Over the river and through the caves!

On Thursday, I ventured into my first caves since Virginia's Luray Caverns.  Only, these caves were super-chilly in the heat of the summer.  Slipping on the sandals provided for free, we delved down into the looming caves.  At first, we just seemed to be wandering through narrow spaces and looking at the cracks, stalactites, and stalagmites, occasionally stopped for a bunch of people going in the opposite direction to get past us.  There was an ice-cold creek weaving its way through the path we were following.  Eventually, we were walking in it.  How I didn't get frost-bitten toes, I don't know, but it was freezing!  There were even times when I was flexible in ways I couldn't imagine now, just to get through the caves.  I think my favorite part was when I was literally crawling on my hands and knees in the freezing water in holes reminiscent of the Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam.  What made this more amazing was that it was pitch black and we were feeling our way through the cave.  Another JET had a lighter on him but this method only lasted for so long.  Finally, we were forced to turn around due to the lack of light and head back to get on our bus.

This little anecdote was made possible by my city's Board of Education.  We were taken on a bus tour of our area which included the art museum and the limestone caves to the south.  We ended up not having time to go to Sugao Waterfall but I think the caves gave us our fill for the day.  The art museum was a nice break and I appreciated the trip because I probably wouldn't have gone there otherwise.  It also gave me a chance to get to know a couple of older, returning ALTs in my city better.

Friday was a big day for all of us newbies here in Kitakyushu.  We travelled to Fukuoka (to some, the 'city of light', haha) for our Fukuoka Prefecture Orientation.  Because I have been placed in one of Japan designated cities, we technically are our separate entity from the rest of the Fukuoka Prefecture but it is the prefecture (like a state) that includes and surrounds our city.  This day allowed us to meet other new JETs in the Fukuoka Prefecture and participate in some interesting sessions.

The beginning consisted of opening remarks from all of the prefectural advisors in the prefecture.  These are typically senior JETs who have been here at least a year.  They act as intermediaries between the contracting organization (in my case, my BOE) and the JETs in the area, also helping out the newbies.  Mine is actually from Hawaii and sidenote - my world gets smaller here.  Her little sister was freshman roommates with Alisha - one of my bff's from high school.  Go figure, right?  I guess I shouldn't be surprised by these things anymore.

The next part might have been my favorite.  They showed a video of the four regions of our prefecture - Fukuoka, Kitkayushu, Chikugo, and Chikuho.  Some of the returning JETs we knew from Kitakyushu starred in the Kitakyushu bit and were hilarious.  Our city group just started cracking up as we saw two of them appear on screen. PRICELESS seeing them read awkwarding from a bunch of cue cards.  After that, we just got more specific info from our city prefectural advisor (PA) before going to an info fair and breaking for lunch.

After lunch, we could choose two workshops to attend.  I picked Travel and Transportation (of course) and Getting Set Up.  T&T included talk on driving in Japan which I pretty much ignored because none of us in the city have cars.  But I did find out that the Sapporo Snow Festival in February has its snow sculptures up a week beforehand so I plan to go then to avoid all the big crowds.  Oh yeah, and Thailand apparently becomes a big party during Christmas time.  I think my first trip out of the country will be Korea.  I would go this coming weekend but I don't have my re-entry permit yet.  So I could go, I just couldn't get back into the country.  It's pretty easy to get to Korea though because you can take a ferry right from the gigantic station in Fukuoka.  

Getting Set Up was entertaining in the worst way.  These two huge guys were the epitome of loud, ugly, obnoxious Americans and I was embarrassed when, upon walking out, my Scottish friend said to me,'How was that for a bunch of stereotypical loud Americans?'  One kept yelling about wanting a 'good ole American dehumidifier' instead of these disposable plastic ones that collect water.  This workshop also made me appreciate my new apartment.  Some other JETs said that they had been trying to clean their tatami mats for the last week.  Others compared there apartment buildings to those in Kosovo.  Still others complained about bursting pipes that made rooms look like a bomb went off in them.  Luck of the draw, I guess!

Post-Fukuoka Orientation, it was party time.  One JET coordinated a nomihoudai for our entire group.  Nomihoudai meaning all-you-can-drink for three hours.  For 3,000 yen (roughly $30 USD), we could order whatever drinks we wanted and enjoy a seven-course set menu.  Some people's drinks hit them pretty fast and when I realized only an hour had gone by, I knew we were in for a long night.  After many konpais (toasts), everything was gone, going well.  I had a great time hanging out with a friend of mine from the DC group who was also in the prefecture. 

 At 9pm, when the nomihoudai ended, there was actually another one going on at FuBar, a popular club among JETs.  1,500 yen for girls for all-you-can-drink.  I loved when I heard about the FuBar plan because my AKPsi big brother, who was a JET the past 2 years, specifically warned me about FuBar and the nomihoudais.  She knew my prefecture too well!  However, another friend of ours was doing so hot so we went back to the TINY hotel room my friend had booked.  The rest of my city group headed back to Hakata Station to take the bus/train back to Kitakyushu.  Who would have thought the night would have ended at 9 after the way it started?

The next morning, I got on a train bound for Kitakyushu, getting off at another station to pick up my bike and ride home, only to walk in my apt door, seconds before it started thunderstorming.  Somehow I managed to stop at GAP at Riverwalk on my way home.  I noticed that everything on sale here is equivalent to normal prices at home.  I don't think I will be doing a lot of shopping there in the future because of this.  Pretty much lazed around the rest of the day, well kind of.

I was productive in the realm of graduate school.  I officially registered for the GRE and will be able to take it October 25 in Fukuoka, not Osaka, like I originally thought.  Lucky for me, Fukuoka International offers the GRE General Test in a paper-based form so now I don't have to pay like $100 bucks each way to take the shinkansen to Osaka.  I also decided on four schools I'll be applying to - Vanderbilt (International Education and Policy Management), the University of Denver (International Development), Texas A&M (International Affairs), and UC-San Diego (International Relations and Pacific Studies). Whew!  Now, I just have to decide on two or three more!

I was also able to catch up with my dad and doggies via Skype.  The day was ruined when I found out my sister crashed my car.  Though the repairs won't be cheap, the car doesn't need to be totaled or anything.  Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.  The day ended with going out with a fellow JET to Xelha, a club in the heart of the Kokura Ward that is popular with foreigners.  I got to meet some of his new friends as well as a few former JETs still in the area.  The highlight of the night was watching a bunch of Japanese kids in their 20s dance, it was a mix of hip-hop, maybe they were trying to crunk, I don't know.  But I do know that it was interesting and that I took videos that will be posted later.  

We had to leave early to catch the last train/monorail back home but I wasn't so lucky.  The monorail closed early than expected and rather than call a cab, I walked the 35 minutes home.  Granted I would have never done that at home, but this was a busy, busy street in Japan and I was fine.  Once my furniture gets delivered the first weekend of September, I will have room for 3 other people to crash at my place.  I just propose we stay out late and split a cab back for a few bucks each.  Then everyone's happy!

It's late on Sunday and I can only describe the day as 'Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon.'  Watch the youtube video if you haven't already!  Tomorrow brings my first Japanese class at the local YMCA.  We'll see how much of it I'll actually remember.