World Traveler: Last day of training...

I feel badly for the guys putting on the training. At this point, we're so exhausted and our heads are bursting with knowledge we're not sure we'll be able to use in our own schools. We did our best but there was a feeling of unrest during the whole morning. At lunch I finally tasted my natto sushi. The sushi itself was VERY slimy but it didn't taste bad. I couldn't finish it because of the texture. The inari was DELICIOUS. It was very sweet though. I think that American sugar has cleared my system because the first couple times I ate inari it wasn't that sweet.

After lunch, we walked to the hospital. Sato-san (the branch manager) was our escort and he wasn't paying attention and walked a few blocks out of our way. (LOL) We entered the hospital and gave our papers that we had pre-filled out to the receptionist. After that, we were called back for the urine test. Inside the bathroom there was a window and a woman who gave us our cups and took our charts. o.0 It was like seeing take out in a bathroom! I waited for the Western toilet as I feared I would pee all over myself with the Japanese one! (It looks like this:)

Japanese toilet (the front is the right side)

So, I get into the stall and the seat is WARM. It was a heated seat but it freaked me out because it was like I was feeling Allie's butt heat (who had used the stall ahead of me). Then I went to height and weight and stomach circumference. After that, I went to get my blood pressure taken and blood drawn. The nurses spoke a little English and I communicated with words, but mostly ASL (depicting verbs - showing with my hands), that my veins were big but deep. The nurse didn't even try for a normal vein, she took one near the surface! In any case, I looked away as I had accidentally seen the needle when Allie got her blood drawn and it was BIG (long). I asked Allie how to say, "Scary," and thus told the nurse with a very serious face, "Kowaii!" The nurses laughed at me and I looked the other way. The nurse who stuck me, in the meantime, was saying, "Daijobu? Daijobu!?" I didn't realize she was talking to me so I freaked her out when I didn't answer. Oops! She was finally yelling it and tapping me and I answered. After that, I got my ears checked. They ushered me into a wooden box and I put on those GIANT archaic headphones and was to press a button when I heard the sound and let up when it stopped. I passed, flying colors! Then I got to have an echo cardiogram. It was less exciting than it sounds. And it involved all sorts of nudity! ;) Limor told me that she hasn't shaved in 3 or so weeks and the girl laughed and laughed at her. She said that she heard the nurse say something to the other nurse and they started giggling. She assumes it was about her hairy legs. LOL Anyway, after that I went to the doctor. He listened to my heart and then I was told it was all done and to give my chart to the front desk. I did so and then started waiting with my other coworkers. All of a sudden, two nurses ran out of the first room (which had the weight, height, circumference, blood pressure, and blood draw). They were yelling, "Sensei! Sensei!" They rushed around frenetically and when they spotted Sato-san, they grabbed him speaking rapidly to him. He disappeared after them then came back to us (the ladies). He informed us, "Brandon is sick. You can go." I was worried wondering if this was something that would get him quarantined or sent home. I asked, "Brandon is sick? Is he ok?" Sato-san then mimed fainting. Brandon passed out after the blood draw! Poor guy! He said it's something that's happened since he was little. Anything to do with needles always puts him down. LOL So off we ladies went to go back to the hotel.

When we got to the hotel, we agreed to change and meet back in the lobby. We needed to meet with Sato-san at 17h30, but it was only 15h05. So we changed and met back downstairs. We decided to check out some of the shops in the train station. Saz (Sarah) got some new clothes and I said I needed vinegar (for my rinse). So we kept walking until we stumbled across Jupiter. Jupiter is like, "Many Lands." It had products from all over. I tried finding the vinegar on my own but couldn't find anything. So I steeled myself (since the last time I tried this no one understood me), and went to the front desk. I asked, "Sú ga arimasu ka." The girl replied, "Osu?" -*nods* Inside I was JUMPING FOR JOY! She called another girl who showed me to the Japanese vinegar and then the salad dressings. LOL However, I ended up getting some Apple Cider vinegar from France! :D I also grabbed some Australian chocolate and Japanese crackers to share. When we got back to the hotel, the 4 of us (Allie, Limor, Saz, and I) hung out together and ate crackers and waited for Sato-san to show up. We had a good time talking and laughing then when Sato-san arrived he told us about our travel plans and gave us free mints. At one point, he was looking for the "right" James. Out of all the trainees, our prefecture got 3 James (Kiwi James or Tall James, Beardy James, and Small James), and we got 2 Prestons (who were both African American!). In any case, we joked about how so many people were called James in our group and I said that I felt left out. I told them to call me James from then on. "But which one will you be?" -"Busty James." That offended Kiwi James and he protested, grabbing himself, "I wanna be Busty James!" LOL Limor came in just in time to see that and was like, "Why!?"

Anyway, so the 4 of us girls had made plans to go out to eat together so when Sato-san started to lead out a group to show them which train platform and the bus station, I started to follow. However Saz informed me that Limor was staying back too (and Sato-san was like, "Aniku!? You stay here." hahaha) so I decided to hang back and wait for everyone to get back. As soon as the ladies were back we were heading out when one guy said, "Hey! Do I have time to change before dinner?" We didn't know what to say to him since it was supposed to be a ladies' dinner but felt badly turning him down. So we invited everyone (but it meant we had to wait for the guys to change - some of them are very slow). 8 of us headed out together (Allie, Limor, Saz, and I and then Nate, Peter, Tim, and Dustin) and we finally ducked into a place in the train station. I got a sort of chicken and egg soba udon:

This is almost EXACTLY what I got - just a stoneware bowl and bigger onions in the udon

We ate in the traditional style only our girls table was invaded so I couldn't stretch my legs out in front of me and both of my legs fell asleep. It sort of soured my experience to be so uncomfortable (I also couldn't sit cross-legged as there were too many of us crammed on one side). The food was good, however, and off we went to go back to the hotel. We stopped at Jupiter on the way so Limor could grab some tea and we walked back. When we got back to the hotel, Limor broke out the tea and Tim Tams and we did Tim Tam Slams Australian style. She had gotten regular and caramel. The caramel was INCREDIBLE. We hung out a bit longer (and really most of the others are still down there) but I made my excuses and came up to pack my bags for tomorrow as I am meeting my IC (independent consultant - Japanese citizen hired by Interac to help me open a bank account, register with the town hall, take me to my apartment, take me to buy supplies, etc.) at 10 am. It feels so very feel and scary to be going "out there." But I'm terribly excited. Also, as soon as I have my residence card officially stamped at the Town Hall, I will be able to get a cell phone (which is actually required by the company and I found out that doing unlimited tethering is cheaper than getting the net so I need it to email family and keep up this blog..)! So I'm anxious to get that handled.

Oh! During the meeting at the office today, I got my work schedule for the year. It is actually really lovely! My first official day of work is the 15th and I have a day off this month (well I also have the rest of this week off and next week with a training on the 13th). I have a day off in May, some time off in July (summer vacation starts at the end of the month), time off in August (still summer vaca), a Saturday I have to work in August which means a school event (most likely, yay!), a compensatory day off in September for having worked that Saturday, a day off in October and training, a day off in November, Christmas break in December and at the beginning of January, a day off in February, and I have 3 scheduled work days in March and then I have "work days" (where I am essentially "on call") through the 18th of March. Friday is my day at the Deaf school and I am just STOKED about my schedule. (Sorry for the gigantic sentence...)

I will go on the 8th to meet principals and vice principals and see the schools. Eee... it's nerve-wracking for me. I'm hoping against hope that the principal at the Deaf school will let me do my self-introduction in ASL. (Well, slightly modified ASL as it's very rude to point in Japanese culture but the pronoun "you" is pointing. It's been a rough habit to break and still working on it!!)

Funny moments (above, and):

Last week (I believe it was Tuesday), I was just silly and tired. We were listening to another NS (HS ALT) teach and were supposed to pretend to be Japanese students. Well.. we don't really know how to do that. So anyway, I'm throwing out the few Japanese phrases that are coming to mind. At the top were: Yosh, Yokatta, and Yatta. So at one point, I gruffly cheered, "Yokatta!" Limor turns to me and says, "You're such a dude!" LOL I guess the word choice plus gruff voice=man. I then started saying, "But I have a low speaking voice," and started trying a few phrases in falsetto. We laughed and laughed. Good times.

XOXO, A

P.S. Saz has a video of me singing Wonderwall with Kiwi James and Scott. I've been bugging her to post it and she has a cute photo of us. As soon as I get those, I will post them here and on fb! :D

Here's some photos she took: