Halloween Touring

Last weekend was the big event -- combination of the infamous Yonago Halloween party and the more sedate but no less fun Touring rally round Niimi.

Having gotten all my music sorted and decided with a couple of days to spare, I was left with the eternal dilemma -- what to be? Once again, I decided I had to wear the boots, seeing as how opportunities to do so in Niimi are few and far between, and that is as far as I got. I coupled it with my favourite and only leopard print cowboy hat and a smashing red shirt which works well in my favour and decided to go as a woman with a theme song. The theme song? "Hot girls in good moods" by Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites. Who needs a costume when you have a theme song.

The party this year ended smashing all previous records as 205 people attended, as much for the booze as for the music and dancing. There were a variety of clever costumes, from my favourite fallen Mormon to our hated North Korean president, to a flamenco dancer, a sexy and furry black cat, a pirate with a penchant for mascara, a white faced monster, a cute army captain, and on and on and on. My favourite Mormon, being the generous fallen soul that he is was good enough to treat me to dinner before the party, which was made even better for the company, followed by meeting up with more friends too long not seen. The music rocked, the venue was packed and favourite peoples abounded -- really, what more could I want from a party? Maybe not having to drive back to Niimi after, but that was my choice which also led to more fun.

Sunday morning's touring rally round Niimi with my two-meat sated navigators -- they feasted on yakiniku the night before, not really taken with the veggies so much as one might hope. The weather was gorgeous and has been for weeks. I have this fear that winter is merely hiding and laughing waiting the perfect moment to leap out and snow me under. We got our maps, which were barely that, and set off on our meanders around Niimi, losing roads and finding others, no arguing but lots of laughing and very little speeding. Each stage was followed by some kind of quiz or activity, and of the three I have discovered that I have a lot to learn when it comes to ground golf, a curious cross between golf and croquet. Hopefully I will do so before the tournament on November 19th...

Oh, and by the way, my lovely navigators, Datte and Ikeda Kun, and I managed to win the rally by a single point, despite constantly losing at rock scissors paper.

Stressing and De-Stressing

Go to work. Laugh and joke with the staff. Bite my tongue at another school. Bring it home at the end of the day. Spend a couple of hours planning lessons for the next day, the next school. Sorting out supplies and materials. Look in my wallet, and decline the dinner and party invitations. Scrounge supplies and cook dinner with whatever I can find. Listen to some good music. Worry about studying, without actually doing it. Cook some dinner, wash some dishes. Find some time to do laundry. Talk to my neighbor and listen to her complain about work and life in Niimi. Go for a jog. Enjoy a hot shower. Try to avoid the assault of the kame-mushi which seem to be out in droves this year -- apparent predictors of heavy snowfall come winter. Get up early and race out to meet everyone for a volleyball tournament. Attempt not to laugh out loud during opening ceremony while Kishi-kun stands in front of me, sending sidelong glances and quietly laughing. Get scolded by a friend behind for the obvious repressed laughter that has my shoulders shaking. Win a couple volleyball games, lose a couple. Chatting with Tama-chan about last night's okonomiyaki, and how I should meet her parents. (I hope this isn't a reversion to people thinking I am gay again? Seriously, just cause someone doesn't date much...) Joining a 70 person long single line "wave" as everyone cheers for the most unsportsmanlike team who ends up winning the tournament. Line up, once again ending up behind Kishi-kun during closing ceremony, who makes me withhold my laughter once more, but this time my scolding friend behind joins in. Listen to stories in the car about poor Kuma-chan while trying to catch up on some sleep. Getting caught not sleeping when the conversation takes strange turns and I burst out laughing. Wedding and marriage discussions while someone listens intently without trying to seem so. A declaration from me that there is no way I am going back in a different car, as I don't even want to imagine what they will discuss if I am not here. A perverse keyboard that doesn't have a warm and friendly relationship with the letter "V." Volleyball practice that goes reasonably well. Getting better and feeling slightly more confident, but still don't know exactly where I am supposed to be and when. Plans made for a nabe party on upcoming culture day with the boys who make me laugh in return for the takoyaki fest of a few weeks ago. Cycles about town in an attempt to save on gas, get up off of my ass, and get a better look around. Halloween party preparation. Listening to hundreds of songs in an attempt to make a set that will keep me happy. Laundry -- when the hell am I going to get that done? Cleaning, sure, let me call my maid. And people wonder why I don't invite them oer more often. Snow tires and my lack thereof, accompanied by stories from all my schools about how impassable routes to 3 of my schools will become in a month or so. Chatting with missed friends in Yonago about weather, work and wellness. Partaking of some homemade 梅酒 acquired from a friendly teacher. Enjoying some gorgeous fresh veggies from someone's garden. Munching on some delicious Frankenstein-sized grapes, a 名物 of Niimi. Worrying about how I have been out of touch with people I love for far too long. Wishing I had more time to read, but getting home too tired to care. And now? Who knows...

Yet Another Month Under the Rising Sun

Well, I have to admit that things are fairly hopping in Niimi, at least as far as I am concerned. Nevermind the daily grind -- the fun that accompanies visiting a multitude of schools who are all studying different things -- my social life has been quickly filling up my free time. What with having joined a couple of volleyball teams and softball teams (although the softball team and the soft volleyball team are now finished until next year) as well as taking part in some of the enkais that accompany such events, attending various sports days (without the make-up day off everyone else gets as I am very cleverly scheduled around everyone's holiday) and the enkais that accompany that, takoyaki parties and nabe parties, and soon a carnival and a DJ gig to boot, I am hoping for a moment to catch my breath.

I have to admit that alcohol is at the root for several of these events, agreeing to participate as I did after consuming a plethora of screwdrivers, however it has introduced me to a variety of fun people who I am looking forward to meeting again.

A curious thing about Niimi though -- nearly everyone is married. No, this doesn't mean I am looking, but certainly compared to Yonago where very few of my friends were married, here nearly everyone I meet has taken the plunge or is desperately hoping to, which means many conversations venture in that direction. Perhaps they thought there was nothing else to do? Or maybe there is something in the water? Or are they afraid of letting a reasonably nice person get away? Who knows, but I am now being asked to describe things like my ideal man and my dream wedding, and when I reply that I haven't really put that much thought into those things (God's honest, I really haven't) there is a moment of shock and disbelief before some comment about how, "isn't marriage every little girl's dream?" bursts forth through shocked expressions. And no, these people asking me these questions aren't women but men, as the friends I have made are primarily married men...

Who knows where these conversations will continue to lead, but I have to admit to feeling sorry for Kuma-chan, one of those friends who is searching for a wife to be with little luck, which is leading to conversations about him and his stories when he is present and isn't. Poor guy, and no, I am not interested, which instead of flat out saying, "no, really, you just don't do it for me" and hurting his feelings, has resulted in me relying on my lack of free time as an excuse. (I could totally find the time if I were, but I am not...)

So Very Hisashi...

In the past couple of weeks, I have been going out and about to a variety of schools, forgetting names, working too hard trying to make some decent supplies, playing volleyball, forgetting to study, making nice with the neighbour's kids, chasing random bugs and frogs out of my house, and not getting enough sleep.

So far, the schools are good -- I have enjoyed meeting the students and the staff for the most part. Although, yesterday, I almost got the feeling that one of the teachers at a very small school I visit (11 kids, 2 teachers) was angry at me because Niimi has decided to implement an English programme in all their schools either next year or the year after. She seemed to be complaining without complaining about how busy the teachers all are, and how the curriculum is no longer being followed in a lot of places, and how the curriculum they have is the one that was set out by the Ministry of Education (I would just like to point out that the curriculum is a suggestion, not required). All this in response to my asking what sentence we should use with vehicles for the 5th and 6th grade class. I thought that, "I'm going by --." would be good, provided it were logically following a class where the students covered something like, "I'm going to --." and suggested that perhaps the order could be adjusted a little, especially since the students will be studying directions in November...

This was taken as if I had intended it as a personal front, as well as being accompanied by her own belief that perhaps English, or things about English were too hard for kids. And her own daughter grew to hate English, as the teacher in her daughter's school went too fast through things without checking to see that the kids understood, nor did she translate anything into Japanese. Foolishly, I replied and said, "Well, I am a different person, and I do try and check every once in a while that the kids understand what it is I am going on about. But I also think that if you translate everything into Japanese, the kids will merely wait for that, rather than relying on their own abilities, and it is not necessarily a bad thing to use English in English class so that the kids can get used to it."

After my foolhardy response, she continued on about the fixation Niimi has with offering English in the schools, how there are only classes every 2 weeks at her school, and other things that I faded out on (I really do appreciate how I can just fade out og the J-go sometimes, although it isn't always by choice). I may have agreed to something inadvertently, but I don't know what it is...

Volleyball has been fun. I have only been twice so far, last week Friday being the first, and people seem pretty friendly, but they aren't nearly as easygoing and relaxed about it as was suggested to me originally. They were almost scary, which made me very very glad I had not agreed to join the serious team. Last night was slightly less scary, although I did make a block on a spike that felt like it could almost have broken my hand. It is however leading to a softball game Thursday night, provided it doesn't rain, and an enkai next Saturday with a bunch of other "circles." Looking forward to it...

Cooking Craziness

Friday night, after a brief stop Manabi Niimi to make use of free computers and internet, I went grocery shopping. At the first grocery store, I bought some veggies and meat, but what with the prices being too high on various items, I stopped at one a little closer to home to pick up my missing supplies. And during the jaunt about the second, I saw other things the first didn't have, or that were cheaper than the first, and again stocked up. Which led to me having too many groceries -- it really is true; you shouldn't go grocery shopping when you are hungry (by the by, I think I ended up having leftovers for dinner on Friday night). Which led to me having a very small fridge stuffed to the brim with all kinds of fresh groceries which I realized as I unpacked them that I would never be able to eat all of before they went off. Which led to last nights frenzy of fantastic foods.

No, I didn't eat them all, but I did cook them all in a 3 hour culinary coup. I was very impressed to discover that I do in fact have enough pots, and merely confirmed my awareness that I don't have enough counter space. After poring through both my English and Japanese cookbooks (I do love my English cookbooks, but sometimes the ingredients are impossible or prohibitively expensive to buy, which leads to my salivary glands being taunted, and thus I went out and purchased 4 or 5 J-go cookbooks, and spent an afternoon going through kanji and words I didn't already know), I settled on my menu. I ended up with 2 kinds of curry, ratatouille, my very own Chinese stir-fry, and the insides for some fajitas. Spread out over my counter in a variety of pots, bowls and fry-pans, I then proceeded to bag or package it all up to shove in the freezer for consumption at a later date. At least 19 meals... And it leaves me with a couple of meals to be consumed in the fridge, as well as a bunch of displaced chocolate -- ah, poor chocolate.

Feeling very satisfied with myself, and a little curried as every time my hands come near my nose, I catch whiffs of curries and garlic and other delicious ingredients.

Yum. Damn, I am pretty good at this whole cooking thing sometimes...

Computers Anyone?

I wasn't planning on being here today, yet I am. In a fit of frustration I have realized that I need a computer if only to be able to do my job. 7 schools and 42 classes and all kinds of different curriculums are a little difficult to keep track of with only scraps and bits of papers floating around. Anyways, I ended up in the computer hiroba tonight as I needed to send some inquiries about supplies to the company and feel guilty doing it from the school, especially since I will only be there maybe 4 times a month. I don't want it to look like I am glued to the computer all the time...

Almost off Hiatus

But without regular and relaxed access to a computer -- at least not until I buy myself one -- the hiatus may continue in intermittent spurts or long pauses. Who knows...

Anyways, the new house is fabulous (again, excepting the toilet, but whatever as I got a toilet for my birthday from the fabulous Elle s'appelles and Cheap Haji which means no more squatting!! Woohoo! A bottle of wine was cracked in celebration and the toilet was soon christened), it's only the neighbours that could drive me to distraction. The bugs that find their way in and I have no idea how... I am actually sort of longing for the winter freeze which will force them into hibernation.

The new town (technically, it is a city, but who are they kidding??) is pretty good as well. I have been enjoying the air conditioning provided by my neighbouring river, as well as the cycling around and checking things out.

The job is the only thing I am not sure about yet -- 7 schools has me pausing. The teachers are fabulous however, going out of their way to talk to me or hunt me down some suitable olleyball teams to join -- one was found; a team of 20 - 30 year olds who like to drink and aren't too serious about the game, whom I shall meet as soon as I manage to hunt down the gym. And the kids I have met so far are lovely and eager and shy, so it will be interesting and challenging I think. Excited and experiencing a little trepidation...

Off to aisatsu the BOE now, so sayonara!

Hiatus Again

Well, as I am about to move house and am leaving my current job (to be unemployed and unpaid for at least a month -- very exciting), I will be unable to post until at least September, so please, check back then and see if I have managed to survive on canned beans and mango juice...

Perverse Retribution

Possibly owing to my claiming you could drown in the humidity we have been experiencing, the weather has decided to try and drown us all in earnest. It hasn't stopped raining for a couple of days really, and seems to come down harder nearly every time I step outside or am about to. Fortunately today we were also blessed with a little thunder and lightning to liven things up and make me wish it were already nighttime, and I was home in the dark with a glass of wine enjoying the storm.

Happy Home

I found my new home, and quckly declared it such, much to the surprise of the real estate agent. Located as it is by a river and a rice field, with only 4 other homes on the street, how could I say no. Venturing inside up to the second floor, we quickly opened all the windows and encouraged each other to stick our heads out and enjoy the gorgeous breeze while the bewildered agent looked on in disbelief. We ran up and down the hall, opened all the cupboard doors and skipped across all the tatami floors while trying not to bounce our tall heads into the low ceiling. All the while, I kept saying, "Yes, here. This is where I want to live!!" I will even be able to get past my indoor outhouse which will be my toilet (there has to be a reason why rent is only 45,000/month for a 4K house). Yes, I am very much looking forward to living there and have been slightly more energized in my packing since discovering it.