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Tuesday, August 31, 2010

First Two Days

July 29, 2010
I’m starting my journal today, but hopefully I can recall most of what has happened since I left.
July 24th
What a series of emotions.  For the previous week, I had woken up thinking, ‘I have _ many days before I leave.  There’s plenty of time to be with my family and friends before I go.’  Somehow the days went by faster than usual.  For me, when I know I’m leaving my family for a long time, I seem to tell myself that it’s not really happening.  Whether it’s helping me to cope with the final days I have or what, this is what I was doing.  I started packing, seeing all these things (really just things like rocks, pictures, just watching my family as they go about their daily business) and began to realize the reality of what was to come.  Somehow I held back the tears until the airport.  I was so lucky to have my mom, stepdad, and sister there to see me off.  I didn’t want them to go.  Along with my grandparents, these people are my life.  So now, how the hell am I going to cope without them for nearly a year?  I watch as they leave, not wanting to take my eyes off them, but also not wanting to show my fellow JETs what a wuss I am.  There they go, all my joy and inspiration, my family. 

Next to me, my new buddy Albert David, who turns out to be one of my roommates in Tokyo.  We go with Ruby Jou, to Pink’s Hotdogs in the airport.  I have my first and last Pink’s chili dog for a while.  I am also lucky enough to meet Jeff, who I saw was having the same emotional trouble that I had earlier.  His family has stayed with him until the security checkpoint and he continues to wave, cry, and try to push forward in the line.  I introduce myself and it seems to help him out knowing that I had gone through the motions not too long ago.  Everyone goes through the security and everything still feels like I’m only going on vacation for a week or so.
Well, from here to the Narita airport is not too interesting.  We each have a video screen and remote control at our seats, allowing us to play video games, watch movies, listen to music, read facts about Japan, etc.  I watched, I think, 4 movies.  I can’t even remember what they were because I was tired, excited, and everything else at the same time.  We had two meals, the first being a choice of beef or fish, and I opted for the beef.  The second meal was a pasta with squid balls and some veggies, salad, and bread.  Both were tasty and I’d rate them 5 times better than any other airline food I’ve had.  This may have technically been my first bento, but I wasn’t yet in Japan, so I didn’t count it.  I had a drink or three, stretched out a few times, and that was the extent of my flight. 
We followed the sun, leaving at 1:40pm on July 24th, and landing at the Narita Airport at 4:30pm on July 25th.  We all got off the plane, found our luggage, and then proceeded to walk out the airport into a sauna.  I have never felt humidity like that in Tokyo.  I dripped and dripped and dripped alongside the other hundred or so JETs waiting to board our buses. 

We finally left around 6:00pm and arrived in Shinjuku at the Keio Plaza Hotel.  I got the room key and headed for a desperately needed shower.  I was soon followed by Albert David, to my surprise, and his buddy Curtis.  We dressed and headed a couple blocks away to a nice little restaurant with their friend Brian.  I had a katsu dinner (a lot like the chicken katsu from L&L, which I saw in Tokyo, only made with pork) that was accompanied by a bowl of miso soup and a beer.  We toasted our first Kompai and ate until we all felt sleepy.

Early night, we were in bed by 9:30.  

July 26th (remember, we skipped a day)
We all wake up at 1:00am thanks to our trusty alarm clock (this alarm clock is also our musical entertainment for the next couple days, reminding me of the Peyton Manning locker room skit on SNL).  Curtis thinks it’s time to get dressed and starts heading toward the closet when we tell him that no, we don’t know how to use this alarm and it's 1am.  Thank goodness, because we were all extremely jet-lagged.  Orientation ALL DAY LONG.  Introductions, speeches, and seminars until late that night.  We are provided with a dinner at the hotel and an open bar of beer, whiskey, and sodas.  Everyone toasts a big Kompai and shares their experiences of the orientation so far.  Albert David and I decide to leave the crowd of JETs going to karaoke, and explore Shibuya instead.  Trying to figure out the rail/subway system is quite the task.  Luckily, Albert David understands some Japanese and Kanji to get us through the ordeal.  Shibuya is the home of those crazy pedestrian walks you may have seen on the Travel Channel or in pictures of Tokyo. 

We visit the Tower Records shop, walk around the small streets, and try to take in all the lights and excitement of this city.  We head back to the JR (Japan Railway) and find ourselves in Shinjuku again.  Oh what luck for me to follow a guy dressed in the same shirt at Albert David and get lost at the station.  Luckily, with the help of a building landmark and a quick ‘Sumimasen’ to a street cleaner guy, I find myself back at the hotel, and in the room.  I was quick to fall asleep.  Sorry for being so short on this, but I think I was too tired to remember much more.

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