Time Warp Back to August

I was digging through old computer files today and ran across an unpublished partial blog entry from August 9th, about 4 days after I arrived in Tsushima. It probably never got posted because it took awhile for the internet to get set up in my apartment. Most of the points made were discussed in later blog entries, but for posterity's sake, here it is, a retrospective look at my newly-newbie JET days:

This last week has been insanely busy—running around to orientation events in Tokyo for 3 days; spending nearly a full day to get to the island; and dashing about to fill out paperwork, set up accounts, and meet tons of people who will directly or tangentially be part of my life in Tsushima. It’s been exhausting.

Which is why I’m taking immeasurable pleasure today in completely loafing about. There are tons of places to explore in Kamitsushima, the hamlet-like section of Tsushima where I live, but my transportation options are rather limited at the moment. I don’t have a car yet (more on that later), the bike my predecessor left has a flat tire, and my apartment’s really set back from the main part of town. I wandered around a bit on foot a few days ago and came across an ancient Korean burial ground—if I read the sign correctly—near the end of my street. Tsushima is close enough to South Korea that the port of Busan can be seen on a clear day. My supervisor took me to a look-out point, complete with a Korean-style building, as a break from paperwork. It was a little foggy, but I could still make out the outlines of a few tall buildings across the water.

I’m enjoying getting acquainted with my apartment; it has some quirks that take getting used to. Before coming to Tsushima, I’d heard about the poisonous-but-not-deadly snakes, but my real enemy here is much more insidious and difficult to combat: mold. Because the island has such incredibly humidity, it is, perhaps, inevitable, but still a pain. Despite someone’s best efforts with de-humidifying products (mostly absorbent beads in a container designed to suck all of the water out of the air), a few of the walls are horribly moldy. I want to throw the doors open to air the place out, but that would only bring in more dastardly humid air. Mold’s also taken a hold on some things in the bathroom that I’ll have to deal with eventually—I’ve been trying to work up a little courage, it grosses me out too much at the moment—and, sadly, my hot-water appliance (a little larger than a blender, it keeps a supply of hot water ready for tea at any moment). This will also have to be dealt with at some point.

Of course, I’ve also met or learned of other island foes in the past few days, such as cockroaches (one was waiting for me on the outdoor wall of my apartment when I first arrived) and mukade, the nasty species of poisonous centipede. My supervisor also pointed out the driving dangers of deer, Tsushima mountain cat (indigenous to Tsushima and on the way to extinction with ~80 individuals remaining… apparently feline AIDS is running rampant through the population, and they aren’t expected to make a recovery), and wild boar. Last night as another ALT was driving me home from an all-island ALT get-together, we saw a group of maybe 8 baby boars scrambling up a hill next to the road. Totally adorable, but I wouldn’t want to meet their mother in the middle of the road.

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That's it. Man... I almost wish I had to worry about mold again (it's a spring/summer-only phenomenon). I guess the choice in Tsushima is "Mold or Cold." And as with most things, the grass is greener on the other side.