The bank stole my pen.

Of course, given all that I put them through, I should count myself lucky that that's all I lost in the encounter. If anyone else gets treated like a complete idiot as soon as they walk into the bank, well, that's probably because of me. The teller at least remembered me from yesterday, so he knew what my problems were as soon as I reached the booth, primary being that I had already signed the checks, but not within his viewing. So what followed was a forty-minute wait while he consulted with his kachou (section chief - there _will_ be a quiz on this later) over the phone about what to do. I assume that the other man then called American Express' department of idiot's abroad, because finally I was told to sign the checks on the back, and that would be acceptable. I ad been using my own pen because the teller had not had one immediately handy, and at the end pulled it back along with the paperwork. I could've just said, "Sumimasen, boku no pen desu," and I would've gotten it back, but at that point I just wanted to get my money and high tail it ASAP. Once again I displayed my proficiency at the better part of valor.

So yeah, I was late for my last class, although not as much as I could've been. I made the trip back from the bank in a little more than ten minutes. And God are my legs killing me. I don't know If I've mentioned it before, but the standard bike in Hikone is a one speed with a basket on the front (which makes sense, given that the difficulties of car ownership make bicycles much more practical for minor errands). I've never really had a problem with this before; you maintain speed so long as you keep peddling, and Hikone is fairly flat. I was glad I didn't bring my bike with me because a) it would stick out like you wouldn't believe, because EVERY bike I've seen so far has been a model like mine, b)that basket is a godsend for brining home groceries and whatnot (yes, there are good reasons why everyone rides them). However, leaving the bank at the exact time class was starting, I needed to get back fast. So I pedaled hard, and really lamented the lack of gears. It didn't take me long to exceed the optimum pedal turns for the one gear, so I spent most of the trip working my legs pretty hard for the amount of work I got done. Which is why they hurt now. But I have money, and after orientation I got food. Thusly, I am content.

Home stay orientation was both informative and unnerving. I thought that if all else failed, I could just sit in the middle of the room and be very still, but it turns out that even in that I can do wrong. Boiled down, there really only seem to be two rules that have to be remembered, and the second you can let slip from time to time.