Dog go bow wow

Writing in this blog is addictive. Not only am I incredibly exhausted, my feet burning with relief now that those damned dress shoes are finally off, but I am also using my last inkling of spare time and energy to write this. If I don't, many things will be lost and forgotten in the ubiquitous reaches of my porous brain.

In other words, I am forgetful.

As you may already know, I woke up at 5am today, and did morning exercises. This is all well and good, but not when you have obligations until 9pm that night. Suffice it to say that today was a long day, and there was a point in it where I felt so shitty and frustrated that I said to myself, for the first time since I got here: "I want to go home." But we need to back this train up.

Trains! The all-encompassing transportation system here in Japan. Me and my friend Dayn met up this morning; You will remember that it is Dayn who is also a trainee, and who lives above me. As I recently discovered he also pays $300 less than me for rent, but has a dinky apartment, so I lucked out I think. I want to have friends stay here, and be able to keep plenty of stuff!

Woo tangent. We were walking to the station, and it feels nice to not be doing that solo, especially in my new hometown here. Please allow me to elaborate for you: While some of the recent "negative" experiences were rather poignant, I also may have exaggerated a bit - Many, many Japanese are tolerant of me, and most are friendly. It's just that here in Tobu-Nerima, very few foreigners are seen walking around. I know of maybe half a dozen, and there's probably even dozens more, but that is in ratio to probably 10,000 people, to just throw out a wild estimate. So, I get the most dirty looks here of anywhere, because foreigners aren't seen as much. Are we a threat to what remains of "traditional" Japanese culture, or do we help to bring perspective to a once isolated country and help them communicate with the rest of the world? Most likely both, but I certainly hope it's more the latter than the former. Either way, it's good to not walk alone.

We talked about some various topics, about our old lives and such: He is from Michigan, and I from New York, but we both enjoyed pizza and subs with lots of meat and other things that you can't necessarily get here. At the ticket station something humorous happened: An old lady walked in front of me in the line, which is funny in its own right because it would never, ever, ever, ever, EVER happen in East Greenbush, New York. OK, at least it would be highly abnormal. And then to put the cherry on the sundae, the damn thing flipped up and said "station closed" as soon as I walked up to it... Anti-Gaijin Detectors? I wouldn't put it past those technologically savvy Japanese!

But I kid. It was gorgeous and sunny so the walk to work from the station was enjoyable, and we took in Shinjuku in all its Urbane glory; I took a bunch of pictures, but do not have the energy to post them right now. I'll skip most everything about training, because again this isn't a work-blog! It's a life-, music- and Japan-blog. And, if anyone were too google my name and find this who I happen to work for, well, know that I love you guys for getting me over here, and I think you are number 1!!! :-)

Anyway, I love my little group of trainees, and the trainer today was hilarious. I have come to find however that florescent lights really bother me after a while, and I developed a headache after that chunk of first 4 hour chunk of training that stuck with me all day. I still have it now, and this is at least 7 hours later...but I chalk it up to lack of sleep and jetlag still rearing its ugly head. A bit about my fun little group of a dozen: One of them I met at the Melt Banana show, so he's into my music, which is boss. I also have a few Aussies in my group, whose accents I really enjoy listening to and trying to mimic. Girls with that accent are completely 100% always cute, regardless of any other factors. There is a former JET in our group (google that if you don't know what it means) and he's a bit older, but definitely more versed in the ways of East Asia than almost all of us. There's a few Americans, several Canadians and that's about all, really - the best part being that none of them take themselves too seriously, and we can have fun together.

After that piece of training we all had a break, so we went out to eat at a Burger King for lunch. Nothing really special about that meal, although it was a taste of home of sorts, and more filling than fish and rice - me and Dayn both thought BKs were nonexistant here, anyway. After eating my meal I felt naturally shittier, as fast food will do to you often times. We went to some mall down the road because this one girl wanted to look at shoes (oh boy), but me and my aforementioned compadre of musical taste found an instrument store in that same mall, and a large one at that! Long story short is we both plugged in and jammed for like 40 minutes, and that made me feel a bit better, as playing music always does. We also met a store attendant who spoke great English, apparently because he had come to New York and L.A. to see "jazz and rock bands," respectively. He insisted we come back again, haha.

As it turns out this musical fellow also knew how to shred, and with good reason - he graduated with a bachelors in music! (In the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, a bachelors in anything is acceptable for your qualification) So we talked as such, and although he's a very nice dude, I was happy to part ways and head back to work to snag my umbrella alone. The reason being that, well, after so much human interaction (about 7-8 hours worth) being tired and having a pervasive headache had gottent to me. I was in a serious "Fuck Everybody" kind of mood. I get like this sometimes, and really all I need is my space.

However, where is that space in Japan? Where I place my feet, where I sit to eat ramen? Not really. Subsequently I had such unpleasant, disconcerting thoughts as: "Everything here is completely foreign to me," "I don't belong here," "what am I even doing here?" And the aforementioned "I want to go home." It passed after a little while, and I just forced myself to smile, because sometimes doing your best to stay positive is really the only thing you can do for yourself.

It was 5:30, I was an hour and a half early for training and what should have been a 10 minute train ride, so I felt OK again. The training was also conveniently right at my transfer station, very close to home. I sat comfortably but was a little nervous, since this was different than the train I had taken the first few days, as Dayn had enlightened me to an express line that didn't make the 7 or 8 cumbersome stops on its way to Ikebukuro, but only yesterday. Determined however not to be unnecessarily paranoid I thought: you are fine, just relax.

So I did, and I ended up unnecessarily going to Shibuya, in the opposite direction. "No big deal, just get off this first stop and turn around." Wrong trains happen, it's to be expected. Only an extra stop back in Shinjuku and then I'd be there, right? I had plenty of extra time anyway, so no big deal right?

BATSU! That's something the Japanese throw around a bit, with the added gesticulation of crossing their arms like an X (a cute little gesture), and it means "wrong." Remember how I said in a previous post that I didn't have to worry about subway gropers? Well, I hadn't been on an actual crowded train yet. You ever see those pictures of trains being packed in with people until they fill to the brink, and it looks almost inhuman? Well, that's what it was like for me today on the way to finish up training. I was packed in like a sardine, gripping my bag and umbrella for dear life and trying not to bump people or stick people with them. As the train bumped a bit, I grinded by complete accident (and vice versa) into some salary man, and two middle-aged looking ladies who were both collectively as tall as me. It was so packed that at Shinjuku (the halfway point of this intense ride) I got pushed in farther from the exit door, and not even everyone who wanted to get on could.

Note to self: 6pm = rush hour. Ride train bad.

So, being thoroughly squeezed in, what did I do? I listened to my Ipod and just went with it. It really wasn't terrible so much as annoying, and difficult to not feel like an ass when bumping into people. Kind of like a really packed show, except at those I just make my way through the crowds; Here, that was damn near impossible. When we finally got to my stop, the worst was I kind of had to fight to get to the door. By the time I exitted the train, new people started pouring in, so unavoidably I must have knocked some people with my umbrella, perhaps in the shins or knees. At this point however I just didn't care, I needed out of that thing. That big, unnatural, sardine can on electrically-charged rails THING. I took a picture of all the poor saps standing in there, and will post it in the future. They looked at me with my camera, some glowering, and I just gave 'em the big old smile. With my work hours, I shouldn't need to take that train at that time again any time too soon.

The very end of my day was in Ikebukuro, which is another happening place, second to Akihabara in being technologically savvy with stores and whatnot, as Ian has so informed me. I was feeling real burnt but knew that I had to turn myself on for the training - it was an observation of small classes which turned out to be quite fun, actually - so I went to the nearest vending machine and sat down on a low brick wall at its side. I bought a Boss canned coffee for a roughly $1.20 (probably spent 20+ in canned coffees already, they are delicious) and ate some nutty chocolate candy that I had packed for lunch, but not eaten. The sugar and caffeiene were a good pick-me-up.

What's funny here is that I saw a black couple walk by. I'm just coming out and saying black, because ethnicity does matter here in Japan, and I could give two shits if you think I'm being politically correct in my treatment of the subject or not. Anyway they are all like: "hey, hey you, helloooo~!" So I casually pull of my headphones and say:

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"Yea," the girl says, "we need to find the Princess Hotel."

"O.K., well I have no idea where that is. Do you know what train you need to take?"

"No no, no train, it's around here somewhere."

"Well, I just got here last week so I can't help you. However, if you say "Shitsureishimasu, suchandsuch wa doko desu ka?" I'm sure someone can help you."

Here they seriously annoyed me, because the girl gave a distinctive cluck of annoyance herself, and said: "man forget that." I'm thinking to myself: "OK, you're here, you obviously don't speak a lick of Japanese, not even enough to ask for directions - is this somehow my fault or something?"

I re-iterate: "Just say SUCHANDSUCH DOKO? It'll get you far, trust me."

The male, apparently being less full of 'tude than his counterpart checked the pronunciation with me and said thanks, I think. I should have also said "there're these great things called phrasebooks and maps, you should try them some time!" But instead I said good luck, and headed toward my training session.

The teacher I worked with was incredibly nice, and a veteran of the company. I learned some good tips from him about handling lessons, and he even incorporated me in a few times! Meaning that I got to try my hand at English Conversation with a Japanese person whose level I was attempting to guage. I found it fun, exciting and challenging - not to mention interesting! Among other things, I have to try really, really hard not to laugh when a Japanese woman says something like: "Dog sound, you know, dog go bow wow." Also, I found out 2 particular Japanese cultural facts out which I had no idea of before: 1) People put water bottles around their gardens to ward off cats, apparently based on the loose assumption that cats don't like water 2) In accordance with Japanese tradition, there is a stringed instrument whose body is made from the hide of cats. Say "ewww" if you want to, but stuff like this is so fascinating, and I'll be learning lots of Japanese culture as an added bonus of my job and location. The awesome teacher also told some cool stories, namely about his cat catching a baby bat on the porch of his apartment. Badass.

Then, finally, time to go home. It was almost 9, and I felt lifted back up again, despite being tired and having to poo. Although the day had been rather rough at points, the ending was very reassuring, and the teacher even said to me: "I get that vibe from you, you are meant to be an English teacher."

Meant to be. Meant to be.

.......

I took the train home, but of course had to stop for something at the giant department store that is a good 3/4ths of a mile from my apartment, but very close to the train station. I bought a coffee maker (yessss), some new, more comfortable headphones, and random groceries like salad, plastic spoons and some kinda Asian stringbeans. All very exciting, ISN'T IT?

And now here I sit, in my underwear, beer at my side, thinking about just taking it one day at a time, because that's really the only way to live without going totally effin' crazy.



"Maybe if I eliminate the people who fit this so-called mold, my pain will finally be released, and my mind free of thought." - Suffocation

"Let me fly. Man I need a release from this troublesome mind. Fix my feet when they’re stumbling, and well you know it hurts sometimes. You know it's gonna bleed sometimes" - The Killers.

"Party 'Till Ya Puke" - Andrew W.K.