haha, yes...I got the dog.

For a "trial period", as my JTE so cleverly put it. I told her before going in, that I was gonna be gone for 3 weeks during winter vacation, so taking it home THE night I met the dog, was probably unlikely. She was pushing the dog on me all weekend, before I had even met the guy, so I was worried how the whole thing would play out. She told me it was a white chihuahua, so I thought, O, ew, a white Taco Bell dog. CREEPY.
(Oh, the whole discussion of taking her dog in the first place started when we were in class, and while the students were doing a worksheet, one of the words said "dog" so i turned to my JTE and told her I wanted a dog, and asked if there were any pounds in Japan...cuz it seems the only kind of pets you can get here are $1000US full breed types. So she said, no not really, to the pound idea. basically, the only way to get a "free" dog is to get one from someone who doesn't want theirs anymore. So i was like, o ok. and lightheartedly I was like, well do you know anyone who doesn't want a dog? She said no...and that was that. Until she came to me 10 minutes later and was like, "well accccccccctually, I have a small dog I dont want anymore. He reminds me of my ex-bf". haha...so then that led to a few more conversations. And a lot of "come meet him tonight and take him hoooome with you!!!"...etc etc etc)
Well yea...so anyway, I went to go see the dog Monday, after coming back from my trip...and the dog was WAY cuter than I thought it would be. Granted, it's not the most adorable or endearing or cute dog EVER - for instance, it's not a beagle...or a white husky...or...a pug/chihuahua mix with one ear perky and the other limp ;) ....but he has his moments. Sometimes. Sometimes I think he's just funny looking. And slightly irritable, cuz he barks and whimpers A LOT...but anyway.
So...I fell in love with him. Ok, well it wasn't love...but yea. So, after leaving her place, I told her I would definitely consider taking the dog in January. But then I went home, and my apartment was cold and lonely and the dog was fun to pet, so I thought, eh, why the hell not. yes yes yes...sounds slightly irresponsible. maybe it is. I dunno. haha. So the next day at school, I suggested to my JTE that I could take the dog for a month, and then she'd have to take him back for a month, and then I'd take him back again permantly in January. She was like...ooo noo, that's ok, we'll just wait until January. So I thought, aww...I kinda miss the guy. But ok, I'll live.
So that was that. Went about my day, a few hours later, she came up to me, almost in this desperate sort of tone, haha (o no) and was like...ok, if you want, we can still do your idea. a trial period, to see if the dog and you get along ok.
yada yada. Worked out that in the next 10 days, the only day I had available was that Tuesday night. So...she said come over tonight, and we'll move everything to your place.
Ha, which is what happened. So all other details aside, I now have a long-haired white chihuahua, that sort of looks like a Pommeranian (sp??) but white, and with HUGE eyes. and cute ears. =)
anyway...he pooped EVERYWHERE the first day he was at my place. That's cuz I didnt have the heart to keep him in his cage while I was away. But he doesn't have enough manners to be out, so in he goes from now on. I worry because my apartment is really cold. like, REALLY cold. something like 5 degrees celcius, according to my heater every night I come home and turn it on. oy. So I worry about that. If he'll be a frozen ice cube when i get home each day after work.
But I bought him a sweater yesterday, and he looks FUCKING IRRESTIBLY ADORABLE. yes, I'm guilty for dressing up my dog like its a toy. But HEY, it seriously is for his own good. He'd SERIOUSLY probably die without that cute hoodie sweater.
he tries to scratch it off when I'm not looking. HA! Like that's gonna do anything, you silly silly pup.
So...he cuddles with me every night. If he's not under the covers with me, he whimpers. Which is cute, and sweet. ;)
And he's good about pooping in the right place at night (not my bed!! whew!)...he'll just jump and run around on top of me in circles, until I wake up and literally escort him to his cage in the other room, on the other side of the apartment, and then escort him back to my bed. like 2-4 times a night. sigh.
we gotta create a better system than this. for sures.
he doesn't seem very well trained. and in the 3 years that my JTE had this dog, she only walked him TWICE! I know. its really tragic. So, his first walk shall be... tomorrow i hope. And we're gonna teach him to save his poop for the outside, as much as possible, and we're gonna teach him when to not bark, all the fucking time, and....we're gonna teach him how to walk from my bedroom to the living room without being escorted by me. By we, I mean...me. and him. as a team. dammit.
sigh.
This is a lot of responsibility you people! Way more than a cat!!
How the fuck do people my age have KIDS!!!!!!!!!!!! It's terrifying just worrying about this guy's life when I'm not around. What is it like to ALWAYS worry about your KID'S life. A BABY'S life!?? jesus.
it's slightly stressful, and slightly overwhelming.
haha.
good life experience. that's what I'm hoping.
I'm already learning things. =)

we'll see how this pans out in the next few weeks.

ok, ok...

so I might have lied a little.
I'm slightly hung over as well. maybe.
Wine is not good for me.
Courtesy of the Japanese teacher who sits next to me everyday, and the influence of her f---ing ADORABLE dog.
sigh.
=)

I'm REALLY tired and REALLY hungry

that's a first.
It seems the next 2 weeks, I have hardly any classes at school. I can't figure out why. Are they trying to send me a message!!!! haha, obviously it's not personal. Just strange. I've gone from about 3-4 classes a day, to 2 if I'm lucky. I have some days this week, where i dont have any classes at all! I think contrary to what most other ALTs here feel about work. I'd rather have a lot of classes because the kids are a riot to be around, and it gives me less time to sit at my desk and think about how tired I am. Or how hungry I am. Like I'm doing now. AND, my two favorite classes aren't even in the schedule for the next 2 weeks. I'm venting. Sorry.

that aside...
I was so bored at my desk, and too tired to study Japanese just yet, I thought it'd be worth it to post.

So I've been meaning to write about all the awesome KitKat flavors they've got here in Sapporo. Yup. Kit Kat flavors. Apparently Sapporo is the testing center for KitKat Japan or something, so we get a new obscure flavor just about every week of the year. So far, I have tried, Pumpkin, Tropical Berry, Milk Tea, Watermelon, Apple, MCDONALD'S MCFLURRY CARAMEL MACCHIATO, Strawberry (yum, my favorite thus far), Strawberry Cheesecake....hmm....
what else...
that's all I can remember. Anyway, I haven't been dissapointed by one yet. Well the apple was...strange. interesting. Good. Different. Haha. The first time I bit into a kit kat here, I didn't know they had crazy flavors, I just assumed that it was a 'normal' one like back home. So I took a bite, and nearly gagged, thinking the bar was moldy or something. haha, since when did chocolate and wafer mold?? I was terrified and threw it away. Only later did I realize, it was probably watermelon or apple. ma-ha.

and...another story I meant to write about last week...
So, last week, I was on the subway, coming home from my Japanese lesson (an hour commute home on the subway cuz its on the far other end of town. and you gotta make connections. and then walk 20 minutes in the SNOW! -- which btw, now its snooooowing snowing. and there's ice on all the sidewalks and roads. You could seriously take skates out on the sidewalk, the ice here is thicker and slippery than any ice rink in LA, ha. It kinda sucks. And its SUPER cold. duh.) well anyhow...so coming home. And usually when I'm finished with a lesson, I'm all inspired to continue studying, cuz I've got that "yea! Japanese!" bug. So I'm studying my flashcards on the subway while standing. And this guy sitting in front of me, looks up at me, then stands up. I'm confused what's going on, cuz it's not like we're close to the next stop for him to start getting ready to stand by the door, but i just shrug it off. Then he leans into my ear, (he was a small japanese middle-age business man with kind eyes and an endearing nervousness to his gait, you could say, haha) so he leans into my ear, and he starts whispering something to me in Japanese. He seems kind of embarassed. and I'm confused as a peach. Obviously, i have NO idea what he's saying. And its strange that he's whispering in my ear. and I'm thinking, ummm....can't you see I'm studying my simple katakana flashcards!? So confused.
So I nervously shake my head, cross my arms in an "X" (the universal sign language for "no" here), and say..."ni hon go (Japanese)", cuz I still dont even know how to say "I dont know how to speak japanese" yet. haha. so he apologizes several several times, and sits back down. And then doesnt look at me for the rest of the trip. So I'm standing there, stiiill confused. and all these things are running through my head. I thought at first, he was just gonna say something like "hello, can i practice my english with you briefly" sort of thing, cuz he could tell i was a foreigner, or he wanted to strike up a conversation about my flashcards, or...i dont know. who knows. but instead he whispers something secretive in my ear! ????
Did he think I was a prostitute!?? Do I look Japanese?? Was he trying to tell me gossip about another passenger? Tell me I was cute?? Trying to take me home??! But he looked so shy and kind. whats going on.
So I contemplate it for the next 20 minutes, as I walk home.
Well ok, maybe for the next 3 minutes, and then I realize, you know what, I'll obviously never know what he said. Not a big deal. o well. onto the next train of thoughts.
Ha, well so i get home. put my stuff down. go to the bathroom.
...
Oooh. hm.
i see.
...
It seems the entire ride, my fly was down. And that must have been what he was trying to tell me. THAT'S why he was so nervous. THAT's why he was whispering in my ear. THAT's why when I said "no japanese" he looked away for the rest of the trip.
sigh.
lol, and I thought he thought I was a hooker! Man, AM I siiilllly.
So I guess, who knows how long, but my fly was open in front of all the sitting passengers on the subway.
It's cuz I'm losing weight here, and all my pants are falling. So I have to wear a tight belt, and then because there's so much slack around the waist, the zipper and buttons usually come undown.
sigh.
haha
anyway, to me it was extremely humurous.
Not sure if I told the story to the best of my abilities, but you'll have to cut me some slack cuz....I'm REALLY tired ... and really hungry.

sigh....20 minutes til luuuuuuuuunchtime. i hope its good.
I should go sleep in the nurse's office. take a nap. apparently ALL the other JETs do it at their schools.

o hey, which reminds me...do we have school nurses in the states??? Did we have a school nurse in JHS? And HS? one that was there every day? or only a visiting nurse like once a week?
Were they real nurses? Or more like, a glorified...person who can say, "yup thats a fever. heres a note. take a rest from class"... but doesn't actually have any medical background or expertise.
I dont think i EVER once visited a nurse when i was in JHS or HS. So i couldn't compare cultures with the teachers and nurses here. they were dissapointed i didnt know. I was dissapointed I didnt know. haha
well...that is all.
=)

Kanazawa Weekend

(Kanazawa...Geisha House Row, if you will. A small alley of famous geisha tea houses. very pur-tee)

SORRY SORRY SORRY!!
I haven't blogged in over a week. Just been pooped and keeping real busy but still lovin' every minute. And then internet stopped working Friday morning. And now I'm in Kanazawa for the weekend!Look it up...its, I suppose...a 2 hour flight from Sapporo.??
YAY PLANE RIDE!
the plane ride was beautiful and we hit some of the worst turbulance Ive ever felt on a plane, going through this terrible thunderstorm, and IT WAS AWESOME. so much fun.
Anyhow...its nice here. Lots of japanese culture that seems to be lacking in Sapporo. Dont get me wrong, i LOOOOVE Sapporo...but its true. There arent any pretty shrines or geisha houses (below) or ninja temples or...even tacky japanese souveneir shops! O well, ... a minor price you pay.
Today was relaxing - we did a lot of walking. Had an AMAZING beautiful tofu lunch. saw an old castle. saw some pretty gardens (supposed to be one of the top 3 "must-see" majestical imperial gardens of japan). And...say all you will about what you should and shouldnt be doing when you travel, but we saw The Fall tonight. (I kept missing it in LA, and then I missed it in Sapporo, and then it opened in Kanazawa today -- so it was obviously a sign that Olivia and I had to see it). It made me sad and envious and determined and sad again about traveling around the world and how there's so much out there to see and life is too short to achieve everything I want to do. Well the GREAT thing about seeing the movie is that I'm inspired again after a frightening short period of apathy towards the issue. whew. (sorry, does that make sense? im in a rush to type, haha)
But, that stupid tiny thought aside, it was a pretty movie (you know, pretty looking. and the narrative wasnt awwwwful like a lot of people made it out to be. it was cute. and of course, i fell for every single cute word that little girl said. im a true sucker.) haha, and of course I cried. =)
Anyhow, I'm on the communal computer at our ryoshan and there's a lady who looks like she's impatiently waiting for me to finish. A ryoshan is an ADORABLE cute traditional japanese style hotel thingy. You sleep on futons on the floor, and they've got beautiful gardens and NICE NEW tatami (essentially what our apartments are like...but the tatami actually feels nice to walk on, and the floors and closets aren't all covered in stains and torn up). Observations merely...no complaints. =)o, and its VERY nice to sleep with a heater on and not feel guilty about it. Well, less guilty. yes yes gas emmissions and all that, but its not on my bill. At least I suggest to turn it off when we leave. =)
its beautiful here.
Anyhow, so I should go. BUT...Ill try to post at school on Tuesday. and Hopefully get this internet issue at home sorted again.
<3
-j9
:)

small updates

yesterday i saw my first homeless man in japan.

i hadn't seen one in 2 months!

he was chilling under the ticket kiosks at the downtown station.

just an observation. i have no commentary on the matter.

and...

today, something that was really cute...as i was transferring lines on the subway, this small cute business man was running through the crowd, with his arms raised and pointing straight ahead, at a 90 degree angle, like as if he was imitating a tadpole or sperm or something....and he had this big, adorable, "i'm very apologetic, please excuse me, thank you, thank you, so sorry sorry" smile....as he pushed through the crowd. he made his train. and this whole moment was only like a split second. but it made me smile.

and then as i was going down the escalator, this younger business man was stuck behind two very old ladies, and he was trying to catch the train at the bottom of the stairs, before it would leave.  He moved to the left, tried to nudge by, moved to the right, tried to nudge by, paused, then tried again...then when they got to the bottom of the escalator, the ladies just stood in front of it deciding which side to take...and so this guy did his "left and right wobble" again....when he finally got around the obstacles of the 2 ladies, he had to make a quick U-turn...at which point, he nearly FACE-planted into the platform (which actually would have made me really sad, rather than laugh once in my life. because he was trying soooo hard!)...but he caught his grip just in time...and JUST as he got his footing back, 10 feet from the train, the doors closed, and it zoomed off.

poor guy.

haha.

that's the thing about japanese subways...the doors don't stop for anyone or anything. If your backpack is caught in the doorway as they close...well everything in your bag is now smushed. and will get a lot of air for the next 2 minutes.

i heard once or twice, people have gotten trapped in its way...it's apparently REALLY painful, and it takes a while for the doors to retract (maybe because its manually controlled???). It's supposed to be a deterrent to hold the train up, by last minute hoppers. Which makes sense. It's quite efficient. the subway is NEVER late. ever.

...

ever. =O

=)

Dance Dance Dance

O, and to add, I just finished reading Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami.

Awful awful awful awful book.

awwwwwwwwful.

i'm so sad. and disappointed.

i'm now turned off from murakami. you can only have so many successes, before you hit the rotten egg. it will be awhile before I can devote myself to him again. so tragic.

my next book shall be a classic...animal farm perhaps. waiting for the library to deliver it to me sooooon. =)

For once in my life, I'm actually homesick...a little...

I'm sad cuz I missed November 4th. I missed watching the results on TV. I missed the winning speech and the crowds and the celebrating after.

Instead, I was in school, teaching my kids about "Yuki goes to Seattle-Tacoma Airport."

sigh

and I'm sad I missed this... 

http://www.ktla.com/landing_topstories/?Thousands-March-Against-Prop-8-in-Silver=1&blockID=127805&feedID=1198

the Prop 8 protests.

=(

I've never really experienced what home-sickness was like, but I got a little bit of it this week.

It will pass, I'm sure. I'm just sad I missed such a historic moment in history.

You all are soooo lucky!!!

well, now that the sad stuff is out.

Yay!! Congratulations!!! Wheeeeeeeee!!! (<--- a few days late, but crazy silly all the same!!)

still feels surreal!

i remember my 10th grade US history teacher telling us, "we'll be lucky if we see a woman or black president in our generation. but its unlikely. maybe our children will be so fortunate..."

CRAZY!!! =D

Here's the other half...

Here is the other half of my "favorite" class (they're 9th graders, btw).

There are 21 classes total at my Junior High School. 7 per each grade (7th, 8th, and 9th grade). 

The kid in the first row, left, with the white shirt, is my favorite kid in the school, and probably has the best English in the school, or at least a close 2nd best, to a 7th grader. He lived in Australia for one year in the 7th grade cuz his dad is super rich or something, and moves a lot for work -- works for BMW or something.

Anyhow,....he's a lot of fun to talk to cuz he's totally my gateway to understanding japanese junior high school culture. i'd ask him questions about things like why do teachers do this, their uniforms, their weird rules, or, how do you decide who cleans the toilets (cuz that's the thing here, they don't have custodians in japan! the students do EVERYTHING! they clean the toilets, they clean the chalkboards, they sweep every day in class, they clean the communal sinks and drinking fountains...they freakin' do every hard labor that no kid in america would EVER do. it's amazing! the japanese are pretty smart about this kind of thing. teaching discipline and patience and everyone's "place in society", you could say.) so yea. he's great. but then, one day, he just started ignoring me. wouldn't find me in the hallways anymore, wouldn't talk to me during recess after class...i was HEARTBROKEN!!! =P

I thought it was because i didn't give him a lot of attention in class, cuz we spoke so much out of class, but then my friends were saying, its probably cuz he gets picked on a lot by the other kids - apparently bullying is a big problem in japan, but i've never really seen it. how sad! kids can't practice their english with me cuz other kids will bully them about it! grrr. but, i guess, where in the world, does bullying NOT happen among kids!?

(haha, i'm a geek, i know...)

so yea...

but anyhoo, got a good sign today cuz he brought me a CD to class, to listen to this weekend. very sweet. and then we had our usual chat after school again, so after a couple of weeks of nothing, hopefully things are back to the way they were. =) 

Anyhow, so that's the story behind my favorite kid in the school.

The kid behind him, both actually, the one to the left, and the one who's face is covered, are also favorites of mine. the one to the left, his English is quite amazing....even though he's never lived abroad. so I'm always impressed by his capabilities. and, he's just super cute. he's got that...i'm a genius, but i know how to play it REAL cool too...in a geek sort of way. love it.

haha

and...

yea. =)

O, the reason the boys are on the chair is because they are practicing for a chorus competition that happened last Friday. We were gathered in a huge hall, famous hall, where famous composers and concertos and fancy plays are at, and apparently my JHS was able to book the place, privately for a day. So all 21 classes, each had a song to sing, in front of the school, teachers, and parents, and they were all judged against each other. And then they got a HUGE trophy at the end. The winning third grade class (9th grade)....the leader/composer dude fell to his knees CRYING on stage, in front of 1000 people...no joke...cuz he was so overwhelmed about winning.

very cute.

=)

o and might i add, the boy who looks like adrian brody's japanese twin younger brother, wearing the cardigan...i have no idea who he is. i dont recognize him at all. but lemme say, haha, its VERY strange that he's wearing a cardigan in class. that is DEFINITELY NOT ALLOWED!...so....out of 745 students, he's actually the only kid, not wearing the proper uniform. and actually the kids shouldn't even be showing their white shirts....but cuz it was after school, and practicing for the chorus competition, there was a little lee-way. its strange, all 745 students...have to wear the same uniform, the same shoes, can't wear earrings. can't dye their hair. if they waver from the masses at all, they get DISCIPLINED and ridiculed like no other. it is definitely against the rules to look even slightly different from the person next to you. again, my friend says its to teach discipline and about your "place in society".

but it isn't a communist country!

soooooooooooooo intriguing!!!!!! =)

I'll try to post a picture every few days...

Another picture:

Here is one-half of my favorite class. Ok, really, it's only one girl that is my favorite. She's really sweet, and nice and her English is 3rd best in the school. She lived in Florida for 3 years when she was 5. Hm...She is the 5th from the right. I guess this pic is kinda blurry, but anyway, it also sort of shows the layout of the classrooms here, and the girl's uniform. 

Oh, the girl on the far right, she gave me the middle finger the 2nd day. I was SO astonished and mortified and confused...and hurt. It turns out, it was in response to my double thumbs down. She can't speak a word of English. and actually, she's probably one of the most annoying, loud, obnoxious, troublesome kids in the whole school (of 745 students)...so...we communicate by hand gestures. She was giving me winks, but with a sort of....snoot snide way to it. so i would respond back in the same manner. one thing led to another, she was giving me a thumbs up, as a joke, i gave a thumbs down, and then she gave me a middle finger. i found out later, that the thumbs down gesture basically means "f--- you" in Japan. And i gave it to her double time. So...I guess in retrospect, I kind of "deserved" it? But anyhow, it really scared and worried me my first week here.

but now we're ok. We have this mutual understanding, that if we're both civil and fake our kindness to each other, we won't get in each other's way.

so be it.

haha

Re: to Tracy's comment...=)

what are all those cords hanging from the ceiling?

Tracy, I'm SO excited you asked!!!!!!!!! I'm so thrilled you noticed!! ;)

Those tentacle thingys hanging from the ceiling are Japan's version of an extension cord. I guess, instead of having electrical outlets running through the ground, theirs run through the ceiling, or something. haha.

I thought it was totally bizarre at first too -- it was the first thing i noticed when i walked in, well, after the mess on everyone's desk that is.

I guess I don't notice them anymore, it's kinda cool....but yea...strange. haha.

no, wait, not "strange", "different". 

=)

The World of Golden Eggs

Apparently this is a very popular cartoon in Japan, and it's freakin' amazing.

Here's a video I stumbled upon while shopping the other day...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZcM0eK_6Oc

if you have time, watch the whole thing. =)

OK, here's a quick picture...then off to bed

hm, picture, picture...

what's a good picture to post....

awh, here we go.

the teacher's staff room. When I walked in here on my first day, I literally stopped in my tracks to absorb the complete shock and amusement I had at the sight of the heaps of crap on these teacher's tiny little desks. 40 teachers, all crammed into this tiny staff room, smaller than the wood or home-ec classrooms, but incredibly lived in, packed rat-ted, and homey. Haha, my favorite desk is one belonging to my fellow Japanese-English teacher who sits behind me - I don't know how he does it, but he's got every tiny little space covered on his desk with feet high worth of crap. And then he built this box thingy, to go on top of the crap, to stick his tiny laptop in, and then pile more crap on top of the box. Unbelievable and it amuses me everytime I come in the morning. If I'm finished grading papers for him, I never know where to put it, where it won't get lost, and won't completely distract him.

Sorry, I don't think his actual desk is in this photo, but you get the idea. This is only about 2/3 of the staffroom - and actually it's more or less, the clean, more uncluttered 2/3rds of the room (because in the forefront of this photo, is the home-ec and PE teacher's desk....and since they have little physical "work" needed for their classes, and they hardly occupy the staff room, their desks are more an empty venue for the other teachers to take advantage of, when grading papers, eating lunch, or whatever - becaaaaaause their own desks are too freakin' overcrowded). Anyway, against the blackboard on the left is where the principal and vice-principal sit side by side, all day - at the same size desks as all of the rest of us. And...my desk is off in the lower left corner, out of frame. But there's nothing interesting in or around or on top of it. So...that's a useless fact that I've just provided you. =)

First Snow!!

The first snow of the season finally fell today!!!! And it was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

My god, I couldn't stop staring out of the window....getting lost in those gorgeous huge soft flakes.

The weather here is crazy. You'd look out the window one minute, and there would be dark dark thick grey skies creating a huge white snowy beautiful thick BLIZZARD, and then 30 minutes later, the skies would be bright blue, not a cloud in the sky, all the snow gone, hardly any puddles around, and a bright shining sun. WTH! haha. This carried on the whole day. One period it would be a snow storm, the next period it would be sunny as any LA day. CRAAAZY.

But gosh, it really is beautiful. Haha, we'll see if I still say that 5 months from now.

Anyhow, other than that news...

O, I finally went to an onsen for the first time yesterday. An onsen is basically a natural spring hot bath house water place -- usually in the mountains. From my understanding. Haha. Anyway, it's hot, congested, and absolutely glorious. I want to go back when it snows, cuz they have these natural spring water rock pool things outside, so you can soak here while it rains (which i tried for a while but the droplets were too big and hurting my head, haha) or snows. But this place is super cool...there are numerous tiny pools - all with a different perk and purpose. They have a pool designed for you to lie down in - like grooves are built into this pool, so you can rest your head on a marble "pillow" and rest your arms to the sides. I fell asleep and when I tried to get up, I nearly fell onto the naked japanese lady next to me, cuz the heat and all that relaxation was making me real light headed and disoriented. I'm not entirely good at these things - jacuzzis and things, but I bear it out cuz in the end, it really IS relaxing. O, so back to the other kind of pools....there are massage showers - which are showers that beat down really high pressured water, and it feels amazing. There are hot baths. And hot jacuzzis. And not so hot baths. And private tubs. And saunas. And...misty thingies that mist out the all-naturale mineral water that comes from the surrounding mountains. And an ice cold tub to soak in at the end if you're brave enough. All the while, everyone is completely naked. Obviously, this took some getting used to, but after the first few minutes, I was more concerned about procedure and confused about where to go and how to do it that I forgot about being naked really. Well....sometimes. Man....naked in front of 100-some Japanese women....never would have thunk it. haha. But yea, procedure and proper etiquette is so freakin' important and intimidating and scary in Japan. It feels like, if you get it wrong once, you're totally fucked.

Oh, and all of this was for $8US. The best part of it too, is that they don't just provide this great beautiful atmosphere in the middle of the mountains, in all-naturale spring mountain water, that's heated to the most hottest perfection you can experience, but they provide all these little tiny things that totally add to the experience - like body soap and shampoo (they aren't skimpy or cheap about the products), hair dryers and brushes, that they heat and clean between uses,....I dunno. Tons of tiny things. That are cute and thoughtful. Haha. O these darn Japanese, they think of everything.

Everything works here. I have no complaints thus far.

Nothing like China. Bah.

Anyhow, other than that...I had my third private Japanese lesson tonight. So I'm pretty pooped - I wanted to begin with an overview of what my school is like, and some pictures of the kids, but I'll do that another day. I figure, if I can get a post in, even if its just about my boring weekend, then that's better than nothing.

Anyhow anyhow, I can read hiragana now!! O it's so much fun. I can't understand a word of anything I read, but I can read it nonetheless. Now I understand how the kids feel, when they read English. Sure you can pronounce it out loud, but you can have not-the-faintest idea what you're saying. Totally different from Chinese. You can't read a character and not know what it means. It doesn't work that way. So yup...now I'm onto katakana - hopefully I will have this down by Thursday (I have 2 1-hour lessons a week, with this amazing Japanese teacher)...and then I can read things like...what kind of cheese they're selling in the store!! Which btw, I found brie cheese in a grocery store near my school today and I was very excited, because the grocery store near my apartment, has a very small selection of cheeses - from what I can gather. And for what ever reason, I've been on a mad cheese binge.

But i couldn't buy it, cuz I'm down to my last $9US. 

O ok, that's one complaint I have about Japan...the mailing system. Apparently, they mail something like an ATM card (or your internet modem or etc etc, any package of the sort), and if you aren't personally there to receive it, then it gets shipped back to the bank that originally sent it. So of course, the bank I applied in is ALL the way across town. Like an hour away on the subway practically. And of course the banks are only open something obscene like 9am to 3pm. And closed weekends and all holidays. So its impossible to find time to go there and pick up my ATM card. So though I did receive about 10 days worth of pay so far, I can't get to it. And unless I go tomorrow, I'm absolutely broke.

But it's been kind of good, I've noticed, I've been a lot more smart (thrifty which in this case ACTUALLY equals smart, and not annoying) about spending money this past weekend. And I've made $30 last quite awhile, while not impinging on any sort of fun, like going to an onsen an hour out of the city up in the mountains, or singing karaoke, or....you know, all that jazz in between.

Not sure if any of this makes sense....to those without a brief overview of my current living situation in Japan. But I'll get to that later in the week.

As expected, this post turned out longer than I thought it would, and took up more time than perhaps I would have liked.

Hope it wasn't too confusing, and you guys enjoyed!

It's weird....writing a blog.

I'm still not entirely used to it. It still feels a little silly. But if you all like it, I'll try my best to keep it up. =)

OMG!!! AND IT'S SUPER TUESDAY!!!! WAAAAAAAH!!!!

go out there and make THE WORLD proud!!!! (trust me, the WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING AND WAITING!!!! so don't fuck it up - haha, the whole 3 people who are reading this right now).

We're all so excited here, one girl is gonna skip work to go home and watch CNN tomorrow afternoon. Some of us are going to a bar to hear all the big speeches. HOW EXCITING!!!

HISTORICAL!

you're living in a moment of history. THIS is history. weeeeeeeeee!!!

well night for now. finally. =)

cheers and beers, <----- ?

-j9

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