I'm Homeless

I haven't blogged for a while because I'm, well, homeless.

Last week I went to an ALT farewell okonomiyaki party in Honjo on Monday, went to the post office on Wednesday, the doctor on Thursday morning (I have a bad knee), Akita City on Thursday afternoon to pick up my new visa and to my farewell party with the Kamagadai teachers on Friday evening. Other than that I spent the whole week packing and cleaning. I left my apartment for the last time on Sunday evening and went to Atsuko's house.

The next day I went with Atsuko, Taisuke and Chinatsu to go sightseeing in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. First we went to Matsushima, one of the official three most beautiful spots in Japan. We rode a tourist ferry and had a closer look at the islands. We also went to a temple and had lunch at a hotel restaurant. Then we drove to Iwate and found our camp ground. It was a very nice camp ground and had good facilities. Unfortunately it rained. Taisuke brought a tarpaulin as well as a tent so we didn't get too wet. The next day we rode a ferry on the Pacific to look at some rocks. At least that's what I think I was supposed to be looking at. Then we went into the mountains and went tramping about in this big cave system. There were deep pools everywhere, the deepest being 90m deep, and the water was so clear that even in the gloom I could see the bottom of most of them. There were also lots of stallagtites and stallagmites, and it was all very exciting. But exhausting. There was a lot of stair climbing involved.

I will post pictures from that holiday after I get back to New Zealand.

Since then I have been staying at Atsuko's house. On Thursday we went to Akita City to send my books by M bag (30,000 yen for 70kg of books - very cheap!).

Yesterday I somehow ended up in Nikaho with some new ALTs, an old ALT and the section chief of the BOE, watching the welcoming ceremony for the Shawnee City (American sister city of Nikaho) Jr. High delegation. We did not need to translate or anything. There was no reason for us to be there. We just watched and then went to lunch. After that some other BOE people took us to the Children's Ferrite and Science Museum in Nikaho. We made slime, played with magnets and then rode one of those rides with the seats and the seatbelts and the big screens and the being shaken about all over the place that always make one feel sick. Then because everyone felt sick we went back to the BOE.

Today and tomorrow Atsuko is working and Sumiko is on holiday so I am at Sumiko's house. Tomorrow it seems that we are going to Tazawako, a famous lake on the other side of Akita Prefecture. I'm looking forward to it.