Sunday, August 22, 2004
Love and Transport
Today has been the best day ever!!! I am so happy—things are really starting to fall into place now! Oh, where do I start? First of all, I was really disciplined and worked on my self-introduction lesson all day. It’s really starting to come along! Maybe one day I’ll explain, but not until after I know it’s a success! =) Blaine, the guy living up north, showed up at my desk as I was almost done with it and surprised me. Apparently he is here to practice bass with my school’s band. They are going to be in a show and they need a bass player. I think he just wants to play in whatever band he can, but he’ll be stopping by to practice occasionally.
So, Blaine is a former ALT and I decided to run my self-introduction lesson by him and now he’s my new best friend! Do you know what he called me? A SUPER-JET!! One of those ones that is really prepared and energetic! I’m so happy that I have chosen a good lesson because this is my first impression for most of the students and the other JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English). Then Tomonaga (who is also a band nut, remember?) was standing there and saw all my posters and pictures and notecards and he kept saying “Sugoi!” (cool!) So, I think I’m on the road to success!
#2 Reason Today Is a Good Day: At school I finally was able to connect my computer to the internet!! Yeah, this may sound crazy to make my day so excellent, but I have composed all these journal entries and taken all these pictures that I can’t share them with anyone back home until I can connect my own computer to the internet. So, today marks a very important day in the history of my arrival. Last night I was suppose to get internet in my apartment, but of course, I couldn’t sign up online, blah blah blah, and anyway I have to wait another week. This really makes it all better!
Because of the internet I was also able to get on iChat and I talked with everyone back home. I had Mama, Joe Joe, Daniel, Aunt Lynne, Rick and Leta and George—all at my disposal. I was holding an audience from thousands upon thousand of miles away! Ok, maybe I’m getting a bit carried away here, but let’s just say my cheeks were cramping from too much smiling!
#3 Reason: I got to play volleyball with the team again. I really enjoy playing with them. Hatakeyama is the boy’s volleyball coach and since he’s back today I also played with the boys a little. Mostly I just served, over and over and over again, until my back was twitching. So I switched to practicing with the girls for a while. Then Hatake apologized for interrupting and asked me if ...which brings me to the...
#4 Reason Today Is a Good Day: ...Hatake asked me if I wanted to have his car today! Apparently his parents are giving him a new car so he has no need for his old car and he wants to give it to me! Yesterday it broke down so he had to take it to the shop and get it repaired. So, basically I’m paying the ¥10,000 in repairs and then he’s giving it to me for free! We left school early to go get the papers and put them in my name. That only cost ¥3,000 so I’m getting a new car for ¥13,000! (US$130)! The only bummer is that the bi-annual inspection is due this January and that costs a ton of money. Maybe ¥60,000 for this car, but it’s required for all Japanese cars so I’d probably be paying for that on any other car anyway.
My new car is a greenish 2-door Madza Carol. (If you’ve never heard of it, it’s because we have nothing this small in America.) It’s about 10 years old, but the AC and heater still work!
So, Blaine is a former ALT and I decided to run my self-introduction lesson by him and now he’s my new best friend! Do you know what he called me? A SUPER-JET!! One of those ones that is really prepared and energetic! I’m so happy that I have chosen a good lesson because this is my first impression for most of the students and the other JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English). Then Tomonaga (who is also a band nut, remember?) was standing there and saw all my posters and pictures and notecards and he kept saying “Sugoi!” (cool!) So, I think I’m on the road to success!
#2 Reason Today Is a Good Day: At school I finally was able to connect my computer to the internet!! Yeah, this may sound crazy to make my day so excellent, but I have composed all these journal entries and taken all these pictures that I can’t share them with anyone back home until I can connect my own computer to the internet. So, today marks a very important day in the history of my arrival. Last night I was suppose to get internet in my apartment, but of course, I couldn’t sign up online, blah blah blah, and anyway I have to wait another week. This really makes it all better!
Because of the internet I was also able to get on iChat and I talked with everyone back home. I had Mama, Joe Joe, Daniel, Aunt Lynne, Rick and Leta and George—all at my disposal. I was holding an audience from thousands upon thousand of miles away! Ok, maybe I’m getting a bit carried away here, but let’s just say my cheeks were cramping from too much smiling!
#3 Reason: I got to play volleyball with the team again. I really enjoy playing with them. Hatakeyama is the boy’s volleyball coach and since he’s back today I also played with the boys a little. Mostly I just served, over and over and over again, until my back was twitching. So I switched to practicing with the girls for a while. Then Hatake apologized for interrupting and asked me if ...which brings me to the...
#4 Reason Today Is a Good Day: ...Hatake asked me if I wanted to have his car today! Apparently his parents are giving him a new car so he has no need for his old car and he wants to give it to me! Yesterday it broke down so he had to take it to the shop and get it repaired. So, basically I’m paying the ¥10,000 in repairs and then he’s giving it to me for free! We left school early to go get the papers and put them in my name. That only cost ¥3,000 so I’m getting a new car for ¥13,000! (US$130)! The only bummer is that the bi-annual inspection is due this January and that costs a ton of money. Maybe ¥60,000 for this car, but it’s required for all Japanese cars so I’d probably be paying for that on any other car anyway.
My new car is a greenish 2-door Madza Carol. (If you’ve never heard of it, it’s because we have nothing this small in America.) It’s about 10 years old, but the AC and heater still work!
My license plate number is 60-52.
A peak into the driver's seat... on the right-hand side!
I get to drive on September 1st, after my insurance goes though. I am already making mental plans to go up to Aokata’s gym after school a couple times a week. Knowing this is really happening in the next week has given me so much freedom already! I can’t believe how easy this is! Hatake is so great!
Love and transport,
Sierra
