Letters from Japan: Aug 24, 2002 "First Day"

Hi Kids,
I had my first day of work today and I loved it. It wasn't as chaotic as the place was where I trained so I didn't get too stressed. Can I just pause for a
moment and tell you how much I hate these damn computers. You hit one wrong key and it changes your type into Japanese writing and now that I have it back to normal, the words are in a different font and they won't wrap around to the next line. I'm going to try to ignore this very annoying fact but it won't be easy...
Anyway, about 10 or 12 teachers work at my school. There is one guy from Chicago and the rest of them are from either Canada, Australia, England, or New Zealand. (See what I mean about the word-wrap-around not working?) Anyway, the guys at the school are like one on-going comedy act. We have 10 minutes between each class to prepare for the next class and within this 10 minutes, comedy ensues. I wish I had a camcorder so you could see and hear all that goes on. All I can do is sit and laugh and TRY to do what I need to get done in that brief period of time. But the verbal sparing makes it hard to focus. The one guy from Canada is a crazy redhead with a whole lot of energy. He and the 2 Brits go at it constantly and you never know what's going to come next. There are only 3 girls including myself. Michelle is from Australia (I love her, she swears a lot), and Karin is from New Zealand, she is the one that all the guys tease because she is the quietest one. They have all been really nice and helpful so that also made my first day easier.
On the home front, my roommate is about as much fun as a wet sock. I have more fun with the cockroaches. I don't waste my humor on her, she doesn't laugh. Her boyfriend is coming over tonight so I am hanging out here at the internet cafe right now instead of going home to relax after my first day of work. PLUS, this is the first chance I have gotten to write all day because I went to work at 9:30am and got out at 9:00pm (I went in early so I could be prepared...) I think work will be a good weight-loss program for me. At this rate, I will never have time to eat. I don't really have any funny stories to tell, wish you could have been at work, though, there were plenty of laughs there, but it was a "you-had-to-be-there" type thing. Plus, I feel the pressure of the clock on me because where I am at right now, it costs between 3 and 4 bucks an hour and I don't know how much yen I have in my pocket. I will just have to save all my funny stuff for my days off when I can go to Shinjuku and type my little heart out as long as I want to for the cost of a cup of coffee.I have a few more e-mails to write so I'll write you later.
Love me