*cough*
Since this is more or less going to be an “一週間 Recap” (”Isshukan Recap,” or ”One Week Recap”), I can only offer my sincerest apologies for falling off of the Blogging Wagon. Things have been more hectic than usual. I can only promise that I will strive against the forces that keep me from sharing the juicy tidbits of The Last Year. I continue to ask for your patience while I figure out how to be both a writer and one of my town’s Foreigners in Residence.
Now, groveling aside, let’s get on with it, shall we? \(^o^)/
Thursday ~ 木曜日
So, this was an elementary school day. I taught the first, second, third, and fourth grades, and so things were a little more frantic than they usually are at that school. The hectic pace was in part due to the Sports Festival preparations, which was really what was occupying everybody at the school.
My school-related memory from this day happened during recess, when the first year teacher (The Hippie) wanted me to stay and watch her class practice one of the events that they were going to do at the sports festival. Unfortunately, she hadn’t cleared this request with the rest of the student body, and the practice got completely disrupted by students rushing the first year classroom in the interest of:
a) talking to me in English
b) talking to me in English and getting stickers
c) redeeming puzzles and/or newsletters for stickers
d) sitting on my lap and generally antagonizing anybody who tried to do a, b, or c
(This was My Little Monkey’s one and only goal.)
This was all complicated by the fact that the student from Wednesday’s dance practice (I shall henceforth call him DJ Ozma Jr.) was completely beside himself the entire day with wanting to talk to me about dancing and wanting to practice the dance together. He made me promise that from here on out, we will always practice the dance at least once during recess on the days that I’m at the school. My Little Monkey is, as always, my little monkey, and so he insisted on clinging to me as I tried to do this dance. What’s funny about this situation (aside from the visual) is that My Little Money understands the nickname “My Little Monkey” (at least to some degree), and he likes it. So he walks around calling himself “Little Monkey” and he uses it to justify why it’s okay for him to latch himself onto my back whenever the whim strikes him.
Thursday was also significant because I went out to dinner with The Supervisor, The Other ALT, and The Other ALT’s mother. TOALT’s mother is a really sweet lady, and it was a great time. The Supervisor was also particularly entertaining, and it was just a great dinner.
Friday ~金曜日
Friday was, of course, the day for Friday’s elementary school – also known as The Insane Asylum. How crazy was it? I’ll tell you. It was so crazy that by the end of the day I was sick of hearing people say my name. In fact, I started to dislike the sound of my name so much, that I began to resent my parents for giving it to me. I became convinced that it was too easy to say, and that this is why the children kept using it. I began to pine for a longer, more ridiculous name that would make the children pause long enough in contemplating its pronunciation for me to escape and do things like, oh, I don’t know, use the restroom. Or swim to New Zealand – any place where there would not be rooms full of children demanding rewards for making efforts in a foreign language.
I love my job. But sometimes, it’s a little intense.
One thing that was entertaining about the day, though, happened when I first arrived. I was walking into the school when one of my sixth graders ran up to me and asked if I could spare a few minutes to play dodge ball with him and his friends. I had some free time, so I told him I’d be right out.
The thing about dodge ball, is that (generally speaking) Japanese children love it. Julie, however, does not. My aim is pretty good, but I’m just not very quick and so I’m a pretty easy target. [Although in my defense, part of the reason that I'm not so quick is that I'm a lot bigger than the children, and so I'm constantly worried about falling on them (they tend to crowd around me when we play)].
My lack of skill is pretty legendary at this point, although I didn’t realize how well known it was until I was on the court and noticed that the skilled players were actually positioning themselves to protect me from the ball. Luckily, they quickly realized that it was better for me to be out and trying to hit the other team’s members from the sidelines, and so I was soon able to contribute to the greater good of the team. Still, I’ll never forget that moment when I saw the students lining up to cover me, and how much it touched (and amused) me.
This day was also noteworthy because I think I managed to make peace with a teacher that I’ve had, not a bad relationship with, but a very odd relationship with for the past few months. We had a really good class together and shared numerous jokes throughout, so I think that things may be back on track. Hooray for keeping the peace at work. (*.*)
Oh, yes, and I almost forgot. In the evening, I went back to my middle school and did a two and a half hour class on relaxation techniques with the other female teachers and some of my students’ mothers. Part of this class involved giving each other foot massages, which was both surreal and a bit difficult. It was surreal, because I never thought I’d find myself laying on the floor of the gym while the science teacher rubbed my feet. It was difficult because I am an extremely ticklish person, and the effort of trying not to laugh (or kick the science teacher) did not exactly help to create a calming atmosphere. Still, I did learn a few things and it was great Japanese practice if nothing else.
Saturday ~ 土曜日
This was my Nagoya day! The morning started out with a lovely train ride, a trip to Starbucks, some shopping at Gap, and then a trip to my hair stylist (who has recently been voted one of the best stylists in Nagoya). Since moving to Japan, I’ve been to see him 13 times. This means that not only does he know me (and my hair) quite well, but it also means that I’m two appointments away from being a VIP member! (I have no idea what this will actually get me, but hey, it’s VIP!). After the appointment, I did some shopping and then eventually headed back home.
I always like going to Nagoya because it’s nice to have a day away from my town and, really, the entire prefecture of Mie. In Nagoya, although I’m foreign, I’m not the only foreigner and so it’s nice to be able to blend into the crowds for once. I can just go and do my thing; I don’t have to worry about my behavior or my purchases getting back to the parents, or my Board of Education, or my school’s principals. This means that running away from people who want to practice English or buying alcohol = OK!
I think this feeling may be the general effect of The City, and I enjoy it. I enjoy the sense of freedom, independence, and general well-being. It’s something that is most definitely present at the salon, too, which is one of the reasons that I keep going year after year. (Well, that, and the fact that my stylist is one of the most awesome. people. ever. He’s lived all over the world, is a semi-professional boxer, has his own band, and is the father of one of the CUTEST KIDS that I’ve ever seen in my life.)
Sunday ~ 日曜日
My second sports day of the year! This one was held at my Thursday elementary school. I got up early and made rice balls for the staff, and then arrived at the school around 6:45. On the way to the school, I stopped off at the convenience store to buy my usual bottle of water. When I went to pay for it, one of the nicest things happened.
I tend to frequent this store at about the same time every day, and so more often than not I encounter this one particular clerk. He’s always struck me as being a stoic sort of gentleman. He’s polite, but he rarely deviates from the Official Clerk Script, and always says the exact same thing to me when I enter the store, when I pay, and when I leave. A couple of weeks ago, I made him laugh because I bought iced coffee instead of water (he couldn’t help but comment), and then once I didn’t go into the store for two weeks and he asked me about it when I finally returned.
When I went to pay for my water on Sunday, though, he looked me right in the and said (with the most amazing, natural accent) “May I help you?” and then after the transaction he followed up with: “Have a nice day!” The effect that this had on me is almost impossible to describe. I was elated. Overjoyed. Touched. Tickled. Enchanted. I’m not sure what his motivation was for doing it. He could have always had an interest in English, he could have been trying to cater his services to my particular demographic, or he could have just been in the mood to do something different. Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, I found it to be a thoughtful and lovely gesture. As I was driving away, I thought to myself: “You know, even if I go to the sports festival and get shot, I’m still going to say that this was a good day.”
Luckily, I did not get shot at the sports festival. There was a mild instance of embarrassment in the afternoon, but since it actually caused me physical pain (long story, I’ll recap it some other time), my school was quick to apologize and help me out. So, in the end, I was right – it was a good day.
Monday ~ 月曜日
That injury that I mentioned from Tuesday? Yes, I spent the day on the couch resting and watching The Colbert Report recovering. Thank goodness for days off.
Tuesday ~ 火曜日
This was the day of the second dinner party that I’ve hosted in Japan, and this time it was for My Japanese Sister and her family. It was a slightly more toned down affair than the previous dinner, but it still took me most of the day to get my act together. We had a couple of frightening culinary moments, but things turned out remarkably well and I now know how to make an apple pie with a shortening-free crust. No transfats ~ hooray! Also, my apartment is now clean and I appreciate that.
I think that, specifically, the moment from Tuesday that I want to hold on to was the moment when they walked inside of my apartment. It’s the first time that they’ve been here, and I really enjoyed the feeling of welcoming them into my home. I liked having them see the furniture, the artwork on the walls, the dishes that I cook with. I liked talking to them, hearing what they liked about the food, hearing what their plans were for the rest of the week. It was, quite simply, a lovely feeling of being a part of something and bringing together different parts of my life – my Japanese family, and my home in Japan.
And that, generally speaking, is what’s been going on over the last week or so. It’s now Wednesday here, and I have today and Thursday off from work. Today, I have the task of trying to catch up on other bits of correspondence that have fallen by the wayside over the last week, and then there’s dance practice in the evening.
Still, as busy as things have been and as awkward as it is to try to juggle everything the same time, I’m content. I sense that I’m doing what needs to be done, and I’ve been enjoying myself. Even those moments when the children crawl on my back or make me hate the sound of my own name, I know that I’m lucky to be here.
“If I could make these moments endless
If I could stop the winds of change…”
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