So, here I am once again in sEattle's Best. You'd think I was a coffee lover. Not so.

But this is all I have right now, so I have about 15 minutes to get a small blog entry up for the day. Things have calmed down a bit since the last entry, in which I was pretty upset. I cried so much, lol my eyes were all puffy and I looked terrible. I think it was beginning to freak out my Manager and Head Teacher a bit. They had no idea why I was so off the wall.

I got my new cellphone the other day, though I'm not completely out of contact thank goodness. I'm calling the company about setting up my internet connection at the apartment today before I start working, so hopefully I won't have to wait too long. I miss being in contact with all my friends back home.

Teaching is going decently, I think. It isn't easy but the students are extremely nice and kind, and forgiving when I make a mistake. It's almost time for work, actually. But today I have lots of breaks, thank goodness. Sometimes teaching is utterly exhausting. My first lesson is a private lesson, so it's lower pressure. I find it tough not to yawn, though because I'm not sleeping properly right now.

Bought a sweatshirt that says: "SEVES THE EARTH." haha. WTF. SAVES, people, SAVES! Below that, in nice small lettering, it also says "Eye is turned to a small case." I don't even know where they were going with that one. Get an English editor, for the love of GOD! You have to be amused. Otherwise, you'd get angry all the time. Some days, though, i find myself flabbergasted and perturbed. I saw a guy at the grocery store in a green t-shirt. Normal enough, right?

His shirt said "GAY'S PARADE." I only wonder if he realized the rammifications of this procalamation. Maybe that's what he was going for. Let's hope.

So, on that note, this is Lily, signing off for this week in Akashi, Japan. Please stay tuned for further updates, hopefully within the next seven days. *smirks* Can you imagine if the real news operated like that? *sigh*
Until next time.

Sitting in Seattle's Best Coffee, sipping an iced chai latte, and musing to myself that hours take literally hours to pass. I've been wandering around Akashi for a few already, because my manager said I didn't need to be back at the school until 4:30pm. I worked on a lesson plan, and got it mostly finished up and then headed out to find some food in the city. Killed an hour in McDonalds. I know, I know. Garbage food. It was gross, but I seriously wasn't in a fish mood and I'll be able to cook for myself very soon so it doesn't really matter. It was one of my last meals out for awhile.

Decided to go to the corner Vodaphone shop to try to scrounge up some info on phone pricing and stuff. OH LORD, was it ever difficult! The poor sales guy did so much work! He even called the main vodaphone customer service line to get me someone English on the phone. To get a cel here, I need my ARC, my bank account, and some ID. Intense. I did manage to figure out which phones will work *if unlocked* back in Canada, so that was progess. Also, there's some sale on at the moment that for a year contract, it's only another 5000 yen ($60) for the phone, so I think that;s reasonable. I settled on a nice phone, and then realized it wasn't a triband and was a bit broken hearted, but c'est la vie.

I'm a bit nervous about moving into the apartment later today. What if it's awful? What if it's as bad as my first year residence room in Lanark? What if I can't sleep at night because I'm scared? Ray warned me I'll probably have to give it a good once over (cleaning) when I arrive, because hers was pretty dingy upon arrival. Oh well, that's doable. Mid-afternoon is a weird time when you're not at work and you don't know anyone! Nobody's online right now; everyone back in Canada is asleep.

Everyone here can smoke in restaurants and public places, like malls. It's so gross. I had forgotten how much smoke truly bothers me, because the cities where I've lived have opted to inforce smoking bans. It was bliss. This place is a commercial wonderland, as I've probably said before, it always surprises me how much STUFF there is. Clothes, shoes, jewellery, electronics, food... wait,t here's NOT that much food. There are apparently two decent grocery stores in this entire city of 290,000 people. WTF, mate, I say. Barrie had 120,000 and there was: Sobey's, 2 Zehrs, A&P, No Frills, and that's just INSIDE the city; there were more right outside and in the south end.

Feeling sleepy. I haven't slept a good solid night in awhile. Stress is really starting to get to me. Disorganization at my school where the newbie *that's me* is concerned is driving me nuts. They rush for the most trivial of things *getting a sheet of paper, for instance* and then drag their heels when it's important. (Um, hello? Anyone? I'm living in a HOTEL!) Compounding this trouble, is the fact that they've had 5, yes FIVE, months to find me a home. They started looking last month. Unacceptable. Also, today is my day off. Yesterday (Friday) was a national holiday, so if I wasn't stuck waiting around in Akashi restaurants, I could've travelled to Kyoto or something.

I apologize for complaining so much, but this is a hard enough transition as it is, without staff proving their incompetence. This company is accustomed to having foreigners in their midst. In fact, that's half of what they're all about. So, why can't they get their asses in line and figure this shit out in a TIMELY manner. It's expected that I arrive to work 15 minutes before the start up hour every day, but it's acceptable to make me wait more than 6 hours on my DAY OFF because they didn't manage to work out that my hotel check-out time was 10:00am, and we can't move me in until 5:00pm? I think not. Once I'm settled in, I'm going to file a complaint with head office. I don't care if it goes unnoticed.

I think about flying home a lot these days. Even at its worst, Canada was a lot easier to deal with than Japan. I feel I was misled by the company to believe that I was coming to a stable, albeit busy and demanding, school in Japan. As far as I can tell so far, this is completely not the case. In addition, no information ever made it me at Honbu. I arrive in Akashi and my 2nd or 3rd day here, they drop the bomb on me that I'm teaching a child's class next week. "Oh, we faxed the updated schedule to Honbu, didn't you get it?" No, I bloody well didn't get it, and that's YOUR responsibility to check and see that I'm informed of such things. There are a lot of apologies here, but they're empty. They don't mean anything. They're a formality, and unlike back at home, there in no way an admission of any culpability whatsoever.

Wow. I sound so cyncial. I'm not really. I'm sure tons of my friends are having amazing times in Japan. I wish I was, too, but right now, it's a struggle just to haul ass to work each day. Monday, I have to begin teaching full-time. I'm kind of dreading it, not because of the teaching itself, but I'm wondering if I can keep my emotions under wraps. I often feel on the edge of tears. Sometimes I topple right voer the that edge. (This morning, for example. Sorry mom.) Adjusting is much harder than I thought it would be, although lack of an apartment has probably influenced that quite a bit. We will find out this week, if having an apartment sets me a bit more at ease. I sure hope it does. Hopefully, it will take my mind off of everything.

I'm tempted to just throw in the towel. Given everything, I think what occurred was basically lying. Withholding the kind of issues present at my school is lying. Nothing more, nothing less. And coming from a company, i feel that's unacceptable. I entered this agreement in good faith, and my employer did not. Sounds a bit harsh, doesn't it? I think it's pretty close to reality, though, even if it seems a bit over the top.

*sigh* Maybe I should look on the brightside. Life's okay, I have enough to eat (even though it makes me sick), I'm not living in poverty (just isolation), and my friends and family are in good health. Lots of positives to be happy about. I think I've hit one of those little down periods. Trouble is, I don't know if it was inevitable, or if it's because of being here in Japan. It's troublesome, because I don't really know what to do anymore, about any of this. *sigh* Enough thinking for one day, time to hit publish. Will check on the wireless situation in the apartment this evening, but I'm not holding out much hope, so if I disappear for a bit, you know why.

Evening, folks.
Lots to put up this installment, including a bunch of photos I think some of you might enjoy immensely.

First things first.
Japan, as some of you may already be aware, has extra fun squat toilets in most areas. However, western toilets are becoming increasingly popular, and can be found in many urban areas. Witness, exhibit A: Western style toilet.



But wait! What's that, you say? AN ARMREST? I think not, folks. Actually, if you look very carefully (or click on the photo to enlarge it) you can see that this, in fact, is a very Star Trek-ish control console. Witness, exhibit B: Control panel.

Hmm, so we have a variety of functions here. Generally speaking, these do not have their English equivalents written so conveniently beside the Japanese. Oh, the fun we've had! Here's the rundown of said functions, in case the picture's a little small for you:



Stop: Please God, stop spraying my bottom with H20.
Spray (with lovely, yet simple, bum design): Water sprays at your bottom.
Bidet: We all know what this means. I hope I need not explain.
Water Pressure: If you think the pressure's a little weak, well, never fear you can adjust it to your personal needs.
Flushing Sound: My PERSONAL favourite. This actually puts a flushing sound on for about 20 seconds. The Japanese do not like having other people hear them do their business. Nevermind that in the squat toilets there are no sound makers. Let's techno-equip the Western toilets!
Volume: Exactly what it says. If you're noisy in the washroom, this is the country for you!
Powerful Deodorizer: I'm assuming this is what it claims.

Also, as a fun aside, some toilets have a drying function. Hot air blows... It's VERY uncomfortable, trust me, I hit this button by accident once. I am always tempted to push buttons while I'm at a safe distance from the toilet itself, but I fear being sprayed. That would like somewhat unprofessional.

Finally, we have the "Japanese (Western) toilets for dummies" section, which can sometimes be found adjacent to the toilet. Very handy if you're new to these techni-toilets. (Exhibit C, in case you were keeping track.)



Soooo.
Enough toilet talk.
Today, I met up with Christina and Ray in Osaka at 1:30pm, near Big Man, this humongous TV in Umeda which is a major meeting spot. We all talked and commiserated about the challenges we're now facing in Japan, almost none of which actually have to do with Japan itself. Most of our concerns stem from company issues or whatever, so we're all trying our best. My current irritation is living ina hotel when there is no acceptable reason for my school not to have secured my apartment. Generally, the new teacher moves into the old teacher's digs, so I'd be waiting for the guy to vacate. But this is not the case. He let Manager know that I needed a new place (the old one had an insent issue...) about 5 months ago. Anyways, yeah so I get annoyed by preventable troubles some days.

We decided to hit Subway for lunch, which was a nice slice of home, but too expensive for everyday. Then we headed to Yodoyobashi Camera, which is like a department store, but SO intense. Hundreds of PCs, laptops, mp3 players, digital cameras, clothes, etc. We went in particular to view cell phones. The one I want is about $100, so I will probably pick that up in the next few days back in Akashi. When we went into the store, they had some odd promo happening, and this little Puffy White costumed THING accosted us! So, I was like "hmmm, may we take a photo?" because seriously, it was just weird looking to me. Here are Ray and I with the Puff.



On a whim, we three decided to travel to Kobe, which is about 20 minutes away by train. We went shopping for a few hours. OOOH! Today I got my name stamp made. In Japan, for bank business and some other things, you require a small red circular name stamp because a signature changes too often to be a good guarantee you are who you say you are. We went to a tiny little shop in Kobe and had an old Japanese man help us. He looked unimpressed at first, because we were clearly Western and that might mean trouble. We had to sound out our names for him, so he could get something similar in hirigana. Anyways, so I now have a nifty little stamp which will hopefully make business here go more smoothly. Gotta check Monday if it's actually not too sketch an interpretation of my last name. We shall see.

Also, hit up Tokyu Hands, which is sort of the Japanese equivalent of IKEA. I only move in tomorrow, though, so I thought I'd wait to pick up any thing necessary like sheets or whatever until I'm a bit more settled. After all, who wants to move more stuff! Saw a big crab that reminded me of the lobster on the way to Halifax, back home in Canada.



Then we headed to Daimaru, a HUGE department store that some of my students had recommended. JESUS CHRIST. It was haute couture. Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, etc. You name it. It was there. I felt like a wannabe even entering the place. Eesh. Some Australian girls asked us some questions for a few minutes. It was a nice English break.

For dinner, we gave this Indian Raja restaurant a try. Bleck. Not very impressive, and pretty expensive. Good chai, though. Thank goodness, since Chai calms me immeasurably. Kobe was dark by the time we left the restaurant, and we were tired, so we all decided to head back to our respective cities and called it a day.



Hope you enjoyed this edition. The next may be a while coming, as I will have to find an internet cafe until I get it in my apartment. Never fear, though I will get around to posting whenever I can. Night.

So.... I OFFICIALLY feel lost in translation!

I am consuming this weird plastic canned nut mixture, which includes what can only be described as genetically engineered cornuts. They're the size of nickels here. WEIRD.

Also, tonight I had my first KARAOKE experience in Japan. As a final sign off to the departing teacher, we went to a karaoke bar in the bulding. This is karaoke like they've never done back home, my friends, this is like a karaoke hotel! There are a maze of rooms you can rent, and then hang out, singing *generally off-key* renditions of popular hits... Fame, Man in the Mirror, Part-Time Lover, a bunch of Japanese songs, Kung Fu Fighting, YMCA... I sang "Killing Me Softly" by the Fugees (with some nice macho Wyclef immo by the departing teacher!) and "Cherish" by Madonna. It was actually more fun than I had anticipated. I was very nervous beforehand, and the drinks here are like water. Must be they think the Japanese get drunk damn-ass quickly. I am not Japanese. I had no Dutch courage before I grabbed the mic. (Haha. Shut up.)

Very tired, so going to bed now. Goodnight moon...

11:02am here in Akashi. I'm just getting myself ready to go to work a little earlier than usual, because I have to teach my first private lesson today. The cleaning staff tried to break into my room again this morning. I thought they had gotten used to me, and my leaving around 11 or noon, but apparently I was mistaken. It was a nice early 9am when they tried to get in today. *sigh* Oh well!

I'm a bit nervous about starting to teach on my own, especially given I haven't really taught that much before this. My student today is apparently a relatively low level of English, but luckily, he's already used to an American accent, and I don't sound all that different from his old teacher.

Last night, after school, two of the FTs and a JT, went out to a French restaurant in Akashi, which is located right above Murphy's Irish Pub. (Who'd have thought...? Apparently, Murphy's is a pretty big hotspot for local foreigners/gaijins.) Anyways, the food was fantastic and felt almost like comfort food to me. (A throwback to my Cote d'Azur days.) I had a delicious salad, some tapenade, chicken and a beer. Not so much at all. (Not cheap either, though. Damn, eating out is expensive here!)

Food has NOT been agreeing with me here in Japan. I've been ill since Sunday, which I assume is directly related to new food and water, as well. Mom's recommended I cut out the raw fish and sushi, and local water for a few weeks, and see if my stomach calms itself a bit. I'm hoping that works! I hate feeling sick. Also, I'm not a wuss about the food! But I feel like my stomach has betrayed me. Oh well.

I'm a bit stressed about my school. It seems there are some long-standing problems among the staff, and I feel like I've been dropped in the middle. Nobody really wants to say anything; they don't want to freak me out, or God forbid, scare me off, but little things come out, here and there, and they don't really paint a great picture of the place I'm to spend the next year. I'm TRYING to be open-minded, but it's a little hard, given all the stress. Two staff members (in addition to the one I'm replacing, starting next week) are leaving by November! One is a foreign teacher, so I hope their replacement is a nice, well-adjusted and calm person. Here's to hoping!

In a way, I don't feel it's very fair to have put me in this position. Not only is the school a bit off, it's in a small city, so to do anything interesting, I need to leave! Also, my apartment is probably a bit farther than the other FTs were. This is mainly because two of the existing FTs mentioned the grossness and rinsect issues in the apartments that are near Akashi Park.

I'm not really complaining, mind you. This is life in another country. You roll with the punches. This IS, however, my place to vent about it. I do like Japan quite a bit, and I'm not ready to go home to Canada by any means. It's just going to be a bit of an adjustment! I'm headed to Osaka tomorrow to see Chris and Ray (the girls from the training week) and maybe just relax and decompress a bit.

Any votes on which phone I should purchase from vodaphone?
Also, I get my ARC card today! Life in Japan TRULY begins today....

So, today was my first day at school. I haven't been sleeping properly because my hotel room is 10 feet away from the Shinkansen track, and the train keeps waking me up. (FUN!) I have to wait until Saturday afternoon to move into my apartment, which sounds like it's pretty far from the school. I'm not entirely impressed with this, given that I thought it was going to be quite close, and I'm in a small town!

But I digress. Today or tomorrow, my manager is going to take me to the local government office to get my ARC (Alien Resident Card) which I must carry with me at all times. I'm excited about this, because it means I can do other things, like set up a bank account, and more importantly, get a cell phone! Ray, Christina and I have decided to get vodaphones. Nobody here talks on the phone. It's ALL text messaging, because minutes are so expensive. It's very disconcerting. It's like the person is taking eons to dial. Curious about all the pretty phones available here, http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/index.html I haven't decided what I want yet, but I don't want to spend too much on something that's going to be a paperweight when I get home.

This one is winning, because it's prettier: http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/model_3G/v703sh/index.html But this one has a better camera, so I'm torn! http://www.vodafone.jp/english/products/model_3G/v903sh/index.html

The departing teacher showed me around Akashi during the afternoon. It seems to be a pretty small city from what I've seen. (It's about 300,000 people and there are basically two main grocery stores.) Everything here is concentrated around the train stations, for ease and convenience. Drug store, main department store, covered market (lots of octopus!), Seattle's Best Coffee (and a Starbucks), Pachinko and Slots. Pachinko is this oddball *literally* game where you have to get these silver balls, that look like large ball bearings, into specific slots. VERY popular here.

Sat in on his classes and there were quite good. I also got to watch/help him prepare for a lesson from STP because one of the foreign teachers (FT) was sick. I enjoyed the classes, and they seemed quite interesting. The students also seemed happy to be there.

Went out for food with the departing teacher at (Dining) Hob Nob, which had tacos! Not tako (octopus) but Mexican style tacos. That was yummy. Aside from the roach that kept doing laps on the ceiling. *shudder* That's a bit much for me at times. Found out the departing teacher was in LA and worked as an extra on Firefly! Nuts, eh. This may mean nothing to most people, but I was pretty shocked. We even worked out which episodes he was in.

Just got home, very sleepy. Need rest. More tomorrow.

So, this is a nice shot Ray took the other day. Early on in our time in Osaka, but I didn't manage to get the photo from her until now. (Ray on left, me on right... for the vast world of unkonwns out there!)

It's about 6:11pm here, and I'm contemplating dinner. It's served in the hotel restaurant. I would kill a man for fish and chips... or pizza without little purple arms on it.

So... little purple arms and cheese and a sort of pita-thin crust. Where can you find such a thing? Why, in Akashi! Had my "Welcome to Japan!" party last night, although it feels like a million years ago now. I had a nap after arriving in Akashi, because I was seriously sleepy by that point in time. I trekked it back to my school for about 8:00pm, and arrived right on time. (While usually this would be "late" by Japanese standards, it was right on time, as we were leaving for the party at 8:20pm.) I had a chance to meet a few students I'll be teaching, some of whom were amazingly nice. I was very impressed by their skills in English.

We headed out to the party. I cannot for the life of me remember the Japanese teachers names! All three, save one, have names beginning with the lettter 'm'... and the one whose doesn't starts with an 'n'. Argh. I'll get it, though, it's only a matter of time. My managed was very sweet. Took me home to my hotel beforehand and everything, helped me work out the internet. (Bless her heart; it's my lifeline to home right now, especially given that I haven't met many people yet!)

Considering whether bringing a book to dinner would be rude? Hmmm. I'll have to think more on that.

So, the party was a success. I met some amazing people, and the foreign teachers seem quite nice as far as I can tell. Minor tension, but I think it's old tension, or it feels that way, anyhow.

Another photo: this time from Friday night. This followed our last day of training (WOOHOO!) after we had successfully taught a 47 minute lesson. We were all very relieved to have that first one under our belts. So, here we are, celebrating at "Fish People" restaurant, close to the school, at Yodoyobashi station.



Oh, what a night. I hadn't had a drop of alcohol in quite a long time, considering the living situation pre-Japan, most of you know why, but I digress. 3 beers definitely gave me a nice small celebratory buzz. Was nice to hear the stories of crazy other trainees and other training weeks. I think, overall, Ray, Chris and I were an okay group of girls for them to train. We worked really hard, even though somedays we were jet lagged and cranky from losing sleep. (Sidenote: sushi for breakfast can also make one cranky. Even my Japanese teacher at Akashi thought that was TOO much.)

I think I will go to dinner, might add to this post later on...

Later: 8:40pm. Back in the room, all by my lonesome.
Dinner was... interesting. I went down to the hotel restaurant, where the staff tried to help me figure things out. I picked up a tray of food, and they gestured to some beverages (tea, iced coffee and water) behind me, so I managed that just fine. Then, onto the rice! (I have a feeling I'm going to consume a lot of rice in the next 12 months!) The rice cooker was monstruous. It was, and I say this safely, the hugest rice cooker I have ever beheld in my short life. Just to give you an idea of its sheer scope... think of the top of a Western stove with four burners. It was the circle that would fit inside that square. That's a helluva a lot of rice. I opted for a small bowl thereof.

Dinner was tiny: very light. There was a dish with about four pieces of sprout and some kind of seaweed. Also, two tiny plates of pickled something. Some lettuce, a small bowl of rice, a half-piece of fried fish (tail and all), and a small spring roll. I am still kind of hungry, but I will adjust. I am honestly happy about the food portion sizes, but sometimes I do get a crazing for a Western sized breakfast or whatever. I imagine that will be how I feel all year long; usually fine, with the odd bout of needing something with all my being.

Currently, listening to "The Love Notes" a cd that my coworker, Eli, put together with her friends. I got it this summer, and I'm fnally sitting down to have a good long listen. It's pretty amazing stuff.

Anyways, it's 9:04pm. I need to relax for awhile.

11:11pm. Make a wish.

Current Annoyance: People don't leave an away message
Is it my job to guess if you're around or not? (Rhetorical question, people. Clearly, it is not.) The technology, while advanced, is not so complex as to prevent people from figuring out an away message! It's msn; not rocket science. What is so weird about that? I have away messages. I even had away messages specifically for my life: thesis, studying, cat napping. You name it, I had a message letting people know why I was cleared signed in, but not at the computer.

Grrr.

Today was my second day "teaching." We taught a group of three Japanese students. Teaching them was phenomenal, they are the kindest, sweetest people. We had three women. I taught a lesson about discussing symptoms of being sick. It went pretty well, so I was content. I was over simplifying language though,. Gotta watch that!

My company is full of amazing people. All very supportive, and helpful. But it's still stressful to be here, to be training, to be waiting to go to my school in Akashi. I want to BE there already! My school sounds amazing. Apparently, it's very chill. I'm looking forward to that. This training has been high stress. *sigh*

My roomies, Chrstina and Ray, have been my saving grace. I couldn't survive this week without them, they make everything more bearable. Including my trainers. GOOD LORD. By the end of the day, I'm getting a little punchy, and I can't keep myself from saying inappropriate things. (Close friends: you know of what I speak.)

Anyways, I need some rest. I'm sorry there haven't been any exciting stories. No life stories. No boy/man stories. No drama, really, to speak of, whatsoever. I miss you guys, and I hope life's grand back in Canada. DL Skype.

"We're all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

3:01pm.
At work, currently on MS word, typing out a blog entry, because the wireless networks in the area are protected. Somedays I wish I was some kind of hacker. But, seriously…

Today has been far too intense for me. I’ve been feeling quite ill, so when lunch time rolled around, I decided I needed hot food. I’ve been chowing down on California rolls morning, noon and night, and I can’t handle anymore at the moment. So, Ray grabbed my arm at lunch and we decided to give the Japanese McDonald’s experience a go. Those of you who know me, know that I’m not a McDonald’s woman. I don’t even really enjoy fried food, but if a piece of seaweed or rice came my way, I was ready to throw in the towel for the day.

They have pre-ordering here. You line up, step up to a tiny little console and a woman asks what you’d like, so we managed crispy chicken with a salad and sesame dressing and coke. (Also, hate Coke! Pop, period really…) It actually didn’t really suck. The mayo was sweet, which was a bit foreign.

Training today has been giving me issues. I’ve felt light-headed all day, so it’s been troublesome to keep focused and stay on task. I feel stupid! But it’s going okay, I guess.

We also had the fun of introducing ourselves to the Japanese staff here at AEON Kansai head office. It went a little something like this:

Watashi wa Lily to moshimasu.
Canada kara kimashita.
Watashi wa Akashi ko ni ikimasu. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

It actually went pretty well for me, I think. My deal is to imitate the sounds I hear. Sometimes irritating for other foreigners to here, but it never seems to annoy the native speakers of the language I am trying to learn! (Take that, Jamie!)

This training week is making me truly appreciate all of the hard work and stamina Yolanda was responsible for while teaching me the Spanish language. The opportunities she afforded us were phenomenal!

9:38pm
Back at the hotel, after training. EXHAUSTED. Today was entirely too long, and it was all down hill from the last time I wrote! Except for the Japanese lesson. So fun!

Irashai!
We basically learned how to order sushi and beer.
Sa-mon
Maguro
Ebi
Tako (squid!)

Our teacher was very kind and enthusiastic. After that, though, it was back to back-breaking training.

I’m not going to go into it. Suffice to say, I’m relieved the day has finally ended. We did get our school info today, though. I teacher Monday to Friday (as opposed to Tuesday to Saturday), so I get a REAL weekend! Also, I’m only a 5 minute walk and 3 minute train ride from school, so less than 10 minutes travel time to work. The two guys I’m working with, also foreign teachers, are Jose and Michael. (I’m replacing Chai.)

That paragraph was slightly disjointed. *Sigh* I’m too tired to be very coherent. I picked up a copy of The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, so maybe I’ll delve into that right now. I hope everyone back home is enjoying starting their day.

"Sun sets' cross the ocean
I'm a thousand miles from anywhere
My pocketbook and my heart both just got stolen
And the sun acts like she don't even care."

That's what's on iTunes at present. A very sleepy Lily is sitting here, in a hotel suite, in Osaka, right by Daikokucho, writing these words, missing her homeland. Actually, truthfully, while I miss Canada, I'm at ease in this new setting, aside from feeling like an alien life form, appearance-wise. I've stopped wearing my Roots Canada jacket out, but mainly because it's insanely humid. For instance, it's 10:04pm, and the temperature is 28 (Celcius) and guess what the humidex ratchets that up to? FORTY DEGREES! WTF. That's 79% humidity. (And I thought people were nuts for living in Canada. The air here is like soup!)

Training is intense this week. Today was the first actual day, and it went from 10am-7pm. For the most part, it's useful material. Sometimes our trainers are a little patronizing. Today, one of them kept trying to explain something to me. By repeating it. Over and over. Finally, I was like, "I don't understand you. What are you getting at?" I think he was a bit surprised, but jeepers, get to the point, already! You're a trainer! You're trying to instill in us a method of giving students clarity and consistency, and yet you can't even do that for me! I digress, though.

Food is okay. I've been eating a lot of sushi. Today, we bought some before heading to the Kansai head office. Both Ray and Christina needed to speak to our trainers about something, so I kind of got the shaft at lunch (for 5 minutes) so I hit the lunchroom, and asked the Japanese ladies if I could crash their lunch party. They were very sweet! (Ena, Uko, and something-or-other... I can't be expected to remember everything, dammit!) Ena asked me what I was having, sushi-wise, so I shrugged and said "I can't read Japanese, so I don't really know."
Ena: (Puzzled) "You don't know?"
Lily: Naw. (Flips over sushi lid) Maybe you can tell me what's in this?
Ena: Ohhhh it's ill.
Lily: Ill? Like, sick?
Ena: No, E-E-L.

So I had eel for lunch today, ladies and gents. Who'd have thought mild-mannered (HA!) Lily would be adventurous and basically eating whatever comes her way in Japan? (I certainly didn't think so.) Tempura here is to die for. Squid stinks, though. I haven't tasted it yet, but it just smells like Whiskas (kitty breath!) to me, and that's highly unappetizing. At least, it isn't getting me all revved up to chow down. Call me crazy.

Today, *shout out!* I heard from Ravi, just in the nick of time. My suitemate, Christina, was ready to pitch her PC out the window because her internet wasn't functioning. Ravi, who know in Christina's opinion probably deserves a cape or a big gold badge, was able to help, via Skype, me fix her up. She was ecstatic, which made both Ray and I even happier. (Nobody likes seeing a girl want to defenestrate a nice shiny brand new laptop!)

I have a feeling training week is going to get nuts very soon. I didn't even do my homework yet for tomorrow. I'm getting laid back too soon! I bought some "jam" today, which smells like strawberries, but which could conceivably, be nuclear waste for all I know. We shall see. RIGHT this instant! This is a live taste test, people. Japanese Jam. *Takes a tentative nibble*

We have, for the first time by a Canadian girl born on July 28th from Barrie, tasted Japanese strawberry jam. And... it's not ass! It tastes passable. Even like strawberry actually. Woohoo.

Now if I just had some PB... That's packed into my larger bags, though, which are already headed to Akashi, about an hour from here.

Anyways, if y'all (as my one trainer loves to drawl... gotta love 'dem Texans) don't mind, I'm going to take my sleepy self to bed. Enjoy your evenings.

So, today was, as you can tell, my second day in Japan. We all went to bed just before midnight, but nobody slept very well. Given that we had slept on the plane and then done almost nothing at all, and then slept AGAIN, it does make sense. The air conditioner in here has a timer, so I woke up at 2:54am, all sweaty and gross, and gingerly leaned over my roommate to turn the AC back on. Turns out, both Christina and Ranetha were awake, too! Bitches didn't tell me they were up.

It's been fun, though. We all woke up at 5am. Those of you who know me, know I don't DO 5am. We had to be ready and stuff by 10am, so we had 5, count them 5, hours to get ourselves going. We sat around for awhile, ate some breakfast. (I made toast, with a cheese slice on it, because I couldn't handle a noodle cup for the first meal of the day. Call me a wimp if you will, but I can't do it.) We all showered, and dressed, and hit the streets to explore our area. There's a Sev'Lev (7 Eleven) down the street (sort of), so we popped in there. A LOT more dirty magazines actually, than back at home. Also, because they read right to left, the spines were all on the right side. Also, the driving is the same as the UK, so it's been a lot of looking both ways. (I have a feeling I'm more likely to be hit by a bike than a car at this point though; these people are psychotic about speed and turning.)

Came back and Molly, our assistant trainer, picked us up at the hotel. We went to the 24 grocery (which we already went to in the morning - what a fiasco!) with Molly. She pointed out some easy food solutions. It's a good thing I like sushi. I am warming up to the food. This AM I bought a bunch of tiny canned drinks to taste test. One was this lemon soda; apparently it has the vitamin C of 50 lemons in it! (No fucking way.) It tasted good. Also, had cafe au lait in a can, which was suprisingly not shitty. Yumma. Also, bought some bread. They sell bread - get this - in 6 slice bags, for between 99 and 200 yen. If they made bread this way at home, they could make HUGE long loaves, like 36 feet long if they felt like it. Nobody'd be the wiser. (Oh, the random thoughts of Lily...)

We also went to the Rat shrine. I don't know if that's the official title, but the main area is dedicated to rats. The god that's in charge of rice used to hate the rats, because they ate his rice. One day, he was robbed and got tied up and the rat chewed through his bonds! Haha, so then he liked the rats and gave them some rice. A nice, feel-good story eh? It's a Shinto shrine (there's no Buddha and no clapping).

Wow, am I ever long winded today! Anyways, so then we took the Midosuji (red) subway line from Daikokucho (my stop) 4 stops up to the AEON Kansai (my region) head office (honbu). We did some training, and then had lunch with our trainers at a Japanese (duh) restaurant. I had this tofu croquet thing, with miso soup, rice, vinegar'd cucumber, and some other stuff. I am getting used to the food, and it's pretty healthy so...

After lunch, we headed back up to the office to do some more stuff with Mark. Basic info and the like. We also dealt with insurance and contract stuff, too. OH! The stationary here is orgasmic. I bought highlighters, markers and a pen today. So pretty. Also, bought ibuprofen. They come in 150mg tablets! (Regular advils are like 250 at bare minimum!) So I popped 4 today to deal with some, err, feminine troubles. Not a good start to Japan, but it's been fun.

After training ended at 3:30pm, we headed up a stop of the subway line to hit up an electronics store - Yodoyobashi Camera! (also orgasmic) - to see if we could get some adapters for the other girls. (Their plugs have a grounding prong, and my beautiful, sweet Apple did not. Take that, Microsoft bitches! I digress.) I was in HEAVEN in the store. Phones, Cameras, Ipods (even these nano ipods... like the shuffle, a bit wider, but with a screen and credit card thick). Beautiful, beautiful things. Lovely macs, lovely mice, lovely lovely lovely. Expensive, but pretty. We may end up getting something later on, I think. No luck with the search for an internet wireless card, since we're unsure what the problem actually is. Many magpie moments. (Inside reference: those of you who know me know I cannot resist shiny objects.)

Not speaking Japanese is FUN! *I kid you not, gesturing is kickin'* I lie. Explaining, via pictures and such, what we needed was hellish. Glad my baby ibook is treating me right. I will never go back!

Currently, thinking about dinner. Thoughts about dinner are like this movie that's called "Playing by Heart." DUMB title. It was meant to be named after a line in the movie, which I think is dead-on. "Talking about love is like dancing about architecture." (Although, when it's pertinent, talking about love isn't half bad.)

I got a card from my school today. They sent it to Ottawa, but I was already out of Leeds so it never arrived. There were cute pics of my coworkers, both foreign ones are male. A black guy (God knows what his name is; his signature was a mess!) and Jose... One might be leaving as I replace somebody.

I think that's it for now. I need some food. Hope everyone at home is doing well.

Just arrived in Japan! Thank goodness for wireless internet services. It has been a long journey, and I've only just arrived, but I thought it'd be wise to get a post up before anything else happens, because it's all happening SO quickly.

Flight was alright. I ALMOST didn't get to say goodbye to my parents in Toronto, because US customs are now so lengthy! A nice US official let me go back. (I managed to forget my purse at first. THAT's how flustered I was.) I called my parents AFTER I got in line and let them know I probably wouldn't get back out again. Apparently, dad and mom were having coffee close by where I entered, and dad was having a small cry because he didn't get to hug me! I cried a bunch, though, and mom almost broke my ribcage while hugging me. It felt very surreal leaving Canada behind for Japan.

The flight didn't lift off on time, so when we arrived to Detroit, the FINAL boarding call was being played on the loud speakers. So I had to run to my gate and board the flight. A little bit shitty, given that I wanted a breather, to make a couple cell phone calls while my blessed V60i still worked! Alas. It was not to be. Met a nice girl, Christina, on the flight over, who is now my roommate in Osaka, at the Weekly Green business hotel. She's sweet, 30, and engaged, so I feel less terrible about leaving home behind. Everyone makes sacrifices!

I miss everyone already. The flight was chock full of Japanese folks. A nice older lady next to me kept asking me stuff in Japanese, which was a bit disorienting. "Blah Blah Blah Taiwan?" "Uh no, Osaka... staying in Osaka"..."Blah Blah Blah Kyoto?" "No, no. Akashi. Near Kobe..." "Kyoto?" By this point, I was like "Sure, Kyoto it is!" I really must begin learning Japanese.

Things are not nearly as scary as I was expecting, although I do feel every inch the foreigner. Osaka is filled with bright lights and the airport construction relied heavily on the concept of PINK. Yes, pink; a pale salmony colour. Ick. Not MY cup of tea, but whatever.

Train services and the subway are UBER punctual here, so there's a lovely realization, after dealing with OCTranspo for 4 years!

We sleep tonight. It's about 13 hours different, and the flight was 13 hours, so we touched down on Japanese soil at approximately the same time we left Canada, but a day later. Even though half a day went by, we're back where we started. (But about 11, 027 kms away...) Slept on the plane. Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was on, and in my heightened emotional state, it was a struggle not to cry. Greece seems like next door compared to Japan, although Lena WAS quite young. I'm glad I'm not in highschool anymore, though.

Anyways, my wireless is the only functional internet my roomies and I have, so I'm gonna be a doll, and share.
I hope everything is well at home. Drop me a line; I'm homesick and I miss you guys!

One night left in Canada.

That feels endlessly strange to me. I'm packed. I forgot to pack my PB and Nutella. *sigh* I'm way too exhausted mentally to tackle that problem right now. Sewed my jeans. (Hey, it's MY blog, I know that's a boring detail, but it's my last night here. Cut me some slack.) Doing all the last minute stuff I swore I would not leave until this late. Such is life, though, so I'm not inclined to be upset about anything right now.

Except, of course, leaving. I keep feeling my eyes well up. I haven't cried in ages! It's like my tear ducts have launched a full scale attack on my emotional defenses. Everything I see, from the toilet to the stove, reminds me I won't see it tomorrow night. Or any night, for the next 365 days. Tonight (last night, really) was my last dinner, last dessert, last pj change, last sleep (yet to come)...

Spoke to my sister tonight. Mom and I are dense; we kept calling her, but got a machine. Apparently, we had the wrong number. (Who gets the wrong number for an HOUR!) We did finally realize our mistake, and I got to speak to her. She's an RA at Dalhousie University in Halifax, but she goes to NSCAD and takes photography/design. She had to get up and go to the hospital with one of her students this morning, poor girl. 4:00am!

Oh, to anyone I may have mentioned this to: that blog on JET that I mentioned can be found at http://outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html The teacher's name is Azrael, and he's teaching in the region I'm headed for: Kansai. There are some of the most comically perfect stories I've ever read on his site. Take a peek if you get a chance.

Tummyache. Need sustinence. Had some Crispex... Delicious. I will miss those so much. It's getting so late. I'm finally feeling like I might sleep. that is a beautiful thought to me. Bliss. Maybe I'll write more later. But until then, I will miss you, fair Canadian countryside.

Don't forget me when I'm gone.

Sitting, waiting, wishing... No, really. Jack Johnson style. I've just come home from seeing, "The 40 Year Old Virgin" which I dragged my dad to, under the plan that I needed to see a movie before I leave for Japan. Bloody hilarious film, if you get a chance, see it. (It also has the "Serenity" trailer, which comes out September 30th. This is WHILE I'm away in Japan, and I am not impressed. Based on the Joss Whedon series "Firefly"; rent the DVDs. I will stop the pitch now.) Anyways, brought me back to my earlier days (highschool) when B.C.C. put on a production of "Hair". I can't recall now whether I was in southern France, or at the UN in NYC, but I know I missed out on that. So, hearing "Age of Aquarius" brought the memories back. Memories of not being here, of missing everything, of missing my friends, my loved ones, on memories being made without me. That's a little melancholy, perhaps, but I have TWO, count 'em two, nights left in this beautiful, sometimes infuriating, nation and I'm a bit scared and a bit sad.

I feel like I need more time. Maybe I will always feel like that, but tonight it is especially intense. Tomorrow is IT. The last and final full 24 hours on the continent. (I make it sound like a death sentence, but I AM excited and I AM coming home.) There are things I truly wanted to do before I left. (And not people; come on, ladies, minds OUT of the gutter… I prefer staring at the stars. Mr. Wilde was one smart motherfucker.) Oh, the clock just hit 12. TODAY is it. Jeesh. It’s this battle. I’m trying not to let myself beginning missing my home until I’m gone. It’s a losing battle so far. My eyes are misting even now, how pathetic is that? I feel some idiotic angst-y teen right now. I’m not like that, either, which makes it even worse.

Today felt like an empty spending spree, although I “needed” everything I purchased. Never have I been so maple-leaf-crazed before. I must have about 30 cheesy keychains in my possession now. (Did you ever notice, and abhor, those people who say “keyfob”? As though it’s a real word, and yes I’m aware it is, but phone sex is a real term and yet, you don’t hear me tossing that garbage around, either.) And a Canadian baseball cap, and stickers and temporary tattoos, and those weird puff-out hairbrushes with maple leaves on them… And pens. Truthfully, I spent more time in the trashy dollar store today than I ever have before. BUT I did pick up a cute she-devil accessory kit for Hallowe’en in Japan, which I realize may not really occur, but there are other Westerners, and Hallowe’en is truly a hallowed day for me. I adore it. I just kind of doubted I could pull of GoGo Yubari when there are actual Gogo-lookalikes running rampant through Japan. Likely a wise decision.

I have recently realized I adore parentheses. Maybe it’s because I’m curvy and I feel a certain empathy with those beautiful wavy lines. They just hug my words. I sound like a nutcase, don’t I? *sigh* It’s because I’m so sleepy. I’m exhausted, but I’m too wound up to rest decently. I’m not really crazy. Well, maybe during that time in highschool, but… yeah, just ask my friend Heather. She’ll tell you, once I was worthy of actually having a saying. (“I pulled a Hillary…” when someone fell apart emotionally…) Now, I am the picture *mostly* of stability and well-adjustedness. Oh, WORD did not like the ness I added on there. Fuck you, Mr. Gates. I’m not usually so vulgar actually. (Stop laughing, … I was going to add a name, and then I just couldn’t choose. Sorry.)

So, I’m thinking, this COULD be the year for so many things. I can’t picture myself in Japan, despite it being mere hours away now, but I think it will be amazing. Also, can’t imagine myself in a suit in front of a group of people, teaching them English. But I will be by the end of next week! Or a few days later, anyway.

*Sigh* I’m going to attempt to sleep. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Most Recently... A bit stressed about leaving, but what's a girl to do, really?

Simplistic shot, but I really loved these lights. Sadly, they called a restaurant home, so they can't grace my bedroom.

So, a new day. My very last day at OSC, actually, and I'm feeling very strange about it.

Last night was weird, too. I was starting to actually believe I'm leaving in a week's time (less than that now) and it hit me really hard. I watched some 'Coupling' with my parents, and then dealt with some digital photos. A few friends were online, so I talked to them for a bit, and I guess everyone is feeling odd about how much life is shifting. I got back from BC and most of my friends had already left for university again, and I felt saddened, because this means it's an entire year, potentially more, until I see their faces again.

This is compounded by the fact I finally heard back from a close friend who's already in Japan. It's been sort of tough to get in contact with him, because he's very busy working and getting settled. I'm petrified right now, because I don't know anything really. What my apartment will look like, who my coworkers will be, how my city will feel, how I'm going to manage to get drinking water back to the apartment, if training week will be unbearably exhausting... You know how these things can be, I guess. Very uncertain. It's just going to be a period of adjustment. I'm hoping I'm well-rested and emotionally stable by the end of this week... by today, really, so that I'm able to deal with it reasonably. Fatigue always makes me emotional, which is probably why I was feeling so down last night.

As a marker for myself, gas prices today hit 1.33(9). My dad is ecstatic, which sets him apart. He's been waiting for some kind of crisis to make people wake up a little and realize that the supply of fuel is not without limit, and that pretty soon, it's going to be an actual luxury to drive something as unnecessary and disgusting as a hummer or SUV. I wonder what the peak price will be?

More to follow...

Lily in British Columbia, smoking hooka... $30 hooka, wtf... Silly Vancouver...

Cute Black Cat in Ottawa

Lily in Motion 

First Post

Quick post to say I just started this 'blog' for my time in Japan, but it will likely stick around and be part of my existence for a good while after that. Today is my second last day at the Ontario Science Centre, so I'm feeling a bit strange.

More and more petrified about leaving for Japan. Less than one whole week left in Canada. Not packed, not ready. So much left to do. I have all my medication set, so at least if I get 100 migraines (not quite that many, but gotta love hyperbole) I'll be prepared. Almost time for my shift; early lunch is pitiful. Climate Change show in 5 or 10 minutes.

If I do decide to open a photo webpage, I'll post the link here, to keep everyone in the loop.