Playing Catch-Up

Alright! I finally have a chance to fill you guys in on some of the things I've been up to these past couple of months (omg, has it really been that long?). Hopefully this won't be too long; I'll stick to the important points. ^_~

I first arrived in the land of the rising sun for Tokyo Orientation on August 1. All of the DC JETs flew in together, and I ended up spending most of my time hanging out with Erik, a guy I met at the airport and coincidentally sat next to on the plane, and got placed with as roommates in the hotel (when they realized that Jasmin wasn't with me and we didn't need a room to ourselves :p). The orientation was in Shinjuku, one of the major Tokyo districts, in the very fancy Plaza Hotel thanks to the taxes of the Japanese citizens. :3 When we weren't roaming the streets getting used to hearing and using Japanese on a regular basis again, we were inside the hotel going to workshops on everything from what to do in rural areas to how to drive in Japan. Most of it was pretty self-explanatory, but each time there was something about actual teaching I felt like I learned a lot. haha

So we arrived Sunday night, and after 2 days of orientation we were packed up early Wednesday morning and ready to head to our respective prefectures. The whole trip to my city from Tokyo took probably less than 3 hours by bus, plane, and car... if you don't include stops. lol Upon arrival, I met my supervisors, one of my ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) colleagues, and another guy who was along for the ride so that he could help translate various things. I didn't think he would really be needed, but after going to the car dealership and a few other places I was so glad he was with us. I guess it comes with the territory of having lived here for more than 10 years!

The next half a month or so was used for taking care of this and that and for adjusting. Luckily since I've lived in Japan before I knew most of what needed to be done, so I was ready to do it and get it out of the way. But a lot of it turned out to be brand new to me as well. Just a few of these included:

• Buying a car
• Buying car insurance
• Getting my foreigner's card
• Renting an apartment
• Opening a bank account
• Setting up internet
• Getting a cell phone
• Learning how to pay bills

I work here in my small city of Yasugi with three other ALTs - Mari, Eunice, and Eric. Mari has been here for two years already and is entering her third year, so she's experienced in the area as well as the language, which is great for when the rest of us newbies need help in something. Eunice is a first year like me and, strangely enough, is also from Maryland. In fact, a few weeks before I left, I just happened to meet one of her best friends, and may have heard that this person's friend was doing JET as well. Our Japanese levels are around the same, too, so we've been learning a lot from each other. While Mari, Eunice, and I all teach Elementary and Junior High schools, Eric teaches all of the city High Schools, which is a grand total of.. 2. He has studied abroad in Japan before, in Nagasaki, so he knows some Japanese too. All in all, we tend to get along and can all get by in Japanese.

Until Jasmin came in late August, we would all (except Eric, who has a main school) go to the Board of Ed (BOE) every morning and leave in the afternoon. And did a lot of nothing. Except for that preparation stuff I told you about, yeah, that kept us busy. Also, in spite of the especially hot summer this year, there were tons of events such as festivals going on, and we planned outings to explore the area. One event that stands out was one with fireworks in Yasugi city, when we went with one of our supervisors to eat at her house with her family. The food was delicious, and the fireworks afterward were some of the best I've seen anywhere, some going off on top of the water to create a beautiful reflection. Of course, they also had the usual matsuri food and game booths set up. Pictures and videos coming soon. :p

I met Jasmin in Nagoya (see future post), and brought her back near the end of August, when we had an orientation for our entire prefecture in the capital Matsue city - about a half hour drive from us. Then it was catching Jasmin up on the documentation and such, and preparing for school. I began teaching at my 8 schools starting at the beginning of this month (see another future post), and only recently did I finally go to my last school. Jasmin is still looking for a job, and we're taking any and all leads that we can for people looking for English teachers in some capacity. Last weekend was my birthday, so we took a trip to Tokyo (see yet another future post), and spent the extended weekend with Jasmin's cousin and her boyfriend. We even went to Tokyo Game Show and met up with our friend Anita from Maryland who started JET last year!

Anyway, I'll cut it here for now. This post is just reminding me of a lot of other things I'd like to write about. Peace.