"I recall you said you missed me.

...then again, it doesn't matter."--Shout Out Louds

From July 5th

I feel like the luckiest girl ever!

But let me explain.

On Monday morning, I met my manager, K, at the station (I was the only one who got picked up at the same station we left from). K (who is pretty much the cutest thing ever) took me first to the school, which was definitely much smaller than I imagined (but I have my own classroom!--and I don't even care if it's smaller than my closet at home), but I think that makes it feel a little less intimidating. We then took a taxi to my new (very own!) apartment, which is full of charm (if not much else)--and even if it's the smallest thing ever, I still adore it. K got me curtains with the school's budget, and apologized profusely for not being cute, for being cheap, that I could buy new ones as soon as possible, etc.--I've heard of this modesty happening with Japanese gift giving, but I never had experienced it before. I assured her that they were lovely and would definitely keep them.

Later in the day, K came back to take me shopping (technically it's my off day), and we stopped by the Daiso first to pick up some basic kitchen necessities. From there, we went to the department store next door, where I got to pick out a brand new bicycle! It's awesome; it looks a bit like a beach cruiser and has 3 speeds and a basket. We then went to the grocery store in the store's basement, and I got some food to survive on for a few days (or in my case, a few hours--jk, but only kind of). We also picked up a pan and a tea kettle. And did I mention that these were all gifts from my company?

I was going to ride my new bike home, but it was raining so hard that I decided I would have to pick up the bike another day. Despite the raging thunderstorm, I was able to find my way home by foot. But somehow, despite having an umbrella, I arrived completely soaked.

Later in the night, I got a knock on my door, and it was the delivery man dropping off my futon, which K informed me would be happening. I didn't realize it was actually a set, however, which including a down comforter, pillow, and sheet. I feel so well taken care of!

Now that I've experienced all these little perks, I'm excited to see the actual aspects of my job in person. This next week, I will be mostly only observing lessons; right now I'm only scheduled to teach one lesson--the last one on Saturday evening. However, my head teacher told me that that could change if it turns out that one of the other classes only has a few students sometime in the week. I really hope I do well; I want my students as well as myself to eagerly await each lesson.