Bike filled day

So as always I was woken up early today by the baseball team practicing across the street.  No concideration for time of day that others may be sleeping!  Anyway, I had nothing really planned for today so decided to try and find the Home Decor store and Book OFF I'd been seeing while riding Blue bus for the last few weeks and only just discovered how to get there from school this week.  My apartment is coming along nicely, but I want a kotatsu and a few more things I didn't get while at the 100￥　shop with Sana...or the replacement of quality goods from the failed stick hangers that didn't work in my bathroom.  Only difficulty was the way to them I'd discovered was by taking a MASSIVE bridge...something I try and avoid doing whenever neccissary.  So getting there took a little bit of my never get lost ability and some inginuity!  I knew the general direction I needed to be heading in so I kept taking the major roads that would likely have a bridge...but not the ones that arched over...I was hoping to come across a flat bridge.  Something I succeeded in doing! I found a great fishing supply store..that I bought fishing line from, to hang pictures with. 

It was a great relaxing ride and I found some great little stores, but once there I got down to some serious apartment stuff shopping.  I managed to completely stuff one of the 2 baskets, the amount of stuff I got would amaze you that it all fit!

bathroom trashcan
toliet bowl brush
2 kitchen racks (one for soap and sponges, one for my cutting board)
hanging hooks
broom and dustpan
silverware
2 coffee mugs
spatula & ladle
4 levels of shelves for my kitchen (which fits perfectly!!)

After that I headed to Book OFF to buy some CD's  my purchases there filled up the front basket!  I then headed back home, taking the route I'd discovered there.  Longer than it perhaps needed to be, but soo much easier than attempting that bridge.  When I was almost back, I decided to stop into a resturaunt called the bistro, which is pretty close to the apartments.  I've been wanting to go there every time I see it, but I'm usually returning with a bike filled with groceries and don't want to stop.  So I did today, and it turns out they only serve Omerice (omelete & rice) I love them, but was a little suprised because of the name.  Anyways while eating I got a text from Thomas (teacher from the Elementary School) telling me he was at Tokushima park enjoying some beer for Hanami and wanted to know if I was interested in Joining him.  It sounded like fun so I finished eating, dropped off my purchases and then peddled my bike into town.  Hanami was gorgeous..hopefully there isn't a huge rain or big wind until next week when Ingrid is having her hanami party there.  It would stink if all the blossoms were gone by then. 

Well Tom and I walked around the big park taking pictures and chatting, once we made a full circut and were back were the food was we grabbed some yakitori and tokoyaki to eat, beer (Tom) and hot chocolate (me) to drink.  With our purchaes we sat under a Sakura さくら tree and commenced some people watching for a few hours.  It felt nice to sit...this was about 4pm and I'd been on the go since about 9am.  So relaxing, eating good food and sipping hot chocolate was heaven.  While we were in town I stopped by TOPIA (international center) to grab a few books, and Tom wanted to buy a sweater so we stopped at city building.  It has his favorite store inside and did a bit of shopping.  I found what I am later going to go back and get as an anniversary present for my sister and brother-in-law!! After finishing there we went to SOGO and got some food from the international food store.   Tom was on the hunt for salsa....I wanted cream of mushroom soup!

Craziness that has been Japan recently!

So Tokushima wasn't effected in the slightest thank God!  We had a slight panic the first day being a coastal town on the same side of ocean as the earthquake, nothing came of it down here.  The baseball team didn't even twitch....they kept on practicing ALL evening long even as the police were driving up and down the the river bank (on which the school and apartments are located) with the tsunami warning.  Tokushima's lack of problems aside, having previously lived in Kawauchi villiage in Fukushima prefecture I've been extremly worried about my friends.  All of them had to be evactuated are still wherever they got sent unable to return home yet.  It's easy to see why coastal property here in Japan is the cheaper land available once something like this occurs.  Tomioka and Okuma (city where the Nuclear Power Plant that is unstable is) are where the largest number of my friends were located, and both are right on the coast. It's pretty scary thinking about what they had to endure and the challenges they still have yet to face.  A friend of mine kept posting right up until she had to leave her house because of the nuclear reactor that kept threatening to blow (her house is only 20km from it) seems Okuma where she lived had Tsunami damage 3km inland, barely missing her house.  Fortunately, as I've mentioned Kawauchi is in the moutains so I didn't worry about the friends there until the reactor added to the existing problems.  It alieviated some of my imidiate worries at least. 

My family has been trying to convince me to come back home, but as we aren't facing shortages or problems I can't really justify running away, either to myself of my employers....so for now I've opted to stay.  My concious doesn't really allow me to break promises without a VERY good reason, though...yay! my sister is pregnate....kinda makes me wish Tokushima was in a little more danger as to warrant my running home, it's going to be my first niece or nephew and I'm missing the birth by a good 6 months, and my sister and I are extremely close so it's a really upsetting thing to miss.

Packages from home!

So I asked my Aunt to send me a few things since I was at her house packing when I realized I wanted them and couldn't fit time in my luggage with other the other 'deemed necissary' pile.  I talked to her last week to give her my address here in Tokushima to mail it out and she informed me she included some candy....my greatest weakness...I was ecstatic though didn't really expect a ton.  It came in the mail yesterday:



Have I mentioned how much I love my family?!

I shared a bit of the Easter themed candy with my co-workers, who loved it.  The rest is currently sitting in my apartment calling my name...I think I'll be caving and going back to it soon. Wouldn't be very nice to leave it by itself all lonely now would it?

Namihodai

My first official dinner and drinking party with co-workers happened on Friday.  It was a ton of fun, for 2 hours we had a massive pile of food and unlimited drinks to consume.  After one beer I started in on Coke, which is expensive here.  Was totally worth it! After dinner the other 2 English teachers, one of the Japanese teachers, and myself went to a foreigner's bar here in Tokushima....not my normal style as I usually avoid where other foreigners gather, but it was fun.  I did some pretty horrible karaoke, and met a few of the English teachers from other schools and Eikaiwas in town.  Not sure if I'll be going back to that specific bar anytime soon, but the owner (Ingrid) is having a Hana Matsuri viewing party that I might attend, and by all accounts, her bar is the place to be for Halloween parties!

This isn't even half of what ended up in the pot!



Baking in a Japanese kitchen round 2

chocolate chip cookies

The whirlwind.......

Ok so the last week since I arrived in Tokushima has been...as you may have guessed...a complete whirlwind.  I arrived early afternoon on Thursday where I was met at the airport by Mika..my contact here every step of my hiring journey here.  After briefly stopping by my new apartment to pick up the pictures I had included in a package I mailed to myself from Tokyo before going to Taiwan, we headed to the local registers office so I could apply for my alien registration card ASAP.  It only took about a half hour, but I was still kind of dazed after my late night and then the plane ride that I made a ton of errors on filling it out.  I think the official thought I was an idiot!  haha but no worries it`s all sorted out and I get my card on the 17th...ish.  Mika took me to go meet everyone at the school then and to show me around...something I thought wouldn`t happen till the 1st...but no, I got tons of names thrown at me while sleep deprived!

Friday started off with a bang.  I was requested to come into school so I could observe a few lessons before having to take charge of class by myself.  Turns out they had Sankambi practice instead (Mika wasn't aware of the schedule change)...which is for when the parents come in to watch classes for the day...and so I got to participate.  It was fun though now that I've done it every day this week too it's getting a little rediculous.  I can't wait for the actual Sankambi on the 15th so I can be done with the practices!  Today was actually the 1st day where I taught both of the classes I am supposed to have.  Because of Sankambi they keep getting cancelled...sigh...it happens again on Monday...grrr!  Ahh well.

This weekend I met up with a girl I'd found on the internet when I went searching for people who lived in Tokushima.  I'd been penpal chatting with her for the last few months since I found out I got hired by the School here.  It was great.  All the other English teachers thought it was pretty smart to come already having a friend in town, so YAY!! go me!  We met up at about 11 and went to Okonomiaki for lunch and then headed to an Endo style street tourist attraction about an hour outside of town...we ate cheesecake and a strawberry tart while wandering around and then headed back to to town.  She decided to show me off to her co-workers so we stopped in the store she works and said hi to everyone. It was a pretty cool shop, I kinda wish it was closer to where I live so I could stop in occationally after work or on the weekends.  There was a 100yen (equal to a $1.00 store) and picked up a ton of stuff for my apartment.  In case you don't know, 100yen stores unlike $1.00 stores have EVERYTHING, they are simply fantastic places to get whatever you find yourself needing.  We then headed out for dinner and then back to my apartment.  I think she had wanted me to meet her family, but I kept her at the 100yen store so long that it was kinda late after we emptied her car of my purchases..so instead she came up and helped me put everything away and organize my things!  The shelf I bought for my bathroom was a total bust...I couldn't get the suction cups to stick to the walls....oh well, I'll have to figure something else out that wont damage the walls!

And tonight I am to go out with several of the teachers...English and Japanese..to wish Andre (teacher I'm replacing) goodbye and goodluck on his next job (which he hasn't even started looking for yet yikes!).  The resturaunt is kind of expensive but it should be fun, thus totally worth it!

Oh! FYI on my apartment...its way bigger than I thought it would be and has an amazing view!  The school's baseball field being across the street kinda sucks since the high school is also a baseball academy...so they practice everyday ALL DAY once classes are out..I'm told they do it REALLY early in the morning in summer to avoid the worst of the heat...so sleeping in isn't really going to be very possible...bummber.  I'll post pictures later....I'm on the school computer till I get some of my own in my apartment....I decided not having it was going to be WAY to inconvient.  darn!

Hilarious discoveries in Japan!!

Ash tray in the stall with you?!  Only in Japan can they not wait the 2 mins for their next smoke!

Here in the Airport....televisions while you go!

simply amazing

The view from my 3rd floor apartment is AMAZING!!!!  Now how often I stand outside in the cold just to look at it is minimal...but I'm told the warm weather is late this year so hopefully I be able to start more fully enjoying my newest dose of good fortune soon!