Just...good!

I took my second attempt at the Japanese Driver's License practical test, the last step to complete the conversion from my Illinois license. I failed because, according to the proctor, I didn't turn my head enough when looking to my left and right when making turns. Seeing as it was a hot Friday, I had spent 8,000 yen and 6 hours just to take the test, I wasn't expecting to be in a good mood for a while.

Luckily, the fit of discontent passed well before I even started to head home. So with the rest of the day off, I spent some time taking care of little things that I often neglect, like putting away mail and organizing my closets, simple - yet simply overlooked - tasks, and I took a two hour break on one of the beaches of Higashi. It was nice to walk in the sand and swim in the water with no hurries, no sounds of heavy population. Though I did proceed to karate later that night, the encounter with nature (and the brief nap that followed) rejuvenated me for the night.

And things got fun on Saturday. Elina held a party at her place in celebration of her birthday and, as always, it was a great chance to hang out with some of the JETs in Okinawa I don't often see. The strangest thing about this fact, and I wonder to myself all the time, is why I don't make more of an effort to get my ass in gear and spend time with these people who I really like, who given the opportunity would most likely turn out to be some great friends? I'll have to think about this a little more, especially since one of my long-term goals for my time on the JET Programme is to never look back and think, "If only I'd..." Yep, ok, that's going on the white-board right now.

So the night passed well. I'll most likely avoid red wine for a while, because drinking it on a hot night didn't give me the best of feelings. Awamori (the local Okinawan alcohol) with ice and water makes a much more refreshing drink. Among other things, I found myself pondering my maternally-rooted (pun) hair loss, lying briefly and comfortably in the lap of a fellow JET, and meandering into the Sea of Japan at 2:00 in the morning, sans clothing, doing my best to make the sea phosphorescence glow with every quick flick of the feet or hands.

I slept really well, with a mixture of blanket and floor pillow to keep me warm (the A/C was running at this point). I woke with a pretty good hangover headache and I didn't want to move. But the desire to remain prone stemmed not from the headache so much (I had a migraine headache at the "Sea Experience" day a few weeks ago and I fought through it without meds for the kids' sake, so headaches don't hold so much sway on my ability to function). I don't know how to say this well...I was in a good position and didn't want to move; a really comfortable sort of thing. I know I'm not doing a decent job explaining this, sorry, but it was good.

Once everybody was up and at them, Chiye, Elina and I decided to test out the wireless capabilities of our Nintendo DS's. We started a grand-scale run of Mario Kart DS and it was really fun! I don't know what I'm going to do without a good match of racing for a while. Those of us remaining wrapped up the day with some sweet dishes at a local cafe/woodworking shop and a trip to the waterfall and shrine in Kijoka, Ogimi.

Today I only had one class (junior high school first graders) and it went really well. The kids were talkative and lively, and happily participated in the activity. I've got the 2nd and 3rd grades tomorrow, as well as kindergarten, and all the elementary classes will happen later this week. Sometimes, I catch myself worrying about my ability to get up in front of the kids and 1) teach them something useful and 2) keep it interesting for everybody, but I find that once the bell rings at the start of class, all those worries go away. It kind of lends some weight to the fact that I tend to think about things too much, when doing them would just solve most of the problem (that I've invariably built up in my head).

It's approaching one year on the JET Programme; I'm truly amazed at how quickly it went. So here's to not wasting time thinking about all the things I could do, but actually doing them. Here's to not wasting time thinking about all the fun people I could be seeing, but actually giving them a call and seeing them. Here's to not just letting time pass, but making it work for me...making it all really GOOD!

PS - It turns out my high school has listed me as a "Lost Alumnus." (Class of '98) It sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I think so. But it really only means they don't have any (up-to-date) contact information on me.