THE TROUBLE WiTH TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Twenty four hours in transit and I sit here in the country I will call home for the next twelve months. With a stomach full of aeroplane food, I'm like an excited child on Christmas day, everything is new, fresh, exciting. My eyes dash around my new found environment, like a newborn's eyes seeing everything for the first time.

Everything is amazing, I'm overcome with a sense of claim, which differed from my last airport visit. Airports normally witness the two extremes of human emotion. One of sheer delight, families reunited, old friends catching up after years of no contact. Or the dread of a painful goodbye, tears normally accompany both.

The Japanese people that surrounded me seemed to be almost emotionless. This intrigued me.

I saw two other foreign travellers. They looked as drained and exhausted as I felt. They didn't make eye contract and kept on about their own business. My eyes were ecstatic to observe something familiar again.

I decided to check in with Shannon, let him know that I had arrived safely. The plan was - he would meet me at the airport. But plans had changed. I rang him the day before I left Australia, he informed me that he had to work so he couldn't make it. A dark cloud of worry attempted to shroud over me. I forced that thought from my mind.

Here lay my first challenge: I had only the international number for Shannon used for when calling from overseas. Dialling from within the country was of course different. The only reference I had was to calling Australian numbers from overseas. You would always drop the first zero off the number and then add +61 at the start. This being the country code for Australia. So I removed +81 from Shannon's number and dialed - still no go. Then I added a zero to the front as you would in Oz, nothing.

At this stage many people would be annoyed or frustrated, this clouds your logic. On the most basic level this was a problem, a riddle, a puzzle. I thrived on problems. I searched my surroundings for a solution... I spotted an English phone book. I also had Shannon's address. I counted the number of digits that Japanese phone numbers should have and also got Shannon's area code. Bang, problem solved.

Shannon's wife answered the phone, as instructed I said "Shannon, Australia" in a clear voice. This was broken English for "Can I please speak to Shannon, its Australia calling". Shannon answered, he welcomed me to Japan and asked what my plans were. I had decided to get a train into Tokyo Central and scout the place out! Find a hotel, check in early and have a long hot shower.

WELCOME TO NiPPON

A smiling Japanese flight attendant awakens me out of my deep sleep. Through her softly spoken voice and light American accent the only word I comprehend is "Egg". My groggy head isn't processing at full strength.

On autopilot I hear myself utter the words "Yes, please." My senses awaken one by one, the sound of the roaring engines defying gravity and keeping us at 35,000 feet. The pins and needles shooting down my right side. My stomach rumbling. Now they all bombard me at once.

I now know the true meaning of exhausted. Thirty minutes before boarding, gate number twelve filled with Asian looking travellers. From no where I was again surrounded by a sea of people. I found myself automatically putting them into categories; "Business men, families, couples..." We advertise all of this information without even blinking an eyelid.

I fell asleep the moment I sat down. No dreams, no thought process, no analysing - just complete black nothingness - for the first time in twenty four hours.

The pilots voice came over the loud speaker. I listened hard, I knew it was in my best interest to hear as much English spoken by Japanese people as possible. Our first language always invades our second. Something you learnt at three years old is hard to forget. As soon as you attempt to read a foreign language you always apply the rules you have been taught from your native tongue. Letting go of these rules is step one to becoming fluent in a second language.

I looked forward to the challenge of communicating with people without the use of words. I wanted to see how quickly I could adapt, survive, make do... I already had a head start. I understood that I would need to establish a basic vocabulary of well known English words, breaking down complex sentences to be understood. Make use of loud body language, fake smiles, pens on napkins.

I've done very little Japanese study, I know only the basics - animals, counting, colours & greetings. Truly nothing useful. Not the alphabet, I didn't even purchase a phase book. Living on the edge is what I do for kicks.

My body aches, I still feel tired. I showed the stress of sleeping 36,000 feet above sea level with 400 other people in a sardine can all breathing the same recycled oxygenated air.

But my day was only beginning. It was 8:00 am when we touched down at Narita International Airport and challenges were ahead...