World Traveler: The big bad day (Wednesday)

Today started out well. I got 7.5 hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep and woke a minute or two before my alarm went off. For me, that's the perfect timing. I don't have to wake up to an electronic device but I also am not waking FAR before the time I have to do so. In any case, I showered and got everything packed and headed down to the lobby to wait for Maruyama-san. I got to spend some time with Saz, Dustin, and Peter before it was time for Saz and Dustin to head out (they were taking the bus to Kuji). Peter has another day at the hotel before he heads out and Johnny (the Scotsman) wasn't at breakfast, but he is staying another week or so while they sort out his housing. (He came as an alternate and they found him a placement in Iwate, so yay! We got Scottish John!) In any case, soon enough Ms. Maruyama showed up and she walked in tentatively. I jumped up when I realized she must be looking for me and introduced myself. She then told me to wait there as she was going to get her car from the station. I read for a few minutes but got too antsy and nervous to keep doing so, so I watched out the window for her car. As soon as I saw her I jumped up and went out the door to meet her. In retrospect I can see how I was cocooned and shielded as today was SO STRESSFUL. When I stayed in that other hotel room alone, I had access to the internet, I could do what I wanted, and I stuck to myself. Training was hell, but I had others with me. I made some really great friends and we were able to spend time together. (That reminds me, Limor bought beer a couple days ago for her good friends. As she was pulling them out she remarked that she was one short. However, she handed me one. (I'm a top-tier friend! LOL) I reminded her I don't drink and she said, "Oh! That's why I thought I didn't have enough. I didn't buy one for you." I remarked back, "Even your subconscious thinks about me!" ;) Anyway, then I was in this new hotel and I hated having my own room as I wanted to be with Limor (or Saz or someone - just not by myself), but I adapted to that as well and was able to go down to the lobby and always find people there. So today when all these scary new changes came at once.. it was not pretty. Poor Maruyama-san could tell something was wrong but I didn't feel like I could burden her with my sobbing. :/

So, back to the beginning of the day: we got into her car and were off to the real estate office. It was really hard to sit there and listen to them speak Japanese and not know what was going on. This was MY apartment and I couldn't even understand the information about it! The other thing was that the agent went on and on and on and by the time Maruyama-san turned to me, she gave me a couple sentences and that was it. It was really hard to feel so left out. They were both very kind to me though. So we got the keys and went to the apartment as we had to open it for the furniture company so they could deliver my things. I couldn't NOT walk in and see the place so I ran in. It's bigger than I thought (thank goodness) but it's the strangest layout I've ever seen! I'm sure I'll get used to it soon. I've been trying (as you can probably see from the photos) to make the space my own. But that came later. So we went in and she taught me how to use the ac/heater in my room (YAY that I have that!). My feet were FREEZING through my socks on the wooden floor. So I was glad to have a temperature control somewhere. She then showed me how to turn on my water and also how to turn it off during the winter (I have to let the water run then turn off the water so that the pipes clear. If the pipes freeze and burst, I have to pay for them. :/ So she showed me how to do that. (She spoke relatively good English, mmm, however she had to look up many words - still, she was very helpful.) I asked her to reassure me considering spiders. I said to her, "There are no spiders here, right?" And she said, "Oh no! There are MANY spiders." Then she saw my panic-stricken face and said, "You can buy poison." So I can have spider carcases everywhere? That IS preferable to live spiders, but not by much. So please everyone pray for me - seriously. I am terrified of insects and spiders and need to have a "safe space" since I am so far from home. So please pray that my safe space will remain safe. Or that I never see the invasion. Either is good. After that, off we went to City Hall to register me as a citizen. (I'm so very glad that Maruyama-san continued to talk to me all day. I would lapse into silences because I was so overwhelmed and trying not to cry and she helped to distract me. mmm It was very hard to initiate anything myself because I would get trapped into a little loop and start freaking out. Ick.) A guy helped us and once again I was the odd person out. I understand that she had to get the information of how to fill out the sheet and then talk to the person at the desk and then to the guys upstairs but it was very disconcerting, very alienating to have absolutely no clue what was being said. I tried to catch anything and every now and then was able to catch a word (mmm) but it was ROUGH. So, we got my residence card stamped (I have to have that in order to get my phone and that's my quest tomorrow - though you don't know that as I only got to have a few minutes of internet (mmm) before I was cut off. But you'll see this HOPEFULLY tomorrow.) So, we got my residence card handled, I signed up for National Health Care (as required by law), and then we had to go upstairs to opt out of the pension fund as I am only planning on being here for a year. After that was handled, she asked me if I wanted to eat lunch. I wasn't very hungry yet so I declined and we headed for the post office (where we were going to set up my bank account).

On the way looking for the post office (which had been moved so we, that is Maruyama-san had to ask for directions as they would have meant nothing to me,) Maruyama-san asked me if I liked beer. "I don't drink," I replied and she was shocked. "Oh," she remarked knowingly, "Wine." I shook my head and "smells bad" and said, "No, I don't drink at all." "Aaah? Sou ka?" She was really surprised. I wanted to bring up the church but I was warned about talking about religion without being asked so I left it at that. So we finally found the post office and it took FOREVER to get me set up. It also didn't help that my name is so long. LOL The computer couldn't fit it all on my bank book so they had to write some of it by hand. Kinda strange but it was a cool thing for me. :) I'm sure it doesn't happen with many other people here. In any case, they told me I had to put money in the account so I handed over my money. I kept some out to buy supplies (as we hadn't yet gone to do that and I knew I needed dishes and cleaning supplies, etc) but the girl counted my money and handed back a third of it. She told me to keep it just in case. It's a large sum of money so I felt like.. "Why can't YOU keep it? I already have some to buy supplies!" Maybe they will allow me to deposit it later. I'll keep a little on-hand for emergencies, but ya I have WAY more than I need out.

After we finished at the post office, we went back to Maruyama-san's car. (She had parked before we went to City Hall - there are very few places you can park for free in Japan. Even if you have an apartment, you have to lease a spot from them.) She was having a really hard time finding the apartment again and I was totally and completely lost! - Finally I started noticing things that were familiar and I helped guide her to the road that we had walked down to get to the apartment. Yatta! (She said that a lot - we really did have a lot of fun together. We made each other laugh a lot, mmm. I was just freaking out in my brain because I was the only Anglosaxon I saw for the rest of the day. Once I left the group, I felt completely alone and isolated.) When we got to the apartment, I checked out my furniture and planned to move my desk (it was where my bed is before). I wanted my layout to be very Feng Shui. I used to laugh at things like that but Jerod convinced me we had to change our apartment around to meet the rules of Feng Shui and it actually did make a huge difference. Since I know I'm prone to stress, I wanted to make rearrangements for my own mental health as well! The more I think about it, the more I want to buy a big rug. I can put it in front of the desk or if I roll up my bed, I can put it against the other wall. It's appealing to me to have to sit and stretch in the mornings and to use for guests. That way we could all sit on it together. -Oh! I forgot to mention - I got a set of 4 for all my dishes. I figured, "Plan for company." If you buy enough dishes, they will come, right? Man today really taught me how much of a people-person I really am. I crave people. Without them I feel off. - I like anonymity at times, but being surrounded by people you know and love is infinitely preferable to being a stranger in the crowd. Although I can't even really pull that off here either. I stick out like a sore thumb! I'm not only white, I also am 10' tall - or at least for the looks I get you'd think I was! So, we waited for the gas man and he arrived shortly. He set up everything and taught Maruyama-san about the gas. When he left, she taught me. I asked her about emptying the washer and luckily the gas man came back just then. She was able to ask him and he also found out that they hadn't hooked up my washer correctly. (If I'd tried to use it, I would have flooded my apartment! Sheesh.) So she found out and I was told to write those things down (and about the information about the gas) as she had to send it to Interac to prove that she had taught me and that I was, in this way, accepting liability but with a foreknowledge of what to do to prevent such an event. I asked her to teach me how to use my washer as well. All the buttons were labeled in Kanji so I'm glad I thought to ask her and didn't have to experiment and potentially ruin anything. By this time I was STARVING. (It was around 16h00) So we got back into her car and headed actually quite far to the Aeon mall. I was worried about going to the mall as all the shops I've seen have been very expensive. As soon as we got there, we went to get lunch. I had asked for curry but there were no curry places there. So she showed me a French bakery (the Japanese are OBSESSED with French words and 1/3rd of their shops have French names - most of which make no sense.), a pasta place, and a Japanese place. I asked for katsu but the Japanese place didn't have it. However, I really wanted chicken so we went there. I got something similar to chicken katsu (only this chicken was dipped in a batter rather than breaded). So I ordered the chicken and Maruyama-san got beef tongue. She didn't offer me any and I'm not sure yet whether I'm happy about that. LOL I asked for the tartar sauce to be put on the side. Well, I asked Maruyama-san to ask the woman to put it on the side. The food was SO good. I mean, I was starving but it was still very good. The chicken was so juicy and tender and the sauce was so delicious I spooned it onto my rice. I got cucumbers that came with a little miso dipping sauce (very good), plain rice, miso (with carrots and large slices of onion - I liked miso before but I'm really coming to LOVE it), coarse tea, pickled veggies (yum), and this really delicious salad that was composed of thinly shredded carrots and cabbage with a heavenly dressing. I was worried at first because it looked like they'd topped it with mayo, but the dressing was ... I can't describe the taste but to say it tasted like lemon and spring. I couldn't get enough of it! Although I was worried about the cost of things at the mall, I was able to get everything I found there for a very good price. (I got a small frying pan and medium sized pot for ¥980!) As I mentioned I got 4 sets of dishes (plate/bowl things, cups, chopsticks, bowls), 3 kitchen rags, a pillow, and 7 things of tupperware (3 of a bigger size and 4 of a smaller). We then went downstairs and I got some clasps (frogs) to sew onto my black jacket as it drives me nuts since it doesn't have a zipper or any other type of closure. I also got black thread and some new needles of various sizes (to add to my "habberdasher set" as Limor called it). Then I got a broom. I had to buy it in pieces though! It's actually more like a dust mop, but I had to buy the head, the fluffy head, and the pole! But I'm glad to have a way to clean my floor. (Somewhere in there I had a bathroom break. I'm so glad they had a regular toilet. There were too many new things and changes today for me to have taken on that toilet today!) After we finished at the mall, we walked out to M-s's car. (And it was dark by now so I was alarmed as I had planned on getting my phone so I could skype and use the internet - but I had to type this up on Notepad to post later. It's fine, just not preferable.) M-s said to me, "Ok, we'll go to the hundred yen shop then get your groceries." By this time it was 19h00 and I was disheartened as I had been fighting tears since we went to City Hall.. *sigh* In any case, I got some really great stuff at Daiso. I got a sushi roller, a rice scoop, wooden tongs, a rice steaming basket, a toilet scrubber, a metal mixing bowl, a strainer, a laundry basket, a cutting board, and dish washing fluid. Then we went to a Supermarket as it's the cheapest place to get food. I got two things of yogurt (that came with 4 cups - vanilla and half some fruit we don't have in the US and half grapefruit!), toilet paper, tissues, nori (seaweed for making sushi), rice, salt, a little bag of potatoes, an onion, vinegar, katsu sauce, frozen veggies, edamame, chicken, eggs, curry, one instant ramen (for a lazy day let's call "tomorrow" lol - maybe not...), and a sauce that M-s recommended to me. She says she uses it all the time when cooking so I'm excited to try it. I forgot to get measuring cups and spoons. Doh! Still, I think I can look up the conversion for mL-cups and eyeball it so I can make some chicken curry! I'll make a giant batch and then tupperware a bunch of it for lunch. I also need to learn how to make miso. Turns out it's a wonderful breakfast food! I miss having it everyday. After all that, she dropped me off at the apartment. I was nearly in tears since I was going to be by myself and we really did, as I mentioned above, have a lot of fun together.

M-s helped me bring in my bags of stuff and then asked me if I was sure I was alright, I nodded, and she said she'd see me on the 8th (to go see the school and meet the staff, principal, vice-principal, etc.). I was really freaked I couldn't talk to anyone and had no internet. I was unpacking stuff while sobbing. I turned on my MP3 but found out that I didn't have any hymns on it. So I unpacked my computer and external harddrive (that has all my music) and plugged everything in and pulled it up. (I can't simitaneously listen to music and charge my computer though because I only have one 3 to 2 prong converter. Oh! Did I tell you? I can plug thing straight into the wall here! mmm) I took out my camera and took pictures of everything mid-unpacked. Then I thought I'd check to see, just in case, if there was the net avaiable. I found a wifi spot that advertised a first time free access (after that is .14/min - which if I don't have my phone tomorrow, I'll just pay). However, it was a GREAT BLESSING, a MIRACLE for me to be able to access the internet for 5 minutes. I sent a quick email to my mom and told her I had a rotten day and sent a msg to her phone asking her to skype me when she got up. Unfortunately I got cut off. I hope I didn't worry her. I consider it a miracle and blessing for me that I was able to reach out to her and it really calmed me down. I've also been listening to Motab while I type this and I'm feeling much calmer. I can't say I'm at 100%, but at least I'm not pitifully sobbing about the apartment like I was before. I have no idea how to get back to the part of town I know nor back from there to here, but I'm determined tomorrow to get a phone! This thing better save as I've spent a couple hours typing it! Hope you had a wonderful day and that you enjoyed our karaoke vid. (I was the only sober one in the room! LOL) I'm going to unpack a little more then head to bed. Gn!

Funny moments:

When Maruyama-san picked me up, we got my bags into the back and I started around to the right side of the car. She politely said, "Maybe you want to go to the other side?" LOL I realized what she meant (the driver side is on the right in Japan) and mockingly outraged exclaimed, "What!? You don't want me to drive?? That's ok, me neither."

While at the store for supplies, I got dishes, two pans (they were RIDICULOUSLY cheap!), a pillow as I hadn't seen one with my bedding (turns out I DID have one but I got a Mickey Mouse one that's fluffier!), and a few other things. I wasn't TOO worried about how much I was spending - especially since the girl at the bank had left me with more cash than I had intended to take. However I did try to get good deals and didn't go crazy buying up everything. (I think I'm going to get a rug - they aren't too expensive compared to the American price and my wood floor is cold! I like to stretch while I read my scriptures and it will be a nice place to sit (I think) if I have company over.) So we get to the register and the girl rings everything up. As she's bagging and packaging everything, I get out my money and put it in the tray. Maruyama-san gets wide-eyed, grabs my money and gives it all back but one bill. I put down (for comparison sake) $500 when what I owed was $50. Oops. Still getting used to foreign currency. I mean... just showin off how much money I have! What!! ;)

When Maruyama-san was lost looking for my apartment and I helped her, we came to the road that went past my apartment. I told her, "It's right around that curve." -"Yes but the sign." She pointed to a one-way sign. "If only I were driving, because I didn't even know what that was!" She then looked both ways, and I could see her thinking, "Screw it." And she drove the wrong way down the street. I accidentally convinced someone to break the law! Doh! But it was a very short drive (40 yards maybe) so we were right off the road.

During lunch, shortly after we sat down a mother came in with her two kids. She had a little Down Syndrome boy in a stroller (he was SO cute) and a little girl who looked to be around 5-6. As I suspected, the little girl couldn't help herself and her little head kept popping up over the booth wall to stare at me. I kept turning and smiling at her but she would duck. Finally she said, in EXQUISITE English (almost completely accentless), "Hello!" -"Hi!" -"What's your name? My name is (I think she said Miyako)" -"My name is Ann. Nice to meet you." -"Nice to meet you too." (No hesitation, so adorable!) She popped down. Then a few seconds later, "Do you like apple?" (Japanese people use counters and don't really have a notion of plurality versus singularity.) -"Yes I do! Do you like apples?" She'd already ducked back down. Then up she came again, "You like apple?" -"Yes, I like apples a lot." -*smiles* That's when we got up to leave. I smiled at her mom and said, "She's very cute. Kawaii ne." Then the little girl said to me, "See you later!" -"Bye! Nice to meet you again." I walked away from the table but then walked back as Maruyama-san (who gave me her first name once but said it so fast I didn't catch it :/) had not followed me and I'd left the bill (they put it on the table in a little cup for you). The little girl said again, "See you later!" -"Bye!" It was so fun to keep seeing her little eyes pop up and so great when she spoke to me. Note: I said "EXQUISITE" English because everyone has been saying our classes are really going to struggle and very low level English ability. So finding someone so young who was so confident and spoke so well was great!

Hope this post finds you soon and in good health and spirits. Pics below as I didn't think to leave the spots open above. XOXO, A