So, here I am in Japan, after about a year of planning for it. Tokyo orientation was a blast, besides all the boring, mandatory meetings, we did alot of partying and wandering around Shinjuku. Then, last Wednesday all of us JETs bound for Mie-ken boarded the Shinkansen(bullet train), which wasn't as impressive as I thought it'd be. We were ushered onto a new train in Nagoya, and one by one got off at stops where there were excited Japanese people holding signs bearing Western names. I was among the lucky(?) group of prefectural ALTs that got off in Tsu and walked to the Board of Education (BOE) where our supervisors were waiting to drive us to our new homes. I introduced myself to the 3 teachers who were there to retrieve me, and promptly forgot their names (just now starting to be able to remember Japanese names). They took me to school to meet the kouchou-sensei (principal), and finally to my apartment. After showing me where everything was, they left me to my own devices for all of half an hour before coming back to pick me up for dinner, where I amazed everyone with my chopstick skill and ability to eat sashimi. They also thought it was funny (in an amazing sort of way, I think) that I could speak a little Japanese, and one teacher in particular almost fell over laughing when I said Hajimemashite (nice to meet you) to him.
Due to all the partying in Tokyo, I crashed my first night in Taki-cho at about 8pm and slept until the excruciating heat woke me up at 6am. Taki-cho looks like a tropical resort, with all the lush greenery, but it feels like one too, without the luxury of swimming all day. The heat, combined with the conservativeness of everyone here, may actually drive me mad before the summer is over. I'm used to wearing tanktops when it gets hot in Canada, but I definitely can't wear those at work, and even walking around town, I feel naked compared to everyone else.
So far, work has mostly consisted of Tamai-sensei (my supervisor) taking me shopping for food and things for the apartment, registering as an alien (that word really makes me feel foreign), getting a cell phone, etc, and showing me around. He and the other teachers have also been treating me to lunch everyday, which must be getting expensive, but I've given up trying to pay.
My first weekend here was alot of fun, and a relief from being super polite all the time, because I went to Matsusaka (the nearest city) to eat and drink with other JETs. We ended up drinking at the site of an old castle that is now in ruins. Then, on Saturday, I went with Brian (the other JET in Taki-cho) and his supervisor to Miyagawa (Miya river) for a children's festival where we went swimming in the river, catching fish and eels that they released, which they then BBQ'd for us, and hitting watermelon blindfolded (like a pinata). After that we went to a school festival and ate curry prepared by the cooking students at my school, watched a Taiko drum performance and dance performance, and saw some fireworks. I'm planning on joining both the Taiko team and the dance team if they'll let me.
Now I'm back at school, and they are forecasting a typhoon for tonight, but I don't think it'll be too bad. They measure wind in m/s here, so I converted what they said on the news, and it'll probably only be around 110km/h, which isn't too terrible, right? I was supposed to go to one of my other schools (I have 3 now!) in Ise-shi tomorrow morning, but my appointment has been changed to the afternoon b/c of the storm. Well, at least I'll have my first typhoon under my belt early.
I guess I've written enough for now, I'll write again tomorrow if I get a chance and tell y'all about my first storm here in the inaka.
Love
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