I'm the talk of the Office

Soooo...quick blog with no pictures. I just want to get it out before I forget.

Today my supervisor Serai Sensei took me to the train station to thoroughly explain how the system works. On Thursday I have to go to a "contract signing ceremony" where I think I will officially become a government employee. I have to take the train to get there. So of course, I'm worried about having no idea how to get to the Prefectural Building that I need to be at bright and early on Thursday.

While she was showing me the automated ticket machine, there was a very old couple that went to the ticket machine on the right. There are 3 ticket machines, and I hadn't really noticed but there were 2 ...how should I explain this?... In between the two ticket machines there are 2 windows, but I hadn't noticed because the windows are made of metal, just like the rest of the wall, so it was more like the outline of a window,... Man I wish I took a picture so I could get my point across.

Anyways, In the middle of her explaining something to me, this tiny Japanese woman opens up the window really quick and pops her head out to help the old couple on the right, who must have pressed the "assistance" button. But it was just such a strange sight. The little window popping open, with the face popping out, for some reason reminded me of a hobbit in Lord of the Rings. And it all happened so fast. So when I laughed about it (I couldn't help but laugh, it just caught me so off-guard), my supervisor asked me why I was laughing. I just said "that was just surprising".

She then proceeded to ask if we do not have the same system. "You also have machines with people behind them right? They are there to take the money that you put through that slot, and to feed a ticket back through the appropriate slot. They make it look like this machine to pretend its automated, but really, whatever button you press, the person behind just sees you press down from the other side. They are always there, but she just came out of there to help the old couple who didn't know how to feed the money through to the person right."

I. totally. believed. her.

When I realized that she was playing a trick on me I couldn't stop laughing. I totally believed her! Its like that commercial where someone puts money in the machine to get a bottle of water, and the person in the machine quickly fills the bottle up with tap water and then drops it into the front of the vending machine. I was so embarrassed that I was so gullible.

And then we just got back to the office after dealing with more issues (she taught me how to use my washing machine, and we set up a direct debit from my Japanese bank account to pay my electricity) . I just started studying Japanese again, which is filling much of my days, and behind me I can hear her telling all of the other teachers in the office the story.

All the teachers know what an idiot I am. :) :) :) I think though, that this is a cute story, and it makes me more approachable to the other teachers. So yay!