Finally... A new blog entry!

Well, first off, I'm sorry for taking so long to update! As of now, I will have no excuses because I finally have internet at my house! So I will do my best to update frequently...



Also, before you couldn't make comments if you weren't a member, but I changed that so now anyone can comment. And I love comments, it will encourage me to blog more!

So I will talk about Nayoro, the town I will be living in for the next year. It is a nice small town, with just over 30000people. For me it's the perfect size because there is everything I need, but it is small enough I can get everywhere on my bicycle. It also isn't very busy or crowded, so I feel comfortable here. So far I have been working at the city office with the Board of Education. About 16 people work here, and they are all very friendly. My supervisor is a lady named Haruka Kawasaki, and she is 23 years old. There is also another ALT(Assistant Language Teacher, this is what my title is) named Chris who works here. He is also from Canada. Haruka is such a sweet girl, and her job is to take care of me so she has basically done everything for me. She got me a cell phone(sorry mom... ;) love you! ), bank account, TV, internet, car insurance... you name it, she helped me get it. I'm so lucky to be working for the Board of Education because you are way better taken care of then if you are employed by just a school. Plus I have my own desk and everything!

I won't start teaching until September, and that is creeping up fast so I am getting a little nervous. But I'm getting excited too because I don't really have much to do here at work. Once I start teaching I will feel like I am actually working! Plus the kids here are so cute!!

I'm living in a cute little house which I really like, even though it is pretty old. I don't think it is small, except for the kitchen, which is a little crowded! It is pretty normal, the only thing that is very different from Canadian homes is how the washroom is set up. I have a little room that has just a shower and VERY small tub. Then I have a separate room with just a toilet in it. Finally my sink/vanity is actually in my kitchen next to the kitchen sink. I will post pictures of my house very soon, because that is so much easier than explaining it!

The garbage system here is soooo confusing, I have to talk about it! There are 7 categories of garbage. Burnables, Non burnables, recyclables... You even have to pay for the garbage bags! It took me awhile to figure it out, that's for sure. Imagine, every little thing you throw out has to go in a certain category. I still don't really get it. Can't you burn anything?? Anyway, if you do it wrong they don't take it and they leave a little note saying what you did wrong. So every time I put out garbage in the morning, when I come home from work I always get a little anxious. Did they take it?? Is there a note?? So far no notes.... But I'm sure I will get one eventually. I've seen even a few of the Japanese people who have gotten notes. At least it's not just me who thinks it's confusing...

Japan is alive with festivals right now, and I've gotten to see all different kinds of parades. I was even in one! Last monday evening was a festival in Furen, a small town outside of Nayoro, and it was the most exciting one so far. I got to be a part of it! After work I went on a bus to Furen and got to a room where everyone was drinking free beer, and eating free food. We dressed up in Happi-coats(i think...), a traditional Japanese outfit. Everyone was part of a team, and each team had it's own giant lantern. A few girls rode the lantern, the guys pushed it, and a few people(including me) got to play different instruments such as drums, flutes, and cymbals. The lanterns are lit up and everyone goes through the streets of the town, chanting, drinking beer on the streets, and basically having a good time! It was lots of fun! Then after everyone went to a big room in a restaurant, had awesome Japanese food, and visited and drank more alcohol, and it only cost about 10 bucks. A few of the highlights of that meeting were all the men getting up and dancing around the room, and one guy breaking chopsticks with his butt cheeks after everyone in the room counted to 3. It was probably one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my whole life! However, this festival was on monday, and all the free beer made it a little hard to go to work... And as soon as me and Chris walked into the room, everyone started asking us if we were OK... Haha, I guess they knew what these kind of festivals are like! They drink a lot here, I don't know if it is just because it's summer and there are a lot of festivals, or if it's like this all the time. It may be all the time, because when I signed up for my cell phone I got a free 6-pack of beer... Pretty sure that wouldn't happen in Canada!

There is another festival tonight in Nayoro, and I will be dressing up in a yukata(A type of kimono) and dancing for everyone. I'm sure I will have something to say about that later... I have to go now, because a lady is going to help me put on my yukata!!

Here are links to some picture I have taken so far, including the festival in Furen!

http://ualberta.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2062969&l=eaf4d&id=120405652

http://ualberta.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2062968&l=b3928&id=120405652

http://ualberta.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2062967&l=99f82&id=120405652