Japanese Mysteries

On my way home from a kotatsu delivery yesterday, traffice slowed to an inexplicable pace nearing the high school. Slowly, we inched up the hill, all the while wondering what was going on? Must be a car accident with looky-loos unable to control themselves. Inching further forward, and no sign of flashing lights. Still wondering, still inching... And then, there it is. Hakusai!! (for those not aware, a kind of Chinese lettuce) Scattered all over the road. Smashed and smushed and half run over. And on the side of the road, a grandma with a basket darting in and out of traffic to try and rescue what she could.

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At a school festival today, I watched small children perform bizarre little skits, forget lines, sing, dance and perform in the dark of the elementary school gym. Then, I caught a glimps of the toque the elderly fellow in front of me was wearing. "No, that can't be what it says. It's dark, he was moving -- I misread it." More singing, dancing, and still watching out of the corner of my eye to try and catch another glimpse of the patch on the front of his hat. "No!!! Seriously? That can't be right... No, it really does..."
What did it say? "Bitch Skateboards." Yeah baby, bring it.

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Finally, at the same school festival was a young girl with these classic words emblazoned on her shirt, "Catch up with the man."

I wonder what she thinks you should do with the man after you catch up with him...

Mish Mash Splish Splash

On my way home from work today, I passed by one of my grade two students. She was 'skipping' along, but skipping feels like a word that is lacking in it's descriptive qualities. She was leaping from foot to foot, with her arms swinging out far and wide to the sides and over her head. Inhibitionless, that's the way to be.

Devil's Eyebrows

I have a 2nd year boy who has perfect devil's eyebrows. He does nothing to them, being too young to care, they just grow that way -- arching out into a point just enough outside of the centre to give him a constant appearance of mischieviousness. I can easily imagine him with horns and a tail, or even with a villian's curling, drooping handlebar moustache hiding his intentions, with a black top hat casting shadows over his eyes as he leers and laughs at the young heroine tied to the train tracks in front of him. All this, and he is only 6 years old.

Howler Monkeys

I have never actually encountered a howler monkey in real life, but I have a feeling I have heard what can be best described as a fairly accurate imitation of its call. A girl in one of my 6th grade classes can be heard on numerous occasions screeching around the school grounds. During class even, should she get a little too excited, she can be found trying to break glass using no tools other than her voice. And I think she believes I am joking when I start to cower and press my hands up against my ears.

Pomp and Circumstance

It has been a week full of torturous graduation practices, held in an unheated and uninsulated school gym, standing in the back wearing a jacket while trying to keep my hands warm by drawing them as far up my sleeves as I possibly can. Why don't I just jam them in my pocket? I'm not allowed, nor are the students. And despite the cold the pervades your bones and makes your fingers hurt, I think I am the only person who has caught a cold from this.

Certainly is making me look forward to tomorrow, when no one will be allowed to bury themselves in their winter jacket. I especially pity the outgoing 6th graders, as they will all be dressed in their finest, which, if last year is anything to go by, doesn't include much in the way of sweaters or warm layers.

I have to admit to feeling a bit sad to see them go, as they will be my last graduating class, and over the past two years, I have gotten to know them all fairly well. I will be losing Dumpling, Anta Dare?, my fellow year long oni gokkou partners, my cohorts in bean fighting, as well as many others who could always make me laugh. But I can't help being happy for them, which seems to go against the whole mentality of graduation ceremonies here, where the main goal seems to be to try and make as many people as possible cry as often as possible. But then, I suppose I could be an aberration of sorts as I don't really remember being saddened by any of my graduations, rather delighted to be done with whatever it was and moving on to the next.