Anyway, this island has about 1000 people living on it, and 20 kids. 4 at junior high school (12 – 15 years old) and 16 at elementary (6 – 11 years old). And because the island is so far out from the mainland, I had to stay overnight at a hotel. Now, I know this sounds like luxury, but the life of an ALT is not always as glamorous as it sounds!
After recovering from the boat trip out to the island I had 3 classes at the junior high and then had to wait around until 5:30 to escape to the hotel. You’d think it would be a fairly nice place, especially considering I paid 4200 yen (about $65) for one night. However, my theory is the hotel was built in the 70’s, and nothing has changed since then! Including the bedding. The futon and blanket were damp, the air con either turned the room into a freezer or didn’t work at all, the TV was coin operated (WTF??) and in the bathroom there was no towel or soap, just a handful of toothbrushes and some toilet paper (I suppose I should be grateful for the small mercies!).
And the toothbrushes did come in handy in the end: My stomach wasn’t really up for a proper meal, so I didn’t go to the one restaurant on the island before it closed, and ended up with a cup of instant mashed potatoes which I lucked upon in the tiny shop. I made it back to my hotel room no problem and made the mash, then realised there were no spoons with the tea, no cutlery whatsoever, and I hadn’t packed any – my own fault really. I guess you can see where this story is going. I was reminded of an episode of Black Books where Manny is forced to eat scrambled eggs out of a shoe with a comb, and this inspired me to use a toothbrush (non-bristle end)! Here is the proof:
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