Sesai

Goodness it is a while since i wrote.
I tried on Friday, honest I did but I was just too tired to lift arms to keyboard and brain was reluctant to form coherent sentences. In a good way... I just rather over exerted myself on Thursday.
Where to start. Hmmm....

I had my welcome party on Tuesday at which the head teacher got decidedly sloshed and kept asking me questions like "So tell me, do you find sumo wrestlers arousing? no? why? they big strong men!" delightful dinner time conversation. But it was a very pleasant evening. They all seem like really good people (although one doesn't speak much English) and I am much reassured about starting school.

Surprisingly, the head teacher recalled the next day that he had invited me to attend the ceremonies and activities of an exchange between his school and one on the mainland. Wednesday was not so exciting but Thursday was marine sports day!

What a way to start the day! I ended up arriving at the sports beach by speedy little boat. Unfortunately it was cloudy and really windy (wellington styles) so I was semi-drenched by the time I got there...
My first marine sporting of the day way a tandem-style jet ski ride. My driver seemed to be suicidally intent on heading as fast as he could for large obstacles like the jetty or the odd rocky island and at the last moment turning and yelling LEAN! LEAN! (at least I think that is what he was saying).
I spent the remaining hours before lunch diving for seafood with with boys. I was rather surprised when they made it clear I was expected to keep my t-shirt and shorts (almost longs) on over my togs. Made swimming much tougher since I didn't have flippers.
I managed to collect nothing truly edible and have conclusively proved I suck at finding things in the seaweed-infested ocean (more on that later) but it was much much fun.
Finally back on land I managed to feel cold(!) for the first time i think since i got here. Sitting in the wind in soaking clothes will do that in most conditions I think. So I got showered and changed and failed to re-sunscreen my arms. Within an hour I had my very own two-bar heater. It was fascinating for the kids. They poked my glowing red skin and said atsui? (hot) in surprised voices. Yes I said, hot. And sore. Stop touching me!

In the evening we barbecued our catch (well supplemented by market-bought local delicacies) and the teachers got drunk on two beers in front of the students. Good family fun.
Then we played games and I had the best most exhausted sleep (apart from the occasional ow! sunburn! wake up).

Friday night I met Eri the High-school assistant English teacher who has another English-speaking friend staying and we went out for Korean BBQ, Saturday we played pool and talked the night away.

The swimming... I like the sea. I love the sea. I hate being away from it... but I can firmly say that I never want to go to that bay again. I don't remember exactly when I started disliking seaweed. I have scrambled semi-formed bad childhood memories but I didn't realise just how horrible it is until yesterday. Who knew fear could come in so many shapes, forms and colours. I spent a terrified hour or so in the water desperately trying to convince myself that these were discrete, mindless, plants and not some malevolent being out to entangle me. It was horrible. everywhere I turned another infested rock loomed. At one point I couldn't handle and scrambled madly out of the water on to a rock and scraped up my leg. I wanted to howl, not cry, but actually howl in desperation. Maybe that is what people feel when they shriek at the sight of a spider? But do they dream of evil spiders? Getting back to the beach was the worst, the shallower it got the closer the seaweed was... I would swim and perch and shudder on a rock and then get the courage to go a little further. yuck yuck.

On a nicer note, I danced around another lantern-lit tower last night and impressed at the locals with my energetic interpretation of the dance steps.

But the absolute highlight of the night has to be my stirring rendition of the Guns 'n' Roses classic "Don't you cry" in a private Karaoke box down the road once the festival was over. I was shocked and disgusted to discover that some of those present had never experience the wailing beauty of G 'n' R. Aye me.

This afternoon I am off to a sesai festival. Sesai are the gross periwinkle things and the festival is all you can eat! I can't eat so much... and tonight there will be more dancing. Good season to arrive I say.

Hope all is good welly and your various other locations? Thanks for the emails it is nice to hear from y'all.