Here at Last

Well, after months of waiting I have finally arrived in Japan. It has been an exhausting, and at times overwhelming, process and I think it will continue to stay that way. I'm really relieved to know at least 1 person in Tokyo and to have made some friends who are scattered about Japan thanks to training. The night before we left 4 of us went out and it was just a really good time with some really awesome people (picture 1 and 2), so I hope we stay connected over the next year.

So now for what I'm sure you're all actually interested in... Japan! Well, to start things off, Japanese Airlines is totally amazing, each seat is equipped with a detachable remote control that lets you scroll through a menu with music, movies, and a bunch of video games to choose from on the screen in front of you. They also have storage departments by the window and hand out warm cloths at the beginning and end of the flight. I've never had a more enjoyable flying experience. We also flew over Alaska, so the view was absolutely spectacular (picture 3).
When we arrived at Narita (the airport) the 6 of us met Rita, the Sub Teacher who was picking us up. We split up from there and half of us went with Rita while the other half stayed at Narita to catch another flight. We took a train into Tokyo where I went with Rita and the other 2 were sent to meet other trainers/teachers. Rita and I took another train to the school that I will be teaching at. At the school I met my manager and the teacher whom I will be replacing. The school was kind of different from how I imagined it, which shouldn't have really surprised me because nothing ever turns out the way I imagine. It was very long and narrow which, according to the previous teacher, is pretty much how most places are in Tokyo... the long and narrow statement is supported by the dimensions of my hotel room/temporary apartment which is not only long and narrow, but also extremely small. It seemed like ages before we finally arrived at my hotel, partially because we stopped to eat, but mostly because it's ridiculously far way from my school. Luckily, the reason I'm staying at this crappy little place is because I will be moving into a brand new apartment on Dec. 4 and it's just not ready yet. When we arrived at my hotel (Weekly Mansion) it was discovered that the room hadn't actually been paid for yet by my company. Thank goodness I had a lot of cash on me so I was able to pay for it. I will be reimbursed on Tuesday when I return to the school for classes so it's not too big a deal and I actually end up not having to pay for 10 days worth of rent which is excellent.

In just the one day that I have been here I have already seen some pretty interesting things and had some unique, and at times frustrating, experiences. First of all, I have come to learn that it is not unusual to see people walking around wearing doctor's masks, even some children and teenagers wear them. They're meant to just keep the wearers healthy, and those around them too I suppose, but I'm not going to lie, I find something about these masked people rather disturbing. I was informed that some of my students will probably wear them during class, so that's definitely something I'm going to have to adjust to. I also completely freaked out this morning when I could not for the life of me shut the window to my room. I had just opened it so that I could take pictures of my view (picture 4) but when I went to close it the thing would not budge. Since the receptionist last night had not spoken English I assumed that I would not be able to explain what had happened to the front desk. As it turned out, the receptionist this morning did speak English and when she came up to "fix it" I discovered that you just had to push down on the metal bar that attached the window to the ledge. I have never in my life seen a window like this and even though I ended up looking like an idiot, I am relieved that I did not actually break the window and end up having to pay for it. The most frustrating part of the whole experience though was being unable to communicate what was wrong. Being unable to speak the language makes you feel completely and utterly helpless... it's scary. But you know what, scary is okay sometimes.
Today I went and walked around the neighborhood a bit and got a bite to eat at a local restaurant. A lot of restaurants here have fake food displays in their front windows and lots of pictures in their menus so I can just point at what I want. I also walked around a grocery store and bought some band aids and a mini christmas cake (a strawberry and cream cake). I know it's a little strange, but I really love going to grocery stores in different countries. I like seeing what we do and don't have in common in terms of eating and shopping. The bakery was actually very similar to one I went to in Mexico. All the breads and pastries are out in the open and you go around with a tray and tongs and choose the ones you want. Well it's pretty early, but I'm getting tired thanks to that lovely littl thing called jet lag, so I'll leave you with this delightful package of gum that I sat on when I got on a bus last night (picture 5). Goodnight, I love you all.