Settling In

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This entry will be short. I am sitting at Popeye internet cafe with my new friend from New York, Stephanie, and an Asahi beer in front of me. Steph and I just met (she is not actually teaching with the JET program but is here on a private contract) but foreigners tend to stick together in the rural areas. She is actually friends with the owner of the cafe (she is very outgoing as one would expect New Yorkers to be) so apparently the beer and internet use are free, though neither of us really understands Japanese and the owner does not speak much english. You will also have to excuse my english as I can not find the apostrophes on this Japanese keyboard. My apologies also if the writing suddenly switches to Japanese characters...it seems to happen spontaneously here!

First let me say THANK YOU for your e-mails and messages! I realized this week how dependent I am on the internet for everything. It has been a good step back (in retrospect) to be without it as I have had to reconnect with myself. Since my last e-mail things have been on the upswing. From Monday to today Andrew (the Aussie), Lucy (the other JET that works at our office) and I attended a seminar for Japanese Teachers of English, acting as facilitators for the various activities they were doing. Not only did we meet up with some of the other JETs from our region but we also got to spend time finding out how motivated (and nice) the Japanese teachers are. I am not sure if the teachers at my school will be so enthhusiastic but I really felt like I bonded with the teachers in my group. One of them even gave me a gift of slippers to wear at my school!!! Andrew was very surprised since it is usually supposed to go the other way around (the foreigners are supposed to give gifts - called Omiyage - to the Japanese). I felt kind of sad at the end of the seminar knowing that I will not be able to meet up with most of these teachers again.

During the rest of my time I have begun to feel more at home in my house. I cleaned my kitchen and bathroom yesterday, ridding all of my appliances, sinks, bathtub, etc. of the last guy's hair (it was everywhere!). I also made peace with the living spiders in my house. This time, faced with a big hairy spider paying a visit to my dish cabinet, I decided that killing simply was not feasible. So I turned off the lights, left the room and prayed that the spider would show itself the door. It was gone by the time I went to bed and as long as he doesn't end up on my futon we should be able to coexist.

This weekend is bound to be an adventure. I have made plans with some of the other foreigners in town to sing Karaoke tomorrow and on Friday we will be heading to a festival called Matsuri in a nearby town called Iwagawa (where Lucy lives). Lucy and I will attempt a bus trip on Saturday to Kagoshima City for a JET day out...bowling followed by all you can eat/drink followed by Karaoke...a typical Japanese day of partying. It should be a good opportunity to see all the other JETs in the region to exchange first-week stories (I have had some e-mails from the other JETs detailing much worse experiences than mine) and for SHOPPING! I am very excited to see the true fashions of Kagoshima as our town is not the most fashionable (as no small town would be).

I will also try to take some pictures this weekend to show you how it is. Really, you can not imagine what it is like unless you are here! There is a mix of beauty (mountains with lots of trees), grossness (bugs and garbage strewn across the sand at the beach and sometimes in the water) and things extraordinarily strange (basically anything that doesn't fit into the category of beautiful or gross). I should also have some good party pictures by my next entry (and my own internet connection at home, pending the delivery of my Alien Registration Card). Till next time!

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Comments

[Orion]

Stay happy and healthy
Hey Em, Sorry it's taken so long to write. I've really enjoyed reading your chronicles! I feel like I'm there. Keep them coming. You're definitely going to be expanded on this adventure! Sounds like everything is going well despite a few glitches. Ignore that stuff it's a write-off. Cheers, Orion

[jess]

Calgary's just not the same.
So happy to hear how well things are going for you! Enjoy the nomihodais!! oh how I miss the nomihodais!! After you've been there for a bit, if you start to think of start to think of stuff you miss from home, let me know. I'm going to send you a care package anyways, so you might as well get something you like:) hee hee... oh and please email me your new address. Miss you here, but so glad you are having such an amazing time there!! Take care! samishii desu.

[Dana]

Great to see you in so much better mood! I am glad you started to enjoy yourself - now the fun starts! :-) Looking forward to see some pics! ;-) P.S. Sounds like in a few weeks you will have an actual pet spider! LOL

[Tammy]

So Proud of You!
Hi Em. So proud of you. I love reading about your experiences, it sounds like you are having the time of your life. I look forward to following your journey of discovery. Know that we are thinking about you and that you are "Second to None" to all of us.

[Valerie]

Brightening on the Horizon??
Hi Em That friend's daughter, Stephanie, was expecting to head out to South Korea on Saturday - they e-mailed Tuesday evening to tell her she leaves Thursday - lesson in leaving anything to the last minute!! Anyhow, I'll get you her coordinates when she confirms that they still work there. She's facing different challenges to yours - she's in Korea's third largest city, and there are 2 american military installations there, so that western touch is guaranteed!

[A. Donna]

Em: you'll get used to the bugs/spiders etc. ...in the country they just are!! (believe me..I know!) Sounds like you're having a great adventure and look forward to reading all about it!

[Vero]

Wonderful!
What cool stories! I'm so envious of all my friends who travel to foreign lands. I suppose my time will come soon enough. I'm sending much love your way!

[Marko]

Hey Emilie!
Hey how's the trip going? We're having a wild time in Viet Nam. After climbing the highest mountain in Viet Nam we decided to rest and I thought I'd come here and check out what you've been up to. I finally got a chance to read a bit of your journal. When I get back to Calgary I'll be sure to visit more.

[Emilie International]

Thanks for the post!
Marko. Of course you climbed the highest mountain in Vietnam! I'm planning to clim Fuji the second weekend of September. The first weekend may be spent paragliding. Will definitely keep you posted!!! Em.