Monday, August 09, 2004
Love and Peace on Earth
Since I arrived I've been getting used to the silence. I had my first day of work today and when I came home at 5 o'clock it was like, "Now what?" I forced myself to make a Japanese dinner and it turned out awful. I decided to write home but then I can only write so many letters and emails home before that gets boring too. Of course, I don't have internet so the emails I just compose for sending whenever I do get connected. Somehow even that makes me "feel" connected even though rationally I know they aren't getting anywhere past my computer hard-drive.
I sat down for an awful American horror movie that was beginning to scare the wits out of me when the phone rang. It was Peter, a second year ALT who lives about 30 minutes north of me in the "big" town, Kamigoto. What a pleasant surprise to talk to him. I feel sane again. Funny how talking to a complete stranger for almost two hours can make one feel sane. We talked about work, expectations, island life, gatherings, social activities. All the stuff we discussed in those damn orientations, but it all seems relevant now because I have some frame of reference. I was motivated enough to get off the couch, do my dinner dishes, start my laundry, pull out my futon and turn off the stupid movie.
I wasn't able to connect to the internet at school today either so I haven't had any contact from home for a while. There was a card from George and a postcard from Tante Laila in Norway when I arrived Saturday, but nothing since then. No one from home has called me either, even though they all have my number. It makes me feel trapped and very alone. There seem to be so many barriers between here and the life I left just five days ago. The phone seems the obvious choice, but dialing direct to America is very expensive and I don't have any phone cards or long-distance carrier set up. Bad choice to wait to get a phone card--there's nothing on this island. And I'm nervous about racking up a huge phone bill when I have no idea how much everything costs.
But as far as work goes, the day went really quickly. I met kocho-sensei (the principal) and there was a formal inauguration ceremony in his office. It was simple, but touching. I gave my speech in the morning and everything went fine. The school is so small--just under 200 students and some scattered staff and faculty (because it's summer vacation a lot of teachers are out of town). I didn't feel nervous about giving my speech because I figured only a few of them could understand me. The fact that it was a Peace Assembly remembering an action of war by my country didn't seem to bother anyone... or I was too ignorant to notice. I was a bit surprised that they all had to stand during my speech. The kids stand in perfectly even rows in the gym during all-school assemblies. I wanted to say, "Sit down, take a load off, it's summer vacation," but everything was super formal. There were teachers going through the lines whacking kids that were not standing properly. I bowed about a thousand times going on and off the stage---I didn't want to miss any of the necessary bows, so better too many than too few.
Hatakeyama was really busy the entire day with work that had been piling up while he was at his English conference last week. I felt bad each time I had to ask him a question about anything because I know it's just giving him more work. He never makes it seem like I am a nuisance, but I'm sure I am. He happily researches the apartment-internet question, orders my inkan (an official Japanese stamp, usually used with red ink, that serves the same purpose as a signature) calls the local car dealership and insurance company for quotes, etc. At the end of the day we went to city hall for alien registration, but finishing early we just went straight home rather than back to the office. I least I got him home early, which is basically unheard of in Japanese culture (see previous story regarding my friend Hiro).
Love and peace on earth,
Sierra
I sat down for an awful American horror movie that was beginning to scare the wits out of me when the phone rang. It was Peter, a second year ALT who lives about 30 minutes north of me in the "big" town, Kamigoto. What a pleasant surprise to talk to him. I feel sane again. Funny how talking to a complete stranger for almost two hours can make one feel sane. We talked about work, expectations, island life, gatherings, social activities. All the stuff we discussed in those damn orientations, but it all seems relevant now because I have some frame of reference. I was motivated enough to get off the couch, do my dinner dishes, start my laundry, pull out my futon and turn off the stupid movie.
I wasn't able to connect to the internet at school today either so I haven't had any contact from home for a while. There was a card from George and a postcard from Tante Laila in Norway when I arrived Saturday, but nothing since then. No one from home has called me either, even though they all have my number. It makes me feel trapped and very alone. There seem to be so many barriers between here and the life I left just five days ago. The phone seems the obvious choice, but dialing direct to America is very expensive and I don't have any phone cards or long-distance carrier set up. Bad choice to wait to get a phone card--there's nothing on this island. And I'm nervous about racking up a huge phone bill when I have no idea how much everything costs.
But as far as work goes, the day went really quickly. I met kocho-sensei (the principal) and there was a formal inauguration ceremony in his office. It was simple, but touching. I gave my speech in the morning and everything went fine. The school is so small--just under 200 students and some scattered staff and faculty (because it's summer vacation a lot of teachers are out of town). I didn't feel nervous about giving my speech because I figured only a few of them could understand me. The fact that it was a Peace Assembly remembering an action of war by my country didn't seem to bother anyone... or I was too ignorant to notice. I was a bit surprised that they all had to stand during my speech. The kids stand in perfectly even rows in the gym during all-school assemblies. I wanted to say, "Sit down, take a load off, it's summer vacation," but everything was super formal. There were teachers going through the lines whacking kids that were not standing properly. I bowed about a thousand times going on and off the stage---I didn't want to miss any of the necessary bows, so better too many than too few.
Hatakeyama was really busy the entire day with work that had been piling up while he was at his English conference last week. I felt bad each time I had to ask him a question about anything because I know it's just giving him more work. He never makes it seem like I am a nuisance, but I'm sure I am. He happily researches the apartment-internet question, orders my inkan (an official Japanese stamp, usually used with red ink, that serves the same purpose as a signature) calls the local car dealership and insurance company for quotes, etc. At the end of the day we went to city hall for alien registration, but finishing early we just went straight home rather than back to the office. I least I got him home early, which is basically unheard of in Japanese culture (see previous story regarding my friend Hiro).
Love and peace on earth,
Sierra
