I Have Internet...

Hey everyone,

For my first post I just recycled my last large email. In the next week or so I'll be catching up, so keep in touch. Of course you can also email me whenever at thoprice@gmail.com.

From Bright Lights to Rice Paddies...

Here is the first post/email that I sent. I am getting tired after trying to set up this thing and it only makes sense to keep a good chronology.

And so it begins...after arriving on Sunday evening i stayed for 3 days in Tokyo at one of its nicest hotels. I was staying there with another 1500 Gaijin from all of the main english speaking countries other than India. That means the U.S, Canada, Ireland, Uk, South Africa, Jamaica, Australia and New Zealand. Despite the JET lag it was quite the party...as you could probably tell from my previous emails, at least those of you with whom i was in touch earlier. Anyways, between napping in my hotel room and going to the karaoke bars i also managed to attend a few information sessions on teaching english in Japan.

After Tokyo all of the 1500 people in the program were disbursed to the far reaches of Japan. In the morning that each group of teachers was to leave to their region for their perspective provinces, we were all lined up like sheep in one spot of a huge conference room with numerous ushers intructing us what to do. It was all very organized, all very stereotypically japanese.
I left on wednesday morning for Kagawa prefecture on Shikoku island, the smallest of Japans four largest islands. It is also the smallest prefecture in Japan.

I am located only 25 mins outside its largest city: Takamatsu, in a little town called Ayagawa. it is very very hot and at an average of 37 degrees with 100% humidity, easily outdoes Montreal for discomfort. To deal with that I have two very powerful air conditioners in my apartment that is actually quite large by Japanese standards. It has two bedrooms and one large living room/kitchenette. I have pictures but i cant send them because i am not on my laptop.
This all might sound very nice to you, but i must admit the culture shock is not very easy to contend with. All the writting is in Japanese and I am the only foreigner in this small town. In the few days that ive been here i have mainly been meeting with many officials and teachers from the number of schools that i teach at.

At times it most certainly feels overwhelming, but the people are friendly and I have no other complaints, other than the fact that I as yet have no internet in my apartment and wont be able to get it until I get my residency card from the japanese government.
so there you go...I am here. So keep in touch.

luv yas,

tomassan