Change sucks
Haven't updated the journal in a long time, but stuff has indeed been happening. I'm moving back to Canada at the end of August, which I don't think I've mentioned in my journal before? I was feeling kind of half "I wanna stay" and half "I wanna go home" when it came time to recontract this year, but my family really want me back home, and almost all my JET friends are leaving, including my boyfriend, so that kind of decided it for me.
A rundown of of what I've been up to:
-Tried to go to the Philippines at the end of June, FAILED to go to the Philippines (at first anyway) because I had brought my old, expired passport by mistake. Didn't figure it out until I was already at Narita airport. Had to change my flight to the next day; in the meantime, stayed at
ontogenesis and cienna's place for the night (thank god for the Jennies). The next morning I took a shinkansen back to Fukushima, but I didn't cross the ticket gate so that I wouldn't have to pay. Boyfriend passed me my passport across the ticket gate, and I turned around and went right back to Tokyo. Paid practically nothing for a trip from Tokyo to Fukushima and back. :) Got onto the the plane and made it into Manila at 1:00 am. (This is the short version of the story that skips all the mental breakdowns, the rain, and the fifteen pounds of coffee jelly I had to haul all over Tokyo and Fukushima. I'm not even making that up.)
-After getting into Manila at 1:00 am, my mom and aunt picked me up and were so sweet and weren't at all angry about me forgetting my passport and causing them so much trouble. And then they told me that we were flying out the next day to the island of Bohol (near Cebu) and would have to get up at 5:00 am. Oh well, I deserved it. They'd had to move the flight a day later because of me. The next day we barely caught the plane because we were held up by traffic (of course). A gas truck had overturned on the highway; and apparently another truck did the exact same thing the next day in the exact same place. Manila urban planners = fail.
-Bohol was AMAZING. We stayed at a high-end resort where President Aquino once stayed; I imagine she must have rented the whole place out for her entourage, because there were only twelve villas (yes, villas). We saw and held tarsiers, the tiniest primates in the world, which fit in your hand and apparently get eaten by cats. We saw the Chocolate Hills, the existence of which make no sense geologically speaking! We went on a dolphin watching trip, but alas saw no dolphins. My parents did see a manta ray flip through the air though. Snorkeling and lolling on the beach was awesome, as expected. Getting barraged by vendors not so awesome, as expected. Although you can't really argue with an hour-long massage for five bucks. Food at the resort was great, German chef for the win. I don't know why exactly, but there seem to be a lot of Germans in Bohol.
-Went back to Manila, hung out with relatives, impressed my cousin's kids with my otaku l33tness ("You like Naruto? YOU LIVE IN JAPAN???"), ate way too much as usual, was astounded by presence of Japanese high-end beef (wagyuu) on Greek restaurant menu, visited my grandparents' ashes at the temple, ate the best Spanish food I've ever had, learned a few words in Tagalog again and promptly forget them, and never, ever, got enough sleep.
-Came back to Japan with my parents, expected them to be annoying and middle-aged, but they have become SO mellow and un-needy. They were really, really great on this trip. While I was at school my mom packed a lot of my stuff up so that she and my dad could bring it back home to Canada for me. MY MOMMY IS AWESOME. Oh, and I came home at 10 pm one day to find myself locked out and my parents nowhere in sight--turns out they were drinking with the superintendent of schools at a local sushi restaurant. Who are the parents and who is the child lolz.
-About a week after my parents left
juin came to visit me! She already wrote about it and posted pictures in her LJ (locked) so I kind of don't feel like I have to. :D Let's just say she was a very easy-going guest aside from her cruel, cruel remarks about the cleanliness of my apartment. Also, I found out she's a UFO catcher sucker.
-Lately I've kind of been a wreck. I haven't been sleeping well for the past month, and I keep bawling my eyes out because I'm leaving Japan soon. :( At my goodbye speech I cried; at my other goodbye speech I cried; and at my next three goodbye speeches I'll probably cry too. I cried on my last days at both of my kindergartens; I cried when one of my friends moved to Shizuoka (even though I'll see him later this month). Goddamnit.
-Zzzzz....I need more sleep. But I've got craploads of stuff to do before I leave. Zzzzz...
A rundown of of what I've been up to:
-Tried to go to the Philippines at the end of June, FAILED to go to the Philippines (at first anyway) because I had brought my old, expired passport by mistake. Didn't figure it out until I was already at Narita airport. Had to change my flight to the next day; in the meantime, stayed at
ontogenesis and cienna's place for the night (thank god for the Jennies). The next morning I took a shinkansen back to Fukushima, but I didn't cross the ticket gate so that I wouldn't have to pay. Boyfriend passed me my passport across the ticket gate, and I turned around and went right back to Tokyo. Paid practically nothing for a trip from Tokyo to Fukushima and back. :) Got onto the the plane and made it into Manila at 1:00 am. (This is the short version of the story that skips all the mental breakdowns, the rain, and the fifteen pounds of coffee jelly I had to haul all over Tokyo and Fukushima. I'm not even making that up.)
-After getting into Manila at 1:00 am, my mom and aunt picked me up and were so sweet and weren't at all angry about me forgetting my passport and causing them so much trouble. And then they told me that we were flying out the next day to the island of Bohol (near Cebu) and would have to get up at 5:00 am. Oh well, I deserved it. They'd had to move the flight a day later because of me. The next day we barely caught the plane because we were held up by traffic (of course). A gas truck had overturned on the highway; and apparently another truck did the exact same thing the next day in the exact same place. Manila urban planners = fail.
-Bohol was AMAZING. We stayed at a high-end resort where President Aquino once stayed; I imagine she must have rented the whole place out for her entourage, because there were only twelve villas (yes, villas). We saw and held tarsiers, the tiniest primates in the world, which fit in your hand and apparently get eaten by cats. We saw the Chocolate Hills, the existence of which make no sense geologically speaking! We went on a dolphin watching trip, but alas saw no dolphins. My parents did see a manta ray flip through the air though. Snorkeling and lolling on the beach was awesome, as expected. Getting barraged by vendors not so awesome, as expected. Although you can't really argue with an hour-long massage for five bucks. Food at the resort was great, German chef for the win. I don't know why exactly, but there seem to be a lot of Germans in Bohol.
-Went back to Manila, hung out with relatives, impressed my cousin's kids with my otaku l33tness ("You like Naruto? YOU LIVE IN JAPAN???"), ate way too much as usual, was astounded by presence of Japanese high-end beef (wagyuu) on Greek restaurant menu, visited my grandparents' ashes at the temple, ate the best Spanish food I've ever had, learned a few words in Tagalog again and promptly forget them, and never, ever, got enough sleep.
-Came back to Japan with my parents, expected them to be annoying and middle-aged, but they have become SO mellow and un-needy. They were really, really great on this trip. While I was at school my mom packed a lot of my stuff up so that she and my dad could bring it back home to Canada for me. MY MOMMY IS AWESOME. Oh, and I came home at 10 pm one day to find myself locked out and my parents nowhere in sight--turns out they were drinking with the superintendent of schools at a local sushi restaurant. Who are the parents and who is the child lolz.
-About a week after my parents left
juin came to visit me! She already wrote about it and posted pictures in her LJ (locked) so I kind of don't feel like I have to. :D Let's just say she was a very easy-going guest aside from her cruel, cruel remarks about the cleanliness of my apartment. Also, I found out she's a UFO catcher sucker.
-Lately I've kind of been a wreck. I haven't been sleeping well for the past month, and I keep bawling my eyes out because I'm leaving Japan soon. :( At my goodbye speech I cried; at my other goodbye speech I cried; and at my next three goodbye speeches I'll probably cry too. I cried on my last days at both of my kindergartens; I cried when one of my friends moved to Shizuoka (even though I'll see him later this month). Goddamnit.
-Zzzzz....I need more sleep. But I've got craploads of stuff to do before I leave. Zzzzz...