and when I can't look at you
I can paint your picture perfectly in my mind
I'll start with a bit of an apology. This will be long because I haven't had internet access for this computer for a while. When I do get online it's from a kiosk so I don't have the time I usually have for posts to this little blog.
The short of it is that I have my apartment, my classroom, and a few buddies to go drinking with. I have to wait a few weeks to get a phone, interent, and cable so I won't be all that reachable for a few. But I can still check my voicemail every once in a while and I love to hear from you guys. Even if it is a drunken message from a baseball game, I still love to hear familiar voices.
The long of it is...
The flight was uneventful for the most part. Peanuts and beer and only a half hour of sleep. I was picked up by the head mater Michael and the 'tour guide' started. The guy is nice enough but he just has the personality of a tour guide on meth. He seems to have a story for everything and needs to tell you all of it as if it was the most important thing ever. But then each story starts a tangent to something completely unrelated.
But he took us back to the school and led us into the dorms to meet the keeper of the dorms, Daryl, a Canadian hockey player that met a woman in Fukuoka and never looked back. He's been here for 14 years and loves it. Anyway, we got our rooms and I suggested that we head out for a drink before the jet lag set in for the night. He thought for a minute about the time and day of the week and decided that we head to the Jamacian bar in Nishijin. The place is run by a big Jamacian man whose name eludes me because we sat there and talked about Japan and such for a few hours and more than a few drinks. By this time things were beginning to set in. Walking through the streets and realizing that I couldn't read any of the signs at all was a big indicator that I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.
That night there was talk of the typhoon that was headed towards us. No one seemed to mind because it was forecast to pass along the eastern edge of Kyushu and we'd only see a few hours of rain. Daryl even had a tee time set up for the following morning. That night there was cloud cover and a bit of wind but nothing seemed to indicate anything was really going to happen.
The next morning proved all forecasts wrong. The storm was heading due North for most of its life but then some time around 2am it decided to make a left and head straight for Fukuoka. The storm lasted until midday today. About 36 hours all together but very ill-timed for my needs. I would love to move to Japan, I would love to see a typhoon, but let's not do both on the same day, ok?
I met with Yukari and was taken to my apartment. There really is nothing like trying to move into a place during a typhoon. She kept trying to get me to come back to the school to hang out but I insisted on spending my few free hours moving in and unpacking a little. She finally left and I was able to inspect my new home. This place is huge. Probably about 700 sq. feet. There are three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom complete with biday. Considering that I will only sleep in one and that I spent most of my time leading up to this trip getting rid of my possessions the apartment is empty. Very empty. But huge. Seriously, if you've ever thought about coming over here, do it because I have enough room for a family in this place.
The woman that lived here before me sold me most of her possessions. All the kitchen gear, desks, bed, couch, TV. All of it. The property manager wanted to redo the tatami flooring before I moved in so all of the things Tabitha left were tucked into the closets. So I've been systematically going through things, pulling out what I need and leaving things that don't make any sense at all. It's kind of like when Yukie moved out of 83 Tassajara. There's a bunch of stuff packed into closets and most of it has Japanese writing on it. Is this Japanese Febreeze? There is a cartoon character with a sparkling couch in the background on the bottle, it must be Febreeze.
After a few hours of moving in I headed back to the school for another 'tour guide' meeting with the other two new teachers. Nothing was accomplished during this time and I quickly headed home to continue moving in. We were scheduled to meet up that evening to go out to dinner together. I tried to make it to dinner but after walking about 3 blocks in a typhoon I realized that I looked like a drowned rat and headed back home but stopped at the Kadota High Mart and grabbed a bottle of crap red wine.
And it was then when I made my most prized discovery. I don't know Tabitha, but now that I live in her old apartment I have some idea who I'm dealing with here. I found a small container filled with Japanese/American porn DVDs. I don't know if it was intended that she leave these for me, but it was a welcome surprise. Needless to say, I didn't get anything else done that night.
The tour guide picked right back up this morning though. The Habels, Ariel, Michael, and I all took the subway to Tenjin which is the heart of Fukuoka. I thought that it was going to be an enlightening experience but it turned out to be absolute torture. I hate guided tours and this was one of the worst. Way worse than anything that Princess Tours of Alaska could dish out. After a few hours of being dragged around and spoken to I took my leave from the group and headed home. I was feeling pretty low at the time, lonely, disconnected, and bored. I tried to muster the strength to go out and exercise but couldn't really get that motivated right then. I hadn't had the chance to make any vocal contact with my family, friends, or Oriana and I was starting to kinda get weird about it. There aren't internet cafes all over the place like in the states so I couldn't just go and put my headset on down at Uptown Espresso.
I happened upon a publication that mentioned a 24/7 internet cafe in Nishijin which was only a few miles away. I headed straight for it.
I was greeted by smiling faces and one of the girls at the desk spoke enough English that we could do a little business. I was told to fill out a form to register and she asked how much time I needed. She looked at the form and realized that I had come from California and was living in Muromi. She started talking with me and told me that she had recently spent some time in San Diego and that she lived in Muromi as well. She told me that if I had any needs I should come directly to her. I couldn't think of any needs I'd have using the internet but I figured it was her way of saying that she was intent on being the best customer service representative she could possibly be. I bet she wanted to put this on her resume for a job at a Dell Computers Service and Support Call Center.
When all of that was taken care of I was told to head down to booth number 46. She showed me a map but I still didn't get it so she led me to it.
We walked into a large darkened room with rows and rows of cubicles. There were two large signs that clearly marked the two areas within this room as Mens and Womens. I thought it strange but in time it all made sense. We found #46 and she opened the plexiglass door. She said that she had to leave right then because she couldn't be in that part of the room because it was the male side. Again, I still didn't get it. Inside I found a TV, computer, monitor, leather couch, trash can, and a couple individually wrapped wet naps. It really didn't take more than a few seconds to realize the main purpose of this place was. I should have noticed the rows of DVD porn on the walls leading into the place but I didn't. Anyway, it was only slightly uncomfortable and I was able to place a few calls back to the states where it was 1am and surprisingly everyone I called was wide awake.
So that's all true. It's about 8:30 on Saturday night and I don't have shit to do. I may just try and pass out right now but the likelihood of sleeping through the night from this point on is slim. Maybe I'll put some pants on and go snooping around Muromi after dark. It's either that or I keep writing and I don't think either of us want that to happen.
Sunday August 20th
Well, I finally slept through the night and it is a welcome sign that the jet lag may be over. I woke around 6 and after a short run and quick breakfast decided to head west on my bicycle to the edge of town. The edge of the city came quicker than I had expected and the day wasn't all too warm yet so I continued out along the coast following cars with surfboards on the roof racks. It was a good sign that there may be surf around here yet. Although most of the cars were sporting long boards I was happy nonetheless. Another good sign was that I was passed by quite a few groups of guys in full road kits on very nice road bikes. I can't wait to get my Salsa from the shipping company so that I can join them for long rides out into the rice fields.
I continued on without much direction and soon found myself lost out in the country with the sun coming up quickly and the temperature following. Still I pressed on West and eventually came to signs indicating a castle ruin up ahead a few km. I never found the castle but did ride through some beautiful country and my spirits were riding high. A few twists and turns later and I came to the base of Mt. Bishamon where I dismounted and began a bit of a hike. I didn't get too far up the slopes but was able to catch a view of a surfing beach down below. It seems that the typhoon that I had cursed days earlier had left us with some short period swell that the local surfers were taking full advantage of. It took a few hours to find my way back to the city but I made it in one piece. It is very nice to have drivers give a funny looking white guy on a girls bike the right of way. Everyone is so used to bikes on the road that they give all the space you'd ever want as you chug along the shoulder. I really can't wait to get my road bike set up.
Back at the apartment I took a shower and decided it was way too hot to try and cook anything so I set out alone for my first real restaurant experience. It was Sunday so most places were closed but I found a noodle house that looked inviting and headed for the entrance. Even though the sign indicated it was open I couldn't get the front door open. I stepped back to investigate the structural design of the door and realized there were no hinges anywhere and so I tried to slide it open like a screen door. Who knew?
Anyway, I pointed to something that looked like food on the menu and sat back to listen in on all the conversations around me that I couldn't understand. When my food came the waitress gave me a little jar of red stuff and said something that sounded like the word 'courageous'. I thought it was a funny Japanese word and gave it a try. Holy crap. This stuff was born from the deepest reaches of hell it was so hot. I mean, hot. Deep down burn your face off hot. My shit is still tingling from those first couple bites.
After stuffing myself to the gils I headed home and passed out for a long nap. It's about 8 now and I'm getting excited to meet all the other staff tomorrow. The first of three days of prep begin in the morning and the first day of school is on Thursday. I'm stoked to have something to do and some other people to interact with. Even more, I register with the local ward tomorrow so I should be able to get internet access in my apartment within the next few weeks or so. It's funny how useless this computer is without a connection to the outside world.
The short of it is that I have my apartment, my classroom, and a few buddies to go drinking with. I have to wait a few weeks to get a phone, interent, and cable so I won't be all that reachable for a few. But I can still check my voicemail every once in a while and I love to hear from you guys. Even if it is a drunken message from a baseball game, I still love to hear familiar voices.
The long of it is...
The flight was uneventful for the most part. Peanuts and beer and only a half hour of sleep. I was picked up by the head mater Michael and the 'tour guide' started. The guy is nice enough but he just has the personality of a tour guide on meth. He seems to have a story for everything and needs to tell you all of it as if it was the most important thing ever. But then each story starts a tangent to something completely unrelated.
But he took us back to the school and led us into the dorms to meet the keeper of the dorms, Daryl, a Canadian hockey player that met a woman in Fukuoka and never looked back. He's been here for 14 years and loves it. Anyway, we got our rooms and I suggested that we head out for a drink before the jet lag set in for the night. He thought for a minute about the time and day of the week and decided that we head to the Jamacian bar in Nishijin. The place is run by a big Jamacian man whose name eludes me because we sat there and talked about Japan and such for a few hours and more than a few drinks. By this time things were beginning to set in. Walking through the streets and realizing that I couldn't read any of the signs at all was a big indicator that I really didn't know what I was getting myself into.
That night there was talk of the typhoon that was headed towards us. No one seemed to mind because it was forecast to pass along the eastern edge of Kyushu and we'd only see a few hours of rain. Daryl even had a tee time set up for the following morning. That night there was cloud cover and a bit of wind but nothing seemed to indicate anything was really going to happen.
The next morning proved all forecasts wrong. The storm was heading due North for most of its life but then some time around 2am it decided to make a left and head straight for Fukuoka. The storm lasted until midday today. About 36 hours all together but very ill-timed for my needs. I would love to move to Japan, I would love to see a typhoon, but let's not do both on the same day, ok?
I met with Yukari and was taken to my apartment. There really is nothing like trying to move into a place during a typhoon. She kept trying to get me to come back to the school to hang out but I insisted on spending my few free hours moving in and unpacking a little. She finally left and I was able to inspect my new home. This place is huge. Probably about 700 sq. feet. There are three rooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom complete with biday. Considering that I will only sleep in one and that I spent most of my time leading up to this trip getting rid of my possessions the apartment is empty. Very empty. But huge. Seriously, if you've ever thought about coming over here, do it because I have enough room for a family in this place.
The woman that lived here before me sold me most of her possessions. All the kitchen gear, desks, bed, couch, TV. All of it. The property manager wanted to redo the tatami flooring before I moved in so all of the things Tabitha left were tucked into the closets. So I've been systematically going through things, pulling out what I need and leaving things that don't make any sense at all. It's kind of like when Yukie moved out of 83 Tassajara. There's a bunch of stuff packed into closets and most of it has Japanese writing on it. Is this Japanese Febreeze? There is a cartoon character with a sparkling couch in the background on the bottle, it must be Febreeze.
After a few hours of moving in I headed back to the school for another 'tour guide' meeting with the other two new teachers. Nothing was accomplished during this time and I quickly headed home to continue moving in. We were scheduled to meet up that evening to go out to dinner together. I tried to make it to dinner but after walking about 3 blocks in a typhoon I realized that I looked like a drowned rat and headed back home but stopped at the Kadota High Mart and grabbed a bottle of crap red wine.
And it was then when I made my most prized discovery. I don't know Tabitha, but now that I live in her old apartment I have some idea who I'm dealing with here. I found a small container filled with Japanese/American porn DVDs. I don't know if it was intended that she leave these for me, but it was a welcome surprise. Needless to say, I didn't get anything else done that night.
The tour guide picked right back up this morning though. The Habels, Ariel, Michael, and I all took the subway to Tenjin which is the heart of Fukuoka. I thought that it was going to be an enlightening experience but it turned out to be absolute torture. I hate guided tours and this was one of the worst. Way worse than anything that Princess Tours of Alaska could dish out. After a few hours of being dragged around and spoken to I took my leave from the group and headed home. I was feeling pretty low at the time, lonely, disconnected, and bored. I tried to muster the strength to go out and exercise but couldn't really get that motivated right then. I hadn't had the chance to make any vocal contact with my family, friends, or Oriana and I was starting to kinda get weird about it. There aren't internet cafes all over the place like in the states so I couldn't just go and put my headset on down at Uptown Espresso.
I happened upon a publication that mentioned a 24/7 internet cafe in Nishijin which was only a few miles away. I headed straight for it.
I was greeted by smiling faces and one of the girls at the desk spoke enough English that we could do a little business. I was told to fill out a form to register and she asked how much time I needed. She looked at the form and realized that I had come from California and was living in Muromi. She started talking with me and told me that she had recently spent some time in San Diego and that she lived in Muromi as well. She told me that if I had any needs I should come directly to her. I couldn't think of any needs I'd have using the internet but I figured it was her way of saying that she was intent on being the best customer service representative she could possibly be. I bet she wanted to put this on her resume for a job at a Dell Computers Service and Support Call Center.
When all of that was taken care of I was told to head down to booth number 46. She showed me a map but I still didn't get it so she led me to it.
We walked into a large darkened room with rows and rows of cubicles. There were two large signs that clearly marked the two areas within this room as Mens and Womens. I thought it strange but in time it all made sense. We found #46 and she opened the plexiglass door. She said that she had to leave right then because she couldn't be in that part of the room because it was the male side. Again, I still didn't get it. Inside I found a TV, computer, monitor, leather couch, trash can, and a couple individually wrapped wet naps. It really didn't take more than a few seconds to realize the main purpose of this place was. I should have noticed the rows of DVD porn on the walls leading into the place but I didn't. Anyway, it was only slightly uncomfortable and I was able to place a few calls back to the states where it was 1am and surprisingly everyone I called was wide awake.
So that's all true. It's about 8:30 on Saturday night and I don't have shit to do. I may just try and pass out right now but the likelihood of sleeping through the night from this point on is slim. Maybe I'll put some pants on and go snooping around Muromi after dark. It's either that or I keep writing and I don't think either of us want that to happen.
Sunday August 20th
Well, I finally slept through the night and it is a welcome sign that the jet lag may be over. I woke around 6 and after a short run and quick breakfast decided to head west on my bicycle to the edge of town. The edge of the city came quicker than I had expected and the day wasn't all too warm yet so I continued out along the coast following cars with surfboards on the roof racks. It was a good sign that there may be surf around here yet. Although most of the cars were sporting long boards I was happy nonetheless. Another good sign was that I was passed by quite a few groups of guys in full road kits on very nice road bikes. I can't wait to get my Salsa from the shipping company so that I can join them for long rides out into the rice fields.
I continued on without much direction and soon found myself lost out in the country with the sun coming up quickly and the temperature following. Still I pressed on West and eventually came to signs indicating a castle ruin up ahead a few km. I never found the castle but did ride through some beautiful country and my spirits were riding high. A few twists and turns later and I came to the base of Mt. Bishamon where I dismounted and began a bit of a hike. I didn't get too far up the slopes but was able to catch a view of a surfing beach down below. It seems that the typhoon that I had cursed days earlier had left us with some short period swell that the local surfers were taking full advantage of. It took a few hours to find my way back to the city but I made it in one piece. It is very nice to have drivers give a funny looking white guy on a girls bike the right of way. Everyone is so used to bikes on the road that they give all the space you'd ever want as you chug along the shoulder. I really can't wait to get my road bike set up.
Back at the apartment I took a shower and decided it was way too hot to try and cook anything so I set out alone for my first real restaurant experience. It was Sunday so most places were closed but I found a noodle house that looked inviting and headed for the entrance. Even though the sign indicated it was open I couldn't get the front door open. I stepped back to investigate the structural design of the door and realized there were no hinges anywhere and so I tried to slide it open like a screen door. Who knew?
Anyway, I pointed to something that looked like food on the menu and sat back to listen in on all the conversations around me that I couldn't understand. When my food came the waitress gave me a little jar of red stuff and said something that sounded like the word 'courageous'. I thought it was a funny Japanese word and gave it a try. Holy crap. This stuff was born from the deepest reaches of hell it was so hot. I mean, hot. Deep down burn your face off hot. My shit is still tingling from those first couple bites.
After stuffing myself to the gils I headed home and passed out for a long nap. It's about 8 now and I'm getting excited to meet all the other staff tomorrow. The first of three days of prep begin in the morning and the first day of school is on Thursday. I'm stoked to have something to do and some other people to interact with. Even more, I register with the local ward tomorrow so I should be able to get internet access in my apartment within the next few weeks or so. It's funny how useless this computer is without a connection to the outside world.
Devin thought this was worth your time
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