Finally in Fukushima

After an intense week of training, and making some wonderful new friends (12 to be exact . . . okay, maybe more) I have finally arrived in Fukushima. There was a welcome party/going away party for me and the other teacher, Ryan last Saturday. Unfortunately it was probably the worst case senario. First of all, I was super tired and hungry after travelling from Omiya, and a lack of a good night's sleep. My feet were throbbing and all I wanted to do was sit down and eat, however it was more of a Western style party and we had to stand around and eat small appetizers. To make things worse, everytime I tried to take a bite another student would start talking to me and look at me with eager eyes so I had to stop and talk back to them. Then I had to go up on stage and make a speech about myself, and play a game with all the students. I was hoping I would be buzzed enough so that none of these things would matter, but for some reason I could not get drunk! Later that night I went with a big group of students to a karaoke place. Usually whenever I sang karaoke in the past it was in a small room where everyone sings songs together. Instead, we went into what looked like a large boardroom with a huge screen, and each person had to stand on a small stage when they sang! Of course as the new teacher I was expected to sing a song, and I was not looking forward to it. I tried to drink as much as I could, but still the uninhibited bliss of drunkeness eluded me. Finally, I gave in and decided that I had to sing, as horrible as I knew it would be. But of course there is always strategy to this: I had to sing, but no one said I had to sing alone. So I chose the loudest, most flambouyent student to sing with me, hoping that some of the attention would be drawn away. I'm not sure if it worked, but at least I got through it without feeling like too much of an idiot. All in all I had a good time that night though, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the students better.

The next day I was supposed to go with Ryan (the guy I'm replacing) to a bowling tournament fundraiser organized by one of the students at AEON. Ryan was a little too hung over from the night before, and he couldn't call me because I don't have a cell phone yet, so I arrived at the bowling place without knowing anyone or what had happened to him. Luckily the person I asked for help turned out to be the student from AEON, and I had a great time bowling with some other girls there.

This past week has really flown by, and I am very slowly starting to get used to work. It's really fun meeting all the students, but I have the hardest time remembering all their names. Right now is a really busy time for AEON so unfortunately I have to work this Sunday, but it's a pretty fun lesson on ordering at fast food places and at bars. On Monday I'll probably do some exploring around Fukushima.

It started snowing tonight, which was a total surprise because it had started getting warmer earlier this week. I always liked the snow before, but I think living in it will be an entirely different experience.