I hate Japan.

Okay, I don't really hate Japan, but I'm feeling pretty darn frustrated at the moment.  Do not believe that Japan is the Shangri-la of cellphones.  It is quite the opposite.  After several visits to the electronics store, I am finally prepared to purchase a cellphone (I had to wait until I had my permanent resident card and until I thought I had a vague understanding of how this worked).  The cheapest cellphones are about $300.  The iPhone is about $900 so that is out of the question.  Then you have to buy into a plan that you don't really want (they said you could change it later) and after you agree to it they add on insurance and call-waiting charges.  They make you buy the "unlimited discount packet plan" which I think covers the internet but is actually limited.  Then even with the full plan any calls made to phones outside the company (there are at least 4 major cell companies) cost about 42 cents a minute and calls within the company are that much after 9pm.  Then they promise you a "super bonus" but it turns out that doesn't kick in till the 3rd or 4th month.  Oh and of course there is an application fee, about $30.  In the end I fear I'll never use my $300 phone because of all the extra charges.  And get this: on top of my new phone I had to buy the phone charger because it was not included!  I want to strangle somebody.  How can the Japanese people stand for this?  Why are there no riots in the street?  Nobody understands it (I've asked around at school) but everyone just pays it like lemmings going to the cliff.  Then again, nobody complains that they use three friggin' alphabets either, and it's not like this is a society where anybody wants to challenge the status quo.  

I know I'm being melodramatic here.  Obviously there are bigger things to have a headache over, like Hurricane Gustav and the earthquake in China and Cold War II and Sarah Palin.  I must calm down.  (Thanks for enduring my rant, if you're still reading, anyhow.  I'm writing this from the electronics shop, waiting for my final cell phone contract to be approved, and I'm going bonkers.)

Oh, school today was great.  Every student did their homework and I adore the 2nd graders.  I'm teaching my first Theory of Knowledge class tomorrow and Model UN starts on Wednesday.  We're going to the MUN conference in Seoul in November and I hear there is a possibility of a bigger MUN conference in Dublin.  Cool.  

I'll get over the cellphone thing.  I can't understand my bank statements anyway so it's not like I'd notice how much money I'm paying for my cell phone.  Just don't expect me to call.  (Incoming calls, however, are free.)