Lost in Transition

So I ended up doing the trip to Kyoto. I am not as easily impressed as I used to be when I was a kid. Everything seems redundant. Kyoto did not meet my expectations but was still a nice city. It seemed like the city itself was not extraordinarily beautiful or nothing, just the temples and historical places within it. I saw Toji temple and roamed around the Gion (geisha) district. The Gion district was very beautiful. It had a few rivers and nice stoned walking paths. The buildings were all wooden and offered small, intimate atmospheres. We ate at a Japanese restaurant. The dish: Tempura, which is different fish and vegetables fried in a batter. It was good, but like usual, very small. We got hammered off tequila, had some laughs over dinner, and were amazed by the rail station in Kyoto. Spencer, Amanda, and Mark were great company, making me feel less homesick being around other Ontarians. We went back to Amanda’s apartment and watched Seinfeld; much fun.

So the last three days I spent training. I was quick to pick up the structure of the lessons and believe I naturally make a great teacher. I am patient, can easily put myself in my students’ shoes, make them relaxed, and have an eye for what may be their difficulties. Training was intensive, teaching full lessons on the second day, but I liked what I was doing so it was fun! I did not know how great a job teaching could be. I mean what we have to do is easy which def. makes it less demanding, but it beats a hell of a lot of other professions. We are making decent money too so can’t complain. I drink at the local bar a lot (almost every night) and it is one of those places where everyone knows your name. It is a very warm atmosphere and it has the same regular gaijin (foreigner) crowd every night. Too bad no hot girls except for the bartenders, but lots of cool guys. I have developed a closer bond with one of my roommates, Aaron, since I’ve arrived. The other roommate, a dork from U.S, Chris, I have not. He is a complete loser. Can’t wait until I don’t have to see him anymore.

I have been deprived of internet access since I arrived and it has been killing me. I never knew how dependant I was on the thing. I feel detached from the world, especially since I am in Japan and it’s the best way to communicate with Toronto. Internet should be arriving in a couple weeks. I made pasta tonight. Tasted really good. Tomorrow is my first day of actual work. I am about to watch Lost in Translation, I know, how cliché. Anyways, I was thinking I would terminate my contract is 6 months, head back to Toronto, and then look for a job in Europe somewhere. Not because I don’t like Japan, but because 6 months may be enough. I will have had teaching experience and then maybe can find a job easier in Spain, Italy, France, or Greece. Just an idea.

Food is not an issue anymore. After discovering a couple good supermarkets I now know where to get everything I need. Plus I found a couple Japanese dishes I like.

The Scary Unknown

Day three in Japan and I have finally buckled down to write a few words on my time here thus far. So after hardly anything to eat in three days and two nights of heavy drinking, this routine is starting to get the best of me. I am still jet lag, hitting the sack at 3 am and waking up at 9 am is not customary for me, but it has got to end some time. I have survived on Mcdonalds, Mr. Noodle, and sushi, and am having trouble straying away from that. The food here is just a little too foreign for me. I need to find what I like, and that may take awhile- I could see myself losing a lot of weight here. The people I have met in Himeji and on the plane over are cool. I plan on meeting up with some of the people from my plane today on a day trip to Kyoto. My job here is not secure, as Nova has not been paying employees and seems to be in financial trouble. This is a huge event in Japan, making the daily news. Nova has 800 branches across Japan. I have begun my job search just in case I can find something better.

My first night in Himeji was real tough. I was unfamiliar with my environment and was doubting if I wanted to live here. I did not like the nightlife of Himeji and found the city quite boring. Yesterday, although, changed my outlook a lot. After riding a bike around the city all day I had a better impression of the city. There are lots of places to go shopping and a good variety of restaurants to eat at. At night I got to know a lot of the people who are working with Nova here in Himeji and they were a cool bunch, but I don’t know how long I can stick around in Himeji for. I need a bigger city. I'll see. I will register a phone number and get a bank account and then go on a serious job search.
My apartment here is alright. There is A/C, but it hardly reaches my room. Although, the weather is cooling down in Japan from the summer extremes. Days reach 32 degrees and nights dip down to 25 degrees. My stomach is hurting, I am going to get some rest.