Yea, I started a blog! Now what...?

Ok, so I finally did it. I've started a blog. Let's hope I actually keep up with it >,<

My flights from Orlando --> San Francisco --> Osaka, Japan actually went pretty well. My flight into San Fran was actualy a little early. While I did manage to drift in & out of sleep during my Orlando --> San Fran flight, the TWELVE hour flight to Osaka I stayed up the entire time. I couldn't sleep!! Ironically, it was only as we began to descend into Osaka to land that the lack of sleep really hit me. Too bad my Japanese journey had only begun...

Upon landing in Kansai Airport, I made it easily enough through customs and received my luggage without trouble (though my BRAND NEW suitcase looked like they had played kickball with it on the tarmac >.<). Unfortunately, upon exiting the baggage claim, a startling reality hit me: I had NO ONE'S contact info whatsoever. Not the school's. Not Drew's (my American roommate/co-worker friend). Nobody's. D'oh. However, I did know enough to go to Osaka (Umeda) Station, and from there find the train that would take me to Kakogawa.

Naturally, it wasn't just that simple. While I did manage to find the right station, after buying my ticket I managed to board the wrong train (a super-express train), and so I ended up having to pay an additional ¥740, and had them drop me off early (otherwise I would've paid over double the original fare >.<). So I went from having my own seat & a place to set my nearly 100+lbs of luggage to standing in a crowded train with luggage that was taking enough space for two people. I was so exhausted, there were times I almost dropped to the ground. Not a good start. And the best is still yet to come! I arrived safely enough at Kakogawa station, but now the reality of not having a way to contact anyone was REALLY beginning to sink in. Not only did I have nobody's phone contact, but I had absolutely no clue how to even ask! I did manage to find a map @ the station, but even that was limited in scope, and still completely in Japanese (most of which I couldn't understand). However, I felt as though I couldn't just sit around, so being the genius I am, I found what I thought MIGHT be the school (and the house which I'm staying) on the map & decided to drag my 100+lbs of luggage through the streets of Kakogawa. At night. Oh, and did I mention it was about 45-50 degrees?

Needless to say THAT method of finding the house failed miserably. Because my luggage was so heavy, I had to make frequent stops to rest. Add to that the fact that I was now cold AND hungry (and very much lost) and you can imagine how excited I was to be in Japan at that moment :P After walking about a mile or so down the street, and having no more clue about where I was at, I'd decided wondering aimlessly around a strange foreign city dragging super-heavy luggage was NOT a winning strategy, and so I decided to return to the train station. With no other options on the table, I decided to pull out my laptop to see if I could find someone's contact number in a saved email or scanned copy of my contract. You can imagine my elated surprise when I saw that there was a wireless hotspot nearby, so I was able to check (and send) email! So I was able to email my friend, Drew, who received it on his cell phone & was able to email me back right away! He managed to contact the gal who is the receptionist @ Atomic, Ayuko, who showed up with her mother to pick me up at the station and drop me off at Atomic. Not only that, but they also took me to the grocery store so I could buy some much-needed foodstuffs to get me by the next few days. They were very kind :D After that, they dropped me off at the house and left. And probably for the very first time, I felt alone. Very alone. So much, in fact, that I didn't even feel like setting up my room. I didn't even feel like being in Japan. I just wanted to go back. I missed everyone, all the sudden.

The first few days were hard. I knew there would be some adjusting involved, especially when moving (not travelling, but MOVING) to a new country. But knowing it in your head, and experiencing it first hand, can be two completely different things. For me, it was the idea of being so unsettled that bothered me the most; I didn't know where anything was at, what classes would be like, or even WHEN I would start teaching classes. I felt very unestablished, and it bothered the hell out of me. But fortunately, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

For starters, there was my friend/roomate/co-worker, Drew. Although he wasn't there the first night that I'd arrived, his presence has been a source of comfort ever since I arrived in Japan. To have not only an English-speaking friend, but someone I'm familiar with AND a brother-in-Christ...and just so happens to also be a co-worker...suffice to say it's been a huge blessing that Drew is around, and for sure he's played a huge part in making the move to Japan not feel quite so lonely and overwhelming. His experiences of the last 9 or so months have proven to be very helpful, particuarly considering they are the same things I now find myself going through or needing to take care of.

Secondly, over the past couple weeks I've managed to establish myself a lot more. I now have a [post office] bank account (it's actually the largest bank in Japan), have applied for my Alien Registration Card (a.k.a. "gaijin card"), have managed to find & shop at a Costco (the only place, yet, that I've been able to find oatmeal, peanut butter, AND Dr Pepper!). Hopefully, after I've had a paycheck or two come in, I can also get a cell phone, "accessorize" my room a bit more, and do a bit of traveling/exploring (as time permits, of course).

And finally, I'm slowly beginning to settle into my new job. As most of you know, I have absolutely NO background in teaching, with the very faint exception of teaching conversational English to some of the Japanese students that have come to Orlando as part of Mission-to-Japan's homestay program. However, despite this I've been persevering, taking things one class at a time, one day at a time. Overall, things have gone pretty well, I think, especially when you consider I have no real background or experience-based knowledge to fall back on. Some classes, however, have stunk a big one, but I'm trying to learn not to become discouraged from that. Unfortunately that's easier said than done.

Well, I think that will about do it for my first blog post. Hopefully that gives everyone a pretty good idea of my transition to Japan & everything that has entailed.

More to come (unless I forget to post...which is quite possible >.<)