Back to life

Ok, my hell week is over, no more overtime and no more 6:30 wake ups.

Anyway, I can't remember if I wrote it before, but I was working on the other side of the city teaching English to tax officers so they can help people with their taxes in English. Needless to say, the English they were learning was about as exciting as watching paint dry.

However, about halfway through the week something hit me. The main character in a book they were working out of was and English teacher in Japan trying to file his taxes. I am an English teacher in Japan. I am teaching them English so they can help people like me file my taxes. Let me get this straight: I teach them English so they can help me do my taxes so I can work here and teach them English so they can help me do my taxes so I can work here to teach them English and......see where I'm going with this?

I haven't taken many pictures in a while, so I think I'll dust off the old camera again.

Crazy crazy week + a mistake

6:30 - wake up
7:30 - get on the train
8:30 - get off the train
9:00 - teach English lessons to tax officers
5:10 - stop teaching tax officers
5:30 - get on train
6:30 - get off train, go to 'real' work
7:00 - start teaching
9:00 - stop teaching
9:15 - go home

And that was my day today, and that is also pretty much my next three days as well, although the schedule will vary a bit, but not the length. Jeez, my mind is just blank. Heroes is downloading, so it'll be nice to watch that in a minute. Hey, I have to download these things to keep myself sane. Japanese TV is not our TV. Every game show has the same people on it. Every dish on a cooking show is OISHII!!!!!!! (DELICIOUS!!!!) And wait...it's all in JAPANESE! However, I should watch more children's shows to improve my vocabulary. Sakana sakana sakanaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! (Fish fish fiiiiiiiiiiiiish!!!!)

And ok, MAYBE I made a mistake in a previous entry on this thing. I mean, perhaps I was just living my little zen moment, but it was the wrong moment. I was informed by someone motherly in my life that Jessica, is in fact not evil, but actually a very nice person. Hmmmmmmm, I'm suspicious about this. When I'm suspicious, I like to make a table.



Not that kind of table. Sorry I was watching Airplane this week. (SURELY YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!) Here's the table we really need:

Jessica

THE GOOD
-sponsors a child
-is a nurse
-a children's nurse
-in Emerge (ER)
-Worked up North in an
underprivileged community

THE EVIL
-tried to eat all my leftovers
-didn't do my laundry
-she told me she would do my laundry
-What? she said she would!!
-Shutup.


(It was going to be a table, but it the formatting wouldn't work right, so now it's more of a list...er...two lists)

Ok, maybe she's not so evil and perhaps I was over reacting a bit. Now, back to my mindlessness. (drool)

Snowboarding

This past Monday, I went snowboarding for my first time. It seems strange being from Canada and having my first experience being here in Japan. However, it was pretty cool. I've been skiing before, and I'm now too bad at it, or at least I wasn't. (I haven't been in about 5 years) It takes ankle strength that is similar to skating...but snowboarding is a totally different game. I think that one summer of wake boarding at Camp Walden did nothing for me. I was on my ass every 20 seconds.

The worst was when I was trying to ride on the toes side of my board...and I'd fall backward down the hill and smoke my tail bone and head in the same fall.

Seeing I have a snowboard and boots now I'm pretty invested in this, so I have to keep at it. I won't be able to go for a couple weeks 'cause I working crazy overtime next week. From 9-5 I'm teaching tax officers to help people with their taxes in English, then, I head back to my branch school to work finish up my day with my regular classes until 9.

Not to mention I have to prepare everything in advance.

snowboarding is cool.

Mime sucks.

Back in Japan. Back in Midorii. Back in Class. Back in a suit.

Wow, in a few weeks I'll have been here for two years. It doesn't seem like near that long though. There's still so much I haven't done...or can't do. For instance, right now I'm putting off going to FuruFuru to get some pants hemmed and a jacket repaired....because I know how bloody difficult communication is going to be. I mean, I can buy stuff, ask for directions, talk about myself, but I haven't the SLIGHTEST clue how to say 'can you hem these pants?' or 'can you repair the lining in the jacket?'

I guess I can always go with gestures, but mime sucks.

"It's the journey, not the destination"

Although I don't really know who first said this, it's been quoted, rearranged, and mutilated countless times since. Is it true? Is life truly about the journey, and not the destination? (according to AeroSmith, it is) This notion seems to work well with my tittle "now and zen". Try to be mindful in everything you do; every action in your life should be as important as the next. Whether you are working, writing, or chopping vegetables. But seriously, what's so good about the Journey anyway? Usually my seat sucks, I'm tired, jet lagging and the dude next to me smells.

Recently I had the worst journey of my life, but the destination was damn near paradise.

It all started on the morning of my trip to Canada. I woke up on time, got to the train station on time, but the train didn't come on time. The trains in Japan are ALWAYS on time. Anyway, I missed the bullet train my buddies were on at Hiroshima central station. But no big deal, I can get to Osaka easily, and I have plenty of time. So I jumped the next train and arrived alone. Next step: get to the airport. Almost as soon as I got off the train, I saw signs for a bus to Osaka airport. It was cheaper than I thought it would be. Great, and the bus ride only took about 30 minutes. When I arrived, the first thing I thought was 'wow, this place is smaller than I remember.' I checked the terminal listings, looking for my airline....but all I could see where Japanese airlines and a few other Asian ones......

MOTHERF#$% B*LLSH!T D@MN!T

And there it was right behind me...a bus to take me to...Kansai Osaka airport. Where I should be. I now had two hours before my flight left....the bus was leaving in 20 minutes and it takes 70 minutes to get there. Hello Christmas in Japan. So I asked a taxi:

Kansai Kuko made ikura desuka? (how much is it to kansai airport?)

He said something I couldn't understand and pointed to a sign that said 5000 Yen. That's like 50 bucks Canadian. So I said:

Kansai Kuko made dono gurai kakarimasuka? (how long does it take?)

50 minutes. Not to bad, maybe I can make this.

So I hoped in, and watched the meter climb and climb. Past 2000, past 5000 past 10000, then past 15000. I don't know what the hell that sign was he pointed at was, but took my first 155 dollar cab ride that day.

I ran inside that airport. I was totally that asshole. Wow did I run, from one line to the next. This little Japanese lady needed to search my big suitcase but couldn't lift it onto the table. So in my haste I just heaved it up for her. Ow, my back. Double ow. It hurts right now still. Well, I made the flight all right, and after about a three hour delay and having to change to a functional plane in Detroit, I made it to Canada with a light wallet and a sore back.

This journey sucked, but the destination was heaven. But it's kind of funny how the journey makes the best story, isn't it?

d.

TADAIMA!!! (I'm back...sort of)

I'm back in Japan now...and I believe something strange has happened. While away, a construction crew somehow got into my apartment....I believe they moved all the walls about half a foot closer together making it that much smaller. I swear it didn't feel this small when I left.

Anyway, I haven't done anything yet other than sleep. I work up at 6:30 am, and if that's what time my jetlag wants to wake me up--perfect.

I have no milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables, fruit, or meat. But I do have one jumbo sized can of Tim's coffee. Thanks Karen.

It's derisious.

Who needs 'l' anyway.

Oh Canada,....

Holy crap, 9 days has gone by SO fast. I can't believe that was all the time I had. I have to get up at 4:30 tomorrow morning to make it to the airport...which means I have under 11 hours left in the country. What have I done?

-Christmas dinner (x2)
-Hang with Dan
-Visit Toronto
-Chilled with Ray
-Went to a sweet party at Nancy's house
-Played guitar hero 'till the wee hours of the morning
-Realized my sister is evil (Jessica, not Karen)
-Saw my grandparents
-Went to a local horror movie festival (show?)
-Gave lots of presents (yup, I had one for you too)
-Drank lots of Tims
-Realized how great Japanese service really is
-Ate loads of pumpkin pie
-Went shopping with my sister (not the evil one)
-Bought presents
-Drank Strongbow

that's all I can think of right now. There are some things I didn't get to do that I really wish I could have. Like fill my suitcase with cereal, meet up with Erin, see a movie, go dancing, have an awkward conversation, got a hold of Scholey....and so on. It's getting late and I got to crash. Tomorrow is going to just horrible. On the bright side, I don't think it could be any worse than the flight here. I'll post about that later if I remember. Anyway, I really wish I had a few more days. The 2k I spent to get here was defiantly worth every penny.