Ok. So I promise a good entry with pictures...later...The last time I tried to update, I started to attach pictures, my computer froze and the whole entry died...Which sucks cause it was a long one.
But this is entirely different.
I have a story!!
So. A Japanese Potto is like a thermos. You put hot water in it and it stays warm for several hours (Im talking 24 hours). There is a button at the top that pumps the hot water out.
Anyway, since its winter, and I loves my tea, I decided to buy the smallest, cheapest one I could find. I wound up buying a thermos, with a spout, for 2400 yen (prolly about 24 dollars, before the Canadian dollar plunged), in late October. Wonderful device. Really happy I got it, but it was kind of small and I wouldnt mind having one with a pump.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, I saw that the school got a brand new one with pretty designs and stuff and it was really big, so I assumed that it was going to replace one of the smaller ones that gets refilled several times a day. makes sense. So I said, hey, if you replace the old one with that one, could I possibly get the old one, because I wouldnt mind having one. I dont know what happened, but the next thing I know, the next day, my english teacher tells me he will give me his. I told him that it was ok, and he said he didnt use it. Even after I left the school forgetting to take it with me (I was riding a bike, anyway), and I had yoga class, he left it on my door for me. Naturally I cant refuse it now.
So yay! I got a nice, old-new potto!! 2.5L. perfect.
TODAY, Tamai-san, the music teacher whose desk is accross from mine, who I had spoken to about the pot earlier (I thought it was a thing of the past), knocks on my door. In her hand is the brand new pot! She says "A christmas present from the school!" I was completely taken aback...I tried to refuse it, but no use...some people are too nice
So, now I have 2 pottos and a thermos...all together a whopping 6.5 litres of potential hot water at my disposal, with a boiling pot that MAYBE holds 2 litres!
Moral of the story...NEVER say you want something...to someone...ever...even in passing...
...though I have mentioned I want a car...where are my three cars?!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Yes, I am alive.
Sorry its been a while since I updated. Not for a lack of interesting things. Turns out Im just lazy (who knew??)!
So, what has happened in the last month?
I took a kickass trip to Hiroshima and Miya-jima (Hiroshima is where the first nuclear bomb struck and its now famous for its peace park, miya-jima is famous for its temple - the gate-thing in the water when the tide is in). Not many pictures because while I was there, somehow my camera got sand in it and now it doesnt work 100%. I think it's better now, though. sorry. Rob wants to visit Hiroshima the next time he comes to Japan, so we might do that, and then there will be pictures. Miyajima was awesome because the place is just beautiful. There are deer everywhere that come up to you, expecting food. I got nipped a few times :(
Last weekend I went to Ibaraki prefecture to hang out with my friend, Zac. His place is really cool, and despite being rural, its not THAT rural. But he's got a great placement and has a good situation. It was fun! We ate waaay too much though :P On sunday we went to Mito and went to a mall. It was just a really big mall! In Japan! It was interesting. There is this place he always goes to, where the owner gives him free stuff. We went there afterward. The owner guy wound up giving us a lot to drink and gave Zac's friend a bottle of really nice Sake! The monday I had off, but Zac had to go to school, so I just went shopping and bought some very necessary things for my place. Later I met up with Zac and we wound up making nachos.
The next day I toured around the school for a while. Went to a small temple, walked around the area a litte, then went to pick up Rob. After some pretty terrible food, we walked around Narita, not knowing the area at all, pretty much wasting time until we met Hitomi at 9:20. That night was basically resting.
The next day we toured the main sights of Ibaraki. We found ourselves at an apple picking orchard. The owner (I think?) was superexcited to have foreigners there! This place was really interesting. First they sat us down to taste apples, and we chose which ones we wanted. So we did that and after I paid for myself and Jonny Depp-San (who is Rob, apparently - in Japan he is the spitting image of Jonny Depp!) we said hi to this lady and her child who just wanted to say hello to the 'gaijin san'. Then we saw the ibaraki waterfall and...some wierd mall thing because we ran out of time.
The past few days Rob was on the island with me. He has the pictures. I might steal them from him and post them if I get a chance. Im past my tourist phase, so taking pictures of the island is kinda silly. I didnt have my camera for the first few weeks I was here, so I didnt take any of those 'IM IN JAPAN!' pictures of the island. Unfortunately there isnt much to do on the island when its too cold to swim. So I showed him Miyake's tourism points (all like, 5 of them), and that was it. We didnt go to the Onsen, probably because its a little nerve-wracking to go somewhere like that when you're all alone (its not co-ed) and dont speak the language.
We are hoping to take the plane to Tokyo on friday, but the plane hasnt been running for the past fortnight so I don't know what the winds will be like. Here's hoping for the plane, because otherwise there will be no time to travel around Tokyo...poor Rob.
Anyway, that's all for now, sorry, I should have updated like, 2 weeks ago! oops! I will try better.
I also have to apply for grad school....
So, what has happened in the last month?
I took a kickass trip to Hiroshima and Miya-jima (Hiroshima is where the first nuclear bomb struck and its now famous for its peace park, miya-jima is famous for its temple - the gate-thing in the water when the tide is in). Not many pictures because while I was there, somehow my camera got sand in it and now it doesnt work 100%. I think it's better now, though. sorry. Rob wants to visit Hiroshima the next time he comes to Japan, so we might do that, and then there will be pictures. Miyajima was awesome because the place is just beautiful. There are deer everywhere that come up to you, expecting food. I got nipped a few times :(
Last weekend I went to Ibaraki prefecture to hang out with my friend, Zac. His place is really cool, and despite being rural, its not THAT rural. But he's got a great placement and has a good situation. It was fun! We ate waaay too much though :P On sunday we went to Mito and went to a mall. It was just a really big mall! In Japan! It was interesting. There is this place he always goes to, where the owner gives him free stuff. We went there afterward. The owner guy wound up giving us a lot to drink and gave Zac's friend a bottle of really nice Sake! The monday I had off, but Zac had to go to school, so I just went shopping and bought some very necessary things for my place. Later I met up with Zac and we wound up making nachos.
The next day I toured around the school for a while. Went to a small temple, walked around the area a litte, then went to pick up Rob. After some pretty terrible food, we walked around Narita, not knowing the area at all, pretty much wasting time until we met Hitomi at 9:20. That night was basically resting.
The next day we toured the main sights of Ibaraki. We found ourselves at an apple picking orchard. The owner (I think?) was superexcited to have foreigners there! This place was really interesting. First they sat us down to taste apples, and we chose which ones we wanted. So we did that and after I paid for myself and Jonny Depp-San (who is Rob, apparently - in Japan he is the spitting image of Jonny Depp!) we said hi to this lady and her child who just wanted to say hello to the 'gaijin san'. Then we saw the ibaraki waterfall and...some wierd mall thing because we ran out of time.
The past few days Rob was on the island with me. He has the pictures. I might steal them from him and post them if I get a chance. Im past my tourist phase, so taking pictures of the island is kinda silly. I didnt have my camera for the first few weeks I was here, so I didnt take any of those 'IM IN JAPAN!' pictures of the island. Unfortunately there isnt much to do on the island when its too cold to swim. So I showed him Miyake's tourism points (all like, 5 of them), and that was it. We didnt go to the Onsen, probably because its a little nerve-wracking to go somewhere like that when you're all alone (its not co-ed) and dont speak the language.
We are hoping to take the plane to Tokyo on friday, but the plane hasnt been running for the past fortnight so I don't know what the winds will be like. Here's hoping for the plane, because otherwise there will be no time to travel around Tokyo...poor Rob.
Anyway, that's all for now, sorry, I should have updated like, 2 weeks ago! oops! I will try better.
I also have to apply for grad school....
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tokyo, Sumo and Yoga.
So its been a while. not because nothing's been happening, but simply because I'm busy, and when Im not busy, Im lazy.
My appartment is becoming more and more livable. It's still missing a lot, but it's getting there. I recieved an oven about a week ago (I celebrated by making marble cake, which everyone seemed to enjoy - now they want pumpkin pie for halloween), which will make life a lot easier, but it took the space of the microwave, which was on the fridge (and I cant put anything on top of the oven for safety), so currently the microwave is on the floor and the rice cooker is on a little stool. I need shelves. The art teacher told me he would help me make some, after the school festival.
The school festival is this weekend, which is why I have time off. There were no classes yesterday (but I was busy planning for a trip to Hiroshima), nor are there today and tomorrow, because everyone is preparing for the festival. The big event is a fashion show, which I think the kids (and the sewing teacher) have been preparing for for a long time. They are also selling cakes, I think, and there is an art show...plus Im sure several other things. I imagine that a lot of people are going to come.
So. Last weekend I went to Tokyo for a few days to visit people and buy some stuff - I didnt get to get everything I wanted because a) I was spending a lot already b) my friends can be quite the distraction and c) the stores were closed when I actually had a chance to visit them. A fellow Toronto JET (Steph), her friends and I went to a museum that had a miyazaki exhibit - the creator of movies like Spirited away, Princess Mononoke and Howl's moving castle - which was really fun, and again, expencive +P. But totally worth it.
The next day some of the island JETs decided to go to a sumo tournament, and my friends, Zac (another Toronto JET) and Hitomi and I tagged along. Freaking awesome. The arena was HUGE and the sumos were SO big. we were way up high in the nosebleeds, but you could still see very well - one of the people with us (who actually writes for Lonely Planet) brought binoculars, which was really smart. The matches are really interesting. They last between 5 seconds and 1 minute. There is only one match, and, in the higher-level battles, the winner leaves the stage with a wad of cash. After this we went to a restaurant that was I guess meant to be like a sumo thing. There was a fake ring in the middle (and we had excellent seats), and we wound up going on a day where some people (we dont know who) and an 80 year old woman was singing. As they sang, people (the audience?) had 1000 yen bills that were stuck between disposable chopsticks and put them in their belt, kinda like strip-club style. It was interesting.
Yesterday I went to my first Yoga class. It was really interesting, and very Japanese, but I think I did well dispite it...although there was a lot of looking around when I knew I was supposed to be relaxing. The yoga teacher speaks english very well, but he didnt use it while instructing (not that I expected him to), but Im guessing that, if I continue with this (which I think I have to), then I will learn what he's saying. I understand 'cobra pose' well enough, and I think sutte means breath out and haitte means breathe in.
After Yoga several people came to meet me - it seems that I was expected to come - one woman, who I had lunch with once with my pred (about a month ago) had a picture for me, which I guess she was bringing with her every Yoga class until I came. Others were all 'so YOUR Paulette's replacement!' and I think some people want to get together to learn english (which I have to organize, I guess?) and some others were talking about learning how to do a tea ceremony! So We'll see where this takes me!
I know Ive been promising pictures. I have to start updating when Im not at school so I will have my pictures with me.
Anyway, Im really enjoying myself here. Its relaxing and sometimes can be boring when theres nothing to do, but Im still glad I came. And I think I got an awesome placement!
My appartment is becoming more and more livable. It's still missing a lot, but it's getting there. I recieved an oven about a week ago (I celebrated by making marble cake, which everyone seemed to enjoy - now they want pumpkin pie for halloween), which will make life a lot easier, but it took the space of the microwave, which was on the fridge (and I cant put anything on top of the oven for safety), so currently the microwave is on the floor and the rice cooker is on a little stool. I need shelves. The art teacher told me he would help me make some, after the school festival.
The school festival is this weekend, which is why I have time off. There were no classes yesterday (but I was busy planning for a trip to Hiroshima), nor are there today and tomorrow, because everyone is preparing for the festival. The big event is a fashion show, which I think the kids (and the sewing teacher) have been preparing for for a long time. They are also selling cakes, I think, and there is an art show...plus Im sure several other things. I imagine that a lot of people are going to come.
So. Last weekend I went to Tokyo for a few days to visit people and buy some stuff - I didnt get to get everything I wanted because a) I was spending a lot already b) my friends can be quite the distraction and c) the stores were closed when I actually had a chance to visit them. A fellow Toronto JET (Steph), her friends and I went to a museum that had a miyazaki exhibit - the creator of movies like Spirited away, Princess Mononoke and Howl's moving castle - which was really fun, and again, expencive +P. But totally worth it.
The next day some of the island JETs decided to go to a sumo tournament, and my friends, Zac (another Toronto JET) and Hitomi and I tagged along. Freaking awesome. The arena was HUGE and the sumos were SO big. we were way up high in the nosebleeds, but you could still see very well - one of the people with us (who actually writes for Lonely Planet) brought binoculars, which was really smart. The matches are really interesting. They last between 5 seconds and 1 minute. There is only one match, and, in the higher-level battles, the winner leaves the stage with a wad of cash. After this we went to a restaurant that was I guess meant to be like a sumo thing. There was a fake ring in the middle (and we had excellent seats), and we wound up going on a day where some people (we dont know who) and an 80 year old woman was singing. As they sang, people (the audience?) had 1000 yen bills that were stuck between disposable chopsticks and put them in their belt, kinda like strip-club style. It was interesting.
Yesterday I went to my first Yoga class. It was really interesting, and very Japanese, but I think I did well dispite it...although there was a lot of looking around when I knew I was supposed to be relaxing. The yoga teacher speaks english very well, but he didnt use it while instructing (not that I expected him to), but Im guessing that, if I continue with this (which I think I have to), then I will learn what he's saying. I understand 'cobra pose' well enough, and I think sutte means breath out and haitte means breathe in.
After Yoga several people came to meet me - it seems that I was expected to come - one woman, who I had lunch with once with my pred (about a month ago) had a picture for me, which I guess she was bringing with her every Yoga class until I came. Others were all 'so YOUR Paulette's replacement!' and I think some people want to get together to learn english (which I have to organize, I guess?) and some others were talking about learning how to do a tea ceremony! So We'll see where this takes me!
I know Ive been promising pictures. I have to start updating when Im not at school so I will have my pictures with me.
Anyway, Im really enjoying myself here. Its relaxing and sometimes can be boring when theres nothing to do, but Im still glad I came. And I think I got an awesome placement!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
horse meat and fish eye!
SO! today the Japanese teacher of English (Tsuda-san), along with a few other teachers (about 6 in total) took me and another girl out for our birthdays (hers was sept 1st and mine was sept 7th) to Tsuda-san's favourite restaurant. It was a tonne of fun, and I am SO full...I am also a little tipsy, so excuse any errors :P
Well. I had an experience of a lifetime. I had the privalage of eating raw squid in fish guts and raw horse meat! Yes, Raw horse meat!! It was actually really good, if not a bit fatty. Tsuda-san told the master (the chef) that it was my first time there and both mine and another teacher's birthday, so he gave us I guess a Japanese delicacy. Simmered fish. ie. Simmered fish head. Since it was our birthday, we had the privalege of each having an eye to eat!! actually, it tasted pretty good!! But it was very strange to eat a fish eye. I think it tasted like the rest of the fish, if not a bit slimier. I dont think I chewed it. I dont think Id be ready for that kind of...experience. Im still kinda like "I cant believe I just ate the eye of a fish".
On the way back we took the scenic (and dark, because it was night) route back to the apartment. The ocean sounds so awesome at night, and the smell is just indescribable.
Anyway, that was my birthday dinner!!
Well. I had an experience of a lifetime. I had the privalage of eating raw squid in fish guts and raw horse meat! Yes, Raw horse meat!! It was actually really good, if not a bit fatty. Tsuda-san told the master (the chef) that it was my first time there and both mine and another teacher's birthday, so he gave us I guess a Japanese delicacy. Simmered fish. ie. Simmered fish head. Since it was our birthday, we had the privalege of each having an eye to eat!! actually, it tasted pretty good!! But it was very strange to eat a fish eye. I think it tasted like the rest of the fish, if not a bit slimier. I dont think I chewed it. I dont think Id be ready for that kind of...experience. Im still kinda like "I cant believe I just ate the eye of a fish".
On the way back we took the scenic (and dark, because it was night) route back to the apartment. The ocean sounds so awesome at night, and the smell is just indescribable.
Anyway, that was my birthday dinner!!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Dolphin swimming and opening ceremony
Alright. So this weekend was an interesting one.
On saturday morning, some of the office people from the school and my predecessor's friend and I, went dolphin swimming at about 8am. I was warned about seasickness, but I forgot to take my nausea pills, but I did put on sunscreen...I got on the boat, and I didnt think that the seasickness would be that bad. Boy, did I underestimate that!! Ive never been seasick, and I didnt think I ever would be - this wasnt my first time in the ocean, afterall. So, the first dive. I get in, and instantly I feel awful, but I manage to regain myself, and even to see the dolphins as they swam underneath me. Then we got back in the boat to follow them. Sitting on the boat, strattling the side of the boat waiting for the cue to go back in, I threw up. Then I got in the water, feeling better, washing off a bit, the dolphins were amazing! They were going in and out of the water and were having a lot of fun. Then as we neared the boat to get back in, I suddenly got extremely sick and threw up a good 4 times while in the water (ew), empyting my stomach of the cup of tea and the 3 spoonfuls of pudding I managed to eat in the morning. I sat out the next one, which was too bad, because apparently that one was the best one, because they saw a turtle. The next one I went in, and that was great! The last one I went into because the dolphins were clearly playing around (we werent allowed to touch them), and just as I hit the water I felt ill again and gaged, but with nothing to throw up, it was awful, and I didnt see anything.
So we got back on the boat and started to sail back to Miyake Jima, while I laid down on the boat, trying not to be sick again.
So, all in all, it was good, but would have been amazing had I not forgotten to take some pills.
Then I got home, washed off the salt, and then I noticed it: I was completely burnt from my stomach to my knees. The rest of the night was spent with icepacks and soaking in the tub. I had no will to eat, but I managed to eat about 2 bowls of miso soup. Sleeping that night was not very easy, but I managed.
The next day, Paulette, my predecessor, was over because she was packing her things, which I let her keep at my place til she got organized and when she finished, we went out to buy me some aloe and get some food...
The first stop was the post office. The second at the yoga instructor's place, because Paulette had been sleeping there and needed to grab the last of her things. It was about 30 degrees outside and the humidex was at about 97%. At this time I had eaten 2 bowls of soup and a can of mango juice within the last 32 hours or so,plus I was sunburnt. I started to get a headdache, and just as we were about to leave, I lost my balance and fainted (though I didnt go unconcious and I was completely in control, and I didnt hurt myself or anything...just I have never fainted before). After about a minute or so I got back up and the Yoga instructor's wife gave me a glass of water and some tylenol, as the instructor came back and gave me some aloe leaves to put on my sunburns. I felt fine then, and we decided that we should eat before anything happened again.
So we went to a restaurant and I had this curry-rice fried-chicken thing (which was good, if not a bit spicy), and one of Paulette's friends joined us. Then it was time to go to the ship, where several people from the school were there to send Paulette off. There were SO many ribbons (which I guess is the traditional way of sending someone off by boat), and everyone said their goodbyes as Paulette left towards the horizon to Tokyo, to maybe come back someday.
After that, some of the teachers and I went snorkeling, which again was amazing - we were out for a good hour and a half! I saw these sea-spider things, a really long fish, some huge fish, other kinds of tropcial fish, and a plethera of other kinds of things I had never seen before. Then I went home to do dishes, laundry and ironing (which was really hard to do, considering the sunburn).
Today was the opening ceremony. There isnt really much to say about it. The whole time it was extremely hot and everyone was staning for the whole thing (standing for half an hour in extreme heat is not easy), and I think one of the students felt ill. First the Principle came up to introduce me, and I said my speech in english (which was just Hi My name is carla, I come from here, this is my major, this is what Id like to do in miyake, polite polite, kaybye! - I spoke in english while 2 girls translated - though I think I could have said it all in Japanese, but I guess the English teacher wanted the kids to translate instead). Then some awards were given out and then we went back. The students were allowed to go home, but the teachers have to remain at school, which is why I am at the school now. I have a meeting today to talk about english classes and how they work, I suppose.
I start teaching tomorrow!
Wish me luck!
On saturday morning, some of the office people from the school and my predecessor's friend and I, went dolphin swimming at about 8am. I was warned about seasickness, but I forgot to take my nausea pills, but I did put on sunscreen...I got on the boat, and I didnt think that the seasickness would be that bad. Boy, did I underestimate that!! Ive never been seasick, and I didnt think I ever would be - this wasnt my first time in the ocean, afterall. So, the first dive. I get in, and instantly I feel awful, but I manage to regain myself, and even to see the dolphins as they swam underneath me. Then we got back in the boat to follow them. Sitting on the boat, strattling the side of the boat waiting for the cue to go back in, I threw up. Then I got in the water, feeling better, washing off a bit, the dolphins were amazing! They were going in and out of the water and were having a lot of fun. Then as we neared the boat to get back in, I suddenly got extremely sick and threw up a good 4 times while in the water (ew), empyting my stomach of the cup of tea and the 3 spoonfuls of pudding I managed to eat in the morning. I sat out the next one, which was too bad, because apparently that one was the best one, because they saw a turtle. The next one I went in, and that was great! The last one I went into because the dolphins were clearly playing around (we werent allowed to touch them), and just as I hit the water I felt ill again and gaged, but with nothing to throw up, it was awful, and I didnt see anything.
So we got back on the boat and started to sail back to Miyake Jima, while I laid down on the boat, trying not to be sick again.
So, all in all, it was good, but would have been amazing had I not forgotten to take some pills.
Then I got home, washed off the salt, and then I noticed it: I was completely burnt from my stomach to my knees. The rest of the night was spent with icepacks and soaking in the tub. I had no will to eat, but I managed to eat about 2 bowls of miso soup. Sleeping that night was not very easy, but I managed.
The next day, Paulette, my predecessor, was over because she was packing her things, which I let her keep at my place til she got organized and when she finished, we went out to buy me some aloe and get some food...
The first stop was the post office. The second at the yoga instructor's place, because Paulette had been sleeping there and needed to grab the last of her things. It was about 30 degrees outside and the humidex was at about 97%. At this time I had eaten 2 bowls of soup and a can of mango juice within the last 32 hours or so,plus I was sunburnt. I started to get a headdache, and just as we were about to leave, I lost my balance and fainted (though I didnt go unconcious and I was completely in control, and I didnt hurt myself or anything...just I have never fainted before). After about a minute or so I got back up and the Yoga instructor's wife gave me a glass of water and some tylenol, as the instructor came back and gave me some aloe leaves to put on my sunburns. I felt fine then, and we decided that we should eat before anything happened again.
So we went to a restaurant and I had this curry-rice fried-chicken thing (which was good, if not a bit spicy), and one of Paulette's friends joined us. Then it was time to go to the ship, where several people from the school were there to send Paulette off. There were SO many ribbons (which I guess is the traditional way of sending someone off by boat), and everyone said their goodbyes as Paulette left towards the horizon to Tokyo, to maybe come back someday.
After that, some of the teachers and I went snorkeling, which again was amazing - we were out for a good hour and a half! I saw these sea-spider things, a really long fish, some huge fish, other kinds of tropcial fish, and a plethera of other kinds of things I had never seen before. Then I went home to do dishes, laundry and ironing (which was really hard to do, considering the sunburn).
Today was the opening ceremony. There isnt really much to say about it. The whole time it was extremely hot and everyone was staning for the whole thing (standing for half an hour in extreme heat is not easy), and I think one of the students felt ill. First the Principle came up to introduce me, and I said my speech in english (which was just Hi My name is carla, I come from here, this is my major, this is what Id like to do in miyake, polite polite, kaybye! - I spoke in english while 2 girls translated - though I think I could have said it all in Japanese, but I guess the English teacher wanted the kids to translate instead). Then some awards were given out and then we went back. The students were allowed to go home, but the teachers have to remain at school, which is why I am at the school now. I have a meeting today to talk about english classes and how they work, I suppose.
I start teaching tomorrow!
Wish me luck!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
so it turns out I really like having a blog. Writing emails is too much work.
I hope that everyone who is interested is reading this, cause I'm not sending emails...I'll get around to postcards, except that I dont think they sell them on miyake (which is wierd cause they have miyake keychains). I wont get to Tokyo until September.
Speaking of September, apparently you can get some major discounts on airfare if you travel within 2 weeks before/after your birthday! SO...if any JETS are reading this...who wants company??
So. this week. Well, monday was tough cause the internet was down. And I didn't have a book on me, so I went swimming...They have a HUGE pool on the roof of the school! And its heavenly to swim in! I had a paid vacation yesterday (I think) and we were supposed to go dolphin swimming, but the captain said the waves were too high and it would be dangerous...so I stayed at home and watched the olympics. My modem came in (yay!), but Im still waiting on something else in order for my internets to start working.
The English teacher and another teacher gave me a present today! An Inkkan!! For those who don't know what this is, In Japan, you have this stamp with your name on it that acts as your signature. They are all handmade and are original, so its really hard to get a duplicate, that being said they are extremely expencive and important in order to sign certain documents, and in some cases, you'll need one to get things like a bank account. It is really such a nice gift. I so dont know how to use it...
Some island information! The good things and the bad, what I've discovered thus far.
I am gonna start with the bad and end with the good. I think that's more optimistic.
The worst thing about the island are the electronic boxes. They go off at 7am, 12 noon and 5pm announcing I think the weather, everyday. Which isn't that bad - I dont need an alarm clock in the morning...Its the other, random times it goes off due to gas warnings. Im beginning to understand them. Paulette says that the sound it makes before the announcement indicates what level the gas is, and then you listen for where the gas is. If its really bad you can just smell it (it gives me a headdache). The language barrier isnt that bad, but I can see it getting to me eventually. I dont have a phone yet, and I tried to get one last week, but I need my gaijin card which I havent recieved yet. Transportation is an issue, because you really do need something to get around faster than your legs...
Now the goods. The people. The people are SO nice and SO accomodating. I manage to get a ride to school everyday by someone, and the JTE put a message on the blackboard asking anyone who has something they can give me to tell him. So far I've recieved a bed (my favourite thing), a table (my second favourite thing), a chest or drawers, a plastic chest of drawers, a rice cooker and a frying pan. I gave the teachers a box of chocolates I bought in Choshi when I went to see Hitomi last week. I think they were well recieved. I wrote a note saying 'everyone, thanks for everything'...in my bad Japanese. I hope it was okay. I am planning on setting out my Canadian candies when school starts so that other teachers I havent met yet can have something too. I am definately becomming more comfortable around here. I went to the store the other day and everyone was like 'Its the new english teacher!' it was kinda nice. The island is beautiful and once I figure out how to explore it I will.
As for people who want to visit me, I give you this advice:
Come in the summerish times...apparently there isnt much to do in the winter (all there is to do is swim, which you cant do in the winter) and I dont know if I will be able to entertain you.
I dont have a car yet, but I hope I will get a moped or a vespa at some point, so again, everything will be by foot, and its a long walk to the good spots, unless you catch a bus, which goes around the island once every hour or two.
The top of the mountain is restricted and no busses go there, so if you want to visit it, you'll have to wait til I get a vehicle.
Bring aquatic gear. The snorkeling is amazing!!
anyway, Im getting disctracted. The internet is pretty and it soon shall be MINE (at home)
Planning a trip to Tokyo in september if anyone wants to join?
Speaking of September, apparently you can get some major discounts on airfare if you travel within 2 weeks before/after your birthday! SO...if any JETS are reading this...who wants company??
So. this week. Well, monday was tough cause the internet was down. And I didn't have a book on me, so I went swimming...They have a HUGE pool on the roof of the school! And its heavenly to swim in! I had a paid vacation yesterday (I think) and we were supposed to go dolphin swimming, but the captain said the waves were too high and it would be dangerous...so I stayed at home and watched the olympics. My modem came in (yay!), but Im still waiting on something else in order for my internets to start working.
The English teacher and another teacher gave me a present today! An Inkkan!! For those who don't know what this is, In Japan, you have this stamp with your name on it that acts as your signature. They are all handmade and are original, so its really hard to get a duplicate, that being said they are extremely expencive and important in order to sign certain documents, and in some cases, you'll need one to get things like a bank account. It is really such a nice gift. I so dont know how to use it...
Some island information! The good things and the bad, what I've discovered thus far.
I am gonna start with the bad and end with the good. I think that's more optimistic.
The worst thing about the island are the electronic boxes. They go off at 7am, 12 noon and 5pm announcing I think the weather, everyday. Which isn't that bad - I dont need an alarm clock in the morning...Its the other, random times it goes off due to gas warnings. Im beginning to understand them. Paulette says that the sound it makes before the announcement indicates what level the gas is, and then you listen for where the gas is. If its really bad you can just smell it (it gives me a headdache). The language barrier isnt that bad, but I can see it getting to me eventually. I dont have a phone yet, and I tried to get one last week, but I need my gaijin card which I havent recieved yet. Transportation is an issue, because you really do need something to get around faster than your legs...
Now the goods. The people. The people are SO nice and SO accomodating. I manage to get a ride to school everyday by someone, and the JTE put a message on the blackboard asking anyone who has something they can give me to tell him. So far I've recieved a bed (my favourite thing), a table (my second favourite thing), a chest or drawers, a plastic chest of drawers, a rice cooker and a frying pan. I gave the teachers a box of chocolates I bought in Choshi when I went to see Hitomi last week. I think they were well recieved. I wrote a note saying 'everyone, thanks for everything'...in my bad Japanese. I hope it was okay. I am planning on setting out my Canadian candies when school starts so that other teachers I havent met yet can have something too. I am definately becomming more comfortable around here. I went to the store the other day and everyone was like 'Its the new english teacher!' it was kinda nice. The island is beautiful and once I figure out how to explore it I will.
As for people who want to visit me, I give you this advice:
Come in the summerish times...apparently there isnt much to do in the winter (all there is to do is swim, which you cant do in the winter) and I dont know if I will be able to entertain you.
I dont have a car yet, but I hope I will get a moped or a vespa at some point, so again, everything will be by foot, and its a long walk to the good spots, unless you catch a bus, which goes around the island once every hour or two.
The top of the mountain is restricted and no busses go there, so if you want to visit it, you'll have to wait til I get a vehicle.
Bring aquatic gear. The snorkeling is amazing!!
anyway, Im getting disctracted. The internet is pretty and it soon shall be MINE (at home)
Planning a trip to Tokyo in september if anyone wants to join?
Saturday, August 16, 2008
website
Here is an awesome article Rachel (another Izu island JET) found. Its really insightful and a good reference to what the island is/was like!
http://www.outdoorjapan.com/contents/current_issue/1209623441/1217472440?language=english
http://www.outdoorjapan.com/contents/current_issue/1209623441/1217472440?language=english
Monday, August 11, 2008
new address
Okay. so my NEW address is
Carla Weigel
100-1211 miyakemura
Tsubota 2975
Osato jutaku
1-105
So I guess this is where you can send stuff, if you so desire.
This weekend! Well, on saturday sugawara-san took me to see the island. We went snorkeling and saw tonnes of tropical fish (we found nemo!), including a blowfish (oooooh), and we went to the volcano (shh, its a secret!) and we went to an elementary school that was destroyed by the lava in the eruption in the 80's! Turns out the volcano eurupts every 30-40 years, and the last euption wasnt one with lava and that stuff, rather sulphur levels became too high which caused the evactuation. The top is really cool. it looks like hell cause all the trees are dead from the suphur, but the branches are all there. it looks like driftwood. But we also went to a convervation area or something of the sort, which kind of showed how beautiful miyake used to be before the eruption.
I bought some fish. Salmon, I think. The only spice I have in my house right now is nutmeg. So I put soysauce and nutmeg on the fish and broiled it... and it tasted really good! I also made up a soup of green onion, fish sauce, soba noodles and soy sauce, which also worked out well. man its easy to cook Japanese food! :)
I cant get over how nice everyone is! One of the teachers gave me a chest of drawers, another gave me a table AND a sofa (that turns into a bed! A bed!! I have a bed now!! yaaay! Before I had a fouton (which is basically a matress and some thick blankets that are placed on a tatami mat on the floor which you have to fold up everyday so that it doesnt get mouldy) that was missing a mattress, so the idea of a bed is fantastic!! gee!!
They are planning on going swimming on the 20th, and I am going to tokyo on tuesday to see hitomi for a few days!
so far, Japan is very nice...I can see myself getting lonely easily if I dont get out of my shell, but I think I can manage! I hope that the other JETs come visit, along with you peoples from Canadia!
I think that's all to report for now!
Carla out!
Carla Weigel
100-1211 miyakemura
Tsubota 2975
Osato jutaku
1-105
So I guess this is where you can send stuff, if you so desire.
This weekend! Well, on saturday sugawara-san took me to see the island. We went snorkeling and saw tonnes of tropical fish (we found nemo!), including a blowfish (oooooh), and we went to the volcano (shh, its a secret!) and we went to an elementary school that was destroyed by the lava in the eruption in the 80's! Turns out the volcano eurupts every 30-40 years, and the last euption wasnt one with lava and that stuff, rather sulphur levels became too high which caused the evactuation. The top is really cool. it looks like hell cause all the trees are dead from the suphur, but the branches are all there. it looks like driftwood. But we also went to a convervation area or something of the sort, which kind of showed how beautiful miyake used to be before the eruption.
I bought some fish. Salmon, I think. The only spice I have in my house right now is nutmeg. So I put soysauce and nutmeg on the fish and broiled it... and it tasted really good! I also made up a soup of green onion, fish sauce, soba noodles and soy sauce, which also worked out well. man its easy to cook Japanese food! :)
I cant get over how nice everyone is! One of the teachers gave me a chest of drawers, another gave me a table AND a sofa (that turns into a bed! A bed!! I have a bed now!! yaaay! Before I had a fouton (which is basically a matress and some thick blankets that are placed on a tatami mat on the floor which you have to fold up everyday so that it doesnt get mouldy) that was missing a mattress, so the idea of a bed is fantastic!! gee!!
They are planning on going swimming on the 20th, and I am going to tokyo on tuesday to see hitomi for a few days!
so far, Japan is very nice...I can see myself getting lonely easily if I dont get out of my shell, but I think I can manage! I hope that the other JETs come visit, along with you peoples from Canadia!
I think that's all to report for now!
Carla out!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Im heeeeere!
I have arrived!! (in advance, sorry for the lack of apostrophes. I cant find them on this keyboard...in fact, any typo you can assume is because of the keyboard - that, and it seems Im already starting to lose my english) Also, this is going to be very unflowy and ADDish because I am still jetlagged.
What can I say? not much is happening, although it seems that I have a LOT of work ahead of me in my house. I dont have any furniture and I have to set up my curtains and things, as well as get my kitchen organized and catch up on my sleep.
the island is really pretty, and so unlike anything Ive ever seen before! There is a lot of greenery, but there are also trees that are completely dead - they look like driftwood, only upright and still in the ground - and there is a constant coo of bugs. There was a cockroach in my cabinet...a bigass thing! It was HUGE! so gross...but it seems the bugs are even welcoming! Yesterday a couple that runs a grocery shop gave me an old rice cooker, and one of the teachers gave me a cup from his parents sushi restaurant on the mainland.
Yesterday when I arrived there were a bunch of people from the school waving Canadian flags to welcome me!! It was so nice, but I didnt know what to do! I kind just stood there smiling awkwardly. Everyone here is really welcoming. Yesterday we just went around to get me a residency card (or something) and a gas mask and things. I will take pictures, but my camera hasnt arrived yet...nor has my big suitcase with all my clothes in it...
Most people here try their best to speak english, so that isnt really much of an issue. the only problem is that everything they can stay in english I can say in japanese, so there is no way to communicate the more complicated things! I cant wait for my DS so I have a dictionary.
I am still very tired, and I really want a day to just sleep off the past two weeks. I actually got my first whole-nights sleep last night! I still have a headdache though, which could be the sulfur (but it doesnt seem that the island smells that bad). They are having a welcome party for me tonight, so I probably wont get much sleep til the weekend.
They werent kidding when they said I only work 16 days! I got to choose my days this month today and I am working everyday (except next tuesday, which I scheduled off so I can do housework) until the 27th! so I am getting 5 whole days off at the end of the month! wh00t!
My registration card wont be coming for a few weeks and I cant say when Ill have the internet at home, but so far I am using the computers at the school.
My house is HUGE! There are 3 rooms!! I dont even know what to do with them, especially since AC is only in one room! The floors were cleaned and the bathtub is new (that was fun to figure out yesterday). Everything is run on gas too, which is nice. I have no furniture, so I might have to go get some of that, unless Paulette still has things to give me, which is entirely possible, so I dont know if I should venture to the mainland quite yet.
Im tired. Im gonna nap. but dont tell anyone. I dont know if its allowed!!
What can I say? not much is happening, although it seems that I have a LOT of work ahead of me in my house. I dont have any furniture and I have to set up my curtains and things, as well as get my kitchen organized and catch up on my sleep.
the island is really pretty, and so unlike anything Ive ever seen before! There is a lot of greenery, but there are also trees that are completely dead - they look like driftwood, only upright and still in the ground - and there is a constant coo of bugs. There was a cockroach in my cabinet...a bigass thing! It was HUGE! so gross...but it seems the bugs are even welcoming! Yesterday a couple that runs a grocery shop gave me an old rice cooker, and one of the teachers gave me a cup from his parents sushi restaurant on the mainland.
Yesterday when I arrived there were a bunch of people from the school waving Canadian flags to welcome me!! It was so nice, but I didnt know what to do! I kind just stood there smiling awkwardly. Everyone here is really welcoming. Yesterday we just went around to get me a residency card (or something) and a gas mask and things. I will take pictures, but my camera hasnt arrived yet...nor has my big suitcase with all my clothes in it...
Most people here try their best to speak english, so that isnt really much of an issue. the only problem is that everything they can stay in english I can say in japanese, so there is no way to communicate the more complicated things! I cant wait for my DS so I have a dictionary.
I am still very tired, and I really want a day to just sleep off the past two weeks. I actually got my first whole-nights sleep last night! I still have a headdache though, which could be the sulfur (but it doesnt seem that the island smells that bad). They are having a welcome party for me tonight, so I probably wont get much sleep til the weekend.
They werent kidding when they said I only work 16 days! I got to choose my days this month today and I am working everyday (except next tuesday, which I scheduled off so I can do housework) until the 27th! so I am getting 5 whole days off at the end of the month! wh00t!
My registration card wont be coming for a few weeks and I cant say when Ill have the internet at home, but so far I am using the computers at the school.
My house is HUGE! There are 3 rooms!! I dont even know what to do with them, especially since AC is only in one room! The floors were cleaned and the bathtub is new (that was fun to figure out yesterday). Everything is run on gas too, which is nice. I have no furniture, so I might have to go get some of that, unless Paulette still has things to give me, which is entirely possible, so I dont know if I should venture to the mainland quite yet.
Im tired. Im gonna nap. but dont tell anyone. I dont know if its allowed!!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
my address
due to popular demand, this is my mailing address. It's actually the school's address, but I should get everything and anything sent to it:
Carla Weigel co: Miyake senior High school
4586 Tsubota Miyakemura Miyake-jima
Tokyo 100-1211, Japan
Carla Weigel co: Miyake senior High school
4586 Tsubota Miyakemura Miyake-jima
Tokyo 100-1211, Japan
uuugh
ok. so yesterday was a combination of rockage ans suckage.
I woke up at 4am unable to fall back asleep. Went for a good breakfast, managed to do some computer stuff, but later found that I have a splitting headdache, so I go downstairs to get some coffee to find that it's closed and I have to go to the 42nd floor to get a cup of coffee!! So I go, get my coffee, talk to a girl for a bit, then return to my room. Next thing I know it's 10:00 and I was late to check out! So I quickly get organized and go to check out. I go to check out, and of course I didn't do any room service or anything like that, but I find that my roomates left me their overseas call bill (classy)!! Turns out that one of them told them the bill was mine!! So, either the first one checked out and a) it was hers, and she forgot about it, b) it was hers and she told them it was mine (as opposed to the other roommate, who is her friend), c) it wasn't hers and told them it was mine (even though she knew it was the other girls), d) it wasn't hers and decided to just let it go. The second one either a) it was hers and told them it was mine or b) it wasnt hers, and rather than paying half of it or something like that, she just tells them it's me, though she fully knows it wasnt mine (because she saw me on skype, and I let her use mine) or c) the previous girl told them it was mine so they didnt bother asking her. Anyway now I'm just pissed off. I'm tired and have a headdache and was stuck with a bill that wasnt mine (the bill wasn't expencive, but still it sucked)! The Japanese people from the ministry I met the day before meet me and after waiting for a while, I meet my supervisor. We walked the in sweltering heat to the board of education and had a little orientation, they gave me 150000 yen (1500) for 'moving expenses' (yay!) then we go for a decent lunch (about $8.50) and I told her a bit about Canada and about the JET application and other small talk. Then we went to my hotel, I paid for it (which I'm told I'll get back), and met with the English Teacher on Miyake Island who was supposed to help me go shopping, but he decided that we didnt really need to go shopping, because I should have everything I'll need for at least a little while, so then we called Hitomi and we went to the electronic-big section of tokyo (apparently it's famous), and we went for coffee while we waited for Hitomi to show up. We missed her first call, but after a while she met up with us and everything was good. The teacher decided I guess that it would be better for Hitomi and I to hang out together and left us to our own devices (I felt kinda bad...). Hitomi brought me to a bunch of stores in Tokyo, then we realized I had left my camera in the precious hotel!! So we got them to send it to Miyake (which will prolly cost a lot) and continued on with the rest of the day. Things in Japan are expensive, but food is pretty decent. Drinks cost between 110-300 yen, generally, but you can get a meal for under 1000. The first night I was in Tokyo, my noodle bowl cost 380 yen (The yen works like CAN money. consider 113 yen $1.13, and 10225 yen is about $102.25, etc. It gets confusing when speaking about it).
So then that was fun. I saw a tonne of things I'd get for people and got to see the mainish areas of tokyo. Later we met with my predecessor, Paulette, and the another island JET, Rob as well as his friend, and two other people i have no idea who they are (while hitomi went home because it was getting late for her) and went to a pubish kind of place. After an interesting dinner we went met up with another island JET, Tyler, and his either girlfriend or sister (I think sister), to Kareoke which is always a popular way of humiliating oneself. After that Rob gave me some money to take a cab back to my hotel (which wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be), and I retired to my room. thing is I couldnt understand the place! You need your card to turn on the lights - you put your card into this slot and the lights go on. I found the AC (yay!) and tried to turn off the lights, but if you take out your card, the AC turns off too! I tried to find a way to turn off the lights and not the AC, but couldn't, so opted to sleep with the lights on and turn them off at about 2 or 3am. i woke up this morning at 6am, and now Im killing time til 9 when I meet the teacher again and we're off to Miyake.
So I don't know when I'll get the internet again...I will do my best to get it all as soon as possible, but there are no promises!
Later peeps
-C
I woke up at 4am unable to fall back asleep. Went for a good breakfast, managed to do some computer stuff, but later found that I have a splitting headdache, so I go downstairs to get some coffee to find that it's closed and I have to go to the 42nd floor to get a cup of coffee!! So I go, get my coffee, talk to a girl for a bit, then return to my room. Next thing I know it's 10:00 and I was late to check out! So I quickly get organized and go to check out. I go to check out, and of course I didn't do any room service or anything like that, but I find that my roomates left me their overseas call bill (classy)!! Turns out that one of them told them the bill was mine!! So, either the first one checked out and a) it was hers, and she forgot about it, b) it was hers and she told them it was mine (as opposed to the other roommate, who is her friend), c) it wasn't hers and told them it was mine (even though she knew it was the other girls), d) it wasn't hers and decided to just let it go. The second one either a) it was hers and told them it was mine or b) it wasnt hers, and rather than paying half of it or something like that, she just tells them it's me, though she fully knows it wasnt mine (because she saw me on skype, and I let her use mine) or c) the previous girl told them it was mine so they didnt bother asking her. Anyway now I'm just pissed off. I'm tired and have a headdache and was stuck with a bill that wasnt mine (the bill wasn't expencive, but still it sucked)! The Japanese people from the ministry I met the day before meet me and after waiting for a while, I meet my supervisor. We walked the in sweltering heat to the board of education and had a little orientation, they gave me 150000 yen (1500) for 'moving expenses' (yay!) then we go for a decent lunch (about $8.50) and I told her a bit about Canada and about the JET application and other small talk. Then we went to my hotel, I paid for it (which I'm told I'll get back), and met with the English Teacher on Miyake Island who was supposed to help me go shopping, but he decided that we didnt really need to go shopping, because I should have everything I'll need for at least a little while, so then we called Hitomi and we went to the electronic-big section of tokyo (apparently it's famous), and we went for coffee while we waited for Hitomi to show up. We missed her first call, but after a while she met up with us and everything was good. The teacher decided I guess that it would be better for Hitomi and I to hang out together and left us to our own devices (I felt kinda bad...). Hitomi brought me to a bunch of stores in Tokyo, then we realized I had left my camera in the precious hotel!! So we got them to send it to Miyake (which will prolly cost a lot) and continued on with the rest of the day. Things in Japan are expensive, but food is pretty decent. Drinks cost between 110-300 yen, generally, but you can get a meal for under 1000. The first night I was in Tokyo, my noodle bowl cost 380 yen (The yen works like CAN money. consider 113 yen $1.13, and 10225 yen is about $102.25, etc. It gets confusing when speaking about it).
So then that was fun. I saw a tonne of things I'd get for people and got to see the mainish areas of tokyo. Later we met with my predecessor, Paulette, and the another island JET, Rob as well as his friend, and two other people i have no idea who they are (while hitomi went home because it was getting late for her) and went to a pubish kind of place. After an interesting dinner we went met up with another island JET, Tyler, and his either girlfriend or sister (I think sister), to Kareoke which is always a popular way of humiliating oneself. After that Rob gave me some money to take a cab back to my hotel (which wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be), and I retired to my room. thing is I couldnt understand the place! You need your card to turn on the lights - you put your card into this slot and the lights go on. I found the AC (yay!) and tried to turn off the lights, but if you take out your card, the AC turns off too! I tried to find a way to turn off the lights and not the AC, but couldn't, so opted to sleep with the lights on and turn them off at about 2 or 3am. i woke up this morning at 6am, and now Im killing time til 9 when I meet the teacher again and we're off to Miyake.
So I don't know when I'll get the internet again...I will do my best to get it all as soon as possible, but there are no promises!
Later peeps
-C
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Tokyo Orientation!
Alright!
So, I finally got more than 5 minutes online, so I can update my blog!
Saturday's flight was not that bad at all. I had good seats near fun people, and the 13 hour flight went by really quickly. They have these touch-screen things in front of every seat, so you got to choose what you watch, including TV shows, a meditation thing, movies, etc. I watched Horton hears a Who, Definitely Maybe and most of Spiderwick chronicles, as well as an ep of the Simpsons and Boston Legal. the rest of the time was speaking loudly to the people around me and attempting to sleep. There was this weird hypnosis/relaxation channel thing that was supposed to make you fall asleep. It worked, but didn't last long. I think the whole flight I slept maybe an hour.
After that, we arrived in the humid airport and took a bus to Tokyo. Then in Tokyo we had the rest of the day (by that time is was 5pm local time) to do whatever we wanted. We went to the city and ate (restaurants are cheap!) and then went to sleep. I didnt sleep much that night because I woke up with a stomach ache, and the next morning started bright and early with a bunch of speeches and I didn't pay any attention to much of it. Then there was a very vegetarian lunch (meat-shaped tofu!) and then workshops in the afternoon. I meant to go to them, but I slept through them. That night there was a prefecture outing, and I couldnt find mine (there are 2 Tokyo JETs, and I didnt know where we were meeting) so I went to my friends' prefecture thing, Kareoke, and we sang for 2 hours. It was a lot of fun! Then we came back for more sleep.
Yesterday is much of a blur. There was a really awesome Engrish speech by a Japanese guy. He was just speaking random sentences. Some of my favourites include: "Speaking in public makes my hair stand on end, so I applied a lot of mousse this morning", "The sultry weather made me wake up this morning sweating. I feel as tight as jeans from the dryer" and "I'd rather be crossing the river Jordan right now". After his speech there was a panel...Toronto had a great orientation, so a lot of this weekend's information was repetitive and redundant. A few friends skipped the last session and went to a mall to find a hair-dryer, but they didn't have one! This place was HUGE, and had everything...EVERYTHING, except a hair dryer. Then we went into an electronics store, where we finally found one (after much translation issues), and we came back to the hotel (which is beautiful, by the way) to go to a very dry presentation at the Canadian Embassy. It was long and boring, but we got some useful things from it (maps and things) and we basically crashed when we got back.
Breakfasts here are amazing! There are fruits and potatoes and eggs and meat. It's really tasty!
Let me tell you about toilet seats. The toilet seats here are heated (which SUCKS in the summer, but Im sure are great in the winter) and there are buttons that will spray very hot water into your underparts, which is startling (but whatever you do, don't stand up!) and some have a button that makes a flushing sound to hide the unmentionable sounds you might make while doing your business.a
What else? Tokyo isn't as busy as I thought it would be. Mind you, we're not in the main area. Language isn't a problem yet, but I haven't gone far out of the hotel. I don't think the whole thing has hit me yet, either. I'm really mostly extremely tired and jetlagged. This morning I woke up at 4am, unable to fall back asleep. It's currently 8:30, and I'm waiting for 10:00 to meet up with my prefecture people to start my adventure. I don't know when I will have internet again.
I think that's all to report for now. I'm having fun and meeting a lot of people. It's fun and I hope I can visit everyone on my list!! It seems everyone wants to visit my toxic volcanic island, and I am more than happy to host them! Assuming that's allowed :P
I suppose that's all to report for now!
Carla Out!
So, I finally got more than 5 minutes online, so I can update my blog!
Saturday's flight was not that bad at all. I had good seats near fun people, and the 13 hour flight went by really quickly. They have these touch-screen things in front of every seat, so you got to choose what you watch, including TV shows, a meditation thing, movies, etc. I watched Horton hears a Who, Definitely Maybe and most of Spiderwick chronicles, as well as an ep of the Simpsons and Boston Legal. the rest of the time was speaking loudly to the people around me and attempting to sleep. There was this weird hypnosis/relaxation channel thing that was supposed to make you fall asleep. It worked, but didn't last long. I think the whole flight I slept maybe an hour.
After that, we arrived in the humid airport and took a bus to Tokyo. Then in Tokyo we had the rest of the day (by that time is was 5pm local time) to do whatever we wanted. We went to the city and ate (restaurants are cheap!) and then went to sleep. I didnt sleep much that night because I woke up with a stomach ache, and the next morning started bright and early with a bunch of speeches and I didn't pay any attention to much of it. Then there was a very vegetarian lunch (meat-shaped tofu!) and then workshops in the afternoon. I meant to go to them, but I slept through them. That night there was a prefecture outing, and I couldnt find mine (there are 2 Tokyo JETs, and I didnt know where we were meeting) so I went to my friends' prefecture thing, Kareoke, and we sang for 2 hours. It was a lot of fun! Then we came back for more sleep.
Yesterday is much of a blur. There was a really awesome Engrish speech by a Japanese guy. He was just speaking random sentences. Some of my favourites include: "Speaking in public makes my hair stand on end, so I applied a lot of mousse this morning", "The sultry weather made me wake up this morning sweating. I feel as tight as jeans from the dryer" and "I'd rather be crossing the river Jordan right now". After his speech there was a panel...Toronto had a great orientation, so a lot of this weekend's information was repetitive and redundant. A few friends skipped the last session and went to a mall to find a hair-dryer, but they didn't have one! This place was HUGE, and had everything...EVERYTHING, except a hair dryer. Then we went into an electronics store, where we finally found one (after much translation issues), and we came back to the hotel (which is beautiful, by the way) to go to a very dry presentation at the Canadian Embassy. It was long and boring, but we got some useful things from it (maps and things) and we basically crashed when we got back.
Breakfasts here are amazing! There are fruits and potatoes and eggs and meat. It's really tasty!
Let me tell you about toilet seats. The toilet seats here are heated (which SUCKS in the summer, but Im sure are great in the winter) and there are buttons that will spray very hot water into your underparts, which is startling (but whatever you do, don't stand up!) and some have a button that makes a flushing sound to hide the unmentionable sounds you might make while doing your business.a
What else? Tokyo isn't as busy as I thought it would be. Mind you, we're not in the main area. Language isn't a problem yet, but I haven't gone far out of the hotel. I don't think the whole thing has hit me yet, either. I'm really mostly extremely tired and jetlagged. This morning I woke up at 4am, unable to fall back asleep. It's currently 8:30, and I'm waiting for 10:00 to meet up with my prefecture people to start my adventure. I don't know when I will have internet again.
I think that's all to report for now. I'm having fun and meeting a lot of people. It's fun and I hope I can visit everyone on my list!! It seems everyone wants to visit my toxic volcanic island, and I am more than happy to host them! Assuming that's allowed :P
I suppose that's all to report for now!
Carla Out!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Two weeks notice
So I finally decided to create a blog.
It is now 24 days until I depart, and I am almost completely unprepared. I have tonnes of clothes prepared, and items selected, but until I actually pack, Japan seems like a very long way away.
I am so excited, though I weave between emotions.
I just bought a supercard from Ebay for $50, and then I found out that I could have got one for 30!! Typical. oh well. Not worth losing sleep over, but hey. I get upset about very silly things :P
So, that's all I got for now!
whee!
It is now 24 days until I depart, and I am almost completely unprepared. I have tonnes of clothes prepared, and items selected, but until I actually pack, Japan seems like a very long way away.
I am so excited, though I weave between emotions.
I just bought a supercard from Ebay for $50, and then I found out that I could have got one for 30!! Typical. oh well. Not worth losing sleep over, but hey. I get upset about very silly things :P
So, that's all I got for now!
whee!
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