Entries this day: AM_Dreams AM_Getting_ready Orientation_handover

AM Dreams

6:46am JST Sunday 18 December 2005

During the time I was semi-awake/asleep, I had a long series of dreams, but don't remember but snippets:

I was on the second floor of a building as a guy below me was getting some exercise by tossing a drum up in the air and catching it. He had to throw straight up because there wasn't much space and wires (phone / electric) crisscrossed above him except for a small gap. I suggested that if he step up onto the roof between us, he would have more space to throw. He stepped up, and I moved up and he was tossing the ball but not being very careful about catching it, and let it fall, expecting the guy below him to throw or kick it up. Even then he wouldn't move or try at all to catch it, and eventually *I* caught it, though I hadn't even been expecting the ball to come that high. I walked over til I stood above the guy and dropped it down to him and he missed it and it fell to the ground.

- - - -

someone had rewritten the note I wrote to Sam on the whiteboard downstairs, rewriting it so it took up less space. Everything else had been erased.

AM Getting ready

6:53am JST Sunday 18 December 2005

Getting ready for four days of fun and orientation; as predicted, I am awake well on time. Last night Hitomi helped by hand washing my small amount of laundry; I wrung it semi-dry and hung it up. Still wet this morning cause the heater was off all night, so I tossed it into the dryer.

It's ridiculously cold today. And I'm not just saying that. I'm sure it's windchillin' well below freezing.

Orientation handover

11:12pm JST Sunday 18 December 2005

Chillin' at the hotel provided for us by GET, and we just happen to also have wireless access available in Elizabeth's room, so I'm helping her not get any work done. She just got back from a different amazing adventure and ought to be unpacking and repacking, but we're type type typing instead of all that packing stuff.

The orientation was great today; we had the actual handover portion, which Matt said is usually at the end of the orientation, but I think it worked really well at the beginning; it let us get to know each other better by getting to know the other team...

I'm super excited about this new group; we have gelled (what is the past tense of "to gel"?) wonderfully in just the first day, and it turns out that I know *another* teacher - Lisa G, who used to be Morag's roommate back in our Nova days!! I was caught off guard when she was like, "ひさしぶり" when I saw her, and I (again) thought she was Tee at first. When I saw the profiles some weeks ago, I commented that she looked like Tee, but wasn't, and at that time I didn't recognize her because her hair is way different. She used to have dreadlocks, but now she has electric hair...

It took me a second to figure out who she was until someone told me her name... "Oh! She's Morag's ex roommate!!"

And, Carla said that Morag is coming back to Japan to hang out for a bit; we're having a gathering in a couple days from now. Awesome!!!

Some sad news: Carl had to suddenly go into the hospital for some minor surgery (though he will be joining us later), and Leo had to drop out altogether because his mom (I think) got sick! Oh my gosh that's totally wack for him. I trust everything will work out for the best.

It was lovely to see the 51st voyage teachers, all grown up after their voyage and passing on the traditions. I was amazed by Derrick (sp), who had some super killa fly ideas about getting classes to bond and such. Really great to chat with him!

This orientation has been both happier and more relaxed for me, because I sorta kinda know what I'm getting into, and I have a sense of what all the terminology is. When they say _____, I don't have to ask, "is that a room name, an organization, a type of meeting, or what?" Carla was like, "do I have to be there at a certain time?" Exactly. I basically know those answers already.

Eeek; I'm falling asleep here.

Great chatting and chowing at the greek restaurant, plus got to see Natalie for several hugs and Pirori for a moment. Petra gave me a huge blessing of hugs and confidence boost for me, saying part of why she applied for this voyage is that I was on it. Oh, Petra.

- - -

I got to see Pirori for about two seconds, but didn't properly talk to her before I left, basically because they were rushing us out of the restaurant (we were supposed to leave at 9pm, but it had become 9:30 and everyone was still yammering happily) and once I got out into the street and the cold, I was joined the first group that was headed toward the hotel and forgot that I hadn't really talked to her.

She texted me later and I felt really bad. d'oh!!