Alien Registration?

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Hi everyone,

This morning I went down to the Ward office in Kobe to register for my Alien Registration card, bettcha didn´t know I was an alien! Like most things that happen to me in Japan it was a funny experience. The Japanese staff gathered around me, checked out my passport and debated who I should tak to. Finally, a brave gentleman stepped forward and tried out his English skills on me. He was very helpful and I filled out a form, got my picture taken and I have to go back March 20 and pick up my actual card. For now I have a temporary paper saying I´ve registered. If you are going to be in Japan for more than 3months you need one of these cards to do pretty much anything, even sign books out of the library or rent a movie!

On most of the street corners here there are people standing distributing flyers or holding signs advertising different businesses. I walked by one man today who said, my I ask where you are from, in almost perfect English. He said,''Quebec'', I told him near Ottawa and he said he had a friend who went to Vancouver and said it was very beautiful. I told him his English was very good and he said it would be better but he had a brain hemmorage 3 years ago and now struggles to remember what he learned. He was very pleasant and I enjoyed our conversation so much so I gave him one of the Canada flag pins my neighbour Fran gave to me. He had a much better job than this young boy I saw who was dressed like a mouse, and holding a sign for a Japanese disco on a very busy street corner. He didn´t seem to like his job much!

I also found a 99 yen store. Pretty much the same thing as a dollar store at home. They sell a lot of th same things as the grocery store but everything is only 99 cents! I think I´ll do quite a bit of shopping there from now on.

Tomorrow I am teaching a demo lesson in my training group for 40 minutes so I am off to prepare. I´ll try to remember everything they taught us in training. They madespecial note of the fact that WW2 is a touch subject we should stay away from...good to know!

Hope you are well, please write to me...

love, Melissa

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Comments

[Jessica]

hello
Seems like your trip is providing you with adventure to no end. Glad things are going well, despite the cultural differences.

[Kate]

Hello Melissa!
Hi Melissa, So glad that you arrived safe and sound and have settled in. I am enjoying reading about your experinces, and I can't wait to hear how your teaching is going. You are in my thoughts often, and I look forward to more tales!

[Cathy A.]

Re: discussion topics to stay away from
So, I guess that means that you probably shouldn't go on about seeing the Memorial to the Arizona in Hawaii, right??