My First Couple Weeks (part 2) "The Yang"

All right, here's part 2 as promised . . .

Fell Off My Bike

It was the outgoing teacher's last night and boy was I HAPPY!! I couldn't wait to see the back of his head disappearing into the distance. We had a great dinner and I had even planned to do karaoke with my American coworkers when on the way to the karaoke bar, I mistook a deep curb for a shallow curb that I could hop onto with my bike and the next thing I know, I'd flipped over and was sprawled out on the ground. (But don't worry, I did it in a really classy way!) Needless to say, no karaoke that night. I went to bed and decided to go to church the next morning because my spirits were loooow.

Found God . . . Again

So I woke up early on Sunday morning and forced myself to go to the local house of worship (which is the same denomination as the church I attend @ home.) The people were so kind and generous that they even invited me to go to lunch at one of the member's houses. It was a wonderful experience and I made a number of new friends, one of them being an American like myself. I was so happy that I was brought to tears. All of my prayers were answered when I met these people. New life was breathed into my experience and I suddenly felt like I could really do it. They volunteered their time to helping me get anything that I needed, which leads me to our next subject.

Got Internet

One thing that was never mentioned during this whole recap but was very much prevalent and constant was my continuous pleas and attempts at internet. My connection to the English speaking world was dwindling day by day and I was slipping into a world where I had to depend on pictures, sign language and my 2 American coworkers for every little thing. I felt like Helen freaking Keller and that was not working out for a grown woman. I started getting depressed. The company that I work for gave me the impression that my coworkers would help me to get set up with services such as phone, internet, and learning the ropes of my new environment and at some point my coworker did help me to get a phone, but that was about it. I didn't know how to use it and I didn't even know my own phone number. The instructions were written in Kanji, so I couldn't even attempt to translate that ish. But back to my pleas for internet.

The interactions were something like this . . .

Me: So, when do you think I can get internet?

Guy: Not today. Maybe in a week.

(One week later)

Me: You think we can look into getting internet tomorrow?

Guy: Why are you so obsessed with internet?

(...and adding her 2 cents) Girl: Yeah, I think you're spoiled.

It was then that 2 things occurred to me at that very moment...

#1 - I hated this guy. I hated him because he spoke fluent Japanese and could read Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. I hated him because he was living in a world that he could navigate with ease. I hated him because he'd been here for well over a year and had more than enough time to master this foreign environment without the extra burden of not knowing the language and having to rely on instinct and the kindness of others in order to get simple things like a packet of sugar or a bottle of aspirin. I hated him because everything that was extremely difficult for me, came easy to him. And most of all, I hated him because on top of all of these advantages, he was inconsiderate and dismissive of the one thing that I desperately needed in order to feel normal and circumvent the oncoming depression and loneliness that was closing in on me like a dark cloud. (Honest to God...at one point, I was on the verge of weeping when I heard "The Wheels on the Bus" song in one of my baby classes.) I was literally dying inside and this is not a feeling that anyone would understand unless they've been in a distant country, separated from everything they know and everyone they love.

#2 - I also realized that he was not going to help me get internet.

So when I went to church, the wonderful God-fearing people I met there understood how lonely I might have been and jumped to action.

Guy from Church: We've got to get you internet. I can imagine that you must be really lonely out here.

Me: (one tear drizzles down my cheek)

I can't explain enough how much these people were God sends. First they showed me what my phone number was . . . then they took me to the mall and got the ball rolling for me to get internet. It was an interesting experience seeing these complete strangers that I'd just met, translating and working out the logistics to my internet connection. And on top of this they hooked me up with a wifi device that allows me to get internet anywhere in the city. The thing fits into the palm of my hand.

That's hot, right?! Ms. Green LOOOVES IT!!!

Life Begins

The first thing I did when I got home that day was talk to the manfriend for hours on end. I didn't realize how much I missed him until I got to my apartment and called him at . . . I dunno . . . like 5am in the morning and heard his sweet voice and saw his face after what felt like an eternity of silence. I talked to him, my mother, one of my best friends and even emailed a few people. It was glorious! My days began to drift back into a more bearable existence. The weather here started to get warmer and each day was more beautiful than the next. Oh, and after showing up at the job every single day for two weeks (after his official last day), sitting in the lobby, playing with the students and occasionally scratching his balls, the outgoing teacher finally left. And with that the experience became more real to me.

Now everything is far from perfect here. My schedule kind of sucks. I work from 12pm to 9pm, Tuesday through Saturday. That's like the worst possible hours ever! But it really is one of those "when in Rome" things. Those kinds of hours are normal for Japanese people, believe it or not. So, I'm learning to accept it and have become a bit of a night owl. It also allows me to talk to my family at a decent time. I'm blessed to be able to live near the train station and sometimes after work, I take the train to a friend's apartment who lives in the next city over and we have drinks and vent about our day. Either way, I have been learning to adapt and still consider myself blessed to be able to have this experience.

So, that's all I got and I have to go to bed. You're officially up to date!