From Japan

Howdy y'all. I believe this is my first post from Japan. I have been here the last three months. I have survived five earthquakes, food poisoning and an allergy attack. It has been very fun and interesting. I'm used to things being a little different, but I wasn't prepared for the food. Let's start from the beginning. My plane ride went well. It was fourteen hours. I landed, got an ID and found the bus that would take me to the hotel. Once I arrived, I went to sleep. The rooms in Japan are just that, rooms, not like in America. My room was just big enough to fit me. I stayed in the hotel for seven days and then stayed with a co-worker for three days before my apartment was ready for me. I moved in on March 20th. Orientation started the 23rd. Classes started April 8th. I am in love with my students. I have one special group of freshmen who I constantly miss and talk about. They are my babies. Just recently we went to have ramen together, before that we had something I had never had before, monjya, okonomiyaki and yaki udon. It was all very delicious. Paying bills have been very simple, I get the bill and take it to the convenient store and pay it. I sleep on the floor on a futon, which is what they do here. We recycle here and can only put the garbage out on certain days. Oh and the sucky thing is that homes here don't come with an oven. I'll have to buy one and it would only be the size of a large microwave. So I'm trying to learn how to cook. If you have any ideas, let me know. That's it for now. Ttyl