OK Very Much

Today’s update will be picture free, but the next one should be only pictures. Ok? Ok.

Seven months down, 5 to go. Well, I’m going to visit home in 3 months, but that is still so far away!
One thing I will not miss about Japan, however, is the stupid keyboards.

The past few days, school has been good rather than mediocre/ok. I have been playing a cross between Pictionary and Charades with the 2nd years (8th grade), and they have been pretty excited about it. Winners get some SpongeBob stickers I found. Woo.

My predecessor left a couple of Harry Potter books in my desk so I have been sucked into that. Even though I have read it before, it’s just so addicting! Plus I need a refresher for when the final book comes out in July.

My predecessor must have also brainwashed the kids as when I show them a map of the US and ask “What is this?” they promptly reply “New Zealand.” (Curse you Alana! ;p ) Other answers have included: Russia, Canada, South America, Spain, Australia. America is probably their 3rd guess on average.

Yesterday was White Day. The boy’s version of Valentine’s Day- their turn to return gifts to the girls. My Principal and Vice Principal gave me cookies and candies. As well as the men at the Board of Education. It was a nice surprise.

Week before last, I strolled into my main elementary to find about 1/5 of the staff and students wearing face masks. This prevents spreading germs when someone is sick. Being I had just battled something not too long ago, I thought I was immune, and went about all week perfectly fine. And then Friday came, and the weird guy next to me starts coughing everywhere. By Friday evening I got “the cough”. Not a normal cough, but the cough you get when you know you’re getting sick.

Saturday, still with the cough, I attended a kids’ St. Patrick Day event and I was in charge of leprechaun door hangers. It was very tiring. Sunday was gorgeous and had a long jacket-less walk. Monday it was freezing cold again and it was evident I caught the flu. My body just doesn’t know how to defend against Japanese germs! Of course I was at my other small elementary, a 20-25min walk away, it was just so cold and dry, and my nose like a faucet. Turns out they had to cancel some classes due to flu there! They also cancelled some classes at the junior high, where the stomach flu had an outbreak. I am fully recovered now though.

Because it was my last elementary class for the school year, most of them were spent watching Wallace and Gromit short films, depending on their grade. It was a big hit, so I am going to use it in my “special” learners class in the junior high as well.

Last Saturday was just a quiet weekend and went to see Ed’s adopted Japanese mom and we made tenpura and filled ourselves silly. This weekend, I am taking Friday off and doing my pilgrimage to Tofukuji temple in Kyoto to see the Nehan-e, a giant painting of the Buddha passing into Nirvana. (March 15th is the actual anniversary of this). SuiGeneris and I skipped class* and went 5 years ago to see the magical painting and the special cat in it. The temple itself is beautiful, I just hope the weather’s nice!
Saturday I will be in Osaka to see sumo!!

I should study a little Japanese, but I think Harry Potter is going to win the "what to read now" battle.



*This was pretty normal. We would go to our language classes in the morning (couldn’t miss any of those) and then high-tail it out of there to do cultural activities. We figured living life and experiencing culture first hand was much more important than class. It was the best.