Shoes Shoes Shoes

TUESDAY, AUGUST 3

Baths are becoming one of my favorite times of the day. I usually showered at night at home, but here, with the heat and humidity, I would never dream of not bathing both morning and night and sometimes even think about it midday. The bath is the only time, all day, when I might not be sweating and even, god forbid, be cool. With my new pink floor mat, my soap dish shaped like a blue bunny (with pink soap), and pink toiletries basket, this room is becoming more friendly than the industrial look I was first met with. The gas heater is big, metal, and resembles hardware.

I allowed myself to sleep in 20 minutes later than yesterday, and will probably sleep in even later tomorrow, as I was still to school with plenty of time.

Today, I parked my bike behind the school in a shelter that may be for teachers. I'm not sure. Today, I was much busier than yesterday. I finished up looking through the books left by the many ALTs before me (including copies of “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Pride and Prejudice,” both of which are not on my list to reread after I finish “The Stories of English.”

I went to teach with Mama again today. The school is leasing a building with air conditioning downtown, so we drove there together. The first format, with dialogue, was similar to the previous day. But here, I stayed for the entire lesson. The students had read a dialogue last night and tried to answer questions about it. Today, I read the dialogue sentence by sentence, pausing after each one for Mama to explain the sentence in Japanese and highlight confusing words in Japanese, perhaps writing their Japanese equivalent’s kanji on the board. The only way I knew it was time to read the next sentence was when Mama said “Magdalene” or the first word of the next sentence with emphasis. This reading, on bicycles (environmental impact, ideal bike for best work out and health of body, and a mention of traffic safety and pedestrian awareness) took about 45 minutes. Not speaking Japanese, and thus, having little idea what was going on made it seem to take longer. The students dutifully wrote down the corresponding kanji, perhaps in brightly colored pen. All girls have bright pen(cil) boxes, perhaps with bows.

We also went over some pronunciation things, for example the difference in pronunciation between “impact” (verb) and “impact” (noun) and “transport” (verb) and “transport” (noun), which I'm not even sure I can hear (or even pronounce.) I certainly stared at the paper a long time before I could even begin to say with any sort of confidence that, maybe, maybe there is a slight emphasis difference. I can't hear it even when Mama tries to say it for me. Personal opinion here: such details are so nit-picky, that I wouldn't deem them necessarily even of notice. Certainly I've never noticed and I study language. I still don't fully believe that I distinguish between them. Mama explained that such pronunciation must be taken very seriously and is quite important. But me, I think it's more important that a senior year student, heading for college entrance exams in English, when asked “What class [grade] are you in?” doesn't respond “My name is...”, as happened to me yesterday.

Also, it's apparently incorrect to say “You, my good sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.” It would have to be “You, my good sir, are a gentleman and scholar.” Having the article in front of the second occupation apparently is only for referring to multiple people. My native ear would put it in anyway, though. Again, another picky thing that I don't think should necessarily be the focus at the moment, although that's apparently what the entrance exams will be like.

That's part of the reason I'm here, to help reform the English education system. At orientation, we were told that about 1.5% of teachers use English as the primary language of teaching in English classes. And that's certainly true here. I could not say anything without it being directly translated into Japanese. Except for the texts and anything said to me by Mama or by me, all communication was in Japanese. The only English the students ever spoke was when I called on 5 of them at the beginning of class to read the dialogue out loud.

Mama and I swung by the grocery store after lessons to pick up a lunch for her. We also bought some refrigerator KitKats (I don't know how they differ from NORMAL ones) and some bean desserts so I can continue my traditional Japanese experience. We never got around to eating them, though. Tomorrow, perhaps.

Mischievous-sensei told me off for not having his name memorized yet. I think he was serious.

I also finally got online this afternoon. I don't have a password for the school computers, so Mama logged in and let me check my e-mail (and e-mail Mommy back home a happy birthday.) While I was there, I also deleted 50+ ads (I now need to remove myself from mailing lists, as it will do me no good to get discounted Perkins in Japan) and responded to three e-mails from worried and inquiring friends: Lonn, Alexeevich, and Charles. I couldn't write long messages, but I let them know I was safe.

While I was finishing up, both Alexeevich and Lonn popped up on gmail chat, exclaiming over my digital presence. I couldn't say much, or stay on long, but it was good to hear from them.

I haven't talked about Lonn much, but he was my boyfriend before I left American soil. Hearing from him today, in real time, was when it finally hit me that this weird dream, vacation, adventure is real and life is going on without me back home. And Lonn is going on without me back home. Sweet Lonn, who was nothing but supportive throughout my entire application and interview process, and who, the night I found out I'd be moving to Japan, gave me a copy of Rosetta Stone Japanese. I said I missed him, too, then I had to go get back to work. Photocopying in the back room was a welcome task while I composed myself. Typing this paragraph, alone in my apartment, is the first time I've cried since getting to Japan.

Mischievous-Sensei took me to see the English room, which I can decorate however I like. I'm quite excited about that. I will be tearing down the map of New York (from a previous ALT) and putting up a map of Wisconsin, or something similar. I welcome suggestions. Four years ago, I would have put up a big poster of Brett Favre, but that won't quite work at the moment. Perhaps Aaron Rogers, with appropriate labels for head, hand, foot, etc. I'm trying to figure out what other kinds of interesting, unique and off the wall, but educational things I can put up. Once the semester starts, I'll start eating my lunch in there, giving students a place to contact me, chat with me, and generally just access me.

After that, it was time for Mama and me to run to to the bank. For 1,250 yen/year, I am having all of my utilities (water, gas, electricity) and rent automatically withdrawn from my account. This makes it easier as I can't read my bills anyway. There was lots of Hanko-ing to make that happen. Mountain-Sensei had written my address on the forms for me, but that was not allowed by the bank. So, with a RULER, the teller carefully put two, horizontal lines through each mistake. That is the official protocol here, two horizontal lines. So much for my trademarked diagonal crosshatch.

Next, we went to the ATM, which are called ATMs here, for me to deposit 70,000 yen in my account. For those keeping track, that's a lot of money to have in your wallet. It's needed as I won't be paid until the 10 of September, but will have rent due before then. My apartment was supposed to be 70,000/month, but apparently it was negotiated down to 65,000/month, as it'd old. Go figure.

Finally, we went to SoftBank the cell phone store. It was pretty boring from my end, as it was all in Japanese. From what I understand, I will need to sign a 2 year contract, with a 10,000 yen penalty for breaking the contract. Phones are about 23000 yen each (over $200!) for the cheapest, most basic phone, on top of the monthly base fee for having a contract and 21 yen/30 seconds charge for calling. This is ridiculously pricey. I know a cell phone is good for safety, and for emergencies, and as an ALT, to keep me in communication with other ALTs, but that's ridiculous. Mama also seemed to think so. She said we'd price compare at a different shop tomorrow, although most ALTs have SoftBank, as it's the cheapest, according to orientation on Friday. Ouch.

I told Mama about Skype. She wants to meet my parents.

We got back to school at 4:30 and most teachers were gone, as Kyoto-Sensei was out on work travel. So, I slipped in, grabbed my bike, and headed home.

Now, I really should go buy shoes for work, but I'm not quite sure where. I assume Hiewado, as they seem to have everything, but I might have to ask Parker, poor man. He's probably sick of me pestering him. Three pairs of shoes, though, will get expensive, even at $20 each, if I'm so lucky. Plus, we must hope they have shoes big enough for my enormous 8-1/2 or 9 women's feet. I've heard of some ALTs having to buy men's shoes.

I don't know what I want for dinner tonight.

Later...

I have never been so humiliated shopping as tonight when I tried to buy shoes. I will allow that this record will probably not stand too long, as shoes are the only item of clothing I have yet tried to buy in Japan, and, of all clothing, probably one of the least able to humiliate. I thank every higher power and all my lucky stars that I bought pants before coming to Japan. Now that, that would be an utterly miserable (and probably ultimately futile) experience. But back to shoes.

Japan is the land of cute. Honestly. Everything is adorable. They know it, too. One brand of shoes I tried on was called “La Cute.” And those adorable, cute, tall heals all come in ridiculously, ridiculously small sizes. If Cinderella were Japanese, she would be stub-legged, as there is no way her feet could have gotten much smaller and still have existed. After trying on a few LL (XL) sizes and getting my toes in, but not my foot (à la evil step sister) I discovered that the more expensive shoes come in centimeter sizes. So, I hopped to the bottom of the list, 24.5 cm, and tried that. Some I could barely squeeze my foot in, others I couldn't. Also, for the record, shoes at this size in Japan begin to resemble something big, frumpy, and like something a grandmother would wear, rather than the often impractical, but ever so chic shoes boldly displayed all around you.

I ended up leaving with nothing. I just couldn't justify spending 3700 yen on a pair of shoes that I could barely scrunch my feet into. I'll have to ask around the JET community and see where other JETs get their shoes. I'm not exactly an unreasonable size by American standards (meaning that back in America, it's also impossible to find shoes in my size, because they're already sold out.)

I did stop by the grocery store to pick up garlic powder and ginger powder. I failed on the first but found the second.

At this time of night, the snack bars are beginning to light up. Parker explained them to me last night. He asked if I'd noticed the women. I had. Late at night, or after dark, Japanese women come out and stand (sometimes in clumps) on street corners, all dolled up in long dresses. It makes you blink twice and wonder. Anyway, a snack bar is a place to have a drink. These women try to encourage (lure) salary men on their way home from work to stop in, have a drink, and perhaps chat with a pretty girl. They are not prostitutes.

I'm craving a mozzarella and tomato sandwich from Panera Bread. Lonn and Hogan, it's all you're fault.

Scrambled eggs weren't bad. Scrambled eggs in a copper saucer takes talent. But they still weren't as good as the scrambled eggs my cousin James makes. The man makes a mean scrambled egg breakfast.