To the Island

We met up in the hotel lobby in Tokyo at 830. There were about 25 JETs going to Kagoshima prefecture with me. During the previous two or three days in Tokyo I hadn't made too many real friends, but by the time we arrived in Kagoshima there were 3 or 4 people that I was truly upset to have to leave, including one girl in particular who gave an air of mean coolness but was in fact just wonderful.

My first glimpse of Yakushima

We passed out of the terminal into a sea or signs and billboards, many with our national flags, names or final destinations. Kamada sensei didn't have a sign but he found me right away somehow. I kept trying to introduce myself with formal Japanese but couldn't seem to get it out with Kamada Sensei cutting me off. "Let's go here" oh ok. He didn't seem to be too much interested formalities, ok by me. On the propeller plane from Kagoshima city to Yakushima he told me he wanted to go to America someday but was afraid, it seems like a dangerous place to him. He was genuinely surprised when I explained to him that, no, I did not have a gun, not even at home somewhere. No, my parents do not have a gun and my friends don't all carry guns. (not all true).

The island port town, Miyanoura

There was a small contingent of local teachers and administrators waiting to meet me at the airport. I bowed and greeted my boss politely, and was then informed that my boss was standing just to my left. So I started again, bowing and greeting my real boss. We stepped out of the airport and I was handed some car keys, "you can drive right?" "uh err, I guess" "hahahaha, just kidding". It was my company car they were driving after all. I'm gonna go out and practice a bit today as driving on the opposite side could cause a few problems.
I was taken to the local school office where I was introduced to the whole of the staff and told, "speechi". Speechi ka? I intermittently introduced who I was as Kamada sensei kept saying, "wait, ok....... wait, ok........wait...go ahead" I'm still not quite sure what I was doing wrong.
And then in a whirlwind I was taken around the town, to see the gas station attendants, Kamada Sensei's family, the local grocery, the trash and recycling area, the electric and gas company... and then I came to my new home.