settling in

Things are starting to settle down here. I've figured out how to get around and where things are. (at least the basics). There's a train that runs near my house and stops right near the junior high school, so between that and my bike my transportation needs are for the most part figured out. (although the train costs about $3 each way.) Bryan lives about a mile away on the other side of Asuwa "Mountain" which is really more of a hill. There's a tunnel that takes you right through, which is kind of fun.
My house is is an older neighborhood so the houses and shops around me are in a traditional japanese style, and its literally right at the base of the mountain. I can walk a block down and come to a huge square red archway and a huge steep stone stairway leading up into the maze of paths that wind their way through the jungle to temples, old abandon looking playgrounds, great views of the city and even a zoo! (The picture is the first temple I came upon)
Downtown the buildings are huge, and you can find department stores, restaurants, the train station, convenient stores, and little shops. There's also a mall near my house that is huge, and has a Tully's coffee which I have already visited twice.

At school I'm getting into a routine, although my schedule alternates on even and odd weeks, and some of the other English teachers have a different schedule, so I'm never really sure when I have classes. The classes have been going well, the teacher's styles vary, some follow the textbook more, some are better at getting the students to interact and speak, it's been a mix. But I am learning a lot about what works and what doesn't. Students here can be so shy. Usually no one will raise their hand or volunteer for anything. So it would be interesting to teach in the U.S. after this experience. Also I've been staying after school every day to help a girl prepare for an English speech contest, so I haven't had much free time.

On sunday Bryan and I went to meet our "host family". We signed up for a program that connects JETs to Japanese families for cultural exchange. Our family consists of parents and two sons, one in high school and one in junior high. Only the father and older boy could meet us because the younger one had his sports festival that day. But they are great! They speak English really well, and Akira (host father -see photo) is a neurosurgeon in the ER of a small hospital. He told us if we ever need anything to call which is so nice. His wife is a radiologist in a different hospital. The older boy (Tsuchida) is planning to study in the U.S. next year. Tsuchida has some plans and had to leave but Akira took us to Tojinbo which is a beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean. We got to touch the sea of Japan! Then he took us out to eat at a restaurant. We had soba noodles (which Fukui is famous for) and tempura. It was delicious. He also bought us a traditional sweet treat. It's a rice biscuit with sweet black bean paste filling. We had great conversations with him, he's very nice and well educated, it's a great fit. I look forward to meeting the rest of the family.
That's all for now. Take care.