After waking up at 4:30am in my comfy bed in Osaka, I checked email and gchatted for a few hours before venturing out to find some breakfast. Turns out most restaurants, shops and even convenience stores don't open until 7:30 or so. My favorite basement grocery store didn't open until 10! Since I was meeting my colleague in the hotel lobby at 8:00, I had to find another source for breakfast. Enter, the hotel's "Vending Corner."
This particular Vending Corner held everything from beer and cigarettes to hotdogs and ice cream. I went with the seemingly safe choice of instant Cup-o-Noodle style miso soup and a can of coconut juice. Mmmm.
Nothing like miso soup at 7 in the morning. Welcome to Japan.
My colleague and I took a few trains and then a taxi to my new office in Ibaraki. I don't remember much about this day since it was a blur of HR meetings, shaking hands and meeting lots of people, lunch in the cafeteria with my colleagues, finding out that asking for coffee in the office means getting a cup of instant, getting a mug with my name written on the bottom that says "duck duck duck duck" all around the rim (memorable, obviously), being surprised to find out that everyone goes outside after lunch for "training" which I'll happily explain later, and laughing with my colleagues about our general lack of communication abilities.
At 3pm (as noted on the schedule I received earlier in the day), two of my colleagues and I left for my new apartment. A week later, I STILL haven't taken photos of the place but I definitely will. It's adorable. Small and bare and extremely efficient, but so perfect. After dropping my luggage off at the apartment, my colleagues took me on my first Japanese grocery store adventure. Well, technically not first EVER but first ever where I really had to think about buying things that I would want for the next two months. A small frying pan for my two burner stove, a kettle, spatula, chopsticks, sharp knife and a set of basic utensils, towels, shampoo, toothpaste for sensitive teeth (enter awkward grocery store conversation in broken english) and other random things. We also probably spent an hour picking out groceries that amounted to maybe two bags worth. It took that long for us to peruse through every aisle while I thought of things I wanted and then we deliberated over each item based on brand, price and quality. This was even with a list I made beforehand. So funny. I'll have to take some grocery store photos. I LOVE the grocery store. Such an adventure.
We headed back to my apartment with all of our treasures and my colleagues spent some time setting up the internet and tv, teaching me how to use said electronics along with the washing machine (I have my own washing machine!), air conditioner, bathroom fan (also dries clothes, fancy), and the stove.
I felt so overwhelmed and thankful for my coworkers spending their afternoon helping me get settled. There's no way I could have done all of that by myself.
Most exciting moment: Finding out that the following Monday is a national holiday = three day weekend! Okay maybe not THE most exciting by definitely a happy moment.
Most awkward moment: Trying on the pants that my colleagues had given me for my uniform and finding that they were way too tight and short. Guess they don't have American sized pants.
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