Hello, there.
I’d love to continue from where I ended last time.

The first day of the language school

On Monday, March 9th, 1998, I left homestay and walked to the bus stop, as my host mother told me the day before; it took about ten minutes and wasn’t complicated.

While waiting for my bus, a young man appeared from somewhere and said to me, “konichiwa,” and then he crossed the street.
I didn’t know what happened.
After a few minutes, he appeared again and said, “sayonara,” I also said, “sayonara.”

A few more minutes late, finally, the bus came, but the bus passed by me; I had no idea!
After that, someone came to wait for the bus, and when the bus came, she raised her hand, and then the bus stopped.
I didn’t know that I had to raise my hand if I wanted to get a bus.
Thanks to her, I could get on the bus.

However, another problem waited for me.
On the bus in NZ then, they didn’t announce the next stop, so we needed to find the landmark and pull the string to ring a bell.
I tried not to overlook it, but I missed the bus stop I should get off; when I found the landmark, the bus already passed the bus stop.
Suddenly I pulled the string and got off at the next stop, returned to the exact bus stop, and headed to the school.
Fortunately, I got to the school in time.

On the first day, we needed to take a level check test.
After considering skills, we were assigned to the suitable level class.
I joined the intermediate class, whose teacher was a woman with a strong accent.
Because of that, I couldn’t catch her; I thought it was all Greek to me.

Somehow I did the day’s task and got on the way home.
Throughout the morning experience, I tried never to miss the landmark hard on the bus.
However, it happened again.
Unfortunately, I passed two stops this time.
Oh my gosh!
I had no idea where I was!

I almost started crying but tried to return the way without tears, and finally, I found the familiar scenery; I found the bus stop where someone talked to me in the morning on the other side of the road.
I made it!

I decided to ask someone at the liquor shop on the corner of the road and entered the shop, and the man who worked there talked to me, “konichiwa.”
What a coincidence!
According to him, he was a university student and worked for that shop as a part-time worker, and he came to pick up the newspaper there for his father every morning.

I explained to him that I had missed the bus stops and lost, and I showed him my homestay address and asked where I should turn.
He told me that I had turned at this corner of the liquor shop.
Moreover, he added he was learning Japanese and said, “If you want to talk Japanese, feel free to call me,” and handed me his phone number.
Thanks to his guide, I finally got to my homestay safely.

That’s all for today, and to be next time.
See you around.