slowly but surely

YAYE high fives all around I made it to Kyoto in April this year. It took 6 years since my first job application which I never got, 2 years in Ibaraki-ken the least charming prefecture in the whole of Japan and many many many great nights good experiences made many good friends who were hard to leave. Everytime I tried to say goodbye something would work its way into my eye and make it seem like I was crying (which is ridiculous). I passed my JLPT level 2 and am aiming for level 1. I have started teaching Kizomba here dancing more salsa and bachata which is great. I have danced more in the last 2 months than I did in the entire 2 years I was in Ibaraki.  My new school is great, co worker is great bosses are cool. What else?  Oh I just peered over at our cat "shinobi" I say we as  I am in a we situation. So there is a kitten he is very cute when he wants to be and then a nuisance to my feet at like 5 in the morning.
Slowly but surely things are moving in the right direction.

Ariyo

Last train winner

Sometimes on the last train, Japanese people are not afraid to strike up convo. it happened to me twice yesterday. Anyway while I was with my friends. This guy started to exercise his English but we kind of ignored him as he was a lil tipsy and we didn't have time for him.
I felt sorry after dissing his high 5 . SO I asked him a question just to help him out. What follows is detailed below.

Me : How tall are you?

Tall Japanese guy : 187 cm (Yes we do cm here)

Me : Wow, really tall .(taller than me)

Tall Japanese guy : Yeah,how tall are you ?

Me: 183cm

Tall Japanese guy : Oh. I'm TALLER than you. I'm the winner. I'm the winner.

He continues in this mocking tone which irritates me a little.Plus his friends were giggling and he was trying to show me up.

Me: How many centimetres are you ?(Pointing to an area of my anatomy)

Tall Japanese guy: (Looking confused) says nothing

Me: WINNER !!! WINNNER !WINNER.

that internet racism

So I was looking up success stories about other Gaijin in Japan well more specifically about how black people have found it. I stumbled across a forum on a website that I frequent and one  guy was saying black people shouldn't come to Japan  that we're not wanted here and how we can never get a decent job  or a woman if you're black or bla bla bla and that we should stick to our own kind etc and I was fuming especially because this was written by a black dude.

I just got given a lift home from the vice principal of my school who is such a welcoming figure. Also received lifts home several times  I have received meals , a (big) sack of rice, free trouser repair endless amounts of Japanese snacks , free Japanese lessons so far drinks (real drinks) and been offered 2 bicycles and more so far all from the Japanese people who I've met in the last month. If they don't want me hear then they have a funny way of showing it.

Nobody gave me a bike in London. The kids all say Hello on the street and are just sweet as can be.

It's a shame that some punk probably put someone off coming to this wonderful country.

Everybody has generally been welcoming yeah people are like Oh there's a big black guy not seen one of those before let me stare at him, but nobody has thrown eggs at me- like they did in London back in the day.

Just be aware that a lot of people only know what MTV and the media has told them about black people but once they realise there is much more to you than meets the stereotype then you're all cool and if they don't wanna be open then don't bother yourself. Really ain't nobody got time for that

The group I hang out with is varied from Italian American, American Chinese ,Japanese American, Black british straight American, Japanese British, NewZ, Ozzie, and we're all having a great time we are seen different ways from afar but would be that way anywhere.

But there is a lot of racism on the internet and it's really sad man, like jokes are jokes but some of this stuff makes me worry.

It's really happening

Just running a bath so I can only take a few minutes here, usually at home I have showers or bucket baths in the morn but now I'm here I'm doing the whole Japanese shower and soak in the evening.

It's crazy how things change, I took a run to the Ocean today it's only 20 minutes away, I  used to only see the Ocean when I was on holiday but now it is in my own back garden.

I've dreamt and dreamt and hoped and prayed for years that I would be here in Japan and finally after so long it's true, I'm yet to start teaching here but that will soon come and the nervousness I have now will soon hopefully die away. Right now is the hard stage the lonely stage I have few new friends and the only close friend I have in the country is too far away to even try and reach. This freedom across the seas ironically is its own prison, it's along time till payday and the costs of moving abroad  and the lack of local knowledge confine me to the only place I can say is mine and mine alone, no communal kitchens or showers, it's all me.

Being alone you start to worry there are an unlimited amount of scenarios you can run through but I guess that's natural for anyone living on their own without another family member in the whole continent.

Checked the bath it's hot but not full yet.

I plan to explore the area I live in and then the capital city of the prefecture possibly on the weekend with the new friends I met who are all in the same boat. As I do have some shy Japanese ability I am in someways better equipped  than others the dark skin does make me stand out no matter how much Japanese I can deliver and it's a fact that I will always and forever be an outsider and you can feel that, funny  enough it is part of the charm.  I am an exotic creature in this land and I choose to enjoy the fact that I am being watched, pretend to not see the obvious photo takers the pointers and pretend to not understand the little kids who say "Look Daddy there is a Black man".

Baths full now so :D I'll be back soon