Arrival in Nagaski

So, from Tokyo, we got a JAL flight to Nagasaki, to our placement. We were taken to Tokyo Haneda airport by Tomoko-san, then we had to wait around for a while, making full use of the free wifi and looking at the bizarre Japanese heated toilets, with many different buttons to choose flushing sounds and TV channels.
We boarded the plane very quickly, the Japanese are incredibly efficient, and set off. The flight was more than a little bumpy, with Chloe saying "we're going to die" at every bit of turbulance. We flew over mount Fuji, a bizzare looking snow capped volcano in the middle of quite flat landscape. We're planning to climb Fuji in the week before we leave, very excited.

We arrived in Nagasaki around 2pm, and were greeted by Oka-san, our host. Shes very lovely and very tiny, doesnt smile much and walks very fast, but is nice and speaks a bit of English. She took us on an hour long bus journey to our placement.
Nagasaki is Way bigger than I thought, and was very hot when we arrived. In the distance in all directions are tree covered hills, but on the first day they were surrounded by a sort of haze, that I thought was smog, but it turns out it was just rising heat. the city is located around an estuary and you can smell the sea.
We walked up the river, past the large (and slightly intimidating) hospital that we'll be working in, and up to our apartments. There are 4 sets of steep stone steps up to the fron of the apartment buildings, which was an effort in the heat.

 

 As we went in we were greeted by the house keepers, and given slippers, our own shoe box and mail slots ( with our 'names' in katakana), and our keys. we have rooms next to one another on the second floor, comprising of a small kitchen, toilet room and large bedroom with rafia mats.

Oka-san then took us out for dinner, which bizarely was Chinese. Me and chloe had to eat prawns and I ate some kind of tentacle, which made me feel sick, so not the best start to living in Nagasaki.
Then we went back to our apartments for the night. It was the first time I'd been on my own since England, and the apartment outlook wasnt great. The kitchen was dirty, the room was cold, my internet wouldnt work, the bed was folded up in the cupboard, the bathroom is communal, and everything looked very bleak. I think I was very overwhelmed and i just wanted to cry.




In the morning however, me and Chloe went for a wander around the shops, and I bought some plants, a Jimi Hendrix poster, some hello kitty things and some fruit, and the apartment started to look much more like home. I also bought some light saber chopsticks, and they cheered me up a lot :D