HUGE update!!

Hello all...It's been a while since I've been able to connect to the internet (and I won't be getting the internet at home for another month or so...seriously driving me crazy!)...but here is a big update on the past few weeks! I just started working last week at Ainoura Juniour High School and things have been pretty good! I'm going to try and post my pictures on my msn My Space soon...I hope everyone is well! Keep the emails coming!

Last day in Nagasaki
So today we had our last morning of meetings and workshops, then we headed out to the immigration bureau to get our re-entry permits! Now I can go to Thailand! Or Korea – apparently there is a ferry that goes across the Japan Sea, and gives you an all-you-can-ride train pass throughout Korea for like $150! Good deal…

We then went to the Atomic Bomb Museum and the Peace Park. It was a really moving and sad experience – I definitely learned a lot of information that I had no idea about before. But I really enjoyed it and wish I could have had a little more time to really read through the personal experiences and memories of the Nagasaki bombing.

But home to Sasebo…where I have two days of workshops to teach for Japanese teachers! Should be good fun – just lots of games…

My Trip to Tokyo!

Ok – so I just got back from my five-day summer vacation in Tokyo! Let’s just say there were some highs, and some lows….

I left Thursday night, right after work to take the bus to the Fukuoka airport (about 2 hours) and then took a flight from Fukuoka to Tokyo (about 1 ½ hours). Got into Tokyo pretty late – but met up with Kelly and stayed at a little business hotel near the airport. It was great being able to catch up with another Ottawan!

Friday we began our trek to Mt. Fuji…and it was quite the adventure. We met up with Kelly’s friend, Becky (who lives 15 minutes away from her) and her friend Michelle (who was visiting from the USA). We didn’t reserve any bus tickets, thinking that there would be plenty of time to get there…but we were told that all the buses were sold out! Climbing Mt. Fuji in the summer is very popular – and apparently something like 3,000 people climb each day! Which seems a little excessive – but that’s what I heard – it could most definitely be wrong! So we found an alternative route (Mt. Fuji is about 2 hours out of Tokyo by bus)….then only to find out that they added more buses! Anyways – now I’m just blabbing, but we finally got on the bus around 7:30pm. We were waiting in line and met these two men from Canada – who turned out to be from Kanata and Stittsville! They were in Japan for only 2 days for business…and decided to climb Mt. Fuji as well – I wonder if they regretted that decision…

So after a 2 hour bus ride (and talking all the way…when Kelly and I really should have been sleeping!), we finally arrived at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji. We met up with Matt (also from Ottawa and who lives nearby), bought our walking sticks, and started to head up! Little did we know what was in store for us! It started out ok – but after about the 7th station up – it got a lot harder! There were lines of people to get through some of the sections, and we were literally rock-climbing some parts (whoever said it was a “leisurely stroll” should shoot themselves!). Turns out we were going up the “intermediate” route up the mountain…oops! We were VERY tired, cold and truly thought that the climb would never end! But the amount of stars that we saw was absolutely amazing! It was so dark and we were above the clouds, so the sky was completely filled with stars! It got a little harder to breathe and catch my breath as we reached closer to the top, but thankfully I didn’t suffer from any altitude sickness. At around 4:50am, the sun started to come out – and we arrived at the summit just after the sunrise. It was really cool to see the sunrise over the clouds, but it would have been nicer if it was clear out and we could see all the way down the mountain! It was a really neat experience being 3,776 metres up, without being in an airplane!

We rested for a bit at the top, got a hot bowl of ramen, and soon decided to make our way back down the mountain…which turned out to be almost 4 hours of pure HELL! I know what you are thinking, I thought the same way too before I did it – one would assume that the trek down would be easy and carefree – but take my word for it – IT IS DEFINETLY NOT! It was a very steep sand and rock chute – which would have been fun if we brought our magic carpets….but trying to walk down that without breaking an ankle and wearing down your knees is almost impossible! Let’s just say that I was completely miserable and frustrated with Mt. Fuji – and all I wanted was a hot shower and a bed. When we finally got to the bottom – the next bus we could take back to Tokyo wasn’t for another 3 hours! We passed out at a table in the restaurant – but I was starting to feel really sick – probably a combination of physical exhaustion (I’m sure my body was in shock from all the physical activity which clearly I don’t do regularily), not drinking enough water (too heavy to carry!) and eating poorly (who knew Calorie Mate was a diet bar, and not an energy bar!?!). After finally getting to our hostel (6 ½ hours later!), we treated ourselves to an all-you-can-eat Sukiyaki restaurant!! My kind of heaven…

The next day, we went shopping in Shinjuku – then Kelly had to go back to Yamagata because she started to teach on Monday. I had an extra two days in Tokyo – so I went to the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, which is a famous Buddhist temple. There were lots of people, especially tourists – and there was a huge market in front of it, filled with shops with the usual tourist-y type gifts. Good fun. It was pretty cool though – it was my first visit to a temple in Japan…quite surprised though that it took me that long to get to one!

I then headed out to Chiba, which is about a 40-minute metro ride outside of Tokyo to stay at Maureen’s house (yet another Ottawan). She has a great apartment in the suburbs! I’m extremely jealous! Anyways, we went out for Chinese and planned the next day – we were going to Tokyo Disney Sea!!! Beyond excited! She had to work for a couple of hours in the morning, but we were soon on our way! It was only about a 20-minute train ride (she’s so lucky! But thank god I don’t live so close to it – I would totally want to go all the time!). Disney Sea was adjacent to the Disneyland – and just celebrated its 5-year anniversary, so it’s relatively new. My favourite area was “Mermaid Lagoon” – which had everything The Little Mermaid-inspired. We got to meet Ariel, Eric and the French chef! And they were all gaijins (foreigners!), and they seemed a little happy to be able to speak English to people! Our favourite ride was definitely Indiana Jones, where you were riding in a jeep and dodging creaky bridges, snakes, flying darts, and of course a giant rock rolling towards you! There was also an “Arabian Court” where everything was from Aladdin – we saw a 3-D show with the Genie….and let me tell you, it was a little weird hearing “Friend Like Me” in Japanese…not quite the same. I spent waaay too much money in the shops, but it was totally worth it – Disney Sea was absolutely amazing! If any of you ever come to Japan – I highly recommend it! Ok – so I just re-read that, and I know I’m a loser. But it was really fun…definitely better than EuroDisney.

All in all – I had a great vacation before work starts! Minus my Mt. Fuji experience – although maybe in a couple of months the memories of the pain and suffering will fade and I’ll be suggesting it to other people. Well maybe not – or possibly just suggesting it to the people I don’t like…

My First Day of Work

Sooo I’m back in Sasebo now…and at Ainoura Junior High School, where I will be for the next 3 or 4 weeks. My first day of school I had to introduce myself in front of the whole school in an assembly – and in front of television cameras…no one said I’d be filmed…nor did anyone tell me if they were actually taping me or not – so maybe I was on Japanese TV! No way for me to see – as I don’t have a tv…but look out for me on NHK! Haha just kidding – at least I hope I’m not on it!!! That would have been embarrassing, as my Japanese is beyond lagging at this point. I need LOTS of practice.

I seem to have 3 classes a day this week – so I’ve been doing my self-introduction quite a bit. I’m sure I will be sick of myself very soon….

The teachers are very nice – quite friendly, and some try and speak to me in English. The students are pretty friendly – but quite most are really shy, so they usually try and avoid talking at all costs. But walking down the hall is an experience – all the kids to is stare and talk about me – and I swear I’m not being paranoid or anything – they really are! A couple of the outgoing ones say hello and quickly laugh…it’s cute. It feels like I’m a little celebrity sometimes…woo hoo. During my introduction – I ask if anyone has any questions…and most of them are too shy to ask anything – but without a doubt – the only question someone will ask is if I have a boyfriend. Every, single time. Or they’ll ask if the teacher is my boyfriend….also good times.

My First Elementary School Visit

So yesterday was my first visit to an elementary school – and I was headed to Kuroshima Elementary – which is on an island, about an hour ferry ride away. They have split classes, because the school is so small – I had 9 kids in my grade 3-4 class, and 14 in my grade 5-6 class. The kids were very nice and friendly…not to mention absolutely adorable! They were very enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy the activities I had planned. Although I was under the impression that I had a lot of time with them, I didn’t get to do nearly as much as I had originally planned – but I suppose it’s better to be prepared! Good ol’ Brownies…

So after my 3rd and 4th grade class, I ate lunch with them in their room! They put on these white lab coat-type things, and little caps, and head downstairs to the kitchen to pick up their lunch! It was really cute! Lunch was a big bun, piece of sweet corn and tomato, and a chow mein type thing. Quite good for a school lunch! Oh – except they had milk – except the Japanese version of milk is like 3.6%....which is basically like drinking cream…which really grossed me out.

After lunch we played some dodgeball in the gym - and yes…I still suck, even when playing against little kids. Then I taught the grade 5 and 6 class – the day really seemed to fly by. I guess because I didn’t get to the school until around 11am, and had to catch the ferry by 3:30…so it was a fairly short day! But my first elementary school visit was really good – so I’m looking forward to the next one next week! A lot of prep work, but the kids are great!

The bad news of the day was that I called Yahoo BB and wanted to find out about when I would be getting the internet at home – and turns out that it’s going to be another month or so! I seriously am going to go crazy! Turns out that they sent me a form and wanted another copy of my gaijin (foreigner) card – but I didn’t know that…because I can’t read Japanese…so I had to get them to send me another form, then once I get that and send off the copy, I have to wait another 17 days, take a day off work so the service man can come – and THEN hopefully I’ll have the internet. This is crazy….