Now when I write Japan seems less strange… which is strange.

Now when I write, Japan seems less strange… which is strange.

September 15th until September 21st

“I was looking at his myspace … so … his space?”
Yumi’s incredible English never ceases to amaze me. This month she told me I was the “only gaijin she trusts”… which felt less Donnie Brasco and more kindly and sincere in person. Dinners with her have become less “dinner with my Japanese friend who speaks really good English” and more “dinner with my amazing friend.” For that I am thankful.

In other news at Honjo Jr. High School, Mr. Notani (noted Japanese teacher of English/live-action cartoon) is also a secret opera singer. He practiced singing with some of the students for the up-and-coming culture festival and nobody could hold back their amusement for his strange yet carrying vocal abilities. When a 3rd year finally said “Notani-sensei, umai!” (Mr. Notani, you the bomb-diggity) it was settled.

These days my incredible abilities as a dusty AET have increased to that of a pronunciation coach, which I so enjoy. Correcting the r/l/th/d/t sounds is my true calling, surely. However, it’s nice to get to know my misfit 3rd years at Ine a little more as I coach them for their 暗唱 (recitations, I think) at their culture festival. I can see the absurdity wash over their face as they pronounce “man” (like Stan) instead of “man” (like fawn). But you know what? THAT’S JUST HOW ENGLISH IS DEAL WITH IT. Kaai has proven to be a fun person to coach yet again for this year’s recitation contest. She really GETS what she’s saying and takes direction well. She is really a fabulous kid, and I hope she gets to travel extensively after working so hard in school so she can practice her English and have European love affairs!

As for my own participation in the Culture Festival this year, it fortunately involves NO KIMONO and NO SELF-INTRODUCTION. If I have my way, I will never wear a kimono again. That aside, I have compiled a large poster of a years work of my shuji from my first calligraphy attempts like 日本(Japan) to my latest attempts like 運転免許(driver's license) ／紫陽花 (hydrangea) etc. They look OK. At Ine JHS I am being forced to participate in the teacher’s 劇 (geki, or play). I have two lines in Japanese and I play the fisherman’s wife (the fisherman being played by the aging science teacher, what a catch!) I think I’d probably rather die than be in this play, but I suppose deep down it’s nice to be included. (That’s a lie.)

The later I stay for these recitation contest, recitation practice, teacher play practice, busy-in-general afternoons… I start to really wonder, “do these students ever go home?” The answer is no. Home is the enemy. Spare time is for communists. Family love and time spent together bred the Holocaust. Thank the kami-sama the Japanese know better. That only sounds bitter because it was written bitterly.

Adding to that, I am a bit bitter. Not in an actual way, but in a way that most 2nd year AETs probably get. There’s only so much time you can spend in Japanese countryside saying “wow Japanese culture is SO DIFFERENT – they eat so much seaweed and rice and they take their shoes off OFTEN! And look how small and cute they are and how hard they work!” Yeaaaah that’s so over. The droning, grizzled “good morning” in the office… the busy-bee teachers what swarm around me, the unknowing, uncaring (OVER-PAID) English fixture in the corner. The pay is starting to feel heavy with guilt. So very heavy. But knowing that I want to do a good job helps and knowing that I want to go on to do this as a real job and not a made-up half-job is inspiring as well. Soon enough, Rachel, soon enough.

The bitterness was interrupted when I was slicing up paper to make elementary school karuta (a game where kids smack each other in the face to win stickers) and a suzumebachi (big EFFING bee) flew through the window and into my face. I was physically thrown back. I think they weigh as much as a tonka truck and are a bit more frightening to be hit in the face by. I survived, and I think the giant bee did as well. Good times. You know, cuz it could have killed me. This brings me onto my next bug story – the biggest moth ever. I can’t believe how large moths can grow. I had one much larger than my hand land on my porch window. I wish I had taken a picture because it was totally awesome to look at. I also have no idea how it got through SPIDER VILLAGE™ (蜘蛛村) that was secretly built outside my 2nd story porch when I least expected it. At least 5 giant spiders live out there and their webs cascade like a mosquito net of terror across my balconey. I should start charging admission or rent or something. Mooching spiders.

Other than that, things like sports festival, hanging out in Yagi and up in Ine with people, playing dominoes, drinking a lot of rum, and enjoying the new bed that I finally bought have been good additions to my life this month. I apologize, I think that was the longest sentence ever.

Compiling and distributing the Ganbatte Times (a newsletter for the JET people in the prefecture) has given me something to do during my spare time at school or at home. I’m pretty excited about it being a monthly item on my ‘to-do’ list. I am even more excited that high-speed internet is coming to my small town in December.

FINALLY. FI-NA-LLY. OH. MY. GOD. I won’t even go into how much of me has died without the capability to communicate over video chat, watch movies/TV online, or do anything that I had become accustomed to in my last decade spent in the US and Europe. Anyway, yay internet! Let’s hope they are not lying.

That’s all for me. And all for the rice. It has been harvested, now the ground is sad and brown and bracing itself for the cold that we are overdue for. My sweaters are armed and ready.

Cake Party!

I went to my shuji class, where I normally talk to my awesome Honjo JHS kids and paint kanji poorly! But today was the cake party!

I hung out with Kamitsuji-sensei (my calligraphy teacher and the mother of one of my students) and we chatted a bit before my kids came in. It was all the 2nd year boys (Takanori, the Yuukis, Mahiro), then Kaai (my wonder girl at English), Hitomi (a little first year girl) and Toshiki (a disgruntled/awesome 1st year boy).

Then there was CAKE! I only managed 1.5 pieces... but Masaru (a short 1st year boy) showed up from nowhere and ate 8 pieces of cake! I couldn't believe how these tiny kids could pack away sugar! Although I suppose 13 year old boys are the same in every country.

I also had good English conversations with Kaai, who is so fabulous at English. Her English is 10 times better than my Japanese... and she has only been leraning for a year and a half and lives in Japan. Way to show me up Kaai, thanks a lot. Kaai says things like "I like Christina Aguilera, but her hair is look crazy! Britney Spears is crazy too, yes?" Hahahahahah.... oh my yes.

I also found out that Kamutsuji-sensei breasted/raised one of my 3rd years (besides her own daughter). It apparently is quite common for Ine/Honjo mothers to up and leave their kids behind. I don't know where they go, but they certianly don't stay. It's pretty sad.

The day was awesome though. I heart Christmas in Japan.

Good day at Honjo jr. High

So today was a good day at school, and in fact it was such a good day at school I didn't want to wait to write about it in my weekly academic digest (though after the past few entries, it's more of a drinking diary...)

I went to Honjo today. It was a rough morning in that I was exhausted from kimono class last night. Kimono class this week was better than the last, in that I felt less panicked and pressured to do things correctly (in fact I couldn't care less because I don't need it to be perfect, the novelty of owning and wearing a kimono is really enough for me). So that was nice! And it was fun running around in kimonos with Desi and Rizzu as per usual.

Although I didn't get back until 11 or so and then I had to get ready for school the next day (bother).

We started the day with an assembly that I stood/slept through and didn't understand. It was about 10 minutes, booooring. Then because it was Kenta's birthday (a 3rd year) we had a birthday party for him! We played ping pong for 1st period and then had pineapple sorbet! It was yummy and I lost badly to Kenta at ping pong, but it WAS his birthday. Then I talked with the math teacher, Ohta-sensei about ping pong and air hockey. The music teacher, Miyajima-sensei joined us as well and she was TERRIBLE at ping pong, so it was kind of hilarious to watch her scramble around in knee socks and hit the ping pong ball at random corners of the gym.

With the 3rd years we did a conversation class. They had to write out questions on a question hand out and talk with me for 10 minutes in groups. It was a lot of fun. The first group just kept asking the girls if they liked the boys and if I liked basketball or baseball better. They weren't too responsive when I asked them questions though, laaaame. But they understood me and I have decided to speak at almost normal speed/slang with them. They understand much more than they lead on, and they're off to high school soon (tear) so I gotta school 'em good before the other JETs get my kids! The second group was hilarious though. They were the more adventurous speakers and were asking funny questions like "Have you ever told someone 'I love you?'" and I said "Yes! My mother"! And they were all, "boooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" so then I turned the question around on them and everyone started giggling because young Saori (the daughter of my calligraphy teacher) apparently told Yuta (the stud muffin of 8th grade) that she loved him when they were in 4th grade. Yuta then turned around and said "whatnow?" and every girl started giggling. I have a feeling things haven't changed much for Yuta and Saori. Or I could be making up gossip to make my own life more exciting. All the boys said with bravado that they had not said that to anybody. And then they asked me if I liked basketball or baseball better. Sigh.

For the 1st years we got to draw monsters. The game was "how many...?" So they would draw ridiculous monsters with 3 eyes and 5 noses and 16 ears and so on. Then they had to ask each other about their monsters and try to recreate them without looking (which is impossible, mostly). So it was fun fun draw/giggle time and I got to harass them about asking in ENGLISH and coached them and then screamed at them to draw FASTER FASTER FASTER! It was fun!

The 2nd years were soooo hyperactive today! I had to teach their class just after lunch, you see. So they kept giggling to mimic MY laughter (which is normally obnoxious but today I thought it was funny) and they had to write telephone scenarios. "Hello, this is BOB is ARNOLD there?" "Hold on a minute" and so on. They were making up funny names like Mr. Shoe, Sea, Jhonn Smisu (my fave) and much much more. I told someone how to spell a word, and used "M" and he made fun of me the rest of the class!!! Emmmmmm! EMMMM!!! MMMMMM!!! instead of the usual katakanaenglish "emmu" which is more correct. What do I know? I just speak the language. He had to go first. It was justice. We also gave them a daily word quiz. They giggled at the word "sad" and I will never figure out why they like it so much!!! They also think the name Carlo is hilarious. Although it is, when you pronounce is "Karuro". Hehe, Hispanics.

I also coached a girl after lunch on her speech for the recitation contest. I'll be damned if she doesn't walk away with one of the top 3 prizes. There was hardly anything for me to correct, and I have to help her the rest of the month??? I'll just start teaching her limericks instead.

Anyway I'ma go home and enjoy FREEE TIIIIIME... or just fall asleep watching Halloween movies.

Also it's autumn all of a sudden! I am whipping out the jackets, boots and sweaters and I feel like I could dance around singing about the leaves changing and the chilliness in the air! They didn't have it in Los Angeles!!! Even when it was cool, it was never CRISP. And so now everyday feels like Christmas and I couldn't be more excited not to live in California!