I am finally here!
I swam all the way to Japan, hence the photo of me underwater. Haha, the truth is I don't have my camera, so this is the pic you get until my camera is fixed.
The flight over was really long, and I only got to sleep a little bit. The guy on the other side of the aisle had his window open almost the whole time, and do you know how bright the sun is at that altitude??
I met some nice Army boys who were heading home to Guam. They wished me happy birthday, although being on the plane for the entire day makes me feel as though I just skipped my birthday. So next year I will turn 24, not 25.
Navigating Customs and the trains wasn't too difficult. I almost missed the Narita Express to Tokyo because I was stopped by a police office for a random passport check. I've been told they do that a lot here, so today my I am supposed to get my gaijin (foreigner) id card.
Today is my first day of orientation. I will be observing 2 classes, starting at 1 pm. Luckily I had an extra day when I arrived, so I spent most of yesterday unpacking and resting. In the morning my neighbor Erin took me to Aeon town, a shopping center. I know where to go if I need anything from KFC, Baskin Robbins, or Sports Authority. It's like I never left the states! Except, for all the weird seafood in the supermarket, the 100 Yen store, and yummy Mister Donut.
Erin, oddly enough, is from Tampa, and her sister went to UCF. My apt building is filled with foreigners who are teaching English somewhere in Koriyama. Everyone I've met so far has been very friendly and helpful, and totally understands how utterly confused I feel. They all say "We've been there." I'm definitely going to need to learn some Japanese, especially reading the Kanji and Hiragana.
3 comments:
hay steph-chan. i love the new nickname. lol. miss u so much. im glad u have ppl there to help u and that r from here. im so proud of u! love u lots. ~T~
Wow, we can't beleive you're there already and Happy Birthday!!!
Glad to have a way to communicate, I think you'll have experiences to share for a lifetime.
All is well here - new addition to our home Buddy (grandmom calls him Bubby) - golden retriever. Girls return to school 8/11/08. Elisabeth's scheduled for back surgery 10/1/08. Our address is 6945 Greenfield Lane Cumming, GA 30028, we'd love to have yours too! Love and blessings, Uncle Joe and Aunt Janine
So glad to here from you!!!! I had the same problem on my flight...sitting by the one person that left the window up almost the whole time! Can't wait to hear more!
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