More thoughts...

So, yesterday for about an hour (out of the 9 hour work day) I ventured out in the hallways to meet students. Imagine that. It was so exhausting! I think that is because I have to speak English very slowly and clearly and from meeting many students. I think they get a kick out of hearing themselves speak English. They don't seem too phased when I attempt to speak Japanese...but they think it is really funny when I say "hello" or "hi" to them.

Yesterday I went to the Intermediate Hip-hop class. It was a little more difficult than the beginner one from last week...mainly because they had already been working on a dance for awhile. I plan to go to hip hop one to two times a week.

Today was the school festival. What is that exactly? Still not entirely sure. First we bussed the whole school to Harmony Hall, a concert hall. There were many performances from brass band, to womens chorus to koto ensemble with shamisen guest performers to theater, to high school guys in skirts. I was very tired by the end because of all the Japanese but some things like music and guys in skirts transcend language barriers ;-) We came back to school and got food at booths (we had pre-purchased tickets)...I ate onigiri, chicken, shaved ice and frozen pineapple on a stick. Then there was a fashion show...and later in many of the classrooms there was some activity or display. The most interesting was the human version of that arcade game where you hit the alligator when it pops out. I also bought some hand made soaps by the JRC (Junior Red Cross?) club where the benefits will go to an AIDS organization.

So remember that I said I would dance for the teachers performances? Well I was telling one of the staff at the school I didn't have the costumes and she showed me today a makeshift costume she made me. It was a nice gesture but more inauthentic (is that a word? I know, sad, b/c I am an English teacher). This should be interesting.

On the front page of the Daily Yomiuri...the Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda stepped down from his position...after less than a year. This also happened to his predecessor Shinzo Abe. Hmm...all these political elections going on.

Also, there was an article called "Excuse Me, But I'm From Ohio". It was talking about how many people think there is nothing in Ohio but cornfields and they get it mixed up with Iowa and said that people there don't take risks...but did you know the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, Toni Morrison, John Glenn and Sarah Jessica Parker are all from Ohio? You should check out the article if you have time...