Ok, quickly to any BH staff who read my blogs and take offence to them. I'm honestly really sorry to offend you guys. Honestly, I think you're all awesome. You've made me feel so welcome and I've settled in so quickly thanks to all of you (although, Helen, you especially, have no idea what a massive help you've been to me)! Reading my blog back I can actually see how you can take offence to it. You guys have been here longer than me, so you all know eachother better and it's not fair of me to say, as a fact, that you're not close.
It's just, since I've arrived... I've felt very welcome... But quite isolated. I much prefer spending time with large groups of people than by myself, I'm well aware that not everyone likes this all the time, even me. I mean, I've left my door open (when it's tidy), in the hopes that you'll all feel like you can come and talk to me at any time... Meeting new people is very hard... And I figured that if I just threw myself out there and made an effort, it'd be easier.
Please, don't mistake my enthusiasm for some sort of self righteous crusade to make you all better people. It's honestly just a simple matter of wanting to please people, and I feel sad that people have misunderstood my intentions so much, as that's the last thing I wanted.
I'm still going to make an effort with parties and get-togethers and stuff because I really enjoy being around you guys... But please don't feel like I'll judge you if you don't come.
If I ever make any of you feel like this again, please just take me aside and talk to me about it. I write this blog mainly so my family can know what I'm up to and how I feel about things. I didn't think about the effect it might have on you guys if you read it.
Sorry again x
Anyway, yesterday was amazing! I was going to write this blog last night, but my laptop ran out of battery, and then I fell asleep.
So, I missed breakfast AGAIN! But that's fine because I had sushi for breakfast... Again.
James and I went down to Shirakawa. I bought myself some cereal and milk (although it's made out of soy beans... So it's not real) so when I miss breakfast again (meaning tomorrow), I can just have some of my own. I also got some English tea bags (YAAAY), a plant named George, a tea cup in which to put my plant, a box type thing, a washing bag... And some other random stuff I can't remember...
When we got back to BH, James and I spent the rest of the day cleaning the kitchen thouroughly! I've got a picture of me with the cloth I used... I'll upload it later. I felt so very pleased with myself. Loads of people commented that it no longer smelled of mouldy cat food... I'm going to have breakfast there once I've finished this blog, because I can!
I still want to sort the cupboards out so that there is some sort of organisation with the cutlery and crockery... But that'll have to wait until next week... Or whenever I have time off.
So, anyway, once we'd finished tidying up, James and I went for a quick swim (meaning James went for a swim, I did a lap and nearly passed out because I'm so horribly unfit!). Then Mansell came over and brought a load of delicious food! Then, Yasu arrived with a bottle of rose
champagne. So, after a lot of seriously good food and about 3 glasses of wine and champagne, I was quite tipsy to say the least. It was awesome, all of us sat around eating good food and chatting. Also, I had a chance to talk to Kenny properly for the first time... Kenny's cool...
When Helen told us that the interns were down in the pub, we decided to go down to the pub to hang out with the interns. I brought in a bottle of Vodka I bought so that I can get cheaper drinks at the pub (i.e. I only have to pay for the other drink mixed in). James asked me if he could use my vodka, and I didn't see why not... So he said
"Koka-Kora do Voduka o kudasai" - Coca-Cola and vodka please.
And I added
"Watashi no voduka!" - My vodka!
So Noriko (behind the bar) gave him a cola and me a shot of vodka... So after we realised that she'd misheard both of us, I ended up with a vodka and orange as well as the ridiculous amounts of alcohol I'd already consumed.
I was quite drunk. But I've noticed that when I'm drunk I'm far more comfortable with speaking Japanese... I stop worrying about whether I'm wrong and just say what I think is right... And thankfully, most of the time, it is... And when it's not I can blame the alcohol!
So, James and I went to the back of the pub to join Mel, Yuta and Yasu with all the interns. They're all so sweet! They're leaving today and I'm really going to miss them. I kept speaking to them in Japanese and they were really helpful and kept teaching me random words... Most of which I've now forgotten...
They then started asking for "Nora", asking when "Nora" would be down... I was like "who is Nora?!". Then Nolan came down and they all cheered! Apparently they find him cute. They then made a massive fuss of his shoulder length hair so I whispered to Ayumi "mitsuami" (plait), so she and Airi put his hair in pigtails, which looked adorable. I think Dennis joined us at one point... But I can't completely remember the whole night.
So yeah, there was lots of silly fun. Mel and Yasu kept picking the girls up and throwing them around, which was hilarious. I spent most of the night speaking in Japanese... Which made me feel so happy. I took loads of pictures, so they'll be up later... And I gave Ayumi my e-mail address so we can stay in contact, which will be awesome.
Oh, and I taught the girls random words... The best word I taught them was probably "yoink". When Ayumi took James' chair, I told her to shout "yoink" to him. So she did, then asked James what it meant. So we told her it was slang for stealing. She then kept using it. And when someone took her phone of her she shouted "I got yoink!" It was so cute!!
Also, at one point James said "oh, I see" when they explained something to him. Then they all started saying "wo ai ni!" I was like "but that's Chinese for 'I love you'"... then they said it sounded similar... I guess it does... Sort of...
After James, Nolan and I became exhausted with laughter and sillyness we headed back to the house to watch a film together and invited everyone in the pub. So James, Nolan, Dennis, Yasu, Kenny and I all watched Alien 3 together. About 2o minutes into the film I fell asleep, only waking up to see someone in the film, die, another guy curse loudly and everyone in the room laughed. I joined in the laughter and fell back asleep. Then later on I heard someone suggesting drawing a moustache on me... But I was still asleep so I didn't care.
So, I ended up going to bed at 2am last night... So I'm absolutley shocked that I woke up at 7:30, before my alarm... Maybe that's what I should do to become a
morning person. Drink lots and go to bed at stupid o'clock!
I tried uploading pictures, but they're being all weird sizes... So, later!
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Monday, 3 November 2008
Awesome!
Ok, so this morning I woke up when I wanted to! Once I've typed this I'm going to get dressed, then I'll go and have breakfast, then to the office to sort some things. Then I begin my busy, busy day.
Yeah, I spent most of yesterday planning on spending today just relaxing... But that's all changed now!
Ok, so basically, after typing my blog last night, I went into the living room to watch some Japanese TV. I watched some hilariously awful game show in which they had to do various random things... And I could never work out the rules. Then I watched some rubbish drama set in ancient Japan, where this woman was going around just beating up the bad guys and it was all set around that. The fight scenes were so terrible I cried with laughter. The sound effect when she punched someone was ridiculous and the sound was made just after the hit connected and the people she hit WAY overreacted. Yeah... I fell asleep partway through. The sofa's downstairs are so comfortable.
When I woke up, I went to the pub...
When I got there I saw were a load of Japanese interns and Mansell, one of the English teachers. I've talked to Mansell a few times, but not properly, so I went and sat myself next to him, (seeing as I knew nobody else) and we got chatting. Mansell is a very intelligent, interesting person. He's done a LOT with his life and is very well educated. It was great fun talking to him. I haven't had an actual intellectual conversation like that in a good long time, so it was awesome.
At some point we got onto the topic of the gaijin house (working holiday staff house). I've noticed from the moment I arrived that everyone just locks themselves away in their rooms every night and nobody communicates with anyone else.
When I was about to arrive here, I imagined that everyone, living so close together would be really close and do everything together. I was dreading this. Trying to worm my way into their little clique was going to be a nightmare. But there is no clique... There is no closeness. Everyone complains that they're so bored all the time because we're stuck up a mountain. But that's not the problem at all. Everyone's so bored because everyone spends all their free time in solitude and the only reason they enjoy going down to Shirakawa is because they do it with other people!
So! Faye's going to start making some changes around here. At the pub, James came over and joined in our discussion, so I told him what I think of the lack of community here and he agrees... I think. He doesn't have a choice! So, today we're going down to Shirakawa to buy cleaning supplies and some food. Then when we get back we (meaning me) are going to clean the kitchen and living room and make it somewhere really nice to live with eachother. Then Mansell is going to bring over some middle eastern food and scones (he'll make scones with his Japanese classes. He just loves middle eastern food because he's originally from South Africa) then we're going to invite everyone downstairs to the kitchen to try these lovely foods.
And from now on I'm going to try and make events. Not every day... Because apparently they used to do daily parties and everyone got bored of them. But maybe at birthdays and when a new person arrives and Christmas and New Year etc... Maybe one night a week we just watch a film together.
I'm going to go insane if I spend the next 10 months locked away in my room in forced solitude! That's not for me!!!
Seriously... I don't think I've ever felt so outgoing in my life! To actually change the way a whole house lives single handedly... But they need it, they really do!
Yeah, I spent most of yesterday planning on spending today just relaxing... But that's all changed now!
Ok, so basically, after typing my blog last night, I went into the living room to watch some Japanese TV. I watched some hilariously awful game show in which they had to do various random things... And I could never work out the rules. Then I watched some rubbish drama set in ancient Japan, where this woman was going around just beating up the bad guys and it was all set around that. The fight scenes were so terrible I cried with laughter. The sound effect when she punched someone was ridiculous and the sound was made just after the hit connected and the people she hit WAY overreacted. Yeah... I fell asleep partway through. The sofa's downstairs are so comfortable.
When I woke up, I went to the pub...
When I got there I saw were a load of Japanese interns and Mansell, one of the English teachers. I've talked to Mansell a few times, but not properly, so I went and sat myself next to him, (seeing as I knew nobody else) and we got chatting. Mansell is a very intelligent, interesting person. He's done a LOT with his life and is very well educated. It was great fun talking to him. I haven't had an actual intellectual conversation like that in a good long time, so it was awesome.
At some point we got onto the topic of the gaijin house (working holiday staff house). I've noticed from the moment I arrived that everyone just locks themselves away in their rooms every night and nobody communicates with anyone else.
When I was about to arrive here, I imagined that everyone, living so close together would be really close and do everything together. I was dreading this. Trying to worm my way into their little clique was going to be a nightmare. But there is no clique... There is no closeness. Everyone complains that they're so bored all the time because we're stuck up a mountain. But that's not the problem at all. Everyone's so bored because everyone spends all their free time in solitude and the only reason they enjoy going down to Shirakawa is because they do it with other people!
So! Faye's going to start making some changes around here. At the pub, James came over and joined in our discussion, so I told him what I think of the lack of community here and he agrees... I think. He doesn't have a choice! So, today we're going down to Shirakawa to buy cleaning supplies and some food. Then when we get back we (meaning me) are going to clean the kitchen and living room and make it somewhere really nice to live with eachother. Then Mansell is going to bring over some middle eastern food and scones (he'll make scones with his Japanese classes. He just loves middle eastern food because he's originally from South Africa) then we're going to invite everyone downstairs to the kitchen to try these lovely foods.
And from now on I'm going to try and make events. Not every day... Because apparently they used to do daily parties and everyone got bored of them. But maybe at birthdays and when a new person arrives and Christmas and New Year etc... Maybe one night a week we just watch a film together.
I'm going to go insane if I spend the next 10 months locked away in my room in forced solitude! That's not for me!!!
Seriously... I don't think I've ever felt so outgoing in my life! To actually change the way a whole house lives single handedly... But they need it, they really do!
Japan is awesome
I love Japan. I had Sushi for breakfast for only 210 yen (about a pound)... I only had four pieces... But still!
Today we went down to Shirakawa. I love it. The houses look really traditional and old fashioned and it's got some really awesome places. The place we went to for sushi was called "Genki Sushi". It was really fun there. Plus we had endless free green tea... Which I found suprisingly nice... It was powder rather than in a teabag...
We then went to the 100 yen shop (although not everything is 100 yen, as I very quickly discovered, just cheap). Oh god, it was amazing... It's absolutely huge and has got loads of absolutely random stuff. Plus, they were playing a CD of J-Pop music... But this was all played on synthesised saxaphone. It was hilarious... I hadn't even realised until I recognised one of the tunes as being an Arashi song, then started humming along.
After that we quickly stopped by at a convenience store, then we went to a place called Black Shop. I'd heard a lot about it from the gaijin staff as being the place they get their music, posters, instruments, games etc from... But seriously!
I was amazed by Black Shop. It's like someone got every geeky shop I've ever been in, smushed them together, then gave it drugs!!! Downstairs was clothes, games, retro games (Seriously, I saw a SNES), films and sweets. Upstairs was music, fishing stuff, posters, porn and manga. This shop is absolutely HUGE and set out as confusingly as I think humanly possible. I browsed the music for a long time, feeling very confused... They supposedly had some sort of order... But I couldn't work it out, even with my ability to read hiragana (which was used to seperate the different artsist by name)... I couldn't find any posters I wanted either. Most were Jpop bands that Hannah's more into than myself. Although there was a hilarious picture of NEWS dressed in absolutely ridiculous clothes with glitter, sequins and feathers and everything and they all look really unimpressed.
I didn't get a really good look around in the end because we had to leave to catch the bus back up to BH.
So, today I bought:
A plastic cup for toothbrush and things
A glass cup for drinking
A bag to hold plastic bags (I thought it was a washing bag... But it's not... Oh well, at least I've now got something to put plastic bags in)
A really cute writing set
Washing powder
Soap and an adorable flannel that came as a set
A bundle of random CD's for only 105 yen (about 60p)
A News calander from 2005. Oh god, they all look so very young.
Shirakawa is way fun. It's so rural that there are NO other gaijin around, at all. So it was fun, the three of us walking around, getting people looking at us. Some guy drove past in his car and waved at us, so I waved back. I then asked if we knew him or if he was just waving to us because we were gaijin. Helen and Mel explained that he worked at the hotel pool. Later on another guy waved at us from his car, again I waved back... None of us knew who he was...
When we got back, there was some comedian filming some sketches in the main house. We watched for a bit... He was dressed up as a geisha and talking so fast I couldn't even guess what he was saying. None of the Japanese staff knew who he was... So he's either on the brink of fame... Or just not famous...
I just had some really tasty food at the staff resteraunt. They actually make really good food there. I just had some lamb in a spicy sauce of some sort... The chef was a different one from normal. He doesn't usually talk to the staff, so he didn't know any English... So he kept talking to me really quickly in Japanese... I was like "slow down", trying to use my hands to indicate speaking slowly.... According to my dictionary to say "please speak slowly" you say "Moo sukoshi yukuri hanashite kudasai."
Moo - Again (the "oo" in "moo" is said more like an extended "ohh")
Sukoshi - A little
Yukuri - Slowly
Hanashite - Speaking
Kudasai - Please
This is how I'm teaching myself Japanese at the moment. I pick out an example sentence out of the dictionary and then analyse all the components. It's helping me understand the grammar a bit better.
Oh, and while we were eating dinner, there was a kids programme on TV... Where this guy attacked the bad guy using dango (a sort of rice cake). Then, when he hit the bad guy in the mouth everyone suddenly seemed to be really relaxed and this old woman fell in love with him and started chasing him... It was so hilarious! But really weird... I think I will take moms suggestion to learn using kids TV.
I've just realised that my little finger on my right hand is only ever used to do a ' when I'm typing. The rest of the time it sticks way out, away from the rest of my hand. It's really weird... I've only just noticed whilst typing this.
I'm kind of glad I've got nothing to do tomorrow... I'll have a relaxing day in. I'll probably have a good lie in, then tidy up a bit, then maybe have a bath. Then I'll probably teach myself some more Japanese or relax in the living room or something... In fact, I might go to the living room now. It's only 6:30... People won't be going to the pub for a couple of hours... Yeah... I'll see if I work out how to use the DVD player... Plus, it's the only room in the house with tatami mats... And I love the tatami mats... They smell so nice and they feel so nice under my feet, so soft and warm.
I've noticed actually... Japan seems to have a specific smell. I always noticed on my imported Shoxx magazines or Loli bibles, they smelled really nice and unusual... Japan smells kind of like that. It a really strange, sort of sweet smell. It's really hard to explain! Come to Japan, then you'll get what I mean... Or you'll just contine to think I'm weird for smelling Japan...
So yeah, another one tomorrow morning, probably... If anything interesting happens later...
Today we went down to Shirakawa. I love it. The houses look really traditional and old fashioned and it's got some really awesome places. The place we went to for sushi was called "Genki Sushi". It was really fun there. Plus we had endless free green tea... Which I found suprisingly nice... It was powder rather than in a teabag...
We then went to the 100 yen shop (although not everything is 100 yen, as I very quickly discovered, just cheap). Oh god, it was amazing... It's absolutely huge and has got loads of absolutely random stuff. Plus, they were playing a CD of J-Pop music... But this was all played on synthesised saxaphone. It was hilarious... I hadn't even realised until I recognised one of the tunes as being an Arashi song, then started humming along.
After that we quickly stopped by at a convenience store, then we went to a place called Black Shop. I'd heard a lot about it from the gaijin staff as being the place they get their music, posters, instruments, games etc from... But seriously!
I was amazed by Black Shop. It's like someone got every geeky shop I've ever been in, smushed them together, then gave it drugs!!! Downstairs was clothes, games, retro games (Seriously, I saw a SNES), films and sweets. Upstairs was music, fishing stuff, posters, porn and manga. This shop is absolutely HUGE and set out as confusingly as I think humanly possible. I browsed the music for a long time, feeling very confused... They supposedly had some sort of order... But I couldn't work it out, even with my ability to read hiragana (which was used to seperate the different artsist by name)... I couldn't find any posters I wanted either. Most were Jpop bands that Hannah's more into than myself. Although there was a hilarious picture of NEWS dressed in absolutely ridiculous clothes with glitter, sequins and feathers and everything and they all look really unimpressed.
I didn't get a really good look around in the end because we had to leave to catch the bus back up to BH.
So, today I bought:
A plastic cup for toothbrush and things
A glass cup for drinking
A bag to hold plastic bags (I thought it was a washing bag... But it's not... Oh well, at least I've now got something to put plastic bags in)
A really cute writing set
Washing powder
Soap and an adorable flannel that came as a set
A bundle of random CD's for only 105 yen (about 60p)
A News calander from 2005. Oh god, they all look so very young.
Shirakawa is way fun. It's so rural that there are NO other gaijin around, at all. So it was fun, the three of us walking around, getting people looking at us. Some guy drove past in his car and waved at us, so I waved back. I then asked if we knew him or if he was just waving to us because we were gaijin. Helen and Mel explained that he worked at the hotel pool. Later on another guy waved at us from his car, again I waved back... None of us knew who he was...
When we got back, there was some comedian filming some sketches in the main house. We watched for a bit... He was dressed up as a geisha and talking so fast I couldn't even guess what he was saying. None of the Japanese staff knew who he was... So he's either on the brink of fame... Or just not famous...
I just had some really tasty food at the staff resteraunt. They actually make really good food there. I just had some lamb in a spicy sauce of some sort... The chef was a different one from normal. He doesn't usually talk to the staff, so he didn't know any English... So he kept talking to me really quickly in Japanese... I was like "slow down", trying to use my hands to indicate speaking slowly.... According to my dictionary to say "please speak slowly" you say "Moo sukoshi yukuri hanashite kudasai."
Moo - Again (the "oo" in "moo" is said more like an extended "ohh")
Sukoshi - A little
Yukuri - Slowly
Hanashite - Speaking
Kudasai - Please
This is how I'm teaching myself Japanese at the moment. I pick out an example sentence out of the dictionary and then analyse all the components. It's helping me understand the grammar a bit better.
Oh, and while we were eating dinner, there was a kids programme on TV... Where this guy attacked the bad guy using dango (a sort of rice cake). Then, when he hit the bad guy in the mouth everyone suddenly seemed to be really relaxed and this old woman fell in love with him and started chasing him... It was so hilarious! But really weird... I think I will take moms suggestion to learn using kids TV.
I've just realised that my little finger on my right hand is only ever used to do a ' when I'm typing. The rest of the time it sticks way out, away from the rest of my hand. It's really weird... I've only just noticed whilst typing this.
I'm kind of glad I've got nothing to do tomorrow... I'll have a relaxing day in. I'll probably have a good lie in, then tidy up a bit, then maybe have a bath. Then I'll probably teach myself some more Japanese or relax in the living room or something... In fact, I might go to the living room now. It's only 6:30... People won't be going to the pub for a couple of hours... Yeah... I'll see if I work out how to use the DVD player... Plus, it's the only room in the house with tatami mats... And I love the tatami mats... They smell so nice and they feel so nice under my feet, so soft and warm.
I've noticed actually... Japan seems to have a specific smell. I always noticed on my imported Shoxx magazines or Loli bibles, they smelled really nice and unusual... Japan smells kind of like that. It a really strange, sort of sweet smell. It's really hard to explain! Come to Japan, then you'll get what I mean... Or you'll just contine to think I'm weird for smelling Japan...
So yeah, another one tomorrow morning, probably... If anything interesting happens later...
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Oh poo...
I missed breakfast again this morning! Except this morning was different. This morning I woke up, lay there for a bit trying to force myself to wake up, then I suddenly thought "I haven't heard my alarm. I must be awake before 8... Cool, I'll get ready for breakfast!" I checked the time to see that it was actually 10:30... Missed breakfast by a good hour and a half... Darn!
But that's fine because I've got far more money than I thought I had, so I'll just buy myself something to eat from Shirakawa... That is, if I don't miss the bus... I think it's leaving soon. I should get ready...
But that's fine because I've got far more money than I thought I had, so I'll just buy myself something to eat from Shirakawa... That is, if I don't miss the bus... I think it's leaving soon. I should get ready...
Eurgh...
Work is hard.... You know I said I'd work so hard that they'd be amazed? Yeah... I kinda forgot about the Japanese work ethic... Working so hard that you might die is normal here. Someone said that they'd been told I was lazy (although I think he was just winding me up...). I spent all day begging people to give me jobs... As I was mostly on buffet duty and that involved making sure the buffet wasn't empty and that it wasn't absolutely disugsting. Once that was sorted there was very little to do except smile sweetly and maybe adjust the food a bit...
We all ended up having to do an hour and a bit overtime as a load of women dragged out their meal for as long as humanly possible... Then one of them decided to faint... When I heard that someone had fainted I got really excited, hoping to use the first aid I'd learned... Only to find that someone was already moving her into the recovery position. I was dissapointed.
This morning, as I was heading to clock in, I bumped into a couple of Japanese girls. I said "sumimasen" and carried on... Then I heard them both squeal "KAWAIIIIIIIII" (cuuuute) as they walked the opposite direction. They reminded me so much of me and Hannah, I giggled. Then, later on, I found out that they were interns and that they'd be working with us in the refectory. Then when they saw me again they were all "kawaii" again... Then they came over and told me in English that I'm very cute.... Then we found out that we're all 19... And celebrated. Yeah, they were fun. Unbeleviably cheeful and energetic!
I wore my hair in two plaits today... Because it needs to be tied back for work and that's the most convenient. One of the guys who also works in the refectory, Yuta stopped me to tell me that my hair looked nice. Asano (I think her name is) told me it was "kawaii" (The Japanese say this a lot). Then Tomo (another guy who works there) came over to me and grabbed one plait and was like "what do you call this?". At first I said pigtail... Then watched him and Yuta struggle to work out how to say the word... So changed to plait... Then they both repeated "prat" repeatedly... I did giggle. Apparently plait in Japanese is Mitsuage! There we go, I learned a completely useless word today! Yay!
So, after work, with all of us so exhausted we hit the pub. Helen and I taught Yuta how to play Black jack. Then we all sat and chatted for a bit. Then I told Yuta that outside of work I want him to talk to me in Japanese (at work I need his help too much). We then spent a good quarter of an hour discussing my Japanese ability... And I found out that he's also a Miyavi and LM.C fan... Woo! He then taught me "kouri" in Japanese means ice... Another useful word!! Then he asked me questions and I answered and stuff... Apparently my Japanese is good! Yay! Then I sat with all the gaijin staff and we discussed alcoholism, religion, Derren Brown, chavs, different classes, gays, Australia, my parents, music and pretty much every other random thing possible.
So yeah, tomorrow I'm going down to Shirakawa. I'm really looking forward to it. Apparently there's a really good shop that sells Jrock and Jpop posters and instruments and stuff. Although I'll probably just look around there, I haven't got enough money and I still need to buy myself a cup and stuff.
Oh, and I'm stupid. I packed my toothbrush charger, all it's accessories and enough replacement heads to last me until I leave... What did I forget? The actual toothbrush is what!!! Stupid Faye!
So, tomorrow and Tuesday I have the days off. I may go swimming tomorrow morning before we leave for Shin-Shirakawa... But probably not... I'm too lazy.
On Tuesday I'm going to apply for my Gaijin card... Woo! I'll probably also snap and end up cleaning the hideous kitchen...
That's the one problem with this place... It's so small and cut off that on my days off, I have very little to do... I was so bored yesterday and it was only my first full day there.
We all ended up having to do an hour and a bit overtime as a load of women dragged out their meal for as long as humanly possible... Then one of them decided to faint... When I heard that someone had fainted I got really excited, hoping to use the first aid I'd learned... Only to find that someone was already moving her into the recovery position. I was dissapointed.
This morning, as I was heading to clock in, I bumped into a couple of Japanese girls. I said "sumimasen" and carried on... Then I heard them both squeal "KAWAIIIIIIIII" (cuuuute) as they walked the opposite direction. They reminded me so much of me and Hannah, I giggled. Then, later on, I found out that they were interns and that they'd be working with us in the refectory. Then when they saw me again they were all "kawaii" again... Then they came over and told me in English that I'm very cute.... Then we found out that we're all 19... And celebrated. Yeah, they were fun. Unbeleviably cheeful and energetic!
I wore my hair in two plaits today... Because it needs to be tied back for work and that's the most convenient. One of the guys who also works in the refectory, Yuta stopped me to tell me that my hair looked nice. Asano (I think her name is) told me it was "kawaii" (The Japanese say this a lot). Then Tomo (another guy who works there) came over to me and grabbed one plait and was like "what do you call this?". At first I said pigtail... Then watched him and Yuta struggle to work out how to say the word... So changed to plait... Then they both repeated "prat" repeatedly... I did giggle. Apparently plait in Japanese is Mitsuage! There we go, I learned a completely useless word today! Yay!
So, after work, with all of us so exhausted we hit the pub. Helen and I taught Yuta how to play Black jack. Then we all sat and chatted for a bit. Then I told Yuta that outside of work I want him to talk to me in Japanese (at work I need his help too much). We then spent a good quarter of an hour discussing my Japanese ability... And I found out that he's also a Miyavi and LM.C fan... Woo! He then taught me "kouri" in Japanese means ice... Another useful word!! Then he asked me questions and I answered and stuff... Apparently my Japanese is good! Yay! Then I sat with all the gaijin staff and we discussed alcoholism, religion, Derren Brown, chavs, different classes, gays, Australia, my parents, music and pretty much every other random thing possible.
So yeah, tomorrow I'm going down to Shirakawa. I'm really looking forward to it. Apparently there's a really good shop that sells Jrock and Jpop posters and instruments and stuff. Although I'll probably just look around there, I haven't got enough money and I still need to buy myself a cup and stuff.
Oh, and I'm stupid. I packed my toothbrush charger, all it's accessories and enough replacement heads to last me until I leave... What did I forget? The actual toothbrush is what!!! Stupid Faye!
So, tomorrow and Tuesday I have the days off. I may go swimming tomorrow morning before we leave for Shin-Shirakawa... But probably not... I'm too lazy.
On Tuesday I'm going to apply for my Gaijin card... Woo! I'll probably also snap and end up cleaning the hideous kitchen...
That's the one problem with this place... It's so small and cut off that on my days off, I have very little to do... I was so bored yesterday and it was only my first full day there.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Darned hunger!
There's one big problem with the staff meal stuff... They serve it at set times... Which means that quite often I've felt hungry when it's not another few hours until next meal... Last night I was hungry at about 10pm... When nowhere served food anymore... And this morning, I missed breakfast!! It closes at 9am and by the time I'd got out of bed and got dressed, it was well past 9am... POO! So I'm rather hungry... When I go shopping tomorrow, I might buy myself some teabags, sugar and milk so I can keep myself going on tea... I may also look for some sort of snack type thing to sustain me when I miss meals or I'm just hungry... I've definitely lost weight though... Probably all the weight I put on since Febuary.
I've got work in a bit... I'm all ready to go. I want to be amazing at what I do... I want people to gasp! I will work until I bleed! (Wait... Didn't someone say that in the apprentice?! Ha ha!)
Since talking to the Japanese staff and struggling to communicate, I've found a new passion for learning Japanese. This morning I've been trying to teach myself how to correctly use the verb "to help"... As this is what I'll be offering to do a lot...
Tetsudau
I think if I want to offer to help I should say "tetsudanai ka"... (Can I not help?) Although I'm not entirely sure... Hannah taught me that it's more polite when suggesting something to make it a negative question. I suppose it's kind of like saying "don't suppose you want help do you?" Or something like that...
Verbs are hard! But I refuse to give up!
Oh, and for Laura, who doesn't actually know what I'm doing here (and for anyone else for that matter). I am working at a hotel called British Hills. It's a very unique hotel where they try to romantically recreate a period of time in England (ask Katherine what period... I don't know). It's unique because it's not just a hotel. It's also a teaching facility!
We have three basic types of guests:
- Private guests, who come to be looked after by a very nice hotel and maybe learn a little about England and improve their English... Maybe even do some crafts at the craft house or just enjoy the scenery. All facilities are open to them.
- Day guests, who just come to visit and look around and improve their English.
- School children, who come in large groups and sleep in dorms. They have about 3/4 English lessons a day... From what I can tell, they learn different things in different lessons. (There are four classrooms). They come for purely educational perposes.
At the moment my job is in the refectory. From what I can tell I'll be setting up the dining room and helping kitchen staff. Apparently I'm going to be exhausted by the end of today... But I doubt it's any more exhausting than chasing after a baby all day.
So there it is, my job in a nutshell.
I'll probably post another blog later on... Which will be about... 1/2pm UK time... I've only just started working out the time differences... Oh, and I think I'm over the jet lag. I slept really well last night despite all the noise going on in the corridor and I woke up with my alarm... Even if it did mean missing breakfast, I'm glad I got a good nights sleep, I feel so much more awake!
I've got work in a bit... I'm all ready to go. I want to be amazing at what I do... I want people to gasp! I will work until I bleed! (Wait... Didn't someone say that in the apprentice?! Ha ha!)
Since talking to the Japanese staff and struggling to communicate, I've found a new passion for learning Japanese. This morning I've been trying to teach myself how to correctly use the verb "to help"... As this is what I'll be offering to do a lot...
Tetsudau
I think if I want to offer to help I should say "tetsudanai ka"... (Can I not help?) Although I'm not entirely sure... Hannah taught me that it's more polite when suggesting something to make it a negative question. I suppose it's kind of like saying "don't suppose you want help do you?" Or something like that...
Verbs are hard! But I refuse to give up!
Oh, and for Laura, who doesn't actually know what I'm doing here (and for anyone else for that matter). I am working at a hotel called British Hills. It's a very unique hotel where they try to romantically recreate a period of time in England (ask Katherine what period... I don't know). It's unique because it's not just a hotel. It's also a teaching facility!
We have three basic types of guests:
- Private guests, who come to be looked after by a very nice hotel and maybe learn a little about England and improve their English... Maybe even do some crafts at the craft house or just enjoy the scenery. All facilities are open to them.
- Day guests, who just come to visit and look around and improve their English.
- School children, who come in large groups and sleep in dorms. They have about 3/4 English lessons a day... From what I can tell, they learn different things in different lessons. (There are four classrooms). They come for purely educational perposes.
At the moment my job is in the refectory. From what I can tell I'll be setting up the dining room and helping kitchen staff. Apparently I'm going to be exhausted by the end of today... But I doubt it's any more exhausting than chasing after a baby all day.
So there it is, my job in a nutshell.
I'll probably post another blog later on... Which will be about... 1/2pm UK time... I've only just started working out the time differences... Oh, and I think I'm over the jet lag. I slept really well last night despite all the noise going on in the corridor and I woke up with my alarm... Even if it did mean missing breakfast, I'm glad I got a good nights sleep, I feel so much more awake!
Ok, so after another half hour of trying to sleep, I eventually gave up and got out of bed. I was just too wide awake. I did change my bed around. I much prefer it this way... My room seems far bigger and I've got a massive space at the end of my bed in which to put... Something? Maybe a statue... Or one of those large, old fashioned chests to put stuff in.
...Or not
I left my desk where it was though because I realised that the phone wire is there and there's nowhere else I can put it except the floor if I move it... Besides, I found a plug socket under the desk.
Anyway, at 11am I needed to go to the office to meet someone for my induction... Now, I knew exactly where the office is... In fact, I can see it the moment I step out of the staff housing door... Getting there was another matter... I wondered around for AGES, walking in and out of buildings, wondering if I was allowed to go in particular area's... Until eventually a Japanese guy went walking past and said "hello, are you Faye?"... He was the first person I'd met this morning who spoke English confidently, so I asked him how to get into the office. There was a door, right underneath the window I saw the office through... Stupid Faye! Anyway, his name was Yuichi and apparently he works at the pub... I kept bumping into him after that (Not literally).
So anyway, induction start!
This has got to be one of the most surreal things I've done in a long time... He took me around the WHOLE site and introduced me to EVERYONE we came across... o,0 Seriously, I've met so many people today. With the Western people I met (most of whom are English, despite what I was expecting), we would just shake hands and give eachother our names... Now, meeting the Japanese people was more interesting as we both tried to work around eachothers culture and language.
It usually ended up in them saying Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (nice to meet you) and I would say the same. Then, I would bow as they extended a hand for a handshake... Then I'd shake their hand as they bowed... Then we would both laugh a bit before saying "nice to meet you" in English a couple of times... It was quite bizarre.
It's really weird, I feel like a celebrity here. Everyone already knows who I am. Everyone knows that I missed the plane. Everyone knows that I was having problems with the train yesterday. Some of them even know that I'm suffering with jet-lag! Yes, suffering was an appropriate word to use there! Not melodramatic at all!!
Everyone is so lovely though... Really welcoming and polite.
Oh yeah, on my tour, I was taken to the pub (where I'm going in about quarter of an hour) and the guy who was showing me around explained to me that when people drink they change... And it's important not to get drunk in front of guests... I just loved that he explained to me that people change when they're drunk!
Oh! And there are bears nearby! They have a machine that makes gun sounds to scare them away and if anyone goes hiking they're given a bell... I assume they are supposed to attack the bears with the bell... Or use it as a shield...
So yeah, I then went back to my room and realised I had very little to do once I'd eaten food, so I had a shower, then did all my ironing... I considered cleaning the staff kitchen... Because it's horrifically dirty and messy! But I was exhausted so sat back in my room for a bit... It was about 3 by then... Which was about 6am in the UK... And I felt like it was 6am and that I'd stayed up all night... You know that really sick feeling? Yeah... I'm finding it hard to cope with this! >< About an hour later I fell asleep, when I was supposed to meeting Helen (the really nice girl I met last night) at 4... So when I woke up at 4:20, I got really freaked out thinking she'd be annoyed for some reason... She wasn't... And she took me to "view point"... It's so pretty! It's wooden decking at the side of the mountain overlooking a load of other mountains, a river, trees and, in the distance, Shin-Shirikawa. It was too dark to get the full appreciation out of it though... If I wake up at stupid o'clock again tomorrow morning, I think I'll go there and watch the sun rise... (It's faces East). We then had dinner and went to the swimming pool. That was way fun... There's a decent sized swimming pool, a jaccuzi and a sauna! I jumped straight into the jaccuzi, desperate to warm up (it's darned cold... And the heater in my room doesn't work!) Oh god, that was so nice! I then went to the sauna... Sauna is good... I felt like I was being cleaned inside my skin or something. Soooo hot! I then did a few laps in the pool before I was so exausted that I HAD to get back into the jaccuzi. I blame jet-lag... I'll do some proper exercise when I'm feeling better... I don't want to drown or something!
Oh yeah, I also found out today that some of the scenes from popular Japanese drama, "Hana Yori Dango" were shot here, at the Manor House. This pleased me a lot... I hope they shoot a third series while I'm here! Ha ha ha... I think I'd just fangirl all over the place though...
I'm working in refectory and my first shift is tomorrow at 12:30. Helen is so sweet, she checked when my shift was and asked if she could change hers so she could work with me. She's been so helpful to me.
On Monday I'm going down to Shin-Shirakawa to spend the last of the £50 (10,000yen) grandma sent me... So far, most of it has been spent on train tickets. Apparently the 100 (50p) yen shop is the biggest in the world... (I was going to say country, but I doubt there are many anything yen shops outside of Japan) Which is awesome! Discount shopping with lots of money to spend! Yay!
Oh, I've got a basic Japanese phrasebook to fill in any gaps in my knowledge... I was flicking through it earlier when I came across the following translations... In this exact, hilarious order!
Thank you, but I'm busy - Moshiwaki arimasen ga yakusoku ga arimasu
I'm not interested - Kyuomi ga arimasen
Leave me alone - kawamanaide kudasai
Stop bothering me! - Jama suru nowa yamete kudasai
At least... I found it hilarious.
Anyway, I'm off to the pub to mingle.
Just come back from the pub... It was way fun! I had a Baileys coffee (yay, they sell Baileys!) and played darts... And generally had silly fun. Everyone has been saying I settled in too quickly and I spent most of the night being threatened with death by one guy... In a good way!
So yeah... I've FINALLY worked out how to get my heater working... I spent last night and pretty much all day pressing random buttons (it's in Japanese) and had Helen have a go at smashing at the buttons... And just now, one of the English teachers at the pub told me that I might not have turned the gas on... And I hadn't and now I have heating! Yaaay! Warmth!
So, off to bed for me. I have work in the... Afternoon. Yeah... Hopefully I won't wake up at a stupid time tomorrow... If I do, I may just clean the kitchen... It pains me to see it so dirty.
Oyasumi nasai x
...Or not
I left my desk where it was though because I realised that the phone wire is there and there's nowhere else I can put it except the floor if I move it... Besides, I found a plug socket under the desk.
Anyway, at 11am I needed to go to the office to meet someone for my induction... Now, I knew exactly where the office is... In fact, I can see it the moment I step out of the staff housing door... Getting there was another matter... I wondered around for AGES, walking in and out of buildings, wondering if I was allowed to go in particular area's... Until eventually a Japanese guy went walking past and said "hello, are you Faye?"... He was the first person I'd met this morning who spoke English confidently, so I asked him how to get into the office. There was a door, right underneath the window I saw the office through... Stupid Faye! Anyway, his name was Yuichi and apparently he works at the pub... I kept bumping into him after that (Not literally).
So anyway, induction start!
This has got to be one of the most surreal things I've done in a long time... He took me around the WHOLE site and introduced me to EVERYONE we came across... o,0 Seriously, I've met so many people today. With the Western people I met (most of whom are English, despite what I was expecting), we would just shake hands and give eachother our names... Now, meeting the Japanese people was more interesting as we both tried to work around eachothers culture and language.
It usually ended up in them saying Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (nice to meet you) and I would say the same. Then, I would bow as they extended a hand for a handshake... Then I'd shake their hand as they bowed... Then we would both laugh a bit before saying "nice to meet you" in English a couple of times... It was quite bizarre.
It's really weird, I feel like a celebrity here. Everyone already knows who I am. Everyone knows that I missed the plane. Everyone knows that I was having problems with the train yesterday. Some of them even know that I'm suffering with jet-lag! Yes, suffering was an appropriate word to use there! Not melodramatic at all!!
Everyone is so lovely though... Really welcoming and polite.
Oh yeah, on my tour, I was taken to the pub (where I'm going in about quarter of an hour) and the guy who was showing me around explained to me that when people drink they change... And it's important not to get drunk in front of guests... I just loved that he explained to me that people change when they're drunk!
Oh! And there are bears nearby! They have a machine that makes gun sounds to scare them away and if anyone goes hiking they're given a bell... I assume they are supposed to attack the bears with the bell... Or use it as a shield...
So yeah, I then went back to my room and realised I had very little to do once I'd eaten food, so I had a shower, then did all my ironing... I considered cleaning the staff kitchen... Because it's horrifically dirty and messy! But I was exhausted so sat back in my room for a bit... It was about 3 by then... Which was about 6am in the UK... And I felt like it was 6am and that I'd stayed up all night... You know that really sick feeling? Yeah... I'm finding it hard to cope with this! >< About an hour later I fell asleep, when I was supposed to meeting Helen (the really nice girl I met last night) at 4... So when I woke up at 4:20, I got really freaked out thinking she'd be annoyed for some reason... She wasn't... And she took me to "view point"... It's so pretty! It's wooden decking at the side of the mountain overlooking a load of other mountains, a river, trees and, in the distance, Shin-Shirikawa. It was too dark to get the full appreciation out of it though... If I wake up at stupid o'clock again tomorrow morning, I think I'll go there and watch the sun rise... (It's faces East). We then had dinner and went to the swimming pool. That was way fun... There's a decent sized swimming pool, a jaccuzi and a sauna! I jumped straight into the jaccuzi, desperate to warm up (it's darned cold... And the heater in my room doesn't work!) Oh god, that was so nice! I then went to the sauna... Sauna is good... I felt like I was being cleaned inside my skin or something. Soooo hot! I then did a few laps in the pool before I was so exausted that I HAD to get back into the jaccuzi. I blame jet-lag... I'll do some proper exercise when I'm feeling better... I don't want to drown or something!
Oh yeah, I also found out today that some of the scenes from popular Japanese drama, "Hana Yori Dango" were shot here, at the Manor House. This pleased me a lot... I hope they shoot a third series while I'm here! Ha ha ha... I think I'd just fangirl all over the place though...
I'm working in refectory and my first shift is tomorrow at 12:30. Helen is so sweet, she checked when my shift was and asked if she could change hers so she could work with me. She's been so helpful to me.
On Monday I'm going down to Shin-Shirakawa to spend the last of the £50 (10,000yen) grandma sent me... So far, most of it has been spent on train tickets. Apparently the 100 (50p) yen shop is the biggest in the world... (I was going to say country, but I doubt there are many anything yen shops outside of Japan) Which is awesome! Discount shopping with lots of money to spend! Yay!
Oh, I've got a basic Japanese phrasebook to fill in any gaps in my knowledge... I was flicking through it earlier when I came across the following translations... In this exact, hilarious order!
Thank you, but I'm busy - Moshiwaki arimasen ga yakusoku ga arimasu
I'm not interested - Kyuomi ga arimasen
Leave me alone - kawamanaide kudasai
Stop bothering me! - Jama suru nowa yamete kudasai
At least... I found it hilarious.
Anyway, I'm off to the pub to mingle.
Just come back from the pub... It was way fun! I had a Baileys coffee (yay, they sell Baileys!) and played darts... And generally had silly fun. Everyone has been saying I settled in too quickly and I spent most of the night being threatened with death by one guy... In a good way!
So yeah... I've FINALLY worked out how to get my heater working... I spent last night and pretty much all day pressing random buttons (it's in Japanese) and had Helen have a go at smashing at the buttons... And just now, one of the English teachers at the pub told me that I might not have turned the gas on... And I hadn't and now I have heating! Yaaay! Warmth!
So, off to bed for me. I have work in the... Afternoon. Yeah... Hopefully I won't wake up at a stupid time tomorrow... If I do, I may just clean the kitchen... It pains me to see it so dirty.
Oyasumi nasai x
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