School Introductions

   I haven't slept well for a single night since I moved here and it's been frustrating me, especially since I can't figure out why. It's not doing my mood any good that I'm always tired, either. It could be the light streaming in through the giant glass doors right next to my pillows -- if it is that, I need to get ANOTHER expensive curtain because the one I bought just isn't up to the job. I guess I can't just get by with only one layer of fabric.

   Another thing it could be is the neighbors; they tend to bang around a lot from five to six -- if that's what it is, I can just try going to bed earlier. I tried a few nights ago and woke up around three in the morning, though, so I don't know if that's it. I kind of wish it were that simple so I could just fix it, because I'm really tired in general; I just feel like I need one good night's sleep to get my mood back on track.

   Yesterday was probably the most eventful day I've had here since I moved, and I was actually kind of excited about it. Was.

   Back when I first came to Japan, my company gave me no end of grief due to poor timing, organization, and all kinds of lack of assistance -- learning about the area I was going to, the schools I was going to, setting up a bank account, getting my foreigner registration card in a timely fashion -- you name it, they didn't really help much. Time passed and I settled into my schools nicely, so I completely forgot about the company, since the only thing I did that involved them, really, was faxing in a timesheet every month.

   Well, this year, since I got transferred to a different school, it's like I'm a newbie all over again... so I have to go through all this crap again. It's been downhill for me mentally ever since I found out and I'm still in a funk about it, honestly. Yesterday wasn't any help at all.

   The first time I was assigned to schools here, I had the impression that the company should be doing something other than just telling me to show up there on the first day. An introduction or something, perhaps maps to the schools would be nice, I thought. I had to beg my then-manager to send someone out here to show me how to get to the schools and introduce me, and they did -- the day before school started.

   At least this year I didn't have to ask and it was TWO days before school started... though I'd intended on just going up to do it myself. I was actually pleasantly surprised when one of the managers called me to tell me about the introductions. I should have figured that it would turn out to be nothing but a headache for me. She told me to meet the manager who would introduce me at the school at 11:30 and reminded me to shower, shave, wear nice clothes, etc. How... condescending.

   I showed up at the school around 11:15, figuring that it was better to be early. Boy, was I wrong. I stood around getting odd looks from everyone. Great first impression. After half an hour of waiting and not being able to reach the manager's cell phone, I called the company and asked what was up. They had no clue either. I waited around some more until I finally got through to the manager; apparently he hadn't known he was supposed to meet me at 11:30.

   Go figure.

   I was told to go home and wait til "1:45 or so" because "I should be there then." He said he would call me, then come to my apartment to pick me up. All right, I thought. I walked back down to my apartment, sat around reading some Calvin and Hobbes. 1:30, no call. It was still early, so I wasn't worried. 1:45, no call. It was right on time, so I wasn't worried. 2:00, no call. I was starting to get a bit irritated -- I had errands I'd wanted to run and I couldn't do jack while I was waiting. 2:15, no call. I called my company again and they had no idea what was going on. I couldn't get ahold of my manager still.

   2:30, he finally calls to say that he's got an idea of when he'll be here -- around 3:40. Great.

   So I sit around, waiting. He calls me around 3:10 to say that he's on his way and that I should meet him at the school. No free ride to the school, but no big deal, since it's just a quick walk up the hill. Of course, I walk up a little early just in case and he shows up ten minutes late.

   The introduction was pretty much what I expected -- incompetence. The school seems nice, though. The English teacher was surprised that I do kendo and said that the kendo advisor would be thrilled to have me, which I'm very happy about!

   From the school, we went back to my apartment so I could pick up the curtains that I'd bought last week that didn't fit the window in my living room. He agreed to take me down to the home center to return them, though there was no talk about bringing me home. I grabbed the curtains, went back out to his car, and off to the elementary school. We talked about my replacement a bit and I wasn't comforted. Apparently the elementary schools weren't happy with her either. Not much I can do about it, but ugh.

   The elementary school introduction went about as smoothly as the junior high introduction, which is to say that it was awkward. My manager asked a few questions, then resorted to repeatedly asking the teachers if THEY had questions, which they didn't, while I sat silently. After all, he's a manager and I'm just an employee, and that kind of hierarchy matters here.

   I finally butted in to ask some obvious questions that he wasn't asking -- the curriculum, number of classes at the school, which grades I would be teaching (only fifth and sixth?!), what kind of activities the previous ALT had participated in, whether he had eaten with the kids, what days he had come to the school (only Tuesday!?), and what his hours had been. I was surprised, since I had expected to be teaching all grades and on Thursday/Friday, like I had in my previous schools, but I guess it's a completely different system. Good thing I asked.

   It WILL be nice to be at the junior high four days a week, though. I'm glad I picked an apartment that's just a literal five-minute walk uphill to the school. The road up the mountain is pretty steep in some places, but it's really the unrelentingly uphill roads that get to me, as a cyclist. Or the downhill ones.

   Last night, I figured I'd go out to get a drink; I'd been drinking only water for a couple of weeks and felt like I wanted a change, so I thought I'd bike out to 7-11. It was absolutely terrifying. Most of the road to 7-11 is downhill, and it was my first time riding my bike here. Did I mention that it was wet and dark?

   Terrifying.

   I basically got onto the sidewalk by the main road, which is also a highway (or what passes for one here), and just sat while the hill did the work. I was holding both brakes to keep my speed down, but it was still terrifying. It only got worse when the huge, open sidewalk gave way to an old one made from a gutter cover; I kept worrying that I'd hit something I didn't see, fall over, and get hit by a car.

   Obviously, I made it through the night.

   When I got back home, I decided to go through the errands I had to do the next day. I HAD to take a bus down to the city to change my registered address at city hall. But since my bike was up here, getting around the city would be an absolute pain in the ass... so I e-mailed my former neighbor and asked if I could use her bike. I told her I'd take the train to the closest station (30 minutes), walk out to her apartment to get the bike, do my errands, return it, walk back to the train station... She agreed, so I thanked her and started looking at the bus schedule.

   The first three times listed had weird stars next to them, so I read the notice, which said that the bus servicing those times could not carry bicycles.

   Wait, say that again?

   If there are three buses that can't carry bicycles, does that mean that the rest of them can? I did a bit more searching (on my cell phone, which was a pain) and found that yes, they can. They have little bike stops between the rear seats, so those other buses can carry up to three bicycles.

   Hell, yes.

   So now my plan for today is to skip the train fare and walking. I'll just take my own bike and get my errands done. If my replacement is around, I'll show her around the neighborhood too.

   It's a plan.