Cristina . . . at dawn . . . before she knew she would have to perform the dance over 1,000 times (ok ok 170). Gambatte!

Cristina and one of her partners during one of the many times she performed this dance. On the warehouse in the background you can see the kanji for Cristina's town -- Higashi-Kushi-Ra-Cho (town).

Shoot! Yum! Snip! Dance!

Like most of the other weekends this winter, this one has been pretty low-key. First, let me begin by sharing with you my time in Kishira Junior High on Friday. Usually a few times a year, a group of students prepare some kind of original game for the students and teachers to play. Last time it was a combination of arm wrestling and some kind of cap and chair game. This time it was paper-plane football. You are probably wondering what the heck is paper-plane football. (Actually, you’re probably not but I am going to pretend you are and tell you anyway.)

Basically, there are 4 teams. The teams face each other two at a time with the victor going on to the next round. One member of the offensive team has to make a paper plane and throw it into the gym. The other members of the offensive team have to catch the plane with a large piece of bamboo with a garbage bag stretched out like a basket at its end. The entire defensive team runs around with fans trying to blow the plane in the wrong direction. It was actually quite fun and humorous. Our team was definitely not the favorite because our plane didn’t exactly go very far like the others. However, it was our team – kira kira -- that won with good strategy. I was really excited and I got some highlighters and a Mickey box out of it. I have some pictures that will hopefully help you imagine it. No teams actually ever made it to the goal, but our team made it closest and made the most baskets (or downs).

Friday night I met with Cristina at her neighborhood’s recreation center/meeting room to watch some of her practice and meet with the men (who had apparently been asking for me). It was really funny because after practice ended all the women and children left and it was only me and about 20 Japanese men and Cristina. I told Cristina that it was weird how they regarded her more different than the Japanese women because she was foreign. It was almost like if she was there for their entertainment like a geisha of sorts. I would be more worried if there weren’t men from her office there that were so protective of her, not that these men were not respectful. I think they just wanted to treat the foreigner to some snacks and shochu. However, since we do not drink shochu, they actually ran (since they could not drive) to a store or vending machine to buy some beer for us. By the time Cristina and I made it home, we literally passed out because of how drunk we were off of only 2.5 beers. Cristina says it’s because we’re turning Japanese (she really thinks so).

Saturday all we did was relax and do some shopping in Kanoya. Cristina also made some Tiramisu for that night’s dinner at Jill’s. She figured out how to use the microwave/oven/toaster apparatus as an oven and made some lady fingers for the Tiramisu. She experimented with a different recipe than she usually used. I liked this one better than the other because of the sweetness factor.

Anyway, at Jill’s we ate some great lasagna. Osa and Laura were also there. We watched some Family Guy, which I had never seen before. However, the highlight of the evening was probably when I got a haircut from Osa. I had mentioned how I had wanted one and asked Osa if she could do it. She said sure and that she had brought her scissors with her. So, we decided not to prolong it any longer and do it right in Jill’s bathroom. Needless to say, I have short hair now. I actually surprised my office by coming in today clean shaven and with short hair. They taught me like 8 different words for handsome and kept on saying good boy and nice guy. I think I got the hint.

Sunday, Cristina woke up at 7:00 AM and went to the Kawanishi Rec Center to get dressed for her dance. I woke up at 10:00 AM and tried to contact her to meet her but she didn’t take her phone. I drove around trying to look for big groups of people dancing, but I couldn’t. This surprised me especially because Higashi-Kushira is not that big. However, around 4:00 PM I heard chanting outside the house and looked outside the window. It was the troop dancing at the neighbor’s house. I hurried outside and then they stopped outside Cristina’s house and did it for me. All the people were in order of height but the men moved Cristina and her group up to the front so that I could see her well (I presume). She says she messed up in front of me but I could not tell. When she finished, she said she was really tired and kept on moving to the next house. At the end of the whole thing, Cristina got $100 and explained to me the gist of the thing. She said that people split up into groups and do it for the whole day in front of several hundred houses and a main shrine. In exchange they get treats and shochu and money for their efforts. It is a cross between Christmas caroling and Trick or Treat-ing. They asked her if she would do it again next year. She said yes.

Sunday night, we made some mimosas and watched some 24. Kaz came over and we just relaxed and spoke about each other’s weekends. She had gone to a hike in Kirishima organized by Miyazaki Jets that we were told was too full to get into. Kaz told us that not enough people went and they even had to cancel a room. Oh well, we are going to go the weekend after next with other Kagoshima Jets. It doesn’t seem as well organized as this past trip, but it will probably be just as fun.

Oh, by the way, the work was completed in my house. It looks great and where there is rotten wood there is now formica type stuff. It may have just covered the rotten wood, but hey, at least I don't have to look at it and see it rotting underneath masking tape. Now, for some lunch at the Katos'...

MOVE

The moment that you all have been waiting for has finally arrived. I received my new car yesterday. But before, I go too much into it, let me recount the events of the past 2 days. When I say it like that it almost sounds exciting. It wasn’t. Monday was payday. So, I picked up my stipend from the town hall and walked it over to the post office across the street to deposit it.

Tuesday, I went to Uchinoura Junior High like I usually do. Some of the students are already finished with their term-end exams. Therefore, they are split into classes that can review (a.k.a. play games) and classes that still have to cram. I participated in the class that can play games. I tried to introduce a new one that Cristina told me worked very well in her class – Pictionary. I cannot say that it went down the same way in my classroom. First, I had 4 different categories with different point values – person, place, thing, challenge. The kids didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves because many just picked up the piece of chalk and stared at the blackboard for the minute. It was very frustrating. I even showed them an example. It didn’t seem to work. Finally, some of them got into it. This one girl who is really good at English, but never speaks to me really got into it. I guess it was her moment to shine because all she had to do was say the answer. But still, she was the only one who could think of the answer in English. Still, her team lost.

Tuesday night, we saw the new episodes of 24 and Alias.

Wednesday, I went to Kishira Elementary. It was fun as always, and I enjoy being able to play with them. It is always so great to go there because they make the time there so enjoyable for me (and I know ALL their names!). During recess, we all went to the reflection pool. They were excited to show me the tadpoles and all the frog eggs that were in there. They saw how curious I was when I saw them in one of their observatory tanks in the lab. I had never seen a frog egg before and had no idea that you could actually see the stage of the tadpole in the egg. In any case, it grossed me out to see all of them handling big sticky groups of eggs with their hands. My favorite part was when they would fish out tadpoles with their hands and say ‘KAWAI’ (cute) as the water on their hands drained and the tadpole fell in the grass or on a rock and died. I guess the trick is to not be a cute tadpole. Perhaps that’s why frogs don’t evolve into cuter animals, because all the cute tadpoles are killed by ‘innocent’ children who like to play God during recess.

Wednesday afternoon, I picked up my new car. It’s not new, it’s used. However, I am very happy with it. It’s a Daihatsu Move. It’s a K-Car, so it’s cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than other vehicles in Japan. It’s white. It’s also pretty tall. Probably the best vehicle I have ever owned. I am so excited to be driving it. It’s really appropriately named. Every time I turn it on and step on the accelerator, it decides to MOVE.

Wednesday night, Cristina went to her dance practice. She has been going to it every night this week. On Sunday, she will perform Higashi-Kushira’s ‘stick’ dance that has been performed for hundreds of years in the town festival. Apparently she will be doing this continuously from 7 AM to 4 PM. Gambatte! She’s really excited about it. It should look great. Obviously I will be there for support and picture taking and for the drinking party afterward. After her practice, I picked her up with my Move and we went to the Katos’ for dinner. Tomomi, the middle daughter, is here from Nagasaki with her 3-year-old daughter Nozomi. Nozomi is very cute and knows some English.

Today, it’s off to Uchinoura Junior High for some more Pictionary and fun. The days are wet and cold. However, I do sense Spring lurking around the corner. We have been seeing the arrival of different and new animals like tadpoles and Tanukis. Tanukis are a cross between a badger and a raccoon with the coloring of a Siamese cat (perhaps a bit darker). We have already seen two -- one on the road to Uchinoura last night, and the other outside of Cristina’s house.

Pictures of Nagasaki, etc.

Here you can see some pictures since we have been back from Winter Break. The first few pictures pf Cirstina are of her relay Marathon race. Then, there is a picture of her car covered in snow. There are also a few sets of photographs of some outings we have had with friends. The bulk of the pictures are from our weekend trip to Nagasaki. Enjoy.

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At the Lantern Festival.

This is the statue erected in the Nagasaki Peace Park. The hand pointing to the sky is a warning of nuclear warfare. The hand pointing to the horizon is signaling a need for peace.

This is the A-Bomb Memorial. What you see is the column holding the names of every victim of the A-Bomb. The altar in front holds paper cranes made by Japanese school students as a wish for peace.

Road Trip! (Nagasaki Weekender)

On Friday, I finally got the adapter I needed to install my iPod. However, I only partially installed it and was not able to use it until I got home Sunday night. It was actually pretty funny because I began to install it while I was at work in the library and my office kept on sending spies to check on me. They kept on asking me if I was seeing a movie. Seriously, what kind of employee do they think I am? In any case, let me tell you about the events of this weekend’s road trip.

Both Kaz and I arrived at Cristina’s house at exactly 5:00 PM. I quickly packed and we were on our way to the airport where we would pick up Alex who was taking a bus there from the City so that neither he nor we would have to go out of the way. Our journey was slow at first because it was raining so hard. Alex ended up getting there maybe 10 minutes before us. Then, we accidentally went toward Kagoshima City (where Alex came from) – the opposite way we wanted to go. I don’t want to point any fingers, but it was Kaz’s fault. Finally at around 8:00 PM we were on our way fully stocked with junk food in Cristina’s borrowed car. I have not even mentioned the car that Cristina had borrowed for this road trip. She took her car for a check up, and her mechanic said that she should take his brand new huge peach car on the road trip (for absolutely no money) because it was safer and more comfortable. Cristina had a love affair with this car. Lord help you if you come between it and her.

We arrived to Nagasaki in good spirits a bit after midnight. We stayed in a ryokan, which is a Japanese inn where you get a Japanese tatami room with a couple of very comfortable futons and yakata (Japanese cotton robes). It was simple and nice. It had a public bath/onsen-type place too which was cool.

On Saturday, we woke up and had ourselves a long walk all the way up to the A-Bomb Peace Memorial. It was a very solemn building that really did make you feel at peace. People here (as with every other place) were extremely nice and actually guided us personally through the memorial. You would be amazed at how modern it is compared to the other stuff I have seen in Japan. It basically comprised of clean lines of concrete, wood, glass and black marble involving a artistic use of light and water. It is really difficult to put in words. At the end of the memorial, they have a couple of computer centers with archives of the survivors’ stories. It is very scary, touching and moving all at the same time. I really wish I could buy some kind of DVD or computer program that I could donate to some of my former schools because I think it is something that is very tastefully done and that every person should hear and see.

After the memorial, we went to the museum that was also very well done. I think that the museum really succeeded in informing the public about the effect of the Atomic bomb on Nagasaki and on the world. I could sit here and type everything I saw, and tell you how the city was destroyed within the first 3 seconds of impact killing over 70,000 people instantly and another 70,000 people as a result and still be leaving out what a truly horrible war crime it was.

Once we left the museum, we walked a bit and stumbled across the Peace Park that was opened 10 years after the A-Bomb was dropped. We were all not as impressed by the park as we thought we would be, but then again we figured that’s why they made the Memorial. The Peace Park’s main focus is a 10-meter tall green statue of an overly muscular man with one hand pointing to the sky in threat of nuclear warfare, and one hand extended toward the horizon representing the need for peace. The park also included a water fountain and statues donated from countries all over the world. Both memorials to the victims of this crime include water because after the bomb hit, it left Nagasaki at 3,000 degrees Celsius instantly vaporizing lots of the victims’ internal fluid and leaving all of the survivors’ in need of water.

After the Peace Park, we went to a temple shaped like a giant turtle with a woman standing on top of it. Didn’t quite get it, I hope you see why. However, I think I found it more interesting than the others. Primarily because of its randomness.

After the “Turtle Temple,” we went to a monument that was dedicated to 26 Catholic martyrs of Japan that were canonized saints by Pope Pius something. A nearby building that looked like a church is what drew our attention because its spires looked Gaudi-esque.

Evening came and we stumbled into China Town. This was the last weekend of Nagasaki’s famous Chinese Lantern festival where the streets of China Town are crowded with people and extremely beautiful lanterns. The ones hanging over the streets are usually the red oval ones we are all use to seeing in movies. Then, at certain centers there were these amazing and huge lanterns shaped like animals or gods. It was truly a sight to see. I am very glad we got to experience Nagasaki’s China Town during this time. Hopefully, you get a better idea of what I mean by the pictures I will post. There was also a temple filled with freshly severed pig heads with a bone (or something) sticking out of their foreheads.

After enjoying the exotic lights of the lantern festival, we headed back to the ryokan for an onsen (bath) to get ready for dinner. We were not able to find the restaurants we were looking for, but we stumbled across this small Indian restaurant with amazing curry and nan. I had the Chicken Bharta. After dinner, we headed back for the ryokan with a bottle of wine to sip before bed.

Sunday morning we got off to a later start. We started off by checking out of the hotel and heading over to a Starbucks. (Surely you didn’t think that we were going to leave Nagasaki without visiting one?) We had a pleasant breakfast and then went across the bay to a look out point on a mountain we had to take a cable car to reach. I figured if there was a time to be attacked by King Kong or Godzilla, now would be it. We reached the summit safely, and got a good eagle-eye view of this huge city.

After the lookout, we went to the oldest building in Nagasaki which happens to be this temple that was built in China, then disassembled and brought to Japan in the 1600s. It was of course very interesting and beautiful to see. It was also somewhat different from the Japanese temples I have visited before.

Then, instead of going to more temples (like we planned), we felt that it would be more fun to go to the city aquarium famous for its penguins. It was a really neat aquarium. They are not like the ones in the States with shows and stuff. They are just observation tanks. They had some great specimens though. We also got to touch some penguins. It was a really goofy time.

We then left Nagasaki via expressway again. We got near the airport where we went to this all-you-can-eat buffet place where you can grill your own vegetables and meat at your table. We also got to pour our own soft-serve ice cream, get cotton candy and popcorn and I can’t remember what else. Our trip ended at exactly midnight upon arriving back at Cristina’s house.

This was a great trip. I usually get tired of a certain type of sight when I go sightseeing, but I think that we got a healthy dose of various things that made this trip really fun. It was a very good balance. I really wish I could go into more detail about certain things, but chances are you are just going to skip through it anyway. If you have any questions about a particular aspect of the trip, let me know. Happy Monday!

Short Update

Well, everything is pretty fine here. It still has not stopped raining. I think it is quite ridiculous how much it is raining. It is beginning to get me depressed. Anyway, I really have nothing new to go into detail about other than I still have not received the adapter from Apple for my iPod. Therefore, I have still not been able to install it into my computer. I ordered some accessories and had my mom send them over here, and they already got here. However, it looks like I wont be able to use them till next week.

As for this weekend, Kaz, Alex, Cristina and I are going to Nagasaki. For those of you who don’t know, Nagasaki was one of the two cities that were dropped an A-bomb by the United States. I am curious to see the historical sites and how we will be received. I have heard mixed reactions from all who have visited there so far. We also have the pleasure of going on the last weekend of the Lantern Festival which is supposed to be really nice also. I have no idea what happens during it. All I know is that it’s the last weekend.

Oh, and as a side note, Laura, Cristina and I are completely up to date on the most recent season of Alias and 24.

Misfortunate Adventures

As I guess somewhat of a relief to me, I have been kept busy and earning the money that is given to me each month. I have had quite an interesting week so far, particularly Valentine’s Day, that I will share with you. Monday (V-Day), I went to the Katos’ as I usually do for lunch. It was a delicious and very big curry and rice dish. As usual, it was too good to describe. I had mentioned in passing that we did not do anything for the long weekend because I was so tired and then Cristina became sick. They responded to me by telling me to pass by after work to take some food to Cristina.

After leaving work, I arrive at the Katos’ where I have a big vat of curry waiting for me to take to Cristina. Let me explain what I mean by a vat – a 12in.x12in.x6in. Tupperware. I was one happy camper. In addition, as I was walking out, they managed to get in the bag 10 cucumbers, 7 oranges, 2 plum soda cans, chocolates, a small fruit cake and a biscuit. Mind you, I may have forgotten something. I left there excited to show Cristina what I was bringing and to install my iPod.

As I got home, Cristina had some hot rice waiting in anticipation of the curry. However, my iPod had to wait because Cristina had just begin to watch a 2.5 hour movie that she had seen a 1,000 times before – Love Actually. Since she has to see it through my laptop’s DVD (region 1), I have to wait to install my iPod another 2 hours. I went from happy camper to angry gnome.

Two hours passed. It was now 7pm and I began to install my iPod. It said that my laptop will have to be formatted, so I plugged it in and it began to show something on the screen saying “Do Not Disconnect”. Well, a couple hours passed and it was still showing the sign. I did not think that it should have taken this long. So, I began to research on the internet some of the possible reasons why and I think it has to do with the fact I had a USB 1.1 connection instead of a US 2.0 connection (which is 40 times faster). I had tried to install a USB 2.0 card, but my laptop still read it as a USB 1.1 card. So, I decided at 9:05 that I would go to Kanoya to try to find a 6-pin adapter for my 4-pin Firewire port – the other way of connecting your iPod. Well, I get to Kanoya at 9:20, and just as Cristina and I thought, all the electronic stores are closed. I actually did get to a big one that was still open, but they freaked out when I asked them if they were still open and closed the doors. I forgot to mention that during all of this, there were torrential rains as far as the eye can see. As a matter of fact, it has been like this the entire week.

On my way back to Cristina’s house, I got into a car accident. Let me begin by saying that if you are concerned about my safety, don’t be. I am completely fine, but you should see the other guy – JUST KIDDING (about the other guy, not the wreck). As I was driving, I came across a yellow light that I foresaw becoming red soon, so I did what we are supposed to do – STOP. The man behind me in the small pick-up truck did what most people do in Japan – SPEED UP. Therefore, I when he realized that I had stopped, he swirved and turned about 90 degrees. However, during his turn (or slip) to avoid my car, he hit with one of his back corners my tail lamp. We were both fine, but I had no idea what the proper protocol was. Therefore, I called Yu-chan and asked her to speak to the guy on my behalf. Point of the story is that the guy felt really sorry and said that he would stop by the Katos’ the next day and pay for the damages (as he did).

The next morning, I had to leave my rental car at the Katos’ for repairs and had to exchange it for another rental car. I felt really bad and embarrassed. They were amazing though, as always.

In my school, the 3rd graders (the oldest classmen, 15-year-olds) came up to me and asked me how I was. Apparently, I called Yu in the middle of her Juku session (cram school/tutoring) of 10 students. This made me feel bad, but at the same time it was very funny.

Yesterday, I went to Uchinoura Elementary. I had to do 2 double periods in a row about the numbers 1-20 and then 30, 40, 50…100. It was so boring, but in some ways fun. The 2nd graders were much better than the 3rd graders so we had time to sing lots of children songs. Then we had a dodgeball showdown that was probably the best one yet. I really want to show them the Dodgeball movie and get some type of tournament going on.

This brings me to today, when I will hopefully be receiving my Firewire adapter to finally connect my laptop and upload my 1,750 songs. I am really excited, but have to expect the worst. I also have to pack for a trip we are taking with Alex and Kaz this weekend to Nagasaki for the Lantern Festival.

Spoke Too Soon

Remember how I said that my office did not believe in giving us chocolates. . . yeah, well I lied. We got these delicious fudge squares. They're simply delightful. I definitely spoke too soon and have to get them something equally as good. You should see the wrapping too.

All You Need is Love (and an iPod to remind you of it!)

Luckily, last weekend was a long weekend. I think that I was definitely in need of it because of how tiring the weekend before was. I felt like I was so overworked (compared to how I usually work – a definite overstatement compared to how I worked in Gainesville). In any case, on Thursday evening we were invited to a taco dinner at Laura’s house that was extremely well received. She has become an expert with the seven-layer dip. This was to be the precursor to our weekend of cherry tomato tossing, meticulous gift wrapping, and downloading.

Friday was to be the beginning of our long weekend. We were planning on traveling up the Pacific coast of Kyushu all the way up to Beppu (a city in North Kyushu known for its hot springs). However, we woke up so tired and late on Friday that we ended up just staying home and catching up on stuff. Later that night, we ended up meeting lots of ALTs in Tomo-chan’s in Osaki for some laughs, great food and drinks. We met Laura’s predecessor, Dave, who was in town and Nick from Shibushi who we had never met before and who we joked didn’t really exist. After some time at Tomo-chan’s, we went to a really nice karaoke place where I have had the best French fries of my life. I am thinking of returning back and just ordering the fries, but I am not really sure if you can do this without going into a karaoke booth. Besides the occasional cherry tomato thrown by Laura, it was your normal 2-hour all you can drink karaoke session. At the end of the night, we crashed back at Laura’s.

Saturday, we woke up and had a slow morning at Laura’s. Once everyone left, it took Cristina a while to find her clothes (It’s not what you are thinking, she changed and decided to put them in a closet no one ever looks in.). Once she put on her clothes (she was wearing some of Laura’s pajamas before that), we went to Kanoya for the perfect hangover remedy – McDonald’s. Then, we roamed Kanoya. We went to an electronic store to get a computer part that I thought would help, but didn’t (so we are returning it tomorrow). We also went to Daiwa (a cross between a pseudo- large department store/pseudo-small mall) where I got a gift for my grandmother for her birthday and Cristina got her office some chocolates for her office mates. Well, buying the gift for my grandmother was some kind of adventure. One of the things is an ornament to which I asked them to take off the metal wire at the end of the string to keep it from being scratched. They reacted with a puzzled look and just stared at me. I started to gesture and they just stared at each other and then looked back at me. After quite a bit of staring, one said that if they take off the wire, how am I going to hang it. So, I gave up and told them to leave it on. Then, they asked me if I wanted it gift wrapped. Since I saw the person before me get hers gift wrapped, I asked for mine gift wrapped just so Cristina could see this. It was hilarious. I felt like if I was in the scene in Love Actually where Mr. Bean is gift wrapping the cheating husband’s gift for his secretary when he does it ever so meticulously and slow. First, they took the three small items I bought and placed them in a clear bag. They rearranged it a couple of times. Mind you, the bag is lying flat and the items will surely shift once the bag is lifted. Then, they ever so slightly fan-fold the top of the bag. Then, they take two matching ribbons to tie a bow around the top. Here comes my favorite part…. Then, the woman has to find the curling scissors, which are different from the cutting scissors (they look exactly the same). She begins to curl the ribbons. Then she stops and tries to control how the curls fall on the package and tries to make the curls fall within each other (the most anal retentive thing I have ever seen a person do). Then they place the package, in a paper gift bag. They seal the bag. They put a sticker and ribbons on the bag. Then they take out a plastic shopping bag. Reinforce the bottom of the plastic shopping bag with tape (mind you, what I bout my grandmother weighs absolutely nothing). Then, they place the wrapped gift inside the plastic shopping bag and tape the top of the shopping bag shut. All that was missing was some lavender and a couple cinnamon sticks. Cristina broke into a fit of laughter at the very end as the woman was getting ready to hand me the bag. The three gifts total barely added up to $10.

Sunday, we spent in hibernation. Cristina felt sick so we just lounged about. I got her some Gatorade from the one store that carries it here in Japan (or the only one that I have found anyway).

Today is Valentine’s Day. Happy Valentine’s Day to all, especially those who I know are not as lucky as I am. Today, when I got to the office, I was expecting chocolates from all the women (because that is what Valentine’s Day is in Japan). Then, on White Day, March 14th, the men are supposed to give the women chocolates (good marketing since they don’t have a St. Patrick’s Day). However, my office is not like Cristina’s, so the only chocolates I got were from my Kacho as standard omiyage from his trip this past weekend to Singapore. I will tell you what I did get today – an iPOD. I have been downloading and organizing my music nonstop for the past week. I have about 1,000 sings already. I am dying to go home and set it all up. Maybe by tomorrow, I can tell you how that is going. Love you all. Happy Valentine’s once more.

new tech junkie

As of yesterday, plans are “definitely” in effect to refurbish my house. Since it is winter, I cannot say that we have been doing anything too exciting or interesting. I did order an iPod through the Apple store in Japan yesterday, but that is proving to be a bigger mission than they made it out to be. They have told me twice they would send me confirmation emails and I have yet to get one. First, it was set to arrive on Thursday, and now they say Monday. At least it is being shipped to my door and I got a 10% discount for being a teacher (Education Discount). I have been downloading music nonstop after deciding this was what I was going to buy. I am now very anxious to receive it. Let’s see how it goes. In addition, I bought an external hard drive so I can store backup of all the media and other files that I have without clogging my laptop’s foreboding memory. I was surprised that I was able to buy a hell of an external hard drive (160 GB – my laptop is only 20 GB) for less that $150.

If any of you out there have any suggestions for downloads, let me know. I am also hoping to get a boost in my music supply from our neighboring ALTs (Laura and Jill, specifically Jill) who have a big music supply.

As an addendum to my entry, I would like to mention that we saw Gone with the Wind last nite. Let me tell you that we did not even start watching it till like 80 minutes into it and it still seemed like the longest movie ever. Furthermore, I did not find it that interesting. Now that I have that off my chest, I think it is safe to end this entry.

Truly ShIT (Shakespeare In Training)

So as you know, I have been rehearsing English plays with my kids non-stop for about one week straight. Well, I will have you know that despite the complications, they did great. I seemed to be the only person to really screw up. I will begin by telling you that I had to be at work on a Sunday at 9:00 AM. I felt like if I had been run over by a truck for some reason. I am guessing it is because I did not sleep that well. When we arrived, I was welcomed by very nervous Japanese men informing me that 4 of the Kishira Elementary school students were deathly ill with the Influenza (this is what they call even the slightest of colds). One of these students just happened to be the student that was set to do the “self-introduction” a large feat by any means for Japanese speakers of their age. Luckily, one of the boys (who had learned lots of English from the time that he lived in Okinawa) was still coming so I coached him upon arrival. He did great. I am excited that he will be in Junior High next year. However, at the time of the performance, I got really nervous because they kept on telling me to speed it up and “do overaction”. So, I began to speak a bit quickly and do obscenely big gestures. This resulted in me going on with my part and speaking over two tiny speeches by two 3rd grade girls. I felt really bad and could not stop apologizing. As for “Let’s Go To Florida” performed by the Junior High students and myself, it was a success until I messed up a Japanese word during my monologue at the end. The students kept on telling me “Come on, don’t feel bad” – a line from their English textbooks – which made me think that the word that I said instead meant something bad. So, I panicked a bit but they reassured me that it wasn’t anything bad.

Some other highlights of the weekend include going to Kaz’s house for some dining and drinking on Friday evening. It was lots of fun and we stayed up till about 5 AM. Kaz actually missed the ping pong tournament she had to go to at one of her schools the following day. Who schedules Ping Pong tournaments to begin on a Saturday at 8:30 AM anyway? On Saturday, I recuperated for a bit before going to my eikawa’s welcome party for me. It was hosted by my Kacho’s brother. His Uchinoura house is amazing. He had it built 10 year ago and it is a full-fledged Western 2-story house with a huge 3rd floor attic. The dinner was really nice and I tried some sushi that I had not tried before like sea urchin and some salmon eggs. It was a bit difficult for me to do the salmon eggs because they are actually orange, see-through, little sacks of unborn fish that pop in your mouth as you eat it.

The Combini Chronicles

Yesterday I was surprised by the blizzard that engulfed Uchinoura. As I was sitting at my desk staring into the computer, I was alarmed by the gasps coming from the office lady. Suddenly, everyone was off their seat and staring at the window. Feeling a bit left out, I did the same and uttered a hearty “su goi” (meaning awesome or wow). You could hardly see out of the window because of the snow that was blowing about. At times, the wind would stop and snow would just simply fall (like it does in all the Christmas movies). I journeyed to my school by car, it being my first time driving in the snow. From school, I continuously looked out the window to see the snow fall and cap the mountains that surround Uchinoura. Apparently, it only happens about once a year here in Uchinoura, but I can say that I have had my fill.

Yesterday I rehearsed “Let’s Go To Florida” with the Uchinoura Junior High School students. They aren’t amazing, but then again I am only amazing some of the time. Therefore, I think it is quite forgivable, don’t you? In any case, I think it will be somewhat interesting for the Uchinourans to watch on Sunday.

For the following portion, I will relate to you the first (of probably many soon to come) account of the Combini Chronicles. I guess it won’t be so much as a chronicle but more of a descriptive study of the joy and strangeness of Combini Culture. For those of you who don’t know, combini is the Japanese word for convenience store. Yesterday, probably for the second time, I found myself leaving my car running as I went inside to get my morning coffee and pastry. Here, EVERYONE leaves their car on (with no one inside) as they go into the convenience store (or grocery store). It usually takes more than 5 minutes, so I really don’t understand why they don’t just turn it off. And, when I said I got my morning coffee, it is not what you think. It is a small 6 oz. can of sweetened and “milked” coffee that is usually kept in something that looks like a cooler but is really a heating device. So, these (metal) cans of coffee work as good makeshift hand warmers for the minute before you drink it – enough for you to get blood running through your finger tips again. There are over 20 brands or kinds of coffee – THEY ALL TASTE THE SAME. On occasion, I get the Georgia or Harvest coffee. If ever I feel the need to be more manly, I drink the “Men’s” coffee. As a side note, there are tons of things that are labeled “Men’s” because it seems that Japanese men are not allowed to like anything that is slightly sweet or tastes good.

Well, I gotta go. I have to write an article for a PTA newsletter that the parents should be getting before the end of the school year (March?).

Let It Snow

Today it is snowing. As I was driving through the mountain passages on my way to work, visibilty was low due to the snow that would continuously splatter on my windshield. People have been announcing this for about a week now, so I am glad it finally happened. Perhaps now, everyone can begin agreeing with me saying that it is cold rather than how warm the day is. If they tell any of you this, don't believe it. It is and will still be cold.

As for yesterday, I was a bit disappointed in myself that I could not run. My head was hurting. I cannot pinpoint the pain. It is more of a general pressure. It comes and goes and has been doing so for the last couple of days. However, today I will jump right back on the wagon. You should see Cristina. She is doing great. She is already doing around 6K.

As for yesterday, I went to my more distant, smaller elementary school, Kishira Shogakko, to rehearse the play we have to do rehearse in front of the big wigs on Friday and perform on Sunday. Let me tell you that the teachers are getting a real kick out of giving me many Japanese lines that I find really hard to remember. Then again, I really have not given it much effort. I will do my best and will probably shine when the time comes. (Don't I always?) Besides rehearsing at this school with 3rd - 6th grade (~10 students), I did a quick lesson with 1st and 2nd grade (~10 students) and played with them some dodgeball. It is getting really funny because I am teaching them little moves that are supposed to strike fear but usually only result in hilarity. My favorite is when they have just dodged a fast ball from the opponent and they have to get up, grab the ball, and then point to the opponent that threw the ball and glare at him or her and say, "Be careful." Anyway, I have to get going. I am still rehearsing my lines.