Yuzawa- The Basics

Note: Do NOT post this blog until I have successfully completed the journey from Sapporo to Yuzawa and back again or else Mom will worry.  

     Tuesday morning started bright and early and by 7:30 I was on my way to the bus station with Mama.  She waited with me until the bus came and then I said good bye to her for two weeks and boarded the bus.  This was the easiest part because I just had to ride it about an hour or so until the end of the line. (Not that that stopped me from asking the person next to me if she was going to the same place as I was.)
     I got into the airport around 8:50 (and my flight left at 9:40.)  So from there, with a little Japanese speaking, it was a relatively smooth trip to my gate.  Everything was fine and dandy, and I kind of assumed that the worst part of my day was over since I had not missed my flight.  (Not quite.)
     After landing I collected my luggage and wandered around the airport until I found the bus counter to buy a ticket. Once that was taken care of it was relatively simple to locate the actual bus stop outside the airport. I think the ticket lady assumed I, as a foreigner, would get lost on my way or something because even though I made it to the bus well before the 11:50 am train, she printed me a 12:20 ticket so they wouldn't let me board yet.
     On the bus itself I managed to befriend the guy next to me by offering him a candy, and then we ended up talking the entire 62 minutes of the trip.  This turned out to be a stroke of good fortune because the place where the bus dropped me off and the place where I had to get on the bullet train were a good 10 minute walk apart. (I'm not sure how I was going to find it on my own, and I'm still not sure, as I write this, what I will do on my return trip.)  Anyway, after walking with him and his friends to the station he also helped me buy a ticket to where I needed to go and then we parted ways.
    Once I was in the station I would essentially just stop and ask any attendant I saw if I was going in the right direction, if this was the right place to board, if this was even the correct train.  Pretty much me traveling alone means asking for confirmation at any possible moment so I don't get lost. But eventually I did find the right train to board and I sat next to this nice old lady who started talking to me almost immediately.  We also talked the entire time I was on board and when she found out I was from Utah she asked about the Mormons. So that was unexpected and fantastic. Now that we are facebook friends I'm obviously only one step away from converting her.

   When I got off the train at my stop 85 minutes later I was able to find the next bus to take pretty quickly, but since I had just missed the last one by 10 minutes I had to wait about an hour for the next one. So I sat on my luggage and took the opportunity to catch up in my journal.  Plus since I was sitting by myself for so long I had about 3 different people come up and talk to me, including this adorable little baby that kept trying to play with me.  I also took the moment to count up my remaining money.  Since I've had some difficulties with my debit card, I haven't been able to withdraw any money since I came. So far I've survived on cash that I brought, but now that I had to pay for my bus this morning, my bus this afternoon, and the bullet train I'm officially down to about 810 yen. (Me eating an apple because I was out of money for food.  Good thing I found that in my backpack.)
    Eventually the bus pulled up and this little old lady next to me was like "This is our bus." So I got on with her (we had talked already) and us, along with one other old lady, were the only passengers.  After about a 30 minute ride I got off at the stop I thought, and desperately hoped, was mine because there weren't any other buildings in sight and I had no cell phone.
   
When I walked into the Mikuni building I had 150 yen left (about $1.50), no food, my bags, and I really had to go to the bathroom but I HAD MADE IT.  I kind of considered it a miracle.  The fact that I had barely enough money to make it here was miraculous.  The fact that I didn't get lost or on any of the wrong transportation systems was miraculous. The fact that I met nice people along the way who helped me out was miraculous.  But the accumulation of all those things together was truly a miracle.

 
 Anyway, my life here in Yuzawa has been relatively calm but also full of so many fun things and people. Mikuni is essentially an English language immersion program to help Japanese students who are trying to pass the TOEFL and get into American universities. So while the students and interns who actually work here are busy with classes I have a bit of free time to enjoy Yuzawa during the day. I have lots of time to explore the school and the area around the school (it is surrounded by forests.) I have managed to stay caught up in my journal and catch up in my blog. (I mean I'm actually writing about Yuzawa while I'm still here. That's a big step for me.) And I've been studying up on my Japanese.

A normal day might look something like this:

8:00 devotional at the school with everyone

8:20 English scripture study with the students

9-11 journal, blog, explore, write, or nap

11-12 lunch prep time but if I don't have to cook then Smash Brothers. (You would be proud of me David.  I don't win every time, but I do a decent job.)

12-1 lunch time and we get to speak Japanese and eat delicious food!

1-3 more free time which I use however

3-4 Japanese class taught by the Japanese students

4-5 dinner prep (again, if I don't have duty I'll generally play Wii or ping pong with the students)

5-6 dinner

6:30 go home (well around then anyway)

7:30 work out

9:30 Japanese scripture study with everyone

10:00 Watch Anohana with Melanie and try to understand all the Japanese.

      It might seem like there is not a lot happening here being out in the middle of the mountains but I can tell that this is going to be a blast.

 Ok there is actually a lot still to tell about Yuzawa but for the sake of everyone reading this, I am going to stop here and make them separate blogs.  You will thank me later.