R.I.P. Terrible Week (2/15-2/22)

I've been holding off on this update for two reasons 1. I haven't had internet access in over a week, and 2. I wanted time to put all things in perspective (the bad stuff doesn't seem so bad once it's over). Let's fill you in on all the little things that made it one disastrous week!

Alright, ignoring my Starbucks phone blog, the last thing I updated you all on was my visits to the bamboo fight and snow huts, yeah? Well, I think I mentioned somewhere in there that I was sick and that standing out in the snow was probably not a smart idea.

It wasn't. I got sicker. I mean, nothing major, just a really bad cold that lasted a good 10 days or so. But it was bad timing, like everything that week. You see, according to the Culture Shock Depression Graph (which is probably not called that), about halfway through your international stay you face a major downward spiral of homesickness, and last week, almost exactly six months, was definitely a homesick one. But see with the bad timing that makes it a terrible week, I was sick, too, and nothing makes you miss home more than being alone and sick.

Not to mention, it was cold and snowy, and I didn't think I could take another day of it (but I did)! Physically I was a mess - sick, cold, tired, kind of hungry (because I wasn't feel well enough to shop or cook) - and emotionally I was worse. The teachers at school and my English conversation students were all concerned - telling me I didn't look well, asking if I wanted to lie down, did I have a fever, etc. And then unpleasant things started to happen.

For one, while I was deliriously teaching the conversation class, my internet died. I came home from class and could no longer get online! Being sick and tired, I didn't even bother dealing with it and just went to bed. The next day I still couldn't connect so I decided to try buying a new LAN cable and see if that fixed the problem (it didn't). I figured it must be a problem with the modem, so the next day (Thursday) I asked my supervisor if she could help me call Yahoo!BB (my internet provider). She was busy and said she'd help me the next day, but I got the info to call on my own and fully intended to call after work. Unfortunately, the cold got the better of me and I fell asleep at 5pm. So finally on Friday, we go to my house, my supervisor calls Yahoo, everything's going fine, they decide it's a problem with the modem and they'll send me a new one, problem solved in less than a week. Then my supervisor asks them if they can change the name on the account (it's still in my predecessor's name even though I pay the bills every month). Well, YahooBB is very by the book and once they figured out the situation (i.e. my predecessor no longer lives in Japan), they said we'll have to cancel the service and reactivate in my name - which could take three weeks. GREAT!! (sarcastic) But there's nothing to be done so we cancel and decide to meet the next day to reactivate it, which we did. Keep in mind the internet is my lifeline, not just my entertainment. It's how I stay connected to the US both personally (e-mail, phone calls via Skype, etc.) and in general (reading the news, watching The Daily Show, etc.), so without it I feel really cutoff. [For the not-so-exciting conclusion to my computer problems, please scroll down. For now I will continue with Terrible Week.]

So now I'm sick, sad, and truly isolated, when I get more bad news. Oh, this little bit's also going to reveal a decision I committed to almost a month ago but hadn't announced to you all yet - I'm not recontracting, which means I'll be returning to America in August (more on that later). Other quick background info: My town is poor. It's made up of three smaller towns that merged in 2006 as a way to pool their funds - as a result, they went from having three JETs to two (me and a guy named Stephen). Well, on Thursday, my supervisor (she's the nice lady who helps me with EVERYTHING and goes with me when I visit elementary schools) tells me that when I go home in August, the town (mayor/town elders?) decided not to get a replacement. Which means the area once covered by three JETs (now by two) will now fall to just one (Stephen) - i.e. the students will see waaaaay less of their foreign English teacher. So I feel really, really bad about that (believe it or not, the students actually like having us come to class - it makes English seem worthwhile), but to top it off, my supervisor continues to tell me that as a result of all this, she's getting fired in April. Her job is to support the JETs, and seeing as I'm leaving and Stephen has been here for 4 years and speaks Japanese (i.e. doesn't need support) they decided to reallocate her salary elsewhere. So by leaving, I'm not only disappointing hundreds of students and teachers, but I'm also getting my supervisor (and friend) fired!! Looking at it rationally, I realize that it doesn't have so much to do with me, as it would have happened eventually (i.e. next year) because the town really doesn't have the money, and to be honest, JETs are expensive. But it still feels like it's my fault and last week I felt sure the whole community was going to be mad at me when they found out (they probably won't know for another month or two), not to mention my poor supervisor is totally sad about losing this job (but being very careful to never make me feel like it's my fault because she's sweet like that).

By Friday, I was barely holding it together. I was sure I'd hit the bottom, and almost happy to think it could only get better. But then it got worse. I turned on my heater Friday evening, only to have it read "Error". I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I realized I must have run out of kerosene. I should have thought to check the tank gauge outside earlier in the week, but with the sickness and everything else, it didn't even occur to me. So no gas = no heat = no hot water = no shower. NOW I was at the bottom of the bottom.

...and that's was turning point. I was either going to start sobbing or laughing hysterically. I started laughing. It really couldn't get worse - sick, sad, isolated, disappointing and cold! I just sat there staring at my heater blink "error", shaking my head, and laughing. If you had seen me, you might have thought I lost my marbles! But no, it was just a sign that my attitude was changing. Finally, I arranged to have more kerosene delivered the next morning, set up my tiny electric heater in my bedroom, and decided to go out to dinner.

I called up Christy and Paula and we went out for really great Indian food in the city. I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing and recuperating. And that was the end of Terrible Week.

To make up for it (and because I'm bored out of my mind with no internet), I've been really good to myself this week. I went to Starbucks twice (Sunday and Monday), I reread "The Little Prince", I rewatched season seven of Gilmore Girls, I rented and watched three Audrey Hebrun movies ("Sabrina", "Funny Face", and "Paris When it Sizzles"), I wrote my personal statement for grad school apps, I wrote an essay in Japanese for my correspondence course, I read one and a half novels, and I cooked a healthy, tasty dinner every night. Things are definitely looking up and working out.

That is, except for the computer situation.
[Not-so-exciting conclusion:]
I brought my computer to school on Monday (a school where I have internet access, unlike last week's), but when I plugged in the ethernet, I had no connection! That's when I realized my mysterious internet problems at home were not, in fact, internet problems, but rather a problem with my computer! I called Apple's (in Japan) English support line, told them what was going on and they decided it must be a hardware problem so they would need to take it in to be fixed. And whether it's because of Apple's great customer service or the fact that I'm in Japan, I was told someone would come to my house to pick up the computer on Wednesday (at a time of my choosing). Which all went well - except the repairman couldn't find my house (I don't blame him, my street's not on most maps), so he called me saying he was at the convenience store down the street, and after some failed attempts of me giving directions and him going "huh? I don't understand", I just met him there and he followed me back to my house (he needed to know where it was so he can drop it off again when it's fixed). Anyway, I don't exactly know when it will be fixed (I'm hoping a week?), but I have to wait for my new modem to come anyway, so in the meantime I've rented lots of movies and started a new book! Oh, and this weekend Christy most generously lent me her house/internet/computer while she's away, so I'm able to write this blog (and get work done tomorrow).


Okay, sorry that was so long, but I wanted to fill you in on what's been going on around here! Be well!