when she clarified I still freaked because I was afraid it would get lost and that I would have to pay a fee and literally almost burst into tears at this point. But she assured me it would be fine and not cost me anything so I calmed down a bit and realized the bright side-I wouldn’t have to lug it around the airport before baggage claim! It was only about an hour and a half long. I did not get an aisle seat and was inbetween two businessmen. I was the only foreigner on the plane. Yes, it really hit me then that I am now a foreigner, and have in the few hours I have been here developed a paranoia of offending people. The flight was hilarious as it was completely Hello Kitty themed. They even played this Disneylandish music with Hello Kitty cartoon creatures dancing on the screens during take off and landing. I spent the entire time feeling like a disgusting barbarian as I was sweaty and gross and figured I was offending the businessmen next to me. I also have a slight cough and was trying not to as I did not have a mask like everyone else who was sick. I had to keep borrowing one of the businessmen’s pens to fill out my foreigner form, and felt like I was bothering him. It was interesting. Needless to say, it felt amazing getting off that plane and realizing I was finally in Japan! Waited in a long long long line for immigration. Some Japanese women kept smiling at me, so I smiled back. They smiled more. I smiled more. It got a little awkward and I began wondering what they were smiling about. Then one leaned in and said “You are so beautiful!” and I said “Thank you!” (thinking uhhhhh I have never felt more disgusting in my life) and then as the line moved on I recalled a Japanese culture “lesson” I reviewed from a flyer my company sent me monthly about how in their culture they do not usually accept compliments as a means of humbling oneself. So I began to wonder if I offended her by thanking her for her compliment? By then my brain was frazzled.
Made it though immigration. Made it through baggage claim. Made it through customs. Was picked up immediately by my trainer. Had my excess baggage shipped to my school, took the subway to the hotel. Took the longest shower EVER. It is nice I get my own room. Small but nice. Might I add my toilet seat has a heater?? Haha! Met up with one of my co-trainees from Australia who will be working only about 15 min from me so that works out nicely. He worked for JET for 3 years before so his Japanese is much better than mine (nonexistent basically) so it was helpful having him there as we explored the city and got food, etc. And now I am taking a nap. I know this was long. Hopefully I can tone down the details for later entries so you all don’t get too bored with me =).
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