Apparently two weeks is the maximum you can go-go-go without stopping when in a foreign country, or at least it is for me, because on Day 14, yesterday, I simply had to stop.
I woke-up with a headache and was really missing just flipping my switch on my pre-filled Mr. Coffee. I have been meaning to write about the drip coffee thing I got on my Coffee & Chocolate page. It’s better than Nespresso, but that’s about it. I warmed my milk in the microwave (still no cream), then I dropped it all over the table. And……it splashed onto my coat. Agh!
Now this post is starting to sound like the kind of posts on Facebook or Twitter that we complain about. Blah blah blah, then I dropped my milk……blah blah blah, then I took some Advil….so I promise to keep this short and when some days I’m not writing, I’m either busy or doing nothing 🙂
I met Katie at her place at 9:15 a.m. and we got to the train station for the one hour trip to Gakken-Nara-Tomigaiko. The train was packed, even the Women Only car. Where were these people going? It was Saturday morning, 39 degrees and dismal sun. Once on the second train that heads east to Nara through Mt. Ikowa though, the train cars were nearly empty. We were both tired and Katie Sensai had to go teach 3 year olds.
I carried Katie’s backpack for her and dropped her off at her school, then I turned around and got right back on the train home. Maybe that was stupid because it’s a $5 train ride, but wasn’t being with Katie the only reason I am here? I still would have retired, I would still be traveling, but I would not be in Japan. I had missed her for 11 months, 2 weeks. (I couldn’t stand to think of it as “a year.”) Yes, I would pay $5 to ride the train with her for an hour.
I must have really started feeling more at home, because I closed my eyes on the train and could feel myself dozing off like many people do. Maybe this was a good sign!
I had no groceries, but the idea of walking even one block out of my way to Life grocery store made me bummed–it was so darn cold. Instead I stopped at my Family Mart and got a cup of veggies and dip, which turned out to be carrots, cucumber sticks, and maybe a sort of long radish sticks, plus chunks of cabbage, with orange mayonnaisy dressing with an unrecognizable spice. I got a hard boiled egg with its orange yoke and made a little salad–perfect.
Today, I simply had to face the washing machine–no more buying socks.
When I opened the door to the patio, the blast of now 43 degree air that came in was a shock. Once on the porch, I was worried about completely closing the door, after my near lock-in situation the day before. I read my house manual and thought, this ain’t so hard! Press the power button, open the lid (“lit”), press the “~`~#” button, or that’s how the squiggles looked to my eye. Except, the photo and instructions were not the same as this machine.
Burrrrrrr and oh good grief! And my heat was escaping!
I promise not to post pictures of washing machines too often, but it’s the mundane stuff that is even more odd than the tourist stuff sometimes. Anyway, I pushed a button on the same side as what should have been the power button. The inside of the washer started to jiggle, but no water. I looked at the manual and it said, “It is displayed the amount of detergent from weighed automatically.” Was it weighing my laundry? After about 30 seconds, the number 22 was on the display. The jug of detergent was only the size of a coffee can, and when I opened it, there were lines and numbers on the small cap….35, 40, 45…..So I filled the cap about half full and put it in. It was only like a tablespoon of clear liquid with no scent. The water started to fill and I crossed my fingers.
It was so windy I would not have a sock left if I used the drying rack on the porch. The wet clothing felt icy to the touch. I brought my kitchen chairs into the bedroom and draped everything around, and with the heater blasting I laid on my bed while my clothes started to dry.
I really felt better after resting and found my way back to the train station to meet Katie for lunch at 3:45. It was quite a bit different finding my way on my own, rather than trotting behind Katie like a puppy. But I found both trains okay until……….I got kicked off the train in Ikoma. Yep, the conductor came up and rattled off something and ushered me right off the car! He said something else and held his hands down and I hoped he was saying, “Stand right here. The next train will take you to Nara.” The train I had been on now said “Out of Service.”
As I waited outside on the platform, a little boy maybe 4 years old said, “Oh!” and pointed straight at me grabbing his older sister to get her attention. They gawked at me without shame and I smiled at them. Their dad looked over and chuckled quietly. The little boy kept peeking around his dad’s legs at me.
Finally the train came and took me the rest of the way. Katie and I had lunch and I told her about getting kicked off the train. “Oh yeah,” she said, “I forgot to tell you.” Apparently every other train goes only to Ikowa, which was clearly marked on the train if I had known to look. She said the conductors are used to it, sometimes having to wake people up. I wandered the mall until 6:15 p.m. when she was finished. We laughed at the puppies and rode that long train home.
When we got there, I made her Kraft Macaroni & Cheese again. I had waited 11 months, 2 weeks, and traveled half the world to do that for her <3
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