Hey all,
About time for another small update from the world of Mr. and Mrs.King as they settle into and eventually conquer Hyogo prefecture!! (Insert evil laugh here).
So it’s been a few weeks now since we landed here in Hyogo, and we really have landed on our feet. Hyogo has, so far, been very kind to us both.
We have finished all the unpacking, paperwork and overall settling-in tasks, it took a bit of time to finally get the last box empty, but we’re there now.
The new apartment is looking fairly furnished, and pretty darn smart. As I write we are awaiting the final delivery, which will bring us a dining table and two chairs.
We have splashed out a fair bit of cash on furnishing the new place.
When I got my first place in Hokkaido, I bought cheap stuff, which was clearly at an end when it came time to move south, So a few days (too many?) down here have been spent furniture shopping.
Now we have a fully functioning kitchen, amazing new sofa, new dining table and chairs on their way, working shower, and 5 hours of DIY went into me building our new bed from IKEA...it’s fit for a king...or two! It’s so nice to have an apartment that has felt so homely so quickly.
I’m at the start of my second week of my new school teaching job. I had a couple of workshop days earlier in the month at the board of education, but they didn’t really have me do much, so those two days don’t count.
School is going very well. No real complaints so far! After a week, all the schools I have been to so far seem great. The kids (by n large) are very friendly, and have welcomed me perfectly.
The board of education that I am working for is very professional; it has several English-speaking staff members which sure helps when it comes to paperwork and contracts. My schedule is also very organized, and I’m not too overworked and neither do I have those days where I’m sat at my desk twiddling my thumbs (Which I’m sure has something to do with only working in elementary schools now).
I’ve begun to really feel that Hyogo is now where I call home. I do miss aspects of Hokkaido, most noticeably my friends. I am looking forward to returning to Hokkaido later in the year when the winter and snow returns.
One major aspect that has helped me feel at ease here is the weather. Sure it rains a lot more than up north, but the warm sunny evenings driving back from work, windows down, refreshing breeze...I’m not going to get tired of them any time soon, that’s for sure! As I type he sun is shining through the windows. Days sure pass a lot quicker with weather like this!
The only issue I’m having at the moment is a rotten cold. I guess my body was so used to the weather of Hokkaido that this warmer weather is going to take a little while to acclimatize to...that and all the fresh bugs I’m no doubt picking up off all my new students. Nothing a bit of medicine and some fruit shouldn’t cure (and a stick to keep the kids at distance).
Golden week is fast approaching, and Michiko and I have plans to drive over to Kochi to meet her mum (Yes, I’m still yet to meet her!), and all Michiko’s friends from high school. I’m a bit nervous, but I’m sure they are all wonderful.
I’ll update my blog once golden week has passed and the summer term at school begins.
Thank you for reading!
Much love to you all!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
24 hours into the new place
So here we are! Tired, semi unpacked, sofa-less, bed-less, semi light-less, but happy and loving being together.
It’s been a very long couple of days indeed!
The removal men greeted us bright and early last week on Wednesday morning, approximately 15 minutes before we finished our packing. Damn the Japanese and their impeccable punctuality. Fortunately, over the previous week of packing we had fine tuned our ability to shove a lot of stuff into a box fast, and no sooner had we closed the last box, the removal men were taking out the first load of stuff. An hour and a half later, and we were sat in the shell of what was once our home. It was around this point in time that the whole move started to sink in, Michiko and I were both unusually quiet, taking it all in.
After the landlord had given the place the once over, and returned a good chunk of our deposit (which I was very happy about), Michiko and I headed over to a hotel to rest up for the night, and have one final soup curry pig-out-tastic-feast.
Okushikasyouten....we’ll miss you dearly.
The next morning, Michiko and I parted company as she headed to the airport to catch her flight. Yes, no crappy long ferry journey for her. I spent the day in Sapporo, treating myself to a trip to the cinema to see the new Sherlock Holmes film. Pretty good too! Then I checked into an Internet café and documentary watched my afternoon away.
Then sooner than I had really wished for, 8:30pm rolled around, and it was time for a big deep breath, turn of the car ignition and my adventure to Hyogo began.
It took a smooth 45 minutes to get from Sapporo over to Otaru, where I was able to successfully pay my reservation for the ferry south. 10:45pm soon came, and before I knew it I was driving up the ramp onto the ferry which would be my home for the next 21 hours.....yes....21 hours....that's a whopping 1,260 minutes (I think) !!
I soon found a place on the floor to call a bed space, then headed up to the higher decks to find a quiet spot with a cold beer and a place to plug in my laptop...drinks and movie time!
Not too much to really blog about the journey, it was long, I watched lots of films, the sea was quite rough, I didn’t get much sleep, I didn’t puke, it was nice and quiet onboard...that’s about it.
9:15pm saw solid land back under my feet. A rub of the eyes, and strong energy drink, and another deep breath before the 2 hour drive to Kobe.
27 hours after that first deep breath was taken in Sapporo, and I was sat in the hotel room in Kobe. Tired, wired off energy drinks, still swaying from the ferry momentum, and in need of kicking off my shoes n socks, and crashing out.
What a journey! I still need a months worth of sleep...before I sign off on this blog post, I want to just take a moment to thank my wonderful wife. She has been so patient and hard working to get this move done. All the phone calls, mountains of paperwork, putting up with her occasionally grumpy husband, and just the mass amounts of love she continues to give. My rock.
Sun has now set. Bedtime. Good night.
It’s been a very long couple of days indeed!
The removal men greeted us bright and early last week on Wednesday morning, approximately 15 minutes before we finished our packing. Damn the Japanese and their impeccable punctuality. Fortunately, over the previous week of packing we had fine tuned our ability to shove a lot of stuff into a box fast, and no sooner had we closed the last box, the removal men were taking out the first load of stuff. An hour and a half later, and we were sat in the shell of what was once our home. It was around this point in time that the whole move started to sink in, Michiko and I were both unusually quiet, taking it all in.
After the landlord had given the place the once over, and returned a good chunk of our deposit (which I was very happy about), Michiko and I headed over to a hotel to rest up for the night, and have one final soup curry pig-out-tastic-feast.
Okushikasyouten....we’ll miss you dearly.
The next morning, Michiko and I parted company as she headed to the airport to catch her flight. Yes, no crappy long ferry journey for her. I spent the day in Sapporo, treating myself to a trip to the cinema to see the new Sherlock Holmes film. Pretty good too! Then I checked into an Internet café and documentary watched my afternoon away.
Then sooner than I had really wished for, 8:30pm rolled around, and it was time for a big deep breath, turn of the car ignition and my adventure to Hyogo began.
It took a smooth 45 minutes to get from Sapporo over to Otaru, where I was able to successfully pay my reservation for the ferry south. 10:45pm soon came, and before I knew it I was driving up the ramp onto the ferry which would be my home for the next 21 hours.....yes....21 hours....that's a whopping 1,260 minutes (I think) !!
I soon found a place on the floor to call a bed space, then headed up to the higher decks to find a quiet spot with a cold beer and a place to plug in my laptop...drinks and movie time!
Not too much to really blog about the journey, it was long, I watched lots of films, the sea was quite rough, I didn’t get much sleep, I didn’t puke, it was nice and quiet onboard...that’s about it.
9:15pm saw solid land back under my feet. A rub of the eyes, and strong energy drink, and another deep breath before the 2 hour drive to Kobe.
27 hours after that first deep breath was taken in Sapporo, and I was sat in the hotel room in Kobe. Tired, wired off energy drinks, still swaying from the ferry momentum, and in need of kicking off my shoes n socks, and crashing out.
What a journey! I still need a months worth of sleep...before I sign off on this blog post, I want to just take a moment to thank my wonderful wife. She has been so patient and hard working to get this move done. All the phone calls, mountains of paperwork, putting up with her occasionally grumpy husband, and just the mass amounts of love she continues to give. My rock.
Sun has now set. Bedtime. Good night.
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