This weekend has been really great so far. In fact, all week has been great. Yesterday, I started the day by cycling to the riverbank so that I could relax, get tan, and study Japanese.
The river is so clear and is lined with bamboo trees of all different shades of green and yellow: it is so beautiful.
Then, I had a day-date (yes, a DATE!!!!) with a really great Japanese guy from Nagoya. It was one of those great first dates in which you have so much in common and so much to talk about. I feel like we really hit it off, but given that we live about an hour apart, have many cultural differences, and speak two different languages, it is way too early to tell if this will go anywhere.
Anyway, after that, I took the train to Gifu and met up with some other teacher friends of mine and had a big party at an isekaya there, followed by more drinking, dancing, and good times at a karaoke bar.
This morning, tired and slightly hungover, I took the train to Seki, where some of the mothers of my young students are going to take me to lunch for an okonomiyaki party.
All in all, this weekend has been the perfect combination of rest, sun, drinking, food, romance, and adventure: one of those times when I am so glad that I am here.
Oh, and I have been studying Japanese very hard, and I am proud to say that I am now able to read and write both katakana and hiragana! (This is marred somewhat by the fact that I still have no idea what it is that I am reading or writing, but it is a huge accomplishment none the less.)
Peace out!
C
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
The internet is FINALL COMING!!!!
I got nofication that the telephone people will be coming next Thursday to install the infrastructure for my ADSL line. This means that all I have to do is wait for the modem and cables to arrive in the mail next week, and I will be online in no time!!!!! I can't wait!!! The countdown has begun!
BTW, living without internet for 2 months has been the hardest part of living in Japan. Sad, isn't. Who knew I was such an addict?!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
I miss Gypsy and Freezone!
Well, first, I just need to say that I LOVE Nagoya! Going there on Sunday was exactly what I needed!
I achieved my goal of finding the English bookstore.
I achieved my goal of finding the Outback Steakhouse, and having quite possibly the best bacon cheeseburger and baby back ribs of my whole life.
I failed at finding a hot Japanese boyfriend, but I did go to my first gay bar in Japan. All I can say is that I MISS GIPSY and FREEZONE!!!!! This bar literally was the size of a closet and had about 10 old guys in it. At first I was freaked out, but then ended up having a great time and making new friends. I got the low down on how to spot the gays in Japan from them: basically I am on the lookout for guys with messanger backs, shorts, and stylish hats. Hopefully I will test this theory out soon.
I realized also that the reason I have been having such a hard time here is that I have not had any control over my circumstances. Being a control freak, this is a bad thing. Everything from where I live, to what I wear, to when my A/C got fixed was controlled by someone else. But, being able to go to Nagoya on my own and have a great time all by myself, I realized that I do have a lot of control afterall, and this thought has made me very happy.
That's all.
Oh, and last night, I accidentally ate an 11 course meal at a restaurant in Kani. Seriously...11 courses!
I achieved my goal of finding the English bookstore.
I achieved my goal of finding the Outback Steakhouse, and having quite possibly the best bacon cheeseburger and baby back ribs of my whole life.
I failed at finding a hot Japanese boyfriend, but I did go to my first gay bar in Japan. All I can say is that I MISS GIPSY and FREEZONE!!!!! This bar literally was the size of a closet and had about 10 old guys in it. At first I was freaked out, but then ended up having a great time and making new friends. I got the low down on how to spot the gays in Japan from them: basically I am on the lookout for guys with messanger backs, shorts, and stylish hats. Hopefully I will test this theory out soon.
I realized also that the reason I have been having such a hard time here is that I have not had any control over my circumstances. Being a control freak, this is a bad thing. Everything from where I live, to what I wear, to when my A/C got fixed was controlled by someone else. But, being able to go to Nagoya on my own and have a great time all by myself, I realized that I do have a lot of control afterall, and this thought has made me very happy.
That's all.
Oh, and last night, I accidentally ate an 11 course meal at a restaurant in Kani. Seriously...11 courses!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
1.5 Months in!
So, first, thanks to those of you that put up with my whiney culture shock ridden phone calls last week. Thankfully, I am doing much better...it appears that the first wave of culture shock has passed...for now.
This week has been pretty uneventful, except for the fact that I nearly died. No, not really. But I did have a really high fever....103.4! I'm better now though and all is well in the land of the sideways ponytail.
I have been doing a lot of thinking recently, mainly because I spend countless hours in between lessons just sitting around doing nothing. And I have come to some interesting conclusions:
First, I have decided that I am going to write a book. About what, I have no idea. But I think that I generally have some pretty interesting thoughts, and what better to do with them, then to put them in a book that nobody will ever read. This way, when I leave Japan and people ask me what I did while I was here, I can say that I wrote a book, in addition to having taught
English and gotten really lost.
Secondly, I have decided that I want to buy a Burberry umbrella. Yeah, I know that that is super hypocritical of me since I am constantly judging others for their ridiculously extravegent and superfluous purchases, at least in my head. However, lots of people have them here, and the more that I see them, the more that I want one. So, once I have a bit of money saved up, I am totally treating myself to a super gay, but not gay in Japan, Burberry umbrella.
Third, I have decided that I need to stop watching so many Sex and the City DVDs. When you catch your internal monologue starting to say things Carrie Bradshaw style, such as that "I found myself wondering...," it is time to cut yourself off cold turkey. Maybe there is some kind of patch that I can buy.
Fourth, and most importantly, I remebered what a strong person I can be and this has totally inspired me to attack this culture shock crap head on, and to make the best of this experience. Seriously, there are people so much less fortunate than me that would kill to even have the opportunity to do some of the things that I am taking for granted here. I owe it to myself to get every ounce of enjoyment and knowledge that I can out of this experience, and so I shall! No more whining. No more complaining. No more negativity. From now on, I am going to be the happiest damn gay foriegner that Minokamo, Japan has ever seen.
That's all. There have been other interesting thoughts/decisions, including a 1.5 hour attempt to develop a model in which I can implement the standards process in my classes. (you can take the guy out of campus housing, but you cant take the campus housing out of the guy haha)
However, I wont bore the one person that has maybe actually been bored enough to read all the way down this blog to this point with such nonsense.
Tomorrow, I am off for my first adventure in Nagoya. My mission: to find an English bookstore, a hot Japanease boyfriend, and an Outback Steakhouse that is rumoured to exist in Sekai. Wish me luck!
C
This week has been pretty uneventful, except for the fact that I nearly died. No, not really. But I did have a really high fever....103.4! I'm better now though and all is well in the land of the sideways ponytail.
I have been doing a lot of thinking recently, mainly because I spend countless hours in between lessons just sitting around doing nothing. And I have come to some interesting conclusions:
First, I have decided that I am going to write a book. About what, I have no idea. But I think that I generally have some pretty interesting thoughts, and what better to do with them, then to put them in a book that nobody will ever read. This way, when I leave Japan and people ask me what I did while I was here, I can say that I wrote a book, in addition to having taught
English and gotten really lost.
Secondly, I have decided that I want to buy a Burberry umbrella. Yeah, I know that that is super hypocritical of me since I am constantly judging others for their ridiculously extravegent and superfluous purchases, at least in my head. However, lots of people have them here, and the more that I see them, the more that I want one. So, once I have a bit of money saved up, I am totally treating myself to a super gay, but not gay in Japan, Burberry umbrella.
Third, I have decided that I need to stop watching so many Sex and the City DVDs. When you catch your internal monologue starting to say things Carrie Bradshaw style, such as that "I found myself wondering...," it is time to cut yourself off cold turkey. Maybe there is some kind of patch that I can buy.
Fourth, and most importantly, I remebered what a strong person I can be and this has totally inspired me to attack this culture shock crap head on, and to make the best of this experience. Seriously, there are people so much less fortunate than me that would kill to even have the opportunity to do some of the things that I am taking for granted here. I owe it to myself to get every ounce of enjoyment and knowledge that I can out of this experience, and so I shall! No more whining. No more complaining. No more negativity. From now on, I am going to be the happiest damn gay foriegner that Minokamo, Japan has ever seen.
That's all. There have been other interesting thoughts/decisions, including a 1.5 hour attempt to develop a model in which I can implement the standards process in my classes. (you can take the guy out of campus housing, but you cant take the campus housing out of the guy haha)
However, I wont bore the one person that has maybe actually been bored enough to read all the way down this blog to this point with such nonsense.
Tomorrow, I am off for my first adventure in Nagoya. My mission: to find an English bookstore, a hot Japanease boyfriend, and an Outback Steakhouse that is rumoured to exist in Sekai. Wish me luck!
C
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
half-nakedness!
Hi y'all!
As many of y'all know, this past week or so has been really hard for me. Culture shock has set in in a major way and I am not at all digging living out in the middle of nowhere, aka rice fields. (I think part of the kanji for the name of my city actually means rice field). Anyway, I am doing a little bit better now, mainly because I was able to actually leave Minokamo and go down to Kyoto for the weekend. I just got back this morning on the train and had to run home, take a shower, and then go straight to the station to go to work, which is where I am now.
Kyoto was pretty cool even though it rained the entire weekend. Between the near constant rain or the ridiculously high heat and humidity, the weather here is down right miserable. Coming from the desert, being in the rain every day is a huge change to say the least.
In Kyoto, we watched the Gion festival, which I eventually found out consists of hundreds of half-naked Japanese men screaming and carrying floats parade-style down the streets.
Basically, my asian fantasy come true. Only in my fantasy, they are carrying me. haha
Anyway, I am at work now, but I dont have another class for another 3 hours and I am way too tired to focus on lesson planning or anything productive. Talk to y'all later.
As many of y'all know, this past week or so has been really hard for me. Culture shock has set in in a major way and I am not at all digging living out in the middle of nowhere, aka rice fields. (I think part of the kanji for the name of my city actually means rice field). Anyway, I am doing a little bit better now, mainly because I was able to actually leave Minokamo and go down to Kyoto for the weekend. I just got back this morning on the train and had to run home, take a shower, and then go straight to the station to go to work, which is where I am now.
Kyoto was pretty cool even though it rained the entire weekend. Between the near constant rain or the ridiculously high heat and humidity, the weather here is down right miserable. Coming from the desert, being in the rain every day is a huge change to say the least.
In Kyoto, we watched the Gion festival, which I eventually found out consists of hundreds of half-naked Japanese men screaming and carrying floats parade-style down the streets.
Basically, my asian fantasy come true. Only in my fantasy, they are carrying me. haha
Anyway, I am at work now, but I dont have another class for another 3 hours and I am way too tired to focus on lesson planning or anything productive. Talk to y'all later.
Sunday, July 9, 2006
Update from Japan!
Konnichiwa!
Today, my manager is away at a meeting, so I actually have a chance to use the internet!!!
Things are still going pretty well. However, I have definately begun to start feeling the pains of culture shock. Honestly, it's not so much culture shock, as it is extreme annoyance at how long it takes to do seemingly simple things here in Japan. For example, my air conditioner is still not fixed (going on 4 weeks now).
I did however sign up for cable and internet at home. Unfortunately, it won't be set up until mid-august, which kind of makes me want to cry. haha
The weather just keeps getting hotter and hotter. I never thought I would say this, but the humidity is so awful here that I actually wish that I were back in the desert!
I've been hanging out with a lot of new friends and exploring the area lately. I even went and saw Mission Impossible 3 on Sunday. I've also been having a great time laughing about all of the funny incorrect english that is around Japan. For example, girls everywhere walk around with t-shirts with english words that make zero sence. Even the sandwich at the convenience store is funny. The slogan reads: We bring you the flavor of the wind in the meadow. Personally, I have never tasted the wind in the meadow, but apparently it tastes like a ham and cheese sandwich. haha
Minokamo, where I live, is growing on me. I did some exploring on Monday and it is actually quite nice. Super small, but nice. I also met another foreigner from Australia last night that lives in the apartment right next door to mine. She is really nice and I think that we will get along well.
Now that I have my cell phone set up, please email me at:
christhomas12@c.vodafone.ne.jp
I will receive the email on my phone instantly and can respond sort of like instant messanger =)
Well, I had better be off. Today is my busy day for kids lessons so I need to eat lots of sugar and drink lots of caffeine before hand to get through the day. haha
Today, my manager is away at a meeting, so I actually have a chance to use the internet!!!
Things are still going pretty well. However, I have definately begun to start feeling the pains of culture shock. Honestly, it's not so much culture shock, as it is extreme annoyance at how long it takes to do seemingly simple things here in Japan. For example, my air conditioner is still not fixed (going on 4 weeks now).
I did however sign up for cable and internet at home. Unfortunately, it won't be set up until mid-august, which kind of makes me want to cry. haha
The weather just keeps getting hotter and hotter. I never thought I would say this, but the humidity is so awful here that I actually wish that I were back in the desert!
I've been hanging out with a lot of new friends and exploring the area lately. I even went and saw Mission Impossible 3 on Sunday. I've also been having a great time laughing about all of the funny incorrect english that is around Japan. For example, girls everywhere walk around with t-shirts with english words that make zero sence. Even the sandwich at the convenience store is funny. The slogan reads: We bring you the flavor of the wind in the meadow. Personally, I have never tasted the wind in the meadow, but apparently it tastes like a ham and cheese sandwich. haha
Minokamo, where I live, is growing on me. I did some exploring on Monday and it is actually quite nice. Super small, but nice. I also met another foreigner from Australia last night that lives in the apartment right next door to mine. She is really nice and I think that we will get along well.
Now that I have my cell phone set up, please email me at:
christhomas12@c.vodafone.ne.jp
I will receive the email on my phone instantly and can respond sort of like instant messanger =)
Well, I had better be off. Today is my busy day for kids lessons so I need to eat lots of sugar and drink lots of caffeine before hand to get through the day. haha
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