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Diallo goes abroad! Currently in Kanazawa, Japan.

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Snow Update, Part III

The rain melted almost all of the snow away over the weekend, and we could walk again!

But now it’s snowing again. At least 10 days of consecutive snow. And this time we have 100 mph winds too!

(None of this is hyperbole, just to be clear)

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Snow Update, Part II

I have neither the energy nor words to go into detail about how maddening this situation is, but it’s getting progressively more dangerous. One JET has already broken a hip.

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Snow Update

Last year we got very little snow, so this year I’m experiencing a real Kanazawa winter for the first time. We got several inches of snow last night, including a couple inches in my apartment building (don’t worry about that), and the city has SHUT. DOWN. Here’s the rundown:

For starters, the parking lot at my apartment has vanished. There are typically 4 or 5 cars there, but come to think of it, I haven’t seen them for a while. Maybe they hide in an indoor parking lot for the winter, knowing that they won’t be able to get out of their usual spaces? The little side streets around my place completely shut down, too. A car stood stuck in the middle of one on my way to work, and that was that.

On the sidewalks, people managed to tread a path just narrow enough for one person to walk. So if anyone is coming from the opposite direction, one of you has to hop in the snow for a little bit to let the other person pass. Coincidentally, this is a lot like how roads in Kanazawa usually work: the vast majority of two-way streets are only wide enough for one car, so when cars are approaching from opposite sides, chaos ensues. Kanazawans will proudly tell you that the narrow streets make it harder for enemies to attack, to which I say, “That makes me feel a lot safer, what, given all the invasions recently.”

By the time I got to work, my pants were covered in snow up to my calves. I was one of three people in my office to make it to work on time, because the buses and trains were all shut down or severely delayed. And the shelves of the convenience stores were almost completely bare (presumably because their shipments didn’t arrive).

You would think that this wouldn’t happen in a city that regularly experiences snowfall like this. Kanazawa says, LOL think again!

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Well the inevitable finally happened. Kanazawa doesn’t shovel snow - literally not at all - so in the winter the streets are treacherous. On my way to work today (which is normally a 7-minute walk but takes almost 20 in this weather) I slipped 12 times, resulting in my first snow-related injury. Taking bets on how long it is before I slip into oncoming traffic, because narrowly avoiding to do so is just part of daily life here.

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Let the record show that on Friday, I was able to read a word (鮟鱇) that my Japanese friend could not.

In related news, I bought a study book for Kanji Kentei level 2 today.

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Hi hi, I feel like I should make a post about this. Sad story under the cut.

I left Hawaii early because:

On my first night, as I was on my way to see Kim Chi (!!!), I got a text from my mom saying she was taking my cat to the emergency room. Three days later I was on a flight home to Boston to say my goodbyes. We had to put her to sleep the same day I got back. Losing Minnie was the hardest day of my life, but I am forever grateful for the 17 years we shared together, and I feel incredibly blessed that I got to go back to be with her. She passed peacefully on her favorite spot on the rug.

Minnie 3/15/2000 - 11/8/2017

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Update on JET

My 16-day work week is finally over! 0/10 absolutely would not recommend.

Today’s other big news is that I’ve signed the papers, and it’s official: I will not be recontracting for a third year with JET. Still have no idea what I will be doing next year, so if you have any luxurious jobs please hire me.

Recontracting season always makes me think of

I go to Hawaii on Saturday!

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Crossing an item off my bucket list: Today someone told me she initially thought I was Japanese on the phone.

Compare that to the time a few months ago when I was told, “When I spoke to you on the phone I was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s Japanese is really bad for a Japanese person!’”

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Instagram post by Diallo • Oct 10, 2017 at 1:25pm UTC

Diallo (@electrophants) on Instagram: “Blurry picture stolen from the Danish Royal House's website, but I got to interpret a little for…”

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Got to interpret a little for the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark today~

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Survey about Kanazawa

Also, while we’re at it, City Hall wants me to share this survey on social media. Feel free to fill it out if you feel so inclined - it should only take a few minutes.

(Disclaimer: I know it’s poorly done)

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Hello hello, please like this picture so I can hopefully get turned into a manga character~

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PSA

Emerging from the void to share a few words of wisdom:

If you’re looking for a cell phone carrier in Japan, DO. NOT. CHOOSE. au.

And I’ve heard dozens of times that SoftBank is rampantly xenophobic (which is a shame because they have really cute commercials, and I was thinking of going as Oniisan for Halloween, but I’m working every night of Halloweekend, so I have no use for a costume this year anyway), so maybe don’t choose them either.

If you have to choose one of the big three, I guess my vote goes to Docomo, but you’re definitely better off with an MVNO.

[following-diallo]

Because Tokyo.

“Welcome to TOKYO” - WORLD ORDER

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Summer Vacation

I’m interrupting my unscheduled silence to bring you... a scheduled silence.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be in Tokyo for Golden Week!! After that, I’m taking two weeks off of work to go back to the States to see my former freshmen graduate.

Peace out, y’all!

[following-diallo]

So remember the deal with my rent last week?

In today’s battle against incompetency: At the beginning of JET, we were told that we would soon receive our national health insurance cards. As I was doing a translation yesterday that mentioned said national health insurance, I realized, hey! It’s been 8 months, and I’m still waiting for this card.

I relayed this to my supervisor, who got in touch with the relevant department, and she told me, “They say they gave it to you on August 19th, so you must have lost it.” This r.e.a.l.l.y. irks me because I was not even at City Hall on August 19th, so there’s no way they could have given it to me. (I can even tell you what color tie I wore that day (red). Don’t try that with me.) Is it that hard for them to admit they messed up?

This is the latest in a series of Important Documents that I never received. (Previous ones have included the contract for my apartment and my personal identification number.) I don’t know if it’s just bad luck or what, but getting anything taken care of here has been like pulling. teeth. Requests to get things fixed up in my apartment go ignored, appointments get postponed indefinitely... It’s exhausting.

[following-diallo]

Visitors to My Office This Week

-“Is there somewhere I can get oversized copies done here?” This is a government office, how did you end up here??

-“I’ve got a delivery of Seventeen Magazine!” That’s also def not us.

-A cockroach