Monday after all

After getting lost and asking directions multiple times (everyone was very nice about it, by the way! I got lots of, "Be careful!" and, "Oh crap uhm... *directions* Do your best! ^^;"), I finally found the bank (on foot), only to be told I needed my hanko to pull out money without a bank card. My hanko that's at school so that I don't lose it or forget it when I clock in each morning...
The best part is, in my getting lost on the way to the bank (there are no street names here), I ended up in front of the school and it was open for whatever reason. I probably could have gone in and gotten the thing had I known.

So I am limited in my funds at the moment... Which will make furniture shopping and paying for the enkais rather difficult. I know I still have about $100 but I need to pay Sensei for the after party I went to on Saturday :| Maybe Sempai 1 will know what to do.

Did another load of laundry before I left, though, only to discover that the spin cycle knocked the drain hose off the drain... resulting in a flooded washroom. Not sure what to do to fix it. Sempai 4 had suggested tape but I don't think that will cut it. I'll try to get pictures of it tomorrow so my friend can show her dad and maybe get some advice.

At Don Quixote, however, I bought a foot stool that is in fact not quite tall enough for the cabinet's top shelf... But it gets me closer, at least. I can use it for the closet and get the taller one later. I also bought some alcohol (squee!), and a squeegee for the shower since it was not designed very well. It takes three days to dry on its own, and as such I've been apprehensive of showering regularly. The squeegee will make a huge difference, though, and that will be a relief come the summer. Today was fairly muggy with the rain coming in for the week, and summer will only be worse. I can smell the mold and mildew getting ready...

I encountered a small handful of my students while walking around; the first group was a bunch of boys looking at trading cards and there was an air of, "Aw, crap, it's sensei..." as I approached. All the girls I encountered, however, were fairly excited to see me, and had they not been on their way to something or I to the Mega Donkey, I would have chatted with them. I'll find out if word gets around school that I wear earrings, but I don't think any of them are old enough to even know what SKIN was, never mind why it's a big deal to SKIN fans that I have a T-shirt with the band logo on it. *evil chuckle* (4 big Japanese solo names formed a band and they only had one show, and it was in America. You could feel the butt hurt from across the Pacific.)

I also had lunch at Lotteria to take advantage of their Shingeki no Kyoujin/Attack on Titan campaign. I got the clear file today, but my next target is the hand towel, and then the fry bucket. I was impressed by Lotteria's fries! They're just like home. The cheese burger I had tasted and looked a lot like the McD's cheeseburger, just a different sauce. It was a small meal, but for $5 I was fed to satisfaction and I got a clear file that's normally about that much money, if not more. The cashier was very nice about helping me order, as well, using slow Japanese as she pointed and gestured.

Speaking of people helping me out! I mentioned this on Facebook but not all of you are on there:
Mom had sent me a box but it arrived while I was at school, and I was left a Failure of Delivery notice. While it was rather obvious what was needed of me, there was no way I'd be able to make the call and set up a time for re-delivery on my own. I had been told to go to Conbinis for missed deliveries, so I took the notice to the 7-11 at around midnight, after the enkai, when everyone was asleep and everything else was closed. The two clerks pored over the notice to figure out what to do and explained it to me as best they could, but then figured it best if they just made the call themselves. They went through the automation for me and set it up for a Sunday delivery. T^T So kind of them!

Time off!

Just a quick play by play of my time off that I haven't really covered yet.

Obviously I have weekends off. The night of going to my school for the first time we had an enkai but I bowed out a little early because I was broke and couldn't afford the second party. Slept in and on Saturday we got my washing machine hooked up and functioning. Also found out how far the Akatsuka station and the Yamashin were from my apartment, both of which are within walking distance, and so is  the Mega Don Quixote! It's just in the opposite direction. XD But on Sunday I went exploring and found it without much trouble; if you go in the correct direction it's very hard to miss! It earned it's prefix of "Mega," to say the least.

I also went to church first on Sunday, and had lunch with my Sempais after not seeing or hearing from them in a week. I missed them!

Monday after school and our meeting, a group of us went to Costco in the neighboring city and loaded up a minivan with groceries and bulk items. I was quite satisfied with my haul, but still had not found any furniture items, like a bed or a shelving rack for the kitchen.

This past Saturday was spent at school, for PTA purposes, and there was an after party involving said PTA. And then another after party, and I went to this one. It was very interesting! We went to an izakaya across the street (Japanese bar that had all you can drink), were everyone let loose and got super chummy. I was even told to not bother flipping my chopsticks over to serve from the plates, but bravo to me for knowing so much about Japanese culture! I was also told I needed more alcohol because I clearly wasn't relaxed enough, but being a Gaijin and brand new and with parents around, I didn't want to take any chances. That being said, though, the principal himself invited me to his home for a BBQ next week, and this happened before we had all started drinking! If that sounds like a big deal, it's because it is, in general. But he's a very kind person and likes to joke with his staff during working hours, and while it's still a big deal that he invited me and I'm of course honored that he already thinks so highly of me, I'm not entirely surprised? I've never once felt intimidated by him, which is something that we've been kind of led to expect of our superiors. I was certainly surprised at his friendliness when I met him!

But by having school on Saturday, we have Monday off, which means I get a three day weekend while most of the other AETs are not so fortunate. *dance* I spent today doing laundry, chatting online, and then I went to find the recycle shop by Akatsuka station on foot. They didn't have furniture I could use at the moment, but I did stumble upon a limited edition of MUCC's Shangri La album. :D Then a quick stop at the grocery store to get eggs, meat, and yakisoba stuff for dinner that I ultimately did not make; just reheated curry from the other night. Oh and on that note, I've been asked by a few Senseis what I have for dinner "every day" which is rather curious in my opinion. I got smart with one of them and said, "I eat food every day!" because, let's face it, I don't eat the same thing every day. I eat curry enough that I have to try to not eat it when I go out, so that I truly don't get sick of it (My solace is that I make it a little differently than the places I find it at do, such as including lotus root and not throwing in eight pounds of onion quarters... But I digress.), but I don't have it for dinner every night.

Tomorrow will involve more laundry, and a trip to the bank to pull out some dinero. Might swing by Don Quixote, as well, and if I have the time, maybe get a massage across the street from the apartment. Sempai, if she has time, will take me to other places for furniture shopping on Tuesday. If not I'll wait for her to get back from her trip for Golden Week.

Also I just applied for fiber optic internet... :| I finally won't be dependent on data and wifi leeching.

I hate children.

No, seriously. It's been my mantra since I was a snot-nosed kid. Now I'm a snot-nosed adult.

I just wrapped up my first week at school. I have 4 English teachers to defer to, and I sit next to the head English teacher. I'm constantly mispronouncing his name, which turns it into "Scissors" in Japanese. On Friday I called him that in front of his class and they all erupted into giggles. I think it might become his nickname before long, though...

As far as classes go, I am only in the English Conversation class with one other teacher, and she sits across from me. This of course makes planning lessons, etc., very convenient. While some AETs have multiple schools, I only have one, but I thus far have only had 4 classes a day or less. This is in part due to the half-day schedule for the home visits that teachers do here, and three of the English teachers are doing said home visits this week.

I have 4 classes of each grade, for a total of 12, plus two Special needs classes. When I interviewed for Interac, I was asked how I felt about the possibility of working with special needs kids, and I was honestly apprehensive at the idea because I had very little experience with the mentally handicapped in general, never mind teaching them. I was apprehensive here, too, especially after meeting one of my sempais' students that has Down's Syndrome, but I was told to expect to have one disabilities class if not more. Well, I met my kids, and their main instructor told me that the majority (of less than 10 kids) of them are in fact retarded, one has ADD, and one has Aspherger's and PDD.

I'll be honest: They're probably my favorite group of kids. I get emotional at the idea of working with them so closely, and hopefully being a positive influence in their lives. One in particular had written that he didn't like English because it was hard to learn, but if it could be made easier he'd like it more. I met him after reading that, and after class he conveyed that he felt a little better about learning it with me.

I sat with their teacher on Friday and asked what sorts of materials and topics I could use to work with them, because my teaching games resource, while a wealth of ideas for elementary-level minds, mostly has games that require lots of kids. I have 5 or less in either of these classes, and while that's great for conversation purposes and giving them adequate time with me, I can't play many games with them! I want them to have some fun with me. So I had to find out what I was working with, and sensei was ecstatic that I was ready to jump in and work with her kids. (And she's such a dear; she loaned me an elementary level Japanese book after she saw I could read Japanese and some kanji T^T)

I spent lunch this week eating with the 7^th graders, moving from group to group each day. Some talked around me, one didn't say anything at all (even to each other) until I probed them all with goofy Japanese, but the group on Friday was happy to talk to me in Japanese. We even got the whole side of the room to dance to one of the songs playing. ^_^ Next week I'll be in a different 7^th grade class.

Finally, I roamed around after lunch and checked out some of the clubs. My favorite is the art club, but right next door is the chorus club and they're all very excited to have me sit and listen to their lovely voices. On a side note about that, Friday morning they were walking the hallways together and they greeted a teacher, their voices harmonizing like they were singing. So adorable! I also helped out with the gym clubs, after which I played some with the table tennis club. But I always end up at the art room, which has illustrators, painters, sculptors, and etchers. They're talkative but not too lively, which is perfect for me. And VERY creative! I love to just sit and watch them work. One girl in particular started writing my name with a brush, and then her friend did the same in much prettier writing, and the first girl got discouraged at her own skill, especially with how nonchalant her friend was about her own talent. But I have the paper the first girl did, sitting on my desk for all the teachers to see. She also began painting a spacescape with meteors and stars, and she ran out of ideas to add. She then handed the paper to me and asked me to add to it, which I eagerly did. She kept pooh-poohing her picture, but I think it's beautiful (sound familiar, anyone?). I'm also a sucker for spacescapes, but she did a nice job besides. If she ever decides she doesn't want it anymore, I'm snagging it!

That's all for now. I have laundry hanging outside now that my washer is hooked up and usable. :D I need to wash my colors and darks next... My laundry is racist; Whites first!

Too much, too fast.

Where to begin! Well, I've been here in Japan for all of two weeks (I landed on the 10^th?), and it's now the 25^th. I have survived a great many things thus far!

My first day in Mito was a big one. First we went kitchen shopping, then some furniture shopping, had lunch, then went to the grocery store. I didn't think much of it until I remembered something horrifying: Very few of my trusted brands were anywhere to be found. What's more, I'm a voluntary diabetic (which basically translates to I need protein with every meal) and I'm in a land of starch with starch as a side dish, and some actual animal-based protein thrown in for a garnish. I don't do well with a piece of toast for breakfast and nothing else; I will want to kill things within the hour. But after some navigating and recommendations from my sempais, we were ready to check out, and that's where I started to lose it: Did you bring enough reusable bags? No? How many plastic bags will you need? They're 3 Yen a piece. That's not a lot, but I've never shopped before and have no idea how big bags are here, thus how many I need is a huge mystery, plus I need to figure out how to pay when I only have $200 in Yen on me for the week, oh but it's ok I can pay with my American Visa, wait I'm spending how much on food and household cleaning items??? Oh, my God, is that a lot? I have no idea!!!! BREATHE

I made it outside before I needed to cry.

If you've never been on your own or can't think back that far, it's ridiculously overwhelming to fill your kitchen from nothing, especially in a new culture with different food and different grocery store customs and layouts. Sure, my sempais gave me a few items like plates and silverware and a few edible items, as well as some absolutely filthy pots and pans. But I had no way of using these things; I needed kitchen tools! Cutting boards, knives, serving and stirring utensils, sponges and towels! I had none of these things! And I needed actual food!! I couldn't think straight. I had to get food for multiple meals, and the proper ingredients (Curry? Vegetables and meat! Hold up; what vegetables are here and are they expensive? Cereal requires milk but I don't know what milk is like here. Eggs and bacon requires eggs and bacon and maybe some oil and seasoning... Ok that's easy enough. Want some fruit? How quickly will you eat it? Do you really need that item right now or can it wait a week? Meanwhile, keep the size of your fridge, kitchen, and cooking surface in mind!!!!).

I've been here two weeks and I still have not acquired butter, for example. It's taken me three trips to the grocery store to find it (and when I did find it I felt like an idiot). Did I buy any? No. Why? Because I don't know which brands are actual butter and which ones are yellow plastic.

And for all of that, I still don't have a bed that I'm not borrowing, or proper shelving because I had to browse before I could commit to anything. Hopefully sempai can help me with that this week or next. I also don't have curtains yet, or a footstool to reach my overhead cabinets, but I can go get the foot stool this weekend now that I found one within walking distance and have money. :D

Training! (back dated)

I start training this week, but unfortunately training mostly involves "getting to know each other" games and all the culture rules and how to be Japanese (but don't be too Japanese because there is supposed to be culture exchange, as well!) and never ever do this or that. Every now and then discussions about actual teaching crop up, but there was nothing about how to live in Japan until Thursday when we went over the "Life Manual" that would have been nice to have in our welcome bags from the previous Friday night when we were taken to our apartments. (You don't need to use your microwave to make food, right? Cuz we won't give you a guide to that for another week. And we hope you brought enough clothes to last until you get the washing machine guide! If not, hopefully there's a coin Laundromat nearby...) And don't get me started on how to operate the bus system here, because they never got started, either. (But make sure you have enough presents for all of your school's staff! AND WE DO MEAN ALL!)

Overall I am not terribly impressed with the way the program has been run this year, and it's probably my displeasure with this that will likely get me in trouble with the Board. If it was only a few years old, it would be one thing, but they have been at this for decades, and this year was very badly put together; even they admit that.

On Friday (the 18th) we were taken to our schools for the first time and we got to meet everyone. I was finally able to see where my school was (I'd searched for it on Sunday and never found it) and know for sure how to get there via bus and walking. I also had an enkai that night, and I ended up being late to that because I didn't know when the buses left my area at that time of day. It was a lot of fun, though. I enjoy the staff at my school very much, both sober and inebriated, and I look forward to a great year with them.

Leaving in about 6 hours.

BBIAW!

Yes, I'm nervous.

2 more days to go.

I now have a box of clothes that I'll want right away, so that will be with my toiletries and the grammar books and maybe crochet stuff if Mom can find a big enough box. My justification for so many clothes is that I'm fat and won't be able to buy anything that I need there.

My IRS form 6166 finally arrived today (almost a month beyond the 6 week turn around time), so I won't get double taxation. Yay for that!

Sempai said I have a fridge, a couch, and a washing machine in my apartment, and if I did the address right, I found my roof top. XD It's too far from the street to see the front, though. Looks like a decent enough building, though. I also managed to find a collection of places to check out/eat at/shop in bookmarked on Google Maps left behind by someone that was probably in the JET program, so that will come in handy, I'm sure.

And as far as international communication goes, I have Skype, Kik, Viber, and of course the Facebook.