Training

I have finished my my training and now have one day left off before I start officially teaching.  I started on the 23rd and it lasted for four days.  The first day I took a quick three stop train ride to the area.  I ended up walking past where I was supposed to turn because I didn't notice a building/shop that I was supposed to turn at.  When I did get to my building I was looking for how to get in (the door to get in is on the side but there are doors in the front) and I met another person who I would be training with.  We got into the building and found where we would be training the first day (it was just as hot inside as it was outside lucky for us the one room with A/C on was our training room).  I met two others that were already waiting when we entered the room.  A fifth would soon enter.  We introduced ourselves and waited.  Our training the first day was conducted over the tv even though there were two other senior staff in the room.  We went over the basics of how to teach a lesson from the company's book.

The next three days were held at a second location.  We reviewed how to go about teaching a lesson and then watched a lesson being taught.  Later we all taught 1/3 of a lesson, then 2/3 of a lesson, and then two whole lessons.  Everyone that I taught was a least in their 20s and they all seemed upbeat with a good sense of humor.  Teaching got easier as I did more and familiarized myself with the program.  The classes with more people and higher levels were easier to teach because there is more to the higher lessons and more people means a longer time so the whole period is filled out nicely (there are only so many times you can repeat a part of a lesson when a student seems to be grasping the material and saying everything correctly).  My favorite part of teach so far (which isn't much) is clarifying or explaining points.  These parts aren't structured or planned and actually has something to do with me answering instead of using the book.  I don't know if I could plan a lesson myself to last for the whole class, but I at least like a less structured and less formal atmosphere.

The third day was a little more teaching but mostly training.  The five of us training went to a chain (Yoshinoya) and most of us got gyudon.  It's a great price because it's cheap (only 280 yen for the small) and filling and the service is very fast.  Some of us hadn't even ordered by the time someone received their food.

The last day was us learning how to teach the children's classes, but without children.  We were really just told and shown and then practiced with one another.  Teaching a children's class sounds like it could be interesting.  And unlike with adult classes, you are guaranteed to have the same kids for a year so you really get to know them.  On the last day or second to last day we received schedules for the remainder of the month before we were to go to our regular schedules.  I got lucky and had three days off before working two to finish out the month.  One of those days I am to go to a location only one time and the other I will be going to one of my two regular branches.  In addition to getting schedules for the remainder of the month, some of us were also given changes in our normal work schedules.  I was one of those people.  Already one of my locations is i nice 35-40 minute commute and my other location was to be a nice 10 minute commute (actually to where I was training), but I had that location changed and now I have two locations that are over 30 minutes away from where I am living.  I am not happy about this.  I rented an apartment in a location so that I could be close to at least one location, and if I had known that both of my locations would end up being on the Osaka/Hyogo border I might have moved to Kobe instead as to not spend over an hour each day traveling (even the location that I will be at for only one day is in Hyogo).  I am going to try and change one of my locations to a closer location.

After the last day of training ended we said by to each other since we wont be working with one another and exchanged numbers to keep in contact.

I had wanted to go to the Sakai City Museum during my free time but the past two days I decided to stay up late (and now tonight is a third) and ended up being lazy in the day.  I have managed to walk around my area each day and get a better feel for where I'm living, though.  I also had to go back to Yodobashi-Umeda to have Softbak look at my phone yesterday since it kept resetting after only a week of having it.  I did take time to get some takoyaki (pretty much octopus in a ball of batter).  It wasn't amazing but I want to try it again with maybe some added flavor. During one of my late night walks I stopped by another Yoshinoya and got what I believe was Japanese curry.  I really enjoyed it and have convinced (without much effort) myself to go try other cheap 24 hour places that are right by my apartment.  Earlier that day I took a walk north by the rivers that the Keihan City Mall is by.  By chance I ended up walking down to Nakanoshima Park which is really beautiful.  As of now it's probably my favorite place in Osaka.  There is a bar and grill in the park which made the park smell of steak and other foods which didn't hurt.

Now tomorrow (today) I get to pick up a free rice cooker and wait for some mystery mail to arrive while figuring out how to fill out my National Health Insurance forms.

Getting Stuff Done

Today I was ambitious (I had to be) and got a lot done!  I went to my ward's office to add my address, and while I was there I confirmed my enrollment in the National Health Insurance.  Apparently I will be getting a form in the mail in a week or so.  After I did that I took the train to go open up a bank account.  I get off the train and go outside only to see that to get where I need to go means walking probably eight times the amount than if I were able to walk in a straight line.  To make things worse, when I was getting on the train to leave later that I saw an exit the exited into the building I wanted to go to.  I still don't know what I'm doing half the time, but I guess it takes a while to get used to everything.  I get to the location and the first floor is only for ATMs in the building that I wanted to go to.  I decided to take the elevator up to the second floor.  It doesn't look like I'm supposed to be there (not that it's off limits, but that it's not meant for what I want to do).  Of course, this building is only meant for corporate account openings.  I am told to go to another building and go to the second floor.  Easy enough, I know where it is.  I get the the location and am told that this is only an extension and that I want the 19th floor.  Okay, again, I take the elevator up to the 19th floor.  This is actually the right place!  I start the process and tell them that I don't have a phone number yet because the website that I looked at for phones said I needed a bank account first.  Nope, can't do that.  I get pointed in the right direction for the phone company and go find it.  The building that I am sent to has everything electronic you could need and then some.  I had time to walk around it and didn't even go to every floor.  The first floor is just dedicated to phones and has at least three of the largest phone companies in Japan right next to one another.  This is very convenient!  I try to get it where I pay off the phone over two years.  Not my luck (but expected), I can't because my visa is only for one year.  I have to pay for it all up front.  The first two phones that I pick are sold out so I finally get my third choice.  It is fairly cheap compared to other phones (in Japan), and I'm short on cash.  After waiting a bit for the only fluent English speaker (the one I was talking to had enough to probably help her if she got lost in an English speaking country which is more than I can say about my Japanese skills), I finally get to go through everything.  There was a lot of talking and paperwork (at least compared to when I got my last phone), but the woman who was taking care of me was incredibly nice and easy going.  I actually talked to her about me being here and that she had gone to New Zealand in high school.  She also mentioned having an exchange student living with her.  She seemed older than college but not old enough to have high school aged kids.  I didn't ask her age because I thought it would be rude but I was confused.  To top it all off, they were playing Random Access Memories over the speakers!  After I got my phone I went back to the bank and opened my account.  It was very simple and, again, everyone was very nice.  To finish my seemingly never ending trip I went to a department store and bought a shower curtain, a pan, and a notebook for work.  I still don't have a pillow, cup, or rice cooker because my funds are running low.  I've been using a (thinker) blanket they provided as a pillow and a towel and a blanket.  The bed is springy and isn't very comfortable.  The next month or two will be tight money-wise.  I have to figure out when I get paid and when everything is due.

Getting to my Apartment

So after waking up early yesterday to make sure that I had enough time to exchange my money to yen.  It being Saturday meant that my options were very limited.  I went down to check out a little before 10:00AM fully expecting to walk but they had a van waiting to take me to the airport.  Lucky for me because the rest of the day was going to be a sort of struggle.  I went to the first location to try and exchange yen.  I could only exchange up to $100 and I couldn't use $100 bills or $50 bills.  Luckily I had just enough in $10s, $20s, and $5s.  I decided to go to the other location but it was run by the same people and had the same policy.  I went up to the monorail to get a ticket.  I don't know Japanese, but it was straightforward.  You insert money then simply look at the map where your stop is (which had both English and Japanese names), and it will show a price, then on the screen you press said price.  I go wait for the monorail and when one comes it is coming from the opposite way I'm used to.  I had seen that the line closer to the airport would take me to the station I needed to go to.  I asked a man and said I needed to get to Umeda Station.  I didn't completely understand him so I didn't get on but instead went to ask the woman manning the ticket desk.  After a little back and forth of which side rail I should take I was told to go to the side further away.  Another monorail came from the same side a few minutes later and I saw the woman who worked at the station run up and tell me that I should take that train!  I thanked her and got on.  Then the train started moving, and it went back the way it came from.  I did not expect that.  I thought it was going to loop around because I had never been on  train that did this.  After I got off I asked two ladies where to get on for the Hankyu line.  They were very nice and talked with me and showed me the way.  They said that they had just come from Okinawa and that it was much nicer there (I forgot to mention that everything I had heard about the humidity is sadly true).  I got on the train to Umeda Station.  It was easy this time because I needed to go all the way to the last stop.  I did get confused on which one that was because a lot of people got out at a station that looked like Umeda Station from the pictures I had seen (color-wise).  It was an awkward ride because of my luggage and backpack combined with my immense sweating (92 and humid isn't fun).  I got off and went to a man who worked at the station and asked him if he know where a currency exchange was.  He told me a direction, but it wasn't enough for me.  Luckily and woman was standing right by and stopped and offered to help.  For the next ten or so minutes she took me all over Keihan Mall to get me to a bank that was open.  I couldn't believe how lucky I was, she pretty much saved me hours of looking.  I thanked her and she left.  I exchanged my money to yen and was given a fan because the teller saw how sweaty I was.  After that I went up an escalator to get a ticket.  I was looking around when a woman who works helping people find their way got me an English map and gave me directions on how to get to my next line.  She showed me where to start going downstairs and gave me the maps that she had drawn directions on.  I got to the station and got to walk my bags down the stairs.  The whole day so far I didn't want to get in people's way more than I already had with my giant bag and smaller one so I just dragged them if they turned and weren't on their wheels.  This became painful and tedious.  I got off the train, went outside to the street corner and, just my luck, there was a white guy sitting at the cafe.  I asked him if he knew where Osaka Castle was (since I needed to go south of there) and he pointed in a direction and said he thought it was over there but wasn't sure.  Good enough for me.  I thanked him and went on my way.  I reached my destination that was my rental company and was shown the way after some paperwork and talking.  Even though I am here by myself I definitely could not have done all of this without the people that helped me get here.  Now I get to furnish my apartment with a few small things and go buy some food to last me!

In Osaka

I finally made it to Japan!  For it being my first time on a plane and being out of the country, things went fairly smooth.  After receiving my boarding pass (and a little sass from the woman behind the counter) I made it through the TSA portion fairly fast.  I actually waited in line for the boarding pass for the second leg of my trip from Narita to Itami.  When trying to to past some point before receiving my second boarding pass I was asked where my bags were.  I told the man that when I originally checked in that I was told that they would be taken care of for me between flights.  That was not so.  Luckily for me my bags were going around only a few hundred feet from where I was.  For the first flight there were about ten movies that ranged from bad to mediocre (minus one or two that I had seen) and there were other tv shows, games, and music to listen to.  It was slightly disappointing.  Because of the time most people were sleeping and the plane was pretty dark, nothing like those cheerful commercials.  After a while there were no good places to put my legs so they started to cramp, and this is even with having an aisle seat (that I was lucky enough to switch to right before I checked in).  Once I finally reached Itami I decided to walk to my hotel instead of asking about a bus/van to the place.  I was completely sweaty and it took me a while to cool off.  All I have to do tomorrow is exchange my dollars into yen and go to my apartment company's office.  Easier said than done (especially with two suitcases and a backpack).

Leaving

Today is the day I leave.  I will be on my way to Narita in a few short hours and then on to Itami.  Everything is slowly coming together.  I'm surprised, actually, at how well things have worked out when getting ready.  I feel that I have everything.  This usually doesn't happen when I go on short weekend trips.  I feel that I'll probably get there, and in a few days, wish that I had brought something else, though.  These next 48 hours are going to be hectic.

Apartment

Finally, after spending a lot of time looking for a suitable apartment, I have found one!  My apartment is in a great location and, from the pictures, looks pretty nice.  Own the downside, it's a small apartment with no balcony, and the washing machine isn't in my room but on another floor.  At least there are also driers!  From my apartment to the my closest work location is a fairly short trip.  However, for my second location, I have to travel 35-45 minutes depending on the time of day.  There weren't too many other options that would make my commute shorter and give me everything that I wanted so I had to make some concessions and I did so with my commute time.  I'm slowly wrapping things up before I leave and don't have too much left now.