Hm. Omoshiroi.

First of all, thanks to everyone that’s shown concern and wished me luck with everything here in Japan! Sorry if I freaked you guys out with the last entry. I know it’s been a while since my first entry, but I’m happy to report that since then, I have been doing much better in terms of settling here in Japan. This is due to a variety of reasons which include: I’ve gotten plenty of help from sempai (senior) JETs; it’s comforting to know I have the support of family and friends; and I’m learning bits and pieces of Japanese everyday. Aside from those main sources of encouragement, it also helps to remember that I am so lucky to be exploring a new land and culture, which, as you all know, I love to do! All the while I am making my own money (more than I ever did) so that definitely helps make me feel all the more secure.

Nara Park at night

Nara Park lit up for Tokae Festival

My hood

The title of this entry originates from something one of my new friends here pointed out. In reaction to many of the strange and new things I've encountered here, I have apparently said "Hm. Interesting." enough times for it to be annoying. So I learned the Japanese word for "interesting", and that's omoshiroi. ;)

Basara Matsuri (Festival) in Nara City. Don't ask me about their costumes...

Oftentimes, I run into situations that frustrate me, and I definitely don’t exude as much patience as I could. These situations usually have to do with the language barrier and a different way of doing things. For example, I went to exchange money at the post office. I pulled out my traveler’s check and signed it in the clerk’s presence, which is what you’re supposed to do. The clerk disappeared into the back for 10 minutes, and when he came back, he wasn’t carrying the yen like I was expecting. He shows me the traveler’s check and points to the signature that I’d just signed, and then to the signature that I had previously signed when issued the check in the States. I gather he’s telling me that the signatures don’t match. He points to a loop in one signature that is not looped in the other. He says, “Signu.” (They add “u” to the end of almost every English word…) What the fuck, so I signu it again. He examines. He’s gibbering in Japanese (politely, of course) and gestures that the angle of the new signature is a degree off from the original. Fucking hell, I sign it again!!! AND AGAIN. And AGAIN. He examines. Signu it again, SO I SIGNU IT AGAIN! He examines, brings out a plain white paper, asks me to sign it again and again and again and again!!! I show him my passport with my signature on it. 10 times did I sign my soul away in half an hour for a fucking 10,000 yen.

“Fucking A. It’s me!!!” *Points back and forth between all the signatures* “See!? Signu, signu, signu!!!” *Flash my passport* “SEE?? ME!!!! TAAAAH-NI-YAAA. JUST GIVE ME MY FUCKING MONEY!”

My many signatures...

I’m usually pretty understanding and open-minded, but I’ll admit there is a definite threshold with me between Patience and Bitch. So finally I just about trace my original signature and I’m taking pictures of this guy while shaking my head and cursing, and he’s probably thinking I’m crazy and finally processes the fucking check. Man. Getting worked up again just typing about it.

That's right. You process that shit. And I'll document it.

One may argue that the clerk’s careful observation was necessary in order to ensure the prevention of fraud. Right? That’s fair. HOWEVER, a good reason I was so angry about it is that Japan is supposed to be a country of efficiency, right? WRONG! In so many ways, the answer is yes, but this is a perfect example of the contrary. Instead of using signatures, the Japanese each have an inkan (name stamp) that they use for any official business or process. If you argue that my signature is one degree off from another of my signatures, can’t it be argued that I can go out and make 100 inkans with different names on them and stamp them all over your fucking face and say I am whosever names are engraved on the stamps?!

Anyway. The people here are incredibly nice (or at least they act politely). People are very willing to help me out when I ask for it (or try to). I’ve heard it’s not common in Japanese culture to ask for help, but I do it all the time and it’s warming to see that people will go to lengths to help me despite the language barrier. I’ve asked where specific buildings are, and I’ve been personally guided to them. This happens all the time! Really though, since my Japanese is minimal, my time here thus far has been a game of Charades and Pictionary, combined. At the supermarket, I drew a pig and showed it to someone because I was looking for pork. Other times, I’ve drawn a fan, a clock, a futon, a tatami mat, etc. Charades is more of an everyday thing. When I order at a restaurant, I often can’t read the Japanese, so when I want to ask what part of the cow a cut of meat is (they eat a lot of organs here…which I’m not into) I gesture to my belly, my cheeks, etc. In my last entry I wrote that I couldn't figure out what the buttons on the washing machine meant. To update you, yes, I was able to wash my clothes, finally. I took a picture with my digital camera, and showed it to my supervisor for him to translate for me. See? Pictionary. Unfortunately, he's a Japanese man, which I guess means that he doesn't do his own laundry. (Was that a stereotype? Sorry. No, really though. The men here get taken care of well by their wives!) So we asked a nice lady at the bank to tell me what the buttons in the photo meant.

Pictionary, in its most useful form

The employee guessed it before I even finished drawing! A point for team 2.

Gibberish

At school, most of the teachers have been very welcoming. They invited me to lunch one day at an all-you-can-eat place (they were surprised how much I could pack in), which was a nice gesture. They are really accommodating even though we can’t understand each other much. There are 3 English speaking Japanese teachers here, one of whom is my supervisor. As for the others, they try their best, which I appreciate. They’ve lent me books to learn Japanese, and they’ve given me tea leaves and vegetables and a flower plant—all grown at my school for agriculture classes! Yesterday in the teachers’ room, there was a nasty smell that wouldn’t go away. It smelled like manure, but I didn’t know where it was coming from. So I turned around to this really cute teacher (she’s only 23!) and gestured that there was something stinky in the air. She agreed. “What is it?” (One of my top most-commonly-used Japanese questions.) That prompted 3 teachers and the vice principal to get up from their desks and sniff around the room, trying to figure out what the smell was. Aren’t they nice!? I know. I suggested, “Poo?? Is it poo?” The cute teacher giggled her cute Japanese giggle. She understood “poo”. At that point, I was certain we could be friends. I think she thinks I’m ridiculous. I like making her giggle. I’m gonna tickle her one day.

Lunch with fellow teachers (the lady on the right is the one I shall tickle)

I’m pretty lost when it comes to school. I don’t have to teach until next week, so that means I’ve just been sitting around doing whatever-the-fuck (catching up on emails, practicing Japanese writing, downloading movies…haha) In Japan, there’s a time during the day when everyone (students and staff) clean the school. I was sitting at my desk yesterday eating my lunch before I looked around and realized I was the only one in the teachers’ room (usually there are about 30). Uh, where did everyone go? This happens a lot. Either there’s a meeting, an assembly, or a cleaning session that I don’t know about because I don’t understand Japanese, and all of a sudden in the middle of the day, I’m the only person in the teachers’ room. Usually my supervisor is pretty on top of it and tells me what I need to know, but sometimes things fall through the crack (understandably) and I realize I missed something I should probably know.

I wish I could communicate better. I’m so curious about a lot of things in Japanese culture and would love to ask people why things are the way they are. I’ve learned one of the three writing systems already on my own (katakana). And I know a lot of Chinese characters already (kanji), so that means I need to figure out the last one (hiragana) and how to speak properly. The sentence structure is confusing right now, and the participles too. Step by step…

There’s a Facebook group called “Nobody Sleeps Like The Japanese Do.” It consists of loads of pics people have taken of Japanese people (mostly businessmen in suits) asleep on trains, passed out in weird positions. Since I’ve been here, two different strangers have fallen asleep on my shoulder on the train. It starts with that head-bobbing thing, like “I’m falling asleep—NO, I’M AWAKE—no, I’m falling asleep…” etc. until they just rest their head on my shoulder altogether. I don’t do anything about it, but at first I was shuddering trying to muffle my laughter. But no one else thought it was funny! No one here really does or says anything to strangers, even if they fall asleep on them, so I just let it be. When in Rome, I guess. I feel like in the States people would nudge—or even push!—people awake…I’m finding cultural differences in outward expression very interesting. I am trying my best to do as the people here do, and I think I’ve succeeded for the most part, except for the whole being really lost thing, and getting mad at post office clerks thing.

From complete strangers to best friends...

My mode of local transportation: biking! I love it. Very affordable. I take trains to neighboring cities to visit friends, shop, etc. because my town Tenri is quiet and small, which is often nice to come home to. Still getting used to the trains and the transfers. One night, I got off one train to transfer to another, and realized I’d missed the last train back home. I was pretty far away and I was alone! No one spoke English but they basically confirmed that I had indeed missed the last train. “Oh, fuck.” They gasped. Understood that one, didn’t you! Well, I got home safely, in case you were wondering. Everything has worked out alright.

My new ride

Something else that has been complicated/interesting: the trash system here! It's not like in the U.S. where you just put all your shit on the curb on Monday morning. Here, every day of the week is designated for a specific type of trash. That means, there's a whole lot of crap in my house because I have to separate my trash into styrofoam, plastics, burnables, bottles/cans, etc. etc. etc., and I'm not allowed to just throw it all out at once. I'm still confused about it.

Sounds like I complain a lot, huh? Well shut up, these are more like observations. But one thing I have no trouble complaining about is this brat toddler who lives next door and cries and whines every night when I'm going to bed and every SINGLE morning (no exaggeration!!) at 6:30-bloody-AM. I don't know yet how to say "shut up" in Japanese, so I yell "SHUT UP!" in English. It's not even cute crying either (is there such a thing?). I don't understand what he's whining about (Japanese) but it sounds like he's saying something stupid. Sigh. He's an asshole. Sometimes he and his brother cry and whine in unison!!! Don't get me wrong. I love kids. They just have to be polite and quiet for most of the time. Puppies, on the other hand, are amazing and cute.

My pop visited me this past weekend! My sister Tammy got a job in Shanghai and moved there last week, so my dad went with her and then on his way back to the States, visited me for a weekend, which was nice. We visited Osaka and met up with Dave and Aiko whom I haven’t seen since our meet-up in Thailand last winter. And this weekend I’m doing some traveling with Erika to Saku-shima island, which no one here has heard of…should be an adventure! Looking forward to spending time with a good friend. Need to discuss life and stuff, you know.

Daddy Ku and Li'l Ku

With Dave and Aiko...and of course, Kitty

Anxious to see what happens with this election. I’ve registered absentee. No internet at home means I’ve been relatively disconnected. Caught up this week with the news at work. A lot of weird shit!! Palin and the baby’s mama drama!? WEIRD SHIT.

Been thinking I might stay here for a couple years. Not sure yet. A year seems awfully short at this point.

Found a Shinto shrine while exploring

The deer here in Nara smell bad but are pretty cute.

Schmell-ay

My most-commonly used Japanese sentences/phrases:

1. Sumimasen. (“Excuse me” or “sorry”)…sometimes this is all I ever say.

2. Nihongo ga wakarimasen. (“I don’t understand Japanese”)…a.k.a. “Your turn at Charades.”

3. Arigato gozaimasu (“Thank you”)

4. ____ wa doko desu ka? (“Where is the ____?”)…this one is sometimes pointless because I often don’t understand the answers I get. But it’s fun to pretend ;)

5. Kore wa nan desu ka? (“What is this?”)…said when referring to strange foods, or when everything’s written in Japanese in the supermarket, or just “nan desu ka?” when referring to manure-like smells in the teachers’ room.

6. Yayakoshi. (“Complicated”)…usually said in regards to everything: opening a bank account, getting a cell phone, the trash-separating system.

7. Omoshiroi. (“Interesting”)…Said when pondering some of the Japanese ways of doing things—basically said in reference to everything that I’ve experienced, witnessed, tasted, and seen here in Japan.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! Love you all.

Rough Transition

I've been contemplating the method by which I'd be communicating most of my goings-on to friends and family now that I'll be living and working in Japan. Should I send mass emails? What about a blog? What would I title the blog?

I decided I'd write a blog. The title came to me. "Uhhh, I'm Lost" very accurately describes how I feel.

Here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to. Things are hectic—it’s only been a little more than a week but I feel like it’s been a few!

On July 25, I flew to Los Angeles from San Jose for a pre-departure orientation. I arrived at LAX, shuttled my ass and 140 pounds of luggage to the Marriot LAX hotel, our meeting site. I changed into business clothes in the bathroom and went hungry for 9 hours until they finally allowed us to eat (prompted by a kampai!—“cheers” in Japanese—from the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles). In the handbook, they outlined some insightful details for “Being Asian American in Japan,” for example: “People might think you’re mentally challenged when you struggle with your Japanese and try to communicate with gestures.” Grrreat. That, combined with one of their other tips, “First impressions are everything in Japan” really made for a reassuring orientation. Sharon, one of my housemates in San Diego, let me stay with her for the night (Thanks, Sharon!) and we had gelato in Culver City. Sharon and gelato both brightened up my day. I flew out early the next morning.

On the 11-hour flight to Tokyo, I watched 4 movies and 2 episodes of The Office. Couldn’t sleep. Arrived in Tokyo. Blistering fucking hot. My glasses kept sliding off my sweat-dripping nose. Glorious!

We had a couple of days in Shinjuku, Tokyo for the JET Programme orientation, where 1,500 new JETs—placed all over Japan—spent the long days listening to lecture after workshop after lecture. Ditched a few. Walked around a little outside, but it was so fucking hot and I was wearing nice-ish clothes. And the whole glasses-sliding-off-the-nose thing.

Tokyo from the top of Keio Plaza Hotel

Went out one night to Shibuya, where it is fucking crowded and crazy! It’s in that scene in Lost in Translation. Had a drink with the other JETs placed in Nara. The next night I met up with my amazing friend Erika, who was my roommate at UCSD’s International House for a year, and whom I traveled around Thailand and Laos with this past winter. She took me to one of her fave sushi joints in Shibuya (I keep wanting to say “Sha-booyah!”) and then to an izakaya (a place for drinks and small eats).

Shibuya in the early evening

Erika is one of my favorite things about Japan. She told me all these stories about how men have shown her their penises, etc.

Erika: Once, a man was asking me for directions, and he had a map out, and while I was giving him directions, I looked down and he had his penis out.

Me: What?!? So what do you do???

Erika: I just smiled and said, “Okay, see you later!” [She waves.]

Me: WHAT?? …Why?!

[At this point, we start generalizing and referring to all perverts as they.]

Erika: Well, they want girls to be scared, so I didn’t change my expression. That’s what they want—an embarrassed girl. Another time, I was walking down the street and from the corner of my eye I see a guy [makes jacking off gesture with her hand]. I didn’t look and kept walking, but he kept coughing to get my attention.

Me: So what’s the most you can do that would be furthest from what they want?

Erika: I don’t know. Help them, I guess.

Me: EWW!!!

Erika: Oh and some guy called me last night and asked if I would help him onani.

Me: What’s onani?

Erika: I don’t know how to say it in English…[pulls out electronic dictionary, types something, hands it to me.]

Me: [I take it, read it]…”Masturbate!” EWWWWWww! So what did you say?!?

Erika: I told him, “Sorry, I don’t do that.”

I love this girl

From Tokyo, all of the groups placed in different Japanese prefectures (state-like regions) parted ways to our respective locations. The Nara group took the fastest train in Japan (and maybe the world?) to Kyoto, then transferred to a train to Nara city, where we had still more orientation. The Nara group consists of about 20 new JETs. Then we had a welcome izakaya night, where I got to meet a lot of the older JETs who had extended their contracts. From there, we went and had a drink at a bar.

I love food

Popular "stab the pirate" game

The next day, each of the new JETs met his/her supervisors (we each had to do a self-introduction in Japanese, holy shit), and then we all parted ways since we’re all teaching at different schools and living in different parts of Nara. My supervisor is Ueno-sensei, a fellow teacher at my base school, Yamabe Senior High School.

For two days, he took me around to run errands, get my new home ready, meet the principal and other faculty (not prepared for that), apply for my alien residency card, etc. He drove me around for two days straight and even spotted me the equivalent of hundreds of dollars because I’m not allowed to open a bank account until my personal seal (which substitutes for a signature) is finished being made. Props to the man. He keeps talking to me in Japanese, though. Another thing I wasn’t prepared for was when we were at the school and he said, “Come,” and I followed him to the school assembly hall where the students were seated. I was shooed onto the stage and had to introduce myself in Japanese (the principal had to feed me some lines that I forgot) to everyone. None of the students looked interested. I think they were bored. Afterwards, I went to the bathroom, looked at the mirror, and realized my shirt was see-through…no joke.

Since my apartment was unfurnished and not ready, Ueno-sensei let me stay with his family for a night. They were so nice, and his wife made an amazing meal of sushi hand rolls. His kids spoke barely any English either, but the girl (18 years old) taught me some Japanese and I taught her some English. No one spoke much English during dinner though, so I was pretty lost and it felt a little awkward. That’s not to say I didn’t appreciate the hospitality—I was definitely grateful.

Homemade sushi hand roll!

Ueno-sensei said I could go to their house anytime, so I think I will, EVERY DAY.

Gave it a shot making my own

I’ve now moved into my apartment. It’s the weekend, and tomorrow I have to go to work. It’s summer break for the students, but I still have to go in. I have to ride a bike 10 minutes to the bus station, take a bus for 30 minutes, and then bike another leg to school. Ueno-sensei has left me to fend for myself for the weekend. When he left me on Friday, I had 1000 yen on me ($10) and figured I’d just go to the bank on Saturday. NOPE! Banks closed on weekends! Japan is a cash-based society. With no mode of transportation (I had planned to buy a bike, but had nowhere to exchange money to buy it), I walked around everywhere in the fucking heat, dripping with sweat, hungry, poor, and tired. No maps of Tenri in English. I got lost. I saw some white people and asked if they spoke English. Yes, they did, a little! They were from Switzerland. They told me that they didn’t know of anywhere to exchange money. Clearly they could tell I was poor and homeless, and were very friendly (can’t expect less from the Swiss!) and invited me to have dinner with them. They took me in like a stray dog and even had their hostel lend me a bike to get around for the evening.

Izakaya dinner with the Papauxes

There’s a quote I always remember in instances like this. It’s a Tennessee Williams quote from A Streetcar Named Desire: “I have always relied on the kindness of strangers.” It’s been a rough and depressing few days, but whenever I’ve asked for help (whether in the States or abroad), it always surprises me how helpful and hospitable people can be. It’s not that I like relying on strangers, or even on anyone I know for that matter, but it sure does feel reassuring. My faith in humanity grows a little more each time, and at least for a little while, it makes me smile and appreciate everything around me that much more.

From my arrival to Japan up until this point, I have felt like the JET Programme had more or less held me by the hand. Now I’m totally lost. The language barrier is insane. I need to learn Japanese, I know that. But that will take time. Right now is a transition period, and I have so much to do. I feel helpless. For two days, I’ve tried to get a cell phone, but pretty much no one speaks English here in Tenri (where I’m living), so that didn’t work out. I’ve sent in my application for setting up internet, but I haven’t gotten a response. Banks were closed, nowhere in Tenri to exchange money. Took a train to Nara city with my last few bits of money and cried on the way there. I exchanged money at a big hotel for a bad rate. I did finally manage to get a bike, which has helped a lot, especially in this heat.

I know I probably sound like a complaining weakling, but it’s been tough. I am confident things will get better, but with the amount of effort I feel I’ve put into getting everything set up, little has been accomplished in terms of getting necessary things done. I was in the supermarket and almost cried because I didn’t know what anything was. Shampoo, or hand soap? They look the same. Also one more thing I have to complain about but will probably sound stupid: there are so many complex carbs here!! Can’t I get some vegetables!!! I need better nutrition than this!! I bought a bunch of kitchen equipment, but I don’t know how to season a wok. And I can’t check the internet until I go to school tomorrow because I don’t have internet at home yet!!!! So I’ve kind been going hungry. Everything’s really expensive.

Like I said, the language barrier is insane. People are so nice, and they do their best to help me when I ask for it, which I appreciate greatly, but barely anything gets done. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt so lonely. I know things will get better though, especially when I get a cell phone and internet and can contact fellow JETs and figure out how to take language classes, etc. If I have one goal for my time in Japan, it’s to be proficient in Japanese. Then I can figure out things that I’ve never had to think about before, like what day to take out the trash, and where do I put it? Or, what do all the buttons on the washing machine mean?!

Anyway, there are also moments where I just smile at/about everything around me. For instance the Swiss family. Another instance was when Ueno-sensei drove me along the outskirts of town to the school and his home. It’s a mountainous region with so much green. Beautiful trees and rice paddies EVERYWHERE. There are rice paddies right outside my door, in fact. It’s not a big city, by any means, and in many ways I really enjoy that. However, in terms of convenience, it’s not great. This will, of course, not really matter anymore once I get internet and a phone (great sources of information)!

Turtles hanging out in Nara Park

Overall, it’s been quite an up-and-down transition for me (more down than up right now). The heat doesn’t help. It’s fucking insane, I’m telling you.

Well that’s all for now. Hope there’s more good news next time I write!

Love,
Tania