We're there

We arrived at Fukuoka International Airport on time. After collecting our bags, we met Seb, and a few others, and we were taken by coach to Cambridge House (the halls where we are staying). The place is amazingly unlike any other university halls, as it looks like some kind of wonderful conference centre, with a wonderful fountain in the centre courtyard.

The eigth floor is huge, having 20 rooms, of which we are only using 10 (the furthest ten from the elevator I might add). Each room has a bed, bedside table, lamb, alarm clock, terrestrial TV, wardrobe, ensuite toilet and shower, fridge, hob, sink, and some cooking utensils, as well as some other little things like a kettle that keeps the water at 98C. We have also been provided a towel, toothbrush set, tea towel, and many other little things I'm sure I'll never use!

We were given orange juice and told a few things about the place by Seb. Then he left and we had some sandwiches (egg & cheese, potato salad & ham, and banana!), and some pears and grapes. The others didn't think it was enough, and Drummond and I wanted to get telephone cards to call home so all of us bar Lauma went exploring.

The 24 hour convenience store is about 200 metres down the road, and has magazines, manga, bottled drinks, ready made meals, etc. However, nothing that you'd really buy to fill the fridge. It is more a shop of convenience, hence its name. I inquired in bad Japanese about a way of phoning England from here, and finally we worked out that the Japanese name for it is "telephone card". They didn't seem to know whether they had any unfortunately, though after a while they found some. After an even longer while they worked out how to sell it to us. I got a ￥1000 card (about £5).

When we got back I couldn't make the card work, which was upsetting as I wanted to call Hannah whilst she was still at home. I am really missing her, and not being able to talk makes me feel alone and helpless.

After writing a few emails, unpacking a little, and making my bed, and after Drummond having failed as well to make the card work, he phoned the helpline, whereupon he realised that he had to drop the leading 0 from the area code, whilst I learnt that I hadn't scratched off the last character of the code. So finally I was able to call Hannah, albeit on her mobile. Though ￥1000 got me 8 minutes 18 seconds to a landline or a mobile, so I didn't lose out there, just the fact that she couldn't hear me too well in the shopping mall.

I love speaking to Hannah. Going away makes me realise how much I love her, and how much I need her there for me. I am quite incapable without her. Hopefully, we'll find a cheaper way of communicating soon, as I think I'm going to need to talk to her quite a bit.

I'm going to bed now after having made the bed for a second time, correctly this time... I think.