An unexpected visit to the Kofu police station....

Wow.  My day has been STRANGE to say the least.  At Christmas Lindsey and Ryan gave me a journal to record all my experiences I have in Japan.  In the back of the journal both of them each wrote a note of love and encouragement to me.  In Ryan's note he wrote at one point "I can't wait to hear about all the amazing, disgusting, fun, and STUPID things you end up doing.  Those are always the best memories."  haha well brother brown, listen to this.

I wake up and hear rain outside. Not drizzling but rain.  So I prepare myself accordingly... I have to ride my bike 3 and a half miles to work at the kindergarten Mondays and Fridays till I move into my apartment thats right next door.  Last Friday was the first time riding back home from the kindergarten.  It was a nice bike ride except I wasn't prepared and my nose was freezing the whole time.  Today I'm wiser and wrap one of the scarfs my mom knitted for me really tightly around my head.  I wear two knit hats.  Wear two jackets and zip up my rain resistant jacket to my nose and put on my rain resistant pants over my jeans and long underwear.  I'm going to be good this time.  I look in the mirror and I'm completely covered except for my green eyes shining through.  Perfect.  I open my door to go outside and don't even really register what I'm seeing at first.  Its not rain... its white. ITS SNOW.  AHHHHH I look around and everything's white and snow covered.  I'm shining I'm so happy. I've never seen it.  I've wanted to experience it for so long and now I am.  I run back inside and grab my outdoorsy gloves and get ready to hop on my bike.

I'm so enamered by the snow. I'm watching it land on my hands and the bike and melt.  I like the way it slowly flakes down to the ground.  I'm riding my bike for a little while and notice I haven't passes E.P. yet.  Huh..... I really should have passed E.P. by now and hit the main road I take to get to the kindergarten.  I stop and look around.  Everythings snow covered but I don't recognize any of it.  UGHhhhh so like me.  I was watching the snow with my head in the clouds when I should have paid attention to the stupid route.  ughh.  I don't really know what to do at this point.  Turn back?  But I'm going in the general direction of the main road... I'm bound to hit it.  Should I call Melony?  No no no I don't want to bother her and can definitely figure this out.  I continue going the way I'm going.  The snows awesome but I'm getting pretty frustrated with it flying into my eyes every two seconds.  It hurts.  It freezes my eyes and blinds me.  I guess I should have taken my umbrella but I didn't want to hold it.  I wanted to have both hands on the bike because I've never rode my bike in snow before.  Well I can't have two hand on the bike and see so I have to keep alternating which hand I use to shield my poor freezing eyes.  I layered way too well too.  My whole body is SUPER hot.  I hardly sweat but I feel like I might be.  I unwrap the scarf off my nose and mouth a little to let the cool air and snow in.  This helps a little.  Shoot.  Maybe I should turn back i still don't see the main road.  Well lets go around this bend and if I still don't see it I'll turn back.   Peeking around the bend I don't see more houses I see shops and a stop light.  I also see this walkway that goes over the busy road for pedestrians to just walk up stairs and go across instead of waiting for a light.  I remember this walkway on the busy road and on my route to the kindergarten.  Clever girl, you did it.

I'm a little happier now, riding to get to work on time.  I need to be there at nine and its like a half hour- forty five min ride.  Its SUPER annoying switching hands back and forth to shield my eyes.  I wish I had goggles. : ( My mom and I bought the rain gear to prepare me for these types of situations.  Neither of us thought of goggles though.  Oh well. Next time. One arm gets tired, switch.  The other, switch.  I'm trying not to focus on how much this really blows, but instead the snow that's continually building on any object in its way.  New car lots with birghtly colored prices selling mounds of snow.  I'm surprised at how my tires grip the sidewalk like normal. I was terrified I'd fishtail all over the place.  A boy is riding his bike toward me, I instinctively go to my right. I immediately remember that this is wrong.  But its too late he's skid to a stop.  It wasn't a close call or anything but still, I feel really bad.  I want to apologize but he's gone.  I couldn't really if he was still there anyway... it would sound like gibberish to him.  I continue riding when I see the road start to elevate. YES. I made it to the bridge.  The beautiful bridge that tells me I'm almost to work.

I start to go up when I look down at the quaint little stream I love.  What?  Its a full on river.  I stop and look down searching for it to thin out.  It didn't rain hard enough for it to get this big over the weekend.  Infact... other than this morning it was clear as crystal all weekend.  I tear my eyes away from the river and look all around me.  Ummmm this bridge is ugly.  This is small and plain looking.  I don't see the huge Pachinko casino thats right after the bridge either.  Where am I?  I squint through the snow and mist to my left and right to see if I can make out other bridges.  I do faintly see them in both directions.  Neither of them really look like MY bridge but... huh if this isn't the road Im supposed to be on I must be on the next big road just to the left of the one I'm supposed to be on.  I should just have to go right and travel a little farther and I'll hit the Kindergarten.

I get back on my bike and decide to ride on.  I can't decide if I should take the first right or the second right after the bridge.  I was going to know off landmarks if I was on the actual route but since I'm not... I don't remember.  I think its the second.  I keep going.  I look like I'm downtown.  This must be downtown Minami.  Pretty.  But I'm not here to sight see.  Shoot I don't want to turn the second right and be wrong and get even more lost.  I better call Melony. I look down at my phone and its 8:50. I would have been on time if I went the right way. : (  I call Melony and she doesnt answer.  I stand there noticing that my hat is covered in snow.  Ugh I really hope it doesnt start to melt while I'm still wearing it.  I'm at a loss I don't really know what to do from here.  I try her again... no answer.  She's probably about to start the Forest kids lesson.  I have E.P.s number but I don't really know that staff that well. I don't know if the ladies in the office know Minami or if they just know Showa.  I don't really feel like having a very confusing conversation with them right now.  I really have to be like a street over.  Should I just turn right right now and see?  I see that theres a police car stopped at the stop light like two feet behind me.  I turn around and peer inside.  Theres two men police officers looking back at me.  The passenger on the left side rolls the window down to see what I need.  I know he's probably not going to understand English but I must be close to the school and he's probably heard of it.  "Do you know where Bambi Bilingual Kindergarten is?"  He looks back at me blankly.  None of those words meant anything to him.  Oh no.  He steps out of the car and the light turns green.  The driver pulls the car into the parking lot right next to me.  I don't really know where to go from here.  Why haven't I put my pocket dictionary in my book bag yet? (I have now after this whole mess... I'm not going to let this happen again.)  I ask him again.  Nothing.  Ummm ohhh I decide to struggle with my jacket to try to point to my Bambi sweater underneath it.  He'll know how to read it in Japanese.  Oh no my Bambi ID tag will be better.  I scrummage through my bag and find it.  Show it to him.  Most of the card is in Japanese except for the logo that says Bambi Bilingual Kindergarten.  He's looking at that.  And he says "Bambi Bilingual Kindergarten?"  "YES!"  I say thinking its finally hit him.  Just point me the way. He doesn't.  He just repeats it.  "uhh yes!  Thats where I need to go." I point to my bike.  He repeats it.  ohhh you have no idea what that is?  "yes?"  He repeats it.  Seriously?  Stop fixating on the english and maybe read the Japanese?  Maybe that'll help us out?  He does.  And then I notice with him a little phone number at the bottom.  Ohhh I should have just called that.  I wish I had known it was there before...  He gets his phone out and calls the number.  By now the other cop had parked and got out of the car.  He was standing there with us.  He's REALLY young.  He's looking back and fourth between the two of us smiling at me.  First japanese guy to not flinch away.  haha I guess they need to feel some sort of authority?  The cop is talking to someone at the school.  I'm kind of relieved that he's called actually.  Because if it was Encho (I found out today I was saying the word for principal wrong. : (  Not Etch-oh but more like inch-oh) who answered I didn't want a language barrier to get in the way of this misunderstanding.   Hes talking to whoever it is for a minute or two.  The one cop is still looking back and fourth between the two of us.  I'm so grateful they're helping me. I don't really know what I was going to do without them.  He hands the phone to me.

It's Melony.  She tells me that they're going to take me to the nearest police station and Encho is going to pick me up there.  She says that they're going to take me in the cop car but that I'm obviously not in trouble.  I ask her about my bike. She doesn't really seem phased by any of this.  Like it happens everyday or something. She tells me they'll get the bike there, or maybe we'll walk. I hand the phone back to the police officer and he talks for another couple seconds then hangs up.  The older cop walks back to the cop car and the younger one starts to escort me to the station.  We walk in silence since we dont understand each other.  I walk in back of him because the sidewalks narrow and I have my bike.  I start smiling really big at this ludicrous situation I've managed to get myself into.  I'm thinking to myself  Well at least I find it funny now and i'm not in an awful mood because of it.  I'm actually pretty surprised I find it so funny.  I'M IN JAPAN.  ITS SNOWING.  IM LOST.  IM GETTING ESCORTED BY A POLICE MAN TO A JAPANESE POLICE STATION.  I just would never have imagined myself here in this situation six months ago.  We keep walking.  I'm noticing that my toes are starting to get really cold.  I'm wondering if my combat boots have let melted snow in.  You're supposed to protect me from combat.... and you can't fight out the snow?  My fingers are starting to get really cold too.  We keep walking.  Everytime the cop looks back at me he has this look of satisfaction on his face.  Like "Look at me, being a cop.  Protecting citizens."  He has to be new to this because he's so young.  I bet he really enjoys it.  He looks like he does.  I wonder what type of crime he sees in this oh-so-safe city.  He finally points up to a building thats the station.  We walk to it and I lock my bike outside.  He shows me to this closed off little waiting area where he wants me to sit.  I wanted to sit outside and just wait for Encho but he seems pretty firm on me waiting here.

I take a seat and wait.  I look around.  Theres a poster of whats either a Japanese most wanted list or a missing persons list.  Then below it are these pictures of car accidents.  One of their little japanese boxed cars completely flipped over.  I don't know what possibly could have caused it because its on a straight road with no type of obstacles around it. I wonder if the Japanese beneath it says what happened.  Another car driving in snow slammed into the back of the truck.  Next to these posters is a poster about biking safety.  Its telling me to always ride on the left side of the road.  But this picture confused me at first because it has a red circle around the way you're supposed to go and a blue X on the bottom of the way you're not supposed to go.  In America red means wrong and blue would probably be the right.  I'm trying to think if I've been doing that.... I don't think I have.  Well I'll start now.  Theres a picture of a guy swerving and a lot of liquor bottles.  haha ok I won't ride my bike wasted.  Definitely wasn't planning on that anyway.  I sit down still pretty amused by this whole situation except I'm kind of worried about getting in the car with Encho and going back to the school.   I really don't want them to get frustrated with me.  I don't want their patience to wear thin when they've all seemed to really like me.

The older cop comes into the waiting area and asks to see my foreigner ID or passport.  Well since my foreigner ID wont be ready for another week or so I reach for my bookbag to grab my passport.  Oh no. My heart drops.  FFFF*#@  Ughhh.  I forgot to switch the passport from my purse to my bookbag after the arcade.  I've been keeping it on me nonstop and OF COURSE the one day I forget.  This situation is immediately no longer funny and I'm kind of pissed off at myself.  I tell him its at my house.  He's going to fine me or something.. I'm going to get a ticket.  I'm supposed to have that on me at all times.  He looks at me and leaves the waiting area.  I feel so stupid.  I hate this morning.  He comes back with a notebook for me to write down my name.  He asks me more information to write down but theres a huge language gap that we keep having to awkwardly try to ask each other things neither of us understand.  Finally he gets what he wants and leaves.  Its like 9:45 at this point.  I walk out of the waiting area a couple times to look in the parking lot to see if I see Encho. I go back in picking up one of the pamphlets saying "HELP STOP ##$^#%"  A bunch of japanese characters.  There's a simple silhouette of a woman crossing her arms in front of her chest.  I open the pamphlet to find out what I should help them fight.  But the same thing is written on the inside.  First part English then Japanese.  I look through the whole pamphlet but its all in Japanese except for the website.  Its gender.something.something.jp.  I guess I'll never know what I'm supposed to help stop.  I look at the woman icon and the website.  I wonder if its rape.  But how are they explaining to us to help stop it?  Cary mase with you?  Look out for screaming women?  Don't know.  I put the pamphlet back and take out this book on guidance I borrowed from the school.  I'm most worried about the kids not wanting to listen to me.  I voiced this to Rachel and she told me to read this book.

Encho finally picks me up at 10:30 apologizing for being so late.  I tell her its fine. I'm relieved she doesn't seem the least bit annoyed.  She talks to the cops for a minute asking me to wait in the waiting area.  She comes back and says they need to follow us to my apartment to see my passport.  They're going to take my bike back. : /  I feel like a fool.  I thank her so much as we're driving and apologize.  She says that its really not a big deal and that mistakes are bound to happen in a new country.  She says she has the worst sense of direction too.  I end up being 30 minutes away from the kindergarten in the next town over.  haha I don't even know how that happened.  That main road I took must have been going diagonally away from minami... not towards it.

After all of this happens my day was normal.  I'm still training at the school but all the kids have warmed up to me even the shy ones.  Yeahhhh.

Once the school days over I still have three hours left of the day. I dont go to work at E.P Mondays and Fridays that's why I ride my bike.  I have an English teachers meeting with Melony, Rachel, Becky, and Nalette.  We discuss next years curriculum.

I hangout with Becky and Rachel after, cutting out stuff for the Sky and Ocean classes.  We pretty much do this until we have to go.

Marioko Becky's bilingual teacher takes me home.   Marioko is a REALLY pretty asain girl.  One of the japanese girls that make me want to stare at her beauty.  She has straight bangs and light brown hair.  I don't know exactly how old she is.... I want to say 26?  25?  She tells me she heard about my crazy morning.  I laugh with her and tell her I felt so bad.  I don't want Melony and Encho's patience to run out with me... though they seem to have an unending supply of it.  She laughs and says "You're a young pretty girl, you can do no wrong."  I don't know why I resent this.  Maybe I should want to just bat my eyelashes and get away with whatever.  But thats not me, I want to be more than a pretty face.  I'm not always going to have a pretty face.  Humph.  "It shouldn't be that way though."  "Well, we all kind of feel like you're our little sister, we want to look out for you."  I like this statement a little more.  Ok.... I am the youngest one there... I'll take it.  She asks me if I like to drink.  "Oh yeah!  I'm always down to party!"  She laughs and tells me theres not that much party life in Minami but that we'll have to go to Tokyo together.  This is what I've been anxiously awaiting anyway.... TOKYO.  oh boy.  I can't wait.