Crazy Errands and First Sunday (August 11)

So I have described my apartment to you...

I spent Wednesday night as my official first night on my own. Because I was unfamiliar with my surroundings but knew of a few key places, I went to U-mart, a Sexson Food equivalent but much smaller, and got a sushi platter for $4.30. Whee! I took that back to my apartment and ate while watching Ever After, a favorite.

P.S. My apartment does not have A/C or central heat. I know... Japan is supposedly one of the top countries in the world for progressive development and yet my apartment lacks central cool and heat. So it was a sweltering night with an oscillating fan.

Because Japan does not observe daylights savings, the sun rises abnormally early... 5:00am or earlier. With a combination of jet-lag, nerves, and fear of being late to my first day at work, I woke up to a sunny 5:30am. Oh well, at least I had plenty of time to get ready.

Since I didn't cook for myself the first night, I had to get a lunch from a store. U-mart does not open until 9am so I went to a FamilyMart, similar to our 7-11s where items are a little pricier. I bought my lunch of hiyaschuka: cold Chinese egg noodles with sliced sandwich meat, cucumbers, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, and pickled ginger in a vinegary-soy sauce. Yummy food on a hot summer day!

At school, just as at home, teachers and students remove their shoes and put on slippers. Because I have yet to get my own, I used the school's: bright Irish green with the school name in white. I looked like Mrs. Claus with my red top, black pants, and green slippers. Ha ha ha! My own street shoes I left in a small locker in the entrance room (genkan).

I was shown to my desk in the teacher's room. That's right: I have my own desk. My predecessor left me a few stacks of folders to go through to get ideas for lesson plans and a file of self-introduction papers from one of my future senior classes. Those kept me entertained most of the morning with statements ranging from "everyone in class calls me God" to "I live in _______ neighborhood with my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, dog, cat, and 5 rabbits. We are hoping for more." Ha ha ha! I also received my hanko, a seal/stamp that replaces my signature. This is probably good because my signature is undergoing a change from the loopy-femanine to the scratchy-feline script.

Around lunchtime, my mom and host mom arrived! They went off to a soba (noodle) shop near school and I stayed to finish my own cold noodles and inform my Supervisor of their arrival, Mrs. Muramatsu.

That afternoon was spent running around town making myself "legal". First stop was for Alien Registration at City Hall. This was easy enough except my Japanese address is backwards. I start with the postal code, then the prefecture, followed by the city, the neighborhood, and the apartment number is last. Interesting. Essentially, this will be my green card for as long as I am employed in Japan. If I get stopped by the police and do not have this card, I get a Monopoly card reading "Go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200." where I will be detained for a 3 hour minimum. So it is very important that I get this card. Until then, I carry the papers that say I have registered for one and am waiting to get it.

Second stop was the bank to setup an account so that the school could auto-deposit my paycheck (the first of which is coming soon) and setup the autowithdrawal of my electric, gas, and water bill. This. took. forever. Remember that hanko? Well... Japanese banks want the signature too and the only signature I have on record is the one on my passport... from EIGHTH GRADE!!! So I had to attempt to copy my 8th grade signature so that they would believe it was me, as if my picture wasn't distinctive enough. Then I did not get my cash card right now. I have to wait to get my green card to get my ATM card to prove that the government agrees that I am who I say that I am. Whew. TE-DI-OUS!

Btw, my mom and host mom tagged along for all this too. Whee. We took a short teatime break at a beautiful pastry shop.

Last of all, I desperately wanted to get a mobile phone. Um... cellphones in Japan are redonkulous... not ridiculous... redonkulously expensive. I checked the two main companies: Docomo and Softbank and both want 2 year contracts with an activation fee of $365, the cheapest phone is $220, and then the service is only $30 a month with free call and text to other members of the same company. If I break the 2 year contract, I have to pay another $240. So I'm waiting on that one.

After school, my host mother, Mom, and I went shopping around town to stock my fridge and pantry and reorganize my kitchen to be a little more Jill-friendly. My predecessor must've been tall because she did not store much in the bottom cabinets! Ha ha! Other than U-mart, there is JUSCO on the other side of town. JUSCO is a lot like Walmart prices but with products that hav more style like IKEA or Target. I entertained myself by trying on jackets and long-sleeve tops with sleeves that fitted me perfectly and needed no adjusting. Even the shopping carts are Jill-height friendly and much more maneuverable than the HUGE U.S. ones.

Mom and I were so tired from running errands that we hardly saw any of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. I think I got as far as the people dancing on the sphere and Mom didn't even make it that far!

Saturday, Mom and I explored more of the town after a steady rain that cooled off the temperature. This is when I found Pion (pronounced Pee-own, NOT Pee-ahn), the perfect combination of Pier One and Target and maybe a splash of Ethan Allen. If I were getting married anytime soon or intending to live in Japan for an extended period of time, I would register here and ONLY here. Amazing store.

Through amazing connections (surprised?) and God's amazing planning, Mom found a CoC here in Shimizu led by a family friend who had visited us in Searcy when I was 7. One of the members picked me and Mom up from the apartment and drove us across town to church. It is so small! Leaving out my Mom and me, there are 3 other members and the preacher, Mr. Sagitani. His English is VERY GOOD and he translated the sermon from Hebrews 11 for me before preaching it again in Japanese. They sing hymns that are well-known in the CoC circle but of course, in Japanese. Thank goodness I can read a little!

After church, Mom and I had lunch with the Sagitanis. They have a VERY NICE apartment and a cat named Chako. He is the perfect resemblence of my ideal of Crookshanks from Harry Potter. There was so much food leftover that Mrs. Sagitani gave me a small cooler bag to take home and invited me back for next Sunday too.

I have not had the chance to get homesick yet since Mom has been here. I had a small spell Sunday night when I was making curry. Everytime I would make that at home, I would call my bff Haylee to come over since she liked it so much too and was there for my first curry almost-disaster. I think that's how it'll be for awhile: small things or instances will remind me of people back home and I will wish I could be with you again.

Everyday is an adventure and the more people I meet, the more I feel that God has blessed me in many ways since I have been here. Wednesday-Friday I will be gone to Prefecture Orientation and will have my first "traveling abroad alone" experience. I will tell you all about it when I get back!