a shopping mall.... in Izuhara?!

that's right folks. history has been made in front of my very eyes. there is now a SHOPPING MALL in Izuhara, not a 5 minute walk from where i am. sweet!

the grand opening was this past saturday, and i can tell you now, the highlights of it are:

- Red Cabbage, which is from what i can see, a kick-ass supermarket with items that no other supermarket on this island carries, such as regular salad dressing that we'd find in the States, and *gasp* --- cartons of ice cream!!!! this is the first place in JAPAN that i've seen sell cartons of ice cream! and only for 1000yen a box! haha

- 100 yen shop!!! better selection than the 100 yen shop 20 minutes north of where i live

- Mos Burger! It moved from it's old location 20 minutes away into the new mall. Guess where i'm going to be eating often from now on? =)

You know, as much as i hate dealing with centipedes and cockroaches in my kitchen, i am very grateful that i live where i do. it is definitely up there in terms of convenience (strategically close to the ferry terminal, the new mall, and a bunch of izakayas (restaurant/bar? that's probably a bad translation/comparison... you go there to drink basically, and order a lot of expensive food that wont get you full). my place is also up there in terms of price. i've now confirmed that i am indeed paying more than any of my fellow ALTs in terms of rent. even though it would be nice to save money, i have to admit that it's nice having everything essential nearby me.

one more cool thing about the new mall: i work in it! my BOE moved into the new building last week. So, it's not just a mall. it's technically called the "Koryuu Center", or exchange/interaction center. It's a mall on the first 2 floors, community center on the 3rd floor, and library on the 4th floor. whereas my office used to be across the street in the City Office, we're now on the 4th floor right next to the library, in what i can only call the fishbowl.

actually, to be more accurate, our office is actually 2 rooms. two very small rooms. with a wall in between them. two weeks ago when i went into the office for my weekly visit, i had to pack up all my stuff in my desks and whatnot so they could move everything into the new building the following day. when i got there last friday, i find that all my coworkers are in the outer room with a huge glass window, so it's like a fishbowl. but, there's also a back room where there's lockers and the photocopier. and 2 desks. that's right, that's where my desk goes haha. when they tried moving in, they didn't have enough room for my or Aaron's (the ALT in the next town over who's BOE people share an office with my BOE people) desk. so, that back room now has two random desks parked face to face and plopped smack dab in the middle of the room.

being all alone in that back room isn't all that bad. i can now use the photocopier mercilessly since my coworkers dont use it that often. plus they wont be coming in and out of the room that often, so i can do basically whatever i want back there. i contemplated playing music, but decided that time that i should focus on unpacking, and worry about music the next time i go in. and btw, aaron never goes into the office because he doesn't need to (whereas i was told i have to go in every friday afternoon). that means i'm basically the only one using that room. when you look at it that way, i get a sweet air conditioner to use all to myself. i can just see myself next summer -- shutting the door, propping my feet up on my desk, listening to my music, and blasting the AC. muahahaha!! ;D

anyway, i've babbled on long enough about the new building, although i assure you you'll be hearing more stories about it in the future. for now, this'll have to do.

teaching 6 classes and seeing all 390 students at a school in one day will really burn you out. with that said, i'm off to bed!

--evelyn