Finally Friday ...

Friday -
It's finally Friday. It came so slowly, yet so quickly. I woke up, early yet again, and did the normal routine I have established in 3 short days. Although I did check outside to make sure everything was intact (after the typhoon). Everything looks good, kind of cloudy, but a-ok. Looks like I'm going to work. I continue to get ready and my cell phone (that I barely know how to work) rings and it's Amanda. She says it's raining and Naoko will come pick us up and take us to the train station. I quickly finish getting ready and Naoko shows up and takes us to the train station. It is rainy rather hard.

I do the usual, scan my train pass, head to platform 2 and wait for the 9:20 train. My train comes, I get on and notice that it is extremely full. No where to sit, shoulder to shoulder. It's fine, just different. Maybe Fridays are like this for all I know. The train travels to the next stop - Okayama Station. This is not my stop, I still have 2 stops to go. Everyone is getting off the train, which is not normal but I'm not going to get off because this is not my stop. I sit down with a strange feeling. Next thing I know the conductor comes through and says, "Get off." Me? No, no, no. "Everybody off." Shit. I don't know what to do, where to go, how to get to my stop, I'm going to be late, this station is HUGE (my station, Kitanagase, has like 2 platforms, Okayama Station has like 20). This is so not good. I get off. I attempt to read the train schedule, but really I have no idea. I call Naoko. She says, "Stay there. I come." No, no, no. I can figure it out. Sink or swim, sink or swim. I tell her not to come (she's not even close to the station and would have to buy a ticket to go nowhere, etc.) I can do this. I look around ... the outlook that someone speaks English is not so good. I go upstairs & find a counter. The man looks over with this expression like please don't talk to me, I don't speak English. He comes over anyway and I tell him (in broken English) that I need to get to Higashi Okayama. He, surprisingly, says "8 at 9:53". Relief. I know where to go. Platform 8 and the train will come at 9:53. Sweet.

I venture back down to the platforms and wait patiently. On the platform on the other side of the tracks I see another 'western' family - mom, dad, sons, grandma, the whole works. My initial reaction is to wave with excitement from seeing another foreign family. I suppress my desire and continue to wait. There are so many announcements (obviously in Japanese) blaring from every direction. I figure the trains are behind, delayed, screwed up, what have you, from the typhoon. I think everything is fine until I get a tap on the shoulder from a younger Japanese man (mid 20's maybe). He says, "Do you speak Japanese?" I'm slightly irritated from all the drama and give the 'does it look like i speak Japanese' look. Then I correct myself and politely say no but obviously he speaks English. He tells me that the announcement said my train would be 20 minutes late. UGH! I thank him for informing me and we chat for the next half hour until the train comes. He rides the train with me and helps me figure out all the nonsense. I find out he is from Japan but living in Minnesota and studying at St. Cloud State University. We exchange emails and I get on with my day - way behind schedule.

Everyone at school is very understanding, yet somewhat amused by my morning. I can't blame them, I'd be amused too if it happened to someone other than me!! I give lessons to one group of 5 year old children at Chitose and then one teacher lesson to the ladies that work in the office. Finally I give one lesson to elementary aged children who are adorable. We made a book together. They are very interested (as is everyone else) with my piercings. At school teachers are not allowed to have piercings or wear jewelry.

At 5:00 Kazuyo comes to get me and we head to Fukuyama (a nearby town) for a 'Welcome to Japan' party. We drive for a long time and the scenery is nice. We drive threw tunnels and over bridges (which I hate) and about an hour later we get to a fancy french restaurant. Amanda and I are greeted by various professors, principals, head teachers, and all of the members of our 'Japanese family'. We give speeches, they give speeches, they reassure us that they will take very good care of us, we toast, and we eat. Now - let me tell you about the food. I wish I would have had a camera.

We eat like a 12 course meal. I had so many different forks and spoons and chopsticks and whatnot I thought we were going to be there all night eating. First they ordered me Japanese beer, which was very good. Next we had mochi (I think). It was like a small sticky rice something or another with a teriyaki like sauce on top. Interesting. Not horrible, but I probably won't eat again. Then comes corn soup. It was good. Everyone said, "Ah Tara, you know corn." Why yes, yes I do. Then comes the salad. It looks good. Lettuce, the fancy kind, a type of oil dressing and some slices of something or another . I think, what they hell - I'll try. It wasn't until I used my fork to begin eating that I noticed two fish (whole fish, eyes, scales, tails, fins, whatever) in my salad. Yikes! Then the people at my table say, "Oh Tara, this salad is raw fish. Very good." No, not in my world. But again, when in Rome ... I decide to try one bite. Why, I don't know. I try a small piece of the raw, cold fish and to my surprise I did not throw up. But I did not take another bite. Indescribable. I drink beer to drown the taste. Masayuki offers to get Amanda and I a salad without fish and I gladly accept. Now we have a choice - rice or bread. I like rice so I chose the rice. Everyone kept asking me if I was sure I wanted rice and in the back of my mind I kept thinking, 'It's just rice. Sure.' It wasn't until the rice came and it was purple that I started taking back my decision. Everyone was making a big deal, but on the first bite it tasted like normal rice. Then the teachers ordered me bread just in case. I ate all the rice and it wasn't until after I was finished that they said the rice had squid ink in it, giving it the purplish color. Sickening. Next comes shrimp. Not shrimp cocktail, not shrimp in the way I know shrimp. First of all, this shrimp is as big as my forearm. I didn't even know shrimp could get this big. Come to think of it, I don't even know if the thing was shrimp. It was fried & was still a whole creature. Eyes, legs, tail, everything. Poor thing. I had to cut off the head before I ate it. Definitely different than the local Red Lobster. Some seaweed was served on the side, but after one bite I left the rest. Then comes dessert. About one tablespoon of some sort of raspberry ice cream. It was very good. Too bad there was only one tablespoon. Now I'm confused because we still have like 3 forks left. But then they bring out some sort of steak. It was nearly raw which was just fine with me. It was delicious. It came with vegetables. This dinner is confusing because now they are bringing dessert number 2. This time some sort of cake with fruit and whipped cream and a cherry and some gold shavings. I'm told if you eat the gold shavings you will have good fortune. I ate those first. The dinner was very nice and the people were wonderful. It was a great evening.

Naoko drove Amanda, Yoko, Yumi, and I back to our apartment and then wanted to show us how to get to Mister Donut from our apartment building (we told her we like Mister Donuts). We drove there, picked up breakfast for tomorrow and then drove around to other places like Baskin Robbins, a new 100 Yen store (like a dollar store, but better), a few good restaurants, a spa, and eventually to a Humpty Dumpty. I did not know about Humpty Dumpty but we went in and it is an amazing store. It's similar to a Pier 1, but with more things. We looked, but did not buy. Naoko dropped us off and I passed out. I was so tired. Tomorrow is Saturday!! My first weekend here! Shopping and sightseeing is in store.

sayonara
-tara-
xoxo