A lot happens in little time...

(These pics are just from when I was biking around the city).


I know I said that I would post once a week but since it is still the beginning of the year I have a lot of thoughts in my head...enough to keep me awake at night. Speaking of which, I can not seem to fall asleep at night. I think of every possible topic from the work I will do at school the next day, papa, excitement about Yuki coming, all the activities I want to do, wondering how friends and family are back home, thinking about money, etc. I even think about the little boy from Ju-on. It's a scary movie that takes place in Japan that I saw a few years back. I know I sound weird but right after I turn off the lights he pops into my brain. Maybe it is because I have never lived alone?!

So, the school buys The Daily Yomiuri which is an English newspaper in Japan. I've never been one to really follow what is going on in the world every day but it does give me something to do and it's in English! I mostly read about the upcoming US election. I find it interesting that McCain chose Palin as his running partner. I wonder if he did that to get some of the women vote. And every article I read has to say Obama is black. Really? It is monumental and all but does it really need to be said in every article? I think that Obama does a great job of bringing people of all different backgrounds together, whatever color. Writing as a biracial person I think a lot of people forget that he is also part white? I know the one drop belief goes way back...I'm just rambling. I am also thinking of my friends in St. Paul while the Republican National Convention is going on because probably in some way they will be affected (won't be able to eat at a restaurant b/c it is only opened to the convention, traffic, working extra hard - i.e. John's Pizza Cafe, etc.)

So, yesterday was the welcome ceremony. Before the actual ceremony was a school cleaning where all the students clean the school. I think it gives them pride in the school and their work and also motivation not to make a mess. I decided to get out of my bubble (desk in the teachers room) and walk around the school. One girl was carrying 6 rolls of toilet paper so I offered to help her. She was carrying them fine but for some reason when she only had 3 she dropped one of them...I think she was shocked and a little confused...Who is this strange person? Why are they speaking English to me? Why do they want to help me?

Then at the time of the ceremony I gave a short speech in Japanese for the whole school. It was over fast but it was surreal while the Kocho-senseii or principal was introducing me I was looking across the gym at the whole school looking back at me and was in a brief state of disbelief: Am I really in Japan? How did I get here? After the speech throughout the day I saw students and a lot more than usual said hello or konnichiwa or some kind of greeting. It was nice because now they know who I am instead of this strange person around the school. After school I was downtown and there were a few students from my school (you can tell because all the uniforms are different) and they were whispering...I think trying to figure out if I was the same girl who gave the speech earlier that day. I didn't say hi, I should have. But you know, it's weird. You know when you are a kid you think teachers aren't human. Like if you see them at the grocery store you think...They eat? Maybe you don't think this but I did...and now I am the teacher on the other side...very interesting...a change of perspective.

Also during the school day I talked with one of the English teachers that I will be team teaching with for three classes. She has two classes she said are very motivated and one that is not and doesn't really like English. Well, guess what, that class is my first class of the term so hopefully I'll have energy to make them love English! he he...

After the school day I did a little shopping. Going to school on a Sunday threw me off so I didn't know what day it was but downtown there were people who were obviously getting off of work. Maybe there isn't the same concept of weekend here as there is at home...someone joked that Japanese teachers don't have weekends but I did hear that they work hard but they can play hard as well. So anyways, went shopping...went to the CD store. Man, they are expensive. I paid about 5000 yen for two CDs...let's say roughly 50 USD. Here, though, I heard you can rent CDs. I see why...

Today I have been at school but went home for 2 hours so a rep from the gas company could come and fix my stove (one side didn't work). Well it was interesting b/c in Japanese class I never learned gas vocabulary. And it is sort of an important thing not to burn the house down...so I ended up having the rep call the school so at least they knew what was going on. Long story short, Japanese apartments are typically unfurnished but mine did come with a stove so someone from the real estate office came in, brought another one...it didn't work. They brought another one...didn't work, or so we thought. They have batteries so we tried it and it worked. But during the time we were waiting I was just making conversation with the gas co rep. It was interesting b/c he spoke about as much English as I speak Japanese so we got by with what simple things we could say.

Tonight I need to go to SoftBank my phone company to sort out my plan. It should be interesting but if all fails, they do have an English help line. It is nice that many things are in English so it helps but then I rely on them instead of trying to learn Japanese (for example, reading a train schedule).

So tomorrow we have another day of school festival preparation (where I sit at my desk and plan lessons). On Wednesday and Thursday is the actual school festival and on Friday is sports day. One of the teachers asked me if I would like to participate by performing at the school festival...I guess many of the new teachers are. So I wasn't rude and so I could try to be involved in the school activities (and thus be a part of the community instead of the foreigner) I agreed. I think they were surprised that I said yes. Anyways I volunteered to dance folklorico. As many of you know this is what I love and miss very much. But it might be quite funny because I don't have any costumes here in Japan. Un-authentic, I know.

I decided that I will visit Rachid in Morroco in December. It was a recent decision that I am very excited about. I will take nenkyu which is paid vacation. We have 12 days but I have heard many Japanese teachers use any of them. But being the foreigner that I am I will take advantage of that part of the contract ;-).

Here's my stab at a haiku...
Japan, here I come
Foreign, yet so familiar
Home, where the heart is

And the word of the week is "Sugei"...I have heard it a lot. "Sugoi" kind of means Wow but I guess the new hip term is Sugei . When you use it you have to use a lot of expression and enthusiasm in your voice...