the circle only has one side
First and foremost I apologize for any inconveniences caused by my absence these past few days….I know how greatly you have missed me. I took a few days chosebi with the purpose of visiting Andrea, but circumstances didn’t pan out as planned and both of us ended up with alternate plans.
Thursday: Prefectural orientation in Fukuoka City all day. So, I rode with dude from the Board of Education (there was VERY little conversation the entire trip there) and suffered through eight hours of worthless meetings. I plan on suing for the misuse of my valuable time. A few of us stayed after the meeting to hit the enkai, (party) at the beer garden downtown….all you care to drink…fun night! I ended up totally smashed, attempting to out-drink Eugene from South Africa…I think I won, but I can’t really remember. I hope I didn’t do anything too stupid…we all know how great I am at first impressions. We stayed until 11 or so and then made the hour and a half train ride home, with a few minor glitches (mainly caused by yours truly.) As soon as I stepped onto the platform to board the train I realized that my ticket stub said Hiroshima instead of Tanushimaru….big mistake….I could have been on that train ALL frickin’ night and never known it. Thank god for the combined, yet still minimal, Japanese skills of the group…we eventually got things figured out and I made it home. Word to the wise: NEVER buy a train ticket while inebriated.
Friday night: The gang headed out to some restaurant whose name I am still unable to pronounce for dinner and a few drinks. It’s good to have finally found my social nitch, more or less. There are five of us living within neighboring towns, and considering Kiwi Kate just bought a car….Jap. equivalent of the Mystery Machine minus air conn, radio, and power everything, outings have become much easier to plan. I haven’t gotten to know them all very well, big surprise, in fact Jeremie keeps asking why I’m antisocial, to which I reply, “Get to know me,” but we’ve had some laughs, mainly at Gaer’s expense, and I prefer their company to the horrid Murder She Wrote reruns and skittering mice my house has to offer. Funny, how I always preferred solitude over a night of going out, yet now I find myself dying to get out of this isolation I’ve built around myself.
Saturday: Dai took me out to some sushi restaurant….GAG REFLEX!! Sushi is one food I’ll never become accustomed to. To make it even worse, there were plates of sushi circling around the restaurant passing by each table on a miniature train type deal, allowing one the pleasure of viewing every type of raw fish you could ever imagine. But at least I can say I’ve tried it, and isn’t that what this whole adventure is all about? Thank god for Sapporo.
Sunday: I spent about 3 hours cycling along the Chikugo River trying not to get lost, or look too much like a foreigner, to no avail. My Japanese is very minimal, basic conversational phrases only, though the pronunciation is much like Spanish, so every time I greet someone along the street and bow they automatically assume I can speak Japanese, making for some pretty interesting games of charades. All I can do is smile, nod, and shrug my shoulders like an idiot. Can’t wait until my classes actually start, then I’ll at least be able to say, “I don’t speak Japanese.” It was a good day though, despite the torrential downpour which caught me midday. It's amazing how much the mounains resemble the Alps, despite being on a completely different continent....gotta love green moutains.
Thursday: Prefectural orientation in Fukuoka City all day. So, I rode with dude from the Board of Education (there was VERY little conversation the entire trip there) and suffered through eight hours of worthless meetings. I plan on suing for the misuse of my valuable time. A few of us stayed after the meeting to hit the enkai, (party) at the beer garden downtown….all you care to drink…fun night! I ended up totally smashed, attempting to out-drink Eugene from South Africa…I think I won, but I can’t really remember. I hope I didn’t do anything too stupid…we all know how great I am at first impressions. We stayed until 11 or so and then made the hour and a half train ride home, with a few minor glitches (mainly caused by yours truly.) As soon as I stepped onto the platform to board the train I realized that my ticket stub said Hiroshima instead of Tanushimaru….big mistake….I could have been on that train ALL frickin’ night and never known it. Thank god for the combined, yet still minimal, Japanese skills of the group…we eventually got things figured out and I made it home. Word to the wise: NEVER buy a train ticket while inebriated.
Friday night: The gang headed out to some restaurant whose name I am still unable to pronounce for dinner and a few drinks. It’s good to have finally found my social nitch, more or less. There are five of us living within neighboring towns, and considering Kiwi Kate just bought a car….Jap. equivalent of the Mystery Machine minus air conn, radio, and power everything, outings have become much easier to plan. I haven’t gotten to know them all very well, big surprise, in fact Jeremie keeps asking why I’m antisocial, to which I reply, “Get to know me,” but we’ve had some laughs, mainly at Gaer’s expense, and I prefer their company to the horrid Murder She Wrote reruns and skittering mice my house has to offer. Funny, how I always preferred solitude over a night of going out, yet now I find myself dying to get out of this isolation I’ve built around myself.
Saturday: Dai took me out to some sushi restaurant….GAG REFLEX!! Sushi is one food I’ll never become accustomed to. To make it even worse, there were plates of sushi circling around the restaurant passing by each table on a miniature train type deal, allowing one the pleasure of viewing every type of raw fish you could ever imagine. But at least I can say I’ve tried it, and isn’t that what this whole adventure is all about? Thank god for Sapporo.
Sunday: I spent about 3 hours cycling along the Chikugo River trying not to get lost, or look too much like a foreigner, to no avail. My Japanese is very minimal, basic conversational phrases only, though the pronunciation is much like Spanish, so every time I greet someone along the street and bow they automatically assume I can speak Japanese, making for some pretty interesting games of charades. All I can do is smile, nod, and shrug my shoulders like an idiot. Can’t wait until my classes actually start, then I’ll at least be able to say, “I don’t speak Japanese.” It was a good day though, despite the torrential downpour which caught me midday. It's amazing how much the mounains resemble the Alps, despite being on a completely different continent....gotta love green moutains.
posted by Chishiki Lauren at 7:35 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home