Monday, September 8, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Ashikita and Oita
Just a few pictures, I will add more later. New post as of 9/7 under these, so check it out!
Soul Diving
Wheeeeeeeew, what a weekend.
Currently, I am sitting in the comfort of my apartment that is mostly clean, listening to Damien Rice, AC on, full belly, and a head full of who even knows. Mostly memories.
Well this weekend we went to the Oita "waterslides", which were more of waterfalls. It was absolutely gorgeous driving up to the falls, and it just so happened we were in the world's largest volcano caldera. We were surrounded on all sides by the outer crust of the mountain, and vegetation so green you could almost taste it. Parts of the mountain looked as if the green had been peeled away, revealing the rocky, brown mountain underneath it. As we wound up the curvy mountain roads and into the dense forest I could not help but try to wrap my mind around the fact that I am basically living in a tropical jungle. It was just one of those days where I had to take a look around and think, "Wow, I am LIVING in Japan. Japan". I feel it more those days than any as we make our way to the beauty Kumamoto has to offer. I try to believe that it is real and I am here as the moist air sinks in my skin and the air is filled with the sound of cicadas and crickets, making it sound just that much more like the jungle.
Although it took a while to get to the falls, it was every bit worth the drive. Not only were the falls breath taking, but the forest around it was stunning. We were surrounded on all sides by giant trees and the sound of the water and I could not have felt more at peace. As we climbed up to the top part by the falls I felt like I was somewhere I had visited only in my imagination time and time again. But this time it couldn't get more real. We climbed up the slick rocks to the highest part next to the falls where the only way to get to the water was to jump off the rock. It was probably about 25 feet tall and I was filled with memories of cliff jumping in Hawaii and the extreme rush and exhilaration I felt from jumping off a cliff into the ocean. We threw our rented mats into the water below us and soon followed them in as fellow bystanders cheered us on. The water was cold but refreshing and I immediately felt at home. I stayed in the water above the falls swimming around and exploring for a long time, I could have stayed all day. I climbed up a little ways on the rock wall underneath the giant falls and jumped back in, and then I decided it was time to ride the mat down the smaller falls. After watching some people I tried myself--the trick was to keep your feet up and hold onto your mat for dear life. So that is what I did and somehow I made it to the bottom in one piece. It was amazing so of course I had to do it again.
The second time down I wasn't so lucky. I lost control after I flew over a big jump and fell back and landed straight on my tailbone as I proceeded to fly down the rocks the rest of the way on my back. I laid in a small pool of water before getting up, knowing the rocks were against me. The rocks at the bottom are covered with moss so even when you know you need to be careful, you will still fall. It's all in slow motion too, so as I stood up I could fell myself falling again, but there was nothing to grab onto so you just have to go down hoping you will land softly. Which usually isn't the case, but at that point there is nothing you can do by laugh it off. Needless to say I am a bit bruised, but ok! I have a sore tailbone, but I sure don't regret it.
After a fun (and painful) day at the slides a group of us went into a small, traditional restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious Japanese food cooked by four old ladies as we sat on tatami and drank tea. After we ate we of course had to stop by the next small shop to get ice cream. We then drove to an onsen, making our way back down the mountain. This onsen was a little different than the other ones we've been to, it was all natural, so the spings were outside and there was no bathing before going in. It was really cool because the river ran right by them and you could go for a dip in the river if you were getting too hot. Which is exactly what I did multiple times, sometimes even spotting the boys making their way up the river as well. When that happened we would sort of wave while we tired to hide. While we were soaking the the relaxing water, it began to rain and it gave a very calming feeling. Listening to the river as we soaked in hot water in the middle of a forest as rain sprinkled on our heads was just what I needed after a day of swimming in waterfalls.
After that we made our way back to civilization only after almost hitting a wild boar that ran in front of Talia's car. Of course we ventured to no other than KFC for dinner. Not only did they have delicious chicken, but they also had an English speaking worker and the nicest bathrooms I had seen all day! After almost four hours of travelling both ways I was ready for bed when I finally got home. But not before a Skype date with my buddy Lauren! So that was really good.
Today I got up and did some more cleaning and then met the other ALTs so we could go to a traditional Japanese theatre or "The World of No and Kyougen". We watched a show about two young apprentices, Taro and Jiro who loved drinking sake so much that they got in trouble by their master for it. This piece was comical and although I didn't understand what they were saying, I could figure most of it out since they gave us a general overview in English beforehand. The second show of "No" was a little bit slower paced about a lady who danced with her "Hagoromo" or shawl for about 45 min. It was a bunch of dressed up guys singing and banging on drums with painfully slow movements. I found this show a good time to catch up on some much needed sleep. After the performance, a group of us went to 'Joyfull' to get a Denny's style Japanese dunch (dinner/lunch. Duh). I got a burger only I think it had mayo under the cheese and there was no bun in sight. It was good though and it was nice to be able to relax and chat with friends.
I then rode my bike home when intentions of going shopping, but instead got sucked in by the internet so then stayed in after that since it is dark. And when it's dark there might be giant bugs lurking. Actually, the good news is that I think I am ok with the bugs at night outside now! I have been able to ride my bike home after social gatherings at night with no issues, so hopefully that issue is solved.
This week is going to be a long one I have a feeling, but I have a Matsubase dinner Thursday and then our 'gun' dinner on Friday night in the city. So let's hope that gets me through a painful week of broken English and confusing Japanese. I need to plan a lesson for tomorrow actually so I should get on that.
Until next time, carry on good people of the world. Carry on.
Currently, I am sitting in the comfort of my apartment that is mostly clean, listening to Damien Rice, AC on, full belly, and a head full of who even knows. Mostly memories.
Well this weekend we went to the Oita "waterslides", which were more of waterfalls. It was absolutely gorgeous driving up to the falls, and it just so happened we were in the world's largest volcano caldera. We were surrounded on all sides by the outer crust of the mountain, and vegetation so green you could almost taste it. Parts of the mountain looked as if the green had been peeled away, revealing the rocky, brown mountain underneath it. As we wound up the curvy mountain roads and into the dense forest I could not help but try to wrap my mind around the fact that I am basically living in a tropical jungle. It was just one of those days where I had to take a look around and think, "Wow, I am LIVING in Japan. Japan". I feel it more those days than any as we make our way to the beauty Kumamoto has to offer. I try to believe that it is real and I am here as the moist air sinks in my skin and the air is filled with the sound of cicadas and crickets, making it sound just that much more like the jungle.
Although it took a while to get to the falls, it was every bit worth the drive. Not only were the falls breath taking, but the forest around it was stunning. We were surrounded on all sides by giant trees and the sound of the water and I could not have felt more at peace. As we climbed up to the top part by the falls I felt like I was somewhere I had visited only in my imagination time and time again. But this time it couldn't get more real. We climbed up the slick rocks to the highest part next to the falls where the only way to get to the water was to jump off the rock. It was probably about 25 feet tall and I was filled with memories of cliff jumping in Hawaii and the extreme rush and exhilaration I felt from jumping off a cliff into the ocean. We threw our rented mats into the water below us and soon followed them in as fellow bystanders cheered us on. The water was cold but refreshing and I immediately felt at home. I stayed in the water above the falls swimming around and exploring for a long time, I could have stayed all day. I climbed up a little ways on the rock wall underneath the giant falls and jumped back in, and then I decided it was time to ride the mat down the smaller falls. After watching some people I tried myself--the trick was to keep your feet up and hold onto your mat for dear life. So that is what I did and somehow I made it to the bottom in one piece. It was amazing so of course I had to do it again.
The second time down I wasn't so lucky. I lost control after I flew over a big jump and fell back and landed straight on my tailbone as I proceeded to fly down the rocks the rest of the way on my back. I laid in a small pool of water before getting up, knowing the rocks were against me. The rocks at the bottom are covered with moss so even when you know you need to be careful, you will still fall. It's all in slow motion too, so as I stood up I could fell myself falling again, but there was nothing to grab onto so you just have to go down hoping you will land softly. Which usually isn't the case, but at that point there is nothing you can do by laugh it off. Needless to say I am a bit bruised, but ok! I have a sore tailbone, but I sure don't regret it.
After a fun (and painful) day at the slides a group of us went into a small, traditional restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious Japanese food cooked by four old ladies as we sat on tatami and drank tea. After we ate we of course had to stop by the next small shop to get ice cream. We then drove to an onsen, making our way back down the mountain. This onsen was a little different than the other ones we've been to, it was all natural, so the spings were outside and there was no bathing before going in. It was really cool because the river ran right by them and you could go for a dip in the river if you were getting too hot. Which is exactly what I did multiple times, sometimes even spotting the boys making their way up the river as well. When that happened we would sort of wave while we tired to hide. While we were soaking the the relaxing water, it began to rain and it gave a very calming feeling. Listening to the river as we soaked in hot water in the middle of a forest as rain sprinkled on our heads was just what I needed after a day of swimming in waterfalls.
After that we made our way back to civilization only after almost hitting a wild boar that ran in front of Talia's car. Of course we ventured to no other than KFC for dinner. Not only did they have delicious chicken, but they also had an English speaking worker and the nicest bathrooms I had seen all day! After almost four hours of travelling both ways I was ready for bed when I finally got home. But not before a Skype date with my buddy Lauren! So that was really good.
Today I got up and did some more cleaning and then met the other ALTs so we could go to a traditional Japanese theatre or "The World of No and Kyougen". We watched a show about two young apprentices, Taro and Jiro who loved drinking sake so much that they got in trouble by their master for it. This piece was comical and although I didn't understand what they were saying, I could figure most of it out since they gave us a general overview in English beforehand. The second show of "No" was a little bit slower paced about a lady who danced with her "Hagoromo" or shawl for about 45 min. It was a bunch of dressed up guys singing and banging on drums with painfully slow movements. I found this show a good time to catch up on some much needed sleep. After the performance, a group of us went to 'Joyfull' to get a Denny's style Japanese dunch (dinner/lunch. Duh). I got a burger only I think it had mayo under the cheese and there was no bun in sight. It was good though and it was nice to be able to relax and chat with friends.
I then rode my bike home when intentions of going shopping, but instead got sucked in by the internet so then stayed in after that since it is dark. And when it's dark there might be giant bugs lurking. Actually, the good news is that I think I am ok with the bugs at night outside now! I have been able to ride my bike home after social gatherings at night with no issues, so hopefully that issue is solved.
This week is going to be a long one I have a feeling, but I have a Matsubase dinner Thursday and then our 'gun' dinner on Friday night in the city. So let's hope that gets me through a painful week of broken English and confusing Japanese. I need to plan a lesson for tomorrow actually so I should get on that.
Until next time, carry on good people of the world. Carry on.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Can I have some of your homemade bread?
I think it is extremely ironic that I never liked school and I was never even that good at it and somehow I ended up being a teacher where I spend every waking minute of my life in one. Hum, I don`t know what went wrong there. I guess I felt like I could reach out to those poor souls like myself that do not like sitting in a classroom all day and listening to people blab. I would just make them listen to ME blab and that would make it all that much better. Riiiight.
So here I am after my first week of teaching the cute, quiet, studious Japanese students. HA. Hardly. They exhibit NONE of those qualities. It's a damn shame too because I was really ready for some tame classes after last semester. Oh well, maybe it will build character...?
I will give the quick rundown: some classes are loud, some are shy, teachers arent too big on discipline, they have extremely low levels of English, they all wear uniforms, one of my schools has only 60 girls, they seem to enjoy looking at pictures of my life, they have no idea what I`m talking about, I have no idea what they are talking about, it is going to be a long year.
So there`s the rundown. So far I have just given them my introduction "I am Jes-si-ca, and I am from Co-lo-ra-do in Am-er-ic-a" *show beautifully drawn picture of me and a colorado flag with a lovely colored pencial drawing of a sunset and mountians* "I enjoy sw-im-imm-ing" *show terrible picture of me trying to swim*. And then I pass around pictures and they look at them and say things I am not sure I even want to know. Sometimes I think they are semi interested, but a lot of them could care less about English. It's times like these where I feel really bad for my Spanish teachers. I`m really sorry for constantly humming in the back of your class and making you paranoid, Mr. G. I am also sorry I feel asleep on a constant basis. And Mrs. Campbell, I am sorry I never stopped talking. Now I understand why I never could speak Spanish.
Luckily I have Japanese teachers in the classroom for translating and discipline although I have yet to see the latter. Usually they just hit them on the head lightly with a piece of paper and kind of laugh... Here are some things the students have managed to tell/ask me in broken English:-Nice-a to meet you
-Cute-a
-Ahh vewe beautiful
-Green? Pointing to my eyes and when I say yes a resounding `oooo!`
-`Do you a have a boyfriend?` Or my all time favorite `Are you married?` And when I said no, he told the other teacher in Japanese that it is ok that I am not married since I am still young. I was releaved, I am glad I got the ok from him.
-`Do you like-a prona-gra-fiee?` in which I should have responed `No, do you?` But I was in so much amazement he knew such a big word that I just shook my head and asked how he knew it. Apparently his English only conisisted of those four words so that is as far as our discussion got.
-And of course they are all amazed with my ear piercings.
I kind of feel like a celebrity but I dont know if I am a good one or a bad one because whenever I walk by students in the hall I hear nanni nanni (blah blah in Japanese) Jeshika nanni laugh nanni. So who knows what they are saying about me but I am the talk of the town apparently. I can say they are all very respectful when it comes to greetings. The Japanese way is to spend about two hours total in a day saying `good morning`, `hello`, I'm sorry, excuse me, please, excuse me for leaving before you, I`m sorry to disturb you, thank you, etc. No wonder they stay at school so late.
So at my all boys technical school they sell bread and other delicious pastry-like treats. I am a sucker for those kinds of things especially when I am hungry and its not lunch time. I am going to have to do something about that pronto. Like only bring enough money for the train. Or practice some self will power and limit myself one every two weeks. It`s going to be a struggle when I pass it everday. I will have to stick to my rice for now.
As it is Japanese tradition, I brought presents for all of my teachers to school this week. I think presents are a great thing, but I am awful at giving them so hopefully living here can make me better. They were all very pleased with their gifts and I think whatever I can do to make them happy (since I don`t speak Japanese) will be good! I plan on bringing something back after every trip I have gone on, so far I am two for two!
This week has gone by surprisingly fast, I think it is because I am acutally doing something during the day and not just falling asleep at my desk while trying to learn Katakana. Literally my head almost hit the desk because I fell asleep with my hand on my chin and it slipped. I think it will be much better now that I can do things. I need to start thinking of my next lesson to teach, so I am sure that will keep me plenty busy.
Tonight I am going to go buy some candy for the kids because if I learned anything in student teaching it is that you can never have enough candy. I also need to buy another pair of indoor shoes. These shoes are literally slip on sandles they wear over their socks. For some reason they walk really noisily in them and they are just plain stupid looking. I know they dont care because that is the way it is and everyone wears them, but if I had to be honest I think its quite silly that we have to take off our shoes before entering the school. Just one of those things that I will never understand. After I get my shoes I am going to do some things around the house, and when I say house I mean apartment, and when I say apartment I mean my room and my sink. Then I think I am going to meet Shanno at the gym so we can check it out and do something active. We shall see how that goes.
I have actually been good this week--I ran twice, did the pathetic excuse for weights in my room and on Monday I even got to swim! So I hope I can go again although I rather doubt it since the kids are swimming in there now. I will find something sooner or later. I hope I can keep something up like that.
Then tomorrow, I am going to go to school and then jump for joy like a little school girl because its Friday and I will be done for the week! Saturday we are going to water slides up North as well as another onsen. Sunday I will be going to a traditional dance festival thing in my town after having lunch with the ALTs that are coming over here to watch. And of course the time consuming task of laundry and cleaning my room/house will be in order. Someday. I swear there is a bug in my hair. This is really annoying. The bugs here are utterly disgusting and I am fascinated by them for some reason. When I pass a giant spider I have to stare at it in disgust as I walk away from it. I stand outside the apartment and look up at the overhang in horror because every night when it gets dark there is a spider festival. Instead of running into my house as fast as I can I just stand a watch them for a good couple of minutes. Then I make sure none are dropping on my head as I go inside. They tend to keep to themselves and since the giant beast attack of `08 I have not seen one in my house. KNOCK ON WOOD. Oh please knock on wood! My heart can`t take much more of those surprise attacks.
Another thing my heart wont be able to take much longer is the dreadful heat. I hate the humidity and I cant wait until it gets cooler so we can all live peacefully. I guess these people are about as peaceful as it gets, but I dont feel peaceful one bit. I feel rageful. Only until I am comfortable in the nice, cold air conditioning will I be at peace. And it turns out most people dont like keeping the AC at 16 degrees celcius. I guess that is just a tad bit chilly, but oh do I think its nice. Thanks for tuning into the weekly update at blogspot and join me next week for a riviting story of the happenings in town!
Cheers! Or I should say, Kampai!
So here I am after my first week of teaching the cute, quiet, studious Japanese students. HA. Hardly. They exhibit NONE of those qualities. It's a damn shame too because I was really ready for some tame classes after last semester. Oh well, maybe it will build character...?
I will give the quick rundown: some classes are loud, some are shy, teachers arent too big on discipline, they have extremely low levels of English, they all wear uniforms, one of my schools has only 60 girls, they seem to enjoy looking at pictures of my life, they have no idea what I`m talking about, I have no idea what they are talking about, it is going to be a long year.
So there`s the rundown. So far I have just given them my introduction "I am Jes-si-ca, and I am from Co-lo-ra-do in Am-er-ic-a" *show beautifully drawn picture of me and a colorado flag with a lovely colored pencial drawing of a sunset and mountians* "I enjoy sw-im-imm-ing" *show terrible picture of me trying to swim*. And then I pass around pictures and they look at them and say things I am not sure I even want to know. Sometimes I think they are semi interested, but a lot of them could care less about English. It's times like these where I feel really bad for my Spanish teachers. I`m really sorry for constantly humming in the back of your class and making you paranoid, Mr. G. I am also sorry I feel asleep on a constant basis. And Mrs. Campbell, I am sorry I never stopped talking. Now I understand why I never could speak Spanish.
Luckily I have Japanese teachers in the classroom for translating and discipline although I have yet to see the latter. Usually they just hit them on the head lightly with a piece of paper and kind of laugh... Here are some things the students have managed to tell/ask me in broken English:-Nice-a to meet you
-Cute-a
-Ahh vewe beautiful
-Green? Pointing to my eyes and when I say yes a resounding `oooo!`
-`Do you a have a boyfriend?` Or my all time favorite `Are you married?` And when I said no, he told the other teacher in Japanese that it is ok that I am not married since I am still young. I was releaved, I am glad I got the ok from him.
-`Do you like-a prona-gra-fiee?` in which I should have responed `No, do you?` But I was in so much amazement he knew such a big word that I just shook my head and asked how he knew it. Apparently his English only conisisted of those four words so that is as far as our discussion got.
-And of course they are all amazed with my ear piercings.
I kind of feel like a celebrity but I dont know if I am a good one or a bad one because whenever I walk by students in the hall I hear nanni nanni (blah blah in Japanese) Jeshika nanni laugh nanni. So who knows what they are saying about me but I am the talk of the town apparently. I can say they are all very respectful when it comes to greetings. The Japanese way is to spend about two hours total in a day saying `good morning`, `hello`, I'm sorry, excuse me, please, excuse me for leaving before you, I`m sorry to disturb you, thank you, etc. No wonder they stay at school so late.
So at my all boys technical school they sell bread and other delicious pastry-like treats. I am a sucker for those kinds of things especially when I am hungry and its not lunch time. I am going to have to do something about that pronto. Like only bring enough money for the train. Or practice some self will power and limit myself one every two weeks. It`s going to be a struggle when I pass it everday. I will have to stick to my rice for now.
As it is Japanese tradition, I brought presents for all of my teachers to school this week. I think presents are a great thing, but I am awful at giving them so hopefully living here can make me better. They were all very pleased with their gifts and I think whatever I can do to make them happy (since I don`t speak Japanese) will be good! I plan on bringing something back after every trip I have gone on, so far I am two for two!
This week has gone by surprisingly fast, I think it is because I am acutally doing something during the day and not just falling asleep at my desk while trying to learn Katakana. Literally my head almost hit the desk because I fell asleep with my hand on my chin and it slipped. I think it will be much better now that I can do things. I need to start thinking of my next lesson to teach, so I am sure that will keep me plenty busy.
Tonight I am going to go buy some candy for the kids because if I learned anything in student teaching it is that you can never have enough candy. I also need to buy another pair of indoor shoes. These shoes are literally slip on sandles they wear over their socks. For some reason they walk really noisily in them and they are just plain stupid looking. I know they dont care because that is the way it is and everyone wears them, but if I had to be honest I think its quite silly that we have to take off our shoes before entering the school. Just one of those things that I will never understand. After I get my shoes I am going to do some things around the house, and when I say house I mean apartment, and when I say apartment I mean my room and my sink. Then I think I am going to meet Shanno at the gym so we can check it out and do something active. We shall see how that goes.
I have actually been good this week--I ran twice, did the pathetic excuse for weights in my room and on Monday I even got to swim! So I hope I can go again although I rather doubt it since the kids are swimming in there now. I will find something sooner or later. I hope I can keep something up like that.
Then tomorrow, I am going to go to school and then jump for joy like a little school girl because its Friday and I will be done for the week! Saturday we are going to water slides up North as well as another onsen. Sunday I will be going to a traditional dance festival thing in my town after having lunch with the ALTs that are coming over here to watch. And of course the time consuming task of laundry and cleaning my room/house will be in order. Someday. I swear there is a bug in my hair. This is really annoying. The bugs here are utterly disgusting and I am fascinated by them for some reason. When I pass a giant spider I have to stare at it in disgust as I walk away from it. I stand outside the apartment and look up at the overhang in horror because every night when it gets dark there is a spider festival. Instead of running into my house as fast as I can I just stand a watch them for a good couple of minutes. Then I make sure none are dropping on my head as I go inside. They tend to keep to themselves and since the giant beast attack of `08 I have not seen one in my house. KNOCK ON WOOD. Oh please knock on wood! My heart can`t take much more of those surprise attacks.
Another thing my heart wont be able to take much longer is the dreadful heat. I hate the humidity and I cant wait until it gets cooler so we can all live peacefully. I guess these people are about as peaceful as it gets, but I dont feel peaceful one bit. I feel rageful. Only until I am comfortable in the nice, cold air conditioning will I be at peace. And it turns out most people dont like keeping the AC at 16 degrees celcius. I guess that is just a tad bit chilly, but oh do I think its nice. Thanks for tuning into the weekly update at blogspot and join me next week for a riviting story of the happenings in town!
Cheers! Or I should say, Kampai!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Turn the shower on cold and wash it all away
I am exhausted.
I feel as though I am being pulled in every direction at once and I am about to snap if I don't choose the right way. Although I have been having lots of fun, my homesickness has come back full throtle and it's been a hard few days.
But let's not dwell on sadness shall we? I will give a breif (I know what you're thinking--I promise, it will be short!) overview of the weekend. See look! Breif!
Saturday:
Woke up
Skyped with the 'rents
Went to THE BEACH
Played volleyball, frisbee and hung out at Ashikita
BBQed
Camped!
Sunday:
Woke up
Went back to the beach
Went luging (go cart things down a big hill)
ZORBING (rolling down a hill in a big clear ball full of water and a friend. It's hampster style for sure and so much fun!)
Onsen (naked hot spring that overlooked the ocean)
Came home
Talked to Grant
Went to bed
Monday:
Gave speeches in Japanese in both of my schools
Sat around
Walked to get my bike at the train station
Rode it to the pool at Matsubase
Swam
Rode home
Got sad
Went to bed
Tuesday
Taught my first two lessons (they went pretty well)!
Sat at school
Went shopping for fooooood
Went on a run
Did some weights/abs
Dinner of rice and salmon
Wrote/talked to parents
And here I am!
The weekend was really fun, although I was exhuasted the whole time so I don't feel like I was very exciting. That's a shame, but I did have a good time. I was craving Mexican food so badly on Sunday morning, so I had a bit of a rough time when all I found were some old chicken nuggets. It was rather depressing. Besides that all was good. The beach was beautiful and I wish that my friends and family could have been there with me--they would love it. That's probably the hardest part about being here is wishing I could show everyone back home everything I see and do. I guess that's what pictures are for! Then when I get home we can go somewhere fun.
I have a few things that may or may not have anything to do with Japan but with me, so I will say them:
1. I have discovered Eric Hutchinson. If you haven't you should.
2. How can music evoke such strong feelings?
3. I am going to mail postcards soon. I found the post office yesterday!
4. It's still hot as hades here
5. I began working on my elvauation for "I think therefore I am". Anyone want to join the thought pot?
6. I take comfort knowing that we all share the same view of the moon and sun
That's all for now.
I need to put together my gifts for my teachers, so I think I am going to do that and head to bed, I'm so tired. I will come back towards the end of the week and give more of an update on how classes are going.
Until then, goodnight.
I feel as though I am being pulled in every direction at once and I am about to snap if I don't choose the right way. Although I have been having lots of fun, my homesickness has come back full throtle and it's been a hard few days.
But let's not dwell on sadness shall we? I will give a breif (I know what you're thinking--I promise, it will be short!) overview of the weekend. See look! Breif!
Saturday:
Woke up
Skyped with the 'rents
Went to THE BEACH
Played volleyball, frisbee and hung out at Ashikita
BBQed
Camped!
Sunday:
Woke up
Went back to the beach
Went luging (go cart things down a big hill)
ZORBING (rolling down a hill in a big clear ball full of water and a friend. It's hampster style for sure and so much fun!)
Onsen (naked hot spring that overlooked the ocean)
Came home
Talked to Grant
Went to bed
Monday:
Gave speeches in Japanese in both of my schools
Sat around
Walked to get my bike at the train station
Rode it to the pool at Matsubase
Swam
Rode home
Got sad
Went to bed
Tuesday
Taught my first two lessons (they went pretty well)!
Sat at school
Went shopping for fooooood
Went on a run
Did some weights/abs
Dinner of rice and salmon
Wrote/talked to parents
And here I am!
The weekend was really fun, although I was exhuasted the whole time so I don't feel like I was very exciting. That's a shame, but I did have a good time. I was craving Mexican food so badly on Sunday morning, so I had a bit of a rough time when all I found were some old chicken nuggets. It was rather depressing. Besides that all was good. The beach was beautiful and I wish that my friends and family could have been there with me--they would love it. That's probably the hardest part about being here is wishing I could show everyone back home everything I see and do. I guess that's what pictures are for! Then when I get home we can go somewhere fun.
I have a few things that may or may not have anything to do with Japan but with me, so I will say them:
1. I have discovered Eric Hutchinson. If you haven't you should.
2. How can music evoke such strong feelings?
3. I am going to mail postcards soon. I found the post office yesterday!
4. It's still hot as hades here
5. I began working on my elvauation for "I think therefore I am". Anyone want to join the thought pot?
6. I take comfort knowing that we all share the same view of the moon and sun
That's all for now.
I need to put together my gifts for my teachers, so I think I am going to do that and head to bed, I'm so tired. I will come back towards the end of the week and give more of an update on how classes are going.
Until then, goodnight.
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