Mid-week update
Just a entry cos I can.
Not much news to report. I didn't make it to the castle on Monday, as I did my cleaning instead. Fun for all the family. With closer inspection I realised how dirty parts of this flat are, such as the grills in the hob over the stove, and the wall right next to the stove - they are coated in oil/fat. The joys of living in a guys flat.
It is a little depressing at the moment, as all the Australians seem to be heading home. I had been getting friendly with the Australians, as they are the closest thing to a kiwi around here, and I can look past their accents! There are only 2 kiwis that I know of around here, and 1 is in management (very us and them over here) but the other guy is kinda cool. I have made friends with an American guy, and he has Mondays off as well (most people don't share the same weekends or days off, which makes socialisation/doing things together hard) so that is cool.
I was thinking the other night I don't feel like such an outsider now. So that is good.
Re my last entry, I reminded myself of the Sly Stallone line in "Over the Top" (his best movie, and one of the best from the 80's) that the world doesn't meet anyone half way. I often believe it should. I guess I expect God to be genie-like, and make everything perfect, which isn't how it works.
This week has been a bit more productive, I managed to tidy my room into a more functional place, and have managed to harness my sleeping habits better. In fact I even have started exercising in the mornings, by running up the stairs of my apartment building (it has 10 floors) streching while I wait for the lift, and then running around the block (a good way to explore as well) and then climbing the stairs again.
Other than that, I thought I would share some random thoughts on Japan with you.
- Smoking is really popular, and smokes are really cheap. The theory of intelligent people (or people with an education) not smoking (cos they are smart enough to know it is bad for you) does not apply here, especially with the foreign teachers. Strange It is annoying, because I can't go and socialise with the other teachers without coming back and smelling of smoke - which is a pain, because I really only have 2 sets of casual clothes.
- Drinking is part of the culture. In order to get popular with the boss, you should go drinking with him. "he makes you drink" students have told me, and another student recommended that I should get drunk so I get a better salary.
- I was about to go and catch the thing at the planetarium, that I have intended to go to for the last week or two, but just remembered I don't have any cash on me. I have money in the bank of course (remember I am a frugal spender, and an accountant - I haven't spent all my money!) as I spent the last of it at the supermarket last night (I had to actually ask them to remove one item from my shopping as I didn't have enough money - but it worked out OK in the end, my limited Japanese ability sufficed). Which is my next point - We have ATM cards here, but EFT-POS as we know it in NZ, does not exist. Weird considering that a minor 3rd world country like NZ has something so brillant, but a technology superpower like Japan doesn't.
- Valentines day has also been adopted here, but what happens is on 14/2 women give men chocolates, and then on 14/3 men give women chocolates.
Yeah, thats about it. Better go and sort stuff out. Its 2pm now, and I have found the time between 2.30 and 5 goes like a flash.
Not much news to report. I didn't make it to the castle on Monday, as I did my cleaning instead. Fun for all the family. With closer inspection I realised how dirty parts of this flat are, such as the grills in the hob over the stove, and the wall right next to the stove - they are coated in oil/fat. The joys of living in a guys flat.
It is a little depressing at the moment, as all the Australians seem to be heading home. I had been getting friendly with the Australians, as they are the closest thing to a kiwi around here, and I can look past their accents! There are only 2 kiwis that I know of around here, and 1 is in management (very us and them over here) but the other guy is kinda cool. I have made friends with an American guy, and he has Mondays off as well (most people don't share the same weekends or days off, which makes socialisation/doing things together hard) so that is cool.
I was thinking the other night I don't feel like such an outsider now. So that is good.
Re my last entry, I reminded myself of the Sly Stallone line in "Over the Top" (his best movie, and one of the best from the 80's) that the world doesn't meet anyone half way. I often believe it should. I guess I expect God to be genie-like, and make everything perfect, which isn't how it works.
This week has been a bit more productive, I managed to tidy my room into a more functional place, and have managed to harness my sleeping habits better. In fact I even have started exercising in the mornings, by running up the stairs of my apartment building (it has 10 floors) streching while I wait for the lift, and then running around the block (a good way to explore as well) and then climbing the stairs again.
My flatmate is bemused at the effort I put into my cooking - I have been trying for variety, and also trying to use up things, such as eggs and milk before they expire - but to make pancakes for example, it takes about 40 minutes, which is a pain. However, its all fun I guess. I was surprised that as a Canadian, he didn't have maple syrup in the fridge. Sweet Chili sauce wasn't quite right on my pancake. I have decided that I will invest in some margarine, as oil isn't always the best to cook with, and it would make my sandwiches taste better.
Other than that, I thought I would share some random thoughts on Japan with you.
- Smoking is really popular, and smokes are really cheap. The theory of intelligent people (or people with an education) not smoking (cos they are smart enough to know it is bad for you) does not apply here, especially with the foreign teachers. Strange It is annoying, because I can't go and socialise with the other teachers without coming back and smelling of smoke - which is a pain, because I really only have 2 sets of casual clothes.
- Drinking is part of the culture. In order to get popular with the boss, you should go drinking with him. "he makes you drink" students have told me, and another student recommended that I should get drunk so I get a better salary.
- I was about to go and catch the thing at the planetarium, that I have intended to go to for the last week or two, but just remembered I don't have any cash on me. I have money in the bank of course (remember I am a frugal spender, and an accountant - I haven't spent all my money!) as I spent the last of it at the supermarket last night (I had to actually ask them to remove one item from my shopping as I didn't have enough money - but it worked out OK in the end, my limited Japanese ability sufficed). Which is my next point - We have ATM cards here, but EFT-POS as we know it in NZ, does not exist. Weird considering that a minor 3rd world country like NZ has something so brillant, but a technology superpower like Japan doesn't.
- Valentines day has also been adopted here, but what happens is on 14/2 women give men chocolates, and then on 14/3 men give women chocolates.
Yeah, thats about it. Better go and sort stuff out. Its 2pm now, and I have found the time between 2.30 and 5 goes like a flash.
posted by J T at
4:51 pm
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