whats new

Hello again,
So how is Japan... actually Japan is pretty darn good. I have been getting used to everything and although talking and communication is still a big issue, (more about that later) everything else is more or less falling into place.

I've been exploring and hanging out with other JETS I went to the beach last weekend it was awesome! the water was so warm, and even though it was a little cloudy you could still see the mountains in the background, the difference here is that the beach and water can be really dirty, like filled with trash dirty, but it was okay when I went.


I also finally went furniture shopping, and it was fantastic. two second year ALT's took me and it was great, I went to a bunch of different stores and got book shelves, a wire rack for my kitchen, a table, pillows and, coach... I got some great deals so it was well worth it. My couch was to big for the car so I had to have it delivered, but it was really inexpensive and easy.
My apt finally feels like home. and even better I went out this weekend and bought a toaster oven, I think between that and my 2 burner stove I can make basically anything in my kitchen.




Its really been fantastic, people are really friendly, and helpful. Yesterday was my first adventure with an atm... one would think it would be easy.. but no.. it wasn't... because the pictures I had in my book weren't what the machine had, finally some really nice Japanese women took pity on me and showed me what to do.

This week was a busy week, instead of sitting around school everyday all day, I had orientation in the city. Technically I am a Toyama City ALT, but I live one train stop out, about 25 minute drive. But all of the Toyama region had orientation on Monday, basically a bunch of workshops some usefull some not, on Tuesday we had regional orientation so just the people in my region (toyama city) it was actually really useful, lots of information about living and doing stuff in Toyama. Wednesday was a whole group trip to the Toyama Mountains, mainly the tallest one in the region MT. Tatayama. Luckily although its been hot its been really great weather since I got here, sunny and no rain. Wednesday the day we were to climb the moutain was aweful weather... rainy cloudy, you couldn't even see the mountains, but to them we went. I was so not climbing.. I don't climb mountains normally, unless theres a great view at the top, but climbing for the sake of climbing.. nope. thank goodness I didn't. I had a great time hanging out at the bottom playing cards and chatting with people and staying dry. The poor group who tried to climb the mountain, they were soaked..not just wet, dripping. They didn't even make it all the way up.. the weather was so bad they had to turn around half way up. The 3 pictures I did get show how gloomy it was.

Thursday I was at school, but it was actually a good day, one of my JTE's asked me to come to one of his summer classes.. about 13 1st and 2nd year music students, and introduce myself and talk to the class. It was great. I got to talk with them and show them photos. I was really excited. Then in the afternoon I had to go back to my apt to wait for the phone people to come... I was all excited because I thought great I'm going to get phone and internet.. wrong... they just came to tell me that yes I could get internet, but no they weren't going to set it up yet... blahh, sometimes the simplest things take forever here.
I also went to get my Ketei (cell phone).. its cute and purple.. and it only took about 2 hours to get it. once again simple made complicated in Japan. but it has a camera so I can take pictures, I can text, and with my plan I can go online. Its a good plan cause its cheap.. 980 yen a month.. that less then 10$.. but I also have to pay about another 10-15$ in other fees.. still a really good deal.

what else..... Friday I had a really boring workshop, and this weekend was quiet, I did laundry, and just hung out.. I did go out to dinner with another ALT but thats it.
I am having a good time for the most part. This week is a little slow, but I do have alot to do to get ready for classess, school opens next week, and this weekend I get to go to my Kocho Senseis house (principal) there is a big festival in his town and he has invited me. It will be interesting.

Anyway here are some more photos.. check out my facebook if you want to see more. Love you all and miss you.

Lissie


so the photo loader isn't working.... I'll have to work on it, I will have to find a photo host for my pics

Its Friday,
not sure that much has changed, still working on getting furniture for my apartment... but i promise as soon as it has some semblance of order I will take some pics. I don't want to now because it is empty and a little depressing.

I also will be taking some photos of work.. I think this afternoon I might go exploring around my school. I have nothing else to do. Its realy been a pretty boring week.. the best is when the other JTE's and I get to leave for lunch... thats about it. other than that I sit around the work room and make myself look productive. I have made my self intro powerpoint, and I have written one lesson...

but i am at school from 8:30-4:15 every day so there is only so much work that I can do.

I think I am starting to get more comfortable living here, I do know that it would help immensly to speak the language but aside from that, I go grocery shopping, I can mime my way through the appliance/home goods store, (except for the delivery part), and I have even gone out to eat on my own.. okay fine they did have an english menu.. but i at least knew how to ask for it. I still have a long way to go.. knowing some more simple vocab would really help... but that means I have to study, which I will. And I have made several edible meals at my apartment..... last nights especially.. and it included vegitables. So far so good.

This week has been slow, but next week I have all kinds of stuff going on, we have a prefectural orientation in the city on monday and tuesday, wednesday is also orientation but we are going hiking up MT. Tatayama.. I might stick to reading a book at the bottom though, considering that Saturday/Sunday I will be attempting to climb MT. Fugi. And on Friday I have a work shop... so that basically gets me through to the week after... and not long after that school starts.
I like being busy. It makes things better. I have to find some stuff to do this weekend though... I think furniture shopping is a big one.. but I might also find my way to the mall again so that I can get stuff for Fugi.

Anyway I'm off to have lunch with another ALT in my area.

Lissie

one week

so its hard to believe that I have been in Japan for one week now! It feels both like it has been forever and like it just happened yesterday.
I had a great first weekend in Japan, on saturday, I had the adventure of buying a bike.. that was interesting, it was just me at the store, and of course i speak no japanese and they don't speak any english, so it took me like 30 minutes just to get up the courage to ask for help... basically to wave someone over and point at the bike i wanted. that actually was the easiest part. After that I had to work out registering the bike and paying for it. it was a little bit of a mess but in the end I have a bike and it makes it much easier to get around. I am close to school, but to go to the grocery store and bank... it is to far to walk. My bike has a big basket in the front, and i think that I am going to buy a basket for the back so i have extra room.

I also think that today and tomorrow after school, I am going to start getting things for my apartment. right now all I have is a fridge, washing machine, a very thin futton (mattress), and a tv. I think it will feel more like home once I can add a bed and some tables.. it will be better.

I have been able to call home using skype, but since I have no internet at home, I have to use it at school, all the teachers are very interested in the fact that I can use my computer to call my home phone and actually talk to my mom. They all walk by while I am talking into my computer and think it is very strange. But it is really nice to be able to call home often.

okay I have to head back to work, more later

Lissie

photos!

okay so I have all this down time at work.. litterally all day. So I decided to post some of my photos from my Tokyo excursions, and from my going away party, and other funness. Hope you enjoy.
so a back note to these 2.... my old laptop (pictured here) was a disaster and after 7 years of working only half the time, I felt the strong need to put it out of its misery, and what better way then to well... shoot it.
I think some of these bullet holes are actually mine
so we took Sam's 30 30 and decided to trouble shoot.
on a slightly less scary, creepy note, this is from my grad party, this is some of my dads side of the family, grandmother, aunts, and cousins
a new way to have watermelon, a huge success. Thanks to the boys
These are my cousins just around. I was so happy everyone came up to visit!!

so they take karaoke serious here.. no shady little bars.. this building went up at least 10 floors and had little rooms all throughout where your private group went to do karaoke.
yup true japanese experience singing sometimes questionably translated 80's songs
Tokyo is huge.

okay i have to go look lie I'm doing stuff now... more photos from this weekends beer garden coming soon

lissie

a quick hello

hi everyone!
I am in Toyama and trying to get used to all the new things at once... but it is very strange and everything takes so long to happen that it is a big change. I dont have internet at my apartment or at school yet, so I wont be on alot but I think that I will figure things out soon.

until then everything is going well and I am safe and almost completely happy with my new Job.

gotta run I am out of time.

Later

Lissie

orientation

hello again,
so its Tuesday night here in Tokyo and in the morning I leave for Toyama! I am so excited to actually head out to my new home and to meet all the people that I will be working with and everything. okay I won't lie I am extremely nervous about seeing my apartment.

anyway, orientation in Tokyo has been a true whirl wind to say the least. Between meeting hundreds of new people, all the new sights and sounds, and being extremely jet lagged I have some how managed to go to workshops and learn some hopefully helpful information. There are about 700 of us at least here at the hotel. About 19 of whom are headed to my prefecture.

I will say that last night was my first experience with Karaoke... and oh what an experience it is... people here take their karaoke seriously... none of this geting on stage in a front of strangers at a bar... oh no.. over here you rent a private room with its own karaoke machine and you sit around with friends and drink and sing. People have special songs that they practice just so they can do that one song.. its strange to see these older Japanese men in buisness dress, in their private booth just singing away. Crazy. I will say that it was a blast, a little backstreet boys, bon jovi, queen, I will survive, grease.. among many others were sung last night.

I have pictures they will be up soon (probably)

Well I am off to bed I am still tired and a little disoriented but still really excited for tomorrow.

stay tuned for Karaoke pictures, photos of my apartment, and other Tokyo randomness.

Lissie

hello

so its　bright and early in japan, my body thinks its 5pm... but over here it is 6 am. I still am tired but I feel better than I did last night. I really am excited and can`t wait to start doing more and meeting more people.

Hey mum I have no idea what I ate last night, the little shop had pictures in the window with numbers next to them, you walk in the door and put money in these little vending like machines, depending on how much you put in different numbers light up, then you pick a number and take your reciept, you give it to the cook and they make it. I had soba noodles in a broth, with seaweed, a poached egg, some fake crab, and some other stuff... not really sure what. It wasn`t all that bad.

I think I am going to wander off during some of the optional meetings this afternoon and either nap... cause I will probably need it or I will wander around this part of Tokyo,　I am afraid to go futher away, mostly because I would have to battle the train, and I don`t think I am brave enough to try that.

Any way there are like 1000 jets here at the hotel, a bunch of us are already up and wandering around the hotel, everybody looks a little dazed.

Well my time on the computer is almost up, more later.


Lissie

hey all

so its official I am in Japan! I am so tired I haven't slept in like 30 hours just finished up at 13 hour plane ride. And am now giddy because of lack of sleep.

I had my first experience with Japanese food and of course I forgot my camera... I will try to remember it next time. it was good though.. i looked at a picture, put money in a machine, pressed a button, and got what ever they handed me....

anyway, I am off to do some ironing and get some much needed sleep.

Leave love...

Lissie

dude I'm going to Japan

so this is it, I can not believe that tonight is my last night home for a year!!!

Saturday I board a plane bound for Tokyo Japan, and from there another plane to Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture Japan!!
What will I be doing in Toyama? well for those of you who haven't heard I will be working with the JET programme (Japanese Exchange and Teaching) I will be an Assitant Language Teacher (ALT) and working in a public Japanese high school. I will be teaching classes to 15, 16, and 17 year olds. And of course living in a shoe box apt. in Toyama.

So this is where I will be posting the latest and greatest: pictures, fun tales, embarrassing moments, the good, the bad, and the ugly... hopefully mostly the good. Pictures included.

I really am excited, I think that this will be the best experience and will be fun.. gulp I hope.

I will try to update often, well at least once a week. Let me know what you want to hear about.


Here are my addresses in Japan, you can get to my school or my apt.

thats all for now folks, I'll let you know whats what when I actually know more!

until next time



** just a note.... I never spell anything right anyway, and this is my blog... so you can tell me about my typos but I'm not fixing them.... (so there mom)