Japan - 2 Months In - Part 2
This is part two of my attempt to catch my blog up to where I am now. Where I left off was approaching Takamatsu Orientation, which was held in mid-August. However, there were a few things that happened to me prior to orientation that require mentioning.
For about the first two weeks I was here, I did not have a bicycle. Considering that I normally have to bike 20 minutes to get anywhere besides the market, this kept me pretty isolated. I was shown on a map where the train station in Mino was, but after talking to a friend in a town near mine, I decided to attempt to hitchhike my way to Takamatsu for a pre-orientation get together that was happening. I mentioned this to my coworkers, who seemed stunned and somewhat amused. They had never heard of anyone hitchhiking in the area. While still at work(I was haivng to come in to school even though I had no class), I created a sign with the word Takamatsu on one side and the kanji for Takamatsu on the other. After work, about 4 hours before I needed to be in Takamatsu, I started walking towards the main route, Route 11, which leads into Takamatsu.
My plan did not work. After about an hour of walking around holding the sign, I decided that all I was suceeding in doing was to make a spectacle for the drivers on the road. So I decided to head to the station, but realized that I didn't really know where the train station was. Remember also that at this point, my Japanese ability was near zilch, so getting directions was difficult. I finally ambushed a woman who was standing outside a car near some shop. I asked her "where is the train?" is very bad half English/half Japanese. She went on to explaining, which I replied one piece of Japanese that I knew very well, "I don't understand". After about 3 tries she gave up, pointed at me to get in the car, and started driving me to the station. She started talking to me, and I just nodded my head and gave grunts of confirmation at the right time. From what I got from her, she knew I was the new JHS English teacher, because her daughter had seen me at school already.
I should mention that the first two weeks at school, I would just go visit the different club activities going on that day. You see, even during summer vacation, the students still come in for club activities. Mostly I would pop in on the clubs that were near the teacher's office, namely the Art Club and Music Club. The thing with the students, was that at this point, they were VERY shy around me. Some still are, but not like this. I would walk into the music room, and all the students would stop talking or practicing music. I would try to get them to speak, or I would do a quick song on the piano, but they were totally silent. The second I would step out of the room, they would start talking and laughing. I would even play the game where I would act like I had left, then pop back in and scare them. Yeah, I was bored.
Anyways, I got a ride from the woman to the train station in Takase, and she pointed to two places. I would later find out that one was the ticket counter and the other was the bike rental area. I went to the bike rental area first, realized my mistake, and went to the ticket counter. Now understand just how difficult it is to get things across when you don't know the langauge. I will never again make fun of signs or pictures that seem obvious or stupid. These were and are extremely helpful to me. You would be surprised at how much you can figure out with just these helpful clues.
That being said, my attempt to buy a ticket devolved into a form of communication that can only be described as Neolithic. I barely knew enough to say where I wanted to go, but I definately didn't understand anything after that. The time, price, and track number of the train became a confusing bundle, and my normal ability to figure things out didn't work. After about 5-10 minutes of me not getting it, the ticket counter lady came out of the ticket counter, grabbed my hand, and led me to the track I needed to go. Then showed me on a clock when it would come. I had already given her a bunch of money and let her take care of the ticket, too.
I made it to Takamatsu, met up with some JETs at the train station(kinda hard to miss a group of non-Japanese), and headed to get some dinner with them in the Shotengai(a shopping district, kinda like a covered strip mall). We went to an Indian resturaunt(suprisingly there are a few good ones in Takamatsu), and then went to a big park with some alcohol in hand. I managed to tag along with the group heading to the last train going west for the night, and with seconds to spare, I made it onboard. This was fine until one by one, they got off, leaving me alone on the train without any idea what I was doing. The train to Takamatsu was easy, the track ends there and everyone gets off. But now I needed to switch trains at some point and get off at Mino. I should also point out that I really had no idea how to ask someone for help and I couldn't hear the announcements on the train about where we were.
I decided that I had no chance and began to look to someone to ask for help. I walked up to a woman and said "Sumimasen. Doko ni ikkemasuka?"(Excuse me, where am I(are you) going?) She looked at me and spoke in perfect English, "You speak English, right?". It turns out that she lives in the town next to me, and lived in Australia for a few years. She helped me get to the right station and I had a nice conversation. When I made it to Mino station, I was relieved to have found my way, until I started walking. I quickly remembered that I had never come here before, and I only kinda remembered the way from a map I was shown. To top it off, it was near 1 AM and Mino is not exactly well lit. I asked a random guy where the Junior High School is, and he gave me directions(which I didn't understand) and pointed to the left. I went left, and then tried to follow the map to the best of my recollection.
This did not work out so well. While near the station it was dark, once I got on the roads, it was pitch black. I couldn't see in front of me, and the only sounds around were bugs and my footsteps. I really didn't want to step into a ditch, so I had to go pretty slow. Before I knew it, I was far out, away from anything resembling a big street, and surrounded by rice fields. I saw lights off in the far distance, and started to make my way towards them. It took about an hour, but somehow I eventually found myself home. I did not know the way to my house, but I did know its general position relative to the station, so using that I knew I had been heading in kinda the right direction. Oh, I should also mention that I was slightly drunk this whole time.
Sometime over the next week, I got a bike, a new JET moved into the town next to mine, and I got a cell phone. When I went to orientation, I managed to bike to Mino station fine, and caught the train fine. Mino is a very small station; you can't even buy tickets there, you have to buy them on the train. The station is basically a track with a hut next to it. This hut does have three benches, each with old tattered seat cushions that make you rather sit on the bare bench.
Prefectural Orientation was mostly a rehash, but there were a few good things. I didn't really show up for Tokyo Orientation very much, and frankly, I wouldn't have minded missing this one either. It was nice to meet all the new and old JETs again though. I sat next to the new JET in the town next to mine, and we hit it off pretty well. We would later become pretty good friends, and he is really the only JET I see on a regular basis(between August 30 and September 30, he was the only JET I saw). He was at orientation, but did not hang out with the rest of us afterwards, because he was short on cash. That night there was a nomihodai(as much as you can drink) and I remember taking it easy like I normally do. That is, until I got buzzed enough to be convinced into doing some serious drinking.
Now, I like to think we learn things about ourselves all the time. However, it is rare at my age to learn about a new physical talent, as most such things have been tried before. The fact is, I have always considered my tolerance to be low, because with only a couple of drinks I was be heavily buzzed. With about 3-4 drinks, I am drunk. What I didn't realize, is that once I hit that stage, I just stay there. I can take a ton more alcohol and not really get any worse. Once I hit 4 shots, I can drink another 6 shots and be the same. So I did. We played a game of arrogance which involved drinking beer laced with warm sake, while taking sake shots when it wasn't my turn. I am not sure how much I drank, but I got my money worth. After that was kareoke which involved more drinking. I got back to Mino around 1 AM and biked home, still drunk. I wore a helmet, at least.
So, this leads up to the point where langauge lessons began. This meant traveling to Takamatsu every morning and spending the day there. It also meant that my language level improved greatly and I actually was able to start branching out. At home, my bike now allowed me to explore more areas, finding resturaunts and shops besides the market, conbini, and udonya(Udon Shop) immediately around me. This period last from mid-August until the end of August, at which there was a second orientation. The new JET that I became friends with did not attend language lessons, as he had placed out easily. His Japanese level is very high, which has also been a great help in learning Japanese and for hte two of us to get around. However, I have to go in a minute, so those two weeks will be covered in the next part. Ja mata.
For about the first two weeks I was here, I did not have a bicycle. Considering that I normally have to bike 20 minutes to get anywhere besides the market, this kept me pretty isolated. I was shown on a map where the train station in Mino was, but after talking to a friend in a town near mine, I decided to attempt to hitchhike my way to Takamatsu for a pre-orientation get together that was happening. I mentioned this to my coworkers, who seemed stunned and somewhat amused. They had never heard of anyone hitchhiking in the area. While still at work(I was haivng to come in to school even though I had no class), I created a sign with the word Takamatsu on one side and the kanji for Takamatsu on the other. After work, about 4 hours before I needed to be in Takamatsu, I started walking towards the main route, Route 11, which leads into Takamatsu.
My plan did not work. After about an hour of walking around holding the sign, I decided that all I was suceeding in doing was to make a spectacle for the drivers on the road. So I decided to head to the station, but realized that I didn't really know where the train station was. Remember also that at this point, my Japanese ability was near zilch, so getting directions was difficult. I finally ambushed a woman who was standing outside a car near some shop. I asked her "where is the train?" is very bad half English/half Japanese. She went on to explaining, which I replied one piece of Japanese that I knew very well, "I don't understand". After about 3 tries she gave up, pointed at me to get in the car, and started driving me to the station. She started talking to me, and I just nodded my head and gave grunts of confirmation at the right time. From what I got from her, she knew I was the new JHS English teacher, because her daughter had seen me at school already.
I should mention that the first two weeks at school, I would just go visit the different club activities going on that day. You see, even during summer vacation, the students still come in for club activities. Mostly I would pop in on the clubs that were near the teacher's office, namely the Art Club and Music Club. The thing with the students, was that at this point, they were VERY shy around me. Some still are, but not like this. I would walk into the music room, and all the students would stop talking or practicing music. I would try to get them to speak, or I would do a quick song on the piano, but they were totally silent. The second I would step out of the room, they would start talking and laughing. I would even play the game where I would act like I had left, then pop back in and scare them. Yeah, I was bored.
Anyways, I got a ride from the woman to the train station in Takase, and she pointed to two places. I would later find out that one was the ticket counter and the other was the bike rental area. I went to the bike rental area first, realized my mistake, and went to the ticket counter. Now understand just how difficult it is to get things across when you don't know the langauge. I will never again make fun of signs or pictures that seem obvious or stupid. These were and are extremely helpful to me. You would be surprised at how much you can figure out with just these helpful clues.
That being said, my attempt to buy a ticket devolved into a form of communication that can only be described as Neolithic. I barely knew enough to say where I wanted to go, but I definately didn't understand anything after that. The time, price, and track number of the train became a confusing bundle, and my normal ability to figure things out didn't work. After about 5-10 minutes of me not getting it, the ticket counter lady came out of the ticket counter, grabbed my hand, and led me to the track I needed to go. Then showed me on a clock when it would come. I had already given her a bunch of money and let her take care of the ticket, too.
I made it to Takamatsu, met up with some JETs at the train station(kinda hard to miss a group of non-Japanese), and headed to get some dinner with them in the Shotengai(a shopping district, kinda like a covered strip mall). We went to an Indian resturaunt(suprisingly there are a few good ones in Takamatsu), and then went to a big park with some alcohol in hand. I managed to tag along with the group heading to the last train going west for the night, and with seconds to spare, I made it onboard. This was fine until one by one, they got off, leaving me alone on the train without any idea what I was doing. The train to Takamatsu was easy, the track ends there and everyone gets off. But now I needed to switch trains at some point and get off at Mino. I should also point out that I really had no idea how to ask someone for help and I couldn't hear the announcements on the train about where we were.
I decided that I had no chance and began to look to someone to ask for help. I walked up to a woman and said "Sumimasen. Doko ni ikkemasuka?"(Excuse me, where am I(are you) going?) She looked at me and spoke in perfect English, "You speak English, right?". It turns out that she lives in the town next to me, and lived in Australia for a few years. She helped me get to the right station and I had a nice conversation. When I made it to Mino station, I was relieved to have found my way, until I started walking. I quickly remembered that I had never come here before, and I only kinda remembered the way from a map I was shown. To top it off, it was near 1 AM and Mino is not exactly well lit. I asked a random guy where the Junior High School is, and he gave me directions(which I didn't understand) and pointed to the left. I went left, and then tried to follow the map to the best of my recollection.
This did not work out so well. While near the station it was dark, once I got on the roads, it was pitch black. I couldn't see in front of me, and the only sounds around were bugs and my footsteps. I really didn't want to step into a ditch, so I had to go pretty slow. Before I knew it, I was far out, away from anything resembling a big street, and surrounded by rice fields. I saw lights off in the far distance, and started to make my way towards them. It took about an hour, but somehow I eventually found myself home. I did not know the way to my house, but I did know its general position relative to the station, so using that I knew I had been heading in kinda the right direction. Oh, I should also mention that I was slightly drunk this whole time.
Sometime over the next week, I got a bike, a new JET moved into the town next to mine, and I got a cell phone. When I went to orientation, I managed to bike to Mino station fine, and caught the train fine. Mino is a very small station; you can't even buy tickets there, you have to buy them on the train. The station is basically a track with a hut next to it. This hut does have three benches, each with old tattered seat cushions that make you rather sit on the bare bench.
Prefectural Orientation was mostly a rehash, but there were a few good things. I didn't really show up for Tokyo Orientation very much, and frankly, I wouldn't have minded missing this one either. It was nice to meet all the new and old JETs again though. I sat next to the new JET in the town next to mine, and we hit it off pretty well. We would later become pretty good friends, and he is really the only JET I see on a regular basis(between August 30 and September 30, he was the only JET I saw). He was at orientation, but did not hang out with the rest of us afterwards, because he was short on cash. That night there was a nomihodai(as much as you can drink) and I remember taking it easy like I normally do. That is, until I got buzzed enough to be convinced into doing some serious drinking.
Now, I like to think we learn things about ourselves all the time. However, it is rare at my age to learn about a new physical talent, as most such things have been tried before. The fact is, I have always considered my tolerance to be low, because with only a couple of drinks I was be heavily buzzed. With about 3-4 drinks, I am drunk. What I didn't realize, is that once I hit that stage, I just stay there. I can take a ton more alcohol and not really get any worse. Once I hit 4 shots, I can drink another 6 shots and be the same. So I did. We played a game of arrogance which involved drinking beer laced with warm sake, while taking sake shots when it wasn't my turn. I am not sure how much I drank, but I got my money worth. After that was kareoke which involved more drinking. I got back to Mino around 1 AM and biked home, still drunk. I wore a helmet, at least.
So, this leads up to the point where langauge lessons began. This meant traveling to Takamatsu every morning and spending the day there. It also meant that my language level improved greatly and I actually was able to start branching out. At home, my bike now allowed me to explore more areas, finding resturaunts and shops besides the market, conbini, and udonya(Udon Shop) immediately around me. This period last from mid-August until the end of August, at which there was a second orientation. The new JET that I became friends with did not attend language lessons, as he had placed out easily. His Japanese level is very high, which has also been a great help in learning Japanese and for hte two of us to get around. However, I have to go in a minute, so those two weeks will be covered in the next part. Ja mata.
posted by Omega037 @ 8:42 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home