Kind, Happy People

In Japan, it’s custom to give omiyage or gifts to the people taking care of you.  I gave my best gift to my supervisor.  One day, the two Brits and I got lost trying to get their apartments and our supervisor had to come rescue us even though he was insanely busy.  His assistant has also been helping us with getting us to our apartments, our cars, and bank accounts.  I also gave gifts to the Super Intendant (not sure how to spell it) and the Shacho, who’s like the guy in charge of our flour.

I must say, when you don’t know a language very well and you want to introduce yourself to people, it can be a bit nerve-wrecking.  Today was no different.  I went into town and bought little hand towels as omiyage for my various neighbors.  Because of my shyness, I only ended up going to one house.  Honestly, they were the cutest little elderly couple I’ve ever met.  Somehow, I manage to convey that I was Canadian and was here as an English teacher.  The lady there, in turn, couldn’t get over how cute I looked.  She was constantly saying, “Oh, you’re so cute and beautiful.  Oh, your eyes, oh your face,” that kinda thing.  It was quite entertaining, and she seemed like the sweetest lady ever.  She was even more excited when I offered the towel.  She and her husband gave me a couple of cucumbers in return and said that I could come over and visit if I wanted to.  Of course, I was very thankful, and after a lot of smiling, laughing, and excessive bowing, she led me back to the end of their driveway and said, “Be careful” as I left.  I’m really glad I met them first.  I didn’t get to meeting anyone else because I was a little overwhelmed and happily buzzing over the whole experience of having to use my broken Japanese as best I could.  That was probably the highlight of my week so far.

Driving and Not Crashing

I thought I would have a rough time with driving on the left side of the road, but I have to say, it’s not that bad.  The cars are very different here; they all look like boxes on wheels.  I have a white Honda in the shape of a cardboard box with a beak.  It’s really nice, but I must say, almost every car in Japan is gray or white, so I just so happened to temporarily lose my vehicle in a parking lot this morning.  The steering wheel is also on the other side of the car.  It’s like driving in a mirror.  The roads are very windy where I am and the speed limit is often no more than 50km/hr.  The slow speed works for me until I get to a straight stretch and feel compelled to go faster.  The roads are very narrow as well, especially more in the mountains where there’s only one lane and you wonder if you’re going to shmuck someone just around the corner.  Sharp corners have mirrors for seeing oncoming traffic so you don’t have to inch out and risk getting hit.  That’s one thing I wish Canada had.

Welcome to Makizono!

Unlike my fellow JETs in Kirishima, I must say I’m in the most beautiful location.  It’s a very scenic drive from Kokubu (which is the center of Kirishima) to Makizono (northern Kirishima).  The main road follows a narrow river valley for the most part and the buildings and shops through there are built right into the mountain side.  My apartment consists of two spacious rooms, a kitchen with no counter space, a toilet, a shower room, and a “laundry/sink/bathroom” room.  It’s much bigger than my fellow JETs’ in the city.  There is a bank, post office, and a small convenience store in my area, as well as elementary and junior high schools, at which I will be teaching.  I already have a new jogging route, but I have to go around 6pm because the weather is so hot here.

I guess my next topic should cover the weather.  It’s hot.  And not just your “oooo, nice weather, let’s get a tan” hot in Canada.  It’s 30 degrees and feels like 35 because of the humidity.  I really have to come to terms with my sweat here.  Today I went for a 10 min. walk and came back to my apartment drenched.  It’s a huge adjustment from Canada; even Vancouver seems dry compared to here.  It’s like a sauna outside every day.  Air Conditioning is my new best friend and I often rely on it, even in my car in the morning and evening.  It’ll be 28 degrees or so in the evening when it’s dark.  So who wants to come visit me first?  I have extra futons…

Week 1.5: The Blur

I honestly can’t fully remember what happened in my first week other than that we did stuff.  I would have written it down, but I was so exhausted after each day.  While the three other JETs in Kirishima were near the town center, I was a 35 min. drive out in Makizono, which complicated things as we didn’t get our cars right away and I was forced to stay at someone else’s apartment for five or so days.  We all got cell phones with Internet and bank accounts.  After the weekend, I finally got my car and was able to drive to my AWESOME apartment.  These past couple days, we have been driving around, finding our junior high schools.  I have four junior high schools and many elementary schools, for a total of 18 altogether.  It’s a lot, but I’m totally up for the challenge!  My predecessor left me a LOT of stuff to use including a bed, a printer, kitchen ware, books and activities, a little couch, and information about my area.  I’m really grateful she left me all that stuff.

Tokyo Orientation

Tokyo Orientation consisted of two days in a classy hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo.  I met more people than I ever imagined I would meet, and there was so much going on that it was almost overwhelming.  I attended seminars covering topics such as life in Japan, culture shock, and team teaching in the classroom.  Some of those seminars were useful.  Others were not.  I think I heard the “Don’t do drugs; they’re illegal” bit at least ten times, while there were some interesting activities situated around giving directions (and I mean only giving directions.  You’d think they’d branch out and do another topic, but no).  I roomed with a fellow Christian girl named Sasha and we became good friends during those two days.  I also met other JETs going to Kirishima:  two Brits and a Canadian from Newfoundland.  We all clicked pretty well, so I think it’s going to be a good year.  After two days of continental breakfasts and lunches where the eggs tasted like they could’ve come from a can and undercooked bacon, and a heartfelt goodbye to my new friend who was going to a different prefecture, I was off to Kirishima with other Kagoshima JETs.

A Little Info On Kirishima

As the day of departure grows ever so near, I find that I'm losing sleep over my excitement and bewildered over where to start with my packing.  Last minute things are starting to pull together, such as my international driver's license and ordered yen.

It may be a bit before I get Internet there and/or figure out where the nearest Internet cafe is, so I thought I'd make another post with a bit of info on where I'm going.

Kirishima, in Kagoshima prefecture, is known for it's vast volcanic range and beautiful scenery.  I read somewhere that it's an amalgamation of about five cities that combined about five years ago.  The specific town I'm going to is called Makizono.  The population of Kirishima is about 120,000, but Makizono itself is only just over 9,000 or so.  Kirishima has a fascinating history as it is believed that the gods first came down to Mt. Takachiho, marking the beginning of the country of Japan.  Therefore, there are a lot of festivals surrounding this legend.

Japan - Red area is Kagoshima Prefecture

I've been keeping up everyday with the weather forecast in Kirishima.  It was 28 degrees Celsius and raining last week, but for a couple of days, the sun poked through and it's been about 31 degrees.  Add some insane humidity to that and you get what one Canadian thinks is a natural sauna.  It'll take a little getting used to.

I've taken a look at some of my predecessor's photos and it seems like the people there are at least a few inches shorter than me.

So there's a little bit about the area.  Kagoshima Prefecture apparently gets more rain than anywhere else in Japan.  Looks like I'll have to bring my umbrella and invest in some hard core gum boots.  I might even have to construct a little boat and a rain coat made out of garbage bags in case there are a few more typhoons than usual in the area.

All in all, looks like a great place to live and I'm looking forward to meeting all my students and coworkers.

Preparation

It's about two and a half weeks until I depart.  I have to say, it hasn't really hit me yet.  Sure, I haven't been sleeping properly and I think about Japan all the time, but the whole thing is still so unreal.  Living in Japan has been my dream since I was 13 and now that it's FINALLY coming to pass, it's hard to believe that it's really happening.  I've been working out a little to-do list to prepare for leaving.  Along with clothes, personal supplies, and money ordering, there are the bigger things such as paperwork, firing emails to and fro, and getting an International Driver's License.


Oh yeah!  Did I mention?  I'm going to be driving in Japan.  I'm sure there'll be tales of screaming ordeals, near-head-on almost-existent collisions and a fair bit of verbal road rage.


All in all, I'm mostly nervous about the weather and the food.  The weather because unlike the dry hot/cold seasonal weather we have in Canada, where I'm going, there'll be hot/cold-ish-sorta rain-ridden humid weather.  The food because I happen to be one of the pickiest adult eaters in the history of picky adult eaters.  No sashimi for me, thanks!  I'll stick to dead, cooked meat and a side of ramen.


Other than those two details, I'm excited about everything else.  I might just turn nocturnal by the time I arrive in Tokyo for orientation.