About those drinks tho...

About those drinks though - alcohol in Japan is POTENT! Woke up with THE most terrible hangover after my first night out. Headahce, shakes, nausea - It was DREADFUL. annnnd I had a whole evening of kids training that afternoon. OH MY GOD.

Have also discovered I have most unfortunate habit of saying what I really think when I'm drunk. Got introduced to this one guy with HUGE ears that I'd already met during training 'do you remember me he said?' 'oh yes of course!' I said...whilst cupping my hands behind my ears to make big dumbo the elephant type shapes - oh dear!

I didn't mean to be mean - it's just the enebriated me figured his ears were so large he was obviously well aware of the them! And then his flatmate turned up and I started to wonder if the alcohol was causing me to see things larger than life, coz this guy had a SERIOUSLY big schnoz and THE most enormous bouffant Elvis hair I've ever seen!

I mean the guy was a dead ringer for that country singer that Julia Roberts married there for awhile! (what was his name again?) Anyway I managed to keep my thoughts to myself after that thankfully!

But I'm not the only one who's had a bad hangover, drinking's had the same effect on everyone here I don't know why but anyway, it really knocks you for six (or to everyone else here that sounds like 'sex' when I say it!).

Apparently, I have an incredibly strong Kiwi accent, which turns my workmates into a flock of giggling parrots whenever I speak - honestly, you'd think they'd grow up and get over it, but then they're mostly all boys, so there's probably not much hope for that :)

And they all just about passed out when I told them how old I was cos they thought I was about 22! As has everyone I've met - I think maybe they've all been in Japan too long!

Everyone's really friendly and helpful at work though, which is really good, but you can NEVER be late to work in Japan which is a rule I found out VERY quickly in my first week here - naughty Fern!

And the students are really nice too, one even told me I look like Kate Bosworth (blond american actress from movie 'Blue Crush') the other day!! Unfortunately the only thing Kate and I have in common is our blonde hair, but it has made me start to suspect that perhaps to asian people we westerners all look the same to them!

I really do think it helps being blonde in Japan though cos people are so much more willing to help you. I've talked to a lot of people who're surprised with the lengths people have gone to to help me because they never got that treatment, but I think it helps being polite and friendly.

I mean there's this girl at my work who's a nice person, but she also has a very confident manner to the point of being overbearing sometimes. Only I don't think she realises that she comes across that way to Japanese people.

I mean if you're gonna be all up in their face challenging them then they'll just shut down like a blank wall and won't help you at all you know. And treating them like they're dumb just coz they don't speak English when you're in their country, well I just think maybe you gotta wake up a little there coz they're not dumb at all...they know you're being rude and just plain old don't want to help you!

So anyway it's made me wonder if it's my blond hair that's the reason I've found people so helpful and others haven't? But also I think being polite goes a long way, but I do happen to be smaller and less intimidating than other foreigners here too I suppose.

It's not always a blessing having blond hair though as it kind of attracts unwanted attention.

Like this guy who asked me out at the train station: "Excuse me, are you flee?" "Pardon?" I said not realizing he was talking to me. "Are you flee?" (eh?..what who me?...Oh!) "Er, um..no, I'm going home." "Oh o.k. then, see you rater, I ruv you."

At least that made me laugh! But then yesterday two seperate guys asked me if I wanted to be 'best friends' and I find it even more creepy when they say that and know what they are thinking than someone who was more forward and honest. Even though I'm sure they think they're being polite by asking that way I just find it devious and icky you know - eeewww!

And then this other guy just started walking alongside me on my way home from the train station asking me questions, which i gave short answers to and felt mean being less than friendly, but for goodness sakes I hadn't asked for him to talk to me and I was starting to worry he was going to follow me home - but thankfully he went the other way.

ONLY THEN my flatmate and I went to a local restaurant the other night and who should be our waiter, but the SAME guy! Good lord - even Japan is a small place!

But then there are nice people too. Like this little old lady who made me laugh the other day she was just SO sweet!

She was following me around the supermarket smiling at me till I made eye contact and then she pounced wanting to know where I was from and why I came to Japan etc and all the while with this goofy grin on her face and mesmirized stare like I was some museum artifact.

She was SO lovely though, so I talked to her for as long as she wanted and she told me all about the time she'd been to New Zealand. Feel kind of like an ambassador for the place somedays - honestly, TourismNZ should be paying me commission!

That reminds me - I really must look up the population of Hamilton...and just exactly how many sheep do we have?!