Bird's Nest

Hey Look.
It's me in front of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Bird's Nest.

I saw some nongcun (poor countryside farmer people) get their cheap Olympic knock-off goods thrown all over the place and then get dragged out of the stadium by screaming communist policemen. That was interesting.

I'll share some more Beijing stories later. Though, I have to say, being a few days into the trip...it's slightly not all I expected (which...is to be expected  <--- right? go figure). But that's ok....we've still got 2 and half weeks left...

Oh, BUT... lame that I found this in Beijing, and that I'm watching it on my vacation time in China...but one of Ryan's roommates introduced me to a very entertaining, very addictive Japanese TV show called "Yasuko to Kenji"...

I'm becoming quite keen to this Kenji character....=) his "frustrated over-the-top goofy testosterone" and his extreme love for his sister is incredibly endearing (<--- which really means, his character is SUPER cute and he makes me giggle...a lot). must...watch...more. =P

see...he's a cutie.

PS - I've added a few photos to previous posts (so you can flip through 'em real quick...haven't gotten around to posting any of these on facebook either, obviously...). but anyway, thought it'd be nice to give the blog some more personality. all these words...I don't know how you guys keep up. =)

Feels good to be back =)

Granted, I've only been in Beijing for...a few hours, but it feels great to be back. Before arriving, i was excited, and then apprehensive, and then turned off, and then exhilarated...roller coaster of emotions. some apathy in between there too maybe. But...stepping out of that fancy new airport...feels awesome.

I forgot that Beijing has a very distinct smell. And I like it. And I missed it. Didn't even know I did, until i landed. It's sort of...crisp with a stagnant smokiness that lingers everywhere in the air...mixed in with some pollution and street food. wonderful.

anyhow...I'm here. Ready for the adventures to start.

Had me some 12cent baozis (pork buns) and tasty coconut milk tonight, while catching up with Ryan. But we have SOOOOO much to catch up on, neither of us knew where to begin or where to end, and ran into tangents that didn't go anywhere. hehe, it was fun. but our english has gotten worse. so we're just a pair of goofballs right now. we'll improve. heh. 

The (NEW!!) express train from the airport to Ryan's neighborhood only cost $4. versus the $8.50 in Japan. Ok, that's not a big discrepancy. Though, things like a 6 minute taxi ride for $1.25 versus $7 is big. or...a baozi for 12cents versus $3. Gosh, I forgot how DIRT cheap it is to live in China. 

3 weeks is not enough!!

o, it was VERY exciting when I conjured up my chinese skills on the express train and asked a guy if i could use his cell phone to call my friend. ALL in Chinese. I couldn't believe I pulled the whole fluent conversation out of my ass so well. I'm glad I haven't forgotten ALL my chinese. CRAAAZY crazy how stuff stays with you, even without practice....well...but that was a long treacherous life-long journey to get to a point where i could say "can i borrow your cell phone..." without much thought. sheesh.

anyhow, only saw about 10 seconds of the city, at night, underground, but already, I've noticed MASSIVE changes in the city - also with the help of Ryan.

For one, um...new beautiful subway system. WTF. where, how, when did this get built!????! Wow. it's all...new. they use magnetic swipy cards...not that old fashioned....slip your ticket in, it sucks it up and returns it to you on the other side stuff.

and...people queue up here now!!! i know what you're thinking....OMG!!! NO WAY! I dont believe you. in china!! in beijing!???  yup....I know!!! it's mind blowing. it's shocking. i apparently no longer have to fight for my life on a bus anymore. aww...but that grittiness and absolute absurd rudeness towards anything that moved is what defined beijing....

well well, it's only the first night...I'll just have to go searching for it in the coming weeks.

whooo...tomorrow, first full day in Chiiina. I've already bothered ryan with a ton of, "where can i buy this, and that, and let's go shopping for this tomorrow..." haha. goods are so cheap here! i have to stock up while i can. Ryan....you must think I'm weird. I swear, I wanna do more than just shopping. haha...but it's good for me to get out of the way while you finish up classes. besides, i hate shopping. so it probably won't even prove to be too productive/successful anyhow.

anyway, that's my short update.

in beijing. quite enjoying it so far. =)

o...and korea scared me. while i was hanging out in the airport for my layover. but i'll touch base on that another time.

nights!

(AHHH!! I'm in Beijing!!! eeeeee!!!! it hits me in spurts.  I think I'm still out of it from the plane ride.... but man...gooooood to be back. =D)

Cut Backs

Ok, so the other day, I got a comment that I should talk less about my school and kids and more about me.
haha.
OUTRAGEOUS!

BUT....considering that this may be a shared consensus...;P .... I'll cut back on the "O i just met another really cute smart kid who can speak english well".

So then...Please read the previous post. Cuz I do need advice before Friday (when it's due).

But other than that...
Been meaning to say, I've finally made my plans for winter vaca! haha, 1 week before departure. That's how I roll. :) Last minute plans are always the only way to go. Thailand was a success, I think, no? :)

So anyway, I'll be going to China to meet Ryaaan!! YAAAAAAAY!!!
Ryan...I know I've told you several times before, but dammit, I'm SO FREAKIN' excited to be seeing you in one week!!
My god, ok I have many many things I want to try to accomplish while there.
(I direct this to Ryan but you know, it also clues in the rest of you, what our plans may be).
So any luck with the Earthquake relief stuff? I wouldn't mind spending a day or two or few there.
Also, I was thinking...let's visit/stay at a Tibetan monestry or something...a Buddhist temple...how realistic is this? that we could visit and live and practice in a place like this for...a few days or a week?? I could totally use the zen.
And uh...Cambodia! I never had too much of an interest in Cambodia...but I saw a totally random photo the other day and now I'm obsessed with going. Possible? Interested?
-fin

:p
So yea, I'll be visiting Ryan in Beijing for 3 weeks. December 23- Jan12. Well rather, I'll be away from Japan for 3 weeks. I figure the way it'll work is that I'll have a few days to roam the city and revisit nostalgic areas around town.
I've already got a mental mantra I'm totally sticking to:
Definitely...
1. Drink AT LEAST one 24cent boba milk tea EVERY day.
2. Allow yourself to spend $100 on counterfeit movies and TV shows and not feel guilty about it. In fact, if you don't spend $100 (which is anywhere from 30-50 movies), you will be regretful 3 months from now.
3. Eat a shit load of yangrouchuanr.
4. Stop cursing so much.
(I dont know how this habit started since arriving in Japan, but I don't like it at alllll. It makes me sad. We're working on it -- me and my brain).

and uh....
dance a lot (which translates to... be absolutely silly ridiculous on the dance floor and wake up with pleasant bruises you can't recall)
swim once in Ryan's olympic sized pool.
hm hm...
be totally silly. that's important. I miss that one.
get food poisoning and visit the hospital or eat an herbal tree bark in another middle of nowhere bumble-f$%k Tibetan mountain village. --> because a China experience is not complete without me getting a massive near-death food poisoning experience.
I've got my "once a month" China quota to meet.

O um....freakin'....eat at that Hot Pot place near BeiShiDa -- RYAN! We're doing it.
We're gonna do it allll!!!

O and, a lot of overnight shady rides on cocaine-transit-3-Traingles-buses where we clutch our knives and our bodies for dear life, without a wink of shut-eye. I want one of those again too.
:)

this is gonna be soooooooooooo much fuuuuuuuuun!!!
weeee!!!

Everyone....whoever is reading this, please share with me your winter vaca plans! I'm interested!! You can send me an email. the downside of keeping a blog, is that sometimes it starts to become one-sided...you get kept up to date with my happenings, but i don't hear from you.
And I dearly really do. So....email me!! It always makes me happy.

love and ~muahs~
-j9

Need Some Advice...

Minor minor...
So my school asked me to write a little blurb for the school's yearbook.
How does this sound?

Hi everyone! I'm so sad the year has come to an end! My experience at KeiMei Junior High School has been one of the most rewarding, exciting, and memorable adventures I've ever had, and it's because of YOU! I was extremely fortunate to meet all of you. Many thanks to the staff – I could not have dreamed of a better group of people to work with. You were always so friendly and accommodating! I'll never forget KeiMei Junior High School and all the laughs, struggles, and cultural exchanges we shared. Please continue your English studies. Many of you are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for. You can do it!! And please, keep in touch (JanineErickson@yahoo.com) – I’d love to continue practicing English with you and read updates about your life after KeiMei. Teachers and students alike, you are always welcome in my home if you are ever in Los Angeles. :) Good luck with all your future endeavors. Take care and never underestimate your potential!!! Thank you for an amazing year. Best always, Janine.

Did I over-do it a little?
The other day, one of the girls here said how she thought when someone gave advice to the students to "not be shy", that it was completely negative and offensive.
Really?? Is it?? Is that discouraging? I wouldn't think so...but I guess a few people here do...

What do you think? Did I over-do the....don't underestimate your potential part of it? But it's true!! They're so smart -- that was my way of trying to put nicely, don't be shy. You have the skills to suceeeed!!

haha, k well I could use some advice about what to omit or add. I tend to get wordy with things, and I think it sounds redudant? But I can't tell anymore.

and uh...does "you'll always have a friend in Los Angeles, if you ever find yourself in America" -- does that sound better than, you are welcome in my home?

;P
I'm constantly paranoid and over-analytical all the time. i know i know. :)
Kudos and thanks!!

Soccer Games and the Cool Kid

As I was walking to the subway stop this morning, I was thinking about how my last post was a bit on the gloomy negative side. haha...why I was in such a mood, I don't know. But my apologies.

Well then, so... right into it...(this one turned out long you guys....) =/

Last last weekend, I went to my first "pro" soccer game evvvveeeer. It was exciting. Exciting because crowd behavior and the things people do to accomodate them are always of great intrigue to me. The subway is PACKED. A ticket gate is open just for those going the opposite direction. People are happy. They chant. They jump. Well...kind of.
That's the thing about audiences in Japan....they're very reserved and ... boring. And if you laugh or say "woooo", they give you dirty looks and roll their eyes at you. This isn't just at soccer games, this also happens ALLLLLLLLL the time at the movie theater. It's tough to get accostumed to!!! The first movie I saw here, was Iron Man. You know, there's action and comedy...and I get really involved in films....so if there's a big explosion, yea, i go, "whoooooa, cool oooo eee awhhhh", if there's a joke, I giggle...if it's good...we all know, I cackle. Although, I don't know how much i cackle at a movie -- the joke has to be REALLY good. And...you know....if there's romance, yea, I'll swoon a bit (translation --> I'll CRY my eyes out and use all my will power to not sniff so you won't know I've been crying since the opening sequence of the film). =P Whatever, I'm a typical audience reactor. Well...lemme tell you, people of my kind are not welcome in Japan. =( The audiences here are DEAD silent. It's so odd. Like I said, hard to get used to. I've seen quite a few films now here (they get many more Hollywood imports here than China, THANK "GOD")...and I'm still not entirely adjusted. It makes me sad, to have to control my natural emotions when watching a film. so unnatural.
Anyhow, this REALLY smart kid at my school - whom I found out went to International School for 4 years when he was 5....agrees with me. It's silly and strange that Japanese are so reserved with their feelings, even when it's "superficial" like when watching a movie. He told me that I shouldn't change my behavior just because the Japanese are weird. -- his words! I responded, I do it out of respect. or...embarrassment. or something. and he just nodded.Hm, strange seg-way into this kid, but I do want to mention about him. So I've been at this school now for what....3 months?? I only discovered this AMAZING kid here, like 3 weeks ago. How the hell did I go 2 months without knowing this kid existed!? He's AMAZING! I met him when I was grading his recitation test. I had to give the WHOLE school individual recitation tests. Boy, if you could here me recite them...
"Shimauta" was written and sung by a group called THE BOOM in Japan. One day in 2001, an Argentine singer happened to hear the song at a Japanese restaurant in Buenos Aires. He was struck by its melody and decided to sing it himself. It became a big hit in Argentina. "Shimauta" is now translated into many foreign languages. It is an Okinawan song many people of the world love today.
That's what the 3rd graders had to memorize. Now imagine at lot of "rove" and "Ja-Pon" and "LON-Wa-Jee" ...s.What did the 1st graders have to recite you ask??...
Yuki's first trip to America.
This is Yuki's first trip to America. Aunt Mari meets Yuki at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. They go downtown in Aunt Mari's car. Then they take a monorail to the Space Needle. It is a very short way. It takes only thirty seconds. There they meet Andy. They see the beautiful scenery from the Space Needle.
Seattle is a very exciting city. It has a lot of good places. Yuki, Aunt Mari, and Andy go to the Seattle Center. In the center, Yuki buys a Seattle Mariners baseball cap for her father and some chocolate for her mother. Then they see a beautiful sunset. Yuki never forgets the day.

This is what the kids are learning. Ha.
So there are 250 1st graders. 270 3rd graders. Yea. I heard that speech, THAT many times. ~sigh~. 2 weeks of my life right there. probably even 3.
And yes, that was all from memory. The other JETs here are mortified when I recite that stuff. If I hear the word "Shimauta" (I swear, I can pick it out of a crowd, 200 feet away now - very unncooool), my brain automatically goes into this uncontrollable recitation mode, and I start reciting the lesson out loud, without even really being aware of it - and of course, it's with bad Japanese intonation and pronunciation. Gosh, it is mortifying.

anyhow, I got off track...back to this kid. So he comes into the room, I've never recognized him before, he starts his recitation test like any other kid, and the entire time I'm dumbfounded. He sounds 100% American. More American than me. Where is this kid from!? Where has he been??? How is his English perfect? This is bizarre. Cuz I've forgotten what English is SUPPOSED to sound like. So I search for him during lunch...find him. Loooooooong long long story short(er)...turns out he's one of the worst kids in school (in terms of bad behavior). He's the bad kid. the rebel. always in fights with the staff. Causing trouble in class, in the hallways. Ok, he's not the wooooorst...but he's pretty bad.
You know why?? Because these 4 years of International School (a school here in Sapporo, that teaches ALL lessons in English in a Western style of teaching - there is a mix of Japanese and foreign students there)...I dunno, gave him this Western perspective...or rather, opened his eyes to the world that actually exists outside Japan. YES, there really is such a world, such a society. It's sooooooooo strange and intriguing and exciting...this kid....he's SO smart. He's so intuitive. He has more of a Western way of thinking than any of the other kids here who actually lived in America or Australia, etc. I'm not saying having a "Western way of thinking" is what makes him smart. It's just that he's aware of the options that are available to him outside of the Japanese bubble -- the bubble that no one else sees or is aware of. He can see that, silly rules like, you can't stay after school to talk to the English teacher (me) should be squandered. or rules like you can't visit other floors during the WHOLE day, unless you are going to class (1st graders are on first floor, 2nd graders are on 2nd floor, 3rd graders are on 3rd floor) -- are ridiculous because it creates this awful strange weird segregation between the ages -- and it's just silly for the sake of being silly. What's the purpose of this? Only classes one through four can use the bathroom on the left. Only classes five through seven can use the one on the right. You can't do this, and you can't do that. You aren't allowed to talk in the hallways after school, you have to be in a classroom. Until they say, wait, you can't be in the classroom, you have to be home. Are you kidding me!?? Teachers and parents pay money and invest stress and time into trying to get kids encouraged in school and pursuing it after hours - and the staff here just completely discourages it. I don't understand it. But you know, I'm the outsider, so obviously the only role I can play is a complacent observer...but for this kid. Who sees all this too - it's really tough for him. So he rebels and fights a lot, against the teachers. Against the "establishment". He questions everything, all the time, and gets in trouble for it. Questioning things is not in the Japanese frame of mind. You just do what you're supposed to do, you do what others around you are doing.
Anyway, like I've said twice now, ... this kid is just amazing. Way cooler than any other kid I've mentioned before. He's just smart. He's street smart and he's book smart. He just needs to find a way out of the Japanese system or it may ruin him before he can put all his potential to use.
But isn't that SO FASCINATING!! It's totally this great child case study. Obviously, he's not a stuuuudy, or some thing to be prodded at. But what I mean is....here's this kid, who's never left the confines of the city he was born in. Never travelled out of the country. His parents don't speak a WORD of English, other than maybe, hello and "see you". Yet, when he was 5, his friend was going to international school, and just out of a "I'm 5 years old and you're my bestest friend in the world" - he asked his parents if he could go with his friend to I.S. his parents said yes. And he received schooling there for the next 4 years. And just having....Western teachers and Western lessons...however it happened. However his brain developed in those 4 years....it changed him. It showed this kid that questioning things is normal - it's human. That there's something outside our personal bubble. Outside the society bubble we live in. etc etc etc. blah blah blah. but you get what I'm saying, yes? maybe?? Anyway, it's FASCINATING. the influences one can have on a kid. How completely different a kid can be influenced by changing his environment. Had he not gone to I.S., he wouldn't be a quarter of the person he is today - this really smart, aware, intelligent, awesome kid. haha

Gosh....these things, always sound better in my head when im in the shower. =)
Anyhow...

tangent after tangent after tangent. So...Japanese people don't react in theaters - I'm telling you, they're like dead cold ghosts. through the ENTIRE movie! No matter what movie it is. it's eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerie. i dont like it. =(
but...like i said...complacent observer is all we (as foreigners) can do.

anyhow...so the same goes for the soccer game. I was hollering and screaming and ooing and ahhing. I mean, christ, it was my first game. i was exciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiited!!! Even if Sapporo's team is the last ranked in Japan. haha. DOESN'T MATTER!!! It's fun!!! You get your hot dog, and your slushie. and you just scream everytime a player falls down for no reason (which btw, I learned happens ALLLLLLLLLLLL the time in soccer - I never knew. It's absolutely absurd and hilarious. i LOVE it) haha.
so...u know, I got laughs from the couple in front of me. "o silly foreigner". And the family next to me just fumed and gave me DIRTY diiiirty looks the whole game. I quieted down after the first 30 minutes, cuz it was getting awkward. and then you know, my fun was dampened a little.but i didn't go silent. so...it was still fun. I enjoyed myself. Our team lost, but no biggie. It was way fun just hanging out with the gang.
O, and...they're soccer field is indoors. INDOORS! Now I'm sure (I mean, duh, i KNOW) we have indoor stadiums in the states...soooomewhere. But definitely no where in or around CA. And I've only seen a handful of pro games in my lifetime. So seeing an outdoor sport, played inside a HUUUGE dome, was strange. You sort of feel claustrophobic after a while. Like...you're breathing in dirty air. dirty congested used air or something. it's odd. and you feel like you need to see big bright lights or sun or something.
o well.
also with Japanese crowds -- so most of them are super quiet and reserved. And just watch the game with very little reaction. When the team actually scores a goal or blocks a goal, maybe there's a holler here and there, but no one really stands up.
Except for some "designated" area or something...it seemed. Like it was designated for people who wanted to cheer. In this area, at both ends (each team got their own area, of course)....all the people just stood up and jumped up and down and chanted the same 3 phrases over and over again, for 2 hours. 2 STRAIGHT hours. The same jumping up and down followed by the same phrase. over and over again. haha... very exciting to watch. I was probably watching the crowd behavior more than the actual game - I have a tendency to do that. I like to people watch, what can I say.
I DID see on the opposing side, 3 guys with their shirts off. which is a HUGE "whoa" in Japan. But, it was the last game of the season, before the finals, and the other team is #1 in the league...so i guess 3 guys with the shirt off is justified.
So yea, soccer game was fun. Maybe next year I can get around to posting some pictures. ha.
(it's almost 2009!!!!!!! whooooa whoa waa wee)

Annnnd, this weekend...quuuuick recap...hmmm...
saturday....saturday saturday saturday...o, it was a friend's bday. That was fun. We went to the tasty beer hall. O, and went swimming beforehand. MAN, it feels GOOD to swim. It's expensive here...but it's worth it. I've been going at least twice a week now. I'm hoping in january, to start going at least 4 times -- we've got a good group of us willing to sign up at the new gym down the street - a little pricey. But they've got a nice pool too...plus the general gym equipment. And if I can just find a good group to build a steady routine....maybe I can finally burn off the rest of this excess weight.
yup yup. excited.

so did that.

sunday....had a christmas party thrown by my Japanese teacher. 

IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH FUN!!! Haha, the best cheezy fun I've had in a LONG time. Oooo how I miss the cheezy fun. We had all you can drink alcohol...and karaoke and bingo. and yummy food. And prizes. With a bunch of people in kimonos, other JETs who share the same teacher, and some other students of hers in between. 

Our tutor/teacher whatever you call her...she teaches kimono dressing, Japanese, and calligraphy. 

So it was a good crowd. and she's just SO amazing. Gosh...how I LOVE her.
It was a lot of fun. =)
well I've hogged the computer at school for MUCH too long now. Hope this post was of better spirits to you all then the last. =)
<3,>

why...

Yesterday I made a pitstop at Starbucks before my Japanese lesson, cuz I DESPERATELY needed the caffeine and the sugar. Anyhow...I sat down for a few minutes and the woman in front of me was swishing the hot coffee in her mouth before swallowing. Like what kids do with their milk when they're 6. But here was a grown woman, in a business suit, SWISHING HOT COFFEE!!!! in her mouth!?? Come on, isn't that a little weird?
Like I realize, the difference between merely sipping and swallowing, and adding a few wishes and washes around the teeth for a minute might actually be small, but still, doesn't it just feel more dirty? Like, you've just stained your teeth 26 times faster. And it's hot. It's hot coooooffee. Not ... mouthwash.
My god.
Not juiiiice...or water. hot. coffee.
haha. sorry, couldn't get over it. And she just kept doing it. In front of her business colleagues. With a nice little nod and smile on her face the whole time.

Well, that's that.
Next why...

So, as I mentioned before, and as is a well known FACT to all Japanese people and people living in Japan....trains always arrive exactly on time. here in sapporo, 4 minutes, to the dot. Ok, so I wondered, how is this reeeeeeeeeally possible, cuz you have to account if more people get off one stop and less people get off another stop, averagely, per specific ride...there are too many variables, it could always change, etc etc etc...whatever. I dunno...the dudes controlling the trains have it down. They've got it figured out. No worries. So anyway....always on time.
So, WHY then....in the morning...EVERYday...and I say this in a sincerely curious amused tone...when you see a CROOOWD of junior high kids and business men climbing up the stairs, bumping into you, and crossing your paths....do you think, that RUNNING down the stairs, will somehow, get you on...that train (that they've all clearly just gotten off of)?? or the next train sooner???
Do you see what I'm getting at?
So let's calculate...from the top of the subway exit steps (where the street/sidewalk is)....down to the actual subway gates/platform, I'd say it's uh....3 flight of stairs around 3 corners. That's about...maybe...40 seconds?
Now...if you're at the TOP of the stairs, and you see a FLOOD of people (by flood, I mean like...hundreds. this isn't just a few spersed peeps walking around. So CLEARLY a train just emptied out) pushing by you, as you enter to go down the stairs....that means, they are already 40 seconds off that train...which means, in those 40 seconds, new passengers have already boarded. which means by the end of those 40 seconds, the doors have closed and that train is ready to leave.
Meaning...why run?? Why push your way past me and everyone else, down the stairs, to FRANTICALLY try to make the gates and catch the train. You NEVER do. You won't catch the current train, and you won't catch the next train, any sooner than I will, as I casually take my time (cuz now I've got 3 minutes and 20 seconds to get to the platform).
Does this make sense???
EVERY single day. EVERY single person runs.
I dont get it.
They don't get it. I guess.

NOW, if....you're at the top of the steps, and the stairwell is empty. and there isn't a wave of people running up in your direction...then that means a train hasn't JUST arrived...meaning....you have anywhere from 2 seconds to 3 minutes to get to the platform. Well then, NOW you have a reason to run. But do people run? No. This is the time when people take their time.
It's simple math and physics people!
=P

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE!! Am I the only one who sees the sense in this?
Well...it sliiiightly irks me now. only cuz it's every. morning.
whatever.
ha. its funny. it's human group social behavior. If you see others run, you run. Even if they're going in the opposite direction, you follow the crowd. Even if there's no logic to it.
Extract yourself from the collective and think...does this make sense for me?

eh??

lol

annnnnd...lastly...(not a "why"..just a "is"...)
it's snowing. and it's beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeautiful. I could watch snow fall for HOURS and still be completely mesmerized by it. It's beautiful. It's heart-stopping and heart-racing all at once. The flakes fall and rise and fall and rise. And tweedle and drift. And everything is laced in a pure white lining. Everything feels quiet and peaceful. Snow falling is like the American Beauty bag, but with snowflakes. Yes yes, the human immune system or whatever is incredibly intricate ;) but this is fucking beautiful nonetheless.
Breathless.
Makes me breathless. =)

A little something to hold you over...

Sorry Sorry Sorry!!!God, 3 weeks without internet...it's now past the "o well this sucks" to ..."ok, now I'm just pissed."
UGH
annnnnnnyway....I'm using that as my primary reason why I haven't posted in ages. And it really sucks, cuz I actually have so many more stories to tell! It's just a matter of finding time at school.Anyhow, I have to be on my way in 15 minutes, to head to Japanese class...but, in the meantime, here's a funny email from my supervisor we got a few weeks back regarding a "stalker" we have at our apartment complex. I've never seen the guy, but apparently he waits in front of our complex every morning, and closely follows the foreigner (white) girls for the 15 minute walk to the subway station. Sometimes he'll come up and ask questions...I guess he's harmless, but it creeps some of the girls out. Not so much that they're worried for their safety or anything, they just think he's weird. I guess he's a bit off in the head....I mean, he's supposedly slightly disabled? I only know from gathered sources.
Anyhow, so the girls told our supervisor, and the supervisor contacted the police. and for awhile, the police didn't really care much, especially since the guy never made threats or anything. I think this has been going on for like 6 months?? a year?? Well fiiiiinally, I guess the police found the guy and took him in. And here's our supervisor's email regarding the follow-up/aftermath.
I think I went too much into detail about the situation. The email is funny because of his wording. But anyway, back story doesn't hurt I guess.
:)
cheers.

(and i included some photos of the walk through the parking lot of our "complex", towards the subway station, and another photo coming back to the apartments from the station...now, stick a stalker somewhere in the background...)

Hi. everyone,
The other day, WE (some ALT and me ) went to the police office to claim the bicycle guy who sometimes (always?) wandering Higashi Sapporo area. And the police reported me as follows:
The police officer said:
｡ he needs a special support.( the police man felt)
｡ he sobbed and reflected. And said,｡I just wanted to talk to the lady foreigners. But I｡ll never do that again. I promise｡
the police officer added:
｡ If ALTs find again his stalker-like action, let me know soon. then the police will do our next step for him.
｡ Please note his friend lives near your flat. so you may sometimes see him around there from now. This is because he simply goes to his friend (girl friend??)｡s house.
｡ He is like a little kid (because of mental difficulty) and coward. If you happen to see him on the road, stare him and say ｡don｡t do that｡ with bold voice is effective.

Best,
ito