On top of Kyoto StationWe woke up the next morning and were met by Rob - Ncc'er studying in Kyoto - and two teachers. They escorted us to our train which was to bring us to the apartments. However, rain was a problem. That and each of us were carrying 50+ pounds of luggage. My puller broke, luggage was falling at random times, and I'm pretty sure someone dropped theirs at the bottom of an escalator creating a laughable pileup. We finally got on the train and managed to arrive at our destination and home for the next two months - Kameoka. Why do I love NCC? They create connections. At the Kamaeko station I hauled my bags down the stairs and was met by Hiro and Yasu (former NCC study abroad students). It was great seeing their smiling faces and having someone to hug upon arriving in an unknown country. For some reason, this took off any pressure of the trip and I felt comfortable with Japan already.
Hiro was a great leader. He led me and Nick to our apartments and even got me a birthday present - 2 bags of chocolate candy called 'Crunky' and a pen holder with a little guy straddling the pen (sexual? not sure yet). The apartment is small, but we've been making it work. There is one bed and then underneath is the other bed- properly called the Batcave.
View from the porch
After settling down, we headed to the store to pickup food because we will be making our own meals while in Kameoka. My goal for the trip is to learn how to make an omelet that will bring people to their knees.
Friday night we were able to go to Rob's and hang out with some of Hiro's friends. We ordered pizza and talked with our new Japanese friends. It was a great time and I'm looking forward to finding some new friendships- something that was missing from Beijing.
Hiro and Yuske
Hiro is one of the best English speakers at his school and also has the apartment where everyone hangs out. Saturday we went there and played Halo 3 and some other video games. Two great things came out of this day: Hiro is letting us use his bike and he is lending us his unused Xbox. The kid is a saint.
Sunday after riding the new bike to the store to pick up some new eggs and milk (forgot to turn on the fridge once the original milk was put in - oops) I came back and made some toast and eggs. I felt like a housewife with my husband watching World Series games with his friends and me slaving away at the range. After breakfast I headed out on an adventurous bike ride and got some amazing shots of the area.
Unfortunately, some bad luck occurred. After about two hours, I was going to cross the street and the back tire popped and deflated before I even could get off the bike. It was one of the sadder moments of the trip. I'm going to try to get a new tire tomorrow so wish me luck.
Today was our first day visiting the school. We had an orientation led by an American named Chris Hammond who appeared to be very legit and a favorite of the staff and students (think a cross of Chris Martin and Guy Ritchie). After we ate a quick meal at the cafeteria and then had an exciting three hours of class led my the Taddy Bear. It was painful, but only six more and we're free. We had to wait around for our five o'clock welcome dinner, but it was worth the wait because we got to meet some great people and eat a delicious buffet style dinner. Here are some pictures of the school.
That should do it. We are doing some sightseeing tomorrow with our new friend Yuske and then we begin Japanese on Monday. How are you doing? Tell me something new.
Your friend,
Austin H. Morgan
