tadaima!
My first update from Japan! I'm watching Japanese drama in my hotel room at the Keio Plaza. I feel like I've already been here for a week instead of one day.
When I arrived in Chicago for the pre departure orientation they didn't have our rooms ready yet- something to do with the O'Hare airport shutting down because of the heat on Thurs and flooding all the hotel rooms w/ people. So the 300+ of us had to sit around the lobby for a few hours and change into our suits in the bathroom before going to the presentations. That part sucked but I got to know a lot of people in the process. I was surprised to find a lot of people who had studied in Tokyo at the same time as me, some even from the same program.
By the time the reception started we were all half-starved,most of us having gone without food since 7am. My roommate and I ended up going to a restaurant next door afterwards where I had my last American meal: a turkey club, *brown* clam chowder, and fries.
Sat morning they split us into four groups, two of which had layovers in Mpls and two in Detroit. My flight to Detroit was delayed because of an overabundance of luggage so they had to kick everyone who wasn't a JET off the plane. I felt kinda bad since it was us JETs who flooded the plane with over-sized luggage.
On the flight to Japan I was seated next to a couple of very friendly Canadians who ended up being JETs also from Montreal. With over 125 of them and 95 of us we filled up a majority of the plane. I spent the entire flight talking with them and watching 4 movies so when we finally got to Narita airport I was asleep on my feet. I think it was like 5am Central time.
It didn't really hit me that I was back in Tokyo until our bus passed by Tokyo Disneyland, and then all a sudden I felt really nostalgic and wished we had more time in Tokyo for me to visit all my favorite places.
My hotel room window has an amazing view of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bldg- the most famous bldg in Shinjuku. The Keio Plaza is right across the street from it. My new roommate and I walked around Shinjuku to find a bank and I got to use my rusty Japanese again for the first time. We got a bit turned around so I asked an older woman for directions.
view from hotel room. Squidgy's happy to be back in Japan.
I'm really eager to get orientation over with and go to my host prefecture. It's been fun meeting all the new JETs but everything so far has been mostly review and I'd rather be walking around Tokyo with the other JETs before my employment officially starts. Hopefully tonight I can get away and tomorrow I get to see my host family again :) I'd like to visit my old friends from Kanda too.
I'm planning on getting my new cell later today with some other JETs so I'll prolly be able to send my contact info out soon. I haven't gotten a chance to take any pictures yet. Maybe when I get to Toyama...
When I arrived in Chicago for the pre departure orientation they didn't have our rooms ready yet- something to do with the O'Hare airport shutting down because of the heat on Thurs and flooding all the hotel rooms w/ people. So the 300+ of us had to sit around the lobby for a few hours and change into our suits in the bathroom before going to the presentations. That part sucked but I got to know a lot of people in the process. I was surprised to find a lot of people who had studied in Tokyo at the same time as me, some even from the same program.
By the time the reception started we were all half-starved,most of us having gone without food since 7am. My roommate and I ended up going to a restaurant next door afterwards where I had my last American meal: a turkey club, *brown* clam chowder, and fries.
Sat morning they split us into four groups, two of which had layovers in Mpls and two in Detroit. My flight to Detroit was delayed because of an overabundance of luggage so they had to kick everyone who wasn't a JET off the plane. I felt kinda bad since it was us JETs who flooded the plane with over-sized luggage.
On the flight to Japan I was seated next to a couple of very friendly Canadians who ended up being JETs also from Montreal. With over 125 of them and 95 of us we filled up a majority of the plane. I spent the entire flight talking with them and watching 4 movies so when we finally got to Narita airport I was asleep on my feet. I think it was like 5am Central time.
It didn't really hit me that I was back in Tokyo until our bus passed by Tokyo Disneyland, and then all a sudden I felt really nostalgic and wished we had more time in Tokyo for me to visit all my favorite places.
My hotel room window has an amazing view of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bldg- the most famous bldg in Shinjuku. The Keio Plaza is right across the street from it. My new roommate and I walked around Shinjuku to find a bank and I got to use my rusty Japanese again for the first time. We got a bit turned around so I asked an older woman for directions.
view from hotel room. Squidgy's happy to be back in Japan.
I'm really eager to get orientation over with and go to my host prefecture. It's been fun meeting all the new JETs but everything so far has been mostly review and I'd rather be walking around Tokyo with the other JETs before my employment officially starts. Hopefully tonight I can get away and tomorrow I get to see my host family again :) I'd like to visit my old friends from Kanda too.
I'm planning on getting my new cell later today with some other JETs so I'll prolly be able to send my contact info out soon. I haven't gotten a chance to take any pictures yet. Maybe when I get to Toyama...
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