BOE week: kinda see fuji?

08/02/10 ~ 08/03/10

I think I understand the recycling schedule now.  Certain things are only picked up once a month, and recyclables is one of them.  I looked at the date yesterday and I was like “great!  I can put this out today!” but I noticed that no one else’s things were out.  Soon I realized that it was 8:45, and that the bags had to be out by 8:30, so it must have already been picked up.  Oh Japan, you and your workers doing things on time!

Also, I was wondering why my apartment building was at such an odd angle to the road.

The building runs perpendicular to the road, forming a T, and the driveway/parking area is in the back of the building.  To get to the doors, you have to walk all the way around to the front, which faces a house next-door.  I think that the front doors are facing north however, which means that the balconies are facing south.  Perhaps they did this so that Fuji would be visible?  I haven’t been able to see it from anywhere yet though.  The heat makes it foggy and yesterday and today it is raining.  If I am able to see if from my balcony I will be really excited.  Another JET told me that it won’t really be too visible until fall or winter when there is less moisture in the air. Also, I’ve been told that it doesn’t actually snow a whole ton in Yamanashi, so I’m grateful for that too!  If it did I’d have a heck of a trek to school everyday.

I haven’t met anyone else living in my building yet, but I saw one person.  And there’s a really nice motorcycle parked in the driveway.  There was a tarp over it until yesterday but I took a picture!  I wonder who it belongs too…

Several people have told me that there is a big Yakuza population in this area.  Nothing to be too worried about, but just to be careful I was warned.  For example, I met an American who’s lived here for 20 some odd years and he said he’s only encountered them three times directly, and it was nothing scary.  He helped an old man who had fallen off his bike and apparently he was the father of a Yakuza.  The guy came running over yelling, but when the old man said that the foreigner was helping him, the foreigner got “brownie points” with them.  Might still be on the “good list” to this day.  If you don’t know what the Yakuza is, that’s ok because I don’t really either.  Basically they’re like a gang that control different aspects of Japan.  They're in the gambling business I believe, small drugs maybe, other black-market items, and recently got in trouble for influencing the Sumo world in ways.  They also sometimes have pull politically.  They’re known for being kind of rough, having tattoos, stuff like that.  They’re not like NYC gangs who die from gunfights and knifing, but I’m sure it’s not impossible that they possess such weapons.  Basically, all I was told was to mind my own business and I’ll be dandy, which is what I intended to do anyway. :)

After work:

お疲れ様でした！自分に言うと失礼なんだけど、人がいないからいう。疲れた！

Today was kind of long.  I went in at 9, did this and that, and left at 4.  Then I went to the post office to buy stamps and after waiting all weekend for them to open, the worker was trying to tell me NOT to buy stamps, but to go in every time I wanted to send something in case the letter was too heavy.  I understand why he was trying to say that, but there’s no way I’m going in EVERY time I want to send a letter, especially when mostly the letters I send will be small.  Post office hours are pretty sketchy anyway.  Why are they only open when people are at work?  Or… why are they only in the wrong direction from your home?  Oh well, it happens. Work wasn’t too bad, but I definitely came close to sleeping with my eyes open at one point.  At first I was going to study some Japanese, but one of the workers found the English books that they use in the middle school.  It was quite convenient actually because I looked through them and got a feeling for what they’re learning in Middle School.  I’d like to know what they learn in Elementary school too, so maybe I’ll ask to see those books tomorrow.  Also, it would be nice to see the high school books just so that I get an idea of where they’re going next.  After looking through some of the books though, it makes me realize that English is quite complicated.  It’s not impossible, but there are a lot of rules, and there are a lot of exceptions to rules.  “I like” vs “he likes” or “I am” and “she is” or “is she?” and “she is.”  Things like that.

I was told today that Fuji may not be very visible from Isawa, only the tip of it.  There is a string of mountains between me and it, and being close to the string makes it hard to see fuji over them.  It’s ok though, because I saw a photo of the mountains in winter and it’s just as beautiful!

My co-workers said I looked like Angelina Jolie the first day I was there.  I got a kick out of that.

Now that I’m not in school, it’s not as easy to make Japanese friends out of the blue.  At Waseda, you could run into someone in a hallway and say something like, here’s my number!  Let’s be friends!”  I’m not sure that would fly here.  In the working world you have to do things a little more tactfully… like get introduced, etc.  I’m not sure I’ll become close friends with any of  the teachers, but I would like to have a few Japanese friends at some point.  At least the English Teacher’s community around here is pretty open and inviting to new teachers.  They all went through the same thing at one point really.

I saw two kittens when I was parking my bike.  My guess is that they’re stray, but I did my absolute best to walk away without one.  I doubt kitties are allowed in my apartment anyway, and they must be doing fine.  Maybe I can just feed them outside and hope they keep coming back. ^_^

Speaking of school (above), it feels very different to not be in school full time.  Of course I’m still studying Japanese, and I’ll always be learning something because I like to learn, but not having formal studies feels very different.  For example, yesterday I went to a neighboring town with another new JET and a 2^nd year English teacher in the area.  We were talking about plans and what we were doing these days.  It’s not that I don't have things to do, but not having to go home and do studies before tomorrow feels so different than I’m used to.  Soon I will have real work though, and will probably have things to do from home to prepare for it.  The computer system in the school is pretty inaccessible.  The BOE is giving (lending?) me an old printer that I will be able to use and it should be good!  I’d love it if they lent me a kotatsu and a couch too, but I think that’s asking a bit much. ^_^ I might ask around a bit once I get settled.  I’m still not really interested in buying any furniture because I’ll have to eventually just give it all away.  I’m not opposed to used furniture at all. ^_^ Unless it has bugs.

I should really start working again.  Not having Internet at home makes me feel like I can dabble here and there.  Also, cooking and doing the dishes seems to take me a while, and figuring out what garbage goes where also gets me.  I wish I could accurately explain how difficult it is.  They gave me a poster with pictures of all of the different kinds of trash days.  There’s plastic bottles, cans, burnable garbage, mixed paper, reusable things, hazardous things, other plastics, etc etc.  We American’s would benefit from paying a little more attention to what goes in the trash and what get’s recycled…

Well, I think that’s all for now.  Tomorrow off to the BOE again.  I’m going to try to get a few more letters written at some point.  Oh yeah!  I got my first letter today from Rino, one of my host sisters from Shimane!  It felt good to get mail.  I’m glad everything is activated too.

またね！ Later,

Lana

PS. Sorry this post is so hard to read.  I wrote it off and on between two days.  Also, thank you to those of you who have posted comments here!  I really do appreciate it.