Thursday, August 2, 2007

honjo!

Yesterday afternoon I arrived in my new home - honjo. There was quite a scene at the airport, with all the supervisors picking us up holding up giant signs with our names on them. We (about 25 of us new JETs traveling from tokyo orientation together) each had an entourage waiting for us outside baggage claim at the tiny airport. I was met by Imaizumi-san, my supervisor, and Yumiko, who works at the Board of Education who speaks English very well, holding up a sign for "Miss Sophie". I then rode with a fellow new JET, David from Tasmania, who will be in a town nearby, and his entourage from the airport through beautiful cedar forests - it is so green here and the air smells amazing! We were brought directly to the board of education office, where we met up with Owen from Ireland, also a new JET, and Amelie, a JET who has been there for a year who will be helping to show us around, to meet everyone. Then I was brought to my apartment which is really great - so big and lots of sliding doors, one window looks out onto the mountains, and it has much needed air conditioning. I`m on the 2nd floor of a small apt building called BEAMS21 in a very nice quiet residential neighborhood. We then went to the supermarket to pick up a few necessities, and after dropping them off we all went out to dinner at the "grand hotel", and had a traditional japanese style meal in a tatami room, quite delicious. Later, after hanging out with Amelie, and another JET who is leaving at Owen`s new apt, I was ready for bed - quite a day! Two other new JETs, Cathy and Edel, also from Ireland, don`t live too far away either. This morning I went with imaizumi-san and yumiko to city hall to declare myself as a foreignor and then to the bank to open an account. This afternoon we are going shopping for things for my apartment!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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