So-ba

Hello all I had a brilliant day yesterday! I was trying to do my japanese learning at work and it was the hottest day this year on Oki (don't belive the thermometer thing on the homepage those reading are taken at the port, our thermometer said 35) when I realised someone had been calling Donna-san for some time and was approaching me rather menacingly with a telephone. On the phone was Rika, one of the English teachers that I met at my predecessor's farewell, and she was asking if I wanted to go buckwheat noodle (soba) making. I surely did! five teachers and me set out to find this buckwheat mecca and ended up deep in the forest on the other side of the island in a tiny soba restaurant with a gnarled old soba-making couple to teach us. I have to say it, my soba dough was the best. I had the perfect combination of buckwheat flour and water and made a smooth, firm, yet moist dough. (cullinary genius) sadly the rolling it into a wafer thin disk didn't go so very well and I was rather scared of the ruler/razor sharp knife combination used for the noodle cutting, but everyone seemed impressed. AND I got to wear a cute apron. Very housewifely (I later heard that the male teachers were doing a manly activity in the forest). After eating my own soba served in two traditional styles (I couldn't finish it soooo much soba) we went to visit some of my future students at their class camp. Oh my. Every single one asked me "do you have a boyfriend?" when I got bored of saying no, I started asking "do you?" the girls blushed and the boys lookind confused. Two boys who wanted to be my boyfriend, but I said were to young, came up with "together we are old enough". Delightful teenagers. Made me look foward to the primary schools, but they assured me "you very popular teacher". Then, while the other teachers went off for a communal bath in the hot springs, the English teacher and I went to the sea! Sweet sea! Bath-warm on top but blessedly cool underneath. I swam for two hours. This seemed like a long time to be stared at but somehow my many starers didn't lose concentration. At least I put on a good show. It was all going well until the giant jelly fish showed up and the biting animal got into my togs and gave me big red spots all over my tummy. Still, I wouldn't have missed it for the world. As soon as my bike is fixed I will be there every day. Mmmmm sea. Apparently Rika, my English teacher friend, is going to try and persuade my various bosses that exploring the island is offical work. It is indeed very important that I am geographically orientated .

Sun scorched, itchy, tired and happy.
donna

lisa! I was indeed rather alarmed when they showed me what to do in my litle house in case of an eathquake and gave me a textbook in Japanese about emergency proceedures... but I am assured that Oki hasn't been shaking for a while? I hope I understood them right!