The countdown begins

I finally found out when I'm going home! Yes, the plane ticket is booked and I'm leaving August 4th. My heart leaped for joy when I first held the itinerary in my hands. I wanted to prance happily around the room, spinning and twirling, and thanking God that Japan was letting me leave. It may seem odd to say, but Japan has a way of keeping people here, whether they like it or not. I've been here two years but it feels like so much longer. But now that I know I'm definitely leaving, I will try to appreciate my remaining days and soak up everything. For instance, on my bike ride to work, I looked again at the passing scenery and noted the beauty once more. Fields of rice framed by the mountains. And since it's rainy season, the rice farmers are out, tending to their crop. It makes a beautiful, very Japan sight. I still worry what I'll do when I get back to Toronto, but I'm sure I'll find something. So I just have to finish off this last month and a half. I hope it goes quickly!

Golden Week in Tokyo

I spent Golden Week with my brother and sister in Tokyo. We got along surprisingly well, it was a nice trip. On the last day, we went our separate ways at the train station. My dinner came courtesy of the vending machine: a box of Calorie Mate and a bottle of Pocari Sweat. By the time I got back to my apartment, I was absolutely exhausted. I checked the mailbox and found nothing but a porn flyer. This I threw into Nick's mailbox and then went to bed. The next day was work. I was still so tired, couldn't even think clearly. I left work early, came home, and slept another 4 hours. Now I feel back to normal.

Every time I meet up with family, I feel homesick. I'm so ready to go home. I'm dying to go home. It feels like I've been here a lifetime.

And this is somewhat unrelated, but a 2 nensei student was hit by a car on her way to school and died during Golden Week. Today I taught a lesson in her class. Her desk sits vacant except for a vase of flowers on top. So sad...

China

Well I just got back from a trip to China. I went with my mother for a week. Overall, it was a good trip, although there were some rough patches. We visited three cities: Beijing, Xian, and Shanghai.

Beijing was not a nice city. It was a noisy, dirty, urban landscape devoid of trees and green space. Beijing is a city that serves its functional purpose as the capital of China. There is no attempt to make it a pleasant living area. I can only imagine the chaos come Olympics time. One thing I liked about Beijing was a certain vegetarian restaurant. It was called "Green Tianshi Vegetarian Restaurant." The food was superb, some of the best vegetarian dishes I've ever tasted.

We took an overnight train from Beijing to Xian. I liked Xian a little more than Beijing. The city landscape was nicer, especially when viewed from up on the city wall. However, the Terracotta Warriors were a big let-down. I was expecting an army of terracotta warriors, fully excavated. This is not the case. Only a small portion of the statues have been excavated, and most of them are in pieces. A few figures have been reconstructed but most remain as fragments in the dirt.

Next we took another overnight train from Xian to Shanghai. This is a LONG train ride (about 15 hours) and not recommended. A flight is much easier. Shanghai was the only city I truly liked or would consider living in. It is ultra-modern, with spectacular skyscrapers and breathtaking views. More importantly, this is a clean city with plenty of parks and trees. There are also some great shopping opportunities.

What I liked most about China was the history and culture. What I liked least was the spitting. For some reason, many of the men would spit freely on the street. It was so gross. Everywhere we went, there were men spitting. Even inside the airport, I saw a Chinese man spit on the floor. It was relief to return to Japan after the China trip. I love Japan. The more countries I visit, the more I realize how great Japan really is.

Pimsleur Japanese Level 2 Notes

I started taking notes on Unit 13.

Unit 13 おちゃはまだつめたいですか　　 木ようびの朝　　　　　　　　　 はやくたちます はい,　おります あいにく いつやすみをとりますか しごとがたくさんあります りょこうをします きれいな いきたい わるい ちょっとさむいです てんきはよくありません さむくありません あつくありません まちます ひま ひまがありません りょこうをしたいです ワシントンはまだみていません おもしろい すること つめたい　 することがたくさんあります Unit 14 ざんねんですね　　　　　　　　 またなければならないです 英語のしんぶん　　　　　　　　 いらっしゃい　ますか これをわたしてくださいませんか ワシントンへりょこうしたいです ええ、ぜひ どうりょうももうひとりいきます おんなのこがふたりいます かかります おかねがかかります たかくありませんでした Unit 15 やまださんはむすめがふたりいます　　　　 することがたくさんあります たぶん六月ごろまでまちます ほんとうですね どうもごちそうさまでした はたらいていました もっていました Unit 16 そのまえはなごやにすんでいました　　 かぞくといっしょにきょうとにすんでいます とうきょうのかいしゃではたらいていました むすこさんはなんさいですか まだちいさいです おおきくなりました ひとりはぎんこうではたらいています もひとり ひとりはおおさかではたらいています りょうほうと でんわちょう でんわちょうがいりますか でんわばんごうをしっています でんわばんごうがわかりません ありました わたしはコーヒはあまりのみません 　 コーヒをよくのみますか まいにちなにをのみますか わたしもにっさんをもっていました しゅうちょうしました でんわをかけたいんですが Unit 17 ながいあいだ　　　　　　　　　　　　 三年前から まいにちコーヒーをのみます こどもさんはいますか べんきょうしています けいざい どこの大学ですか ゆうびんきょくをさがしているんですが 五十メートルぐらい 六時ごろ 七メートルぐらいまっすぐいってください Unit 18 すると 右に すると左に銀行があります そのかど　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 まがってください そのかどを右にまがってください さがしているんです かきます かないはよくてがみをかきます あまり時間がありません いいえ、あまりかきません ぜんぜんかきません りょうほうともアメリカにいます アメリカのどこですか かいしゃではたらいています よびたい タクシーをよびたいんですが しょうしょうおまちください タクシーがきましたよ ぐあいがわるいんです Unit 19 どこの大学ですか　　　　　　　　　　　　　 なにをべんきょうしていますか やまださんもむすこさんがいますね 電話をかけます 電話ははやいですからね ゆうびんきょくをさがしているんですが ここからとおいですか このみちをまっすぐ四メートルいってください するとみぎにぎんこうがあります そのかどをみぎにまがってください あるいていけません しゅじんはぐあいわるいんですが タクシーがきましたよ やっきょくはひだりにあります 電話をかけたいんですが ぜんぶでいくらですか Unit 20 ちかい やっきょく あまりちかくありません うちをかいたいんです それはいけませんね あそこにびょういんがありますね そのかどをひだりにまがってください 新聞はありません おつり 四百円のおつりです でもよく電話をかけます 電話はてがみよりはやいです おおさかまでください 一まいください おおさかゆき おおさかゆきはなんばんせんですか 三ばんせんです おおさかまでどのぐらいですか きゅうこう とっきゅう Unit 21 バスはくるまよりおそいです　　 ここでまっています いっしょにいきましょう もしよければ くるまがうごかないんです じゅうぶんあります きって ゆうびんきょくはしまっています みなしまっています でもデパートはあいています すみません、きってはありません どこでかいますか ともだちにでんわをかけます Unit 22 えきのキヨスクで　　　　　　　　　　　　　 えきでかいます 車で五分ぐらいです すぐ行きますか すぐ行きたいんです ちかてつ バスでは行きたくありません バスはおそいです 車でいけません しんじゅくへいかなければならないんです でもあしたはお店は八時まであいています テニスができますか　　　　　　　　　　　　 つごうがわるいんです 何時ごろ Unit 23 しっています　　　　　　　　　　　　　 しりません しりあい メアリさんとよくテニスをします メアリさんのごしゅじんもテニスができますか はい、りょうほうともテニスをします テニスがじょうずです かなり いっしょにテニスをしますか こうえん ちかてつのえきまであるいていきます 今日の新聞はありますか Unit 24 かなりおそいです　　　　　　　　　　　 コンサートはなんじにはじまりますか まだじかんがありますね きっさてん よくしっていますか しています テニスをしています 十五年も 木曜日はつごうがいいです あしたはやすみですけど かまいません いいですよ もちろんかまいません かいぎがあります ずいぶん ずいぶんいそがしいんですね Unit 25 おくさんはテニスをじゅうねんもしています ええ、でもテニスのほうがすきです おさけのほうがいいです 水曜日は休みですけど わたしはかまいません それとも土曜日のほうがいいですか お金はどこでかえられますか ぎんこうへいってきます すぐもどっていきます Unit 26 来週の水曜日にテニスをしませんか どのぐらいテニスをしていますか いいきっさてんをしっています チョコレートケーキのほうがいいです へやへいってきます よ お金をかえたいんです ドルを円にかえたいんです おかねをかえに ちかくに みつびしぎんこうのほうがちかいです アメリカのほうがおおきいです ちかくにぎんこうがありますか　　 ゆうびんきょくへもいきます ひるにかいぎがあります ぎんこうへはすぐいきますか いますぐ Unit 27 そのまえにおかねをかえにぎんこうへいきます　 いますぐぎんこうへいかなければならないんです いっしょにいってもいいですか しこくへいくんですね こんしゅうのすいようびにたちます きゅうしゅうへもいきます しこくにはどのぐらいいますか きゅうしゅうにはいっしゅうかんいます きゅうしゅうではすることがたくさんあります 私はしこくにはニ三日しかいません ドルしかもっていません わたしはきゅうしゅうにしかいきません いつもどってきますか あしたは日曜日ですから でんしゃはじかんがかかります Unit 28 きゅうしゅうでかいぎがあります　 にさんにちしかいません オレンジジュースもありますけど ボストンはどんなところですか まち 日本人の大学生もたくさんいます かぞくにあいます かぞくにあいにボストンへいきます 友だちにあいにきっさてんへいきます いつか いつかアメリカへいきたいです Unit 29 わたしも　 えきのまえにぎんこうがありますね そこでかえられますか ちずをかきます ちずをかきましょうか もちろんかまいませんよ このしゅうまつ むすこにあいにいきます いっしゅうかんしかいません おそくなってすみません Unit 30 いつかぜひいきたいです　　 もしよければ どうぞおはいりください ほんとにそうですね ゆきがふります ふゆ あめがふりますか にほんではあめがたくさんふります たぶんにさんにちしかふりません なつはときどきふりますよ

Unit 13 Is the tea still cold? Thursday morning leaving early Yes, he’s in. Unfortunately When will you take a vacation? a lot of work travel beautiful want to go bad it’s a little cold the weather is not all right not cold not hot wait free time no free time want to travel haven’t seen Washington yet interesting things to do cold a lot of things to do Unit 14 that’s too bad, isn’t it? have to wait English newspaper in Please hand this in. I want to take a trip to Washington Yes, with pleasure another colleague is going there are two girls costs costs money was not expensive Unit 15 Mr. Yamada has 2 daughters 　　　 There are a lot of things to do. Maybe I’ll wait until about June. That’s true, isn’t it? It was a feast. was working had Unit 16 Before that, I lived in Nagoya. I live with my family in Kyoto I was working in a company in Tokyo How old is your son? They are still small. They’re grown up One person is working at a bank. One more person. One person is working in Osaka. Both of them. phone book Do you need a phone book? I know the phone number. I don’t know the phone number. Here it is. I don’t drink coffee very much Do you drink coffee often? What do you drink everyday? I also had a Nissan. went on a business trip. I want to make a telephone call. Unit 17 long time from three years ago I drink coffee everyday Do you have children? is studying economics Which university is it? I’m looking for the post office. about 50 meters about six o’clock Go forward about seven meters. Unit 18 Then/when you do that On the right Then there is a bank on the left. That corner Please turn. Please turn right at that corner. looking for to write my wife writes letters often/ I don’t have much time. No, I don’t write often. I never write. Both are in America. Where in America? He’s working in a company. call I would like to call a taxi. Please wait. The taxi has come. not feeling well [condition is bad] Unit 19 which university is it? what is he studying? Mr. Yamada also has a son, right? to make a phone call because the telephone is quick I’m looking for the post office. Is it far from here? go straight down this road 4 meters. Then there is a bank on the right Turn right at that corner I can’t go by foot. my husband isn’t feeling well the taxi has come the pharmacy is on the left I want to make a telephone call How much is it total? Unit 20 close pharmacy not very close I want to buy a house I’m sorry to hear that the hospital is over there turn left at that corner there are no newspapers change (money) 400 yen change But we often call on the telephone the telephone is faster than letters To Osaka please One ticket please Osaka bound What track for Osaka? Its track 3 How long to Osaka? express train super express train Unit 21 the bus is slower than the car I’ll be waiting here Let’s go together If it’s all right with you the car doesn’t work there’s enough stamps the post office is closed everything is closed but the department store is open sorry, there are no stamps where can I buy them? I’m going to call my friend Unit 22 at the station kiosk you buy it at the station by car, its about 5 minutes are you going right away? I would like to go right away subway I don’t want to go by bus The bus is slow I can’t go by car I have to go to Shinjuku but tomorrow the stores are open until 8 can you play tennis? Its not convenient about what time? Unit 23 I know I don’t know at all acquaintance I often play tennis with Mary Can Mary’s husband also play tennis? Yes, they both play tennis. They are good at tennis fairly/considerably Do you want to play tennis together? park I’ll go to the subway station by foot Is there a newspaper today? Unit 24 Its fairly slower When does the concert start? There’s still time, isn’t there? coffee shop do you know him well? have been I have been playing tennis as many as 15 years Thursday is convenient Tomorrow is a holiday though That doesn’t matter That’s good for sure Of course it doesn’t matter I have a meeting awfully you’re awfully busy, aren’t you? Unit 25 his wife has been playing tennis for as many as 10 years yes, but I like tennis better I prefer rice wine Wednesday is a holiday though As for me, it doesn’t matter Or do you prefer Saturday? Where can I change money? I’m going to the bank I’m coming back right away Unit 26 Wed. of next week, won’t you play tennis? how long have you been playing tennis? I know a good coffee shop Chocolate cake is better I’ll go to the room and come back For sure I want to change money I want to change dollars into yen to change money close by Mitsubishi bank is closer America is bigger Is there a bank near by? I’m also going to the post office I have a meeting at noon Are you going to the bank right away? immediately Unit 27 before that, I’ll go the bank to change money I have to go to the bank immediately Can we go together? You’re going to Shikoku, aren’t you? I’m leaving Wednesday of this week I’m going to Kyushyu too How long will you stay in Shikoku? I’ll stay in Kyushu for one week There are lots of things to do in Kyushyu I’ll stay only a few days in Shikoku I only have dollars I’ll only go to Kyushyu When will you return? because tomorrow is Sunday the train takes time Unit 28 There’s a meeting in Kyushyu I’ll stay only a few days There’s orange juice also though What kind of place is Boston? town There are many Japanese university students I’ll see my family In order to see the family, I’m going to Boston I’m going to a coffee shop to see my friends someday/sometime Someday, I want to go to America Unit 29 me too there’s a bank in front of the station, right? Can I change money at that place? I’ll draw a map Shall I draw a map? Of course. I don’t mind. For sure. this weekend We’re going to see our son. only one week I’m sorry I’m late Unit 30 Someday, by all means I would like to go if its all right with you please come in truly its so, isn’t it? it snows winter does it rain? In Japan, it rains a lot maybe it snows for only a few days sometimes it rains in the summer

a lost friendship

Its been a long time since I've written, but this time I'm determined to write regularly. Another birthday has passed and I'm now 25 years old. Damn, that's getting old! And this was the best birthday ever. Why? Because no one knew it was my birthday, so I was free from all social obligations and unwanted attention. I was still depressed, as I always am on this day, but at least it wasn't stressful.

In other news, a promising friendship is no more. Robyn, I'm sure you'll never read this, but I'm going to explain it here regardless. We met two years ago, upon our arrival in Japan. At first, it was a friendship of convenience. We were both new, both uncertain of our environment, both in need of support. Admittedly, we had very different personalities, but that didn't seem to matter. We became good friends, hanging out, traveling, working through the Japan experience together. And then, over time, I noticed changes. Basically, we grew apart. And then you invited me out to dinner to meet your mother, who was visiting. As we walked to the restaurant, we chatted and everything was okay. But when we arrived, there was Amy waiting for us. As you may have realized, I don't like Amy. Her personality sucks and she acts mentally unbalanced on occasion. I'm sure Amy feels the same way about me, so it was no surprise that she acted so coldly towards me. But it was a surprise that you did. Why did you invite me in the first place? Robyn, I have no room in my life for fake friendships. And that is clearly what ours is. Life is just too short. And so here on this blog that you will never read, I'm saying goodbye. You'll probably not even notice any change, since we see each other so rarely now. But you will no longer be part of my life. This saddens me, because I liked you and considered you a good friend. At one time we were. But this is the end for us.

Where to begin?

So much has happened... where do I start? In April, Mom, Dad, and Evan came to visit. It was nice to see them and at the same time somewhat stressful. All the ALTs got into a big fight with the Board of Education over summer holidays. I was very close to quitting but in the end decided it wasn't worth it. Not to mention the fact that all the ALTs were pussies and too afraid to make a stand. And then there was the recontracting conference in Kobe. It would have been okay, had I not drank so much. I'm lucky to be alive. I was throwing up pure alcohol. I passed out at the bar, was sent back to the hotel in a taxi. Then some strangers carried me up to my room while I threw up everywhere. I'm so ashamed. What else... I went to Himiji with Robyn and Lauren, that was okay. I went to a party in Osaka that turned out to be the coolest party ever. It was at the foot of Osaka castle in a forest. There were hookah pipes and drums. I was in heaven. I've started meditating and continue with my Master's course. I went to a picnic in Osaka hosted by a Mongolian girl. It was the most multi-cultural gathering ever, half Mongolians, a few Japanese, the rest were gaijins. On Saturday, I was sick with this bizarre illness that left me weak and tired. I could barely get out of bed. But the next day I was fine.

One thing to note, I keep ending up in Osaka. All the new people I'm meeting live there. It takes me over 2 hours to get there!

Graduation ceremony

On Tuesday my school held a graduation ceremony for the san-nensei (third year students) who are moving on to high school. It was a very elaborate ceremony, complete with speeches, diploma presentation, and singing. Everyone wore their finest black dress suites with a corsage pinned to the jacket. After the ceremony, we all went outside and formed a path. The school band started to play and then the san-nensei walked down the path, waving goodbye to everyone. Some students were hugging, others crying... I could not help but think, this is only junior high school graduation. What's the big deal? But it was very sweet.

Following the graduation, all the teachers including myself celebrated the day with an enkai (party). First we went to a restaurant for a traditional Japanese meal. My memorable quote of the evening, "what is this pink thing? It has eyes." Then we went to karaoke for two and a half hours. I was going crazy by the end. The karaoke bars here are so amusing. They sell cans of helium at the front desk and the monitor tells you how many calories you burned after each song.

Japanese version of the Backstreet Boys

Yesterday an assembly was held at the junior high school where I work. The assembly was in honour of the third year students who will soon be graduating and moving on to high school. I was standing at the back of the gym, near the wall, when Kado-sensei (a fellow teacher) motioned me to come sit down in the teacher's section. I sat down directly behind the principle. Soon after, he was called up to the stage to give a speech. After the speech, the principle was walking back to his chair when he realized I was sitting right behind his seat. I saw panic flash through his eyes. For some reason, Japanese people are uncomfortable around me. Maybe its because I'm a gaijin (foreigner) or maybe its because I'm weird. Who knows? The principle sat down stiffly in his chair. Then he started shifting around. I can just imagine what he was thinking: Oh my god, the gaijin is right behind me. She's looking at the back of my head. She's too close! He abruptly stood up. It was at this moment that I noticed the principle had placed a special cushion on top of the seat cushion. When he stood up, the cushion fell to the floor. I thought to myself, I should probably say something. Forget it, he doesn't understand English and I don't speak Japanese. He took a step forward and tripped violently over the cushion, almost falling to the floor. Now, in Japan, whenever something like this happens, everybody is just supposed to pretend that they didn't see anything, that it didn't happen. And that's what everyone did, except me. You see, this is the kind of thing I find absolutely hilarious. I tried desperately to keep the laughter in, but it threatened to escape. I started laughing and coughed to cover up the laughter. It was pretty damn funny.

The assembly continued and the special guests arrived. It was a Japanese boy band. In Canada, we consider the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, and all those other boy bands an embarrassing remnant of the 90's. It was a lapse in judgement. Let us never support such terrible music again. But in Japan, boy bands are alive and well (ie SMAP). When they entered the gym, all the junior high school girls screamed with joy. The band was composed of four guys, all impeccably dressed in matching black suits. Their hair was meticulously styled down to the last strand. But their dress shirts were untucked and their ties were loosened to give them that "cool" look. They started singing a sappy love song and I cringed inside. Its okay. This is very cute for junior high school kids, I thought. But then they did a Backstreet Boys cover. If there's anything worse than a Backstreet Boys song, its English-illiterate Japanese guys doing a cover version. You can imagine what it was like. They even had special dance moves which they performed in unison. I sighed. At least the performance was entertaining, in an amusing sort of way.

Different from everyone else

When comparing myself to others, I find that I'm quite different in many respects. I'm usually the opposite of what everyone else is. For instance, I'm an introvert. I'm left-handed. I'm unusually tall for a female (5'9"). I have always been skinny, underweight. While most people try to loose weight, I try to gain. I breath through my mouth instead of my nose. And for those of you familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality classification, I'm an INTJ . This personality type is rare, represented by only about 2% of the population. Yes, I often wonder why I'm so different compared to others. It makes life difficult at times.

Britney's shaved head

Britney Spears recently shaved her head and for the first time, I actually respect her. Its a message of "fuck you world. I don't care what you think" to everyone who is judging her. Let's be honest, hair is something we hide behind. A nice head of hair is a sign of youth and vitality. We colour and shape it to influence how we are perceived by others. So many times I've been tempted to shave my own head, with the message "here I am world, take me as I am." As much as I'd like to shave my head, I don't have the guts to actually go through with it. For starters, I really like my hair and consider it one of my best features. And if I shaved my head, everyone would stare at me and make me feel uncomfortable. Yes, I'm going to say something I never thought I'd say, I really admire Britney Spears right now.

Today I turn 24

Today is that day I dread every year, my birthday. Some people like to celebrate their birthday; I'm not one of them. For me, its always a depressing day. Its a reminder that one more year has passed. Hence, I have one year less to live. Its also a day when I ask myself what I have to show for this precious year of life. I always fall short of expectations of what I think I should have achieved.

The social obligations that go along with one's birthday also make this a crappy day. The awkward happy birthday phone calls from distant family and friends, the need to give a present, the necessity of recognizing this day as special. All of these things make me uncomfortable. I'm an introvert and dislike anything that draws attention to myself. Yes, today is a dark day and I'll be happy when its over.

Wrinkles at 23

Its been a while since I wrote an entry, but I am once again committed to writing in this blog.

The other day I was riding my bike to the grocery store. It was a warm, windy day and some of my sunscreen moisturizer got into my eyes. You know how it feels getting sunscreen in your eyes; it burns like hell. My eyes became all red and tears started streaming down my face. I arrived at the grocery store and went immediately to the bathroom to clean up. My eyes were of course irritated, but there was another change. My right eyelid had developed another crease. I now had a triple eyelid! It looked absolutely demented. I did a quick grocery shopping wearing sunglasses to cover the anomaly and then rushed home to try to fix the eyelid. It looked so strange. Who has ever heard of somebody developing a second eyelid crease? This could only happen to me. I researched the condition online and found that it is common among Asians, particularly those who are messing around with their eyelids, trying to create that first crease. Sometimes they end up with multiple creases. I stayed in my apartment for the rest of the day, no one was going to see me looking like this. Thankfully, by the next morning the eyelid was back to normal.

Speaking of eye creases, I suddenly have a wrinkle under each eye. They literally appeared overnight. How can I have wrinkles? I'm only 23!!! Every time I look in the mirror now its the first thing I see. I'm trying out different eye creams to see if any of them can get rid of these horrendous lines. I told a friend about this and he wasn't surprised. He said foreigners don't age well here in Japan. I would have to agree. Looking closely at the foreigners who have been here for a while, most are aging prematurely. Why this is, I don't know. But I have become more diligent in my skin care routine. I just pray there will be no more new wrinkles popping up. It really bothers me.

Alone in Kobe

After work ends, I do my errands and then return to my apartment. Hours of boredom soon follow. I was initially downloading TV shows/movies, but that no longer interests me. That's exactly what I was doing in Canada, and the thought of watching old TV shows on my computer while living in a country like Japan is too depressing for words.

So yesterday I headed straight to the train station after work and went to Kobe. What followed was a night of deep contemplation.

It was already getting dark by the time I arrived at the Sannomiya train station. I began wandering the streets of Kobe, going into the occasional shop. Kobe is a city of bright lights and throngs of people. Initially, I was quite happy exploring the maze of streets and alleys, but then I started to feel lonely. I shouldn't be doing this alone. I should be here with someone. I realized I needed to start meeting people, making new friends. I headed over to Tit Park (vulgar name, I know), a central meeting point located just outside Sannomiya station. And then I just sat down and watched the people pass by. There were many interesting people around me, both Japanese and foreigners. I looked at them and they looked at me. Please someone come talk to me. The first person to approach me was a homeless man who reeked of alcohol and wore old, dirty clothes. He said he was from Hawaii and had been living in Japan for 14 years. He started telling a rambling story of his life, probably filled with as much fiction as fact. I ended the conversation quickly and dejectedly moved to another part of the square. It was both incredibly depressing and funny, in a bitter sort of way, that the only person interested in talking to me was a bum. I continued people-watching and gradually started to enjoy the experience. There were people everywhere, from every walk of life, from all over the world, and we were all in Kobe together. I sat there under the demented gaze of a giant Meg Ryan Nescafe billboard poster and just soaked it all in. And finally, a young, normal looking Japanese guy came over.
"You want to go to bar or karaoke?" he asked. Not the most classy opening line, but it felt so good that somebody decent was interested in talking to me. I said no, I couldn't because I was meeting a friend (he was okay-looking but he had bad teeth). Bottom line, he was young and he was normal looking. I felt a renewed sense of self-esteem and hope. A street band started playing nearby and they were actually pretty good. The music further uplifted my spirits. I walked over and watched them for a little while, until I had to leave to catch the last train home.

Overall, I enjoyed my night in Kobe and I plan on going into the city more often. I sort of liked being alone out there, because it reminded me of why I came to Japan: to explore strange places, to meet interesting people, to be independent.

Taking the train in Japan

I was coming home on the train from Himeji and started looking at the random assortment of people in my train car. To the right of me were two young girls wearing matching Playboy Bunny sweat suites. To the left of me was a woman wearing an elaborate yukata complete with the traditional socks and sandals. There was a scattering of school-age students in their uniforms and businessmen and women in formal suites. There were young Japanese men and women dressed in trendy, up-the-minute fashion outfits. And then there were just a bunch of people dressed in casual, everyday clothes. Only in Japan can you see such a wide variety of dressing habits. I was dressed as I normally do, in jeans and sneakers.

The first post

So I've finally decided to start writing a blog. I'm still not sure why I'm doing this, but I'm going to try to be as honest as possible and hope that nobody I know actually reads the entries.

Where am I right now? I'm in the Kansai region of Japan teaching English at a junior high school.

Why am I in Japan? I'm a lost soul. I don't know what to do with my life. While I'm figuring that out, I might as well live somewhere interesting like Japan. I wanted to live somewhere as different as possible from Canada. Somewhere so foreign, it would feel like I had left the planet. While Japan is not as different as I was hoping it would be, I'm still happy here.

Some things you should know about me: I'm socially awkward, an extreme introvert, quiet, intelligent, and I have a somewhat twisted sense of humour.

My life sometimes seems like a series of bad jokes. It began when my parents named me "Suzanne." That may seem like a perfectly acceptable name to you, but it has resulted in a great deal of annoyance for me. I get called everything: Susan, Suzy, Sue, Suz, Suzannah, and the dreaded Suzy-Q. People spell my name wrong too, ie "Susanne."

I'm very tall and very thin (5'9", 125 lbs); I tend to stick out wherever I go. I've accepted this fact. If I'm going to stick out, I might as well do it full out in Japan where I tower over all of the women and most of the men.

This is my life. Its far from glamorous but there are a lot of funny moments. I'm sure there will be many memorable incidents here in Japan, which I will try to post on this blog.