First Pay Day

I knew the title would get you, but don't be alarmed. Although I actually received my fist pay, it was not from NOVA. I gave my first private lesson today at a Starbucks. I would have to say, for being my first one, I do believe that things went rather smoothly. The young man I had as my student lived in Canada for about a year and his English was spot on, a few grammatical errors here and there but overall, excellent. At the end of the lesson, he scheduled another one for next week so I was quite pleased. My trial lesson fee is 1,500 yen and each subsequent lesson is 2,000 yen. Also, he told me that he would inform a few of his friends about my lessons. I figure if I can get 10 lessons a week, I can survive pretty easily with what I have saved up and with 20 lessons, I should be doing okay, not making bank, but surviving. I am going to give some of the flyers to my friends as well and ask them to pass them on. Of the 128 million Japanese, all I am asking for is 10 students. This Sunday I am going to do a voice room with a couple of students from my old branch. That is where it is a more relaxed atmosphere, I pick a topic of conversation, guide the discussion, and allow the students to talk as much as possible. I am hoping to get anywhere from 30 to 50 USD from that deal. So, by weeks end, I will have made a whopping 50 USD total. Better than nothing, better than nothing.

New fax from our nefarious president has informed us that the pay situation should be solved in a day or two; but, I highly doubt that. However, as soon as the real pay day comes, I will be sure to let you know.

On another note, Joel and I played some playground baseball with a group of 15 year olds. That was last Sunday and it was a lot of fun, definitely helped to get my mind off of things. So, we made plans to play again this Saturday. I will try to get some pictures of the field/playground and our teammates. They were pretty funny, Joel and I would just make contact and they would cheer. One of them would hit a home run and they wouldn't do anything. Afterwards, we had to take a picture with them on their cell phones. Reminded me of myself when I was younger, only with ice hockey, not baseball.

Right now, it is 3:15 am and I decided to post this blog. I do not know if I am stressed out that much or what the deal is, but I have not been sleeping well at all. Last night, it was 4:30 until I got to bed and the night before that, 3:30. Just writing in the blog and chit-chattin with friends online.

Tomorrow, Joel and I are off to a friends house to have dinner with her parents. She speaks relatively good English and I asked her what was on the menu. Her response, "I can't explain it in English." So, without being rude, I hope to take some pictures of the dinner tomorrow. I am going to take her parents come chocolates as well. Surprisingly, I have eaten most of the chocolate I have come with.

One bright side about this whole situation, I am in the best shape I have been in since I stopped playing ice hockey. I get to do my push ups and sit ups twice a day as it adds some routine to my life.

Still looking for a name for my plant...

Take care, hope everyone is doing well. I have kind of been down in the dumps lately, just stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. But, I think tomorrow it is time to take a different approach. So, hopefully I get my head out of my butt, stop sulking, and get a little more lively. There are jobs out there, I just need to find them. Hope no one got overly excited about the title and you at least got a laugh out of it. Smile, it could be worse.

Latest and Greatest

I realize that I have not written in a while so, I figured it was high time I added another article. As usual, there is nothing much to report on. However, there are a few details about my life that I can tell you about.

For starters, I switched rooms. I was in the center/smallest room of the apartment but my roommate left for China. So, I now have a window, bigger room, and somewhat of a desk. Also, there is a closet so I can actually store my clothes someplace where they are not in eyesight.

I got a plant and would like to name it something but have yet to come up with anything good; so, if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

I have applied for about 6 teaching positions and posted my information on several websites regarding private lessons. To date, I have one private lesson and there is some other potential business workings in the works. As soon as I know of anything, I will be sure to keep you posted. With the help of Joel and our good Japanese friend Momo, we have templates for flyers; now, all we have to do is go to a copying place and get some copies made.

I am now on a schedule. I will stay in Japan until after the New Year, at which point, if I have no job, there are three options. Number one and the least likely, come home. It is always an option but not one that I want to willingly make. Option two - South Korea to teach English. I heard that the English business is booming there and plan on doing some research over the next few weeks. A very likely option. Finally, option number three is PeaceCorp and off to Africa. It would allow me to continue my worldly travels and help those in need. So, that is my basic timeline as of now.

I found a beautiful view of the city at night and have been there the past couple nights. It allows me to think clearly and to relieve a lot of my stress. So, I think it will be a place I visit quite often.

All of my job applications, I heard back from one company who is reviewing my information. I should know in two weeks what the deal is unless they do not contact me at all. So, keep your fingers crossed.

I am reading a book call The End of Faith... it is a great book and I think the author is a genius but perhaps that is because I have not had an intelligent conversation since I've arrived.

I dipped into my American funds yesterday. Would we have gotten paid, after everything was taken out, including rent, taxes, etc, I would have had around 900 USD in the bank. The new projected pay day is this coming Friday now but I highly doubt that will happen. So, I have not been to work and continue to apply to jobs online.

As of right now, that is pretty much all I have to report on. For the time being, the lady situation is a bit complicated considering she is extremely busy and my life is crazy, to say the least. But, as details emerge, I will be sure to keep you informed.

I hope that everyone is doing well and just remember, when you go in to a job you do not like, at least you are getting paid :) which is a lot more than I can say right now. Smile, I am trying my best to...

News on NOVA

So, the 15th was supposed to be the big day to figure out if we were going to get paid or not; but, now, the president has sent out a fax saying we will get paid on the 19th instead. So, I have to wait four more days. I know a lot of people, including Joel, who are calling off until they get paid. So, the company may be finished before the 19th. However, I am going to go to work and give my e-mail address to the students to see if any of them are interested in private lessons. So, I think the company is done with, over, but maybe, just maybe, they will find a way to make it through. Things are not looking good. But, either way, I am staying in Japan and going to find a way to be here for at least a year. Hope everyone is doing well, don't worry about me because I am not worried about the situation. Take care.

Ferris Wheels and Fun

Not a whole lot going on here. Just thought I would give you a quick update with what is new in my life. Rode a sweet ferris wheel in Umeda on my day off. I will put up some pictures today. We went with our good friend from the cell phone shop, Notsue. We might end up teaching her mom English in exchange for a meal once a week. Also, I got e-mail on my cell phone so that is pretty exciting.

Today there is supposed to be a big announcement about the future of NOVA. I have no idea what it is going to be but as soon as I know, I will be sure to let everyone know. Either way, I plan on staying in Japan for a year. Money is going to be tight but I think between Joel and myself, we can do it. Hopefully, within that year we can both find another job at other English schools.

Joel and I made dinner for two of our Japanese friends last night. Joel made some curry and I ended up trying a Mexican dish. It was the first time I made it but it turned out pretty good. I think the ladies thought we were a bunch of gomers/goobers because they took pictures of the food. For some reason, I guess they were thinking we couldn't cook. Of course, there might be a potential relationship in the making... and for now, I will just leave it at that. Oh yeah, last night went and played in the rain. First time I have done that in a while but it was wonderful not having to worry about anything and just having fun. That is all for me at the moment. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying life, I know for the time being I am.

Mr. Y

As I was relaxing on Sunday night, half asleep watching a movie, I noticed I had four missed calls and a text message. Who else could it be? Joel's text message read "wheres my wingman." Although I was not really in the mood to go out that evening I decided I would go for moral support as I could tell Joel just wanted to have a good time and throw back a few beers. I asked my roommate for directions to a "280" bar where everything, food and beverage, is only 280, hence the name. We got directions and off we went.

We arrived safely at the bar after drinking two beers on the way there. Being able to drink in the street is quite an unusual feeling and some part of me still feels as though I am a criminal. Nevertheless, we entered the bar (mind you, it is not really a bar as an American would view a bar but more of a restaurant, how it got the name 280 bar I do not know) and had a seat at the counter.

Before too long a Japanese man came up to us and asked if he could join us. Well, knowing Joel and I, you probably know what we said. I forget his name but he will forever be remembered as Mr. Y from this point forward. So, Mr. Y informs us that he is the president of Nitro Evolution and in my opinion, so begin the lies. We have a few drinks and I notice a scar on his hand so I asked him what it was from. Mr. Y informs us that his scar is from the Yekuza, better known as the Japanese mafia. He then proceeds to pull up his sleeve and show us to scars on his arm, apparently from bullet holes. At this point, Joel and I ask for the bill. Something to note - in Japan, they do not break up the bill, they pay by the table. So, if someone in your group orders a $20 steak and you get a $5 burger, the bill comes as $25 and from what I gather, you are supposed to split it equally. So, our bill comes and its $45 or 4500 yen. I throw in a 1000 yen because Joel owed me two beers and I only had 4 to drink the whole night. So, i figured I was good and didn't worry about it too much. Joel is half yelling at me in the bar, telling me how we don't want to be in debt to the Yekuza. As we were walking out, I thought it said we still had 500 yen left on the tab. So, from this point, I thought we skipped on the bill with a guy in the Japanese mafia. Turns out, I was wrong but more on that later.

So, we try to say goodbye to our new friend, Mr. Y, but he asks us where we live. We tell him Shin Osaka and ask him where he lives. He informs us that since he is the #2 mafia man in Shin Osaka, he can stay anywhere. Joel then asks him how he is getting home. His personal driver, of course, what were we thinking. So, I asked for a ride, only to find out that his driver doesn't like Americans and would cut us if we got in the car. Fair enough, we'll walk. As we walk along a little more he tells us his bodyguard is following... Joel and I turn and stare. He tells us not to make it obvious and continue walking. Next, we pass a nice hotel and he says he can stay there for the night. So, I ask to see the place. Sure enough, Chinese mafia live there and they don't like Americans either so surely we would be stabbed. Fair enough, I don't really need to see the place. At this point, we are trying hard to lose this guy and just go home. He follows us back to our place and Joel has had enough. He tells this guy he is scary. Mr. Y wanted to come up to Joel's room and "see it." So, we left him at the entrance and started to walk up the stairs, sure to not take the elevator. After about two steps, I took my sandals off so he wouldn't be able to hear us and Joel and I were whispering back and forth. This story does not do justice to the adventure and fear we faced but I hope you find it humorous, looking back on it, I know I do.

So, the next night I come to find out the true story, at least from Joel of what happened at the bar. Perhaps for me, this just added to the joy of the evening. So, Joel proceeds to tell me that he ended up throwing in $40 dollars into the pot for a total of $50 and gave it to Mr. Y. So, not only did Joel end up paying for Mr. Y's drinks, he also paid him $5 to drink with us. That a boy Joel. He asked me if I knew what happened and I told him no and after hearing the story, I just lost it. I could not stop laughing and laughing. That is all, hope you enjoyed the story and it made you laugh. Mom and Mama Fred, I hope it doesn't worry you too much.