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First impressions: 7-22-99 Well, I'm here! My first few days in Japan have been busy and a little overwhelming, but good! It was really hard to take in at first, that I was actually IN Japan. Our plane landed around 5pm, and it took till 8pm to get to the hotel in Tokyo... going through customs and all that. That first night, I was too tired to go out, and then the next day we were in meetings all day, so I didn't have much time to look around. But my hotel roommate, Karen, and I did manage to escape for lunch in Shinjuku and then later the group of Assistant English Teachers going to Yamaguchi-ken went out to a bar for a couple hours. It was tons of fun! The other people in Yamaguchi are really nice. I hope to see them often. Tokyo is an amazing city. I didn't get to see much of it, but since our hotel was in one of the most exciting neighbourhoods, I feel that I got a pretty good first look at the city. It's big, and very compact. In most cities, there's a downtown with skyscrapers comprising only a few blocks or so. In Tokyo, it seems to be skyscrapers as far as the eye can see... at least, that was the view from my hotel room! I definitely want to go back. So anyway, I came to Ube yesterday. I had been told that it was very industrial, and that it was famous for cement, so I was bracing myself for an ugly town. But so far it looks really nice! Very clean, plenty of trees, and lots of charming Japanese style houses. I've heard there's some factories, so I'm sure the town is industrial in parts, but as long as there are attractive areas as well, I have no complaints! My apartment is very nice! It's large-I was expecting something about the size of a closet, from the image of Japan we get in America. And the living room is a tatami room, it's so cool! It looks nice and traditional. The people here are really nice... surprisingly easy-going and informal! From all I'd heard about the Japanese workforce, I was expecting everyone to be very stiff and stand-offish, but they weren't. Everyone was telling ME to relax, in fact! I was very nervous upon meeting everyone in the office. I felt really inadequate with my rusty Japanese skills... I need to improve, or I'll be very annoyed with myself. Anyway, my supervisor, Tanaka-san, is a tall, thin man with thick black hair. He doesn't speak much English, but is eager to try and learn new phrases. I think I'll like him! I think I've been very luck with my placement here. I seem to be in a good situation: nice city, nice office, nice supervisor, nice apartment. I'm going to learn a lot this year. It's scary, but I'm determined to make it! If I try, this could be one of the most memorable years of life. I miss my my boyfriend, my parents, and my friends, but I think I'll feel better when I can write to them through email. It feels strangely natural to be here. Maybe it still hasn't sunk in. Or maybe I'll really be okay here. Only time will tell! |