a litto bit 'o dis, and a litto bit 'o dat.

hello, hello.

so i've moved. monday was the day that i and a couple of friends emptied out my place [and by emptied, i mean gutted: curtains, light fixtures, the works]. i've moved in with a lovely girl who i work wish, kelsey! she's from BC [as previously mentioned] and is great. our new place is a little smaller than my old one, we both have the same size rooms, and there's a third, smaller room, which is the designated tv room, complete with two little tvs, two dvd players and one vcr. yes, we're balling. the kitchen and dining room are sort of combined in this one common area in the middle of the house. the shower and toilet seem new and are both really nice. so all in all, monday was a little bit of hell [moving for over 10 hours just isn't fun], but it was worth it!

work is going well too. i'm getting the hang of things, and teaching using the callan method. it's not too bad once you get used to it! the students are really great, and so is the staff. i reckon i'm going to be more british than japanese once i return to canada. we pronounce every little letter, and say things the british way. not that it's a bad thing! but don't be surprised if i've got a british accent in a year.

now just a little bit of entertainment from my POV. there are many, um, quirky things about japan that many foreigners just don't get. i'm going to make sort of a running list, beginning here, and add any more to forthcoming posts, as they occur. deal? deal.

+ when people are sick, they wear SARS masks, and it's perfectly normal. people will still sit beside you on the train and everything.

+ no talking on the phone on the train: it's pretty much a rule. i've been reprimanded by a japanese man for it. goddamn.

+ you thought construction in toronto was insane. as i type this at 1am, there is insanely loud construction going on directly across the street from my apartment. extremely weird for a country that is seemingly obsessed with being QUIET.

+ they L O V E to stare at foreigners...absolutely love it. it might even be a national hobby.

+ everyone has bangs. boys and girls, women and men. they're obsessed with bangs.

+ people here have incredible style. whether they're trying to or not, they always look impeccably put together. maybe it's their blatant nonchalantness that affords them the ability to carry it so well. or maybe i just perceive it that way. they're cool man.

+ the kids are SO goddamn CUTE!!!

+ cigarettes and alcohol are readily available in vending machines. you can drink absolutely anywhere. it's insane.

+ when i ask for directions or for something in a store, and say, "nihongo ga wakarimasen" [i don't understand japanese], the person/associate looks at me and continues speaking in japanese, as if rewording your previous statement in another form of japanese will make it THAT much more clearer. i guess you can't blame them, at least they're talking to us. many of them are far too intimidated to make a mistake in english in front of a foreigner so they won't even bother talking.

+ that being said, the people in japan are ridiculously nice. if you ask for someone's help they will come RUNNING to help you. in a grocery store, at the train station, you name it, they just RUN all the time! they say welcome, thank you, excuse me, about 100 times during a transaction. they're just too nice...

+ "sumimasen" is an indispensible word to learn. it means, excuse me, hello, welcome, sorry, what?, etc.

+ when japanese people say "maybe" as in "maybe OK", they mean, it's not OK and they have no idea what you're saying. maybe = no. if they say "yes, i think so" it means, yes, it's definitely so. something to do with the translation of the equivalent meaning in japanese. i think the japanese are such an unassuming culture, that they cannot directly say "yes" or "no" it's "i think so" and "maybe". it would be too presumptuous to say "yes" and "no". interesting.

that's all for now, hope you enjoy this, whoever you are.




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soph

employment update!

konnichiwa from Japan!

hope you're all well! just a quick note to let you all know that i've risen from the ashes of Nova, and found a new job! it's right in Yokohama, the city where i live. it's a small school called Naikara, and it teaches English using the Callan method of teaching. it's a direct way of teaching English, and is basically learning through drills, memorization, and repitition. it was a bit intimidating at first, but i'm really growing to like it! they've just hired myself and another girl named Kelsey who came to Japan from BC around the same time i did. there were only 5 teachers, but with us it's 7, so yes, VERY small! the staff is great, and really supportive. also, myself and kelsey should be moving into an apartment together within the next couple of weeks. i really like Japan, and am so fortunate to have found a job right where i wanted one! i've made a lot of great friends here and am adapting pretty well, i think! the language is still a bit of a problem, but i'm learning, and it's not bad at all [i'm getting used to the staring!]. so no need to worry about me any longer, hopefully things will be smoother from here on in, and i hope to see some of your lovely faces in the beautiful country of Japan, soon!

ja mata!


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soph