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Published: August 9th 2011
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My new house is really quite splendid and I still can’t quite believe how lucky I am! They dropped me off about 4pm after a short 5 minute drive from Takagi up a steep and winding mountain road. Tomida is quite rural with lots of rice fields, a few houses and one small shop. My house looks small from the outside but feels very spacious. Two fair size rooms, with traditional tatami mat floors and paper screens for walls, form the living room and bedroom. There is a lovely wet room with show and bath, small wash room with sink, washing machine and dryer and a separate toilet with a HEATED seat! For winter month botty toasting. The previous teacher here, Paul, has warned me the house gets very cold in winter. There is air-con in the living room (YAY!), but not much in the way of heating save a heated table to snuggle under. The kitchen has everything I need and the house if full of useful stuff. Apart from towels and a hairdryer there is very little I need to buy.
The views from my window are stunning – I look out onto lush green rice paddies and am
surrounded by mountains...ahhhhh.
Paul had left me little messages round the house welcoming me and telling me what things were. He’d even left me some mango Hagen Das ice-cream as a present. I was chuffed he’d also left a cd player and speaks in the house I can use with my ipod. He’d put together a big info guide on how to use the various things in the house, so I’m gradually finding my way.
I unpacked and found a couple of little notes my Mum had slipped into my hand luggage and main luggage. These made me feel a bit homesick, so I had a little cry – but felt better afterwards. I think it was mainly the build up of the day and meeting so many people – and it hitting home how I really was the only westerner here. People will talk to me in Japanese and I maybe catch one or two words and try not to look like a dummy, but it is hard!
I felt exhausted, so after a beer and toast I attempted to sort out my futon. A large cupboard in the bedroom had several mattress looking things – I have no
idea which was the one Paul used, so I dragged out a couple and a sheet and made do with whatever I could. Shirai-San had told me he’d pick me up the next day at 9am, and I knew it was going to be an important day, so I set my alarm for 7.30am.....
I slept like a log and awoke feeling refreshed, that is until I caught sight of the clock blinking 8.58am. I shrieked, hurled myself out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, aware I only had minutes before my supervisor arrived. It was like I was still in the middle of my worst nightmare, but it was real. I’d barely splashed my face with water when he arrived. Still in my pjs, I slunk to the door and prepared to face the shame. Shirai-San was very understanding and accepted by grovelling apologies. I made him a cup of tea and had literally five minutes to try and make myself look presentable. I’d planned on ironing a shirt, but had to grab the only not wrinkly one – which was unfortunately black! So dressed in a black suit, with black shirt, unwashed and without makeup I prepared
to meet everyone....SOB! We started the day by getting some paperwork sorted and I received my Ikan (a little stamp I’ll use for official documents instead of a signature). It is lovely – my name in Katakana.
The first person I was introduced to in the morning was the head of the BoE (for some reason he wasn’t there the previous day). He asked me lots of questions in Japanese I didn’t understand and then told me I should study hard. He also asked how old I was and if I had a boyfriend which surprised me by its forwardness! I must have looked a bit like a rabbit in headlights and Shirai-San laughed and said “Sleepy?!”...I hope that doesn’t become my nickname....
Next we picked up a very sweet girl called Hidori-San, who helped me buy towels and look at mobiles. I’m utterly bewildered by everything on offer, and suggested I wait to decide (neither Shirai or Hidori spoke much English, so I found the contract details confusing – it is confusing enough in the UK). I wanted a 3g android with internet, but these were looking at £70 a month not including many free minutes or texts. I suggested I wait until I got advice from the other teachers but I don’t think they understood as they whisked me off to look at iphones in a local supermarket. I’ve said I’ll take one, but it is looking like it will cost me £500 up front, so I hope the rest will work out cheaper. I can’t get it until Sunday, so I’m feeling a bit cut off. They’ve been kind enough to let me check emails in the BoE offices, but I can’t wait for a phone and internet and car! Otherwise when they drop me at home it is like I’m in a retreat.
Shirai-San took me for a sushi lunch, to a place like Yo-Sushi with a conveyor belt. The food was yummy and very welcome since I’d had no time for breakfast. I even felt adventurous enough to try raw squid....it was better than I expected, but a bit rubbery.
In the afternoon I was given a tour and met people at the local library Museum (there is a famous Japanese children’s story writer from Takagi, and the library has a small museum dedicated to him. I hope one day I’ll be able to read one of the books he wrote in Japanese.
Next on to the first Elementary or Dai Gakko I’ll be teaching at one day a week. I met the teachers there (who seem lovely) and then on to meet most of the teachers at the Junior high school, then the final stop at the other Elementary school near my house (the other two are in Takagi). Hurrah – one school I can walk to! All the teachers seemed very friendly, but by this point I felt like one big sweaty mess. In fact I think everyone was wondering why I was wearing all black, heavy suit on such a hot day – but I’d been advised by JET I should absolutely wear a suit for the first week at least...funnily enough a few people asked me if I was hot, and if I like the colour black a lot, so they obviously think I’m some kind of goth now who feels the cold acutely.
I asked Shirai-San on the way back to my house if it is ok to wear more casual clothes tomorrow and he said yes, wear t-shirt and jeans! I probably won’t go that far, but more casual will be a big welcome to me!!
When it was time for bed and I prayed my new alarm clock (I made a big thing about buying a new one at the supermarket) worked. Shirai-San, bless him, said he’d collect me at 10am (he obviously doesn’t want to catch me in my pjs again.....).
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