I feel like an idiot

I don’t know what it is about being in Japan, but it seems to have made me lose any semblance of common sense that I ever had. Although, some would argue that I never had any common sense to begin with, you know who you are. That being said, I went to the city hall today to update the address on my Alien Registration Card (ARC). Yes, I am an alien. I have had to do this a couple of times as an E.T. (oh crap I really am an alien), but never without someone who speaks more Japanese than I do. So I went by myself today. I had to take a bus and of course I got on the wrong bus, but the bus driver told me how to get there anyway. I found the place and gave my card to the little man at the office. While he was updating the information I thought another man called my number so I walked up to the window and we had this strange wordless exchange where he was trying to figure out what I wanted and I didn’t have any words to express myself. Then I realized that he hadn’t called me number after all, so I just walked away feeling like a complete idiot.

Then the man with my card finally did come back and gave me my card. I had to sign a paper saying that my new address was correct. I really have no idea if it is or not, because its all in Japanese. I hope he knew what he was doing. Then he gave me a booklet of some sort. I didn’t even look at it. Then I asked him for a trash calendar so that I can know when to take out the burnable, plastic and metal garbage. Everything is separated in Japan and goes out on different days. If you put stuff out on the wrong days your neighbors get mad and its not a good situation. He pointed to the booklet he had just given me and said, the Japanese equivalent of “yeah there it is.” Again I felt like a complete idiot. I was so glad everything was finished and I could just leave.

I went back to the bus stop to come home. There was only one bus, so I didn’t have to worry about getting on the wrong bus, unfortunately, I did have to make sure I got off at the right stop. And I think you know where this is going. Yes, I got off at the wrong stop. I ended up having to walk the last two or three stops back to my apartment, but I finally did make it.

I will say that even in the midst of all the troubles that I had getting my new card, I was able to do what I needed to get done. It didn’t go very smoothly, but in the end it did get done. And I am glad it is over.