Some more thoughts from today:
My first morning here I woke up to this crazy buzzing sound that I thought might be my air conditioning but the noise followed me on my walk around the neighborhood. It turns out there are these giant bugs that live in the trees and sound like car alarms. At first sight I thought they were birds! Huge flying bugs! They don`t seem to bother anyone, though, so I guess one gets used to the buzzing. At least I haven`t seen any of the tarantula-esque spiders that another teacher found in her house. She lives on an island, though, just across from my neighborhood in the bay. (See map!) Tomorrow I am going over for a visit. The beach is supposed to be nice except for the jellyfish...
I rode my bike to the school today! What a great ride! Just across a pedestrian/bike bridge to a road along the river less than five minutes to school! It was hot and sunny in the morning so I was thankful for the short ride. Coming home this afternoon it was pouring rain so I was again thankful for the short ride! I passed many bikers carrying umbrellas but I had left mine at home... There are bicycles everywhere here! I love it! I made the right decision not to bring my fancy road bike from home. Everyone here rides cruisers. The pace is much slower than I`m used to but it`s nice. Everyone rides on the sidewalk, which is extra wide, but it still can be crowded. It will take a while to master weaving through pedestrians and other cyclists. Did you know they drive on left here? I had no idea! So now I have to ride on the left, I guess, although there doesn`t seem to be such a rule on the sidewalk. I`m a bit afraid I`ll crash into someone! Wish me luck!
Right now I`m in a creepy internet "cafe" (there is free coffee and cheap corn dogs, among other snacks), typing slowly on a crappy keyboard in the non-smoking ladies-only section. Soon I will have the internet in my own apartment, however. After much fanfare today I signed another contract I couldn`t understand and I think it means someone is coming on Sunday to hook me up. Before that I have to go to the Apple store downtown and purchase a router. I also plan to look into getting an iphone! My dream come true! Anyhow, next time I post I should be able to upload some photos and let you know how to Skype with me, in case you are interested.
For now I`m going to get back on my bike and ride through the rain to get take-out sushi then go back to my apartment to watch the Olympic opening ceremonies. I`d rather watch it with friends but at this point I don`t really have any so I`ll try to appreciate the solitude. I`ll snuggle up with my Lonely Planet and plan my first adventure. Next week is a holiday (some sort of honoring the ancestors week) so I hope I won`t have too much trouble getting around. Apparently it is extremely expensive so that may limit my travels. We`ll see. Sayonara!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
You will love it there and Japan is a good jumping off place for East Asia. You might inquire around the expat community, but some cities have appliance collection day where you can pick up perfectly good things that are being thrown out. When I was there there was also a huge pile of bicycles by the train station with flat tires but my friends decided that it wasn't polite to liberate them even if abandoned. So although Japan is very efficient in some ways, things like packaging can become obsessive and then persist in a culture of politeness and tradition.
Are the insects cicadas?
Hey. Thanks for the great narratives! Makes me feel like I was there. I hope you meet some friends on your fast bike. No doubt that will be a great way to make friends. Bribe and be nice to the internet nerd who hooks you up; take a photo of him. I want to know what my fellow nerds look like over there. keep the pictures flowing. That buzzz is not a bird, it is a surveillance camera. Love, joe
Post a Comment