2001 – 魔手

I’ve been in Japan for three months now and I’m on my way back to the United States. I’m going home for Christmas and am pretty happy. Life in Japan has been fine, and time has flown by. My first month was kind of weird especially in the beginning. I remember how I had to walk to the orientation in a typhoon, and how hot it was in my suit walking. I was getting drenched from the outside as well as within. At orientation I couldn’t believe how much information they were expecting us to digest. I was never nervous but I hated trying to figure out everything like how to use the ATM and how to take the metro. I remember looking at my room and unpacking my stuff thinking how small it was but it was no big deal. My first day at NOVA was also equally interesting. I remember getting there very early and sitting outside reading the paper and smoking a cigarette. Every time I go to a new country I am pretty stressed out and smoking usually helps with that.

It is now 4:43 in the morning and I am sitting in my new room jet lagged as hell. I spent all day yesterday traveling to get here. I left home at 9am and did not arrive in Japan until 3 am. Then I didn’t get to the apartment until about 6am Ohio time. My first impressions are obvious. Everyone here is Japanese and speaks Japanese! All the signs are in Japanese. I cannot understand why the Americans here do not learn the language. I cannot survive here if I do not learn the language!

So here I sit completely awake feeling kind of weird from all the traveling and from getting off my eating schedule. I also had two beers last night and that doesn’t help the way I feel now either. My roommates seem pretty cool and the only thing I can think about at this point is getting a girlfriend. I think once I do that everything will be great! I am glad to be here but will feel better once I learn the language! So I guess I’m a little mentally blocked right now and will leave off here.