First, I wanted to say hello to whoever is reading my blog in Germany, Malaysia, and Indonesia. :) (I've got readers in Japan, the US, and South Korea but as far as I know those are my friends and family - but hello to you too! :D)
I've not dared to touch my thermostat as the buttons are all labeled in Kanji but I was FREEZING last night so I think I will change the settings... YAY! I just went over and was pressing all the buttons and I changed the setting. It snowed today but my room said it was set to 24°C. I changed it to 25°C just in case. The heater just kicked on. MMMMM feels great! In any case, I didn't sleep very well because I kept waking up so cold.
I got up an hour early (earlier than I needed to be downstairs and ready) but as I didn't sleep well, I didn't move very quickly. I was still downstairs 15 minutes early but it meant I had to eat my breakfast fast. I tried a hardboiled egg and I don't know what they did to it, but it was not good. I had a couple small glasses of OJ and some breakfast breads. One was a flaky (like a croissant) type that folded over a small sausage. It was very good. There were coffee mini cinnamon rolls but as I don't care for the taste of coffee, I didn't care for those either (also in a flaky crust). Then there were regular, dinner-type rolls. I kind of miss miso now! It was nice to have miso and a little rice with sausages and veggies. It certainly felt like better power food for the day!
After that we walked over to the building (a 5 minute walk) and went up to the 8th floor. I've GOT to get pictures of the inside of this building! It's SO cool! They had escalators and elevators and the middle of the building is open and it has these crazy statues/sculptures... really cool.
So we got up to the 8th floor and got started on training. It was so nice to have such a positive meeting. It was really helpful and I took pages and pages of notes! (Also my group won Family Feud. Yup.) It came to my attention, however, that my exhaustion was showing (story below).
During the course of the training the building suddenly started to sway. Earthquake! This is the 3rd I've felt (the first one was fairly big, second ones that came as a cluster were very small, and then this one) and it was a 3. something. One of the guys was pretty startled as this is the first one he's felt/noticed. The rest of us just kind of nodded and went on with the training. Chris said you get to the point where you barely notice them because they happen so frequently. Perhaps I'm already there as I was like, "Not as big as the first." *shrug*
Today's been a little rough. I just am feeling really sad and homesick. This is the first time I have felt it since being here and I'm quite sad about it. Miss everyone back home and just would really love big hugs right now. :,/ I'm up in my room atm (obviously), and just wishing people at home were awake already. It's only 03h23! Why isn't anyone up!? ;) Hopefully the feeling passes soon. (I DID get to skype my family yesterday and that was really nice - I wonder why I'm feeling like this now all of a sudden.)
Anyway, Happy Easter!!
Funny Moments:
At one point we talked about pronunciation and the letters to which we
should give extra attention and emphasis. As everyone knows, or seems to
joke about it, the Japanese mix up their r's and l's. You'll hear
people say "Flied lice (fried rice)." Well, as we were taught that today, Chris
called attention to the McDonalds slogan: "I'm lovin it." Here they say,
"I'm rubbin it." Ya.... not the same, but terribly funny!
I was SO tired, this is (seriously) how I numbered my paper during Family Feud: 1. 2. 5. (3 sir! - But really that line didn't run through my head.) I stopped and looked at the 5 confused, then wrote a "3" over it. Then I continued: 4. 10. !? I gave up at that point. LOL My numbers are gone. Just gone. I also at one point in my notes meant to write "Write on the board" but I wrote, "Write on the fridge." What the!? I don't think anyone had said fridge either. *facepalm*
One more story I forgot earlier! I told you about this crazy cool building already. Well, we went up to the 8th floor using the escalators as there was so many of us it would have taken several elevator trips. So, after the training was finished I hung back to ask Bryan (our MC) a question. So it ended up being Bryan, me, and the trainers standing there (which totaled 5). Bryan had to return the key so the 4 of us went over to grab an elevator. When one came up, we got on and then this Japanese couple started to come over but stopped when they saw so many white people (and people have said that sometimes happens and this was my first experience for that, anyway). At the 4th floor, we stopped and picked up 3 little Japanese women. At the third floor, one of the women got off and the trainers got off. I stayed on the elevator thinking that I needed to go to the 1st floor. As the woman who got out of the elevator is waving goodbye, I look past her and see our ENTIRE group. Several people were looking at me in bewilderment and trying to ask me, with gestures, where I was going. Shocked, I held my hands up and shook my head. The 3 Japanese women were looking back and forth and started laughing really hard at me. LOL But I got off on the 2nd floor and took an escalator back up to the third. It turns out that the third floor is the street level entry. Oops. Hehehe, good times!
XOXO, A
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
My First Day Off
Oh man today was AWESOME! Last night I didn't get to sleep until around 03h00 so even though they were serving a free breakfast in the lobby, I was determined to sleep in.
Bing! I woke up at 06h45. I forced myself to go back to sleep (closed the window first because it was freezing) and was able to sleep until 09h50. At that time, I got up to take a shower. I had used all the vinegar I'd brought in my white rinse bottle so I started hunting for the small bottle of vinegar I brought. Ya, I tore my suitcases apart to find it... guess I had it sent forward to my apartment. Dang it! So I pulled out my Japanese dictionary (thank you Cinch), and looked up vinegar. I didn't actually want to drink it, but I figured that would be the easiest thing to say since I didn't know how to explain it was for my hair. So I called down. The first girl spoke no English and though I thought I was saying "I want to order vinegar, I want to drink it," apparently I wasn't as she didn't understand. She got another person on the phone. That girl could say "Sorry" in English... ya we didn't get any further. Then a THIRD girl got on the phone and was about the same as the second girl. So I said I would come down (she had no idea what I was saying I think), and thanked her and headed for the lobby. I thought about putting on a bra but since I was just going to shower, I went down (I was wearing my scrub pants, and a baggy black shirt with a skull on it) like that. I took my dictionary and money to pay for it. Turns out the hotel didn't have any. So I asked where I could buy it. She gave me a map and explained with motions and sounds and I was able to throw in a few Japanese words I could remember. I stood in the lobby for a minute or two wondering if I should dress and then thought, "Forget it! I'm not putting on clean clothes to get them dirty!" So off I went.. braless... in my pjs (though they could pass as otherwise). I found the shopping center (mmm), and a lady helped me find the vinegar. All the lines were fairly long and I felt pretty self-conscious, at this point, about my appearance then I saw they had self-checkouts. As I worried, they were all in kanji! The lady came over and helped me though and now I know some basic buttons to press. :) Then off I was back to the hotel with my vinegar (I don't even know what type of vinegar it is. I showed it to the lady who had shown me the vinegar to double check!) and suddenly it occurred to me... I'm going to LIVE in Morioka. What if one of my future students saw me!? o.0 You know... it was a bit late, but at least it came!
When I got back to the hotel, I showered and got dressed. I read scriptures and repacked my bags and wrote some emails. I then made a worksheet and a lesson plan and sent them to my MC (they were due by noon tomorrow). I wanted to go down and hang out and wanted to go buy food (I ate the rest of my sunflower seeds and some peanuts since I had missed breakfast) but I knew if I left I wouldn't be very motivated to go back and finish. I also texted my mom to skype but I sent the message too late and didn't get a chance to see everyone :/. That's what I get for sleeping in! (And for not doing it until I was repacked - it was after I tried though that I did my lesson plan and worksheet.) Then off I went downstairs.
A lot of people had already gone to get phones and I was waiting to see Shawn to ask him about going (I asked him to go with me yesterday as he knows a lot of Japanese). As luck would have it, he came down (according to everyone else) for the first time that day a minute after I got down (mmm). I asked him again if he'd go with me, at his convenience, and he decided to do it right then. Ally and James (the Kiwi) decided to go with us. We got all psyched after looking around and I was finally HAPPY that all they have are iphones and knock-offs as I tried to look up directions to the branch (church building) and ... well they had them but to me they were unintelligible! It was intimidating. But I thought, I'll just call the phone number listed when I get my phone and ask for help. Then I remembered I would be shown around by a local and thought, "Oh! I'll give her the address and ask her to show me where it is!" THEN I heard that you can use google maps on the iphone and it tracks where you are and tells you where to go to get to your destination. DONE. Well after being at the shop an hour or two, bureaucracy won out! We weren't allowed to get phones as we haven't yet registered as citizens of our city. AAARRRRGGGHHH! And we're not allowed to ask the people who show us around to help us get our phones. So I have to go to the cell store BY MYSELF and none of the employees speak English. :c <--- dismayed face. Hopefully it all works out. Limor got her cell elsewhere and she said this company charges ¥7000 for the contract and unlimited tethering. And actually I found out today that the only way I could do internet alone for my computer is to get a landline and THEN get internet. Sheesh. For a technologically advanced country they're in the dark ages! How can DSL NOT be available!? Anyway the guy at the phone shop said to send back the people who had signed up in the morning (that was fun to do), and they were made to return their phones and their contracts were shredded. As our residency cards are run through the municipal (at least to register as a citizen of that city), the company was worried because they were breaking the law! Plus the bureaucracy stuff. Sheesh. In any case, as Shawn was getting the details, James, Ally and I took off because we were starving.
We walked across the street (well, we walked down the street, went down into the train entrance -like a subway entrance-, walked under the street and came out on the other side) and went to Mister Donut! SOOOOO funny - their mascot is a gigantic man in drag! - James made the comment, "You'd never see that in New Zealand or Australia. I imagine the U.S. is the same. I mean, a fat person selling donuts!? Never!" So I got to try Japanese donuts. Some were AMAZING, but some were ... not good. They had a little sampler plate with 6 different donut holes and some of those were so dry they sucked all the moisture out of my mouth! Then there was a very light and fluffy strawberry iced one. Very good! I also got a cream filled donut that I ate later *makes a grossed out face* - the cream filling tasted like Cool Whip. Yuck. The donut part of it was light and fluffy and good though. I have one other I haven't yet eaten and I'll have to let you know about it. When we got back to the hotel, we asked everyone about going out for dinner (since I'd had sunflower seeds, peanuts, and donuts for the day I was craving real food something fierce) and decided we'd leave at 18h45. In the meantime (round 18h00), I headed back up to my room to finish the blog post from yesterday (well early this morning). I finished it just as the time was coming up and headed down to the lobby. A big group of us got together and out we went. It's FREEZING out, btw.
So off we went to Ichibanya - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! It was SO good! It's a curry katsu place! So I got chicken katsu over curry with veggies. And not only that, you can choose how spicy you want it... *grins* Guess what I did! They showed me the heat index and though it was ¥100 extra, I went for the highest level of spice. Out of 1-10, I got 10! :D It was delicious. I mean, it's the first real food I had all day, but it was more than that.. the chicken was so tender and juicy, the katsu sauce was amazing, the katsu was very crispy, the curry was almost spicy! ;) - My nose ran a little. :D That doesn't happen to me very often. About halfway through my food I was stuffed. I said aloud to my table (Limor, Shawn, the other Aussie girl whose name I don't yet know :/), "I need a box." They all looked at me funny and said, "Japan doesn't do that." o.0 WHAT!? They don't tip for service and they don't take food home. However, I was really passionate about taking my delicious food and they do take out so they had boxes... Yep. I went up to the guy and gestured about what I wanted. He was a good sport and got me one. When I came back everyone was shocked. "They gave you one!?" -"It's cuz I'm pretty. I get what I want!" LOL I'm so glad I got to bring it home though. I found out they're not feeding us at this training so I'll take it for my lunch tomorrow if I can manage to not eat it tonight! I can't wait til I have my own cupboards and a fridge. That way I can stock up on foods and not have to rely on snacks and eating out. After that I shivered violently my whole way home (but I will take it! The more cold the less insects!) and here I am. :) Pretty sure I'll just hang out in my room for the rest of the evening so I can do some reading.. might be able to skype my family (those up early), and GET SOME SLEEP!
Funny moments included above.
XOXO, A
Bing! I woke up at 06h45. I forced myself to go back to sleep (closed the window first because it was freezing) and was able to sleep until 09h50. At that time, I got up to take a shower. I had used all the vinegar I'd brought in my white rinse bottle so I started hunting for the small bottle of vinegar I brought. Ya, I tore my suitcases apart to find it... guess I had it sent forward to my apartment. Dang it! So I pulled out my Japanese dictionary (thank you Cinch), and looked up vinegar. I didn't actually want to drink it, but I figured that would be the easiest thing to say since I didn't know how to explain it was for my hair. So I called down. The first girl spoke no English and though I thought I was saying "I want to order vinegar, I want to drink it," apparently I wasn't as she didn't understand. She got another person on the phone. That girl could say "Sorry" in English... ya we didn't get any further. Then a THIRD girl got on the phone and was about the same as the second girl. So I said I would come down (she had no idea what I was saying I think), and thanked her and headed for the lobby. I thought about putting on a bra but since I was just going to shower, I went down (I was wearing my scrub pants, and a baggy black shirt with a skull on it) like that. I took my dictionary and money to pay for it. Turns out the hotel didn't have any. So I asked where I could buy it. She gave me a map and explained with motions and sounds and I was able to throw in a few Japanese words I could remember. I stood in the lobby for a minute or two wondering if I should dress and then thought, "Forget it! I'm not putting on clean clothes to get them dirty!" So off I went.. braless... in my pjs (though they could pass as otherwise). I found the shopping center (mmm), and a lady helped me find the vinegar. All the lines were fairly long and I felt pretty self-conscious, at this point, about my appearance then I saw they had self-checkouts. As I worried, they were all in kanji! The lady came over and helped me though and now I know some basic buttons to press. :) Then off I was back to the hotel with my vinegar (I don't even know what type of vinegar it is. I showed it to the lady who had shown me the vinegar to double check!) and suddenly it occurred to me... I'm going to LIVE in Morioka. What if one of my future students saw me!? o.0 You know... it was a bit late, but at least it came!
When I got back to the hotel, I showered and got dressed. I read scriptures and repacked my bags and wrote some emails. I then made a worksheet and a lesson plan and sent them to my MC (they were due by noon tomorrow). I wanted to go down and hang out and wanted to go buy food (I ate the rest of my sunflower seeds and some peanuts since I had missed breakfast) but I knew if I left I wouldn't be very motivated to go back and finish. I also texted my mom to skype but I sent the message too late and didn't get a chance to see everyone :/. That's what I get for sleeping in! (And for not doing it until I was repacked - it was after I tried though that I did my lesson plan and worksheet.) Then off I went downstairs.
A lot of people had already gone to get phones and I was waiting to see Shawn to ask him about going (I asked him to go with me yesterday as he knows a lot of Japanese). As luck would have it, he came down (according to everyone else) for the first time that day a minute after I got down (mmm). I asked him again if he'd go with me, at his convenience, and he decided to do it right then. Ally and James (the Kiwi) decided to go with us. We got all psyched after looking around and I was finally HAPPY that all they have are iphones and knock-offs as I tried to look up directions to the branch (church building) and ... well they had them but to me they were unintelligible! It was intimidating. But I thought, I'll just call the phone number listed when I get my phone and ask for help. Then I remembered I would be shown around by a local and thought, "Oh! I'll give her the address and ask her to show me where it is!" THEN I heard that you can use google maps on the iphone and it tracks where you are and tells you where to go to get to your destination. DONE. Well after being at the shop an hour or two, bureaucracy won out! We weren't allowed to get phones as we haven't yet registered as citizens of our city. AAARRRRGGGHHH! And we're not allowed to ask the people who show us around to help us get our phones. So I have to go to the cell store BY MYSELF and none of the employees speak English. :c <--- dismayed face. Hopefully it all works out. Limor got her cell elsewhere and she said this company charges ¥7000 for the contract and unlimited tethering. And actually I found out today that the only way I could do internet alone for my computer is to get a landline and THEN get internet. Sheesh. For a technologically advanced country they're in the dark ages! How can DSL NOT be available!? Anyway the guy at the phone shop said to send back the people who had signed up in the morning (that was fun to do), and they were made to return their phones and their contracts were shredded. As our residency cards are run through the municipal (at least to register as a citizen of that city), the company was worried because they were breaking the law! Plus the bureaucracy stuff. Sheesh. In any case, as Shawn was getting the details, James, Ally and I took off because we were starving.
We walked across the street (well, we walked down the street, went down into the train entrance -like a subway entrance-, walked under the street and came out on the other side) and went to Mister Donut! SOOOOO funny - their mascot is a gigantic man in drag! - James made the comment, "You'd never see that in New Zealand or Australia. I imagine the U.S. is the same. I mean, a fat person selling donuts!? Never!" So I got to try Japanese donuts. Some were AMAZING, but some were ... not good. They had a little sampler plate with 6 different donut holes and some of those were so dry they sucked all the moisture out of my mouth! Then there was a very light and fluffy strawberry iced one. Very good! I also got a cream filled donut that I ate later *makes a grossed out face* - the cream filling tasted like Cool Whip. Yuck. The donut part of it was light and fluffy and good though. I have one other I haven't yet eaten and I'll have to let you know about it. When we got back to the hotel, we asked everyone about going out for dinner (since I'd had sunflower seeds, peanuts, and donuts for the day I was craving real food something fierce) and decided we'd leave at 18h45. In the meantime (round 18h00), I headed back up to my room to finish the blog post from yesterday (well early this morning). I finished it just as the time was coming up and headed down to the lobby. A big group of us got together and out we went. It's FREEZING out, btw.
So off we went to Ichibanya - mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! It was SO good! It's a curry katsu place! So I got chicken katsu over curry with veggies. And not only that, you can choose how spicy you want it... *grins* Guess what I did! They showed me the heat index and though it was ¥100 extra, I went for the highest level of spice. Out of 1-10, I got 10! :D It was delicious. I mean, it's the first real food I had all day, but it was more than that.. the chicken was so tender and juicy, the katsu sauce was amazing, the katsu was very crispy, the curry was almost spicy! ;) - My nose ran a little. :D That doesn't happen to me very often. About halfway through my food I was stuffed. I said aloud to my table (Limor, Shawn, the other Aussie girl whose name I don't yet know :/), "I need a box." They all looked at me funny and said, "Japan doesn't do that." o.0 WHAT!? They don't tip for service and they don't take food home. However, I was really passionate about taking my delicious food and they do take out so they had boxes... Yep. I went up to the guy and gestured about what I wanted. He was a good sport and got me one. When I came back everyone was shocked. "They gave you one!?" -"It's cuz I'm pretty. I get what I want!" LOL I'm so glad I got to bring it home though. I found out they're not feeding us at this training so I'll take it for my lunch tomorrow if I can manage to not eat it tonight! I can't wait til I have my own cupboards and a fridge. That way I can stock up on foods and not have to rely on snacks and eating out. After that I shivered violently my whole way home (but I will take it! The more cold the less insects!) and here I am. :) Pretty sure I'll just hang out in my room for the rest of the evening so I can do some reading.. might be able to skype my family (those up early), and GET SOME SLEEP!
Funny moments included above.
XOXO, A
Friday, March 29, 2013
Travel Day
Today was crazy for me. It started last night with us (Limor and I) not wanting to say goodbye to everyone and not hang out. So we didn't get to bed until around 02h00 or 03h00 - then we got up at 05h45! *wince* We got ready for the day and went down to have breakfast with Devin and Jake (and Shawn and Tom but they're going to our prefecture - well technically Shawn will be in Aomori, but he's part of our branch) as we were having to say goodbye to them to head to our respective areas. We were told to get to the hotel lobby by 07h45. So we ate and hugged and said our goodbyes and got on the shuttle bus to the airport (all 30 of us going to Morioka plus Bryan, Satou-san - our branch manager - and Angel and Dan). Luckily last night we were able to send one bag forward to our apartment so I only had one big bag and my carry-on. It was still pretty rough. The stairs were the scary bits and I actually dropped my 70 lb bag, wheel first, right on top of my left foot. It has been aching and tender all day. In any case, we caught a train West and then caught the Shinkanzen (bullet train). It was really cool but not as fun as I hoped. We found Jake & Devin in a car further up (which made sense and I'd said, why aren't we all taking the same train as our areas are North) and got to hang out some more (mmm). Unfortunately, the train does not have an a/c. It was almost murky. And on top of that, a big group of teenage girls sitting behind us took off their shoes and it REEKED of feet. I wasn't able to eat lunch it smelled so awful. Fish onigiri + smell of feet = very upset stomach!
Once we got to Morioka, we walked to our hotel. Bryan informed us in the lobby that we would not have our same roommates (I was quite dismayed), but it turns out that we get our own rooms. Ya... I wish I were sharing. I couldn't breathe at first when I entered the room. There is .. nothing. It's a miniscule box! I had to push my bed over a foot into the wall and move the little night table so I could stop feeling claustrophobic. It's SO tiny! (I'm going to try and get batteries for my camera today as right when I went to take pictures of me and all my friends the battery died. :c - They took pics that they're going to post on fb and I'll just steal those and put them here! Also, btw, I posted pics on the older posts.)
After we dropped off our bags we walked to our branch office. It's about a 15 minute walk. The air was quite brisk and Limor and I were freezing. It was really nice though, considering I can already feel the humidity and I would rather be cold than overheating (mmm). At the office we did paperwork - including filling out tax forms that were completely in Japanese. It was a sort of long and arduous process. Then they started going over how to fill out the paperwork for your car. I'm the only one who doesn't have a car or location allowance so I went to go settle my housing (pay for it). It ended up being ¥30000 more than they said it would be :/ Living in Japan is expensive! In any case, I paid and I also was able to read through my apartment contract and sign it with my hanko! (I'll take a picture when I get batteries.) I went back into the meeting and was just so exhausted I started getting really silly. Limor and I laughed and laughed at stuff that doesn't seem very funny now. LOL
They started pulling people out to do their housing and it was taking forever. By the time our meeting was over it was 17h15 but we were going to go to that work "meet and greet" at 19h00. So we got permission for Limor to do hers later and walked back to our hotel. (The fact that I was able to walk right back and not get lost was awesome for me! ... Not that I'm not good with directions... but I AM in Japan. Also I have yet to see street signs.)
We went to our separate rooms to get ready to go out. Once I got into my room it was hard to leave. I was so tired it took me a while to get ready, lol. But once I was ready to go, I went downstairs. I planned on getting dinner at the bar as I didn't really have the time or will to go find some before then. I was told I would have to pay for the nomihodai though I wouldn't be drinking. I asked my mum her opinion about it since I felt like it was sort of a waste to pay ¥2000 and not get anything to drink. Everyone was saying, "Oh they have Coke!" -"Carbonation gives me migraines." -"Oh... sucks to be you!" In any case, I figured if they do mixed drinks I can ask for juice. So eventually the guys showed up (veterans of the surrounding areas) to take us out. Oh man.. we went to a pub that touts itself as an "Irish-Mexican Pub," cuz you know... that makes sense. And good news! I didn't have to pay for nomihodai. Everyone was saying wait until everyone had their drink to take the first drink together. I held up the group because they insisted I have something so I got water. (The heavy drinkers: a brit, a kiwi, and the scotsman started early, but ya it was actually kind of fun to clink glasses with everyone.) And off we were... I found out very quickly that I had accidentally sat in the smoker's corner. It was making me quite ill and I didn't want to smell of smoke so I tried to stay long enough that it wouldn't be TOO obvious why I left then I jumped seats. (Because really I love these guys and they're so much fun - it's just that smell of smoke.) Oh! Before I jumped seats I ordered nachos for dinner. I was so excited - I got the deluxe nachos and had a blast trying to explain extra jalapeños *rolls eyes* - and for ¥1250 it was NOT enough food. It was actually really strange. It was like... someone wrote down the ingredients for nachos and then that list got water damaged and torn and they could only kinda read what it said. They were funky but fairly good. Anyway, we had reserved a room so when I moved across the room, I thought nothing of this new table at which I sat. Come to find out during the conversation, none of them worked for Interac. o.0 Yup.. I sat with a bunch of strangers. They were super nice though. I started to tell them about how I was going to teach at a Deaf school. One of the guys asked me about CI (cochlear implants) so it was fun to tell him all the things I've learned. It turned out that the Japanese woman sitting with us (who works as a translator) had a Deaf nephew. I had the best conversation with them. Then in comes a Japanese guy. He walked up to our table and asked what everyone was drinking. When he got to me, I said, "Mizu (みず)." -"えええほんとうに? (Whaaa, really?)" -"そう ([Yes] that's so)" [My translations may be a little off as I'm just getting started into this!] He asked me 3 or 4 more times then resorted to English, "Wataa?" -"Yes, I don't drink." I, oblivious, didn't know why he had asked until he came back with drinks for everyone. One of the other guys asked me why I don't drink so I told him I was LDS. (Oh and it turns out another girl in our group is LDS. What are the odds!? I believe we're the only 2 in our training group of 170.) It actually was really fun to talk to the Japanese guy. He spoke more English than I do Japanese but not a lot. Poor guy was trying so hard and I was trying to speak in Japanese back to him. At one point he reached out and startled me by grabbing my ear. He wanted to see my earrings (I wore a pair of parrots my mum gave me). I learned a few new words and then ordered ice cream. In fact, when I tried to order it, the Japanese guy ended up ordering it for me. (It was a tiny cone for ¥300.) I then proceeded to spill it on myself. *facepalm* LOL I went to the bathroom and cleaned up and when I came back someone was in my chair so I moved around and talked to a few different people. A couple people in our group were so intoxicated they became almost unbearable but I was excited since we'd been told we were going to karaoke (からおけ) next!
Finally it was time to go to からおけ! Some people chose to go home and I was onto my first time going to participate in Japan's national sport! ;) I assumed it was like it shows in the movies... nope. When we got there one of the veterans who spoke Japanese rented us some rooms. All the big rooms were already taken so the 21 of us had to rent 4 different rooms. You pay by the hour and there's giant books of songs. Unfortunately the remote and machine are all covered in Kanji. A girl came in and gave us a quick tutorial on working the remote and took off. When it came to my turn I chose "Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil. I was so excited to sing though I was one of 2 sober people... and one guy totally ruined it. He didn't know the song and kept screeching into the mic. I was so frustrated (btw it was the same guy was a jerk to my roomie during her test)! Finally I left that room and went to another. I waited and waited to see if he would come in but he didn't. When I had entered that room, the Japanese guy was there and he left as soon as he finished his song. He was singing a crazy song in Japanese. He did really well and the video from it was really funny. If I ever find out the name, I'll post the link to the video on youtube!) OOOHHH! I found it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOegCG3v1A - It was a longer version of this song, but this was it. I have no idea what was going on but I understood the English. :) In any case, I waited around a bit to see if that guy would come in and ruin my next song but after a couple songs I entered in my favorite band: System of a Down, Innervision. I was STOKED. Right before my song was Wonderwall. The Kiwi (James) and a tall American guy named Scott were singing it together (you get 2 mics per room). I knew the song so I was singing along as well. They then got on either side of me with their arms around my shoulders, I put my arms around their backs and we started swaying and singing. It was pretty funny. One girl (another Aussie in our group) got tons of pictures. I hope I can get some later! Oh and before that the Japanese guy came back with a drink for me. I was like, "Uh oh!" I tried to thank him and turn it down but it turned out it was juice! He went down and got me an apple juice. I thanked him profusely. I was touched that he was showing me that respect. :) -- Sorry back to the song... so during the opening bars of MY song, in waltzes in drunk jerk who ruined my other song. He then grabbed the other mic and slaughtered my song. I was so upset. I tried to sing over him but singing over shrieking without doing my vocal cords injury is impossible. *sigh* So my first experience wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but I'm glad I went. :) I found Limor and we walked home together. That's another thing, I managed to get home without help from anyone! Win!
So that was my evening. It was mostly super fun and I'm glad to got to hang out with everyone and didn't have to pay for nomihodai.
Funny moments:
When the girls were helping me with my housing I was asking them questions. One of which was, "When I open my bank account (which btw can be opened with ¥10!), will they give me a debit card?" One told me that they would mail me one and in the meantime they would give me a bank book. I know I looked slightly alarmed, as I was, and said, "To write checks?" She nodded and I said, "But I only know like 10 kanji!" They laughed and laughed and laughed at me. Apparently the bank writes it for you. Thank goodness!
One of the things Limor and I laughed about was each others' accents. Well, she went to say that something was awful only she said it with an American accent. She got all wide-eyed and said, "THAT was awful!" Then started practicing her own Australian pronunciation over and over. I told her I was rubbing off on her and started saying it the Aussie way. There's a restaurant in Provo called the Awful Waffle, so then I started saying that. Then I started saying "Waffle" with the a of .. well the way Bugs Bunny would say "Ah/Eh, what's up Doc!?" It was all nasal-y and sounded horrible. We practically peed ourselves laughing.
At one point during karaoke Saz (Sarah, from England,) ducked into our room. She was a little wild-eyed and I asked her what was up, "---- won't leave me alone!" Sure enough, a few seconds later he tries to cram himself into our TINY room. She's already got an admirer! - This story would be funnier if I could tell it in person. Try to picture it.
Love to you all! XOXO, A
Once we got to Morioka, we walked to our hotel. Bryan informed us in the lobby that we would not have our same roommates (I was quite dismayed), but it turns out that we get our own rooms. Ya... I wish I were sharing. I couldn't breathe at first when I entered the room. There is .. nothing. It's a miniscule box! I had to push my bed over a foot into the wall and move the little night table so I could stop feeling claustrophobic. It's SO tiny! (I'm going to try and get batteries for my camera today as right when I went to take pictures of me and all my friends the battery died. :c - They took pics that they're going to post on fb and I'll just steal those and put them here! Also, btw, I posted pics on the older posts.)
After we dropped off our bags we walked to our branch office. It's about a 15 minute walk. The air was quite brisk and Limor and I were freezing. It was really nice though, considering I can already feel the humidity and I would rather be cold than overheating (mmm). At the office we did paperwork - including filling out tax forms that were completely in Japanese. It was a sort of long and arduous process. Then they started going over how to fill out the paperwork for your car. I'm the only one who doesn't have a car or location allowance so I went to go settle my housing (pay for it). It ended up being ¥30000 more than they said it would be :/ Living in Japan is expensive! In any case, I paid and I also was able to read through my apartment contract and sign it with my hanko! (I'll take a picture when I get batteries.) I went back into the meeting and was just so exhausted I started getting really silly. Limor and I laughed and laughed at stuff that doesn't seem very funny now. LOL
They started pulling people out to do their housing and it was taking forever. By the time our meeting was over it was 17h15 but we were going to go to that work "meet and greet" at 19h00. So we got permission for Limor to do hers later and walked back to our hotel. (The fact that I was able to walk right back and not get lost was awesome for me! ... Not that I'm not good with directions... but I AM in Japan. Also I have yet to see street signs.)
We went to our separate rooms to get ready to go out. Once I got into my room it was hard to leave. I was so tired it took me a while to get ready, lol. But once I was ready to go, I went downstairs. I planned on getting dinner at the bar as I didn't really have the time or will to go find some before then. I was told I would have to pay for the nomihodai though I wouldn't be drinking. I asked my mum her opinion about it since I felt like it was sort of a waste to pay ¥2000 and not get anything to drink. Everyone was saying, "Oh they have Coke!" -"Carbonation gives me migraines." -"Oh... sucks to be you!" In any case, I figured if they do mixed drinks I can ask for juice. So eventually the guys showed up (veterans of the surrounding areas) to take us out. Oh man.. we went to a pub that touts itself as an "Irish-Mexican Pub," cuz you know... that makes sense. And good news! I didn't have to pay for nomihodai. Everyone was saying wait until everyone had their drink to take the first drink together. I held up the group because they insisted I have something so I got water. (The heavy drinkers: a brit, a kiwi, and the scotsman started early, but ya it was actually kind of fun to clink glasses with everyone.) And off we were... I found out very quickly that I had accidentally sat in the smoker's corner. It was making me quite ill and I didn't want to smell of smoke so I tried to stay long enough that it wouldn't be TOO obvious why I left then I jumped seats. (Because really I love these guys and they're so much fun - it's just that smell of smoke.) Oh! Before I jumped seats I ordered nachos for dinner. I was so excited - I got the deluxe nachos and had a blast trying to explain extra jalapeños *rolls eyes* - and for ¥1250 it was NOT enough food. It was actually really strange. It was like... someone wrote down the ingredients for nachos and then that list got water damaged and torn and they could only kinda read what it said. They were funky but fairly good. Anyway, we had reserved a room so when I moved across the room, I thought nothing of this new table at which I sat. Come to find out during the conversation, none of them worked for Interac. o.0 Yup.. I sat with a bunch of strangers. They were super nice though. I started to tell them about how I was going to teach at a Deaf school. One of the guys asked me about CI (cochlear implants) so it was fun to tell him all the things I've learned. It turned out that the Japanese woman sitting with us (who works as a translator) had a Deaf nephew. I had the best conversation with them. Then in comes a Japanese guy. He walked up to our table and asked what everyone was drinking. When he got to me, I said, "Mizu (みず)." -"えええほんとうに? (Whaaa, really?)" -"そう ([Yes] that's so)" [My translations may be a little off as I'm just getting started into this!] He asked me 3 or 4 more times then resorted to English, "Wataa?" -"Yes, I don't drink." I, oblivious, didn't know why he had asked until he came back with drinks for everyone. One of the other guys asked me why I don't drink so I told him I was LDS. (Oh and it turns out another girl in our group is LDS. What are the odds!? I believe we're the only 2 in our training group of 170.) It actually was really fun to talk to the Japanese guy. He spoke more English than I do Japanese but not a lot. Poor guy was trying so hard and I was trying to speak in Japanese back to him. At one point he reached out and startled me by grabbing my ear. He wanted to see my earrings (I wore a pair of parrots my mum gave me). I learned a few new words and then ordered ice cream. In fact, when I tried to order it, the Japanese guy ended up ordering it for me. (It was a tiny cone for ¥300.) I then proceeded to spill it on myself. *facepalm* LOL I went to the bathroom and cleaned up and when I came back someone was in my chair so I moved around and talked to a few different people. A couple people in our group were so intoxicated they became almost unbearable but I was excited since we'd been told we were going to karaoke (からおけ) next!
Finally it was time to go to からおけ! Some people chose to go home and I was onto my first time going to participate in Japan's national sport! ;) I assumed it was like it shows in the movies... nope. When we got there one of the veterans who spoke Japanese rented us some rooms. All the big rooms were already taken so the 21 of us had to rent 4 different rooms. You pay by the hour and there's giant books of songs. Unfortunately the remote and machine are all covered in Kanji. A girl came in and gave us a quick tutorial on working the remote and took off. When it came to my turn I chose "Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil. I was so excited to sing though I was one of 2 sober people... and one guy totally ruined it. He didn't know the song and kept screeching into the mic. I was so frustrated (btw it was the same guy was a jerk to my roomie during her test)! Finally I left that room and went to another. I waited and waited to see if he would come in but he didn't. When I had entered that room, the Japanese guy was there and he left as soon as he finished his song. He was singing a crazy song in Japanese. He did really well and the video from it was really funny. If I ever find out the name, I'll post the link to the video on youtube!) OOOHHH! I found it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUOegCG3v1A - It was a longer version of this song, but this was it. I have no idea what was going on but I understood the English. :) In any case, I waited around a bit to see if that guy would come in and ruin my next song but after a couple songs I entered in my favorite band: System of a Down, Innervision. I was STOKED. Right before my song was Wonderwall. The Kiwi (James) and a tall American guy named Scott were singing it together (you get 2 mics per room). I knew the song so I was singing along as well. They then got on either side of me with their arms around my shoulders, I put my arms around their backs and we started swaying and singing. It was pretty funny. One girl (another Aussie in our group) got tons of pictures. I hope I can get some later! Oh and before that the Japanese guy came back with a drink for me. I was like, "Uh oh!" I tried to thank him and turn it down but it turned out it was juice! He went down and got me an apple juice. I thanked him profusely. I was touched that he was showing me that respect. :) -- Sorry back to the song... so during the opening bars of MY song, in waltzes in drunk jerk who ruined my other song. He then grabbed the other mic and slaughtered my song. I was so upset. I tried to sing over him but singing over shrieking without doing my vocal cords injury is impossible. *sigh* So my first experience wasn't as good as I'd hoped, but I'm glad I went. :) I found Limor and we walked home together. That's another thing, I managed to get home without help from anyone! Win!
So that was my evening. It was mostly super fun and I'm glad to got to hang out with everyone and didn't have to pay for nomihodai.
Funny moments:
When the girls were helping me with my housing I was asking them questions. One of which was, "When I open my bank account (which btw can be opened with ¥10!), will they give me a debit card?" One told me that they would mail me one and in the meantime they would give me a bank book. I know I looked slightly alarmed, as I was, and said, "To write checks?" She nodded and I said, "But I only know like 10 kanji!" They laughed and laughed and laughed at me. Apparently the bank writes it for you. Thank goodness!
One of the things Limor and I laughed about was each others' accents. Well, she went to say that something was awful only she said it with an American accent. She got all wide-eyed and said, "THAT was awful!" Then started practicing her own Australian pronunciation over and over. I told her I was rubbing off on her and started saying it the Aussie way. There's a restaurant in Provo called the Awful Waffle, so then I started saying that. Then I started saying "Waffle" with the a of .. well the way Bugs Bunny would say "Ah/Eh, what's up Doc!?" It was all nasal-y and sounded horrible. We practically peed ourselves laughing.
At one point during karaoke Saz (Sarah, from England,) ducked into our room. She was a little wild-eyed and I asked her what was up, "---- won't leave me alone!" Sure enough, a few seconds later he tries to cram himself into our TINY room. She's already got an admirer! - This story would be funnier if I could tell it in person. Try to picture it.
Love to you all! XOXO, A
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Exam Day
Today I was a bundle of nerves! We were told we'd have a final exam that was our first lesson. We'd have 25 minutes, be started and notified of finishing with a bell and were required to have certain elements in our lesson. I just wanted to FINISH. However, I was slotted to go in the afternoon. Not only that, I was slotted to be an observer (we were all required to do peer evaluations, or ev-hal-uations as Cedric would say [he's from South Africa]) THEN I could finally test. So the whole morning during my branch meeting I was stressing my guts out.
Part of the way into the meeting, we had to go down for TB testing. In Japan everyone who lives here is required to get it. So this mobile TB x-ray van showed up (so funny to me) and we all got in a huge line to wait our turn. My roommate and I went in with the same group. We just changed in the little hall area (no shame - and you all know me, I went around later saying Limor and I had naked time together that morning, lol), were in and out and done!
After the test, we had more branch meeting then lunch. Luckily lunch was curry and though there wasn't much meat at all, it was really yummy. It's funny how my body has already adjusted to eating the Japanese way. I'm starving by the time lunch and dinner come around but I eat a whole lot less food and am satisfied.
FINALLY the end of lunch rolls around but I'm observing first. So I watched 2 people do their lessons, gave feedback and tried not to think about my lesson. (That was 13h00-14h00) Finally my time slot was at hand. The dude who was testing with me was kind of a jerk, IMO. He said, "Who does the schedule say is next (and I feel like he KNEW his name was listed first)?" And then was like, "Oh, it says >I'm< going first." Sheesh! What happened to ladies first!? Probably just all nerves. In any case, at long last I was up. Even though I was in front of 3 of my peers and an evaluator, I felt almost completely at ease. My activities went fairly well and I changed and adapted as things worked or didn't work (for me, that's an acquired skill from student teaching - being adaptable in the classroom is a MUST). I felt really good about what I did and didn't receive much criticism from my peers at all. The way the main evaluator graded it/scored it, I wasn't able to see what I got. However I asked him to give me a hint, and he said, "All I'll say is, you have nothing to worry about." :D! I walked out into the hall and saw some of my friends there and shared the great news, "Guys! I did awesome!" My roommate was one of the people standing there and she asked me to come observe her. I was going to pack my bags for the trip to our area tomorrow but felt like it was much more important to show her my support. So I sat in her session (and I'm glad I did as one of the guys was a JERK - to each presenter) and was able to smile at her and wink at her once. She's a very sweet girl and I'm so glad we're rooming together!
Limor (my roommate), Shawn (the ginger we embarrassed before), and I walked to 7-11. (I got what I thought was Spicy V-8 but it was sweet. *shudder* I also got a dark chocolate.. well it was like dark chocolate pétit écolier but smaller cookies and sold in a little tray that looked like a candybar from the wrapper. I'll get a picture later. My batteries died and they won't charge with the converter. *sigh* Anyway...) As I walked out the 7-11, Limor exclaimed, "Ann! You're a champ!" I was surprised and actually thought she was teasing me in some way and asked, "What do you mean?" -"You don't drink but you still have fun. You don't need liquor, know what I mean?" -It was a cool moment for me and I really appreciate that she wants me to spend time with her and that she thinks I'm a champ. :)
Oh! I had scallops for the first time today. The texture was not at all what I expected! So I can't say yet if I like them or not as I was a bit traumatized with my first tastes, but the worst thing I've had to eat is slimy limp shrimp. In fact, I couldn't even finish that portion of my lunch the other day. *shudder*
Funny moments:
I had joked about doing an interpretive dance for my performance exam in the elevator with my roommate. Then when we got down to breakfast I tried to make the same joke... only I said "branch" because I was thinking of our branch meeting. So what I actually said was, "I'm going to do a branch dance!" Everyone just looked at me and I burst out laughing. For the rest of the day I referred to it as my interpretive branch dance.
I approached Bryan, my MC (managing consultant) and asked him if we were going to have the same roommates in Morioka (as we have additional training and will be staying in a hotel there). I said, "Are we having the same roommates at our hotel in Morioka?" -"Why? You want a different one?" -"No! Limor and I want to room together again if that's ok." -*gives me a look* -"We've become blood sisters... -*even more startled look* -"You know... minus the blood ceremony part." LOL He didn't know what to do when I said that. Poor Bryan. He'll get to know me better later!
This may fit under "creepy" but my roommate said she saw two guys ogling me on the elevator. She was freaked because one of them licked his lips I guess. *shrug* They didn't say anything to me and I didn't even notice! :D
Hope your lives are all going well - tomorrow will make a week that I've been in Japan. It feels like forever and like I just got here. Love you all! XOXO, A
Part of the way into the meeting, we had to go down for TB testing. In Japan everyone who lives here is required to get it. So this mobile TB x-ray van showed up (so funny to me) and we all got in a huge line to wait our turn. My roommate and I went in with the same group. We just changed in the little hall area (no shame - and you all know me, I went around later saying Limor and I had naked time together that morning, lol), were in and out and done!
After the test, we had more branch meeting then lunch. Luckily lunch was curry and though there wasn't much meat at all, it was really yummy. It's funny how my body has already adjusted to eating the Japanese way. I'm starving by the time lunch and dinner come around but I eat a whole lot less food and am satisfied.
FINALLY the end of lunch rolls around but I'm observing first. So I watched 2 people do their lessons, gave feedback and tried not to think about my lesson. (That was 13h00-14h00) Finally my time slot was at hand. The dude who was testing with me was kind of a jerk, IMO. He said, "Who does the schedule say is next (and I feel like he KNEW his name was listed first)?" And then was like, "Oh, it says >I'm< going first." Sheesh! What happened to ladies first!? Probably just all nerves. In any case, at long last I was up. Even though I was in front of 3 of my peers and an evaluator, I felt almost completely at ease. My activities went fairly well and I changed and adapted as things worked or didn't work (for me, that's an acquired skill from student teaching - being adaptable in the classroom is a MUST). I felt really good about what I did and didn't receive much criticism from my peers at all. The way the main evaluator graded it/scored it, I wasn't able to see what I got. However I asked him to give me a hint, and he said, "All I'll say is, you have nothing to worry about." :D! I walked out into the hall and saw some of my friends there and shared the great news, "Guys! I did awesome!" My roommate was one of the people standing there and she asked me to come observe her. I was going to pack my bags for the trip to our area tomorrow but felt like it was much more important to show her my support. So I sat in her session (and I'm glad I did as one of the guys was a JERK - to each presenter) and was able to smile at her and wink at her once. She's a very sweet girl and I'm so glad we're rooming together!
Limor (my roommate), Shawn (the ginger we embarrassed before), and I walked to 7-11. (I got what I thought was Spicy V-8 but it was sweet. *shudder* I also got a dark chocolate.. well it was like dark chocolate pétit écolier but smaller cookies and sold in a little tray that looked like a candybar from the wrapper. I'll get a picture later. My batteries died and they won't charge with the converter. *sigh* Anyway...) As I walked out the 7-11, Limor exclaimed, "Ann! You're a champ!" I was surprised and actually thought she was teasing me in some way and asked, "What do you mean?" -"You don't drink but you still have fun. You don't need liquor, know what I mean?" -It was a cool moment for me and I really appreciate that she wants me to spend time with her and that she thinks I'm a champ. :)
Oh! I had scallops for the first time today. The texture was not at all what I expected! So I can't say yet if I like them or not as I was a bit traumatized with my first tastes, but the worst thing I've had to eat is slimy limp shrimp. In fact, I couldn't even finish that portion of my lunch the other day. *shudder*
Funny moments:
I had joked about doing an interpretive dance for my performance exam in the elevator with my roommate. Then when we got down to breakfast I tried to make the same joke... only I said "branch" because I was thinking of our branch meeting. So what I actually said was, "I'm going to do a branch dance!" Everyone just looked at me and I burst out laughing. For the rest of the day I referred to it as my interpretive branch dance.
I approached Bryan, my MC (managing consultant) and asked him if we were going to have the same roommates in Morioka (as we have additional training and will be staying in a hotel there). I said, "Are we having the same roommates at our hotel in Morioka?" -"Why? You want a different one?" -"No! Limor and I want to room together again if that's ok." -*gives me a look* -"We've become blood sisters... -*even more startled look* -"You know... minus the blood ceremony part." LOL He didn't know what to do when I said that. Poor Bryan. He'll get to know me better later!
This may fit under "creepy" but my roommate said she saw two guys ogling me on the elevator. She was freaked because one of them licked his lips I guess. *shrug* They didn't say anything to me and I didn't even notice! :D
Hope your lives are all going well - tomorrow will make a week that I've been in Japan. It feels like forever and like I just got here. Love you all! XOXO, A
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Training Day 3
So... 13 hour days are ROUGH. I practiced for my performances and worked really hard and was scored, essentially, all mediocre. It was frustrating but at the same time... I just didn't care anymore! We had session after session and didn't cover some of the things in the schedule which made me feel like... well, I hope that doesn't bite me in the butt later!
The first thing we talked about in the morning was our exam tomorrow. HEAVY. I was like, I have to now worry about this ALL DAY. However, I do like all the information now so I suppose it was good to know it ahead of time.
By the end of the evening, I was just exhausted - and I mean I got slap happy. I was like a squirrel on caffeine! I was INSANE in one my performances. I could see my classmates' eyes getting wider and wider as they watched me. I, however, was having a blast. I was loving every minute and that was so nice.
At the end of the evening, I went to the "board work" section. It was actually really amazing. I now have completely different handwriting! My handwriting now looks like my Aunt Donna's! I wonder now if she had a class like mine that showed her exactly how to get such neat, rounded writing. The crazy thing is that it was withing the space of an hour. It went quite late though.
When Limor and I got back to the room we chatted and vented and just had a really nice time talking. It kept us up a bit later but it was nice to just share and hang out like real roommates rather than an assigned flatmate. It did keep us up late though. Worth it!
Funny moments:
This happened last night and I forgot to tell you about it! So we were sitting through a HS teaching demonstration. One of the guys in our branch is from England and he's called Tom (Thomas). So Limor, Tom and I were sitting together while our main trainer showed us how it's done. Tom is an avid note taker and as most people know, it can split your attention. So as our trainer greeted us, he added, "Ladies" expecting only the women to answer. We were sitting all the way in the back but Tom pulled a Nathanael, answering more loudly than the rest of the women in our section when the trainer greeted us. The trainer rolled with it and said, "Oooh! Special lady!" Since then we've all taken to calling Tom, "Special Lady." LOL
I thought I had another funny story but can't remember it now. If I do, I'll post it. Much love! XOXO, A
The first thing we talked about in the morning was our exam tomorrow. HEAVY. I was like, I have to now worry about this ALL DAY. However, I do like all the information now so I suppose it was good to know it ahead of time.
By the end of the evening, I was just exhausted - and I mean I got slap happy. I was like a squirrel on caffeine! I was INSANE in one my performances. I could see my classmates' eyes getting wider and wider as they watched me. I, however, was having a blast. I was loving every minute and that was so nice.
At the end of the evening, I went to the "board work" section. It was actually really amazing. I now have completely different handwriting! My handwriting now looks like my Aunt Donna's! I wonder now if she had a class like mine that showed her exactly how to get such neat, rounded writing. The crazy thing is that it was withing the space of an hour. It went quite late though.
When Limor and I got back to the room we chatted and vented and just had a really nice time talking. It kept us up a bit later but it was nice to just share and hang out like real roommates rather than an assigned flatmate. It did keep us up late though. Worth it!
Funny moments:
This happened last night and I forgot to tell you about it! So we were sitting through a HS teaching demonstration. One of the guys in our branch is from England and he's called Tom (Thomas). So Limor, Tom and I were sitting together while our main trainer showed us how it's done. Tom is an avid note taker and as most people know, it can split your attention. So as our trainer greeted us, he added, "Ladies" expecting only the women to answer. We were sitting all the way in the back but Tom pulled a Nathanael, answering more loudly than the rest of the women in our section when the trainer greeted us. The trainer rolled with it and said, "Oooh! Special lady!" Since then we've all taken to calling Tom, "Special Lady." LOL
I thought I had another funny story but can't remember it now. If I do, I'll post it. Much love! XOXO, A
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Training Day 2
I can't say if today was worse or better than today. There was less public humiliation time, however the whole thing was so overwhelming and discouraging that I ducked into the bathroom during lunch and cried for ten minutes before I had this other meeting to which I had to go.
This whole experience is just very discouraging. I'm a good teacher and I KNOW how to explain the rules of a game by showing only and yet when I did my demo I got very poor marks. (Their grading instrument uses 3 negative marks and one positive) HEY!!! My whole room is shaking! I think I'm in an earthquake!! COOL! YAY! My first cool thing about today! :D In any case, I can't remember the exact word, but it was something along the lines of "dismal." -- It was after that experience that I ducked into the bathroom and cried. I'm a great teacher. I know I am. I worked really hard and YES there are things that I can learn and things that I can improve. But dismal??? That's just cruel.
I'm feeling better about the main trainer. He seems to be easing up and actually HELPING rather than ridiculing. Oh man... one guy LOST IT. He argued with the main trainer in front of everyone and it was so bad my group and I were hiding our faces. The whole experience was scary. In a way he was saying what a lot of us were thinking, however we've been trying to keep it in and stick it out. He was invited to leave and did so. I'm not sure what is going to happen to/with him.
On the bright side, I do have friends though they're closer to one another than me. It's a side effect of them all going out for drinks after each night and me going to my hotel room to blog, email family, and practice. I just am feeling lonely tonight I guess. :/
Funny moments:
(Warning: some or all material will be inappropriate for young uns!) There was a "women's meeting" today about general girl stuff (OBGYNs, contraceptives, safety at night, etc) and one girl asked about onsens. (Onsens are the bath houses. You go completely nude and it's a group setting. Yay! Naked time with strangers!! ... wait..) She asked about tattoos: absolutely no go. If you have tattoos, you are barred from most onsens. She then asked about piercings: most are ok. THEN, she gestured to her pelvic area and said, "What about hair?" When my roommate and I were telling the other guys in our group this story (as they were all dying to know what happened in the super secret women's meeting), I made a comment about how indirect she'd been. Limor then said, "Ya, stop beating around the bush!" We all had a good laugh about it (she didn't even say it on purpose).
XOXO, A
This whole experience is just very discouraging. I'm a good teacher and I KNOW how to explain the rules of a game by showing only and yet when I did my demo I got very poor marks. (Their grading instrument uses 3 negative marks and one positive) HEY!!! My whole room is shaking! I think I'm in an earthquake!! COOL! YAY! My first cool thing about today! :D In any case, I can't remember the exact word, but it was something along the lines of "dismal." -- It was after that experience that I ducked into the bathroom and cried. I'm a great teacher. I know I am. I worked really hard and YES there are things that I can learn and things that I can improve. But dismal??? That's just cruel.
I'm feeling better about the main trainer. He seems to be easing up and actually HELPING rather than ridiculing. Oh man... one guy LOST IT. He argued with the main trainer in front of everyone and it was so bad my group and I were hiding our faces. The whole experience was scary. In a way he was saying what a lot of us were thinking, however we've been trying to keep it in and stick it out. He was invited to leave and did so. I'm not sure what is going to happen to/with him.
On the bright side, I do have friends though they're closer to one another than me. It's a side effect of them all going out for drinks after each night and me going to my hotel room to blog, email family, and practice. I just am feeling lonely tonight I guess. :/
Funny moments:
(Warning: some or all material will be inappropriate for young uns!) There was a "women's meeting" today about general girl stuff (OBGYNs, contraceptives, safety at night, etc) and one girl asked about onsens. (Onsens are the bath houses. You go completely nude and it's a group setting. Yay! Naked time with strangers!! ... wait..) She asked about tattoos: absolutely no go. If you have tattoos, you are barred from most onsens. She then asked about piercings: most are ok. THEN, she gestured to her pelvic area and said, "What about hair?" When my roommate and I were telling the other guys in our group this story (as they were all dying to know what happened in the super secret women's meeting), I made a comment about how indirect she'd been. Limor then said, "Ya, stop beating around the bush!" We all had a good laugh about it (she didn't even say it on purpose).
XOXO, A
Monday, March 25, 2013
Training...
If there is a hell... I was in it today. There is something SERIOUSLY wrong with me walking into training feeling capable and confident and walking out feeling like I'm am a failure and will continue to be one no matter what I do. I signed a proprietary agreement so I feel like to be safe I shouldn't go into the details, but as I said, it was BRUTAL. We were told to teach with positive reinforcement all while negative reinforcement was used on us. It just boggles my mind. And as I said to my coworkers and the friends that I am making here, "There is something seriously wrong with your training program if the people who walk out of it feel less confident and capable afterwards." Isn't the purpose of training to inspire you and build you up so you can be great? Maybe I was just spoiled in my education program because the teachers not only TAUGHT but PRACTICED what they preached. During the sessions today there was a lot of, "Never do this," "Always do that," then they would proceed to do the opposite to us. I'm still glad I came, but I'm hoping against hope that tomorrow isn't more of the same.
On the bright side: my coworkers in my area and other areas are really great. They're all quite funny and kind and my roommate is an Aussie so just listening to her talk is fun!
Funny moments:
Breakfast was crazy. I assumed when they said breakfast would be served, it would be breakfast foods to which I was used to eating but with a Japanese take or spin. Oh no.. the only nod to Westerners was toast. There were Japanese pork sausages which were close enough to American sausage that I classified it along with OJ as the only 3 breakfast foods available. Also on the menu: miso (had some), rice with some root in it that was brown (had some), tofu (skipped), a pickled root with sesame seeds (had some - yum!), plain rice (skipped), steamed veggies (had some), and macaroni salad (skipped). I looked around at the food and pretty sure I said aloud, "THIS is breakfast?" It was very heavy carb-wise but I figured I would need the energy (I also had OJ & sausages). (Good thing I ate well as by the time lunch rolled around I was STARVING, and before dinner came I almost passed out - saw spots, had to sit down and breathe deeply. We went from 8h30 - 20h30. *wince*)
(Warning: adult content) Some people at my table were talking about masturbation and when it was mentioned in cartoons (South Park, Family Guy) then all of a sudden a guy at our table says, "Well, I'm going up to my room for a half hour." We all stopped and looked at him and he suddenly went bright flaming red! (Bonus: he's a redhead) Poor guy was stammering and tomato-red for a few minutes.
XOXO, A
On the bright side: my coworkers in my area and other areas are really great. They're all quite funny and kind and my roommate is an Aussie so just listening to her talk is fun!
Funny moments:
Breakfast was crazy. I assumed when they said breakfast would be served, it would be breakfast foods to which I was used to eating but with a Japanese take or spin. Oh no.. the only nod to Westerners was toast. There were Japanese pork sausages which were close enough to American sausage that I classified it along with OJ as the only 3 breakfast foods available. Also on the menu: miso (had some), rice with some root in it that was brown (had some), tofu (skipped), a pickled root with sesame seeds (had some - yum!), plain rice (skipped), steamed veggies (had some), and macaroni salad (skipped). I looked around at the food and pretty sure I said aloud, "THIS is breakfast?" It was very heavy carb-wise but I figured I would need the energy (I also had OJ & sausages). (Good thing I ate well as by the time lunch rolled around I was STARVING, and before dinner came I almost passed out - saw spots, had to sit down and breathe deeply. We went from 8h30 - 20h30. *wince*)
(Warning: adult content) Some people at my table were talking about masturbation and when it was mentioned in cartoons (South Park, Family Guy) then all of a sudden a guy at our table says, "Well, I'm going up to my room for a half hour." We all stopped and looked at him and he suddenly went bright flaming red! (Bonus: he's a redhead) Poor guy was stammering and tomato-red for a few minutes.
XOXO, A
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The First Day
It was at once overwhelming and very comforting. To start the day off, I had less than 5 hours of sleep. I awoke with a start at 05h15 and my body demanded I get up. (I had to stay up late to do some training videos and quizzes I wasn't aware were up on the training site.) Since I was up and it was so early, I decided to get some exercise. I called down to the front desk and had my first (basically) all-Japanese conversation. I said, "Weight room ha arimasu ka." (Is there a weight room?/Does a weight room exist?) -"Hai. [more Japanese I didn't catch]" -"Doko desu ka." (Where is it?) -"[Rapid Japanese]" "Mmmm" -"[Slower Japanese] Beisumento 1." (Basement 1) So off I went to exercise.
After that, I went back to my room and showered. I read scriptures while stretching then got dressed (in my business attire). The checkout time was listed as 11h00 and the Interac people asked us to arrive between 14h00 and 15h00. So I had time to kill. I am getting a UTI so I went to the Vendor Room (where the ice is - I have a picture but somehow didn't manage to pack my cord. Once I get a memory card reader I will post all these pictures about which I've been speaking.) and got two little yogurt drinks. I figured the probiotics would help. It was after I bought them that I realized it was Sunday! Doh. After that I returned to my room, spent a little time on the internet, and then read until it was time to checkout.
(Sorry about the minutiae... my brain is still heavily suffering from jetlag.) <-- In fact, I decided I would stay in the lobby and read until it was time to go to the airport (to catch the other shuttle to the hotel at which training would take place). Down in the lobby I was having the worst time staying awake. I finally pulled out a book of Sudoku and even that... LOL I was finding the easy puzzles to be quite perplexing. (I love Sudoku and have completed several books - and that includes the super hard puzzles so it was an interesting experience for me sitting there feeling frustrated but also feeling like my brain was functioning on such a low capacity that it was hard to feel frustrated.. if that makes sense? I had to generate energy to be frustrated but lacked the energy needed to even think about generating energy!) I was sort of nodding off when the girl from the front desk startled me by appearing and asking if I was waiting for the shuttle. I nodded and then was escorted there. LOL I must have overstayed my welcome a bit. Either that or they thought I was completely lost (fairly true when it comes to the language so far).
I got an interesting surprise on the way to the airport. Two security guys got onto our bus and asked everyone for their passports. I was baffled but showed mine, and off we were to the terminal. There was an announcement in Japanese and I started to get off on the first stop. Luckily the bus driver knew it wasn't my stop and told me so. I was like, "Welp! This is me.... *walking to the front of the bus*" -"[Japanese] *holds up 1 finger*" -"Hai (I wanted the 1st Terminal)" -*ushers me back to my seat* Oops. There were only a few other passengers though so it wasn't too horrible. :D
I then exchanged my money and caught the shuttle to the training hotel. The first stop there was dropping off my IDs so they could make copies of them. I then had a training orientation that gave me exceeding worry! "Study up tonight because tomorrow is going to be... harder than you think. ... We're grading you extensively on your output, but don't worry, we'll give you the results." o.0 Nooooo! I don't feel good about that! It's a strange experience for me. I feel very comfortable in a room full of students but the thought of being a performing monkey for a room full of teachers? Oh no, oooh nooo. My only comfort was the mean-spirited thought, "Well, I can't be the worst person here!" *hangs head in shame* Sorry Maman.
Anyway after that, they took us upstairs to do some more orientation and a drug test. The drug test was fun as the guy in charge is someone I met on fb (through the company's fb page). In fact, if we're friends on fb, he's the one who gave me the rundown of the options on Japanese television. Helpful AND sarcastic. My kinda guy! We had a lot of fun joking around. I met some of my other coworkers and then headed back downstairs to collect my documents and get my room key. I am currently sitting on my hotel bed typing this (everyone is going to the mall later and I had planned on going until just now it occurred to me again: it's Sunday). So I will be staying in and doing some of the prep work suggested to me by the orientation guy. (I might go along with them as I have this fear of being the odd person out because I didn't "go out" with them. I won't buy anything of course, but I feel really strangely about going to the mall on Sunday. I don't even know if the mall is open on Sunday at home.)
Funny moments:
When the guy giving out room assignments got to me, he asked for my name. I gave it and he rummaged through all the sheets and said nothing. I didn't panic as there had been a name badge for me (that I neglected to mention above, sorry) and waited as he went through them again. "Ah! You are in room 7-1-9 and your roommate's name is Limor Stark." My immediate reaction was panic. I'm rooming with a guy!? However, Limor approached me, "Ann! Hello, nice to see you!" -" .... Sorry, what was your name?" -"Limor." Limor is a girl from Australia. Whew. And sorry to her for thinking her name was a boy's name!
XOXO, A
After that, I went back to my room and showered. I read scriptures while stretching then got dressed (in my business attire). The checkout time was listed as 11h00 and the Interac people asked us to arrive between 14h00 and 15h00. So I had time to kill. I am getting a UTI so I went to the Vendor Room (where the ice is - I have a picture but somehow didn't manage to pack my cord. Once I get a memory card reader I will post all these pictures about which I've been speaking.) and got two little yogurt drinks. I figured the probiotics would help. It was after I bought them that I realized it was Sunday! Doh. After that I returned to my room, spent a little time on the internet, and then read until it was time to checkout.
(Sorry about the minutiae... my brain is still heavily suffering from jetlag.) <-- In fact, I decided I would stay in the lobby and read until it was time to go to the airport (to catch the other shuttle to the hotel at which training would take place). Down in the lobby I was having the worst time staying awake. I finally pulled out a book of Sudoku and even that... LOL I was finding the easy puzzles to be quite perplexing. (I love Sudoku and have completed several books - and that includes the super hard puzzles so it was an interesting experience for me sitting there feeling frustrated but also feeling like my brain was functioning on such a low capacity that it was hard to feel frustrated.. if that makes sense? I had to generate energy to be frustrated but lacked the energy needed to even think about generating energy!) I was sort of nodding off when the girl from the front desk startled me by appearing and asking if I was waiting for the shuttle. I nodded and then was escorted there. LOL I must have overstayed my welcome a bit. Either that or they thought I was completely lost (fairly true when it comes to the language so far).
I got an interesting surprise on the way to the airport. Two security guys got onto our bus and asked everyone for their passports. I was baffled but showed mine, and off we were to the terminal. There was an announcement in Japanese and I started to get off on the first stop. Luckily the bus driver knew it wasn't my stop and told me so. I was like, "Welp! This is me.... *walking to the front of the bus*" -"[Japanese] *holds up 1 finger*" -"Hai (I wanted the 1st Terminal)" -*ushers me back to my seat* Oops. There were only a few other passengers though so it wasn't too horrible. :D
I then exchanged my money and caught the shuttle to the training hotel. The first stop there was dropping off my IDs so they could make copies of them. I then had a training orientation that gave me exceeding worry! "Study up tonight because tomorrow is going to be... harder than you think. ... We're grading you extensively on your output, but don't worry, we'll give you the results." o.0 Nooooo! I don't feel good about that! It's a strange experience for me. I feel very comfortable in a room full of students but the thought of being a performing monkey for a room full of teachers? Oh no, oooh nooo. My only comfort was the mean-spirited thought, "Well, I can't be the worst person here!" *hangs head in shame* Sorry Maman.
Anyway after that, they took us upstairs to do some more orientation and a drug test. The drug test was fun as the guy in charge is someone I met on fb (through the company's fb page). In fact, if we're friends on fb, he's the one who gave me the rundown of the options on Japanese television. Helpful AND sarcastic. My kinda guy! We had a lot of fun joking around. I met some of my other coworkers and then headed back downstairs to collect my documents and get my room key. I am currently sitting on my hotel bed typing this (everyone is going to the mall later and I had planned on going until just now it occurred to me again: it's Sunday). So I will be staying in and doing some of the prep work suggested to me by the orientation guy. (I might go along with them as I have this fear of being the odd person out because I didn't "go out" with them. I won't buy anything of course, but I feel really strangely about going to the mall on Sunday. I don't even know if the mall is open on Sunday at home.)
Funny moments:
When the guy giving out room assignments got to me, he asked for my name. I gave it and he rummaged through all the sheets and said nothing. I didn't panic as there had been a name badge for me (that I neglected to mention above, sorry) and waited as he went through them again. "Ah! You are in room 7-1-9 and your roommate's name is Limor Stark." My immediate reaction was panic. I'm rooming with a guy!? However, Limor approached me, "Ann! Hello, nice to see you!" -" .... Sorry, what was your name?" -"Limor." Limor is a girl from Australia. Whew. And sorry to her for thinking her name was a boy's name!
XOXO, A
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| My shared hotel room |
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| It was nice and big |
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| Our bathroom (shower is behind the door) |
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| My first ENGRISH!! It was on the inside of the door of our hotel room |
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| My feets swelled :c |
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| First time this has happened and not been a twisted ankle! |
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Room Service!
I just had my first experience with a Japanese person who speaks (or who didn't to me) NO English. The cleaning woman saw me in the hall and greeted me. I greeted her back. Then she asked if I wanted towel service. I tried to politely decline but she kept talking and so I finally agreed.
When she came to my room (and I am my parent's daughter so I straightened the room up first), she just started speaking Japanese at me. When she finished I simply said "Wakarimasen" (I don't understand). So what does she do? Talk (I'm assuming explaining) some more! *laughs* She finally sort of bowed her way in and started pointing at things and saying things to which I kept shrugging and shaking my head. I had had the "do not disturb" sign up as I wanted to sleep in (didn't happen, dang it!), then I took it off when she convinced me to get a towel change. Then she motioned towards those cards so I handed her the clean service one so she asked if I wanted a clean service, I answered "Iie" (no). She talked to (at) me some more and started to leave but then she turned around and said something else which by seeing her action I think was "I could empty your trash!/Would you like me to empty your trash?" So after all that, I have a new trash bag and a cleaning lady who approves of how I keep my room. :) (That assumption is based on the fact that she didn't try to clean anything and she just nodded when she saw the state of the room and bathroom.)
Man I wish I knew what she'd said!
XOXO, A
When she came to my room (and I am my parent's daughter so I straightened the room up first), she just started speaking Japanese at me. When she finished I simply said "Wakarimasen" (I don't understand). So what does she do? Talk (I'm assuming explaining) some more! *laughs* She finally sort of bowed her way in and started pointing at things and saying things to which I kept shrugging and shaking my head. I had had the "do not disturb" sign up as I wanted to sleep in (didn't happen, dang it!), then I took it off when she convinced me to get a towel change. Then she motioned towards those cards so I handed her the clean service one so she asked if I wanted a clean service, I answered "Iie" (no). She talked to (at) me some more and started to leave but then she turned around and said something else which by seeing her action I think was "I could empty your trash!/Would you like me to empty your trash?" So after all that, I have a new trash bag and a cleaning lady who approves of how I keep my room. :) (That assumption is based on the fact that she didn't try to clean anything and she just nodded when she saw the state of the room and bathroom.)
Man I wish I knew what she'd said!
XOXO, A
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| The vending machine at the airport - people say they vend every kind of drink.. they're right! |
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| The way to turn on the lights/electricity. |
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| The bathroom |
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| The room |
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| View from the window |
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| The pajamas/robe provided for bedtime |
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| Kanji! On the road.. I have no idea what they mean... |
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| Better light for the view |
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| Park/pond area for the hotel (it was beautiful) |
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| Looking out above the pond |
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| Better view of the kanji |
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| The pond again - those thing in the water are koi |
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| Trying to show you the driver side is on the right! |
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| My first purchase in Japan! |
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| The control center on the night stand |
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| The vendor room/sauna |
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| The directions for the toilet - in the bottom left is where I found the instructions for "stop" |
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| This is how I watched Japanese tv (when I turned it on - still have NO IDEA what I watched!) |
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| Yep... beer vending machine |
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| The yogurt drink I bought :) |
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Travel & Arrival Post
(So this is a very long post... but if you want to skip to the highlights, funny moments are listed separately at the bottom.)
We have to back up a few days before the 21st.. to the packing. I'm sure that somewhere in hell there is a packing room. A room where you have to figure out how to live for a year abroad but have a 50 lb limit per suitcase (checked luggage that is). I was tortured in that hell from Monday up to Thursday morning (yes I was still weighing suitcases and making sure they were under the limit). I had packed what I felt like were the basics but then had to go back, as my luggage was overweight and fleece. **When I called the airline (as I was about 12 lbs over total between my two bags) and they said the fee for overweight baggage was $252/piece. The guy tried to be nice about it and he suggest I just check an additional bag which could also weigh up to 50 lb and only incur an $84 fee. Well, that seemed all well and good until it came to getting around in Japan. (Plus I was checking 2 big bags and the allowance was a big bag and carry-on size check for free. The oversize fee was $84 so I was looking at $84 x 2.) I didn't want to have to get around with 5 bags! (3 checked, 1 carry-on, and my personal bag/giant pink purse) My parents can tell you, the last three nights before I left, I was waking them, in a panic about the packing. Well my parents, being the geniuses they are, suggested they ship a box to me because, as my mom put it, even if it costs $50, that's less than $84! So I pulled out things I thought I could live without (my wellies, long john garments, small books, my all-natural shampoo stash) and told my parents I'd get them my address as soon as I had it.
So, as I said, even Thursday morning I was still making sure everything fit (as I had to put in my last couple toiletries). I had the grand task of hugging my family goodbye (and I had done so the night before, but did it again). And then getting into the car and on the way. Luckily Nadia's first class was cancelled so she and my dad went with me to the airport. They helped me get my bags inside and off we went to the AA counter. Each bag weighed in at 49.5! And I opened my wallet to pay that fee, but I wasn't charged one! (a my many miracles addition) They also didn't weigh my carry-on, thank goodness (as I the limit is 15 lbs and mine weighed in on the bathroom scale at 30). So I get checked in and then more hugs and tears all around. I felt a fair amount of trepidation but at the same time was telling myself, "It's only to California," as my first flight was taking me to LAX. I started to read a book on all natural cures that I planned to leave in CA.
While I was in line to get onto the plane, my carry-on was tagged as "valet" and I had to give the bag up. I started to get upset and nervous and asked the guy who took my bag if I would be charged extra and he said he had no idea and took the bag away. I tried to tell him I had measured it (I had) and it met their specifications, and he said, "Sorry, the bins are pretty small and I'm just supposed to take it." In any case, the plane to LAX was the next step up from a prop job! There was one aisle with 2 seats on either side down the whole plane. We had one attendant and got a drink during the flight. (I chose cran apple juice.) The guy who sat next to me was very big and his arm kept jabbing me and he rested his legs against me and kept falling asleep then jerking awake (hence the jabbing). He also smelled strongly of liquor. I kept telling myself to relax, and tried to remember it was only a 2 hour flight. It ended up being a little longer than it was supposed to be (it was delayed leaving I believe), but I made it to CA in one piece! I got my bag "plane side" with no charge and was omw again. When I got to LAX, there was a surprise for me! Jerod drove down to say goodbye to me. It was amazing and hard to see him - I still love him very much, and I consider it one of my many miracles that I was able to see him before I left. I was able to spend an hour with him catching up and then it was more goodbyes, more tears, but I told Jerod that I was promised angels would look out for me and that some of them were family so I expected that Roy would be watching out for me (Roy is Jerod's brother who passed away last year). That made Jerod tear up and I hope that he felt the same strong spirit that I did. And then I was off through security again and onto the next plane. And I was blessed once again as my carry-on was not weighed.
Singapore airlines... the plane was HUGE. There was an upper deck (wish I could have seen it), and a main deck. I was in the second section of the main deck. The sides had 3 seats a piece and the center section was 4. When I got my boarding pass, it said my seat was 53H. I silently prayed that I wouldn't be in the center seats. When I flew to Argentina, I had to sit in the center seats surrounded by people I didn't know. It was hard on my claustrophobia and I just wanted to feel calm as the flight was 11 hours long. I wanted to have an armrest (center seats typically don't seem to get any armrest space). So the next mmm (my many miracles) was getting a seat that was on the aisle. I wish I could have seen out the window (my view was limited to the wing), but I consider it a small miracle that I didn't get put in a center seat. 2 young Japanese teens sat next to me, and it was as though I didn't exist. I didn't need to chat with them the whole flight but I felt really strange like I was invisible. I only spoke to them at the end of the flight to ask if they were home or visiting (I'd heard them speak both Japanese and English). One told me they had lived in Japan and were now visiting and that was all she wrote. However, I didn't have time to be nervous on the plane. I watched movies and tv and ignored everything else! I assumed the movies would be edited and started Looper. However, it seems to me that it wasn't. So I only got 5 minutes or so into the movie before I switched to Skyfall. So, big news! I finally saw Skyfall! *laughs* I don't know how I felt about the movie except to say, it served its purpose. I only remembered twice that I was on a plane to Japan by myself! After that was done, I may have watched another action movie... now I don't remember though it was less than 24 hours ago. In any case, I watched the first 8 episodes of season 3 of The Walking Dead (those were all that were available). I finished season 2 about a week ago so it was perfect timing! They had some comedy tv shows available (The Office, HIMYM, The Big Bang Theory), but I'd watched all the episodes they had already. They had Wreck It Ralph and Rise of the Guardians, but for me those were last resorts. What I DID find, and what a find it was!: Astérix et Obélix! (with Gerard Depardieu) It was AWESOME! I saw the first probably half hour and I was laughing almost the entire time. It was very nice to hear some French as well! I know I'm missing at least one other action film in there... but I can't remember which...
On the plane they offered a meal service. I got the Japanese meal rather than the International. I know some would argue "Last time for marginally American food!" But for me it was like, "Starting early into a brave new world!" There was Zensai (it said on the description that it was an assortment of Japanese appetizers so I'm not sure what zensai actually means) and the only thing I recognized was edamame. I smelled everything first but ate it all and it was REALLY good. The main course was yellowtail with rice and broccoli. It was a bit fishy, but very good. The only thing for which I didn't care, but ate it all since that's what I have to do at the schools and figured I might as well start practicing, was cold noodles. They were slippery, wet, tasteless. There were chives and wasabi and I put all I had on those noodles... wet mush in my mouth. I also found a package of seaweed shavings. I'm not sure for what it was intended but when I found it I exclaimed "Oooh! Jackpot yum!" And put them on the rest of the cold noodles. They helped a little bit. The meal also came with a Japanese cracker, which was very good, and a roll. :) Dessert was a little haagen daz vanilla ice cream. I ate a little bit of it, but I'm not a fan of vanilla (though it was from my favorite line of theirs: 5 ingredient) so that's the only thing I didn't finish.
The beverage service was very good and they brought hot towels before the meal and the light meal which was very nice. I had a few cups of water but 7 or 8 glasses (probably) of tomato juice. I must be low on my lycopenes! Once I asked for my third cup, the attendant asked if I wanted the whole can (yes please!). They didn't have cranberry juice though, unfortunately.
For the light meal, I picked the international choice as chicken just sounded good to me. This time I was much more picky. There was a cold shrimp salad. I had one bite of that. I haven't eaten much shrimp (actually the only other time I've had shrimp is when it was flying at my face - at one of those Japanese bbq places where they cook right in front of you. It was good, but unexpected and I haven't gotten used to the look of it yet). It tasted fine but I left the rest of it. I ate all my chicken but only one cooked carrot and pulled out all the mushrooms. The dessert was this mango coconut fluffy thing. It was really good, but I didn't finish it as my stomach said "That's good." That light meal also came with a roll that I ate.
They had other more substantial options and I wanted to take advantage of them but I wasn't that hungry. I've been so stressed lately that my eating has really suffered. Those were the first full meals I had eaten in at least a week.
In any case, the flight was lovely (though a bit lonely). Arriving in Japan was surreal. It was dark out and 19h05 by their standards but my watch said 03h00 (though that was CA time) so for my body clock it was 04h00! It took forever to get through immigration and customs just because I had to do the forms on my own and the people I asked for help didn't speak much English. The immigration guy had no idea what I was trying to ask him. But hey I got here and I have my Residency Card. I actually used it to check into my hotel!
I have the story below about finding the airport shuttle and I was able to do that and then I got on it to go to my hotel. (Oh also luckily the Japanese airport lets you use the luggage carts for free. In the US they charge you! The Salt Lake Airport asked for $5! You might get it back when you return the cart... but still free is better!) The first announcement that was made, I understood the name of the hotel and when she said "Ni juppun" I knew that I SHOULD have known what that meant. That is, there was a time when I would have. Then when the English announcement came on.. 20 minutes. It said we were picking up at another terminal, etc. Then when we started for the hotel, I recognized "Juu gofun" as 15 minutes. Whew. I felt pretty proud of myself for that.
One other nice thing about the shuttle is that I was able to reflect on my feelings. I had struggled with communication (other than that one young man who helped me - he lived in Seattle), and I had wandered around lost a bit, but I felt calm. I didn't feel what my friend Cheri felt (a feeling of "home"), but I felt ok. I felt at peace. And for those of you who saw me in the last week before I left, I was a WRECK of nervousness. I was so terrified I wanted to cancel my flight! But when I got to Japan I felt IMMENSE peace and calm (mmm!).
Hotel check-in was good (though we both struggled with a way to communicate with one another). I had forgotten to ask about the ice machine and internet but found someone in the hall. He directed me to the vending room (that had ice) and it was HOT in there. Crazy! All those machines crammed in this tiny room. In any case, got the ice then I spent 2 HOURS trying to get my internet to work. That was the first time I panicked here in Japan. I kept thinking, how will I talk to my family and let them know I'm ok!?
When the internet came up I was able to post to fb and to sent messages from my email to Nadia's, my mom's, and my dad's phones. It was very calming to be able to let them know I was safe. (Another miracle - as I had spent 2 hours trying to get it up with several calls to the front desk and then some calls from their internet service center.) I said many prayers and asked my angels to help me out! And my Father in Heaven and angels guardians came through. :,)
The hotel bathroom (mentioned more below) had some cool extras. I wondered what their freebies would be. Get this: a toothbrush with a tiny tube of toothpastes, a BRUSH, a little packet that in katakana says "cotton" and I could see a scrunchy and what looked like gauze (maybe it's little socks) and a cotton swab, shaving gel, and a razor. It came with two of each and I thought I'd only take the brush as I couldn't find mine in a quick search through my luggage but then I ended up just taking one of each for the novelty! I just can't decide if I'll open them or not (that is, save them to show my family or give them a try!)
Funny moments:
Maybe the reason those 2 Japanese boys didn't say much to me because I kept talking to myself aloud in French. That is, every time I would start to panic, I would just reassure myself that everything was going to be ok, God loves me, etc. I didn't see any sideways glances, but it's possible they happened and I missed them.
Everyone reassured me, the people at the airport/hotel/information desk speak English! Don't worry. Well, everyone, and I mean 100% of the Japanese people to whom I've spoken thus far, speak as much English as I speak Japanese. But hey, I've gotten to trot out my acting skills! LOL - This one poor woman in particular worked at the bus ticket counter in the Narita Airport. I approached her and said "Shitsumon ga arimasu" (I have a question, more literal: a question exists) and she looked so relieved but then I had to use my pidgin Japanese/English and she got all stressed again. *laughs* - I was doing my best though! I said, "Eerupoto (airport) shuttle ha Narita Excel Hotel Tokyo ni doko desu ka?" And as far as I know "ni" is directional and "doko" means where. So I think I asked it well enough so it could be understood and we stumbled a bit but she asked me if I meant the airport shuttle and I answered with "Si" and quickly changed that to "Hai!" Then I realized it sounded like I'd just said "Sieg heil!" *facepalm*
The poor customs guy was the same. I speak little to no Japanese (at least it seems I speak little to no USEFUL Japanese thus far, lol) and he spoke little to no English. He was very kind though. I had marked (and this is my first, for me, experience of culture shock/limited brain capacity) that I had 7 oz of perfume. When I was filling out my custom form there was a young Japanese man who, mmm, spoke English. One of the things it listed was 2 oz of perfume. I told him I had two little things of perfume and did that mean I needed to mark yes since I thought I was over. The limit for carry-on liquids is 3.4 as regulated by the TSA so I said 7 to be safe. It was only once I was on the shuttle to the hotel that I realized it's 3.4 mL! Ya... 7 oz is practically half a pound of perfume! (Assuming I'm remembering correctly that there are 16 oz in a lb.) This poor customs guy was so sweet to me. I pulled out the little things of perfume and he made a show of checking the weight on them (I'm sure once he saw them he was like, "Really? Really?" However, as I said, he made a show of checking them) and handed them back politely and said I was fine. mmm He could have said, "Ye great dolt!" But he didn't (and I'd like to think it wasn't just the language barrier that prevented that, he was genuinely very nice).
On the shuttle to the hotel, I purposely took a window seat so that I could see Tokyo. I had one weird momentary panic moment when I looked down at a car driving next to us and there was no driver! My eyes went very wide, I'm sure, then I remembered that in Japan the driver side is on the right. There was someone THERE. So sorry no ghost sitings yet!
When I opened my hotel room, I could NOT find the light switch. I finally got out my phone (an old one I brought for the purpose of using it as an alarm clock) and searched the room for a couple minutes. All that time, this little receptor on the wall was blinking for the room key. So I pulled the key out of my pocket and put it in there... BING! Let there be light! It was crazy! :) Then they have this mini command center on the nightstand. I'll put up a picture later. But that allowed me to control the lights afterwards from my bed. :)
The bathroom in my hotel room was like a bigger version of the airplane bathroom. That is, it has the same feeling to it... it's weird. You step up into it and it's like a little capsule. (I have a picture of it.) In any case, I thought, "when in Japan" and decided to give their water feature on the toilet a go. I turned to the pressure WAY down as I wasn't looking for a water enema and pressed the button. It made me jump at first because the water was cold but it quickly switched to warm. I then waited and waited for it to shut off (thought I might just have to walk away) when I saw the English instructions at the bottom of this page on the wall. I had to hit the off switch. DOH. Go figure, eh? (The picture is on the following post. ... The picture of the instructions. :D)
AARGH! It JUST occurs to me. There were these towels off on the counter, under the other towels that were hung up. I wondered for what they were meant and were they any wash cloths (didn't find any) and it occurs to me now that THOSE towels are probably for post watering. *stricken face* I used the bum towel to dry my face after I washed it last night! AHAHAHAHA!
There was a little robe sitting on my bed (YAY! I don't have to dig for pjs!) - It took me about 30 seconds to figure out how to put it on! That is, I folded one side in and couldn't find the tie for it on the inside. I kept searching up and down the seam then I thought, perhaps the other side goes under? Doh. Yep! I've got a picture of me in the robe that I will post later. :)
I love you all and hope life and God are treating you as well as they are treating me. I am SO blessed. I testify of that.
XOXO, A
We have to back up a few days before the 21st.. to the packing. I'm sure that somewhere in hell there is a packing room. A room where you have to figure out how to live for a year abroad but have a 50 lb limit per suitcase (checked luggage that is). I was tortured in that hell from Monday up to Thursday morning (yes I was still weighing suitcases and making sure they were under the limit). I had packed what I felt like were the basics but then had to go back, as my luggage was overweight and fleece. **When I called the airline (as I was about 12 lbs over total between my two bags) and they said the fee for overweight baggage was $252/piece. The guy tried to be nice about it and he suggest I just check an additional bag which could also weigh up to 50 lb and only incur an $84 fee. Well, that seemed all well and good until it came to getting around in Japan. (Plus I was checking 2 big bags and the allowance was a big bag and carry-on size check for free. The oversize fee was $84 so I was looking at $84 x 2.) I didn't want to have to get around with 5 bags! (3 checked, 1 carry-on, and my personal bag/giant pink purse) My parents can tell you, the last three nights before I left, I was waking them, in a panic about the packing. Well my parents, being the geniuses they are, suggested they ship a box to me because, as my mom put it, even if it costs $50, that's less than $84! So I pulled out things I thought I could live without (my wellies, long john garments, small books, my all-natural shampoo stash) and told my parents I'd get them my address as soon as I had it.
So, as I said, even Thursday morning I was still making sure everything fit (as I had to put in my last couple toiletries). I had the grand task of hugging my family goodbye (and I had done so the night before, but did it again). And then getting into the car and on the way. Luckily Nadia's first class was cancelled so she and my dad went with me to the airport. They helped me get my bags inside and off we went to the AA counter. Each bag weighed in at 49.5! And I opened my wallet to pay that fee, but I wasn't charged one! (a my many miracles addition) They also didn't weigh my carry-on, thank goodness (as I the limit is 15 lbs and mine weighed in on the bathroom scale at 30). So I get checked in and then more hugs and tears all around. I felt a fair amount of trepidation but at the same time was telling myself, "It's only to California," as my first flight was taking me to LAX. I started to read a book on all natural cures that I planned to leave in CA.
While I was in line to get onto the plane, my carry-on was tagged as "valet" and I had to give the bag up. I started to get upset and nervous and asked the guy who took my bag if I would be charged extra and he said he had no idea and took the bag away. I tried to tell him I had measured it (I had) and it met their specifications, and he said, "Sorry, the bins are pretty small and I'm just supposed to take it." In any case, the plane to LAX was the next step up from a prop job! There was one aisle with 2 seats on either side down the whole plane. We had one attendant and got a drink during the flight. (I chose cran apple juice.) The guy who sat next to me was very big and his arm kept jabbing me and he rested his legs against me and kept falling asleep then jerking awake (hence the jabbing). He also smelled strongly of liquor. I kept telling myself to relax, and tried to remember it was only a 2 hour flight. It ended up being a little longer than it was supposed to be (it was delayed leaving I believe), but I made it to CA in one piece! I got my bag "plane side" with no charge and was omw again. When I got to LAX, there was a surprise for me! Jerod drove down to say goodbye to me. It was amazing and hard to see him - I still love him very much, and I consider it one of my many miracles that I was able to see him before I left. I was able to spend an hour with him catching up and then it was more goodbyes, more tears, but I told Jerod that I was promised angels would look out for me and that some of them were family so I expected that Roy would be watching out for me (Roy is Jerod's brother who passed away last year). That made Jerod tear up and I hope that he felt the same strong spirit that I did. And then I was off through security again and onto the next plane. And I was blessed once again as my carry-on was not weighed.
On the plane they offered a meal service. I got the Japanese meal rather than the International. I know some would argue "Last time for marginally American food!" But for me it was like, "Starting early into a brave new world!" There was Zensai (it said on the description that it was an assortment of Japanese appetizers so I'm not sure what zensai actually means) and the only thing I recognized was edamame. I smelled everything first but ate it all and it was REALLY good. The main course was yellowtail with rice and broccoli. It was a bit fishy, but very good. The only thing for which I didn't care, but ate it all since that's what I have to do at the schools and figured I might as well start practicing, was cold noodles. They were slippery, wet, tasteless. There were chives and wasabi and I put all I had on those noodles... wet mush in my mouth. I also found a package of seaweed shavings. I'm not sure for what it was intended but when I found it I exclaimed "Oooh! Jackpot yum!" And put them on the rest of the cold noodles. They helped a little bit. The meal also came with a Japanese cracker, which was very good, and a roll. :) Dessert was a little haagen daz vanilla ice cream. I ate a little bit of it, but I'm not a fan of vanilla (though it was from my favorite line of theirs: 5 ingredient) so that's the only thing I didn't finish.
The beverage service was very good and they brought hot towels before the meal and the light meal which was very nice. I had a few cups of water but 7 or 8 glasses (probably) of tomato juice. I must be low on my lycopenes! Once I asked for my third cup, the attendant asked if I wanted the whole can (yes please!). They didn't have cranberry juice though, unfortunately.
For the light meal, I picked the international choice as chicken just sounded good to me. This time I was much more picky. There was a cold shrimp salad. I had one bite of that. I haven't eaten much shrimp (actually the only other time I've had shrimp is when it was flying at my face - at one of those Japanese bbq places where they cook right in front of you. It was good, but unexpected and I haven't gotten used to the look of it yet). It tasted fine but I left the rest of it. I ate all my chicken but only one cooked carrot and pulled out all the mushrooms. The dessert was this mango coconut fluffy thing. It was really good, but I didn't finish it as my stomach said "That's good." That light meal also came with a roll that I ate.
They had other more substantial options and I wanted to take advantage of them but I wasn't that hungry. I've been so stressed lately that my eating has really suffered. Those were the first full meals I had eaten in at least a week.
In any case, the flight was lovely (though a bit lonely). Arriving in Japan was surreal. It was dark out and 19h05 by their standards but my watch said 03h00 (though that was CA time) so for my body clock it was 04h00! It took forever to get through immigration and customs just because I had to do the forms on my own and the people I asked for help didn't speak much English. The immigration guy had no idea what I was trying to ask him. But hey I got here and I have my Residency Card. I actually used it to check into my hotel!
I have the story below about finding the airport shuttle and I was able to do that and then I got on it to go to my hotel. (Oh also luckily the Japanese airport lets you use the luggage carts for free. In the US they charge you! The Salt Lake Airport asked for $5! You might get it back when you return the cart... but still free is better!) The first announcement that was made, I understood the name of the hotel and when she said "Ni juppun" I knew that I SHOULD have known what that meant. That is, there was a time when I would have. Then when the English announcement came on.. 20 minutes. It said we were picking up at another terminal, etc. Then when we started for the hotel, I recognized "Juu gofun" as 15 minutes. Whew. I felt pretty proud of myself for that.
One other nice thing about the shuttle is that I was able to reflect on my feelings. I had struggled with communication (other than that one young man who helped me - he lived in Seattle), and I had wandered around lost a bit, but I felt calm. I didn't feel what my friend Cheri felt (a feeling of "home"), but I felt ok. I felt at peace. And for those of you who saw me in the last week before I left, I was a WRECK of nervousness. I was so terrified I wanted to cancel my flight! But when I got to Japan I felt IMMENSE peace and calm (mmm!).
Hotel check-in was good (though we both struggled with a way to communicate with one another). I had forgotten to ask about the ice machine and internet but found someone in the hall. He directed me to the vending room (that had ice) and it was HOT in there. Crazy! All those machines crammed in this tiny room. In any case, got the ice then I spent 2 HOURS trying to get my internet to work. That was the first time I panicked here in Japan. I kept thinking, how will I talk to my family and let them know I'm ok!?
When the internet came up I was able to post to fb and to sent messages from my email to Nadia's, my mom's, and my dad's phones. It was very calming to be able to let them know I was safe. (Another miracle - as I had spent 2 hours trying to get it up with several calls to the front desk and then some calls from their internet service center.) I said many prayers and asked my angels to help me out! And my Father in Heaven and angels guardians came through. :,)
The hotel bathroom (mentioned more below) had some cool extras. I wondered what their freebies would be. Get this: a toothbrush with a tiny tube of toothpastes, a BRUSH, a little packet that in katakana says "cotton" and I could see a scrunchy and what looked like gauze (maybe it's little socks) and a cotton swab, shaving gel, and a razor. It came with two of each and I thought I'd only take the brush as I couldn't find mine in a quick search through my luggage but then I ended up just taking one of each for the novelty! I just can't decide if I'll open them or not (that is, save them to show my family or give them a try!)
Funny moments:
Maybe the reason those 2 Japanese boys didn't say much to me because I kept talking to myself aloud in French. That is, every time I would start to panic, I would just reassure myself that everything was going to be ok, God loves me, etc. I didn't see any sideways glances, but it's possible they happened and I missed them.
Everyone reassured me, the people at the airport/hotel/information desk speak English! Don't worry. Well, everyone, and I mean 100% of the Japanese people to whom I've spoken thus far, speak as much English as I speak Japanese. But hey, I've gotten to trot out my acting skills! LOL - This one poor woman in particular worked at the bus ticket counter in the Narita Airport. I approached her and said "Shitsumon ga arimasu" (I have a question, more literal: a question exists) and she looked so relieved but then I had to use my pidgin Japanese/English and she got all stressed again. *laughs* - I was doing my best though! I said, "Eerupoto (airport) shuttle ha Narita Excel Hotel Tokyo ni doko desu ka?" And as far as I know "ni" is directional and "doko" means where. So I think I asked it well enough so it could be understood and we stumbled a bit but she asked me if I meant the airport shuttle and I answered with "Si" and quickly changed that to "Hai!" Then I realized it sounded like I'd just said "Sieg heil!" *facepalm*
The poor customs guy was the same. I speak little to no Japanese (at least it seems I speak little to no USEFUL Japanese thus far, lol) and he spoke little to no English. He was very kind though. I had marked (and this is my first, for me, experience of culture shock/limited brain capacity) that I had 7 oz of perfume. When I was filling out my custom form there was a young Japanese man who, mmm, spoke English. One of the things it listed was 2 oz of perfume. I told him I had two little things of perfume and did that mean I needed to mark yes since I thought I was over. The limit for carry-on liquids is 3.4 as regulated by the TSA so I said 7 to be safe. It was only once I was on the shuttle to the hotel that I realized it's 3.4 mL! Ya... 7 oz is practically half a pound of perfume! (Assuming I'm remembering correctly that there are 16 oz in a lb.) This poor customs guy was so sweet to me. I pulled out the little things of perfume and he made a show of checking the weight on them (I'm sure once he saw them he was like, "Really? Really?" However, as I said, he made a show of checking them) and handed them back politely and said I was fine. mmm He could have said, "Ye great dolt!" But he didn't (and I'd like to think it wasn't just the language barrier that prevented that, he was genuinely very nice).
On the shuttle to the hotel, I purposely took a window seat so that I could see Tokyo. I had one weird momentary panic moment when I looked down at a car driving next to us and there was no driver! My eyes went very wide, I'm sure, then I remembered that in Japan the driver side is on the right. There was someone THERE. So sorry no ghost sitings yet!
When I opened my hotel room, I could NOT find the light switch. I finally got out my phone (an old one I brought for the purpose of using it as an alarm clock) and searched the room for a couple minutes. All that time, this little receptor on the wall was blinking for the room key. So I pulled the key out of my pocket and put it in there... BING! Let there be light! It was crazy! :) Then they have this mini command center on the nightstand. I'll put up a picture later. But that allowed me to control the lights afterwards from my bed. :)
The bathroom in my hotel room was like a bigger version of the airplane bathroom. That is, it has the same feeling to it... it's weird. You step up into it and it's like a little capsule. (I have a picture of it.) In any case, I thought, "when in Japan" and decided to give their water feature on the toilet a go. I turned to the pressure WAY down as I wasn't looking for a water enema and pressed the button. It made me jump at first because the water was cold but it quickly switched to warm. I then waited and waited for it to shut off (thought I might just have to walk away) when I saw the English instructions at the bottom of this page on the wall. I had to hit the off switch. DOH. Go figure, eh? (The picture is on the following post. ... The picture of the instructions. :D)
AARGH! It JUST occurs to me. There were these towels off on the counter, under the other towels that were hung up. I wondered for what they were meant and were they any wash cloths (didn't find any) and it occurs to me now that THOSE towels are probably for post watering. *stricken face* I used the bum towel to dry my face after I washed it last night! AHAHAHAHA!
There was a little robe sitting on my bed (YAY! I don't have to dig for pjs!) - It took me about 30 seconds to figure out how to put it on! That is, I folded one side in and couldn't find the tie for it on the inside. I kept searching up and down the seam then I thought, perhaps the other side goes under? Doh. Yep! I've got a picture of me in the robe that I will post later. :)
I love you all and hope life and God are treating you as well as they are treating me. I am SO blessed. I testify of that.
XOXO, A
 |
| Me on the plane (Singapore Airlines) |
To get here...
Many of you know that I hit some snags before I could get my C of E (Certificate of Eligibility, which is necessary for your visa and becomes part of your Residence card). Well here I was freaking out, unsure, worried because I'd been told in several blessings that I needed to go to Japan. So I kept pushing forward and running around to a myriad of places trying to show the Japanese government that I was super awesome! In any case, the night I got my placement call I was in my room working on something. I knew it was Japan calling since when they would call it would be an endless scroll of numbers across my phone's screen! So I picked up, hoping it was a placement call (and it was). As Philip proceeded to tell me about my placement I felt this weird rushing. You know how in films there will be a sound of rushing water and they zoom into a character for a close up? It was kinda like that. It was all silence and peace but a feeling of rushing water. When he said, "And we want you to work at a Deaf school one day a week," it was like time froze. The rushing paused, the universe paused to say, "You know who did this for you, right?" I had an immediate feeling of "This is the place[ment]." ;) That is, I knew that placement had my name all over it! They give you 24 hours to think it over and you have to accept by email, but I told him right there on the phone, "I would be humbled and overjoyed to accept!" Phil seemed a little flustered, "Answer by email!" In any case, that was how my many miracles all started...
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