How do I describe my apartment?
Let me count the ways.
Bathroom: hate it. Peeling paint,
child sized bathtub, with a permanent
mildewed smell, and a gas heater that has to be coaxed and patted and
kicked to work. Not to mention that the bathroom sink is in the kitchen
and only has cold water.
Bedroom: That would actually mean there would be a bed. I have no bed just a futon that gets rolled out at night and rolled back up in the morning. The room is more of a lounge complete with el cheapo sofa that converts into an uncomfortable bed, a desk that could fall down ant minute, a TV (love those Japanese commercials), and a VCR.
Kitchen: Small fridge, small stove, small table,
small sink, small water heater. (Are we seeing a pattern here?)
Laundry room: Try the balcony. That’s where you will find my circa Ronald Regan washing machine. Instructions in Japanese, with two bins for your clothes ,a timer, and mass confusion. Hmm, almost forgot to mention: many Japanese homes do not have dryers. Mine included. The only way to dry my clothes is to hang then balcony and pray that it does not rain for two days…..
Driving: Must be one of the best kept secrets in the country along with the fact that it has the highest number of traffic accidents in all Japan. They pay on an average of over $2,000 to take driving lessons and take a test. Yet, I have never seen so many near accidents in my life and I only just got here.
Weather: Before you read this email you have to clear your mind….
Then think of Nelly’s newest hit dealing with the heat…something like it’s getting hot in here….so take off all your clothes
Now picture me stripping butt naked in the middle of a busy intersection…
Crazy isn’t it?
Welcome to Angela’s life in Chiba City Japan.
I would have rather walked through fire than to have
left my apartment this morning. All I had to do was open the front door
and sweat started dripping down my forehead. With a 100% humidity, it
literally feels like I’m swimming as I walk. I can’t even begin to tell
ya’ll about the hair situation. Let’s just say by Christmas I should be
sporting a big ‘fro.
Back to the important details like how’s the job. One word: boring. Since school hasn’t started yet I get to take a 8 minute walk to the board of education and sit for two hours, then I’m free to go shopping, ride my bike, go home and take a nap etc. Sounds great and it is. It’s just that with today’s weather you’re too busy sweating to enjoy the day off.