New School: "Shimodate Elementary" and Karaoke!

This morning I awoke at 7 to get up and showered for my meeting with the Principal of my Elementary School. I didn't remember what time Tom was coming to pick me up so I decided to play it safe and wake up early. He arrived at 9:40 and we went to the meeting. It went pretty well, I got my desk and a locker for my stuff, I met the lunch lady and some of the staff, and I got my desk!

As we were leaving the school we saw a big snake crossing the path in front of us. Snakes are good luck in Japan so I think this is a good sign and this will be a fun school to teach in.

Tom took me to pick up my hanko(!) and then we went to the electronics store. It seemed like Tom wanted to make the most of our time today by driving me somewhere while we had a car, but I didn't need anything so he dropped me off at my place and said he'd see me tomorrow. Tomorrow I meet the faculty at the middle school.

Anthony is another ALT that lives right above me. Anthony came down at around 3 and invited me to dinner and karaoke with a couple other ALTs. Sweet! I get to meet some others! We went to a place called "Gusto" and had a cheap but decent meal. I met Paul and Steven. Steven works out so we will go to his gym tomorrow to exercise!

After dinner we went to karaoke and sang for two hours. I had a better time than I thought I was going to have and I got to know the guys a little bit better. They are pretty cool so I'm happy I got to meet them.

My weekend

This weekend I went to Shibuya to meet with Yuki-chan! We agreed to meet at 11:30a.m. so I figured out what train to take to get there on time (with a little help from Yuki) and decided to wake up early in order to be at Shibuya on time (I have a history of being late when I meet her and I wanted to change that).

I woke and left the house at 8a.m.. It takes about 45 minutes to walk from my apartment to the train station and my train was leaving at 8:49. I knew that if I walked fast I would get to the station with a little time to spare and I would get to Shibuya a little early, assuring I would be punctual this time.

Yuki gave me a shirt from Canada that says "CANUCK" on it, so I wore that to help her find me on the train platform.

I got to the station and got on an even earlier train because it had arrived and was going to the same place. This would definitely make sure I was punctual!

I settled in and began the 2 hour train ride from Shimodate-eki to Shibuya-eki. I passed the time by playing my old school Gameboy, Donkey Kong Land was my game of choice that day.

Bad choice.

That game is hard! The Gameboy is old so the screen is scratched, the battery compartment is a little sensitive so if you press a little too hard the system turns off, and the games don't always load properly. When this happened you have to move the cartridge up ever-so-slightly and try again. If that doesn't work, move the cartridge ever-so-slightly down and try again. 60% of the time it works every time!

I arrived in Shibuya and waited on the platform for Yuki. She arrived and we took off on our adventure! We walked to the Bic Camera store to look at cell phones. The iPhone 4 is the least expensive phone in Japan right now. It's free when you sign up and the service is about $50 a month for unlimited data and text. If you talk on a cell phone in Japan it is very expensive so almost no body does it. The reason the phone is so cheap: In Japan the iPhone 4 is old tech! The phones here are like mini computers and they have been for years now. Besides calling people and sending texts, taking pictures and holding music, the cell phones here have been sending picture messages and videos for years! They do T.V. and Movies! The have internet and make sandwiches! Well maybe not sandwiches...

We then went to Don Quixote, which isn't a book store like I had hoped, nor is it Latin themed restaurant. Don Quixote is a store that sells crappy merchandise. If you need some trinket and it doesn't have to be something that will last until the next Emperor is crowned, Don Quixote will hook it up!

Feast your oculars:

If you light these incense, you will be almost too relaxed.Hundred hour naps in your future!

These? These are magnets for you fridge.

They have lots of other interesting things but I will keep you in suspense for now...!

After Don Quixote we went to try and find me a suit jacket since I only have one. It turns out the my body type is wrong for Japan. Suits that fit me in the shoulders don't fit in the arms. Suits that fit in the arm length don't fit around the waist. I might have to go bespoke... when I'm rich!

Finished with suit shopping (for now) we went to lunch. We went to an udon shop and I had bukakke udon.

Wait, it's not what you think. "Bukakke" is the onamonapia of drops of water. What that has to do with porn, it is easy to see. What it has to do with my udon... ? The udon tasted very nice! I got a tempuraed hard boiled egg and some tempura squid tentacles to go with it.

MMMMmmmm!

Udon achieved, we went to the Starbucks above the scramble intersection and sat and talked. It was nice and air conditioned so we sat for awhile to escape the heat outdoors.

At 8:45 I went to the train station to catch the train back to my home. I got on the right trainline but not the right train so in the middle of my journey I had to switch trains a few time. I made it back to Shimodate station at about 11:15 and walked home. I got home at midnight and went to bed. Tuckered out!

Sunset from Saturday:

Madlibs - Finshed product.

James'

Keegan and Max went on a tasteless masturbation to London. The road they masturbated on was very loose and was kind of greasy; it wasn't paved at all! On the way to London they saw many bitter deer. The road they masturbated on went along the Great Alaskan Jesus. The Jesus runs from Tokyo to Dublin carrying the very wet and damaged crude baby from the well to the ocean to be shipped around the world! The boys made it to London and then drove back ot the civilized world. What an adventure!


Joanne's

Keegan and Max went on a slimy mastication to The Galapagos. The road they masticated on was very effervescent and was kind of scintillating; it wasn't paved at all! On the way to The Galpagos they saw many putrid bananas. The road they masticated on went along the Great Alaskan Fabric Softener. The Fabric Softener runs from the barbershop to Caesar's Palace carrying the very fabulous and frightening crude apple juice from the well to the ocean to be shipped around the world! The boys made it to The Galapagos and then drove back to the civilized world. What an adventure!


Ready for more?

Madlibs!

Let's play Madlibs! Satisfy my list of words and I'll insert them into the story, then I'll post it on Monday.

I need:

adj
verb1
Famous Place
pt of v1
adj
adj
Same Famous Place
adj
pl n
pt v1
n
same n
l
l
adj
adj
n
Same Famous Place


n= noun l= location pt= past tense pl= plural
the verbs are numbered because the stories sometimes call for it.

Have fun and remember: Nothing is too weird or gross or "out there" for Madlibs! Nothing is sacred.

All moved in!

Today was rather nerve wracking.

I woke, ate a free breakfast at the Denny's below my hotel (hotel gave me a voucher!), then cleared my stuff out of my room. For breakfast I had a traditional Japanese style replete with miso soup, a bowl of rice, a packet of nori, and a bowl of natto.

If you are not familiar with natto:

Fermented Soy beans, with slime!



It looks like boogers or semen and lentils. It smells old and musty. It tastes like bad coffee. I eat it. Why? I have been told it is healthy, and I don't think it tastes that bad...







So, I finished my brekkie and gathered my suitcases to bring them down to the lobby and check out. I took extra care not to forget anything in the room. Except the key. Oops.

I went down and apologized to the people at the front desk in my broken Japanese, (broken like a watermelon at a Gallagher show!) and went to the front to wait for my coordinator, here after referred to as Tom.

Tom is awesome!

Tom collected me and my 100lbs of clothes and we drove the hour distance to my town.

Chikusei

We arrive and go to our meeting with the Board of Education for Chikusei City. So nervous! On the way over, Tom had told me about the previous ALT (Assistant Language Teacher, my official title) and how this guy got fired because he did bad things. Sexual Harassment, General Tomfoolery, Immature to the MAX! Tom said: "Don't be like him." I assured him I won't.

The meeting was longer than usual, Tom said later, partly because they wanted to make sure I wasn't like the last guy and partly because at the other meetings there are usually more ALTs at once.

Just me today!

Question after question they threw at me. I answered each with ease!

With the hard part of the day over, Tom took me to find my apartment. Tom's company car Nav is not so good. He used to work for Mercedes Benz, working on their Nav systems in the cars. He knows good Nav systems. This was not a good Nav system. We went around and around looking for my apartment building. When we found the building, it was very non-descript. No sign or numbers that I saw. I wonder how many times the postman has to practice his route before he is allowed to work it alone...


After putting my things inside, I met another ALT who lives just above me! This is rather lucky because he says the next nearest ALT is some distance away. He was just waking up, even though it was about noon...

Tom took me out to lunch next. We went to a 100yen sushi bar. Every sushi plate is...100yen! It travels around on a conveyor belt and you pick what you want as it passes. There is also a touch screen menu where you can order any sushi, have it made fresh (just a little more fresh than the stuff that spends time on the belt), and it arrives via tiny bullet train! Tom treated me because he just got paid yesterday! Sweet! Free lunch!

After lunch we went to a hanko shop to order me a stamp. A hanko is a personalized stamp that is made and acts as your signature on important documents. Some places, like banks, only accept a hanko stamp mark for transactions, and you can even have your hanko registered with city hall to deter against forgeries! Cost: 2650yen or $31.32

Then we traveled to a discount Supermarket where I could buy some of the necessities for living: shower towel, hangers, clothes drying apparatus, soaps, and detergents. Cost: 3879yen or $45.85

Then we went to a 100yen shop (Japanese Dollar Tree) for some other things that didn't need to be well made: Chopsticks, drinking glasses, a hand towel*, some notepads, etc. Cost: 1470yen or $17.37

After the 100yen shop, Tom took me back to my place and he went home. I set to work unpacking my clothes, putting away my new goods, and waiting for the repair guy to arrive. Previously, when Tom and I first arrived, Tom did an inspection of the apartment to make sure everything worked initially. One of the lights didn't work so he called a guy.

The guy was set to arrive at 4p.m., and so he very well might have. I don't have a clock yet and I wasn't wearing a watch at the moment, but the door bell rang and it was he. This guy turned out to be even more helpful than he thought he was to be. I was having some time of it trying to get my darned internet to work. All the instructions were written in Japanese and I was unable to figure the infernal thing out. Repairman Joe walked me through the steps after I was able to convey to him, in my broken Japanese (more than the dishes in "Don't tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead") what my major malfunction was. As you can see, the internet works for me now!

I thanked him and sent him on his way, then got back to putting everything away. The finished product:

Desk through the door to main room

Bed, tv desk with computer, closet

Bed, Party Panties!, TV. Note: under bed storage!

one half of Closet

Door leading out of main room->kitchenette and front door

Kitchenette: two range electric stove, sink. Nothing more.

Microwave, fridge, and a peek at the shower

Washing machine, WC on the left

Toilet on left, shower on right

Shower room: tub left, shower right, everything gets wet.

Now it's 8:17 and time for dinner!