Day 1 in Ehime: The Kindness of Strangers

I stepped off the plane in Matsuyama feeling nothing but overwhelmed. The past two (three?) days had been a whirlwind of flying to Japan and orientation in Tokyo, where I battled jetlag, met hundreds of new people, and sat through countless seminars, all while wearing business formal. I was exhausted, my one suit was dirty, and it was actually hotter than Hades, I’m convinced. But nevertheless, today was the day I would move to my new home in Niihama, Ehime prefecture.

Outside of the baggage claim, representatives from every JET’s new placement stood with hand-decorated signs. Some JETs had a crowd of people around their sign, and some had former JETs waiting to welcome them to their new homes. 

Two people waited with my sign — my supervisor and another teacher from my main school. My supervisor greeted me in English, and I replied in the same way. We headed out to the parking lot and set off for Niihama, about an hour’s drive from Matsuyama.

I hadn’t even set foot in my new city, and already I felt like the worst JET of ALL TIME. I’d been practicing a Japanese self-introduction all week (more like all month) for when I  met my supervisor, and yet, when it came down to it, I couldn’t even muster a “konnichiwa.” What the hell was wrong with me??

I spent the car ride panicking in my sweaty, smelly suit, until lunch, when I enjoyed some delicious udon, and then got back in the car where I continued doubting myself. A (not entirely hyperbolic) transcript of my inner monologue follows:

Oh my god, I’m so stupid! What am I even doing here?? I should’ve let a better candidate take my spot. I’m not cut out for this. How am I going to survive a year here when I CAN’T EVEN TELL THEM MY GODDAMN NAME?!?

Luckily for my self-esteem, when we got to my main school, I managed to introduce myself correctly — in Japanese — to both my principal and vice principal. So it got better. 

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of getting my gaijin card (foreign resident card), buying furniture, and moving into my new apartment in Niihama city. My apartment had zero furniture in it when I moved in, so I had to buy a bed, rug, and kitchen appliances. The teachers at my school (where would I be without them?!) were kind enough to donate a lot to me, so I had a fridge, a wardrobe, a microwave, and TONS of towels. Like, more towels than I would have ever thought I would need. 

The air in Niihama felt (and still feels) like the inside of a gym sock. It’s so hot and humid here that when I step out of the shower, I basically just stay wet the rest of the day (sorry not sorry for the gross imagery). So yeah, those towels will definitely come in handy. My coworkers also brought me an electric fan, without which I would most definitely be a greasy, gaijin puddle on my apartment floor. 

After the majority of my furniture was moved in and after I’d gotten some food for the next day at the conbini (convenience store) down the street, I prepared to settle in for the night, only for my building managers to show up at my door. They’re a middle-aged married couple, and they brought me kiwi and tomatoes. 

The wife, who spoke a little English, told me: “We are worried about you because you are alone in a foreign country.” 

I can’t really say how much I was moved by their compassion for me. I had definitely felt pretty alone and overwhelmed that day — not through anyone’s fault, of course — and it was encouraging to know that there were people looking out for me.

The building managers spent some time struggling to explain to me how to get to the nearest grocery store. Then, the husband told me to follow them  and led me to their apartment on the first floor. They invited me in, gave me black coffee and put on some smooth jazz — two things I don’t normally involve myself, and that I don’t associate much with Japan. The wife drew me a map with detailed routes to the drug store and grocery store. As I left, they told me to let them know if I needed anything. I thanked them and told them I would.

I don’t know what about me made them want to take care of me so much. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a young, short woman. Maybe it’s my overwhelming gaijin-ness. Maybe they have a daughter near my age and know that I’m somebody’s child, too. Whatever the case, so far in Japan, I’ve found myself like Blanche DuBois — depending on the kindness of strangers (and everyone who knows me knows I don’t really like to do that). My supervisor, fellow teachers, and basically everyone I’ve met have been so incredibly kind to me, and for this reason, even though I know I will have good days and bad days, I’m now feeling a bit less worried about living here.

But only a bit. Let’s not get too crazy.