[I didn't explain this in the previous post but this and the previous one are ones I wrote last month while I was still disconnected :P]
August 18th.
Not sure what I’m going to write but I feel like writing anyway. I’ve officially been in Japan for about 18 days. It’s interesting though. My life is so different from what it was in July; from what it was two years ago or ever. There’s something about being in a foreign country that makes you think a lot. Introspection has always been one of my fortes, if you can call it that. But here, as much as my current situation affords an overflow of free time, which consequently leaves my mind free to deeply consider myself, I’ve found sometimes I just look out the window and stop thinking. There’s a big green hill right beyond the road behind my apartment, which my windows face. I guess technically they’re not as much windows as they are glass doors. In any case, maybe it’s the small-town…ness of it all that’s slowed me down. It’s likely partially the fact that “my life in Japan hasn’t really started yet.” That idea’s been my explanation for a lot of my feelings so far. Course, that’s not precise. I’ve been living here now for almost 3 weeks! But as it is, I have very little human contact, no “friends” and my job hasn’t really begun at speed. Students are still on vacation so there’s really very little for me to do. I do keep busy though. I’ve been able to catch up on a lot of the reading, gaming and even studying of Japanese that I’d put on the back-burner (and, to be honest, probably will once my life here “starts”). I’ve also been unable to communicate with any of my old friends because I haven’t had internet so that’s also given me even more time to myself. I’m hoping at least that bit will change tomorrow when I get my cell phone. Planning on getting as unlimited a data plan as I can get my grubby paws on *evil glimmer in his eyes*. As a side note, Japanese television is hilarious. I have access to 5 channels and from what I gather, 80% of Japanese shows are some form of variety show. I’d like to think this is not an exaggeration.
Actually, I’m gonna make a digression out of that side note. Japanese TV has occupied a surprising amount of my time. I honestly didn’t think I was going to end up watching much TV while I was here but lo and behold I’m actually starting to keep tabs on some shows. Namely, and to my personal shame, I’ve somehow gotten hooked on a show called 花ざかりの君たちへ いけめん パラダイス (hana zakari no kimitachi he ikemen paradise) and I wish I could translate that mouthful for ya. I was going to attempt a translation but I almost went all orz on the floor just now upon realizing what the title might be in English. (orz is an emoticon, imagine a person bowing down on the floor where the o is the head, r is the arms and torso and z is the legs, bent) Anyway, you’ll have a good enough idea when I tell you that the show’s about a girl that pretends to be a boy in an all-boys school. I first saw it because it’s the show right before the anime I like to see (which, incidentally is always at the same block of time in the same channel… and hanazakari plays every day). And now, for better or worse (read: worse. Definitely worse) I’m hooked. The show is so ridiculous in so many ways that I realize about 14 times per episode how much of a guilty pleasure it is and how cautious I’m going to have to be about whom I share my interest in the show with. Knowing me, I’ll tell everybody I talk to. I’ll run it through the English teachers before I talk to the kids about it though *cough*. Besides hanazakari, I’ve found Japanese television to be pretty darn educational! Did you know there’s a giant golden beetle in Indonesia? That electric poles here are numbered? That a giant bear about 3.5 meters attacked a number of villages in Hokkaido at some point in the past? That Japanese people are apparently ALL foodies? That I’ve seen the same ponzu commercial exactly nine thousand eight hundred and fifty two times (and counting)?! *phew*
I haven’t been too adventurous yet. I keep wanting to go try out a gyoza restaurant nearby but it’s just so against me to go to restaurants on my own. I suppose it can’t hurt, right? And the food may end up being extraordinarily delicious and make me become a usual and be friends with the owner and and… well, we’ll see about that . However, in the meantime I generally just go to the local combini (convenience store) or Pal (closest supermarket) when I’m scavenging for food. One of these days I’ll go to that gyoza restaurant, alone or otherwise! Time’s a-counting down though. Finally (hopefully) getting my phone tomorrow and then this Sunday I’m going to Matsue (Shimane’s capital) for the Shimane orientation with the rest of the new Shimane JETs! Should be fun even though I’ll have to wear a suit in good ol’ tropical summer weather again, hooray! And school starts the week after that! Can’t wait to give a speech at the school! Ok, I can wait. Forever, in fact. No, just kidding. Public speaking may not be one of my strong points but I’m really excited to start teaching and hanging out with the teachers and kids at school. I’ve been thinking about this going back to school thing a lot too. I think it won’t have fully sunk in until I have to get ready in the morning for that first day, butterflies in my stomach and all. I’ll be able to have lunch with the kids too, which is gonna be neat… until they make me try natto (fermented soy beans) D: It looks gross, smells gross and probably doesn’t taste great either but they gotta eat it for some reason, right? I’ll give it a try, I suppose…
Ew, I just remembered the mountain of e-mails and flood of tweets I haven’t read. Ok tweeps, please forgive me but I’m going to start at 0 on my tweets. To be fair, I may actually have the time to go back and read what you’ve been saying for the past few days but I think it’d be bad to try and go back to July 31st tweets and start from there. Not sure my body could take it. My emails though I will read in their entirety and answer any that need answering. Hopefully that won’t take a month to do as I’m sure I have at the very least over 100 emails and that’s probably a gross underestimation. I also won’t really have internet per se for another two or so weeks but at least I’ll be able to check my mail and twitter on the phone *crosses fingers*. I think I’ll leave it at that, friends. It’s already tomorrow (the 19th now) and even though I’m sad because I’ll probably have to miss hanazakari while I’m out getting a phone but it’s ok because I’m bound to have to miss it while at school anyway! Plus, whenever I get innerwebz I’ll probably be able to stream the episodes >:3 GUUUDO NAITOOOOO~~~~
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