In the last 48 hours I have:
- Pointed at the only picture on the menu and burnt my face off because the udon was too hot.
- Met two of my new coworkers, both of whom are friendly, interesting people.
- Went to the spa on the roof of my hotel and sat naked in a hot pool with some Japanese ladies.
- Realized I will be expected to buy a fridge for my apartment. And a lot of other expensive things.
- Smiled and bowed a lot.
- Decided I need to learn Japanese and fast.
- Eaten fish and soup for breakfast in my Japanese robe in the lobby of the hotel.
- Wandered around Kumamoto with said coworkers.
- Discussed how lucky I am to be here.
- Seen a lot of dancing people. Apparently Japanese people love festivals but no one I know seems to know why they are dancing.
- Lamented how hot and rainy it will be in a few short months.
Japan is great so far. Tomorrow, I will go to the university for the first time. I will then (hopefully) find an apartment really, really quickly and start getting other important things like a cell phone and a bank account. I have a couple of weeks of orientation and then start teaching soon. I'm looking forward to not living out of my suitcase and getting settled at work. I'll update you all in the relatively near future. You know how I am about blogging...
Also, as you may have noticed, I changed the name and layout of my blog. I hope you like it!
P.S. My visit to the U.S. of A. was perfect. Thank you to everyone who helped me feel so at home again, especially to Nadine and Brendan who let me invade their house for a couple of weeks. I can't wait to see you all again. And you should all visit Japan!
