Well, only five days left of work, yay! I'm getting a little anxious about the process of leaving Japan, though. Our date of departure is three weeks from yesterday. Plenty of time, but also plenty to do. I will miss so much in Japan...heh, but not my job! I will be shaking the dust of Nova off my shoes on Wednesday, believe me!
We went out with Amy and Alex for dinner last night to our favorite izakaya. Amy works with me at Hara, and is super funny. I love working days that she's wearing. Alex is her girlfriend, and she works at a different branch. I actually met her first at a help shift, working in Sakae. They're both from Canada, and have no illusions about working here, heh. So, they're fun to talk to. I tried some raw beef for the first time. Yuck! Never again! That was the nastiest texture I have ever experienced. *shudder* I also tried a spicy Korean dish. I don't know the name of it, but it's cold veggies and a thin strip of meat, wrapped up like sushi in a very thin rice ...pancake? Then there's a spicy sauce squirted artistically over it. The spiciness was weird because you felt it on your lips, rather than actually tasting it. I'll try to find a picture. It was a very fresh texture and taste.
Today was a little slower. I mailed home my dolls (family, please watch out for them!) I'm terrified until I know they're safely home. I sent them via EMS, so they should be fine. *knocks on wood* We also went through some stuff and sorted, threw out, etc. I also pulled out my smaller suitcase and started filling it with all the stuff that's not clothes. Woo...it's heavy and almost full! But really...most everything's in there. So after I pack my clothes (which will not be for a bit), maybe I can repack and the two won't be too heavy. I'm rather anxious and nervous about getting everything to the airport in time. *hides*
Election time is upon us in Nagoya, and it's a unique experience. First of all, the campaign. There are posters, articles in the newspaper, spots on tv, you know. There are also trucks with loudspeakers mounted on them chug their way through the streets, shouting out about their chosen candidate very very loudly. From 6 am to 10 pm. And basically, these redundent spiels consist of three phrases: "Sumimasen!", "Arigatou gozaimasu!," and telling the listeners to vote for the candidate (so many repetitions of the candidate's name). This doesn't sound odd until you put it into an English perspective. Imagine if, for the last presidential election in the US, all you heard from the loudspeaker-bedecked trucks was: "Pardon me! Pardon me! Thank you, thank you! Vote for Bush, Bush, Bush! Thank you, pardon me, Bush!" The trucks are also full of smiling, waving young women. Secondly, the voting for each candidate is scheduled for a different day. Man...you'd have to be really sure before you went to vote, I guess. :)
That's all for today. Stay tuned for...heh, I dunno yet. Maybe I'll post our post-Nova vacation plans. Whee!
Posted by Mandy at September 9, 2005 11:29 PM