Wow, a lot has happened since my last update, which was over a month ago by now. I suppose a very abridged version will have to suffice. Sonia was here for the last two weeks of August. It was so nice to be with her, even if the time flew by way to fast. Unfortunately, much of the time I had to work, but we did get a little traveling in. We spent a four day weekend exploring the Kansai region: Osaka, Kyoto, Himeji and Kobe. We saw castles and aquariums, bustling shopping districts and mexican restaraunts. We even rode the worlds largest ferris wheel, which turned out to be a huge mistake; it was terrifying. We also spent a weekend in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It started off sort of rough, given that we couldn't find the hotel, but thanks to a very friendly and helpful woman who walked us most of the way there, we finally found it. We didn't have a lot of time there, so we didn't get to do much, but we did see a restaraunt where you catch your own dinner--there was a huge fish tank near the tables. We also got frostys from Wendys and drank the most expensive beers ever. Well, the beers were reasonable, but there was a 1000yen seating charge for each of us, which brought the bill to almost 3000yen for one beer each.
I've also moved to Osaka city. For those that haven't heard, I applied for a job as an assistant language teacher in the Osaka area and found out that I got the job while Sonia and I were in Osaka on vacation. I moved the following week. I'm now living alone in a tiny, very expensive apartment about 12 minutes from the heart of downtown by subway. I feel a bit misled about what the job entails, but I'm trying to remain optimistic, though I'm incredibly anxious to begin.
Osaka has been great so far, though I've only been here for a little over a week. There's live music all over the streets, crazy nightlife and lots of art and breakdancing, which I love. I'm also close to a lot of my friends from Kansai Gaidai, so I will be able to hang out with them a fair bit. Oh, Sonia and I ran into my Japanese tutor from Lewis and Clark in a train station in Osaka. Really random; what a small world. She lives in Nara now, which is about 1 1/2 hours away by train. I hope to see her again sometime soon.
Suppose that's it for now. Sometimes I wish I could come home, fairly often lately, but unfortunately that's not financially possible. The plan as of now is to return to the states in roughly seven months. I'll keep you updated (I'll try, anyway).
Hope all is well.
~stephen
