one month later

i am finally settled into my old yet spacious apartment. my predecessor left a bunch of cool furniture so i virtually had no big purchases. but since i'm a shopaholic i resorted to decorate my apartment with dollar store stuff. i finally feels homey now...if only the bugs would go away. the count so far is 2 spiders, 2 roaches, 7 crispy bug things, 1 green thing. and i can't count the number of mosquitoes that are in my apartment...but my pink itchy legs can give you a rough idea. (picture: view from outside my apartment complex)

after one month of boredom, homesickness, and exploring i can safely say i still have no idea about this jet program thingie i've gotten myself into. some days i love it here and think to myself i can stay another year no problem. other days i absolutely hate it and want to go back immediately. i love my little 'inaka' village (i am in the boonies ><). it's surrounded by these gorgeous mountains and green rice paddies. i love biking through the town every single day. there is a local farmers market that calls out to my foodie heart/stomach. there's even a convenient mall (aeon) 5 minutes from my apartment. this is good and very bad at the same time. the food is more than fantastic. the seafood is beyond fresh and it's incredibly cheap. the local farmers market sells relatively cheap vegetables and offers an incredible selection of meat. i can find sushi as cheap as 40 cents a piece. all these little features of nogata (my town) that make it lovable. fukuoka city, which is the 8th largest metropolitan area in japan, is an hour away. and with public transportation i can nap all i want. on most days i find it easy to adapt to life here; i'm amazed how easy i get along all things considered. but then there are those days where i just question my decision. one fantastic week can be destroyed by a cultural disparity. it is so hard to deal with coworkers who are older than you and who don't speak your language. especially coming from such a friendly working environment in college, i truly have been spoiled by more than superb coworkers. i feel out of place and awkward most of the time. everyone is nice to me, but communication is a definite problem. and the bureaucracy pisses me off. everything is so slow and official. japanese are all about the proper polite etiquette so nothing ever gets accomplished. you never know when you're being criticized because they hide it behind a subtle comment. and again, the language barrier comes in. i'm mostly frustrated that i have lost so much of my japanese. now that classes have started i am no longer bored out of my mind. at least i have something to do now, but now i have a new challenge. i work in a lower academic high school, meaning the students don't study hard and lack motivation. the english level is very low; my first planned lesson was a complete disaster. they understood the concepts, but i need to build a foundation of english first. i think the most disparaging aspect is the attitude my students take on. the girls are perfectly energetic, but the boys just do not want to learn. they talk openly in class or they just flat out nap. it angers me that the teachers don't do anything. because it is a lower level school they feel as if there is no hope for these kids, and so they do not even try to discipline them. i wish i could talk some sense into the students, but again the language barrier is standing in my way yet again. the students aren't bad; they just lack motivation and need guidance. this is definitely going to be a challenge. i've had so many teachers who have either disappointed or inspired me. high school is such a crucial time. i really hope i can be one of those teachers who inspire their students.