Positive Vibes
Positive thinking is sometimes difficult for all of us. Being British, and inherently cynical, the job can be that much harder. Recently, I have been a touch grumpy with life and daily events. It's not Japan, or work, or my friends, I don't know what it is, but I've just been acting a bit like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh of late. However, today is different, today I'm happy. Just wanted to tell you why.
1, I'm going to China tomorrow! Me and four other ALT's are flying to Shanghai and then going on to Beijing. We'll be in China for a week ad I'm looking forward to seeing the sights, eating the food and going to a new country.
2, Cristin got a job in Japan! I'm very excited to hear that Cristin got accepted to teach in Japan by GEOS. She starts in July/ August and I can't wait to share my time in Japan with her. She's going to be a great teacher, I'm sure of that.
3, My P.E. classes are great! I have to admit that in my second P.E. class I was cursing myself for doing something as stupid as exercise with young kids full of energy. I am definately enjoying it though. I tried hudles for the first time yesterday and really enjoyed it. I did pretty well and I'm looking forward to the next class already. It works out that I should have one or two P.E classes a day, bring on the exercise!
4, I can speak more Japanese! In the past two months my Japanese has really improved. I found the most effective way to improve my confidence and vocabulary was to sit in a pub for hours chatting to people. The people Genki work with are lovely and always try to teach me new words and explain conversations. If I want to get my sentence and particles better I have to study, and my Japanese is still quite pants, but I'm using it more than ever now. That makes me happy.
5, My parents came to visit! It was lovely to see my parents, we all had a graet time. It's always reasurring to see someone from home, and my parents especially. We did lots of sightseeing and chatting and I was sad to see them leave for Kyoto. I'll write more about their visit when I return from China.
These are the reasons I should be smiling and many more. It's easy to get down about small events and situations in your life. I have a tendency to get wrapped up in my relationships and become consumed by insecurity and paranoia that reaches it's fingers out and makes everything else seem bad. It's a foolish way to be though, I'm lucky to have everything I do here, and so from today my grumpiness wil be reserved for extreme circumstances only. I'm also sorry to the island ladies who've had to put up with any moaning!
Life is what you make it!
For those feeling slightly ill by the positive nature of this entry, don't fear. Something bad did happen this week. Maggots keep crawling up though my toilet and I'm very very scared that when I return my house will be infested with flies. I'ev seem three so far. Stupid Japan toilets....(small tiny sulk)
A typically British update
There is nothing particularly eventful going on in Kamigoto at the moment, or maybe there is but with not being able to read a newspaper, I wouldn't know. The only news I do know is that today is very windy and the waves are so big the ferries have been cancelled. There is also talk of nuclear waste being buried here in order to bring more money and jobs to the area. I strongly oppose this and have been discussing the options with my teachers when I can. Maybe I'll start a petiton.
Today was a very typical day, though I did start P.E. class which was great. I did feel slightly weird about having to sit on one of my students feet while they did sit ups, though I think she felt just as strange about the whole thing as I did. I have two P.E. classes next week and I have to do hurdles. I've never done hurdles and I have images of myself lying in a crumpled heap cursing my return to school organised exercise. I spent lunch break in the library with my san nen sei students trying to do magic eye (which I have no talent for these days) and seeing how much hiragana I can read.
My parents are currently visiting for a week. It's lovely to have them both here and I'm excited about our trip to Nagasaki on the weekend. It will also be my first trip off the island for maybe three weeks and I'm looking forward to the break. I love it hear of course, but we all need a change sometimes.
Sexy for Summer died a quick death when it became evident that we are all either too busy, poorly or lazy to meet up and scrutinize each others weight loss. I still feel the initiative was a positive thing as I've lost 11 pounds since it started, removing myself from the 'clearly obese' catergory and into the 'just a tad fat' bracket instead. I still have a good 14 pounds to shed before I reach the 'could be deemed as normal weight' category. I've given up any hope of ever reaching the 'very thin and sexy' grouping...I've become a realist these days.
I have a Japanese boyfriend who's maybe as much use as a chocolate teapot. I'm not entirely sure how much longer I'm going to be with him but he's very pretty, and I'm fickle like that. He says some wonderful things to me. The most recent converstion that springs to mind follows;
Genki: If you are an animal...you would be (pauses and thinks). I know, I know, you would be that long creature, like a snake but thin and smaller. It doesn't have a face.
Me: A worm?
Genki: I don't know what it's called in english. Its pink or green and it crawls.
Me: Lives in the ground? Doesn't like rain? Birds eat them?
Genki: Yeah, yeah, thats it.
Me: A worm.
Genki: Yeah, you would be a worm (proceeds to do an impression of a worm by pulling the skin on his face tight and wiggling)
Me: Great...
This reminded alot of my conversations with my shogakko students (thats primary school). Though the impression of the worm did make me die laughing. Problem is, I want a man who can do a funny impression of a worm...but also discuss sociology history and politics with me. Obviously not at the same time, that would just be bizarre, seperately is fine. Am I asking for too much?
On a final note, the weather today as been fine, but windy. It looks like it may rain later but fingers crossed it's clear tomorrow as my parents are being driven round the island. I'm starting to believe it will never be hot again and that the exceptionally hot summer from last year was a figment of my imagination.
Ta ra
Welcome Party!
Last night was the welcome enkai (party) for my base school and though I'm not currently sat here with a hangover (unlike some other teachers) I am very very sleepy. I've had to get up twice and go for walks outside so I don't fall asleep at my desk. The enkai consisted of 3 parties, the first was the civilized dinner and drinks. I shocked myself by eating most of what was put in front of me. This time 8 months ago I would not have touched the raw fish, grilled fish, strange vegatables or the funny textured unidentified part of a fish thing. Now it seems so normal I'm beginning to wonder what I'll do when I go back to the U.K. I still could not face the dried fish, shrimp or fish eggs though..there are some things I will never be able to stomach.
After the first party we came to the time where people spilt to either go home or move on to party number two. I should have been more aware of what was going on when I was ushered outside and in the direction on Kocho sensei's house, but I was hoping I was wrong. I soon realised that I was the only female teacher to have gone to the second party, people never tell me they are going home! I often find that as the only female without a family I have no reasonable excuse to dart off early. I have to admit I initially felt slightly grumpy that I'd have to sit and drink beer and listen to them talk but then they got out the sake (a special Japanese drink) and it was strong and delicious. With such strong alcohol around the teachers started to get alot more lively and interesting. There was a great deal of singing, and people teaching me Japanese, which I like! Hara sensei (the music teacher) then insisted we go to karaoke, so I could sing 'Bridge over troubled water' with him, and again I was dragged to the third party by the hardcore drinkers. We all must have had quite alot to drink because by the end of the night we were all dancing! I decided to sing "5,6,7,8" because I'm sad like that, and was shocked that the teachers knew it, and danced to it! This is the first enkai where I've been jumping and dancing around the snack bar. Even the new maths teacher (who looks alot like Ryan, my old university teacher) was grooving on down. I was deeply amused! I love this snack bar, the 'moon half'. Some snack bars are just a little bit seedy, drunken teachers and office workers can go and spend the evening talking to pretty women who pour their drinks. I tend to go to those snack bars with my other school. The 'moon half' is more comfy and relaxed, and the staff are normal friendly people. It may not be as shiny as some of the other snack bars, but it feels far less seedy.
I managed to escape at midnight by getting Genki to pick me up. I have another enkai tonight, in which I meet my new JTE for the first time, so it should be exciting. I'm not going to all the parties this time though, at least I don't intend to!
