Japan, here I am!

     Coming to a totally foreign world was exciting, scary and sad. Exciting because I knew I'd be doing and seeing a lot of new things. Scary because, well, I wasn't so sure what to expect. Even if some people have told me this and that, still you just don't know what else can happen. And then of course there's the matter of a different language. When I came to Japan, I only knew the greetings like "Ohayou", "Konnichiwa", "Konbanwa". That was it. Although it was in my plan to experience Japan, I never got the time to study the language. Come to think of it, was it time or money? :-) So there. I was also sad because, I was leaving my family behind, and who knows when will I be able to go home? I rested on the thought that I will be able to let them come, I will for sure be going home once in a while, and then this move is for all of us.
     Off with the drama. So, it was Spring (April) when I came to Japan. Everything was so colorful and colder than Baguio City which was my residence for almost 10 years. When I got off the airplane, the nervousness started to settle in. Everybody was talking in an alien language. Good thing though that some of the signs in the airport had English translations, and we were greeted by airport staff who were smiling, kept talking and directing us with nods, bows and hand gestures. Even when I couldn't understand what they were saying, the gestures were enough. I was met by my tutor at the gate. He is Chinese and until now, he tries his best to talk to me in English. We had dinner with our sensei and two other students. And they too tried to make me feel welcomed. I found myself talking in English really slow, and at times in "barok".
The 

The Gifu U International House. My first room was on
the 4th floor, 3rd window from the left.

     The best part of the afternoon/night was finally getting to my room, which was more than I expected. Well, of course, compared to dormitories back in the Phils. it was way more than I thought it would be. I mean, it was furnished! My own bathroom; shelves for shoes, food, clothes and books; my own desk, chair plus a table lamp; an airconditioning unit that can be used for cold and hot weathers; and my own firm bed! Ate Grace, the only other Pinay in the university welcomed me in my room and and we chatted endlessly as if we were long time friends already. She stayed until I finished unpacking and was ready to sleep.
     The saddest part was, I missed home so much!!! I had my phone on roaming so I was able to text them that I arrived safely. Tired as I was from my trip, I wasn't able to get much sleep. Reasons, well, one  was because of the new environment, then it was because I have been used to sleeping in my hubby's arms, another was I terribly missed home and I can't help thinking about them, and then I think I cried now and then through the night.
 

This Blog...

     I haven't been really into blogging. Unlike my sister, who now has two blogs that she maintain regularly, well as much as she can, that is. But compared to me, that would be "regularly". One of her blogs is all about her adventures in cooking, which is rather a happy surprise for the family since she wasn't much of a cook back then. The other one details some of her experiences as an ALT in Japan.
     The blogs I made and updated (as much as I could) were related to work. One was because it was required for a project I was involved in. So it was kind of one of the requirements to be able to get my honorarium for each month. The other one was all about the activities in our department. I am a little disappointed with myself regarding this one though, because I really wasn't able to put much in it especially since there was so many things that were worth posting. The only excuse I can think of for this is because of the so many intervening activities (most of it were also work-related of course). It's what happens when you make yourself a little "in demand".
     It's funny though that I couldn't come up with a "decent" blog when I really love writing. But I am much more comfortable with a notebook and a pen which I always lug around. Sometimes, so long as I have a pen, I would write on any writable material I could find, when the mood strikes me. Writable materials included tissue paper, a chocolate wrapper, cigarette wrapper, any scratch paper, receipts, the white spaces in pamphlets or flyers, etc. And then later, I would paste them in my journal, making it a little bulky because of the various inserts. And in this age of high end technology and gadgets, I still find a lot of comfort in writing down on paper. But I'd like to see what and how much I can do if I put my thoughts online. Credits for this decision are in part due to my sister, who has always been excited about blogging.
     I just started a new chapter in my life. After all the frustrations of my previous job, I finally got a break. It's not a break that entails a lot of money. It is more of a break from a regular routine. Don't get me wrong though, I loved my job. I loved the people I met. I loved the experiences. I loved the lessons I learned. I just thought it was time for another direction. Added to this, it's been a dream or a plan, but was shelved for sometime due to some reasons which will be too long to elaborate here.
     And in this new chapter, I found a lot of interesting things, peoples and places. And since I am sure I won't be here forever, I'd better document them as much as I can. This  documentation is not just for me, I hope it will also help others know a little about this part of the world. Although I have read some stuff about Japan, it was still a surprise and wonder when I really got to see and experience it. I haven't been to all places in the country (I hope I could though before I return to my country), but with the little I have seen of it, there are already a lot of stories to tell. Some are amusing, some are sad, some are downright ridiculous, some are unbelievable, some are unexplainable. In one simple word "interesting" is how it is.
     With this, I hope you will find it as "ineteresting".