"Rain, rain, [don't] go away..."

It is raining. It was sunny earlier today, but when I started hearing a distant tapping sound, I immediately knew that it had started raining. It might be because I am from dry Southern California, but I love the rain. I appreciate how valuable it is to our earth. While I may agree with other Angelenos when they express their discontentment with the rain, it is often for the sake of the conversation... The truth is, I like the rain – I don't like when I am unprepared for it – but the rain makes me happy.

It especially makes me happy, because I feel accompanied when it's raining. This afternoon, the rhythmic falling of the drops distracted me while I was cleaning. I was able to multitask, while I cleaned my apartment. Instead of focusing on the fact that I was cleaning dusty corners, I started to think about my job as an ALT. I really like the environment at my base school. The teachers have all been so welcoming and helpful. Even if they do not speak English, they will ask an English teacher to translate for them so that we can “talk.” It seems like it will be a pleasure working at the high school. Tomorrow and Thursday, I will start working at my visit schools and meet the staff there. It sounds like they will be just as nice. Since everything has gotten off to a smooth start, it led me to question how the rest of the puzzle pieces will fit together. I couldn't help but think, will my students like me? Scrub Will my students understand my lessons? Scrub scrub Will I be an effective teacher so that my students will learn? Scrub scrub scrub. Cleaning goes by quickly when worrying, and not only was the refrigerator spotless when I finished, but I felt my worries melt away. I will offer my best effort and my knowledge about language acquisition to the high schools, and hope they reflect on the students' learning.

Effort. Effort is key. My next endeavor is biking. For the average person, biking is simple enough. I am not your average person, though, and in this case, it is not necessarily a good thing. I know how to ride a bike, yes, but one of my most vivid memories on a bike involves a ramp, sand and blood. Last year, I fell off of a bike as I turned too fast from a sandy road onto a ramp, and the bike landed on top of me. I wasn't seriously injured, but I walked away with a bloody knee, a week's worth of knee pain, and a scar so that I can always remember it. Lovely. Luckily, I still love biking, but I must be careful. I can't bike up a hill without seriously slowing down (even on a small hill; ask my best friend Stephanie, she'll confirm that), and as mentioned, I have fallen off of a bike (and under it O_o). The good thing about moving to a new country is that no one knows about your past, and I can get on a bike innocently enough without anyone suspecting that a klutz is on wheels...

I should have a bike by next week. You see, biking is a necessity in this city if you don't want to rely on public transportation. Don't get me wrong, public transportation in Amagasaki is great. Needless to say, it is a million times better than Los Angeles public transportation. Yet, taking a bus or train is not always the most direct route, and it costs money. Biking can be more direct, and it is free. I suspect that is the reason why so many Japanese people ride bikes everywhere. It is not unusual to see a grandmother on a bike, a man in a suit cycling to work, or a chic woman pedaling to a social gathering. It is also common to see women cycling with their children strapped to a rear bicycle seat. They make biking look so functional and weather proof. I have seen many people using their cellphones while biking (considering my record, I will refrain from doing so), and when it rains, people carry an umbrella to stay dry. Biking suits all occasions. Yesterday, I witnessed a young guy pick up his date on a bike, and they rolled merrily along... Oh young, summer love...

I am adjusting to life in Japan. I hope I can learn to be a cycling master like the Japanese, despite my slippery past. However, some things will be hard to change. For example, the fact that I don't speak Japanese will be my biggest challenge. This week I am allowing myself to finish setting up my apartment, but next week I will start on my Japanese lessons. Until I develop some sort of successful communication in Japanese, I will resort to smiling. Everyone understands a smile. I'm not sure how it happened, but my smile has evolved to express gratitude, contentment, happiness or worry. People respond well to my array of smiles. Unfortunately, I am having less success with gesturing. Too many gestures, or too little gestures, can confuse people. I'm not sure which one I'm doing, but all I know is that people don't always understand me when I gesture. That is usually my cue for smiling...

I like routine, and the faster I establish a routine in Japan, the better! Ironically, a routine here involves changes. Some changes I have embraced readily. For example, I love the fact that instead of signing documents by hand, the Japanese use a custom-made inkan, or stamp, to sign papers. Mine says “Kelly” in the kanji alphabet. Another change, as silly/trivial as it is, is accepting Japanese toilets. I am not reluctant to use a squatting toilet (though I have been mostly using the Western toilets at my school). However, I am not referring to those toilets, I am talking about the high-tech Japanese toilets. When you first glance at them, they seem like any other Western toilet. But, then you notice that there is a small panel of buttons to the right or left of the toilet. Those buttons serve to activate a stream of water, which will clean your bottom after you have finished using the toilet. It is a bit strange and I am almost (almost) afraid of admitting it, but I think it is a great invention. Ok, that is as far as I will go on the discussion of toilets.

We are all creatures of habit, but change is good for us. It makes us less “stuffy”, so to speak. It is interesting to see how we react to it, though...

It is raining. I know I will get used to life in Japan, and I am well under my way as I discover Japanese culture. Already, I have a deep appreciation for the kind Japanese people. I can tell that this will be a rewarding experience. Yet, a part of me feels rebellious, even as I write this. Rain is common in Japan, and it rains frequently in my city. But, rain reminds me of France. It transports me to memories of hiding from the rain underneath a bridge in Lyon, or of taking refuge behind a Parisian building as I enjoy a warm crêpe nutella... Sigh......... Alright, I admit it, the sound of rain here is quite unique. While it sounds the same as it hits the concrete floors and the buildings, I can hear cicadas humming through the rain, lamenting or praising it, I do not know, but I hear them. Yes, it is different, but for now I will indulge the rebel in me, and allow Edith Piaf to serenade me while I sit here and listen to the rain. “...Quand il me prend dans ses bras, il me parle tout bas, je vois la vie en rose...”