This week has been fairly eventful. I've been busy all week, between a special training class that ran from Monday to Wednesday. I got to meet several new people through the class and learned quite a bit about some of the rules and procedures at the new workplace. After work on Wednesday, I finally got the chance to see the inside of another apartment not too far from the base. Unfortunately, by the time that the one I saw on Wednesday was available, someone had taken the slightly larger and more expensive apartment. However, that wasn't too big of a deal, since I ended up liking the apartment I saw on Wednesday more anyway. I told the realtor I was interested in the apartment and now I just have to go to the housing office here on base to get the contract done.
Afterwards, I went with my coworkers to Yamada to look at their selection of things like laundry machines, microwaves, and refrigerators. Half the time my one co-worker was trying to tell me I didn't need all three(she was particularly adamant that I didn't need a laundry machine since there are laundromats in town). I told her I had no particular desire to be lugging my laundry back and forth to the laundromat on a bicycle or on foot. Apparently, having a laundry machine is considered something of a luxury for Japanese people. I don't think the ones I liked were even all that expensive, but she was always saying that they were. I got back at her though when she was looking at rice makers though. Most of the ones she was looking at were on par or more expensive than the microwaves, to give you an idea.
Meanwhile, while I was apartment hunting and generally enjoying life in Japan, my sister was being faced with a personal tragedy as her husband had a seizure and was put in an induced coma because he wasn't breathing on his own. Sadly, it was determined that there was no chance that he would recover since he was too far gone and essentially brain dead. My sister made the tough decision to keep him alive on life support for one day to allow his friends and family the chance to say goodbye.
Please keep my sister and my mother in your prayers, along with her husband's family. My mother flew out to Minnesota as soon as she heard the news so she could be there with my sister.
Today, I went to Hiroshima to visit the immigration office there and change my immigration status since I received my ID card proving my employment here on base. I hadn't had a chance previously because of the special training class that I had to attend. Hiroshima is quite a remarkable city. It's a shame that I didn't have time to do sight-seeing since I was on official business, but I did get to mark some places to check out little as I was walking through the city to the immigration office. I saw a lot of interesting looking stores, the Hiroshima art museum, the outside wall of Hiroshima castle, and a rather uniquely designed shopping mall. I would go back just to take pictures of the shopping mall, it was that interesting. Coming on the castle in the middle of all the modern buildings surrounding it was a surprising contrast. I also saw some more creative manhole covers. The ones in Hiroshima are different than the ones in Iwakuni. Perhaps each city has its own unique design? Stay tuned for more pictures when I finally get around to taking a more leisurely visit to Hiroshima. Probably not this weekend, since it is Golden Week and there is a big flower festival being held in the city this weekend.
