Wednesday, April 11, 2007
I don't wanna go to class or even meet my students in the corridor...
...because the little monsters keep making me smile. Something funny (bad funny) happened to the nerve that goes to my upper left teeth last week and now it hurts to expose them to anything slightly chilly - even classroom air. But! this has made me realise just how smiley my students make me. Even when I am trying to be grumpy-not-showing-teeth-lady.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Oki again!
I went back to Oki last weekend. It was lovely. The weather the first day was awful but after that the island turned on two such gorgeous days that it was hard to tear myself away.
I spent the first night at Setsuko's big beautiful house out in Tsudo and it was good to get some quality time with her, then on the second night I went to the farewell party for Kamada and Kuroda, two of the teachers I worked with last year at Saigo Minami.
It was really lovely to see folk again, but almost without exception, everyone who hadn't seen me since last July told me how much I have changed. The most common descriptor was tough. I have (apparently) now become really tough. When asked to elaborate, they also came up with more confident, more energetic (and seemed to relate this to me having lost a bit of weight by not needing to warm myself with chocolate-and-peanut-butter-goodness all winter). I puzzled over whether this was just because they only saw a happy me making to most of time with friends who I miss a lot, or whether I really have changed.
And I think I have.
When I was on the island I was never bored or lonely like I have been feeling lately, but I was very alone. And being alone makes you rather introverted. I thought too much about what was going on in my head and I kind of lost the ability to guess (as one must for everyday interaction) what was going on in the minds of those around me (also they like, think in like, Japanese and stuff, so it is kinda tricky to mind-read). As Helen said it "there are some days when you just don't smile." And it is true, not because you are sad but just because you are weirdly calm.
Or something.
Anyway. I think what I am getting at is I spent a lot of time this year wishing I was somewhere else. Whenever I was frustrated at school, or uncomfortable in social situations, or lonely, or hungry for tasty Japanese dishes, I wished I had never left the island. But I don't think I have changed for the worse, so the me that has been missing that life is not the me who would be living it had I never left. I spend a lot of time living in a future that never comes to be or a present that isn't. It is time to take the advice of that great sage of Aurora Illinois, Garth: "It'll never happen man! Live in the now!" I shall try. Um and I shall also try to give a little thought to that fast approaching future of not being in Japan.
With that load of self involved soul-search-a-rooney. I shall leave you all and take off to Taiwan.
Mwah-ha-ha-ha.
I spent the first night at Setsuko's big beautiful house out in Tsudo and it was good to get some quality time with her, then on the second night I went to the farewell party for Kamada and Kuroda, two of the teachers I worked with last year at Saigo Minami.It was really lovely to see folk again, but almost without exception, everyone who hadn't seen me since last July told me how much I have changed. The most common descriptor was tough. I have (apparently) now become really tough. When asked to elaborate, they also came up with more confident, more energetic (and seemed to relate this to me having lost a bit of weight by not needing to warm myself with chocolate-and-peanut-butter
And I think I have.
When I was on the island I was never bored or lonely like I have been feeling lately, but I was very alone. And being alone makes you rather introverted. I thought too much about what was going on in my head and I kind of lost the ability to guess (as one must for everyday interaction) what was going on in the minds of those around me (also they like, think in like, Japanese and stuff, so it is kinda tricky to mind-read). As Helen said it "there are some days when you just don't smile." And it is true, not because you are sad but just because you are weirdly calm.
Or something.
Anyway. I think what I am getting at is I spent a lot of time this year wishing I was somewhere else. Whenever I was frustrated at school, or uncomfortable in social situations, or lonely, or hungry for tasty Japanese dishes, I wished I had never left the island. But I don't think I have changed for the worse, so the me that has been missing that life is not the me who would be living it had I never left. I spend a lot of time living in a future that never comes to be or a present that isn't. It is time to take the advice of that great sage of Aurora Illinois, Garth: "It'll never happen man! Live in the now!" I shall try. Um and I shall also try to give a little thought to that fast approaching future of not being in Japan.
With that load of self involved soul-search-a-rooney. I shall leave you all and take off to Taiwan.
Mwah-ha-ha-ha.
An ode to teachers
I have been meaning to post this for a week, the lion thing (which was a page from the text book as hilariously mis-copied by one of my first graders with a d-b recognition problem) was just supposed to be a stall. So.
Another school year has finished. I am now on holiday.
In the final week of school we had graduation. I think I described the ceremony last year but I will do a quick recap. It is cold. And long. We spent about a week preparing to farewell the third graders, kids were making cards to give to leaving students from their clubs, making decorations for the classroom and rehearsing marching in and out of the hall for quite some time. On the day before we made the gym fit for the ceremony by meticulously measuring the distance between rows of chairs with a big tape measure. I kid you not. Since I was playing with the brass band this year I felt a lot more involved than I did at any of the ceremonies I dropped by for last year, But it had been weeks since I had had any real contact with the 3rd graders and I didn't really feel swept up in the graduation hysteria that was gripping the school... until the final parade.
After the ceremonious ceremony stuff. After all the students have gotten their certificates and bowed at all and sundry. They walk thorough the corridors while the remaining students cry, hug, take photos and thank them for their leadership and support over the past year or two. I had photos with a bunch of my kids. Some of whom I can remember the names of - others who have a nickname in my head they don't know about. And I was sad to have them go. They may not have been the easiest class I ever worked with, or the most enthusiastic, the friendliest or the smartest, but they were a good bunch who have now been dumped out of their comfort zone and out into the big bad world. And I will miss them.
The third year teachers took it pretty hard, as I guess they always do. They have worked with these students for three years and teachers here are far more involved in the life of their students than teachers back home. If a student is missing class, the homeroom teacher will visit their house. If a student is having any sort of trouble anytime, anywhere it is the teacher who is responsible. At the enkai, (the graduation after party) the homeroom teachers all talked about their time with this interesting bunch. It was amazing to hear just how much they cared for these kids who often to me didn't seem to care particularly about their own education. When the teachers watched the video messages from the students, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Watching the ratbags sincerely thank the teachers for their patience and perseverance really helped me to understand what it takes to be a teacher, I think.
I am in awe of people who can care so much about their work and put so much of themselves into their job. Teachers get a lot of respect here, but they earn it. Yeah there are shitty teachers, I have worked with a few, and their students suffer from their lack of passion for education - a far greater handicap than (in the case of my subject) poor English skills. I know the huge difference a committed and enthusiastic teacher can make in the life of a student. I dunno if that life is for me - maybe I am still too selfish, but maybe when I am a bit older and wiser. I felt kind of ashamed farewelling my students. Last year my departing kids got cards or notes. This year I was going through such a funk in the month or so before graduation that I was just going through the motions at school and scraping by with the bare minimum. Not really good enough I guess. I suppose I am lucky to have a chance to experience school life (even in it's bizarre Japanese manifestation) with out the full responsibility for the minds of these kids.
Hmmm.
But sometimes I do get to feel like I've done something cool.
When I get a note like this from one of the kids at my bullied school.
Another school year has finished. I am now on holiday.
In the final week of school we had graduation. I think I described the ceremony last year but I will do a quick recap. It is cold. And long. We spent about a week preparing to farewell the third graders, kids were making cards to give to leaving students from their clubs, making decorations for the classroom and rehearsing marching in and out of the hall for quite some time. On the day before we made the gym fit for the ceremony by meticulously measuring the distance between rows of chairs with a big tape measure. I kid you not. Since I was playing with the brass band this year I felt a lot more involved than I did at any of the ceremonies I dropped by for last year, But it had been weeks since I had had any real contact with the 3rd graders and I didn't really feel swept up in the graduation hysteria that was gripping the school... until the final parade.
After the ceremonious ceremony stuff. After all the students have gotten their certificates and bowed at all and sundry. They walk thorough the corridors while the remaining students cry, hug, take photos and thank them for their leadership and support over the past year or two. I had photos with a bunch of my kids. Some of whom I can remember the names of - others who have a nickname in my head they don't know about. And I was sad to have them go. They may not have been the easiest class I ever worked with, or the most enthusiastic, the friendliest or the smartest, but they were a good bunch who have now been dumped out of their comfort zone and out into the big bad world. And I will miss them.
The third year teachers took it pretty hard, as I guess they always do. They have worked with these students for three years and teachers here are far more involved in the life of their students than teachers back home. If a student is missing class, the homeroom teacher will visit their house. If a student is having any sort of trouble anytime, anywhere it is the teacher who is responsible. At the enkai, (the graduation after party) the homeroom teachers all talked about their time with this interesting bunch. It was amazing to hear just how much they cared for these kids who often to me didn't seem to care particularly about their own education. When the teachers watched the video messages from the students, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. Watching the ratbags sincerely thank the teachers for their patience and perseverance really helped me to understand what it takes to be a teacher, I think.
I am in awe of people who can care so much about their work and put so much of themselves into their job. Teachers get a lot of respect here, but they earn it. Yeah there are shitty teachers, I have worked with a few, and their students suffer from their lack of passion for education - a far greater handicap than (in the case of my subject) poor English skills. I know the huge difference a committed and enthusiastic teacher can make in the life of a student. I dunno if that life is for me - maybe I am still too selfish, but maybe when I am a bit older and wiser. I felt kind of ashamed farewelling my students. Last year my departing kids got cards or notes. This year I was going through such a funk in the month or so before graduation that I was just going through the motions at school and scraping by with the bare minimum. Not really good enough I guess. I suppose I am lucky to have a chance to experience school life (even in it's bizarre Japanese manifestation) with out the full responsibility for the minds of these kids.
Hmmm.
But sometimes I do get to feel like I've done something cool.
When I get a note like this from one of the kids at my bullied school.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Hungry Lion
One day a hungry lion slowly came out of the forest. He wanted some food.
He sat on the grass and looked around. He waited for a long time.
The lion saw a rabbit under a tree. He ran after the rabbit.
Just then, a beer ran in front of the lion. The lion wanted a big dinner so he ran after the beer.
The beer ran away very quickly. The rabbit ran away, too. So the hungry lion got nothing.
Sometimes we are like this lion.
He sat on the grass and looked around. He waited for a long time.
The lion saw a rabbit under a tree. He ran after the rabbit.
Just then, a beer ran in front of the lion. The lion wanted a big dinner so he ran after the beer.
The beer ran away very quickly. The rabbit ran away, too. So the hungry lion got nothing.
Sometimes we are like this lion.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Vag Mogs
I started this post a long time ago. I wanted to write about the Vagina Monologues but it turned into a hugely confused, emotional something about how lost and out of it I have been feeling lately (worrying my poor parents by going incommunicado (does that make sense?)) and a rant about Japan what I've found here and what I will be happy to leave behind.
Since my home Internet is bung, I was adding snippets and stray thoughts every time I checked my email at school. It all got a bit much. I will try and order my thoughts and then will write something to let you all know where I'm at.
Here is the fairly lucid stuff I wrote about the Vag Mogs...
Although preceded by the craziness that precedes any production, thanks to the dedication of Titia who organised the whole shebang this year, everything came together on the day. I offered to make sashes for all involved which turned out to be far more of a headache than it should have been, but we all looked splendid on stage. I was involved in a few of the monologues, but my main one was "My Vagina was My Village" about the systematic rape that took place during the Bosnian war. It was pretty intense and knocked me around a bit, but I think it went OK (there is enough of the egotistic actor in me that I wanted some critical assessment of my performance but the best I got was "wow, awful"). We raised 80,000円 (about 1000 NZD) for the local woman's refuge. I shall post pictures if I can.
This year the spotlight (the Vagina Monologues focuses on the plight of a different group of women every year) was called 'reclaiming peace' remembering the women of the world affected by war, and the women left picking up the pieces when the fighting stops. Last year the spotlight was on comfort women, those 200,000 women from all over South-East and East Asia forced into prostitution by the Japanese military during the second world war. As you may remember, we elected not to perform the comfort women monologue for a number of reasons, one being that it is a condition of our visas that we do not make political statements. As I was writing about this year's performance, I read something that made me really, really angry. In 1993 the Japanese government issued a half-hearted apology to the surviving comfort women (but refused to offer any compensation) and it gave hope to the thousands of women still alive that something official might follow. Last week the Japanese Prime Minister denied anew that the military was involved in coercing (abducting and forcing) these women into prostitution. Some members of his party are calling for the apology to be rescinded. This made me grimly satisfied with my decision to be leave Japan and it's baffling nationalistic treatment of it's past. I need to be somewhere where I am not prevented from taking part in the political process on any level. But... is leaving really the most effective protest? where would a country be if every resident/citizen who cared about social issues skipped the country because they had a government who didn't? I joked about never coming back to New Zealand if National got into power in the last election, but what good am I overseas? I don't quite know what I am getting at here, or how this all ties together and honestly I don't think I'll be living in New Zealand long-term in the near future. But no matter where I am, I think I can safely assume I will be somewhere less frustrating, where I can make my voice heard. Here endeth the rant. The original was crazier, I promise.
Since my home Internet is bung, I was adding snippets and stray thoughts every time I checked my email at school. It all got a bit much. I will try and order my thoughts and then will write something to let you all know where I'm at.
Here is the fairly lucid stuff I wrote about the Vag Mogs...
Although preceded by the craziness that precedes any production, thanks to the dedication of Titia who organised the whole shebang this year, everything came together on the day. I offered to make sashes for all involved which turned out to be far more of a headache than it should have been, but we all looked splendid on stage. I was involved in a few of the monologues, but my main one was "My Vagina was My Village" about the systematic rape that took place during the Bosnian war. It was pretty intense and knocked me around a bit, but I think it went OK (there is enough of the egotistic actor in me that I wanted some critical assessment of my performance but the best I got was "wow, awful"). We raised 80,000円 (about 1000 NZD) for the local woman's refuge. I shall post pictures if I can.
This year the spotlight (the Vagina Monologues focuses on the plight of a different group of women every year) was called 'reclaiming peace' remembering the women of the world affected by war, and the women left picking up the pieces when the fighting stops. Last year the spotlight was on comfort women, those 200,000 women from all over South-East and East Asia forced into prostitution by the Japanese military during the second world war. As you may remember, we elected not to perform the comfort women monologue for a number of reasons, one being that it is a condition of our visas that we do not make political statements. As I was writing about this year's performance, I read something that made me really, really angry. In 1993 the Japanese government issued a half-hearted apology to the surviving comfort women (but refused to offer any compensation) and it gave hope to the thousands of women still alive that something official might follow. Last week the Japanese Prime Minister denied anew that the military was involved in coercing (abducting and forcing) these women into prostitution. Some members of his party are calling for the apology to be rescinded. This made me grimly satisfied with my decision to be leave Japan and it's baffling nationalistic treatment of it's past. I need to be somewhere where I am not prevented from taking part in the political process on any level. But... is leaving really the most effective protest? where would a country be if every resident/citizen who cared about social issues skipped the country because they had a government who didn't? I joked about never coming back to New Zealand if National got into power in the last election, but what good am I overseas? I don't quite know what I am getting at here, or how this all ties together and honestly I don't think I'll be living in New Zealand long-term in the near future. But no matter where I am, I think I can safely assume I will be somewhere less frustrating, where I can make my voice heard. Here endeth the rant. The original was crazier, I promise.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Snow!
It's snowing! After Sunday's scorcher I thought it was about time to get the woollies packed up and posted out of the country, but yesterday morning I awoke with an even stronger than usual aversion to getting out of bed. It wasn't until I was shivering in the shower that I figured it was gonna be a cold one. (At least it gives me and bus-stop-fellow something to talk about, the weather is an inexhaustible conversation topic in this country. Next week we can talk about how cold this week was. Joy.) Yesterday there were wee flurries of snow. Kinda like ash after a burn off. But today school has been looking like a run-down snow-globe all day. It's days like this that I wish I could eat the hot school lunch... even if it does smell like socks.
Something I'm really not gonna miss about Japan is my pajamas always smelling like my lunch. My morning schedule is finely tuned, every second counts. In the 20-30 minutes between prying myself out of bed and racing for the bus... the hot water goes on, the veges go in the frying pan, the rice is out of the cooker, I shower while it cools, I dress, I dash. Um... breakfast happens in the shower. So you can see, until I am in a country with wheat-free sandwich possibilities, I shall bear the delicate scent of fried vegetables in the evening. Living alone huh.
a
a
+
a
a
a
a
a
Something I'm really not gonna miss about Japan is my pajamas always smelling like my lunch. My morning schedule is finely tuned, every second counts. In the 20-30 minutes between prying myself out of bed and racing for the bus... the hot water goes on, the veges go in the frying pan, the rice is out of the cooker, I shower while it cools, I dress, I dash. Um... breakfast happens in the shower. So you can see, until I am in a country with wheat-free sandwich possibilities, I shall bear the delicate scent of fried vegetables in the evening. Living alone huh.
a
a
+
a
a
a
a
a
=
a
臭い
Taiko!
Taiko!
Since the very first festival I attended in Japan (wow, that incomprehensible evening on the island cruising around with Kentaro in his SUV seems a life-time ago) I have been captivated by Taiko drumming. The rhythms get into your chest somehow and it makes me silly-grin-happy to watch taiko... and playing taiko is better yet.
Last year towards the end of September, Rebecca and I joined an all-women taiko group up in Kanagi, about 20 minutes from Hamada. For the most part, those months last year were spent watching the others practising for festivals, but they always made time to teach us a few rhythms, and so every Wednesday and the odd Saturday that we were free, we trekked up there to get our taiko fix. Since we started again in February, we were been learning in earnest, in preparation for last weekend's festival. I have a a callous of which I am terribly proud.Our last practise was on Saturday and just when I thought I had mastered the rhythms... I managed to send my stick flying right to where I imagined a wee granny, or one of the cute taiko kids sitting during the next days performance. To calm our pre-performance jitters Rebecca and I met Ed for a quiet one after practise finished at 10ish. At around midnight it suddenly seemed like a stellar idea to repair to my house and watch Once Were Warriors. After which, of course, no one felt like going straight to sleep... it was almost four by the time I got to sleep. Sunday was HOT. Twenty four degrees HOT. I think that is hotter than it got the whole time I was home for Christmas. Doesn't sound hot to you? Try leaping around a drum for quarter of an hour. I was terrified, my hand were sweaty, my feet were slipping in my tabi (hoof feet, will post a picture) and my bee-antenna headband was giving my poor tired head a headache.
But once we started everything was OK, the rhythm took over and I was on a drumming high. Kiri-chan our ever patient and friendly sensei, had told me before-hand that i should smile nicely every time I made a mistake... as was to be expected there were a few rhythm errors and a wee issue with leaping out from behind the drum in my tabi... and somehow my smiles compounded so much (still smiling from the last mistake? stretch it a bit more) that by the end I was grinning like a crazy person and all the kids in the front row had stopped pulling faces to try and put me off and were looking rather scared. I can't wait to get back out there.
As a self-assured seven year old told me just before the concert...
7: "Once you've been out there as many times as me, it's just not scary any more."
Me: "How many times is that?"
7: "Hmmmm (in Japanese this is eh-to eh-to)... this is the second."
So I'm set. Next time (May I think) I will be cool, calm and collected like this guy.
Since the very first festival I attended in Japan (wow, that incomprehensible evening on the island cruising around with Kentaro in his SUV seems a life-time ago) I have been captivated by Taiko drumming. The rhythms get into your chest somehow and it makes me silly-grin-happy to watch taiko... and playing taiko is better yet.
Last year towards the end of September, Rebecca and I joined an all-women taiko group up in Kanagi, about 20 minutes from Hamada. For the most part, those months last year were spent watching the others practising for festivals, but they always made time to teach us a few rhythms, and so every Wednesday and the odd Saturday that we were free, we trekked up there to get our taiko fix. Since we started again in February, we were been learning in earnest, in preparation for last weekend's festival. I have a a callous of which I am terribly proud.Our last practise was on Saturday and just when I thought I had mastered the rhythms... I managed to send my stick flying right to where I imagined a wee granny, or one of the cute taiko kids sitting during the next days performance. To calm our pre-performance jitters Rebecca and I met Ed for a quiet one after practise finished at 10ish. At around midnight it suddenly seemed like a stellar idea to repair to my house and watch Once Were Warriors. After which, of course, no one felt like going straight to sleep... it was almost four by the time I got to sleep. Sunday was HOT. Twenty four degrees HOT. I think that is hotter than it got the whole time I was home for Christmas. Doesn't sound hot to you? Try leaping around a drum for quarter of an hour. I was terrified, my hand were sweaty, my feet were slipping in my tabi (hoof feet, will post a picture) and my bee-antenna headband was giving my poor tired head a headache.
But once we started everything was OK, the rhythm took over and I was on a drumming high. Kiri-chan our ever patient and friendly sensei, had told me before-hand that i should smile nicely every time I made a mistake... as was to be expected there were a few rhythm errors and a wee issue with leaping out from behind the drum in my tabi... and somehow my smiles compounded so much (still smiling from the last mistake? stretch it a bit more) that by the end I was grinning like a crazy person and all the kids in the front row had stopped pulling faces to try and put me off and were looking rather scared. I can't wait to get back out there.
As a self-assured seven year old told me just before the concert...
7: "Once you've been out there as many times as me, it's just not scary any more."
Me: "How many times is that?"
7: "Hmmmm (in Japanese this is eh-to eh-to)... this is the second."
So I'm set. Next time (May I think) I will be cool, calm and collected like this guy.
Taiko makes me happy.Thanks to the lovely folk who came to support us and take pictures.
(Pictures to come when my home Internet stops being a dick.)
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I shall call him silver...
I have a brand spanking silver new bike!!
Actually, despite the enthusiastic punctuation, I am finding it rather difficult to be excited about this circumstance. It is nice to have a new bike and all but I miss my old crimson conveyance. The seat on the new one is a funny angle and the breaks both work and are kinda stiff and there are gears and other entangling gadgets on the handlebars.
You see, when I came back from the dance last weekend, after a gruelling several hours of rain-drizzled rugby and a long sleepy car trip and some unsettling Chinese food, I found that my darling bike had been taken from the station. Just why they chose my bike I will never know. It wasn't special to anyone except me and even had a protective Hamada city sticker on the mudguard. Fortunately my friend Darrell had parked not far away so I didn't have to gloomily trudge home in my girly dancing shoes or rugby boots (my sneakers did a disappearing act at a wee bar called Hideout).
But I am getting way ahead of myself with these current events. I shall now tell you of the dance, the dresses and the boys who strutted their stuff.
I did manage to get the dresses finished last week. Rebecca needed to do more than a wee bit of the cutting on her dress herself due to arm-bungness but we got there. And people told me how cool her dress was (slight grump that mine didn't garner the same comments) and the Mr Shimane sash and crown worked out fine (despite an unfortunate sitting-on incident with the crown - I must learn to be more careful with my bottom).
The party was great fun and thanks to Will's terrifying vodka martinis we were all boogieing in no time. But the highlight of the night was the Mr Shimane competition, it is always nice to see young men attempting to impress. Two of my friends from down here Ken and Darrell had decided to throw their hats in the proverbial ring (actually all the boys were from the south, which either means that we have the hottest boys living down this way, or that all the southern boys were desperate to catch the attention of the northern ladies... hmmm). They both performed admirably. Ken's dance was almost frighteningly animated. I only saw those two perform because I had to dash back to the door to let in a couple of stragglers, but I am convinced that was all I needed to see. I will post photos. You can be the judge. The actual competition was won by a fellow from Nima who sang a song about Japan.
The next day I played rugby in a rather sorry state and you know the rest.
This weekend just gone (hmmm a few days back now - curse the 'save as draft' function) I took part in the Vagina Monologues. I shall make a separate post for that one though. It deserves one.
Love to love you all.
Actually, despite the enthusiastic punctuation, I am finding it rather difficult to be excited about this circumstance. It is nice to have a new bike and all but I miss my old crimson conveyance. The seat on the new one is a funny angle and the breaks both work and are kinda stiff and there are gears and other entangling gadgets on the handlebars.
You see, when I came back from the dance last weekend, after a gruelling several hours of rain-drizzled rugby and a long sleepy car trip and some unsettling Chinese food, I found that my darling bike had been taken from the station. Just why they chose my bike I will never know. It wasn't special to anyone except me and even had a protective Hamada city sticker on the mudguard. Fortunately my friend Darrell had parked not far away so I didn't have to gloomily trudge home in my girly dancing shoes or rugby boots (my sneakers did a disappearing act at a wee bar called Hideout).
But I am getting way ahead of myself with these current events. I shall now tell you of the dance, the dresses and the boys who strutted their stuff.
The party was great fun and thanks to Will's terrifying vodka martinis we were all boogieing in no time. But the highlight of the night was the Mr Shimane competition, it is always nice to see young men attempting to impress. Two of my friends from down here Ken and Darrell had decided to throw their hats in the proverbial ring (actually all the boys were from the south, which either means that we have the hottest boys living down this way, or that all the southern boys were desperate to catch the attention of the northern ladies... hmmm). They both performed admirably. Ken's dance was almost frighteningly animated. I only saw those two perform because I had to dash back to the door to let in a couple of stragglers, but I am convinced that was all I needed to see. I will post photos. You can be the judge. The actual competition was won by a fellow from Nima who sang a song about Japan.
The next day I played rugby in a rather sorry state and you know the rest.
This weekend just gone (hmmm a few days back now - curse the 'save as draft' function) I took part in the Vagina Monologues. I shall make a separate post for that one though. It deserves one.
Love to love you all.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Foxy
Deary, this thing really does get away on me. I spend so much time cyber-stalking my friends and obsessively following the links from their blogs that I forget to write my own.
Since last time I have been back to the needle-man once. It does help, and I can still almost see over my left shoulder and stuff, but during the last treatment the needling bit got pretty damn painful and I haven't been able to screw up the courage to go back.
On to happier things. Two weeks ago today, I went to my first English camp. And it was bucket-loads of fun. It was for the high school in the next town that runs a special English programme. I remember way back when I got my placement on the JET programme, that in amongst my angst at not being able to find Oki on the map, I was relieved that I had been placed at junior high school. I guess I don't feel far enough away from high school not to find the students slightly intimidating.
But these were first years and entirely unscary. My kids (the CC Lemon Shakers) were awesome and it was great to get the sort of quality time with students that for some reason I seem to be lacking at this school. The absolute highlight was getting the kids to write a play. It all began with a frog suit and a devil hat, and snowballed into a modern parable about bullying, drinking CC Lemon, and foxy boys in skirts.
A sample of the dialogue written and performed by the two boys who played the star-crossed lovers:
Kevin (aside): Oh she is foxy.
Julia (aside): Oh he is double foxy.
Kevin (aside): I want to drink CC Lemon with her.
Julia (aside): I want to drink CC Lemon with him.
Julia (to Kevin): Who are you?
Kevin (to Julia): I am Kevin. I am your hero.
Julia: Oh I'm Julia, I am your heroine.
Kevin: I love CC Lemon and you?
Julia: Yes, I love CC Lemon, and I love you.
Kevin: Shall we dance?
If only it was that easy.
The weekend after the camp, I took a trip to Hiroshima with Rebecca and Darrell to get some fabric for this weekend's prom (two nights to make two dresses... no worries) and eat some delicious Indian foods. Both of these goals were achieved. Unfortunately I also managed lose my cell phone. I realised it was gone pretty early on in the piece and spent the rest of the evening wandering the streets, retracing my steps and exhausting the batteries on my friend's phones calling over and over. All to no avail. We must have rung that number hundreds of times, but none saw fit to answer until half past eleven when I was safely home - a two hour bus ride away. In my infinite disorganisation, I managed then to dispose of the phone number of the fellow who had my phone. After a week of hoping he would call me I manage to acquire myself a new phone with the same number by only slightly underhand means and then very next day, the fellow called back about my phone. Which I now have. Hmmm... there was no point to this story, except maybe as a long winded apology for not getting back to those of you who have emailed my phone. I was, however, terrified by how lost I felt without it, I don't think I was ever so phone dependant before. Funny how a few short years ago I had no problem with wandering around foreign cities in an uncontactable state but now the thought of a message-less day is so unsettling.
Hmmm...I started this post several days ago. Life is a bit hectic because I bit off rather more than I can chew getting various bits and pieces made for the 20's dance this weekend and vagina monologues. Am sure it will all work out, but I hope I survive the working out and get can this bung body some sleep sometime soon. I will post pictures.
Also (not helping with general bung-ness) I have started playing the flute again. It is early days yet but it looks like I'm gonna play at school graduation with the brass band. It is much fun.
Since last time I have been back to the needle-man once. It does help, and I can still almost see over my left shoulder and stuff, but during the last treatment the needling bit got pretty damn painful and I haven't been able to screw up the courage to go back.
On to happier things. Two weeks ago today, I went to my first English camp. And it was bucket-loads of fun. It was for the high school in the next town that runs a special English programme. I remember way back when I got my placement on the JET programme, that in amongst my angst at not being able to find Oki on the map, I was relieved that I had been placed at junior high school. I guess I don't feel far enough away from high school not to find the students slightly intimidating.
But these were first years and entirely unscary. My kids (the CC Lemon Shakers) were awesome and it was great to get the sort of quality time with students that for some reason I seem to be lacking at this school. The absolute highlight was getting the kids to write a play. It all began with a frog suit and a devil hat, and snowballed into a modern parable about bullying, drinking CC Lemon, and foxy boys in skirts.
A sample of the dialogue written and performed by the two boys who played the star-crossed lovers:
Kevin (aside): Oh she is foxy.
Julia (aside): Oh he is double foxy.
Kevin (aside): I want to drink CC Lemon with her.
Julia (aside): I want to drink CC Lemon with him.
Julia (to Kevin): Who are you?
Kevin (to Julia): I am Kevin. I am your hero.
Julia: Oh I'm Julia, I am your heroine.
Kevin: I love CC Lemon and you?
Julia: Yes, I love CC Lemon, and I love you.
Kevin: Shall we dance?
If only it was that easy.
The weekend after the camp, I took a trip to Hiroshima with Rebecca and Darrell to get some fabric for this weekend's prom (two nights to make two dresses... no worries) and eat some delicious Indian foods. Both of these goals were achieved. Unfortunately I also managed lose my cell phone. I realised it was gone pretty early on in the piece and spent the rest of the evening wandering the streets, retracing my steps and exhausting the batteries on my friend's phones calling over and over. All to no avail. We must have rung that number hundreds of times, but none saw fit to answer until half past eleven when I was safely home - a two hour bus ride away. In my infinite disorganisation, I managed then to dispose of the phone number of the fellow who had my phone. After a week of hoping he would call me I manage to acquire myself a new phone with the same number by only slightly underhand means and then very next day, the fellow called back about my phone. Which I now have. Hmmm... there was no point to this story, except maybe as a long winded apology for not getting back to those of you who have emailed my phone. I was, however, terrified by how lost I felt without it, I don't think I was ever so phone dependant before. Funny how a few short years ago I had no problem with wandering around foreign cities in an uncontactable state but now the thought of a message-less day is so unsettling.
Hmmm...I started this post several days ago. Life is a bit hectic because I bit off rather more than I can chew getting various bits and pieces made for the 20's dance this weekend and vagina monologues. Am sure it will all work out, but I hope I survive the working out and get can this bung body some sleep sometime soon. I will post pictures.
Also (not helping with general bung-ness) I have started playing the flute again. It is early days yet but it looks like I'm gonna play at school graduation with the brass band. It is much fun.
Monday, January 29, 2007
The machine that goes 'ping'!
It finally happened today. After a year-and-a-half of avoidance, I visited a Japanese physio-equivalent. I have been a little naughty lately you see - I have been stretching and carrying on as usual, but I have also snowboarded and taken part in a snowball-throwing competition (albeit in a gym with bean-bags for snowballs) and have somehow managed to anger my temperamental neck.
After not sleeping so very much for a few nights and a few days of headache, the inability to rotate today drove me to consult the school nurse on where best to get myself seen to. She recommended a wee chiropractic-type clinic (where I ran into my JTE - it is obviously oft-recommended) and so I trotted off with Nori (without whom I would have been lost in the scary maze of stretching contraptions and needles, dear Nori) to get chiropratored.
I wanted some neck-work done, but as soon as the man started prodding my back I knew all was lost. My back is just too bung to resist and he had a lot of fun popping and realigning bits (no girl can be told too many times that she has the back of a 60 year old) and then it was was time for ye olde acupuncture... or so I thought. Ye olde it was not. In Japan, ancient Chinese medicine has met bit shiny machines that go 'ping!' - each needle was hooked up to an electrical current and I spent 20 minutes twitching involuntarily from hair-line to knickers-line. There is no sensation quite like having quivering needles electrocuting one in the neck - and I am quite convinced this is a good thing. Then to calm my twitching I was given an a full body hot-pack... which would have been quite pleasant were it not for a few strategic needles placed to keep me awake. Throughout, I was told to let them know if any of the needles were hurting, unfortunately when I complained at a few of the particularly achy spikes, the fellow would pinch one of my belly rolls and say "That hurts, the needles are just a bit uncomfortable" (Or something to that effect, it is hard to concentrate on Japanese when you are concentrating on keeping still). I felt vindicated when all the ouchy ones bled when they took them out.
After not sleeping so very much for a few nights and a few days of headache, the inability to rotate today drove me to consult the school nurse on where best to get myself seen to. She recommended a wee chiropractic-type clinic (where I ran into my JTE - it is obviously oft-recommended) and so I trotted off with Nori (without whom I would have been lost in the scary maze of stretching contraptions and needles, dear Nori) to get chiropratored.
I wanted some neck-work done, but as soon as the man started prodding my back I knew all was lost. My back is just too bung to resist and he had a lot of fun popping and realigning bits (no girl can be told too many times that she has the back of a 60 year old) and then it was was time for ye olde acupuncture... or so I thought. Ye olde it was not. In Japan, ancient Chinese medicine has met bit shiny machines that go 'ping!' - each needle was hooked up to an electrical current and I spent 20 minutes twitching involuntarily from hair-line to knickers-line. There is no sensation quite like having quivering needles electrocuting one in the neck - and I am quite convinced this is a good thing. Then to calm my twitching I was given an a full body hot-pack... which would have been quite pleasant were it not for a few strategic needles placed to keep me awake. Throughout, I was told to let them know if any of the needles were hurting, unfortunately when I complained at a few of the particularly achy spikes, the fellow would pinch one of my belly rolls and say "That hurts, the needles are just a bit uncomfortable" (Or something to that effect, it is hard to concentrate on Japanese when you are concentrating on keeping still). I felt vindicated when all the ouchy ones bled when they took them out.
But the end result... I can almost see over my left shoulder, something I haven't been able to do for quite some time. I also have wee aches where there were no aches before though. I will see if I have nightmares about vibrating electric needles, and then decide if I shall return.
Not scary needles
Not scary needles
Scary needles
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
My poor bottom
Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes and belated birthday greetings and such. I had a very nice day, even if I was reminded by several of my students how very old I was now. My ratty second years even sang happy birthday for my in class and some of my adorable wee first years made me appallingly-spelled card. Much love.
Gemma and I had a preemptive birthday celebration last Saturday after the English camp at which I played some mean JENGA with Leif, Barbara and Darrell and then we karaoked the night away.
On the actual day I made me a birthday carrot cake which we decorated with terrifyingly sweet marshmallow (don't worry Rebecca, I did appreciate it, really) and then more karaoke ensued.
This first weekend of my next quarter century I decided to try something new and exciting.
After years of being too stingy and convinced of my own innate uncoordination to join expeditions to Ruapehu, I bit the bullet and snowboarded.
And yes, I do believe it is accurate to say I snowboarded. There was a lot of falling and bruising and tumbling and swearing and falling involved, but I don't think I sucked completely.
We got there bright and early on Saturday to discover there was no snow, or at least no natural snow, and only two runs were open. This may have worked to my advantage though because in the morning there was lots of room to practise. My friend Darrell was an excellent teacher and after a few goes I could make it down the mountain without falling... as long as I didn't turn around - that took a lot longer to begin mastering.
I very enjoyed, and even think I will go again.
But oh, oh my, it hurts.
Gemma and I had a preemptive birthday celebration last Saturday after the English camp at which I played some mean JENGA with Leif, Barbara and Darrell and then we karaoked the night away.
On the actual day I made me a birthday carrot cake which we decorated with terrifyingly sweet marshmallow (don't worry Rebecca, I did appreciate it, really) and then more karaoke ensued.
This first weekend of my next quarter century I decided to try something new and exciting.After years of being too stingy and convinced of my own innate uncoordination to join expeditions to Ruapehu, I bit the bullet and snowboarded.
And yes, I do believe it is accurate to say I snowboarded. There was a lot of falling and bruising and tumbling and swearing and falling involved, but I don't think I sucked completely.
We got there bright and early on Saturday to discover there was no snow, or at least no natural snow, and only two runs were open. This may have worked to my advantage though because in the morning there was lots of room to practise. My friend Darrell was an excellent teacher and after a few goes I could make it down the mountain without falling... as long as I didn't turn around - that took a lot longer to begin mastering.
I very enjoyed, and even think I will go again.
But oh, oh my, it hurts.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Scraps
That nifty little video of David's trackies the other day was to be accompanied by an detailed post about where I'm at and why. Unfortunately, where I was was my flat and in the grand tradition of multi-tasking, I was attempting to keep warm, update my blog, and bake a cake all at once (note THREE appliances (4 with fridge)) and my fuse blew. Deary. I spent a good half an hour with an umbrella, a collapsible table and taped-together milk cartons remedying this situation and as a result the cake was tough, the house was chilly, my cell phone light was dead... and my insightful post was lost.
Well.
Since December...
I went home. It was many things. It was lovely, confusing, comforting, COLD, tiring and refreshing. For details of what I did and who I saw and where we went, please wade through the uberfluss of photos on my flickr.
ALSO...
A few of you know that I have been toying with the idea of another year here, but (don't worry family) I have come to the conclusion that that was just an ongoing "Rarrgh! What next?" panic reaction. While I was home, (odd, in NZ, Japan was 'home') Japan barely existed in my headspace, I talked about it, I thought about it, but I didn't feel it the way I did last time. Though I missed Japan, I know it was the people here that I missed and I'll miss them just as much no matter when I leave. I realised that I missed my kids, but not my job and I think I've gotten as much as I 'm gonna out of this gig. So it is definitely time to move on.
I located and signed the papers this morning.
Gracious. I will honestly endeavor to keep this thing up to date better. These random condensed posts are all a bit heavy. I will leave you with the story of Shinya.
Shinya hates English. I like to think he hates it no more than any other class in school but I can't prove that. He claims to have destroyed his text book, he comes to about half the classes and never, ever faces the front or stops talking and glowers at me in the corridor. Yesterday however, Shinya learnt a word of English. Suddenly English was the shizzle, it made him funny, it made everyone look at him and it was the perfect vehicle for his creepy stare (most kids don't look you in the eye - at least not for long). Unfortunately, Shinya's new word is DIE and all class he randomly called out classmates names and told them to DIE.
He got clever...
Me: Could you tell me how to get to the hospital?
Shinya: DIE?
Today he was all about English, he bellowed relevant sounding syllables during repeat after me and came up with an extensive list of fast food restaurants and electronic stores that we don't have in Hamada. But at the end of the class it was time to return to the old favourite. He told me to die. But! when I pretended to choke and fall down, the dear boy changed his mind, shrugged, said "Eh, sensei. Die, no." and walked away. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Well.
Since December...
I went home. It was many things. It was lovely, confusing, comforting, COLD, tiring and refreshing. For details of what I did and who I saw and where we went, please wade through the uberfluss of photos on my flickr.
ALSO...
A few of you know that I have been toying with the idea of another year here, but (don't worry family) I have come to the conclusion that that was just an ongoing "Rarrgh! What next?" panic reaction. While I was home, (odd, in NZ, Japan was 'home') Japan barely existed in my headspace, I talked about it, I thought about it, but I didn't feel it the way I did last time. Though I missed Japan, I know it was the people here that I missed and I'll miss them just as much no matter when I leave. I realised that I missed my kids, but not my job and I think I've gotten as much as I 'm gonna out of this gig. So it is definitely time to move on.
I located and signed the papers this morning.
Gracious. I will honestly endeavor to keep this thing up to date better. These random condensed posts are all a bit heavy. I will leave you with the story of Shinya.
Shinya hates English. I like to think he hates it no more than any other class in school but I can't prove that. He claims to have destroyed his text book, he comes to about half the classes and never, ever faces the front or stops talking and glowers at me in the corridor. Yesterday however, Shinya learnt a word of English. Suddenly English was the shizzle, it made him funny, it made everyone look at him and it was the perfect vehicle for his creepy stare (most kids don't look you in the eye - at least not for long). Unfortunately, Shinya's new word is DIE and all class he randomly called out classmates names and told them to DIE.
He got clever...
Me: Could you tell me how to get to the hospital?
Shinya: DIE?
Today he was all about English, he bellowed relevant sounding syllables during repeat after me and came up with an extensive list of fast food restaurants and electronic stores that we don't have in Hamada. But at the end of the class it was time to return to the old favourite. He told me to die. But! when I pretended to choke and fall down, the dear boy changed his mind, shrugged, said "Eh, sensei. Die, no." and walked away. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Tasty
Mother said my blog has been rather confusing of late so this evening - instead of cleaning or packing or pursusing any mundane, necessary employment - I will offer a selective and consise update of my recent doings.
As the one person who views all of my flickr photos will know, I have had some delicious experiences lately.
The first was in Tokyo in a dear place called MOS burger (I don't know if it is always necessary to capitalise the entire word but I like to) me and Kaori went for some delicious MOS while Damian was at his band practise with a fellow in a bear suit. The lettuce-encased freshness burger has since become an option at my local MOS outlet. This is intensely pleasing.
Also (not pictured) I went to Hiroshima to sit a test that I didn't know the answers to and ate deliciousness in an Irish pub. Also the cricket was on TV. Pleasant.
Then.
This weekend.
We had a Christmas party.
And it was delicious.
And later I was a polar bear.
We all cooked many tasty things.
As the one person who views all of my flickr photos will know, I have had some delicious experiences lately.
The first was in Tokyo in a dear place called MOS burger (I don't know if it is always necessary to capitalise the entire word but I like to) me and Kaori went for some delicious MOS while Damian was at his band practise with a fellow in a bear suit. The lettuce-encased freshness burger has since become an option at my local MOS outlet. This is intensely pleasing.
Also (not pictured) I went to Hiroshima to sit a test that I didn't know the answers to and ate deliciousness in an Irish pub. Also the cricket was on TV. Pleasant.
Then.
This weekend.
We had a Christmas party.
And it was delicious.
And later I was a polar bear.
We all cooked many tasty things.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Heater
Donna bought a heater
An electric heater
The elements were made of wire and clay
She reached out to touch and she heard a voice say
And she heard it say
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Don't move till the morning comes
And you can fly up to the sun
So come on and plug me in
Plug me in
Plug me in"
Donna liked her heater
Her electric heater
Upstairs alone with the elements
She dream of gold and frankincense
(frank, frank, frankincense)
And she heard it say
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Come close and listen while I sing
I won't melt your precious wings
So come on and plug me in
Plug me in
Plug me in"
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Although my body is rusting through
I have carried this song for you...
It's from the Sphinx and the Serpent too
So plug me in"
It's most true. Except the wire and clay bit... and I think my heater speaks Japanese... and I haven't been dreaming of frankencense lately - I had a weird one about performance artists in polar fleece this afternoon though. Also I didn't buy the heater, it was purchased for me by my BOE. But I spent so much time singing this song on my bike (I've said it before and I'll will say it again, biking and singing is a most rejuvinating thing) that I just wanted to share.
All credit and glory to Don McGlashen.
An electric heater
The elements were made of wire and clay
She reached out to touch and she heard a voice say
And she heard it say
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Don't move till the morning comes
And you can fly up to the sun
So come on and plug me in
Plug me in
Plug me in"
Donna liked her heater
Her electric heater
Upstairs alone with the elements
She dream of gold and frankincense
(frank, frank, frankincense)
And she heard it say
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Come close and listen while I sing
I won't melt your precious wings
So come on and plug me in
Plug me in
Plug me in"
"Come on and plug me in
I want to feel that heat begin
Although my body is rusting through
I have carried this song for you...
It's from the Sphinx and the Serpent too
So plug me in"
It's most true. Except the wire and clay bit... and I think my heater speaks Japanese... and I haven't been dreaming of frankencense lately - I had a weird one about performance artists in polar fleece this afternoon though. Also I didn't buy the heater, it was purchased for me by my BOE. But I spent so much time singing this song on my bike (I've said it before and I'll will say it again, biking and singing is a most rejuvinating thing) that I just wanted to share.
All credit and glory to Don McGlashen.
Monday, November 20, 2006
I love dates
Sorry it has been some time since my last post but I am currently without computer. It will be returning to me this Wednesday though, and I am very excited. Also in the exciting things catergory is my upcoming trip to Tokyo. I will be taking the night bus (not exciting) on Wednesday night and staying with Damian and Kaori in Chiba until Sunday. I will shop. And stuff.
So, the last threeish weeks... um. We had an open mike night at the beginning of the month and to compliment (and contrast with) the classy blues, stirring protest songs, and delightful ballads, Ed and I decided to sing One Day a Taniwha, Tu Tera Mai Nga Iwi, and Po Kare Kare Ana we stopped short of Uma Rapiti - we need to keep a few tricks up our sleeves. Then we had Guy Fawkes at which much fun was had by me lighting fire works and running on rocks. There was also a roaring fire and fine company. T'was nice.
Um we also had Mid-Year Seminar, the annual gathering of JETs from all over the prefecture and I played touch rugby with much enthusiasm and little skill (have mastered the running up and down bit but not the passing/catching bit) then I played soccer in much rain.
This week I taught Ti Rakau for a cultural workshop at the biggest Junior High School in Hamada. It was a bit of an eye opener. I find the kids at my school pretty rough compared to the island kids, but these kids definitely out-scary mine. Their trousers are wider, their jackets shorter, mullets spikier and dyed-oranger and their respect for authority of any kind is markedly less. I was rather concerned about giving then sticks and making them sing but E Papa Waiari went down a treat.
This weekend my school had it's cultural day. But that is another story.
So now you know.
And since the chronology isn't electrifyingly interesting, here are some random facts about me just now.
Bad things:
My lip hurts because I zipped it into my jacket this morning.
My elbow hurts because I tried to climb a tree on Friday night.
My house has no heating of any kind.
I have not done any sort of Christmas shopping.
Good things:
My house is sparkling and clean.
I made a bag with a dog on it.
I now have 2 pairs of polar-fleece trousers. They are pleasing.
I will be at home in the sun in three and a bit weeks.
After feeling pretty muh for a while I have been much chirpier this past week.
I found a pair of stripy socks I had forgotten about in a box in my bathroom.
Other things:
I can fit 19 dates in my mouth. (Mum sent me dates)
I am having my first hair-cut in Japan tomorrow.
So, the last threeish weeks... um. We had an open mike night at the beginning of the month and to compliment (and contrast with) the classy blues, stirring protest songs, and delightful ballads, Ed and I decided to sing One Day a Taniwha, Tu Tera Mai Nga Iwi, and Po Kare Kare Ana we stopped short of Uma Rapiti - we need to keep a few tricks up our sleeves. Then we had Guy Fawkes at which much fun was had by me lighting fire works and running on rocks. There was also a roaring fire and fine company. T'was nice.
Um we also had Mid-Year Seminar, the annual gathering of JETs from all over the prefecture and I played touch rugby with much enthusiasm and little skill (have mastered the running up and down bit but not the passing/catching bit) then I played soccer in much rain.
This week I taught Ti Rakau for a cultural workshop at the biggest Junior High School in Hamada. It was a bit of an eye opener. I find the kids at my school pretty rough compared to the island kids, but these kids definitely out-scary mine. Their trousers are wider, their jackets shorter, mullets spikier and dyed-oranger and their respect for authority of any kind is markedly less. I was rather concerned about giving then sticks and making them sing but E Papa Waiari went down a treat.
This weekend my school had it's cultural day. But that is another story.
So now you know.
And since the chronology isn't electrifyingly interesting, here are some random facts about me just now.
Bad things:
My lip hurts because I zipped it into my jacket this morning.
My elbow hurts because I tried to climb a tree on Friday night.
My house has no heating of any kind.
I have not done any sort of Christmas shopping.
Good things:
My house is sparkling and clean.
I made a bag with a dog on it.
I now have 2 pairs of polar-fleece trousers. They are pleasing.
I will be at home in the sun in three and a bit weeks.
After feeling pretty muh for a while I have been much chirpier this past week.
I found a pair of stripy socks I had forgotten about in a box in my bathroom.
Other things:
I can fit 19 dates in my mouth. (Mum sent me dates)
I am having my first hair-cut in Japan tomorrow.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloweening
On Saturday we had a Halloween party for primary school students here. Much fun was had by all (at the party at least, I am sure there would have been a few rather disgruntled parents and tears before bedtime when then sugared, scared and face-paint-smeared wee ones got home). We have been sort-of rehearsing for the Halloween play for the past few weeks but the preparation began in earnest on the Wednesday afternoon and continued apace until minutes before the kiddies arrived. On Friday night I carved my very first pumpkin. It was fun and far less dangerous than I had imagined due to some specialised tools we had been sent from the States.On Saturday morning we all showed up bright and early (and looking spectacular)
I have to say that sitting in an dark room, waiting to scream at small, terrified children was one of the odder things I have intentionally taken part in, even in Japan. My first haunted house and I was a haunter. Reactions ranged from yelping, to charging (one particularly boisterous child I dumped from a considerable height and then tickled) to uncontrollably shaking, to dismissing me with a "uh, Donna-sensei da". Indeed.
Other highlights of the day were me as the devil in the Jack-o-Lantern story and a small child backing away from me and crying when I entered the room. One of my favourite things in costume is when people don't recognise and a couple of my kids refused to believe I was me until they spotted the eye-brow piercing. Grand.After a night of little sleep I headed out on a field trip with a lovely bunch of exchange students on Sunday. There are some pictures which tell the story passably well on my flickr page. Enjoy.
Hope you are all thriving and I will try and catch up with emails properly this week.
loves much
I ate till it hurt tonight. It still hurts. Why are roasted root vegetables so irresistible? I just don't know.
Monday, October 16, 2006
The time has come
Talking about last weekend has become rather overdue. I am forgetting the finer details so I will do what I can to offer you a brief but exhilarating account before I lose all sense of my Oki-time.
From the top: the enkai (work party) on Friday wasn't much to write home about, we had a tasty dinner at which everyone consumed a modest amount of beer and/or chuhai and I was then officially welcomed and asked a few questions (like why I decided to pierce my eyebrow) and the hot caretaker was officially farewelled. The second party of which I had such expectations was only me, the principal, the vice-principal, the disciplinary teacher, and another old fellow who lived on Oki long ago. I was urged to sing unchained melody and perform a duet with one of the old ladies at the bar that the headmaster was trying to crack onto.
I headed for Oki on the Saturday and had to get ready all in a rush to get the train to get the four-hour ferry because the fast boat was cancelled because of the 4-and-a-half metre waves.
I was picked up by Mis. Nobe and Helen and Steph, (my friend/former JTE and the two new ALTs respectively) and taken to Tsudo to stay at Ms. Nobe's house and be fed many kinds of deliciousness. The next day we were picked up by Yoshida, Funada, Tori and a few others for a pleasant day of surprise expeditions. It was most excellent. We had many more kinds of my favourite foods in picnic form up by a waterfall and collected delicious spring water, and then hung out at a small lake with retired ducks. There was also chestnut collection going on. It was so nice and comfortable to be with all these familiar folk and know I have not been forgotten. That evening I we went for some karaoke with Rika(rika) and the next day Helen and I baked a cake which we ate with Konaka-san (my old supervisor) and then with Kate (really Yawata) and then I went back to Hamada on the ferry.
So all in all it was lovely. But it was lovely like staying at my parents house now and then when I was having a hard time at uni was lovely - I felt rested and reassured but I don't think it was the place for me to be living all the time. I do think I made the right decision to leave - there are negatives to being where I am, but they are certainly no worse than the island negatives, and there are also nice things and people in both places.
In other news on Friday I went to Matsue with Makiko (one of my students) and Hinohara-sensei (one of my two JTEs) for the prefectural own-composition (read: ghost-written by yours truly) English speech competition... and Makiko won! So she will now be going to Tokyo for the national competition. I want also to be going to Tokyo for the national competition but don't think I can afford it because of all that coming home for Christmas stuff. But still, it was very exciting.
In other, other news, there was a cockroach in my cutlery drawer this morning so I just spent lots of time scrubbing all the poison and cockroachy-ness off all my utensils and I now have pruny hands.
From the top: the enkai (work party) on Friday wasn't much to write home about, we had a tasty dinner at which everyone consumed a modest amount of beer and/or chuhai and I was then officially welcomed and asked a few questions (like why I decided to pierce my eyebrow) and the hot caretaker was officially farewelled. The second party of which I had such expectations was only me, the principal, the vice-principal, the disciplinary teacher, and another old fellow who lived on Oki long ago. I was urged to sing unchained melody and perform a duet with one of the old ladies at the bar that the headmaster was trying to crack onto.
I headed for Oki on the Saturday and had to get ready all in a rush to get the train to get the four-hour ferry because the fast boat was cancelled because of the 4-and-a-half metre waves.
I was picked up by Mis. Nobe and Helen and Steph, (my friend/former JTE and the two new ALTs respectively) and taken to Tsudo to stay at Ms. Nobe's house and be fed many kinds of deliciousness. The next day we were picked up by Yoshida, Funada, Tori and a few others for a pleasant day of surprise expeditions. It was most excellent. We had many more kinds of my favourite foods in picnic form up by a waterfall and collected delicious spring water, and then hung out at a small lake with retired ducks. There was also chestnut collection going on. It was so nice and comfortable to be with all these familiar folk and know I have not been forgotten. That evening I we went for some karaoke with Rika(rika) and the next day Helen and I baked a cake which we ate with Konaka-san (my old supervisor) and then with Kate (really Yawata) and then I went back to Hamada on the ferry.
So all in all it was lovely. But it was lovely like staying at my parents house now and then when I was having a hard time at uni was lovely - I felt rested and reassured but I don't think it was the place for me to be living all the time. I do think I made the right decision to leave - there are negatives to being where I am, but they are certainly no worse than the island negatives, and there are also nice things and people in both places.
In other news on Friday I went to Matsue with Makiko (one of my students) and Hinohara-sensei (one of my two JTEs) for the prefectural own-composition (read: ghost-written by yours truly) English speech competition... and Makiko won! So she will now be going to Tokyo for the national competition. I want also to be going to Tokyo for the national competition but don't think I can afford it because of all that coming home for Christmas stuff. But still, it was very exciting.
In other, other news, there was a cockroach in my cutlery drawer this morning so I just spent lots of time scrubbing all the poison and cockroachy-ness off all my utensils and I now have pruny hands.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
A ponder on the subject of transportation
I am not feeling up to describing my whole entire weekend just now (see what I am cunningly doing, is building up suspense with these tidbits so when I finally write about it you will all be ready to understand how lovely it all was) so I decided to report on my musings about boats, trains and planes.
I will first have to reveal a segment from the very end of my weekend...
I had waited until what my companions considered to be the last minute (not to be confused with the actual last minute in which I usually operate) to board the boat. There being quite a few actual minutes left I spent a long time watching my friends from the boat and intermittently waving. During this time I took some photos of the port and on the ferry I pondered them.
I think I have decided what it is I like so much about train stations and ferry ports but not airports. When I first left New Zealand for Germany back in 2000 I took a picture of the railway tracks on the way from Petone to the airport and it was so pleasing it stayed on my desk all year. I like the way that these places all all set up with ingenuity and precision, in straight, clean, shiny lines - and then the world around them (the sea air and the commuters feet and the city dust) comes and has a nibble, and dulls the tracks to the colour of the rocks and chews little random patterns into the paint and everything adjusts to its surroundings. As a passenger on such services I appreciate both the shiny new times and the grime, shadows and (reasonable safety-wise) signs of age. I don't like airports because they are the opposite, air travel is so necessarily artificial and wrenching. Humph.
All that said and I just realised I managed to leave my USB cable on Oki so no pictures for tonight.
I will first have to reveal a segment from the very end of my weekend...
I had waited until what my companions considered to be the last minute (not to be confused with the actual last minute in which I usually operate) to board the boat. There being quite a few actual minutes left I spent a long time watching my friends from the boat and intermittently waving. During this time I took some photos of the port and on the ferry I pondered them.
I think I have decided what it is I like so much about train stations and ferry ports but not airports. When I first left New Zealand for Germany back in 2000 I took a picture of the railway tracks on the way from Petone to the airport and it was so pleasing it stayed on my desk all year. I like the way that these places all all set up with ingenuity and precision, in straight, clean, shiny lines - and then the world around them (the sea air and the commuters feet and the city dust) comes and has a nibble, and dulls the tracks to the colour of the rocks and chews little random patterns into the paint and everything adjusts to its surroundings. As a passenger on such services I appreciate both the shiny new times and the grime, shadows and (reasonable safety-wise) signs of age. I don't like airports because they are the opposite, air travel is so necessarily artificial and wrenching. Humph.
All that said and I just realised I managed to leave my USB cable on Oki so no pictures for tonight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
