Beach Party Weekend!

This past weekend we had the Welcome Party for all the Amakusa JETs and it was on my beach! It was an absolute blast! We drank, we ate, we swam and got stung by some little jellyfish or something, and many people just slept on the beach. It was so much fun! The next day, we all went to Hondo, (the closest big city to me) for hyaku en sushi! (100 yen, approx. $1) How cheap is that, ne!? In the States I would've had to pay upwards of $3-4 dollars per serving. Man, if you like seafood as much as I do, Japan is the place to go!
In other news, I HAVE A CAR! Yay! It's a very funny looking, kinda smallish car, but I love it. I shall her either Snubby or Stumpy... the jury is still out. It's really funny, actually, because my car is really tall when compared to how long it is... it's kind of almost boxy. The reason why it's so tall is because my tantosha and other people in my office were worried that I wouldn't fit into a smaller car! They thought I'd hit my head on the ceiling! I'm so amused! Anyway, I don't yet have a picture of Snubby/Stumpy since I keep forgetting my camera when I drive anywhere, but I promise to get one on-line asap. Then everone can be incredibly amused by my awesome car!

P.S. School starts this Friday. I have to give a little speech for my ENTIRE Chugakko! I be freaking yo! Plus I have to start being an official sensei the following week. Eeek! I'm so nervous!

The more things change, the more they... well, change!

Yes, change is good right? Well, it turns out that my ENTIRE school schedule is going to be changing because the powers that be think I'm not getting enough Chugakko (Junior hs) time! The best part is that I got a call today, just a few minutes after I'd stepped out of the shower, that my main boss man wanted me in the BoE asap to discuss my schedule. Today was a day off for me*, so I'd gone to the beach, etc and really wasn't expecting to be called into the office. Naturally I threw on some clothes and rushed over, thoroughly confused because, as far as I knew, my schedule had already been made. Alas, it was not so easy! You see folks, earlier this year a bunch of small towns (mine included) combined together to form Amakusa-machi. This means that my BoE now answers to the big ol' BoE in Hondo. Times, they are achangin'!
The best part is that absolutely no one in my town knew the big boss was coming down! My Takahama tantosha had no clue, and my JTE (Japanese teacher of English) Yasuda-sensei was really shocked to see us all parade into the teacher's area at the Chugakko. Oh what fun! I just hope they don't all blame me for this mess... it's not my fault Yasuda-sensei and kocho-sensei! I didn't even know they were coming!

*In Kumamoto they have a wonderful, wonderful law that says nobody is allowed to work more than 20 days a month. These days off are called choseibi. Now the FAH-bulous month of August has 23 working days, so you know what that means. Oh yes, trips to the beach and road trips along the far west coast of Japan! Kumamoto people, you rock my world! (Expect for the higher up at the Hondo BoE. Grrr, why are y'all raining on my parade?!)

Life in the BoE... yeah, baby, yeah!

I'm sure that all of you are just dying to know what my day-to-day life is like in the itty-bitty town of Takahama. (Come on, admit it! You're curiousity is killing you!!) I hope that I don't spoil any dreams or ideas you may have come up with when I say that I do a whole heckuva lot of nothing! School doesn't start until Sept 1, unlike the US, however, teachers have to be at work everyday during the break unless they take time off. Seriously! Even some students are expected to attend school during their holiday! Any students that are in a club or sport have to go to practice every single day, it's insane! Plus, if (Godforbid) they didn't finish all their homework duing the semester they have to go to school everyday to finish it! The Japanese school system is just crazy!
Anyhoo, my Life! I have to be at the BoE (Board of Education) everyday from 8:30-4:15. We get an hour for lunch, but I'm expected to be at my desk the entire day. The first couple days I was in Takahama were insane because they were driving me to all my schools, introducing me to teachers, and trying to get me all settled in my aparto. After that things slowed down considerably. Oh yes, and did I mention that I DON'T HAVE A COMPUTER OR ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AT WORK!!?! I was slightly annoyed, to put it mildly, because I have no way to relieve my boredom! So my day at work consists of me studying Japanese as best I can, reading the books that were left in my aparto, staring blankly into space, and occasionally trying to talk to various people in my office. Can you believe that they are paying me for this?!
I am really lucky, however, because almost everyone in my building is really friendly and tries to talk to me. It makes the time pass more quickly! I say "my building" because the BoE is located in a central government kind-of building with other city workers. Constsruction, social welfare, more general stuff, is all in the same building. Actually, there are only 3 people in my BoE! A tiny BoE for a tiny town, I guess!
So far I've made one pretty good friend, her name is Miwako and she works in the welfare section. She's really nice, speaks pretty good Eigo, and have the most adorable little boy named Yuuta. (He calls me big sister, it's so cute!) Having her as a friend has been so helpful and so nice, not only because she speaks Eigo but also because she invites me out and introduces me to the other young people in the town. (Believe it or not, there are actually some people under the age of 65 in Takahama!) We have yukiniku/drinking parties with other people from work all between the ages of 23-33. It's nice to hang out with a younger crowd! I'll try to get some pics of Miwako and Yuuta up as soon as I can! (I have to take them first!)
Ok, back to my life. After I get off at 4:15, I usually head back to my aparto and either do pilates or go for a walk to explore the town. I've also been watching a bit of Japanese TV in the hopes that it will help me to learn. Meh, it's work a shot right!
And that's it! My basic, day-t0-day life! Weekends are either more of the same or hanging out with other JETs. Once school starts everything will change, but until then, I'm basically getting paid to sit on my bum all day and read. Thank you. :-)

Nihon Quirks: Part I

*If you sneeze, don't expect anyone to say "Bless you!" or "Gezuntite!" They just don't do it here! Also be prepared to either be ignored or given strange looks if you give in to habit and say something when someone else sneezes. You know, if I didn't know better I'd say they thought I was strange!

*When you step into a bathroom in Japan, chances are you may encounter the wonderful-ness that is the "squatty potty" That's right folks, the western style toilet may reign supreme in Japan, but head out into the inaka and be prepared for a surprise! (fyi, try googling "squatty potty" and see what pops up! It's a hoot!) Ok, picture that you walk into the powder room, open the stall door, and look down... down... down... at what appears to be a urinal set into the floor. That, my friends is the Japanese style toilet. I would say it's undignified at best... nothing like walking into one wearing a nice skirt and heels. Oh my, you won't be vain anymore! One thing I will say for it, it works those thigh muscles really well! ;-)

*The art of the "little white lie" is a way of life for the Japanese. They will call you beautiful, compliment you all the time, invite you over to their houses, etc and not mean a word of it. It's a generalization, of course, but it's more prevalent than one might think! They just want to be polite and keep the social harmony... I think. Anyway, the moral: don't believe everything that you hear while in Japan!

Ok, that's all more now. Look for more quirks in the future!

Party in Hondo!

My first weekend in Amakusa, all of us ALTs gathered in Hondo for a festival. (I forget what it's called, alas!) Basically, there were tons and tons of people gathered to watch these groups dance. The costumes were beautiful and I was excited because a 3rd year ALT, Wai, was in one of the groups. It's really neat to know someone who is participating in a Japanese festival! During this time, I was also introduced to the wonderful-ness that is the Hyaku En shop (the 1oo yen shop). Picture the Dollar Store only a million times better! Once I get a car and insurance, I'm hitting up that place for an entire day one of these weekends!
But I digress!

I think that the best part of the festival was seeing all these little kids dressed up and dancing. They were having a blast but they really didn't know what they were doing. For the most part, they just looked darn cute! It was also really cool, and very strange, to be one of only 6 gaijin (foreigners) attending this festival! Well, we were the only ones I saw anyway! It made me feel like I being allowed a sneak peak into a secret festival... like they were allowing me to see something that was special to the city that... like I was being let into the group! I don't know, maybe I'm silly, but I felt like I was a part of it. For those of you from MN, it's like when you go to the Renaissance or the MN State Fair. You become part of something bigger than yourself and it sweeps you along, embracing you and giving you a special connection with those around you. It was really neat. I hope that I never stop feeling awed and special by being allowed entrance to these kinds of gatherings. They are special and unique every time... they should never be taken for granted.
My but I am waxing poetical, aren't I! Sorry about that, maybe Japan is brining out the inner philosophist! Who knows! All I know is that it was something special. I had a great time!

Overwhelmed in Amakusa!

My first few days in Amakusa were understandly overwhelming! I slept in different places each night, was left alone with no English speakers for the first time, and the heat and humidity was almost suffocating! Consequently, my memories may be a bit garbled... I apologize ahead of time!
Getting off the plane in Kumamoto city was one of the scariest times in my life! For the first time, it really hit me that I was here to stay, with no realy English speakers, and knowing no one. It was a scary thought. These thoughts made me reluctant to head through the doors to the Welcoming Committee that had gathered outside of baggage claim. Alas! For the first time during my admittedly terrible travels thus far, my bag was almost the first one one off the plane! (Literally, the 3rd or 4th! I guess the baggage claim gods were trying to make up for Tokyo!) I said goodbye to non-Amakusa folk and headed into the throng. Another ALT (Wai) and my main supervisor (Keishi Idenaga) were there to meet me and the others heading out to the islands, and I was thankful to not have to deal without an English speaker quite yet!
They took us out to dinner (sushi, etc. DE-licious!) before heading to the Hondo Board of Education (BoE) and sending us off to our respective locales. The drive to Amakusa-machi with Yoshida-san is a blur, (I was sooo tired and completely overwhelmed) but I do remember him telling me I head to learn Nihon-go! "Study!" he commanded me! I meekly agreed, I was too tired to suggest that he learn English! :-P ANYHOO, we got to the home of Keiko-san (my first homestay) where I was to spend the night and I met the head of BoE in Amakusa-machi, Shiiki-san. Keep in mind, none of these people spoke English! Still, they were very kind to poor shell-shocked me, (I'd literally thought I was going to die at points on the road. The roads here are incredibly narrow, barely room for A car sometimes, much less two!) offered me tea and a couch, and informed me (thru charades and broken Eigo) that we'd be dining at Shiiki-san's house. Luckily, a woman named Onaka-sensei also came and (hallelujah!) she spoke some Eigo! Apparently she was to be my tutor for the evening! Yay!
Dinner at Shiiki-san's house was freakin' amazing. The man's house is HUGE and we ate in a dining room the like of which you'd see on TV. All tatami matts, long low table, cushions to kneel on, more food than I could eat in a week, and the shashimi! Heaven! I was offered use of his spa, (yes SPA) before dinner but I was starving so we just ate. DE-licious Skiiki Keiko (his wife) is the best cook EVER! Shiiki-san said that I was like his daughter and that he would look out for me in Japan... I simply adore the man! :) We got back late and I went to bed asap... travelling is tiring! The next day was incredibly busy. I went to my BoE, gave a little self-intro (in JAPANESE! EEK!) and was promptly shuttled off the all of my 6 schools to give the same self-intro to the teachers and meet the principals. It was insane. I was never even allowed to finish my tea! That night (Thursday, now) I stayed at Yoshida-san's house and they had another little dinner/drink party for me. This time, Yasuda-sensei and his wife (Kimmi) were there, (with their ADORABLE little boy) and they both speak amazing English! He spent some time in London, she in Australia. Kikai-san and his 3 kids were there too, and his Eigo is nothing to be sneezed at! We had a mini-yukinori and more shashimi, (I love the food!) and I was again complemented on my use of chopsticks! (I guess they assume all gaijin only use forks!) At Yoshida-san's, I also made my first HUGE feux-pax! They were filling the tub and telling me to wash, so I took and bath and drained the tub. AHHH! WRONG! In Japan, you wash yourself in the shower first and then, THEN soak in the tub. Plus you never, NEVER drain the tub unless you are SURE you are the last one to use it. Once I realized, I was so embarrassed... still am. How bad am I!? sigh.
Anyway, no use dwelling on spilt milk! The next night I was going to stay at my own aparto (finally!) This meant that most of Friday was spent trying to get it ready for me. My aparto was cleaned, scrubbed really, 3 times and never my me! Whenever I tried to help, I was told to relax! That night I went to Miwako's house (my first friend here) for a yukinori. She had invited me on my first day at the BoE... she really wants to learn Eigo, but she's already pretty good. Yet I digress! That night was a blast because everone there was relatively young, (23-33) so we just drank and had a good time. Miwako's little son, Yuuta (3) was nearly out of his mind with excitement... he loves his yukinori! Plus everyone loved him! He also introduced me to the coolest (and I mean you must find him cool or Yuuta will shun you!) anime superhere called Anpanman. (try to Google him for pics, the guys hilarious looking) The night was so fun! One guy decided that I should marry him but I assured him that would be a bad idea. "I love you!" he declared. "No you don't" I said. "Heartbroken" he cried! "No you aren't" I replied! All in all, a really good time. I was falling asleep in my chair by 11:30, though, (stupid jet lag) so Minudo (Miwako's husband) and the heartbroken young man walked me home. I left with promises to go to Hondo with them for fireworks on Sunday. I passed out pretty soon after getting home, I've never been so tired! Yet I still woke up at 5am... have I mentioned how much I hate jet lag? This meant that I was more than awake enough for the festival in Hondo on Saturday but that's a story for another post! I'll close now, congrats to everyone who made it through all of this rambling. I hope that my posts get shorter in the future!
Love and miss!

Ok, my friends, cross your fingers! I think that I may have done it... my pics might be yours to see! There is a heading AmakusaPics under my links section, click it and it should (SHOULD!) connect you to the pics I've taken of my town so far. I really hope it work! Let me know if it doesn't!
Oh yes! I'll be writing about Amakusa soon too, don't you worry! :-)

A few images of Tokyo... just to keep y'all satisfied while I try to attach a link to more pics! Email/Comment if you want me to just send you the link personally! :-)



Mmmmm, that was on yummy feast! Look close and try to find the DE-licious baby soft shell crabs. Damn but they were TASTY!!!

A Tokyo Experience!

Ok all, I'm finally getting down to the nitty gritty about my time in Japan thus far. Sorry for the delay! Not having internet makes it hard to keep this blog updated! Oh yes, I'm also going to attempt to attach a link to my Chicago/Tokyo pics. Let me know if it works, I'm still trying to figure everything out!
Ok, I'll send a link to the stupid freakin' pics, then, until I figure out this stupid freakin' blog thing. Damme!
(Don't miss the adventures of Army Bear!)

Where to start, where to start. Tokyo is such an intense experience... nearly impossible to explain in words or show in pictures. It's a place y'all have to visit yourselves! Keep in mind that I barely even scratched the service, IF THAT! They kept us busy, busy, busy with workshops and the like. Nevertheless, I had a blast and would HIGHLY suggest that everyone who is can pay a visit to this amazing city!
Anyhoo! The first day really went by in a blur as most of it was spent in various airports (see previous post, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Vanessa Chronicles!) Needless to say, I stumbled into the hotel, briefly thought, "Whoa! This place is nice!", collected everything that needed collecting, and promptly went to bed. Boring, dull, but definitely needed!
The next day I discovered the meaning of Jet Lag when I woke up first at 3 (am!) and again at 5 (AM!)... WITHOUT AN ALARM CLOCK! I was displeased but, HEY!, I'm in Tokyo! I really shouldn't complain! They had a really nice breakfast laid out for us and then the orientation began! All the JETs in Group A (the first to arrive! Oh yes, we are the best!) gathered in this huge ballroom and sat according to our Prefectures. It was really cool to talk to everyone who I was going to be in semi-close contact with for the next year! We were talked at for several hours by very important people, (various ministers and the like) who were actually quite hilarious. I never thought that I'd laugh at a joke told by a government official... and a Japanese one at that! I thought they were supposed to be all solemn! Who knew! :-)
The following days followed the same pattern. Up for breakfast by 7:30, workshops and such the rest of the day, (with a break for lunch, of course!) and we were free to do whatever we liked after 6pm! Now, I'll admit to being boring and dull again on Sunday night because I don't think I've ever been so tired in my life! (I think that I got an average of 3-4 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night in Tokyo, yucky!) I made up for it the next night, however, when I went out with my roommate NgocUyen, another Kumamoto guy Paul, a couple of his friends from Tokyo, (see pictures! They were so cute!)and some other Kumamoto people whose names I have unfortanately forgotten! Anyway! The JET Programme threw us a huge dinner/drink party on Monday night that was extrememly fun. They really pulled out all the stops for us... and man was there a ton of beer! And the food! Heaven! Afterwards, we (the group mentioned above) went to this awesome restaurant (we had to take our shoes off to get inside! Sugoi!) and the girl ordered us a bunch of foods they loved. Everything was DE-LI-CIOUS! Especially these mini-soft shell crabs... god, those things were tasty... but I digress! We ordered a bunch of drinks, the guys got a bottle of sake (which I also indulged in to a, ahem, certain extent. Hey, they insisted, I swear!) and we went to town! It was so much fun and MAN was I feeling good when I got back that night. It almost made up for the 3 hours of sleep I got before the waking up at 5 am. Stupid jet lag.
On Tuesday we met with our Prefectural Advisors and other assorted people who gave us the details for when we were leaving the next day. They also threw us a all you can eat/drink party at the restaurant I'd been to the night before! It was, in a word, awesome. We did the kempai and kept drinking until it was time to leave! (Sorry Dad, but Japan has a very alcohol focused culture. These people drink like it's going out of style! I'm just trying to adapt to a new culture!) If you look at the pictures you'll notice that I often had 3 drinks in front of me at once! (Again, sorry Daddio!) So I was in a pretty happy place when we left the restaurant... a very happy place actually! Then we went out AGAIN to a dance club and man, I had such a good time! It gets a little blurry about that time, but it was still awesome! The problem arose when a group of us decided to head back... I'd definitely had enough! :-/ We got vague directions from the 2nd year ALT who'd led us there and we headed out. Well, an hour later, (and after bothering several nice police officers for directions) we finally made it back to Keio Plaza. Success! (All you the Japanese you need: Sumimasen! (Name of hotel) No nihon-go, sumimasen! Totally works!) ;-P We made it back and that's what's important at the end of the day!
Waking up the next morning was a bit rough, but I was downstairs and ready for breaky by 7:15... go me! It was a bit sad, saying goodbye to everyone that was going to different Prefectures, but I'm hoping that I can visit them during the year! (Get to visit a new place and NOT pay for a hotel! Awesome!) Anyhoo, a couple hours later we were at the airport and, at first, I feared a repeat of the O'Hare fiasco because we were in an awfully long line! Luckily this airport was far, far superior and handled us beautifully. Oh, did I mention there was a Starbucks! Probably the last one I'll see for a year unless I make it to a big city! I got my chai with a tear in my eye... that's amore! (Kidding! Sorry, it's late here. I'm giddy!)
Our plane took off at something like 11-11:30 and we were off to Kumamoto City! OH! Before I forget! The plane had the coolest feature: it had cameras on the front and bottom of the plane so that we could see the outside and the ground on the TV monitor! So neat! (BTW, the Japanese on the plane looked at us like we were crazy because of how excited we got over this. But, I mean, how neat! They'd never do that in the good ol' US of A!) But I digress yet again! Umm, yes! We got on the plane and said goodbye to Tokyo!
I don't know if I'll see Tokyo again while I'm here. There are so many places to see... Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Seoul, Hong Kong, Thailand, Shanghai, etc. The list goes on. Nevertheless, I must say that Tokyo is an awesome and amazing place. The night life goes on and on, the food is to die for, and there are so many people! It's intense to say the least, but definitely worth it. ANYWAY, that was the end of my Tokyo Adventure. Next stop: Kumamoto City and on to Amakusa-machi!

CONNECTED TO THE WORLD ONCE AGAIN!!!

Yay!!! I have internet!!! The past two weeks have been very isolating... no internet, no keitai (cell), no phonecard to use the phone (call without a phonecard?! Cha-right! Are YOU going to foot that bill!?). Yet I have not waited in vain: the Internet God has visited me and all is well in the world! :-) I'll start posting pics and comments about my time in Japan thus far tomorrow. Tonight, I am sleepy, (it IS Friday night here, my friends) and I have been at a wild enkai (drinking party with coworkers) most of the night. My thoughts are not coherent, nor should they be. It would be a waste of a perfectly good enkai if I could think clearly now! Miss everyone in the States! I haven't forgotten you, I swear! :)