Okay wait a little while longer...

...on the “what I did last weekend” blog post. My camera battery died and I had to charge it and thus didn’t get the chance to upload the pics.

But until then I’ll talk about my day!

So yesterday afternoon we (and by we I mean the four of us middle school Jets which are um, me, F, N, and B) were taken to meet the mayor, as well as made official introductions to the higher ranking members of the Board of Education. (The reason why H didn’t go is because as H does highschools, she technically works for a different Board of Education than those of us who do middle and elementary schools do. So even though we live on the same island, the four of us often do our work related stuff together). It was a little odd but not really nerve wracking, if that makes sense. Our supervisor introduced us, and we basically just bowed nad nodded our heads at the appropriate intervals.

The most fun though was the barbeque afterwards. Some of the elementary school teachers and some of the BoE (board of education members) threw us a little party with out door barbeque and informal chatting. Mostly in Japanese, but between the three of us who know some Japanese, we could pretty much figure it out. And some of the teachers knew English. It was pretty fun and a good way to take some of the formality out of our jobs. And it was in a really pretty spot, on a bay with clear water and tall mountains. So all in all good times.

The next day dawns.

And its *war* I tell you. WAR!

So today the plan was for our supervisor to pick three of us up, me, F, and N (all of us who came to Japan on Jet’s group B) to get our Alien Registration Cards and then our cell phones, as well as meet the elementary school principals. We’d do all that, go to lunch, then go back to our main middle schools to finish out the day. He was to pick us up at 820am so at around 810 or so I went outside to do my usual bug check.

And once again I found a Spizilla clone, waiting on the side of my apartment building (on the outside) just WAITING for a chance to skuttle inside.

I wasn’t going to play that game (and I think I said as much to the spider), and got my weapons, a can of insect repellant in one hand, my outdoor broom in another. With enough repellent and broom smacking, I was able to get the monster to fall off the side and into the insect murding powder I have spread around my apartment.

It didn’ stand a chance.

Once assured of my opponents demise, I continued my treck around the apartment. I went around the back, squinting up into corners, when I saw them.

My worst fears come to life.

SPIDER EGGS!

EGGS!

PLURAL!

Three of them, way up on the wall just outside my back door. To high for the spray, but NOT to high for the broom.

I started cursing, I’m not gonna lie, when I saw those ticking time bombs of doom, and began to beat at them with my broom, only to curse louder as, when I broke one open, thousands of tiny baby spiders began to jump for freedom.

Spray, brooms, and curses were flying free, when my neighbor suddenly gives a shout scream-curse as well. I look over and I see her back door is open and she’s flaiting about.

Spizilla clones had invaded her kitchen.

Clones.

Plural.

Two of them.

Armed with brooms and spray, we had at them! But the SOUSes (Spiders Of Unusual Size) held firm, diving beneath various kitchen utensils and appliances, and scuttling up into the cabinent shadows.

It was then that my supervisor arrived. It was time to go. But in the midst of battle, I had forgotton I needed to grab extra money for the cell phone buying. Taking a moment I went back to my apartment and went upstairs to my bedroom to find that a little tiny spider was having a grand old time bouncing up and down on my pillow.

WAR I tell you. WAR! As far as I’m concerned, that little bouncing spider was their acceptance of my declaration. And by golly I will destroy all these spiders if I have to bug bomb the island!

*clears throat* anyway.

We got our alien registration cards no problem, then it was off to get our cell phones. Now only myself and N were getting our cell phones today. F was getting a deal with her cell phone from a nieghboor, and thus those details were to be hammered out this weekend.

But of course the cell phone company’s (Docomo’s) represenatives speak only Japanese.

And my supervisor speaks very little English.

And N speaks no Japanese.

Thus it was up to me to translate everything the cell phone clerk was saying into English so that N could figure out the plan/ phone she wanted to get.

<.<;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

It took about an hour and a half, no joke. And there was a lot of me asking them to repeat, a lot of me asking for confirmation, and a lot of me staring blankly at the clerk, but eventually we figured *something* out. We both now have cell phones (ones that were on sale. Yay cheap!) and thus the ability to contact eachother and the outside world.

And it being Japan, even the cheap cell phnes are uber, with the ability to do music, connect to the internet, do email, and even watch tv!

And it being *me* in Japan of course, the phone doesn’t get tv on the island lol. But the representative assured us that if we ever made it off this little island and back onto the main islands of Japan, we’d be able to watch tv.

Whoopdedoo.

We also had to get a news feed on our cell phones, a continuous news scroll along the bottom of the standby screen. But its all in Japanese. I’m still not sure why we had to get this news feed, but everyone was insistant on that, along with much apologies that we couldn’t read it lol.

But at least I have a cell phone, and the cell phone is in English to boot, so alls well that ends well.

Dad later during the weekly call I’ll give you all the little details about my cell phone plan and such ;) .

After that it was off to the BoE to meet all the principals. Now before our arrival at the BoE, we were under the impression that we’d be going to our elementary schools to visit and meet the staff. Both myself and F, who have the best Japanese understanding, were under this impression, and B, who’s just about as good, had no idea anything was even going on today until someone arrived at her school to bring her to the BoE.

Imagine our surprise when we get there and are ushered into a conference room with a little over 20 old Japanese men (and one old Japanese woman) staring at us. They turned out to be our principals, and we had a formal introduction to them, both with our supervisor introducing us and then us introducing ourselves in Japanese.

Which really was a little pointless since in our supervisor’s introduction, he basically said everything there was to say about each of us.

But what can ya do.

Now I’m back at my school though, waiting out the rest of the day until I get to go home.

Oh! One other bit of great news! So H (the highschool JET) finally got her car. She came to visit me a day or two ago, and I was talking to her about how I don’t have a bike and will have to buy one. And she’s going to give me the bike her predecessor left her! It’s a nice bike, like a sports bike. I’ll still have to buy a helmet/lock/whatever for it, but if its in pretty good shape and usable I won’t have to slap down the 400+ dollars to get a new bike. Pretty exciting stuff.