The Hardest Part of Staying Still (2/6)
Title: The Hardest Part of Staying Still (2/?)
Group/pairing: NEWS / Massu x OC
Prompt: #25 - Busy
Word Count: 1888
Rating: G
Summary: Massu met an intriguing girl at the airport…will anything come of it?
Author’s Note: Ah-getting the character set-up and background out of the way, sorry. Not much of the boys’ appearances, but please read anyways:) Also, the setting is supposed to be around July 2008, but I don’t think the boys had any activities in LA. In any case, that’s the only different from their schedules that I made up.
Previous chapter: Part 1:Rush
Frances had made it to her gate on time, just as the last of the people trickled onto the plane. She didn’t have time to think over what had happened, but she was glad it happened the way it did. She didn’t want to think about how close she came to missing her flight, because if she had, the JET program would definitely have kicked her out immediately. And after everything she went through to get in, she wasn’t about to mess up her dream of going to Japan over chatting with NEWS. That’s not to say that she wasn’t deliriously happy she had bumped into them, while running like a mad person to reach that dream. As she settled down into her seat, she realized that two of her dreams had just come true. And believing that everything happened in threes, maybe a third unrealized dream would be granted as well?
When she stepped out of the shaky walkway and into Narita airport, she almost screamed “I’ve arrived!” but she didn’t want to attract any attention. She researched the Japanese culture as much as she could before her arrival, because she knew it was going to be a lot different than the American ways. She knew that she had to be extra humble, and to not stick out like a sore thumb. And reading about the society wouldn’t give her the real sense of it, but at least she could be somewhat prepared for the shock.
Following the rest of the crowd towards the luggage pick-up area, she considered how surreal everything was. Luckily, though not being able to depart with the regular group of JET participants, she was one of the dozen people who gained positions in Chiba. At the very least, she would have access to many entertaining things in Tokyo, just a city away. But, she doubted that worries of boredom were ever going to surface; she was in Japan and that was all that mattered. She rushed to get her luggage and then went into one of the bathrooms to change into proper clothing. It was around noon, and she had to meet up for orientation in a few hours.
Looking into the mirror, she examined her straightened dark brown hair. It was shoulder length, but she had put it partially up for the upcoming orientation; she wanted to look as professional as possible. She changed out of her jeans and comfy t-shirt into a light pink blouse and black skirt. She took out her contacts to soak them in solution for a few minutes, washed her face, and applied some make-up, before she felt presentable. She sighed, the nerves getting the best of her again. “Yosh!” She said, while balling her hand into a fist and doing what resembled like half a fist pump. There were other people around, so she didn’t want to make it too obvious.
When she had been accepted, the Japan Exchange and Teaching program had already held a pre-flight conference of sorts and they had provided her with a packet of things to learn. Thankfully, the crash course in Japanese workbooks provided by JET just solidified her own teachings. She found her way through the appropriate checkpoints and realized that another batch of JETs had arrived on the same day, because in the arrival area for family members, she spotted a man holding a sign for JETs. She remembered in the recesses of her mind that she would be directed to the orientation, so she figured this was it.
She walked over and introduced herself.
“Welcome, nice to meet you Ms. Sommers. We’ll be leaving shortly, please, take a seat while we wait for a few others.” The man spoke in English.
Frances walked hesitantly towards the group of people, which she could see were of many different races. She wondered where they had come from, but was actually too shy to introduce herself to anyone. She merely smiled and nodded to people as she took a seat. The ways she worked so hard to get into the program, aside from learning Japanese, was the social aspect of things. She was innately a shy person, but the program expected their people to be, for lack of a better word, ‘genki.’ She had worked really hard to be engaging, bubbly, and smart during the interview for JET, but now she could feel her walls were back up.
She decided that now was a good time to call her best friend, since she probably wasn’t going to be able to speak to anyone else anytime soon.
“Moshimoshi, Frances!!! How’s it going?? You’ve made it, woo!” Came out of Frances’s cell phone, before she even had a chance to say hello. It seems like her friend was more excited than she had been when she landed in Japan.
“Hey, Summer!” Frances laughed, “I’m great, and yes, I’m here! I’m actually sitting with some other JETs, and we’re just waiting for a few more to arrive. I guess there’s a lot more people to come today than I thought. I’m really nervous though, but ohmygod, you’ll never guess what happened to me in LA!”
“What?? Did you already meet the man of your dreams?” Summer asked sarcastically, laughing on the other end.
“How did you guess?” Frances had a smirk on her face, knowing that what she was about to tell Summer would make her so jealous.
“Really?” Summer’s tone got serious. “What happened?”
“Well, long story short. I was running late for my flight-“
“Figures,”
“Shut up, ok, I was literally running to get to my flight, and then this guy jumps right in front of my path, and we end up almost crashing.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yea, I’m fine, but the guy who crashed into me, “she paused for effect, “was Massu!”
“WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Do no joke with me, dude.” Summer screamed, and Frances winced. She looked around her, and half bowed and apologized to the others.
“Shhh, jeez. And yes, I’m serious. I can’t tell you in detail, because there’s so much I wanna say, but yea. And the crazy thing is, I even have his number now.” She almost said in a whisper.
“Oh. My. God! You are SO lucky! Were the others there too?”
“Everyone ‘cept Yamapi and Ryo. Even though meeting NEWS is already great in itself, I would have given anything to annoy the heck out of Ryo at that moment.”
A huge laugh came from Summer, “Right? I can't believe it! Wow…”
“But, my schedule is pretty jam packed for at least a few weeks, adjusting, ya know? I don't think I'll be calling him anytime soon.”
“True. Well, when you get internet connection or when you have time, call me okay? I want to know everything. Including what you’re eating, where you’re sleeping, and of course, the job.”
Frances laughed, “Of course, my dear little stalker, I’ll tell you everything. Look, I gotta go, but have fun with summer break! Ja ne.”
------------------------------
“Welcome JETs of 2008-2009.” The Minister of Education boomed through the loud speaker. The orientation gave them vital information for ‘survival’ alone in Japan. Things like familiarizing yourself with the transportation system and taking extra time to get to places. Japan was a fairly safe place to live, even if you were walking outside in the evenings, but they also cautioned against this, as well as perhaps finding a hobby, so as not to be bored. It was going to be hard work from now on, but Frances felt the program would be worth it, so she wouldn’t mind.
Frances was sitting a few rows from the front, and had actually gotten to know a few people next to her, Maya and Arthur. They were placed in areas around her, so at least she had two new friends she could visit occasionally. They were all Assistant Language Teachers, and English was their native language. Maya was from Florida like Frances, both surprised when they found out they had only lived towns apart. Arthur was Chinese-Canadian, and he was a lot older than the girls. He was about 30, and had left a life of awful office work back in Vancouver. It was a nice place, just not for him. Maya had just graduated in May with a degree in History, and she had always been interested in Japan, so JET seemed like the perfect exchange job for her to try out.
Frances had recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in English, and had waited a few years to gather finances to apply for JET. She was doubtful she’d get in, but in case she did, she wanted to be prepared to go immediately. She hadn’t told her parents until the day she got her acceptance letter, and her parents were angry and reluctant at first, but they soon realized that nothing was going to stop their daughter from flying away.
Later that night, Frances sat down on the floor of her tiny apartment, and looked around her.
The size of the apartment was like the size of her living room back home. Her bed was just below a window, looking out towards the city lights of Tokyo distances away. There was a small nightstand next to it, which would probably be improvised as a desk. Luckily, she also had a decent bathroom, a makeshift kitchen, with a stove and mini-fridge, and her parents had even chipped in for a tiny television as well as a microwave. Overall, the JET program normally gave their people decent housing.
She would be meeting her sensei tomorrow, the teacher with whom she’d be working, Kanata Yusuke-san. Like her job title implies, she would initially be assisting him and making lesson plans, and helping out during class with explaining different grammar or vocabulary points. In fact, she would be working with the equivalent of high school students, so she was less nervous. She imagined teaching young students who may not be interested in English at all, and she would not have the courage to find something engaging for those kids. She shuddered just thinking about it.
Her phone beeped announcing it was 8pm and that some mail had just arrived. She never really used to depend on her cell phone so much, but seeing as the Japanese did everything with their phones, she had to start getting used to that. She was subscribed to some of the Johnny’s jwebs already, but she had always kept up with the old entries online. Tonight, NEWS’ Yamapi’s jweb went something like this:
Kon!
Working late today, but it’s nice to have dinner with members afterwards.
Just got back from LA, it was fun!
Apparently, while at the airport, while me and Ryo-chan were resting by the gate, we had missed some interesting fun. I’d like meet to F-san too ^_^
Maybe the rest of the members will talk about it in their jweb?
Ah-fighting the sleep demon and it is winning.
Oyasuminasai!
Frances smiled with complete glee, thinking that the ‘interesting fun’ had been bumping into a foreigner at the airport. Not that that in itself was interesting, but she knew what had happened, and it was kind of like sharing an inside joke with them.
She really couldn’t help but think that things had gone well today.
-----
Author’s Note: Ah-this was longer than I expected. But, the prompt did say ‘busy’ :P
Most information about JET is based on research of the JET website and pamphlet as well as some actual JET participants on YouTube. If you think that I got something wrong, please let me know, and sorry in advance.
As previously mentioned, NEWS didn’t have any activities in LA (as far as I know) this year, but this story is meant to take place in July 2008. I will try and keep thing as chronologically accurate as possible, but of course, including an original character into the lives of NEWS is going to be difficult unless I alter some things:P
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this rather long ‘getting to know the character’ chapter.
Group/pairing: NEWS / Massu x OC
Prompt: #25 - Busy
Word Count: 1888
Rating: G
Summary: Massu met an intriguing girl at the airport…will anything come of it?
Author’s Note: Ah-getting the character set-up and background out of the way, sorry. Not much of the boys’ appearances, but please read anyways:) Also, the setting is supposed to be around July 2008, but I don’t think the boys had any activities in LA. In any case, that’s the only different from their schedules that I made up.
Previous chapter: Part 1:Rush
Frances had made it to her gate on time, just as the last of the people trickled onto the plane. She didn’t have time to think over what had happened, but she was glad it happened the way it did. She didn’t want to think about how close she came to missing her flight, because if she had, the JET program would definitely have kicked her out immediately. And after everything she went through to get in, she wasn’t about to mess up her dream of going to Japan over chatting with NEWS. That’s not to say that she wasn’t deliriously happy she had bumped into them, while running like a mad person to reach that dream. As she settled down into her seat, she realized that two of her dreams had just come true. And believing that everything happened in threes, maybe a third unrealized dream would be granted as well?
When she stepped out of the shaky walkway and into Narita airport, she almost screamed “I’ve arrived!” but she didn’t want to attract any attention. She researched the Japanese culture as much as she could before her arrival, because she knew it was going to be a lot different than the American ways. She knew that she had to be extra humble, and to not stick out like a sore thumb. And reading about the society wouldn’t give her the real sense of it, but at least she could be somewhat prepared for the shock.
Following the rest of the crowd towards the luggage pick-up area, she considered how surreal everything was. Luckily, though not being able to depart with the regular group of JET participants, she was one of the dozen people who gained positions in Chiba. At the very least, she would have access to many entertaining things in Tokyo, just a city away. But, she doubted that worries of boredom were ever going to surface; she was in Japan and that was all that mattered. She rushed to get her luggage and then went into one of the bathrooms to change into proper clothing. It was around noon, and she had to meet up for orientation in a few hours.
Looking into the mirror, she examined her straightened dark brown hair. It was shoulder length, but she had put it partially up for the upcoming orientation; she wanted to look as professional as possible. She changed out of her jeans and comfy t-shirt into a light pink blouse and black skirt. She took out her contacts to soak them in solution for a few minutes, washed her face, and applied some make-up, before she felt presentable. She sighed, the nerves getting the best of her again. “Yosh!” She said, while balling her hand into a fist and doing what resembled like half a fist pump. There were other people around, so she didn’t want to make it too obvious.
When she had been accepted, the Japan Exchange and Teaching program had already held a pre-flight conference of sorts and they had provided her with a packet of things to learn. Thankfully, the crash course in Japanese workbooks provided by JET just solidified her own teachings. She found her way through the appropriate checkpoints and realized that another batch of JETs had arrived on the same day, because in the arrival area for family members, she spotted a man holding a sign for JETs. She remembered in the recesses of her mind that she would be directed to the orientation, so she figured this was it.
She walked over and introduced herself.
“Welcome, nice to meet you Ms. Sommers. We’ll be leaving shortly, please, take a seat while we wait for a few others.” The man spoke in English.
Frances walked hesitantly towards the group of people, which she could see were of many different races. She wondered where they had come from, but was actually too shy to introduce herself to anyone. She merely smiled and nodded to people as she took a seat. The ways she worked so hard to get into the program, aside from learning Japanese, was the social aspect of things. She was innately a shy person, but the program expected their people to be, for lack of a better word, ‘genki.’ She had worked really hard to be engaging, bubbly, and smart during the interview for JET, but now she could feel her walls were back up.
She decided that now was a good time to call her best friend, since she probably wasn’t going to be able to speak to anyone else anytime soon.
“Moshimoshi, Frances!!! How’s it going?? You’ve made it, woo!” Came out of Frances’s cell phone, before she even had a chance to say hello. It seems like her friend was more excited than she had been when she landed in Japan.
“Hey, Summer!” Frances laughed, “I’m great, and yes, I’m here! I’m actually sitting with some other JETs, and we’re just waiting for a few more to arrive. I guess there’s a lot more people to come today than I thought. I’m really nervous though, but ohmygod, you’ll never guess what happened to me in LA!”
“What?? Did you already meet the man of your dreams?” Summer asked sarcastically, laughing on the other end.
“How did you guess?” Frances had a smirk on her face, knowing that what she was about to tell Summer would make her so jealous.
“Really?” Summer’s tone got serious. “What happened?”
“Well, long story short. I was running late for my flight-“
“Figures,”
“Shut up, ok, I was literally running to get to my flight, and then this guy jumps right in front of my path, and we end up almost crashing.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yea, I’m fine, but the guy who crashed into me, “she paused for effect, “was Massu!”
“WHAT?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Do no joke with me, dude.” Summer screamed, and Frances winced. She looked around her, and half bowed and apologized to the others.
“Shhh, jeez. And yes, I’m serious. I can’t tell you in detail, because there’s so much I wanna say, but yea. And the crazy thing is, I even have his number now.” She almost said in a whisper.
“Oh. My. God! You are SO lucky! Were the others there too?”
“Everyone ‘cept Yamapi and Ryo. Even though meeting NEWS is already great in itself, I would have given anything to annoy the heck out of Ryo at that moment.”
A huge laugh came from Summer, “Right? I can't believe it! Wow…”
“But, my schedule is pretty jam packed for at least a few weeks, adjusting, ya know? I don't think I'll be calling him anytime soon.”
“True. Well, when you get internet connection or when you have time, call me okay? I want to know everything. Including what you’re eating, where you’re sleeping, and of course, the job.”
Frances laughed, “Of course, my dear little stalker, I’ll tell you everything. Look, I gotta go, but have fun with summer break! Ja ne.”
------------------------------
“Welcome JETs of 2008-2009.” The Minister of Education boomed through the loud speaker. The orientation gave them vital information for ‘survival’ alone in Japan. Things like familiarizing yourself with the transportation system and taking extra time to get to places. Japan was a fairly safe place to live, even if you were walking outside in the evenings, but they also cautioned against this, as well as perhaps finding a hobby, so as not to be bored. It was going to be hard work from now on, but Frances felt the program would be worth it, so she wouldn’t mind.
Frances was sitting a few rows from the front, and had actually gotten to know a few people next to her, Maya and Arthur. They were placed in areas around her, so at least she had two new friends she could visit occasionally. They were all Assistant Language Teachers, and English was their native language. Maya was from Florida like Frances, both surprised when they found out they had only lived towns apart. Arthur was Chinese-Canadian, and he was a lot older than the girls. He was about 30, and had left a life of awful office work back in Vancouver. It was a nice place, just not for him. Maya had just graduated in May with a degree in History, and she had always been interested in Japan, so JET seemed like the perfect exchange job for her to try out.
Frances had recently graduated with a Bachelor’s in English, and had waited a few years to gather finances to apply for JET. She was doubtful she’d get in, but in case she did, she wanted to be prepared to go immediately. She hadn’t told her parents until the day she got her acceptance letter, and her parents were angry and reluctant at first, but they soon realized that nothing was going to stop their daughter from flying away.
Later that night, Frances sat down on the floor of her tiny apartment, and looked around her.
The size of the apartment was like the size of her living room back home. Her bed was just below a window, looking out towards the city lights of Tokyo distances away. There was a small nightstand next to it, which would probably be improvised as a desk. Luckily, she also had a decent bathroom, a makeshift kitchen, with a stove and mini-fridge, and her parents had even chipped in for a tiny television as well as a microwave. Overall, the JET program normally gave their people decent housing.
She would be meeting her sensei tomorrow, the teacher with whom she’d be working, Kanata Yusuke-san. Like her job title implies, she would initially be assisting him and making lesson plans, and helping out during class with explaining different grammar or vocabulary points. In fact, she would be working with the equivalent of high school students, so she was less nervous. She imagined teaching young students who may not be interested in English at all, and she would not have the courage to find something engaging for those kids. She shuddered just thinking about it.
Her phone beeped announcing it was 8pm and that some mail had just arrived. She never really used to depend on her cell phone so much, but seeing as the Japanese did everything with their phones, she had to start getting used to that. She was subscribed to some of the Johnny’s jwebs already, but she had always kept up with the old entries online. Tonight, NEWS’ Yamapi’s jweb went something like this:
Kon!
Working late today, but it’s nice to have dinner with members afterwards.
Just got back from LA, it was fun!
Apparently, while at the airport, while me and Ryo-chan were resting by the gate, we had missed some interesting fun. I’d like meet to F-san too ^_^
Maybe the rest of the members will talk about it in their jweb?
Ah-fighting the sleep demon and it is winning.
Oyasuminasai!
Frances smiled with complete glee, thinking that the ‘interesting fun’ had been bumping into a foreigner at the airport. Not that that in itself was interesting, but she knew what had happened, and it was kind of like sharing an inside joke with them.
She really couldn’t help but think that things had gone well today.
-----
Author’s Note: Ah-this was longer than I expected. But, the prompt did say ‘busy’ :P
Most information about JET is based on research of the JET website and pamphlet as well as some actual JET participants on YouTube. If you think that I got something wrong, please let me know, and sorry in advance.
As previously mentioned, NEWS didn’t have any activities in LA (as far as I know) this year, but this story is meant to take place in July 2008. I will try and keep thing as chronologically accurate as possible, but of course, including an original character into the lives of NEWS is going to be difficult unless I alter some things:P
In any case, I hope you enjoyed this rather long ‘getting to know the character’ chapter.