Alilboogie in DA HOUSE!!

That's right folks, I had my first visitor in Japan and I'm still coming down off of the high!

Last time I left off talking about how crazy I was going to Tokyo to see Mighty Crown only to be back a few days later. Two days later to be exact!

The adventure began in Tokyo the Sunday night after the Mighty Crown dance. I'm sitting in a club with Latoya watching a dance showcase and my ketai (cell phone) rings. I pick up and hear this little voice on the other end say "hiiiii Amanda!", I'm like hiiii? and then it hits me as I say "hold on a second, I have to go to the lobby because it's too loud in here". I'm getting nervous and thinking naaaaaaah, it can't be. So I get to the lobby and say "hello? Ali?" She says "hi Amanda I'm here, I'm about to get on the bus to Himeenji(wrong pronunciation of course)". The first words out of my mouth were "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE HERE!?" And that's where it all began.

Now my heart is racing because I'm in Tokyo, she's at Osaka airport. I am scheduled to leave Tokyo on the overnight bus to Osaka around 11:30pm(at the time it was about 7:30pm) and I'm absolutely freaking out! Ali asks me if she should stay at the airport and I tell her that makes no sense, to get on the bus to Himeji(20 mins by train from my city) and I'll work something out and to call me as soon as she gets there. She tells me she forgot her rail pass at home and that her dad has sent it to my address via Purolator. This is #2, things happen in 3's right?
We hang up and I run back inside to tell Latoya what's going on as I'm near tears and feeling like THE WORST friend in the world for screwing up the dates. Toya was the voice of reason because I was so ready to pay $150 ONE WAY to take the shinkansen(bullet train) to go meet Alison....money I didn't really have to spare mind you. I call my supervisor to see if he has a spare key to my apartment to let her in. It's bittersweet when I find out that he doesn't. I call some other teacher friends to ask them if she can stay at their place until morning, but I hang up before they answer. Somehow that option just didn't sit right with me. So I call Khaleelah to ask her if she can book a room at the hotel outside my city's train station..she's out to dinner and can't, but as smart as she is she tells me to call one of my friends, get the number and book it myself. See? I was freaking out, I couldn't think straight enough to figure out that I could do that lol. So I call the hotel book the room no problem right?

Nine 'o clockish rolls around and Ali calls to tell me she has reached Himeji. I'm calmer now as I feel like things are under control. She tries to make me feel better by telling me it was her mistake and that the itinerary she sent me was set up wrong so it make sense that I was expecting her the next day. That doesn't do the job. All I can think is 'ohmigosh, I'm such a bad friend! This is her first time to Japan and this is the worst introduction to a new country ever known in the history of man!' Anyhoo, I proceed to give her directions to catch the train to my city, tell her about the hotel, to call me when she checks-in and that I'll be there first thing in the morning. About 40 minutes pass and I haven't heard from her. I look at my phone and see 2 missed calls from the hotel...shoot! I call back about 4 times to talk to her, but the hotel staff kept hanging up on me(or so I thought)! Miscommunication. Scratch that, language barrier! hahahaha. Luckily Toya and I were with this guy who could speak Japanese so he got Ali on the phone. She sounded so distressed. I felt even worse, because she got lost trying to find the train, she broke down at one point and by some miracle God sent an English-speaking Japanese angel to guide her in the right direction. I was a little relieved just knowing she was at the hotel and had somewhere clean to lay her head until I could come to the rescue.

Don't worry it gets better from here on in, I promise. To be continued...