The Past Few Weeks........

Maybe So it`s been a while since i`ve updated everyone on my situation in Japan! It has been a little crazy\confusing\rocky here, I feel like i`ve been in the twilight zone for the past couple weeks, and need to give a huge update.

The company i chose to work for was probably the worst company to choose in all of ASIA! They have been having financial problems since last febuary. However my recruiter seemed to think this was not going to be a problem. I knew of the troubles before i left, but didn`t think it would ever get this bad. Well it did.............

First my school branch near the station was going to close down and i was going to have to move to another location which was going to be a lot further away AND it was going to be in a mall (hello i`m 23 and working in a mall!!).....So the teachers at my school were very upset by that news. The school was supposed to close on the 31st of October.

Second, we were not going to receive a paycheck this month (by the way i have never received a paycheck to this day) So now i was going to be 23yrs old and working in a mall for free. Sounds good hey?. The mall would also take an hour by bus to get there, and cost $250/mth in bus passes.

But before all this could happen, we got `the call`. I woke up one morning and got `the call`. All of NOVA has been shut down. Not just my school, ALL schools in Japan. The company i have been working for completely closed down every single school. They filed for bankruptcy. This puts me as one person out of 4500 foreigners without a job in Japan. Good luck me!

So needless to say it has been rough. No paycheck, and no place to go. We don`t think our rent has been paid, but we are still staying there until they physically remove us from the building. We still have electricity, but we don`t know for how much longer. Alot of people we know have had theirs turned off or been evicted.

So the day we found out was definitely a drunken one. We all got together around 1 pm and started the drinking fest. Everybody grouped all the alcohol they had in Japan together and began. It was pouring rain all day. Yeah, really added to my good mood, especially with a broken umbrella.

But i had been applying for jobs for a while. And i had a lead on a good one, but the guy hadn`t gotten back to me yet.

However the next day came, and reality set in. BUT that day was also the Halloween train. We all got dressed up and hit the train like it was our job.

Anyways............The day we found out about Nova will be known as `the day i lost my job, and also got a new one` The guy got back to me that night. It is a little English school that needed someone ASAP, so naturally i jumped on it. I signed the papers the next day. So i am officially the new teacher for `Will Be English School`. Ahahahah, that`s right Will BE.
I have been working for four days so far. It could not be cuter!!!!!!!!!! It is rustic looking with tacky decorations up everywhere. In my teaching room there is a sign that says "BEER- the only reason i get up in the afternoon". And it has a ton of other cheesy placks like that. AND it plays Full House on repeat, as well as other tv shows and movies BUT so far just Full House (the beach boy episode). I think it will be much better than Nova. And i can use the internet anytime! So there shall be many more posts!!!! I will put up pictures soon.

But the job is alot different. I basically have to make up all the lesson plans myself from scratch. This is alot different from my last job which had a million resources. But there is a computer to use. And i can use the knowledge of my last job. No money from my last job but many hours of experience.

So basically life has been extremely stressful, yet very fun at most times. I will be super busy with my new job, planning lessons and getting used to my new hours of 1-10.

I have to move apartments soon. Yes, i have to move from my beautiful big apartment into a little box apartment. I`ll put up pictures when i do. I am a little scared of being lonely because i have gotten used to roommates, but i`ll deal with it. I have made alot of friends here so far. Some are being forced to go home because of lack of money/job, but a few are staying.

Oh and my new boss bought me a bike!!!!! It is gold and sooo ugly, but i love it!!!

That`s all for now. I am alive............

Don't you become a hangover?

This is the picture taken of the night before we got the worst news possible. It was a lovely dinner at this cute Japanese place.

This is a sign i go by everyday on the bus. Don`t you try Vegetables!!! They might harm you. (it`s for a vegetable shop)

This is the large Buddha at the end of my street. I see it everyday as well.

This is the Halloween train! We are with some of our students. Kaori, and Noriaki. Amber was the hamburgler, and i was a cowgirl. I only lost one sheriff badge and one gun (that is an improvement from other halloweens)

Amber and i on the train.

All three of my roommates. Amber, me, Kellie

Halloween was a blast. It was a much needed outlet of fun for all the stress and crappiness that has been going on. We all got dressed up and headed to the local train. A group of people from the international center were putting on a halloween party on the train. The train does the three hour loop while the DJ plays music and the whole train dances. They had everything from a disco ball to scary lighting. I often felt like i was in the twilight zone. And of course it was BYOB. Amber aka the Hamburgerler was drinking straight liqure from her McDonalds bag.

After the train we headed into the train station where i proceeded to attept to break dance in front of kids breakdancing (aka. do a summer sault, and spin in a circle). Then we went to this club in the Katamache district called `Colour`. Definite good times had there.

The title of this post is a text message i got form one of my Japanese friends the next day. His english isn`t the best so by him asking me if i was hungover, came out like "Don`t you become a hangover?" hahahaha, there are many more where that came from..........

Next post i will explain why i have been MIA with my posts recently.

Home Sweet Home

This is my very first apartment in Japan. Isn`t it beautiful??? It won`t be my apartment for very much longer because Nova isn`t paying the rent, but for now we are squatters. Hopefully the electricity will stay on and we will have hot water. If not.....cold showers and candles!!! hahaha


This is our kitchen table! Notice the Bailey art on the wall. Bamboo anyone?

This is our T.V. and Amber`s room. Notice the Wii.

This is our wonderful Pleather couch that is highly highly uncomfortable.

Washing machine that i cannot read, but somehow my clothing comes out sort of clean. And there is no dryer, we hang everything outside.

This is part of my room. That is my wall of friends. I will be sad to take it down, but i will make a new home for it when i move into my new box apartment in a month.

This is my lovely bed on the floor. It is surprisingly comfortable. I have stacked about three futons under there. Since this photo i have decorated with more fans on the walls.

This concludes the tour of my home away from home. Fingers crossed we don`t get evicted.

Voitami, Birthdays

This is the night of five birthdays. We had an awsome dinner at a resturant called Viotami (i think i spelt it correct). I found my new favourite food called Nabe. It is a dish that is warmed up over a fire on your table, and it has many yummy things inside. It is kind of like soup with chunks of yumminess put in. Lesley also bought a balloon making kit for Nat, so we made many funny objects that night. Let`s just say that when a dog barks in Japan it sounds different to when a dog barks in english. So by the end of the night i was definitly saying `wong wong` alot (especially to the cab driver on the way home from the bar).

Amber, Lesley, and myself

Becs my love!
Some of our staff, Emi, and Tomomie, all with our Inu`s

Amber, because she`s Amber.....i think we scared everyone away from our table, but that`s just what we do.

We ended the night at a bar called Bears Bar singing some sad karaoke, and then went home.

Jeff Wall, Mona Hatoum, and Sofie Calle in Japan?

Life is good in Japan. Since I have last written I have been on a few more adventures, and sung a bit more karaoke.
I went to Tojinbo and the beach again, this time with Steve. We had a great day scaling rocks and eating squid on a stick. Ummmmm, and lets not forget the green tea vanilla swirl soft serve. Seriously can`t get enough of good old Tojinbo. We also had a fun night at Bears Bar again, sans wax pouring of course.

I also got my very first cell phone last week. All very exciting. It`s silver and black. Although it`s not like i have alot of people to talk to or text. Mainly my roomies, and a few people from work.
Work last week was okay. I taught some good lessons, and some bad ones. I was actually able to share my knowledge on gender politics with one of my students who is in a very high level. It was good actually talking about something important in a lesson for once, instead of what is your name and what do you do.
I had a follow up training in Takaoka on wednesday. I had to travel about two hours on the train to get there though. So i took my sleeping bag with me in the hopes that some kind soul would let me crash on their couch for the night so that i could do some sightseeing the next day. It ending up being a really fun night. It was one of the girls last night in Japan. So myself, and all the teachers from that city went out for Okinomiyaki. (it is a Japanese dish that you cook yourself at the table, it is comprised of cabbage, egg, seafood or meat, and other stuff.....it looks like a pancake). Then we went back to their apartment and went on the roof, lit some fireworks and drank some cheap wine under the stars. Then i crashed on Michael's and Zubaer`s couch. Not too comfortable, but much appreciated.
(picture)
The next day i went to a city called Kanazawa. Minus being a bit tired and hungover, the day was AMAZING! I went to a 15th century garden called Kenrokuen. Kenrokuen means `combined six`, referring to the six attributes for perfection: seclusion, spaciousness, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water, and broad views. I walked around and enjoyed the feel of being in old Japan. The waterfalls and fountains were very tranquil. I stopped to rest often.

I went from the garden right to the 21st Century art museum. Going to museums is always a surprise for me. Who knew that there would be this amazing museum so close to where i live in Japan. I went from 15th century Japan, straight to the 21st century all within minutes. The museum was extremely modern. It is a huge round building with geometric gallery spaces all throughout. The facade had a flower instillation on it. Something to do with seeds, it also connected to an instillation project within.

The permanent collection was surprisingly cool, it also had an instillation by Leandro Erlich maybe called pool?. It was a pool with only 10 cent. of water on the top and the rest hollow. You could enter the pool through the bottom and see out the top. You could also look in the top at the people on the bottom. It was in the 2004 Venice biennale, or some other year, can`t remember.

There was also a special exhibition from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in the States. It made me very happy to see some special artists who were featured. Jeff Wall from Vancouver, huge photograph of two guys cutting through a hedge. Also a crazy circular sand pit by Mona Hatoum. Rotating in the centre of it was a rake that would create a design on one side and then the other would clear the sand and make it smooth. I also saw photographs and a video piece by Laurie Simmons. There were also many other exciting artists, Sofie Calle just to name another..... Now that i have bored some of you with my passion for art, and the the museum, i will move on.

I then walked around the city. Went into the main shopping mall called Kroinbo. And to my great surprise found Tim Tams!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!! At five dollars a box i could only buy two, but they are all mine and very yummy. I then bought sushi, went to another shrine to eat it in the garden. This garden felt much older than Kenrokuen, and the best part was that it was totally secluded, no one was around. I then walked to this crazy fish market that did not smell good, and people were yelling crazy things. I was dead tired by the time i made it to the train.

Today is my other day off. All i did was relax, go for a run, tan, learn some japanese, and come to the library to use the computer.

Talk soon!!!!!!!!!!!!

"It`s your dream, make it happen"

The Sinking Ship

The thing about being on the road, is that you never know when you are going to hit a fork.

It`s mind boggling how things can make so much sense one day, and then the next day ones world can be thrown for a loop. Apparently i joined a company which at the moment can only be described as a sinking ship. The instability of my situation in Japan hit me last week. Teachers are not being paid, and schools everywhere are closing. I fear for my job constantly, and don`t know what to do when shit hits the fan. So if i have not responded to e-mails, this is why.
However, i have decided to roll with the punches and take whatever life throws at me right now. I am not ready to accept defeat. I have fallen more in love with Japan than i would have ever expected, and refuse to give up without a fight. So until then, we all all continuing to teach lessons as normally as possible, and live as normally as possible. It`s hard to be in fear of losing ones job though, because then roots can`t be planted. I think i will plant roots anyways, which includes getting a cell phone this week. Yes, that`s right Bailey with a cell phone, i know it`s unheard of.
On the bright side, I have visited some pretty cool places. On our first day off we went to Tojimbo, and Mikuni beach. Tojimbo is famous for its crazy rock formations that jut out of the sea. It was said that a corrupt priest was thrown over the edge a very long time ago. As you can see i don`t memorize dates. And now Tojimbo is famous for the amount of people who commit suicide off of them. I thought they were pretty cool. And we met a Japanese friend named Masiah. With his best English, and my shotty japanese we could barely communicate, but making friends in unlikely places is what travelling is all about. Amber and i proceeded to wade in the Japan sea for the rest of the day, BUT only wade because there are apparently jelly fish, and neither of us were prepared to pee on each other.

Then last week i went to the third largest Shinto Temple in a mountain town called Eiheiji town. And Kelly and i visited Eithiji temple. I will post pictures as soon as possible. My favourite was the ceiling of 230 paintings done in traditional Japanese style. All of them different and uniquely coloured. It reminded me of how badly i need to buy paint, and start painting here. But again, that would be putting down roots. At Eiheiji, monks were running around like it was there job. They are so cute. And Kelly and i of course did all the proper stuff you are supposed to do in temples. You know, pretend to pray, light burning incense, and wonder around spiritually. Good times, minus the fact that i was starving and couldn't wait for a serious bowl of noodles with a raw cracked egg in it.

And of course i cannot leave out the nights of Karaoke. My motto is, that if i`m going down, i might as well go down singing. For $26 at "My Pleasure", it`s all you can sing, and all you can drink. So basically the funnest thing ever, especially when you have about 20 people in the intimate room from all different backgrounds and walks in life.....some Japanese, mostly foreigners, and even a couple Brazilians the other night.

Well i must run to work, but i`ll add more soon!

Planes, Trains and Taxi-Cabs

It has been almost two weeks since the day i arrived in Japan. Verdict? LOVE, LOVE, LOVE....Everything makes sense in Japan. It felt like home from the minuit i walked into my little apartment in Fukui-Shi.
After a very early morning, and a terribly long plane ride i made it to Osaka. We of course immediately went out on the town because our hotel was located in Dontonbori, the club district in Osaka. Crazy lights and tons of people walking around. It did not feel real.

The next day i hopped onto a train for two hours and made my way to my apartment in the city of Fukui. I luckily got a room with a balcony. We are surrounded by mountains as far as the eye can see. When i wake up in the morning, from my bed i can look out my window and see the mountains. I:ve taken to sketching them when i have time, and if the day is clear. We also overlook this quaint zen garden made of small stones and japanese bushes. My roommates are great! We are all very different, but work well together. They are both from the states. One basically studied japanese for four years, loves japanese music and really all things japanese. The other is a party girl from Florida. My apartment is a 2 min walk to the grocery store, and a 10 min bus ride into town. I haven:t explored too much around where i live, except for the time i went for a walk and got completely lost for two hours. Thank buddah i know how to ask in japanese how to get home!

I have met everyone i will be working with for the next year. They are from all over the world, and are so far very fun. We did Karaoke the other night. To sum it up, shit show. Try rapping to luaren hill after about 20 drinks. It's basically all you can drink, and all you can sing for about $35. We also went out for a couple people:s birthdays, don:t ask me whose though...again all you can eat, all you can drink $35.....see what i mean by everything making sense over here! And you can buy any kind of alcohol you want in the grocery store, and drink it anywhere you want.

Well, now that everyone thinks i'm an alcoholic, i'll talk about things not related to drinking!!!
To sum up the training for my job........stressful. But i lived through the three days of hell, and now am officially a Nova teacher. I just finished my forth day of actual teaching, and it:s not bad. Most of the time it:s pretty funny, except when the kids just stare blankly at you. It is fairly stressful planning a 4o min lesson in 5mins, but i:m sure i:ll get used to it.

Well my time is running out on this computer, so i:ll end off for today. But Japan is pretty much awsome, and everything is as it should be.