Move on in!

I'm finally moved into my apartment! Its not exactly what I would consider to be my first choice but its what I have so I'll just have to make the best of it. Its very different than what I was used to in NY. I mean the most obvious would be the size and second would be what I consider to be my "bedroom". I have a loft or as I call it, my treehouse. Its nice and cozy since the heat blows into the loft so it gets quite warm. I've made it liveable. I bought shelves and some organizers to help me clean up a bit and they work quite nicely. Overall, tiny place but I'm dealing. I wouldnt say I'm a fan of it, but its what I got so dont make me feel any worse about it.

Living in Katsutadai is great though. There are about 8 other teachers who live in the two buildings and its really nice to have people around. Erin and Ricky (the two teachers who started with me) are living in Sakura which is about a 15-20 min train ride away. I really like the fact that if i needed to borrow anything or need help, theres always the guys around to help. I've met some cool people in Japan but still very hard to meet good friends. Everyones story is different and being here has definitely opened up my eyes and made me less sheltered

First week of real teaching is finally over. It was a very stressful week. Just meeting all the kids, parents, adults, managers. Not to mention, I'm still working on getting to know the material and games and activities. Lesson planning is harder than I thought. Props to all the teachers out there especially for younger kids. Seriously, kids' attention time span is very limited and so hard to control. I would say my first week wasnt too shabby. A lot to improve on and change but I'll eventually settle into my schedule and routine. Im already counting down... 50 weeks left...

i just miss nyc

p.s. new photos are up on picasa