Most of today was taken up by myself and Hasui-san touring the schools. We didn`t actually go in, we just drove to them. I will be teaching at four elementary schools and one junior high school. Its a weird situation to desirable but I will try to build a mental picture. All the schools are quite far apart and yet all inside the Town of Shikaoi proper. Japanese town are quite different than North American cities because they encompass the surrounding country side. So, the schools are situated in smaller hamlets inside the town of Shikaoi but are still about 10 minutes away on country roads. Its all very lonely because there is absolutely no one else on the roads around the main hamlet. You can drive almost the whole way and see no one. I wouldn't discrible it as desolate or lonely, if anything it really enhances the beauty. You never feel lonely because the area, compared to any countryside in Alberta, is packed with people. With a train ride or airplane trip of 1.5 hours you can be in a city of millions.
Husui-san is a brave passenger for riding with me to all the schools. We returned back with absolutely no problems, I didn't even stall the car once (picture to come). They drive on the "wrong" side of the road here. Shikaoi's empty roads are an excellent place to learn to drive on the left-side. I've had very little trouble ajusting, I think because of my time in Japan in 1999-2000. Even the lefty stick-shift is easy. One of the funniest things that happens is that I will often, instead of turning on the turnsignal, I will turn on the windshield wipers, because they are transversed in Japanese cars. I even find myself laughing out loud to myself when it happens. If accidently turning on the windshield wipers in sunny weather is the worst problem I have with driving on the left-side of the road, I won't worry. Kevin says he still does this.
My plan for tonite is as follows: find food. Right now in my house I have some bananas and bread. If I had peanut better, that was not the gross Japanese over processed stuff, I would make a sandwich. But, for today, that is out of the question. Instead, I will knock on the Usui's door and have some BBQ. I really need to spend some time getting my house in order, so tomorrow nite, for sure, I am going to stay home and finish unpacking. This weekend in Tokachi, the flat-area/province in Hokkaido, the area's AETs are getting togather for a workshop, dinner, party. Kevin and I are going to go. He's meeting his girlfriend (who is organizing the event) there and I am going to meet the other AETs in the local region. Details are still a bit fuzzy.
I think that is all the news for today.
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