At the Consulate…

At the Japanese Consulate I was given a taste of what communication will be like in Japan. I had gone there after work to hand in my police clearance and update my postal address. After being told by a security guard to go to the window I was heading in the direction of anyway, I spoke to the OL (日本語 for horribly mistreated receptions, or glorified tea-maker. It’s short for Office Lady) who flicked past my contact details form and looked at the police clearance.

OL (confused): You want to apply for job?

Louis: No, this is for JET. For Yuichi.

and then she asked me again, at which point I repeated my first statement, louder (the glass in between us was the problem, I think) So she asked the man next to her. Who phoned me. On an internal phone. From three metres away. This time I emphasised ‘For Yuichi’ at which point they just handed the sheets to Yuichi behind the wall, who came out and talked to me.

When I’m in Japan I’ll speak Japanese, I promise.

Speaking of consulars, I think I’ll be voting in the Australian consular in either Fukuoka or Osaka. Do you know I live in the second most marginal electorate in Australia? It means on the Election Saturday as I walk home from the local Primary school/embassy I’ll feel my vote counts.

Speaking of Special Saturdays for Australia, I can’t help but wonder where I’ll be on The Last Saturday in September. Not that it matters, I haven’t watched a grand final in years, last year I was at work, but maybe this year’s will be only the second in my life I watched all the way through (last one Kangaroos beat St. Kilda, from memory)

I’ve been googling Australian Pubs in Japan (isn’t it odd that the only places you’ll ever find Foster’s on tap is in expat Australian bars overseas?) but all I keep finding is This news story and the story of the Japanese Agricultural minister who committed suicide. Google is being no help today, and I don’t want to venture back to I Think I’m Lost, because I have an irrational fear of internet forums.

Goodnight.

 

You’ll never walk alone

Have you ever done something, slipped a letter into a postbox and thought instantly that you’ll regret it later? I have a month in which to get my federal police clearance from Canberra and hand it in to the consulate here in Perth, and I knew immediately after putting the letter in the letterbox that I’d get another refusal, quoting regulations as to why it wasn’t allowed.

I decided to take the lazy way out and add ‘in japan’ after ‘assistant language teacher’ in the ‘job applying for’ field, just so they knew it was overseas employment. Same form and everything. Deep down in the pit of my soul lives a fear that the Australian Federal Police will stand in my way to becoming an ALT. An almost entirely unjustified fear (riddled with alliteration) I know, but a fear none-the-less.

I’ve been planning things lately, and getting together with old friends (or at least trying to) My last day at work will be June 30th (at the latest) so I don’t have to fill in a tax return for the 07/08 financial year. Honestly, is there anyone in the world lazier than me? I think not.

PS. Liverpool defeat Man U 2-1 in the Champions League final, You heard it first here.