もらった

Received, that's what the title means. Today was great. This week has been great, but today was surprising.

My only class today was elementary 1年生 ichinensei first grade. It was a short class because of the PTA meetings that took place later this afternoon, so out of the activity and teaching segment I had planned, only the activity got going. But it was awesome!

We made paper snowflakes and I described them as American Xmas origami. The kids liked it, especially when they opened their creation from 1/12 to full size - even I'm still amazed at what can happen with a few cuts of paper when expanded. But the activity kept evolving. After the snowflakes were cut, Yuko先生 had the great idea of pasting them to colored paper and then decorating around the edges. We even had the kids practice 'Merry Christmas', and their messy letters and mixed colors were the best thing I'd seen all day. With the mess made and the kids proud of their work, we went from fourth period into lunch and it was good.

But later this afternoon, our playtime date arranged earlier, there was one girl who was carrying a folded and colored piece of paper with her. It took her a while to approach me with it and when I opened it up, it was a christmas card with expanding Rudolph and Santa and colorful drawings of all sorts. I was shocked! I didn't expect it at all. Shortly after, some of the other students led me up to their classroom to deliver the cards that they had also made. It was heartwarming to say the least. I felt so happy to be in the moment, to realize that even a bad day for me is most likely a fun and play-filled day for the kids. I don't think I needed a check on why I'm here, but it was a welcome reminder that teaching English need not be the only thing I do here.

Once all the kids had been picked up or walked home, I hit the office to gather my things before heading home. Some teachers were still around and they were distributing the last of the produce that was brought by one of the 8th grader's grandfather; he's a local farmer. I picked up four different kinds of vegetable: one for salad, one for soup, and two for stir-frying. I ate the salad and one of the stir-fry varieties tonight and I'm saving the others for this weekend.

I'm content right now, really happy overall. I've been catching myself about thinking too far ahead like I'm prone to do, but I can't help but think that three years is going to pass far too quickly. I just keep reminding myself of some advice a former ALT gave in Chicago the day before we left for Japan: every day in Japan is one less day in Japan - don't waste it. Waisu desu.

PS - I'm heading to Tokyo and other various cities next week. I'll be sure to fill you in when I get back, even post a lot of photos if I can figure out a good place to put them. Enjoy your winter break and holidays and eat as much of that good food as you want. Trust me, nobody's as critical as one's self.

What took me so long?

This is not, as one might assume, a title for the length of time between postings. It is in reference to what I finally did tonight: take a bath.

Giggles aside, I have been maintaining a regular habit of daily hygiene in the form of showers. But I had never taken the time to fill up the tub with nice hot water (45°C, 113°F) and soak. I did, and it was amazing.

I filled the tub to about one-third and then took a shower. That's right, you take a shower before the bath to keep the bath water clean (families share the same bath, so prior cleanliness is necessary). I'm not sure how much it matters that I clean up beforehand since I'm living by myself, but the feeling of a clean soak is unparalleled.

The showerheads are attached to hoses, allowing for discreet placement of the water flow, allowing one to keep it out of the tub basin. So one showers and then hops into the tub. And what a great way to wrap up an evening! I spent 15 minutes simply relaxing and wondering why I had never done anything like this in my Chicago apartment (we had 2! tubs). Some may be thinking of ways to enhance the bathing experience with foams and other things that react with water, but I say pure hot water is all one needs. Waisu desu.

PS - In a few weeks I'll be heading to mainland Japan. I'm stopping in Beppu, Oita for one, maybe two nights. They are well known for their onsen, or baths sourced by hot springs. I can't wait...

Fishtails

No, I don't mean food. I mean the kind where a car's tires are no longer in static friction with the road's surface. This is what I experienced this morning on my way to school.

I was heading to Takae in a little bit of a hurry. I'd slept a bit late, waking at 7:12, and was making my way north around the usual speeds, 60kph or so. It looked like it had rained last night, so the roads were wet, but it was nothing I hadn't seen before. So I drove like normal, quite a bit faster than the speed limit, slowing at the points I knew might be a little rough in conditions like this.

Seems I didn't judge one turn right. I was following a right turn bend in the road when the wheels lost their grip. The car started fishtailing left, with the front of the car drifting into the right lane. There were no other cars around. My biggest fear was ending up in the typhoon gutters on the side of the road, protruding into lanes of traffic at a bend.

As the car slipped left, I threw the wheel in that direction, apparently without applying the brake. The momentum of the front wheels, I'm guessing, helped to bring the car into a more reasonable velocity, though there was a slight rebound to the right, which required a quick correction of the wheel. Once my speed had fallen low enough, the tires gripped the road again and I was able to straighten out in my lane. Heart pounding appropriately, I finished the short drive that remained to my school.

I got out of the car shaking from the shock of what *might* have just happened. I also remembered my predecessor, Ben, telling me of his spin out on the same route to the same school during a late morning dash to get there. His incident resulted in a flat tire, though I assume the feeling was quite the same. Losing control at any point of the day is not fun; when it's behind the wheel of a fast-moving and heavy automobile, it's even less so.

The drive back home was a bit more tame, with careful attention paid to each of the bends in the road. One of the thoughts I kept having had to do with the relative lack of population in Higashi. I try not to think about what would have happened if a car was coming the other way at the same speed. It would have turned out to be a very very bad day. Waisu desu.

Mid-Year and Tokashiki

The Annual Okinawa Mid-Year Conference was held this past Thursday and Friday in Okinawa City. It was a collection of seminars, from JETs and Japanese Teachers' of English (JTEs), which covered topics from ideas for elementary school games and lessons to the theory of learning a second language. I was mostly pleased with the presentations. I, for some reason though, maintained a slight state of anxiety throughout those two days. Probable reasons include being used to my small-village life in Okinawa and feeling somewhat off about being so physically close, yet emotionally restricted, to certain things.

Seeing JETs I don't see frequently was also nice. Whether over lunch, during a break, or at the bar/evening event, I was able to catch up with those living in vastly different parts of Okinawa, from the outer islands to the urban life in the few cities that do exist here.

The highlight of the weekend came in the trip to Tokashiki Island. James, a JET from New Zealand, lives on the island. And the Tokashiki trip happens every year, sometimes during warmer weather. But it was still awesome.

We caught an early liner on Saturday and set up camp upon arrival. Morning activities included having a couple of drafts at a nearby eatery, fighting away the amazingly bold and aggressive crows, snorkeling, eating, napping, and going for an awesome glass-bottom boat ride. As evening rolled around, the drinking started again, dinner was taken at a local eatery - the name for which I cannot recall for the life of me. After that, it was time to hit the beach.

Having gathered wood before dark, our supply was ready to go. But I have this issue with fires, especially if they are crap. I arrived to a mild bonfire, one clearly in need of improvement. So I did my best with the limited amount of thick wood that we had, helped impressively by John McFarlane, who appeared with a nice bag of charcoal. Amidst building the fire, most likely due to a fair bit of drinking and relative darkness, I grabbed a piece of wood that was actually an ember. I immediately went for the cooler, plunging my hand into the cool, but not cold, water. My second step was to open another beer and hold it with my right hand, soothing the pain in a dual-layered process. I now have a scar on my right palm, though it's small and nothing worse came of it.

The rest of the evening, while generally remembered, is jumbled. I recall singing, drinking, tending the fire, talking about my issues with figuring out I.B. sensei, speaking Japanese, and coming to realize that the beach was cold, it was late, and I needed to go to sleep (this may have occurred after I woke up from a nap I took on the beach - reportedly, since I can't remember).

Bad news is that this morning was extremely crap with headache, ill stomach, lack of food, and feeling quite ill after the liner ride back to Naha. Good news is that we all kind of felt like trash, so it was funny to joke about our condition, though not too loudly.

I have no pictures, deciding to leave my camera in the car (this was an excellent idea as I have found sand in my phone). I don't want to think what would have happened if I brought it. I'll do my best to elicit photographs from friends that took them and post them when I can.

This week is short due to the Japanese Labour Thanksgiving Holiday. It is also quite free seeing as I'll be performing an "observation class" on Wednesday with Natsu-sensei. Thursday brings the arrival of Aaron and Kelly from Hong Kong and a good long weekend of touring and sights. I'll fill you in after, of course, and wish you a good week from here. Waisu desu.

They shit too much

These were the words uttered by one of my Japanese Teacher's of English this week as we were doing greetings at the start of class. She was referring to geckos and dislike of them.

To my well-trained English ear, "shit" rang out loudly and I caught myself before reacting too distinctly. A moment later, I realized that nobody in the room - except the laughing JTE - knew what the word meant. All was clear.

Until she started to explain what "shit" means. The students were giving her blank looks, I might have been giving her a look with a crooked eyebrow, so she explained how it's similar to the Japanese くそ kuso. I then did my best to explain that it's really only good to use it in private situations, like if one were to stub one's toe or spill some paint or something like that. "Don't say it in front of other people."

But I know it's futile. And it was funny after all! If I knew how to cuss in Japanese, my fellow JETs would never hear the end of it. And I'd be practicing all the time in my car, driving behind any one of the numerous locals who drive at 30 kph (I know for a fact many of the turns can be taken at 70 in dry weather). Waisu desu.