People

I've always believed that people make a place. and my time in Japan has only confirmed that believe. I could visit every single site mentioned in Japanese guidebooks, and none of those places would affect me as much as the people I have met while visiting those places.

Everyone has asked me what do I like the most about Yamaguchi, and they are very surprised when I tell them I enjoy the people the most. But it is the truth. Everyday I go

grocery shopping at the same store, and I now have my favorite cashiers. One is an older woman who, no matter how busy she is, she will try to have a simple conversation in Japanese with me. And the other is a young man about my age who will let me practice my conversational phrases and will always respond with a big smile and a small laugh. Although they understand that I speak only a little Japanese and will normally use the wrong word or mispronounce the word, they never get frustrated or tired of me. Every time they greet me with a smile, and every time they will send me off with a きをつけって(take care).

My students are amazing; they are truly interested in me and how I am doing. Sometimes I think they worry about me a little too much, but I am touched that they care. If I have any problem, every single person has their own advice on how to fix it. They are very generous people and very kind people, and I am honored to have the chance to get to know them.

Even strangers have been very kind and generous to me. This past weekend I went to Fukuoka with the other teachers to celebrate my roommate's birthday. We were at a little bar/restaurant, and when they found out it was my roommate's birthday, they held a small party for her including cake and karaoke. I am still amazed that people we had just met went

to so much trouble for us.

There are so many times where I have met a stranger who has been extremely kind to me during the short time here, and those are the moments that are special to me. Of course I would

like to see the many famous sites in Japan, but I won't be upset if I only get to see a few of them.

What I would regret is not having the chance to meet new people and make many friends. Spending time talking with someone new and practicing the language is more important to me than seeing tourist spots, because I am going to treasure the memory of that person more than anything else.

First Week

Right now I am starting my second week in Japan. Many of you are probably thinking right now "second week? What happened to the first week?"

Well my first week was a whirlwind of an adventure but in a good way. I spent most of it getting settled into my new life and getting familiar with my surroundings.

And learning how to drive. Since I have to drive for work, I used my days off to practice driving. Actually it was not as scary as I thought it would be, but the windshield wipers and the turn signal are on the opposite sides of the steering wheel than they would be in America. So when I wanted to turn on the turn signal, I often flipped on the windshield wipers. I'm sure many drivers were confused.

I am living in Yamaguchi City in the Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is located in southern Japan and is actually closer to Korea than Tokyo. On the map below

it is the tiny red circle on the western side of the country.

Yamaguchi is wonderful. Everywhere you look there is mountains and greenery. It is not a very large city (under 200,000 people), and every person that I

have met has been so kind to me. Even if they cannot understand my horrible Japanese, they still smile and go out of their way to help me.

Mountains near my apartment

The reason I am in Yamaguchi is to teach English. The first week was spent meeting my new students and I am impressed by all of them. They are amazing people. There is such a variety of people; some work as accountants while others are artists. Many are in school or have several jobs. Even though they are so busy, they are still taking time to study another language. I am impressed and humbled by this; it means I have no excuse to not work on improving my Japanese.

One of my classes holding a good-bye party for their previous teacher.

Even though I have only been in Yamaguchi for 1 week, I have already had the chance to visit some of the local sites. On Sunday June 20, the former teachers took my roommate and me to Amidaji temple in Hofu. On that day there was a festival for the hydrangea (あじさい-ajisai) plant. There was so much to see and do; we even got to watch a たいこ-taiko performance.

Although my adventure is just beginning, I can already tell that this is going to be an experience that will change my life.

Hello

Soon I am going to begin a new phase of my life. I'm going to move into my own apartment, start my first full-time job, and take on all of the responsibilities that every adult has.

So why I am writing a blog if this is a step that every person takes at least once (hopefully only once) in their life?

Because I am starting off my new life in Japan. For the next year I am going to be working as an English teacher in Japan. This has been a dream of mine for many years now, and I still can't believe that it is finally coming true. I want to remember every moment of this adventure, but as we all know, there are details that slip our mind (or that we purposely try to forget).

I want to use this blog as a record of my journey; I want to put all of my special memories in writing so that I never loose them. I also hope that this blog will be helpful to those that read it; my friends and family can use it as a way to share my experiences. Others can use it to fuel their own desire to travel or to teach abroad.

I hope that you all enjoy what I write here; I want this to be a blog that describes all of the wonderful things I see and do while living overseas.