I Am An Alien

I didn't go to bed last night until about 1:30 am. It was hard to sleep in a new bed. I got up a few times from 5 am but being so early there was no way I was going to be up and about at that time.

I met my second flat-mate, Jesse. He is also Australian, but from Victoria. He is a very friendly guy. He gave me a lot of good advice and looks to be a good person to share this place with. To top things off he has a guitar! I am so happy about that. I was lamenting not bringing one of my own.

Both Derek and Jesse mentioned that for what we live in here, we are practically paying three times as much as we could get closer to Tokyo. But having said that, without Japanese contacts it would be difficult to acquire a better (and cheaper) living arrangement.

Finally at 3 pm I decided to go to Kanazawa Bunko where the ward office is to register for my alien registration card, Gaikokujin Toroku Shomeisho (also known as the "outside" person or gaijin card).

I don't know what it is but I am having a real big irrational fear at the moment. I'm feeling scared even to leave the house. The trains confuse me. It is so easy to get lost. I had a little help from a Japanese woman how much a ticket would cost, but the name of the station was right before my eyes IN ENGLISH.

Once I got there I followed the directions i was given and pretty much found it except I think I mistook the police station for the ward office. The woman there didn't speak any English so again it was a struggle to understand what she was asking me.

I went to a mobile phone shop and looked at the phones. I am in no rush for a mobile but I would like to get a SIM card for my K800i.

Now I know this would shock my mother, but I hadn't eaten anything (apart from a few Ferrero Rocher chocies) so I was feeling a little bit dizzy. I went to a small local convenience store and bought a whole lot of stuff, about $30 worth. I couldn't understand what the sales girl said, but she was kind of cute.

I managed to chat to both mum and dad online which was great. I'm feeling quite lonely at the moment. Derek and Jessie have their own contacts and already working, so I feel a little bit left out. I'm sure this will change when I start training and meeting a few people in the same situation as myself.

I found my way back home alright. My first official meal on Japanese soil was a spaghetti bolognese. So typically italian of me.