O.M.G. POST!!!
Ok, so. I have some time now, so let's get going!
This is the last week I was in America. Yes, I went to America for summer! So on Monday night, Andrew and I went out to Texas Roadhouse with his parents, brother and sister. It was super delicious to have real steak! So after dinner, we had a few people come by to say goodbye and play some Rock Band. I gotta say, I'm going to miss playing Rock Band, eating American Pizza and just hanging out with my friends. I
I spent most of the 18th relaxing with my husband, going to Wal-Mart to get supplies for my return trip, going to the dentist would did a bite adjustment on my filling that has been giving me problems for four months and packing up my suitcase. I somehow seem to be bringing more stuff to Japan this time then I did in March...weird. Anyway, I had been complaining to my dad that the futon I was sleeping on in Japan was like an inch thick and mattresses were expensive and subject to mold in Japan, and he came up with the most ingenious plan. Blow Up Mattress!! So I got a fairly nice and inexpensive blow up mattress and stuffed it in my luggage. I also packed my DVD player, hehe. But I also but my DS in my carryon, but I have no idea where the charger for it is, so hopefully I can find one in Japan. I didn't really sleep at all on Tuesday night because we had to leave at 6am on Wednesday morning.
So, on Wednesday morning, we got to the airport around 6:30am for my 8:30am flight. So I get in line to check in, and when I put my luggage up to get checked, it was 8 pounds overweight. I explained I was moving to Japan and asked for an extra weight allowance. and the guy was like "no." and started to walk away. So I said, "Really??" and he turned back and said "If you take out 5 pounds, I'll allow it." Ok, a) DOUCHEBAG!!! and b) THE SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT IS GOING ON THE PLANE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT LUGGAGE IT'S IN!!! So I pulled out some candy I'm bringing over for my schools and put it in my carry on. So Andrew and I get down to security and said goodbye. It wasn't as hard this time because I know that I'll see him in 6 weeks or so. Well, I get to the X Ray machine, and I take out my laptop, but leave the DVD player in my bag. So, naturally they have to check my bag, which apparently involves taking EVERYTHING out of the bag, after my meticulous packing so everything would fit. And the guy was like "Oh, you know, we worry when we see electronics and batteries in carry on luggage. Well, I'm certainly not packing a DVD in my checked luggage and risk it getting jostled and not work anymore (true story, almost lost my laptop that way, thank goodness for my dad who is a computer-whisperer!) and he's all looking at it suspiciously even as he is handling my CD case with DVDS IN IT. I'm like, really? I've explained I'm moving out of the country twice now within 20 minutes and he's like "well, why don't you just buy one there and avoid this hassle?" and I say, well I already have one, why buy another one?? So, then he "repacks" my carry on, and things are spilling out, so I have to try to repack it again, and it's about 8am. So, I'm hustling a little bit to the concourse, and after 10 minutes, the counter lady gets on the speaker and says that our flight is delayed for an HOUR because of weather in San Fransisco. So, I wait and wait, and this dude across from me and a few seats over is on his laptop with his music BLASTING. He had earphones on, but they weren't doing much good. So I go over and ask him to turn down his music, and he looks at me like I'm a crazy lady. Did he turn it down? Nope. So I had to resort to putting my earphones in. So after reiterating on the mic the flight was delayed, I went up to the counter to inquire about my connecting flight to Tokyo. She told me she wasn't sure if I'd make it so she kept me on the flight but put me on the later flight as well. So an hour passes, and we are finally allowed to board the plane. After we are all on the plane, the captain gets on the speaker and tells us that we still don't have clearance to fly into San Fran because of weather and we are going to have to wait ANOTHER 45 MINUTES! So, that was fantastic, waiting another hour ON THE PLANE before taking off. So, FINALLY after TWO ADDITIONAL hours after the initial 8:30am takeoff time, we get into the air. When we arrived in San Fransisco, I got over to the international concourse and had to stand in line for like 25 minutes to get a new seat on the later flight. Well, I get up there, and I get the last window seat. Now, some people are ok with window seats, but I tend to get panic attacks and anxiety if I'm in a window or middle seat for long flights, like to Japan. So I get on the plane and the girl next to me, and am about to ask her if I can switch seats with her, but her parents were in the middle beside her, so I couldn't. I waited and waited, but all the people around me were with people, so I couldn't switch. To make matters worse, the seat in front of me was broken so it was always reclined (>.<) So even before we took off, I had a panic attack and had to get some water from the flight attendant who told me the same thing, that there weren't any isle seats available. So, the flight over wasn't great, but there were movies and stuff. I tried to sleep, but maybe only got an hour or so.
I arrived in Japan on August 20th, Thursday. Uneventful passage through immigration and customs, and so I was focused on getting to the post office to go to the ATM so I could have some cash, when I walked out, I heard my name. I looked up and it was my friend Josh! He had come to pick up his friend from the airport! What a coincidence! So it was nice to see a familiar face. Got my cash, and headed to the bus to take me to Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=ja&geocode=&q=%E9%AB%98%E5%B4%8E%E9%A7%85&sll=36.5626,136.362305&sspn=33.530009,78.046875&ie=UTF8&ll=36.324807,139.0131&spn=0.066109,0.152435&z=13&iwloc=A. Arrived at Toyoko Inn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyoko_Inn around 9:30pm. Just as I sit down on the bed, Grant calls me to let me know they (he and Asumi) had arrived at the hotel. So, instead of crashing, we all went out to a chain izakaya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya called Wara Wara. It was nice to eat, even though I was exhausted. We got back to the hotel around midnight and I was asleep the second I hit the bed.
On Friday morning/afternoon, I had training with my company at the hotel. It was rather uneventful, we had a debate, which my side totally should have won, and we got evaluations from our schools. Only two of my schools did it, and I think I know which ones they were. My scores were average for a first time, first year ALT, and I was happy there weren't any issues. In fact, the one comment I did get was that I was working really hard and that as long as I kept it up I'll make a good teacher. So, that was nice. Its funny because I know which school that came from, and in part of the evaluation they were asked how well I was liked by the teachers and students and I got an "A". So, yay :-) After training ended, I got on the train to go home, and even got permission to ride the Shinkansen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen (my company was paying for my return trip to my apartment) but when I got to Oyama Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyama_Station, there weren't any escalators or elevators! So I had to lug all my luggage up a bunch of stairs (I don't think I've mentioned that my luggage is extremely heavy), so I didn't have time to go purchase then board the Shinkansen :-( so I ended up taking the regular train home. But when I got back, I didn't want to pull my luggage all the way up and down a huge pedestrian crossing that is all stairs, so I went out of my way by like 40 minutes total (b/c of the luggage) to a smaller pedestrian bridge that was all ramps. So I finally got home around 10pm. I came into my apartment, and everything was fine. Except the futon. And the covers. And the pillow. COVERED IN MOLD. So, it's 10pm and I have nothing to sleep on. So I pulled out my blow up mattress, my sari and three or four pieces of clothing to use as a pillow. This is what I slept on for two nights:
Saturday, August 22nd
So, today I woke up around 11am and had planned to get some stuff done before the BBQ I had tonight with my adult English class, but I was called at 1pm and told I would be picked up at 3pm, so I didn't have any time to pick up a new futon. So, before the BBQ, Masashi came and picked me up at the station. He had a REALLY nice car. It looked like this:
Only smaller, and I think the front sat higher. It was a sweet, sweet car. So we drove into Nasu and stopped at a cheese shop that one of the students worked in that couldn't make it to the BBQ. We stayed for about an hour, then headed to Aiko's house for the BBQ. We got there, and wow. The house looked like a cabin in the woods. SO pretty, and western! It was beautiful. Aiko even offered for me to stay there! LOL. So we went down near the river where they had benches around a table that was hollowed out and sand put in and on top of the sand were two spots for hot coals and grills. So, we grilled (BBQ'd) beef and chicken and veggies all while talking in English and Japanese. There were about 12 people that came, and it was really fun. After we all ate, we went back inside and talked some more. One of the older grandpa guys was drunk and trying to teach me Japanese lullabies. There was singing. It was highly amusing :-) This was one of the songs he taught me, and the meaning behind it:
The Little Girl Wearing Red Shoes Aka i Kutsu
One of the most famous songs in Japan, and one of the least well understood.
Aka i Kutsu
Oh! Little girl nice on you pretty "Red shoes"
She has gone far away with a foreigner (American)
From the port of Yokohama, over the waves
She has gone with him to his home
I wonder, if she is happy and have nice days
I wonder, if her eyes are blue like foreigner
I remember her when I see pretty "Red shoes"
I wonder how she is when I meet a foreigner
The song tells the story of a little girl named Kimi, whose poor parents were forced to give her up to an American gaijin couple, before migrating to Hokkaido to eek out a living as pioneer farmers. They were unsuccessful, suffering family deaths and farm fires, before finally moving to Sapporo, where Kimi's father found work with a newspaper.
Kimi's parents often wondered where their daughter was now. She had gone back to the United States, were her eyes now blue, like a foreigner's? Kimi's mother eventually died, still crying for her daughter. Another worker in the newspaper office was moved by their plight and wrote the poem of the Little Girl Wearing Red Shoes, which eventually became a song.
Almost every Japanese person has heard or sung this song at one time or another. Yet, few, if any, are aware of Kimi's true plight. After a few years, the American couple who'd been looking after her were forced to return to the US, but Kimi had contracted TB, and could not be moved. Contradicting the words of the song, she had never left Japan at all, and instead was languishing in an orphanage in Yokohama. Mother and daughter could possibly have been reunited, but neither knew of the other's location, and they died apart and alone.
Eventually a statue of Kimi was erected in Tokyo. On the day it was first unveiled someone left 40 yen at its feet. A charity was born, and today millions of yen have been collected and donated to UNESCO and other childcare charities.
So, around 8pm or so, we all left, but some of went back to the cheese shop to hang out some more. It was mostly all in Japanese and I really tried to understand everything that was going on, but it was hard. Luckily, 2 out of the 3 Japanese people were women, so it was easier to talk to them. We had some really delicious cheese, one that even tasted like cheesecake! We also got free bratwurst and then we all shared frozen fruit that came with sparklers in them! Here are some poor pictures of the massive beer I had and the sparkler in the fruit bowl:
After that, Masashi drove me home, and told me that my Japanese was good and I only made a couple mistakes, so I was happy.
So, since Sunday I've just been getting stuff done, unpacking, and relaxing. I got a new futon, and now my bed looks like this:
super comfy!
I have class tomorrow night, then school starts on Thursday!
I'll be editing this post with more stuff tonight, so keep an eye out!
REALLLLY Old, but hopefully I'll catch up!
SO, originally, I was going to meet Eric and his friends in Tokyo Saturday night to go clubbing, but on Saturday morning/afternoon, pretty much everyone I was going to take to the club bailed on me, and it was raining, and my laundry wasn't done, so I was really irritated and didn't feel like going out anymore. So, I canceled on Eric. I texted Krystle and she suggested that I come down to Kawagoe, but it was already late in the evening, so I told her that I'd come tomorrow. So, on Sunday I went down to Kawagoe and we went to La Pausa for lunch and it was super delicious. Then we walked around Crea Mall
. And they put in a Gap! I couldn't believe it! I bought a purse and some cute shoes :-)
This picture doesn't do these shoes justice, they are more beautiful. The color is amazing.
I had to leave to get back up to Kuroiso after that and Krystle had other plans, so I went home happy :)
This is the last week I was in America. Yes, I went to America for summer! So on Monday night, Andrew and I went out to Texas Roadhouse with his parents, brother and sister. It was super delicious to have real steak! So after dinner, we had a few people come by to say goodbye and play some Rock Band. I gotta say, I'm going to miss playing Rock Band, eating American Pizza and just hanging out with my friends. I
I spent most of the 18th relaxing with my husband, going to Wal-Mart to get supplies for my return trip, going to the dentist would did a bite adjustment on my filling that has been giving me problems for four months and packing up my suitcase. I somehow seem to be bringing more stuff to Japan this time then I did in March...weird. Anyway, I had been complaining to my dad that the futon I was sleeping on in Japan was like an inch thick and mattresses were expensive and subject to mold in Japan, and he came up with the most ingenious plan. Blow Up Mattress!! So I got a fairly nice and inexpensive blow up mattress and stuffed it in my luggage. I also packed my DVD player, hehe. But I also but my DS in my carryon, but I have no idea where the charger for it is, so hopefully I can find one in Japan. I didn't really sleep at all on Tuesday night because we had to leave at 6am on Wednesday morning.
So, on Wednesday morning, we got to the airport around 6:30am for my 8:30am flight. So I get in line to check in, and when I put my luggage up to get checked, it was 8 pounds overweight. I explained I was moving to Japan and asked for an extra weight allowance. and the guy was like "no." and started to walk away. So I said, "Really??" and he turned back and said "If you take out 5 pounds, I'll allow it." Ok, a) DOUCHEBAG!!! and b) THE SAME AMOUNT OF WEIGHT IS GOING ON THE PLANE, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT LUGGAGE IT'S IN!!! So I pulled out some candy I'm bringing over for my schools and put it in my carry on. So Andrew and I get down to security and said goodbye. It wasn't as hard this time because I know that I'll see him in 6 weeks or so. Well, I get to the X Ray machine, and I take out my laptop, but leave the DVD player in my bag. So, naturally they have to check my bag, which apparently involves taking EVERYTHING out of the bag, after my meticulous packing so everything would fit. And the guy was like "Oh, you know, we worry when we see electronics and batteries in carry on luggage. Well, I'm certainly not packing a DVD in my checked luggage and risk it getting jostled and not work anymore (true story, almost lost my laptop that way, thank goodness for my dad who is a computer-whisperer!) and he's all looking at it suspiciously even as he is handling my CD case with DVDS IN IT. I'm like, really? I've explained I'm moving out of the country twice now within 20 minutes and he's like "well, why don't you just buy one there and avoid this hassle?" and I say, well I already have one, why buy another one?? So, then he "repacks" my carry on, and things are spilling out, so I have to try to repack it again, and it's about 8am. So, I'm hustling a little bit to the concourse, and after 10 minutes, the counter lady gets on the speaker and says that our flight is delayed for an HOUR because of weather in San Fransisco. So, I wait and wait, and this dude across from me and a few seats over is on his laptop with his music BLASTING. He had earphones on, but they weren't doing much good. So I go over and ask him to turn down his music, and he looks at me like I'm a crazy lady. Did he turn it down? Nope. So I had to resort to putting my earphones in. So after reiterating on the mic the flight was delayed, I went up to the counter to inquire about my connecting flight to Tokyo. She told me she wasn't sure if I'd make it so she kept me on the flight but put me on the later flight as well. So an hour passes, and we are finally allowed to board the plane. After we are all on the plane, the captain gets on the speaker and tells us that we still don't have clearance to fly into San Fran because of weather and we are going to have to wait ANOTHER 45 MINUTES! So, that was fantastic, waiting another hour ON THE PLANE before taking off. So, FINALLY after TWO ADDITIONAL hours after the initial 8:30am takeoff time, we get into the air. When we arrived in San Fransisco, I got over to the international concourse and had to stand in line for like 25 minutes to get a new seat on the later flight. Well, I get up there, and I get the last window seat. Now, some people are ok with window seats, but I tend to get panic attacks and anxiety if I'm in a window or middle seat for long flights, like to Japan. So I get on the plane and the girl next to me, and am about to ask her if I can switch seats with her, but her parents were in the middle beside her, so I couldn't. I waited and waited, but all the people around me were with people, so I couldn't switch. To make matters worse, the seat in front of me was broken so it was always reclined (>.<) So even before we took off, I had a panic attack and had to get some water from the flight attendant who told me the same thing, that there weren't any isle seats available. So, the flight over wasn't great, but there were movies and stuff. I tried to sleep, but maybe only got an hour or so.
I arrived in Japan on August 20th, Thursday. Uneventful passage through immigration and customs, and so I was focused on getting to the post office to go to the ATM so I could have some cash, when I walked out, I heard my name. I looked up and it was my friend Josh! He had come to pick up his friend from the airport! What a coincidence! So it was nice to see a familiar face. Got my cash, and headed to the bus to take me to Takasaki Station in Gunma Prefecture. http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=ja&geocode=&q=%E9%AB%98%E5%B4%8E%E9%A7%85&sll=36.5626,136.362305&sspn=33.530009,78.046875&ie=UTF8&ll=36.324807,139.0131&spn=0.066109,0.152435&z=13&iwloc=A. Arrived at Toyoko Inn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyoko_Inn around 9:30pm. Just as I sit down on the bed, Grant calls me to let me know they (he and Asumi) had arrived at the hotel. So, instead of crashing, we all went out to a chain izakaya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya called Wara Wara. It was nice to eat, even though I was exhausted. We got back to the hotel around midnight and I was asleep the second I hit the bed.
On Friday morning/afternoon, I had training with my company at the hotel. It was rather uneventful, we had a debate, which my side totally should have won, and we got evaluations from our schools. Only two of my schools did it, and I think I know which ones they were. My scores were average for a first time, first year ALT, and I was happy there weren't any issues. In fact, the one comment I did get was that I was working really hard and that as long as I kept it up I'll make a good teacher. So, that was nice. Its funny because I know which school that came from, and in part of the evaluation they were asked how well I was liked by the teachers and students and I got an "A". So, yay :-) After training ended, I got on the train to go home, and even got permission to ride the Shinkansen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen (my company was paying for my return trip to my apartment) but when I got to Oyama Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyama_Station, there weren't any escalators or elevators! So I had to lug all my luggage up a bunch of stairs (I don't think I've mentioned that my luggage is extremely heavy), so I didn't have time to go purchase then board the Shinkansen :-( so I ended up taking the regular train home. But when I got back, I didn't want to pull my luggage all the way up and down a huge pedestrian crossing that is all stairs, so I went out of my way by like 40 minutes total (b/c of the luggage) to a smaller pedestrian bridge that was all ramps. So I finally got home around 10pm. I came into my apartment, and everything was fine. Except the futon. And the covers. And the pillow. COVERED IN MOLD. So, it's 10pm and I have nothing to sleep on. So I pulled out my blow up mattress, my sari and three or four pieces of clothing to use as a pillow. This is what I slept on for two nights:
Saturday, August 22nd
So, today I woke up around 11am and had planned to get some stuff done before the BBQ I had tonight with my adult English class, but I was called at 1pm and told I would be picked up at 3pm, so I didn't have any time to pick up a new futon. So, before the BBQ, Masashi came and picked me up at the station. He had a REALLY nice car. It looked like this:
Only smaller, and I think the front sat higher. It was a sweet, sweet car. So we drove into Nasu and stopped at a cheese shop that one of the students worked in that couldn't make it to the BBQ. We stayed for about an hour, then headed to Aiko's house for the BBQ. We got there, and wow. The house looked like a cabin in the woods. SO pretty, and western! It was beautiful. Aiko even offered for me to stay there! LOL. So we went down near the river where they had benches around a table that was hollowed out and sand put in and on top of the sand were two spots for hot coals and grills. So, we grilled (BBQ'd) beef and chicken and veggies all while talking in English and Japanese. There were about 12 people that came, and it was really fun. After we all ate, we went back inside and talked some more. One of the older grandpa guys was drunk and trying to teach me Japanese lullabies. There was singing. It was highly amusing :-) This was one of the songs he taught me, and the meaning behind it:
The Little Girl Wearing Red Shoes Aka i Kutsu
One of the most famous songs in Japan, and one of the least well understood.
Aka i Kutsu
Oh! Little girl nice on you pretty "Red shoes"
She has gone far away with a foreigner (American)
From the port of Yokohama, over the waves
She has gone with him to his home
I wonder, if she is happy and have nice days
I wonder, if her eyes are blue like foreigner
I remember her when I see pretty "Red shoes"
I wonder how she is when I meet a foreigner
The song tells the story of a little girl named Kimi, whose poor parents were forced to give her up to an American gaijin couple, before migrating to Hokkaido to eek out a living as pioneer farmers. They were unsuccessful, suffering family deaths and farm fires, before finally moving to Sapporo, where Kimi's father found work with a newspaper.
Kimi's parents often wondered where their daughter was now. She had gone back to the United States, were her eyes now blue, like a foreigner's? Kimi's mother eventually died, still crying for her daughter. Another worker in the newspaper office was moved by their plight and wrote the poem of the Little Girl Wearing Red Shoes, which eventually became a song.
Almost every Japanese person has heard or sung this song at one time or another. Yet, few, if any, are aware of Kimi's true plight. After a few years, the American couple who'd been looking after her were forced to return to the US, but Kimi had contracted TB, and could not be moved. Contradicting the words of the song, she had never left Japan at all, and instead was languishing in an orphanage in Yokohama. Mother and daughter could possibly have been reunited, but neither knew of the other's location, and they died apart and alone.
Eventually a statue of Kimi was erected in Tokyo. On the day it was first unveiled someone left 40 yen at its feet. A charity was born, and today millions of yen have been collected and donated to UNESCO and other childcare charities.
So, around 8pm or so, we all left, but some of went back to the cheese shop to hang out some more. It was mostly all in Japanese and I really tried to understand everything that was going on, but it was hard. Luckily, 2 out of the 3 Japanese people were women, so it was easier to talk to them. We had some really delicious cheese, one that even tasted like cheesecake! We also got free bratwurst and then we all shared frozen fruit that came with sparklers in them! Here are some poor pictures of the massive beer I had and the sparkler in the fruit bowl:
After that, Masashi drove me home, and told me that my Japanese was good and I only made a couple mistakes, so I was happy.
So, since Sunday I've just been getting stuff done, unpacking, and relaxing. I got a new futon, and now my bed looks like this:
super comfy!
I have class tomorrow night, then school starts on Thursday!
I'll be editing this post with more stuff tonight, so keep an eye out!
REALLLLY Old, but hopefully I'll catch up!
SO, originally, I was going to meet Eric and his friends in Tokyo Saturday night to go clubbing, but on Saturday morning/afternoon, pretty much everyone I was going to take to the club bailed on me, and it was raining, and my laundry wasn't done, so I was really irritated and didn't feel like going out anymore. So, I canceled on Eric. I texted Krystle and she suggested that I come down to Kawagoe, but it was already late in the evening, so I told her that I'd come tomorrow. So, on Sunday I went down to Kawagoe and we went to La Pausa for lunch and it was super delicious. Then we walked around Crea Mall
. And they put in a Gap! I couldn't believe it! I bought a purse and some cute shoes :-)
This picture doesn't do these shoes justice, they are more beautiful. The color is amazing.
I had to leave to get back up to Kuroiso after that and Krystle had other plans, so I went home happy :)