Life

Written on Saturday, had internet difficulties.

So yeah, I haven't been posting so much. I've just been really busy and happy since school started. The first day of school (Sept. 1), I was invited to join the teachers at Shinooka for lunch. I accepted with pleasure, and my birthday came up. I mentioned that I wanted to do something, but wasn't sure how to set it up, and they asked if I would like to have a birthday dinner with them. We ended up going out the night of my birthday for Unagi (sea eel). It was super yummy.

The first weekend of September was the performance with Nagoya Mixed chorus, so that was pretty much my entire weekend. It went reasonably well. The next weekend was my birthday. There were two other ladies in Voce Amiche (women's chorus) who have birthdays that same week, so we went out after rehearsal on Wednesday. Then, I went to dinner friday with the teachers from Shinooka, and had lunch with teachers from Honjo on Saturday. After lunch, the music teacher and I went to hang out at the school nurse's house. They bought me a cake. I ended up staying for dinner with the nurse's family.

Things kind of flowed, one into the other, all good, and now it's October. I can't believe it. I've found a good rhythm for life; I'm generally doing things besides work 5 days a week. That's just about right for me. Tonight I'm going out with some friends. Tomorrow, I'm going to practice tea ceremony with the music teacher from Honjo, then I'll go to rehearsal in the evening. After rehearsal, there's an English (as in from England) friend's birthday party, where I may or may not spend the night. Sunday, I'm going to hang out with some friends from Voce Amiche, and then Monday is Sports day, a national holiday, and I shall rest!

Friday

I went to the zoo with the first graders today. Me, 6 other teachers, and 107 first graders. Whew!
It rained, so that was annoying. There was traffic on the way there, but fortunately, we had a bus guide who was prepared, although I think she was to the end of her bag of tricks by the time we got there. It should have been a 45 min drive, but it took over an hour.

When we got there, the place looked deserted, but after a while, I noticed other elementary kids, with different hats, running around. I think I saw 4 or 5 other elementary looking groups, and one of them was another school I work at, so I went and said hi to them as they walked by. Walking... it was like herding cats all day.

I don't have much to say about the zoo. It was the first zoo I've been to besides the San Diego Zoo, and it's a good thing I wasn't expecting much. I scolded a bunch of kids from another school who were without supervision, and trying to wake up the lion by yelling at him.

Lunch was fun. There was a large covered area, and we ate there. All the kids brought small plastic ground covers (standard for Japanese picnics/outdoor outings). There were also tables, but another school had already taken most of them. On group of girls decided they would rather sit on the ground even though they were at a table, so they spread out around the table. I circulated among the kids, and they had all brought snacks to share, so I was offered many pieces of candy and such. I ate a persimmon whole, and the kids were rather fascinated that I didn't peel the skin. I've gotten the same reaction when I eat an apple as well. We finished up, and then walked through to the exit.

Fortunately, the ride home went smoothly. I think the guide was a little disappointed that we asked her to put in a video for the ride home. She put in Mickey and the Beanstalk (Disney version of Jack and the Beanstalk). It's just not the same when they sing in Japanese. Back at school now, and I still have another hour to kill before I can leave.