I don't know if I mentioned this or not, but I have a student that only speaks Spanish. Every Friday a Japanese teacher who speaks Spanish comes to my school to teach him. So I ran into her a couple times and we got to talking in Spanish. She speaks English about the same as many of my English teachers, but she is awesome at Spanish. I had the best conversation with a Japanese person I have had since I got here in Spanish. I didn't really figure that would be the case. We talked about Japanese ideas about education, the Japanese recession, and the work ethic. It was really fascinating to hear what Japanese people think about such things. It's almost too difficult to speak to the teachers about it, because it would take too long and involves the use of big words.

The Spanish teacher also studied in Madrid, like me, and in Venezuela. In Madrid, she was a couple metro stops away from me, but I think she was there a couple years earlier. I haven't really pieced together the timetable yet. Anyway, it is great having someone to talk with occassionally or ask advice. She seems a lot more direct and open than most Japanese people, so that may be helpful when I have etiquette questions and the like.

Also, on another note, I discovered a place I can buy ginger ale. They have it at McDonald's and Mister Donut, but a local grocery store sells it bottled too. I'm excited because it is one of my favorite drinks, and it's pretty hard to find in Japan.

One more thing, it turns out Victoria has a friend in Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture) and so do I. I think they know each other but don't really hang out. I sense a trip to Sendai coming up...