In country...

So I've been in Japan 3 weeks today. And in Fukutsu for about 2 1/2 weeks. It's one of things where it feels both as if I've been here forever and just got here at the same time...

So I guess I'll start at the beginning... Tokyo... most everybody knows we got hung up in St Paul with a mechanical problem with the plane... and so got to Japan about a day after the rest of the JET's. It was funny, in one respect, that I had the benefit of the foreknowledge - from both Sandy and others who had been on the program - that the most worthwhile part of orientation in Tokyo was going out at night after everything was done for the day. And the rest, well... not so much really.

So it was easy to not really worry about it - despite the annoyance of the incovenience - contrasted with the folks I'd overheard saying "But we've missed a day of orientation! We're not going to know what's going on!"

Hm. Hate to be the bearer of negative tidings, but none of us are really gonna know what's going on, with our jobs, our apts, our lives, until we actually get where we're assigned.

After Tokyo.

But hey, pointing that out to people wouldn't do anything to alleviate their concerns. Plus, having lived in Japan before, with Sandy on JET, I had a bit more perspective than most folks there. And, you know, a little older than the majority there. [Meeting the girl who graduated from the same high school, albeit 11 years later, was one of those things that can't help but remind you of the march of time.] And occasionally with age comes a little more maturity and perspective when things aren't working out exactly as planned.

I guess I could have tried to alleviate some folks worries, but damned if I was gonna be one of those people.

"Those people" being the handful of people on the program that had lived and/or visited Japan before and made every effort to preach from on high as to how Japan "really" was... The sheer visceral response I had to these blowhards made me want to not even try to reference my previous time in Japan.

Another kinda strange thing was the number of people after 2-3 days, at the end of orientation, I heard saying "Oh, we have to stay in touch. We should all stay close and do things together." It reminded me of the end of High School, when the person who hardly knew you talked about what a big part of their life you were. These were folks who only knew each other a couple days. Maybe they all did bond, but it just seemed strange. I knew the only folks I might have a semi-regular interaction with are those folks going to Kyushu and Fukuoka Prefecture.

[Speaking of, it was kinda cool to see the Hawaii JETs come down to Fukuoka... Fukuoka being Honolulu's "sister city" most are in the area... But the ukulele's, pidgin and Hawaiian shirts were good to see. Just to think, 6 years ago that was Sandy...]

But I knew the only people I'd probably really interact with would be the other JETs in Fukutsu.

And that's where I wanted to get to.