Go to Gotō, Young Whippersnapper!

"Will all the island people please come to the front of the line?"

This was the announcement I heard from my supervisors as all the Nagasaki JETs waited to board a plane to Nagasaki at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. I presume my supervisor meant me and the two other ladies who accompanied me--one of whom was also going to Gotō; the other to Tsushima, which is northeast of me. In that moment I realized I am an island person.

Thus far the island life isn't too different from the mainland life (minus several trips to the beach during the short time I have lived here). From friends who have been to islands like Hawaii, the Bahamas, etc., they describe life as mellow and relaxed while my experience has been a whirlwind of activity. Granted they traveled to vacation while I am working as an employee of the Japanese government and an American cultural ambassador. When understood in that sense, it explains why I have been busy: establishing proof of residency, opening a bank account, acquiring both a cellphone and car, and furnishing an apartment. And I'm not complaining either! It's thrilling--just intense and upbeat work for an introvert such as myself!

From the moment I landed in Gotō on Wednesday until now I have been on the go. Upon arriving in Gotō I met my supervisor and my fellow assistant language teachers (ALTs). They immediately whisked me off to the Board of Education (BoE) where I met the office staff and the superintendent. Per custom I introduced myself to a waiting audience in incredibly broken Japanese but I am told I made a good impression. I won't be spending much, if any, time at the BoE but it is a formality that must be observed. I won't lie: I was a little nervous as I sweat in my suit. Of course I blamed the humidity.

After filling out some documents establishing proof of residency, we went to my apartment. I'm going to like living here. The arrangements are certainly modest but for $50 it is still a steal. My apartment consists of a main room and kitchen as well as a bedroom which is segregated by a shōji (the panels are plastic instead of the traditional paper though). I would take and post pictures here however I want to make a few modifications to my space first. I want to acquire a few more furnishings and I want to paint the walls as well; the apartment could benefit from some light cleaning too. Once I'm comfortable with the space, I will definitely post some pictures.

Wednesday evening the ALTs and I went to a teishoku restaurant; I don't think I have had teishoku before. It is basically a pre-set meal: in my case chicken katsu was the main dish supplemented by rice, miso soup, and some vegetables. It was topped off with coffee jello for dessert (a curious but tasty dessert if I ever saw one).

My birthday was Thursday and I celebrated it by running a bunch of errands (and enjoying incredible tacos for lunch!). Honestly I had forgotten about my birthday until people reminded me! The day started off right however because I awoke suddenly at about 5:30am just in time to see the sun rise. It was a blazing red disc that soared through the clouds shining its rays like the Japanese flag whose country bears its namesake. It was a glorious sight and my first sunrise in Japan. In the evening I found a gym and worked out. When I came to back to hang out with my friends I discovered a cake awaiting me (purchased by my kind and attentive supervisor)! Supplemented by Yebisu beer (my staple Japanese beer) and a fun game of Drawful and I couldn't be happier.

Friday and Saturday blur together. I acquired both a car and a cellphone on these days and made two trips to the beach. I have only been to two beaches but my ranking favorite is Takahama Beach. I learned that it is a human-made beach but that doesn't detract from its beauty in my eyes. After several hours in the hot, muggy weather of Gotō, which provides a daily lesson in humidity, a swim in the ocean is a godsend and a relief. I am humbly proud of the picture I took below:

One of my greatest joys so far is talking with Japanese people. I readily admit that I'm not very skilled at speaking; also when they speak too fast, I am utterly lost. However, one-on-one conversations are absolutely delightful and I am convinced these are some of the kindest and most helpful people I will ever meet. I start touring my schools tomorrow and will enjoy a ton of down time as classes won't begin until September. I want to use that time to practice and study Japanese. I won't say fluency is my goal; I was too romantic about that idea four years ago. I will say that I want to learn as much Japanese as I can, to understand as much of the language as I can in the time I live here. Friday night I went to a bar with my friends and we chatted with some of the locals. It was awesome! Despite the gaps in understanding at times, the conversations truly are entertaining and stimulating. We'll see if I can keep it up. I also need to work on learning kanji. I see so many signs and I don't have the faintest notion of what they say. In a way I feel like I'm going back to school except this time I intend to enjoy it!

Saturday afternoon I basically rested all afternoon until the evening. The other ALTs and I sent off, Karl, an ALT who lived here for five years but is now moving to Tochigi Prefecture (north of Tokyo) to take on a new position. It was a profound moment. As he boarded the ferry, dozens of people waved from the dock. For a time he held these multi-colored ribbons which were also tied to the dock. As the ferry pulled away, the streamers loosened from the dock. Karl still held them as the wind picked them up like a flag or a banner: they waved in the distance as his former students waved him. Fun--nay exquisite--fact about Japanese culture: they will send you off and wave good bye until you are literally out of sight. Thus as the ferry moved along the bay, children rushed to the end of the dock shouting "Karl Sensei! Take care! Good luck!" As an observer new to Gotō, I nonetheless felt a tug on my heartstrings. Watching and experiencing this genuine sense of love lifted my already high spirits. It is a welcome reminder of the goodness that exists in the world.

Later that night I went to a beer garden and yakiniku dinner with the ALTs. With yakiniku you are given raw meat which you cook on a grill in front of you to your desired level. That was fun though I probably sweat all the food and beer I consumed!

Sunday was indeed my Sabbath! I did go on a jog this morning but other than that I rested and practiced driving my car around Gotō. I jogged with the purpose of exploring the area in a quick loop until I discovered a sign pointing to a church and historical museum about five miles away. I decided to do it! It took awhile but I made it. Unfortunately in my ignorance I neglected to bring money to pay the entrance fee but I did see the outside of the church and took a quick picture before being politely asked to leave. French missionaries built a chapel on the spot in 1879 but the current structure was finished around 1908. Dozaki Church is the oldest church on the island and is a monument to the persecutions the "Hidden Christians" experienced silently for centuries until the Meiji government legalized Christianity in the late 19th century. Dozaki Church is situated on a peninsula. I included a picture of the neighboring islands and bay below.

As a former Christian I cannot help but admire the irony of being placed on an island which served as a refuge for fugitive Christians for years. I am curious enough to explore this phenomenon and to see if there is some subliminal message that I am supposed to uncover. We will see. This whole situation is certainly bizarre but already rewarding.

Well, big day tomorrow and by tomorrow I mean today since it is so late (or early?). I can't wait to discover what the cosmos has in store for me!