"The Difference"

Well today is speech contest day. I've been really, really busy. You might be thinking to yourself, she can't be that busy, or she wouldn't have crafted such lovely photo-complimented blog posts and put them up within the last two weeks. Well, thank you for your kind words, but no seriously, I only wrote those because I was on shinkansen for hours and hours, and those kings of transport have electric outlets where you can plug in your devices.

Because my computer has begun informing me that my battery is "reaching the end of its usable life." Whatever that means is something I intend to deal with later. I have intended to deal with a lot of things later. A few of them got done on the train (I wrote those two entries and more, but the last is unfinished) or the bus or what have you.

Today is speech contest, the big event, what we've been preparing for these last few weeks, and I don't mean just my speech contestants (although I do, bless their hearts), but also the skit kids, and me, and the ALTs, oh and model speech (which I will type out for you, from memory, after this brief intro writing of mine). I'm actually kind of pleased with how the model speech turned out, although I despaired after my initial excitement, that I had too many things I wanted to say, that none of them were appropriate or comprehensible. What eventually came out of it was something that is about 40% crap and 60% awesome, so I'll settle for those stats. I have no idea how good the translation into Japanese is. I have my doubts, from looking over the page, but I'm hopeful, and also after this point, I can hardly care. Up or down, win or lose, it will be, oh thank God, over.

All that prep, all those evenings of staying late.. the pansies I bought that are still in little plastic containers because I was quite literally never home when it was light outside enough to do anything with them.

I like that image, of a battery that is used and recharged, used and recharged, but eventually it needs to just be replaced. Because it may seem small, the idea of an hour here, an hour there, staying late, missing one little thing, running to catch your transportation. But all those things add up. I think of being a JET sort of like having that battery. It gets drained all to hell sometimes, like this month, and then gets recharged, yeah, and it'll do, but it works less and less well, until such time as you need a major shift or change in your life. Some people upgrade regularly, but others can become stuck in a life pattern that never changes, and that's more my type. I won't get a new smart awesomephone until my old one actually ceases to function..!

Lately, I've had very little patience for anyone, including myself, and have been overly emotional when listening to Disney songs. I think about things while driving (since I can't bus and read) and have strange dreams at night. I can't wait to return to "normal" because I like the person I become better when I can be nicer to others (because I'm not so preoccupied trying to be nice to myself-- I do have to work at this, and when it becomes a priority, it's a lot harder to take care of anyone else, because shit, son, I'm a handful!)

ANYWAY! Today is the first day in a very long time I've not had a full schedule of classes (or been away on business) at work. I have no classes. And while I know it is frustrating and annoying to go to work each day and not have anything to do, I personally like these days now and then, to just sort of catch up, so I'm not clinging to the last edge of my sanity while crafting the crappiest of lesson plans at 6pm when I'm still at work on a Tuesday night.

I joked that it meant I could use the morning class periods to FREAK OUT ABOUT--haha, I mean "get ready for" speech contest, but honestly I won't get nervous until it's upon us, so all morning I'll just... do what I gratefully do with any given morning. Write, think, pace, try to get on top of the stuff I've let go in a big way, try to stay on top of the stuff I couldn't afford to let go.

My model speech is long, as has been noted by lots of people, but I have memorized it all, and fairly well. I paced around outside until that happened. How well I'll be able to keep it when standing on the stage remains to be seen, but I am sure that with my page in front of me to glance at surreptitiously, I will be able to give the appearance of knowing it excellently. And now, because I know you're dying of curiousity to know what today's model speech will say.

It's called "The Difference"

It seems like people are always asking me, do you have suchandsuch in your country? No matter what they are asking about, my answer is almost always the same. Yes, but it's different there.

Everyone wants to know what is different about a foreign place. My family back in America is amazed by some of the stories that I tell about how life is different in Japan. They want to know about Japanese toilets and Japanese festivals and Japanese hierarchy systems and Japanese food. Things that are different catch our attention, because they are more exciting and interesting.

People in Japan also want to know what is different about life in the US. Sometimes they are amazed by what I say. My school did not have uniforms, we didn't clean the classrooms ourselves, and we could eat snacks in class sometimes, if the teacher didn't mind. We never practiced for sports day, and we got to choose our lunches. Students moved from classroom to classroom, instead of teachers. Even though I didn't live in the city, there were 750 students at my JHS, and we rode the big yellow bus to school. But these are all examples of things American students do. This does not say who they are.

It is important to understand what is is different, but it is also important to keep in mind what is not. Because teenagers, whether they live in Japan or America, still want to be cool, and are afraid of being rejected. And people, no matter where they live, still want to matter and to do something meaningful with their lives. Families still love their children, and children still need their families. This is true not only in Japan, and in America, but everywhere in the world.

When people in Japan look at me, they can see right away that I am different. It takes a lot more effort to find out how like them I may be. If they only look at the surface, they will only see the difference. But if they open their minds and hearts, they can see what kind of person I may be, whether I am funny or serious, laid-back, or strict. Not everyone is what they seem to be at first-- for example, even though no one in Japan or America will ever think that I am Japanese, I'll tell you a secret. Inside my heart, because I lived in Shiso, I will always be a little bit Japanese.

What is most important to people is the same for everyone. We share in common our hopes and our fears, our happiness and worries, even if our actions and ways of dealing with them are not alike. That is why communication between cultures is possible, and that is also why it is important. The reason we need to discover what is different between cultures is so that we can discern what we have in common as people, therefore, what is most human.

Students in the US and students at Ichinan may be different, but we are all part of the human family. I encourage you to open your mind to people who seem at first to be very different from you. Although we are all unique, we are also all connected. When you understand this, you can truly appreciate the difference for what it is, and what it is not.
Thank you.

Imakumano Kannon-ji

Temple number 15, and for me, number two.

West Country Number 15

From Kansai by the Seat

I realized belatedly that the idea of going in order was not only unnecessarily, but already had been violated by me when I purchased my book and had it stamped at Nariai-ji. I was so hot to get on the pilgrimage but I hadn’t realized I was already on it.

And even though my reasons for going on it have evolved with new knowledge and with encouragement from a Buddhist nun of Australian origin, I still wanted to do it Right, and In Order, insofar as I could.

But since the typhoon had sort of effed up that plan…

My first planned temple visit was Imakumano Kannon-ji.

I’m going to share here what struck me most about the place, and for more detailed information (and also the source for most of whatever info I can share) please see this page (specifically, here for temple 15), replete with photos and great information.

I used my phone to navigate me into the temple, so it took me the back way. This meant I missed out on crossing the special gateway bridge at first, but got to do it on the way out.

Just a shrine gate along the way.

From Kansai by the Seat

From Kansai by the Seat

The gateway bridge is in lieu of a classic large gate that temples usually have. The orange bridge is connected to the Kumano Gongen spirit, and takes the place of the vermillion torii gate you often see at the entrance to shrines (not temples).

One of the first things I saw, though, was the path through the graveyard area behind the temple. Then I saw the main temple building. I found my way around to the front and got a good look at a pretty interesting statue: Kobo Daisha. It’s called the Komamori Daishi, which means child-protecting Daishi. Apparently, Kobo Daishi opened the first school in Japan that was available to all children, and not just noble-born boys. Being involved in education myself, I gave my own special little salute to this statue.

From Kansai by the Seat

Another striking thing I discovered was the image of Bokefuji Kannon. I’m used to seeing images of Buddha or others holding/caring for babies, especially the mizuko (stillborn, aborted, or miscarried babies), but this statue of Kannon is flanked by old people, not children. Bokefuji Kannon is the one you pray to if you want to prevent senile dementia.  Since there are so very many old people in Japan, this seems a good image to have around; it’s not something I’ve thought seriously about in my own case, because at least for now, senility seems far enough off.

From Kansai by the Seat

In the main temple area, I lit some incense and got my book stamped. The friendly priests told me I could go inside if I liked. I took off my shoes and sat a little while, too haunt to take photos right there, instead staring at the decoration and offerings, the bell and meditative.. what, equipment? and thought about what kind of quest it was I might be on, and what I was doing there.

From Kansai by the Seat

On the temple grounds, there’s also a mini shrine to Kumano Gongen, the Shinto version of the Juichimen Kannon (eleven-faced Kannon), enshrined more grandly in Wakayama. I said a little prayer here for the recovery of the Kumano’s home area. Next to it is a little Inari shrine. I love the Inari, those foxy tricksters of good harvest, so I said my usual thing with them.

From Kansai by the Seat

There is also a miniature pilgrimage on the grounds of all 33 temples, which I glanced over quickly (but just quickly as the light was beginning to fail, especially on the woodsy path). I walked up to the pagoda, but didn’t spend much time there.

From Kansai by the Seat

From Kansai by the Seat

On my way out, I took the main road, and followed a family with their dog a little ways. Instead of going directly back to the station, I made an effort to find a bus that would get me to where the brothers were currently hanging about. On the way to that, I found the Imakumano Shrine. This happened when I was walking and I saw a giant awesome tree (and we know how I feel about trees) ringed with the telltale this-is-holy sign of a rope with the folded white paper things.

From Kansai by the Seat

This is a larger shrine, also connected to the one in Wakayama, but with even stronger ties. Observe:

From Kansai by the Seat

All in all, this my second visit to a pilgrimage temple was much more informed and also much more time-consuming than my first nearly unwitting one last May.

As I go to various temples, I want to share as much about the experience as I can via blog.. so if you have any questions, please do ask (leave a comment). Nothing is too silly or too personal (if it is, I just won’t answer it, hah!); also, I do realize that a lot of this is like a foreign jargon, all these names of temples and sort of.. versions? Incarnations? Of Kannon, and of mountain spirits, and whatnot. Rest assured that I’m only one step ahead of you on figuring out most of those, and that I experience the delight of discovery every time I make the connections (since the connections are not very-well forged) between temples with affinities or with similar names, or whatever. Don’t let the terminology scare you off, just ask!

Kansai by the Seat of my Pants

I’m going to start by saying I don’t really know the origin of that phrase, “by the seat of one’s pants.” I’m sure I could look it up on my smart phone, since we’re not in a tunnel right now, but I don’t really care quite enough to go to the effort.

The smart phone: a note on that, a new character as of September 14^th or so, and a vital player in my ability to do anything by the seat of my pants. I lost my phone in the first big typhoon in early September, and after doing a little math and considering the benefits, I decided to replace it with an upgrade. I now don’t know how I managed without it. Actually, I do. I was late a lot, and lost even more often than that. It’s a great comfort to me now to know as I run out the door to catch the bus that I can look up train times from the bus ride itself, making use of that two hours for something other than drooling (while I sleep with my head tilted back and mouth open).

So as mentioned before, my plans for the three-day weekend of September 16^th-19^th were also typhooned out in the form of major damage especially to the area in Wakayama I was planning to visit. The weekend of the 23^rd-25^th, we were planning to go up to Tottori and attend the Ji BeerFest Daisen there on Autumnal Equinox Day (I love, by the way, that we get that day off as a holiday).

So, planless, I somehow decided not to make any new real plans, and just go with the flow. I knew Shiso was going clubbin’ in Osaka on Saturday night, and I knew the Italian and his brother (hereforward, the Mario Brothers) would be in Kyoto area, and I knew that Kyoto and Osaka were a stone’s throw from one another, so I figured I’d just throw some walkin shoes and some clubbin clothes in a bag and call it a weekend.

In my head, the ideal thing was going to be spend Saturday night in Osaka with the gang, then head into Kyoto on Sunday to hang out with the Mario Brothers and Nami-san, spending Sunday night with Nami. Monday I could make my way back to Shiso whenever it seemed good to go (there are only four direct buses, so, you know..).

But as it happened, Nami-san was making an awesome sukiyaki dinner on Saturday night, and was going to be unable to host me on Sunday. Way to like, inform people of your brilliant have-it-all schemes, Lemmon. So I shrugged and figured I would just miss out on clubbin’ because I was pretty guaranteed to enjoy dinner with Nami and Hiroshi and the Mario Brothers. I can go clubbin’ any old weekend. I took along a short skirt just in case, and told Shiso not to wait up for me.

Got to Kyoto station a little before the group I was meeting, so I set myself up at the counter overlooking the central gate and started to play with my new phone. I figured that while I was in Kyoto, I could hit up one of the temples on the pilgrimage. I had wanted to do them In Order, but I figured I might never get finished if I didn’t get started soon. I used some sweet features on google maps (it’s an android phone, because I’m AU and because I <3 google, the benevolent rulers of all the world) to discover that there was one temple within walking distance of the station. I looked it up on sacredjapan.com (the source, by the way, of basically every bit of help I have on this pilgrimage idea) and discovered that the temple is tied really strongly to Seiganto-ji, the first temple of the pilgrimage.

It’s called Imakumano Kannon-ji, “ima” meaning “now” or “present,” and “Kumano” being the name of the shrine connected to the first temple (the one that I linked photos of, all washed out). Kannon being the name of the major Bodhisattva we’re going to 33 temples to see, and ji just meaning temple. It turns out the temple in Kyoto a half hour’s walk from the station is in many ways an old stand-in for the first temple. You can read more about it here, and see some sweet photos. Reading about it in the station, I was warmed and floored. I like to think that omens are something, and this seemed pretty awesome as they go.

Then the group arrived, and we headed out toward the homestead for dinner. Alessandro (the younger of the Mario Brothers, and a resident of Tokyo) had brought along some sake from a brewery that no longer exists, that he received while volunteering in Tohoku, and Nami had me “make” the sukiyaki. Actually she put everything in the pan and instructed me to stir, then took photos that make it look like I am a great cook. We dined happily and sipped wine and chatted, and I so enjoyed their company.

The Brothers consume natto, because it's a must-try for any brave soul.

From Kansai by the Seat

As the hour drew near for the brothers to depart, I assured myself that an early bedtime would be good for me, and I could get up the next morning refreshed, unlike what I would have been if I had gone dancing… but part of me itched to get out and move and flail and generally go maenad. I told it to shut up just as Nami was saying, “If you go now, you can make the last train to Namba.”

So without knowing I was going to Osaka til I was on my way, I headed out the door with the rest of them, headed to more of my adventure.

I hit Namba rather late, and used my new phone to navigate the streets of Osaka, dropping my stuff off at the capsule hotel where “we” always stay (there was no one but me, this time, as the others were staying elsewhere), quickly throwing on something more appropriate to the evening’s plan (“slut it up,” as one might have said, once), and finding my way to the place that had been chosen. It was called “Jaws,” and although I was disappointed that we weren’t going to the legendary and disgusting Pure, the undersea theme of the place suited me just fine. It was crowded beyond reason and I was sad I had worn flip-flops until I managed to get onto a stage with Liz. I liked it better there because there was a lot less getting run over happening, and a lot less stepping on my feet. We danced the night away, or I did until my knees started to complain rather loudly to me. When I felt ready, I took myself back to my capsule to wash the club sludge off my poor toes and catch a few precious winks in my bed-sized room.

I’m struck even now by how independently I moved through this whole night, joining and leaving the group when I liked. I realize that this would not be safe in most countries, including my own. My first trip to Osaka, I was married to the group, unable to even begin to guess where I was, let alone march confidently back to my room, giving catcallers the evil eye as I went.

If you shake his hand, you get a free bag full of clover.

From Kansai by the Seat

Check out time is ten, unfortunately, and after grabbing breakfast and attempting to charge my phone, I met Lauren, Katie, and Kam for a brief lunch in Osaka Station City. I then trained it back to Kyoto and walked to the temple I had read about, Imakumano Kannon-ji. I had intentions to meet up with the Mario Brothers that afternoon, but the temple excursion took considerably longer than I planned (as these things often do), so I ended up not meeting them til almost dinner time. I was thinking I would be on the 7:20 bus back to Shiso (the last bus), because I’d called the hostel I like most in Kyoto and they were booked.

But Yasaka's gate looked read nice in the evening light.

From Kansai by the Seat

Unable to find a quick enough dinner, and settling for combini beers in the park in front of city hall (it’s always back to combini beers in the park.. some things do not change), Alessandro suggested a different hostel, and within ten minutes I had a room. I was dragging by then for lack of sleep, but we decided to all freshen up and then get a nice sit-down dinner somewhere.

From Kansai by the Seat

At least one of us is happy about this arrangement...

From Kansai by the Seat

I hauled myself to the hostel and back out again, and once more I greatly enjoyed the dinner company and conversation. I returned to the hostel, watered the potted plant I’d been given in Osaka station (I don’t even know) by some campaign, and conked out.

Monday, finding a coin locker took the better part of forever, so I met up with the brothers near Ryoan-ji after they had finished seeing it, and we wandered through another large temple complex in the nearby area. We also visited one of my favorite shops (across from Ryoan-ji), and it was a nice laid-back afternoon.

From Kansai by the Seat

I thought the pair of shoes at lower left was really poignant. That is, I believe, one of those mizuko things I mention in another post.

From Kansai by the Seat

From Kansai by the Seat

From Kansai by the Seat

Kyoto station was full of music that evening for some kind of band presentation, or competition, or performance. The air on the roof of the station was chill and lovely. I took the 7:20 bus home.

From Kansai by the Seat

Faking It

I now sit on my second shinkansen ride within this week. On Monday, I took one from Kagoshima back up to Himeji. Today, I take one from Osaka to Tokyo. Then, I was dressed in the ragged remains to be expected from one who just went hiking in the pristine natural wonders of the island of Yakushima, and today I sport the business suit look appropriate for a young professional on her way to a smart-looking conference.

Sometimes I like to step back and imagine myself from the outside looking in. What does it look like, the foreigner in the brown business suit who could not be older than 20?

I am older than 20, of course, and I suppose by Japanese standards, I do look it. In the US, I still get asked if I’m alright taking such long flights by myself, and I will be carded until I’m 35, but I’m alright with that. The business suit is mostly a ruse; I’m faking it, right now. A glance at my luggage will tell you that much. Where the men (it is mostly men, in their business attire) around me have their sleek black briefcases and tiny travel rollerbags, I am hauling the same stuff I dragged around Kagoshima last weekend: my tattered (what do you want, it was ten dollars two years ago) black backpack that gets my crap to school every day, and the weekend bag I recently inherited from Caito that has a picture of a lion on one side (“It will be dressed up with a ribbon”), and Sakurajima ash stains on the bottom. I like the lion bag because it’s just the right size for the kind of weekend trips I’ve been taking, and it doesn’t have a lot of confusing compartments. I have tried to be organized and sort things into pockets here and pockets there, but in the end, I can’t help it: I’m a throw it all in there kind of kid.

My hair is different too; got it cut in a sort of bob which it seems to be handling rather well (although one of those 5^th graders called me Mr. Willy Wonka the other day and now they’re all doing it), and I have the straigtening to thank for that. The elementary teachers like to compliment my cute new styles, and it seems like I’ve been changing them a lot lately. I got my hair straightened in early June, and wore it like that to work for one day enjoying the attention it garnered, before much worse news came down—after that, every compliment seemed a mockery because I wanted to be invisible, and wondered how I, how anyone, could be expected to give one single goddamn about whether or not I changed my hair. It’s too easy, though, to say something about a changed look, even to someone to whom you can rarely find anything else to say. The bob, though, it’s still easier to control than the curls, though the old ways are coming back.

The business suit I bought in Hong Kong, very cheaply of course, but it does the trick.

The conference I’m headed to at the moment is the PA (Prefectural Advisor) conference. We PSG (peer support group) members get to attend because there is a lot of counseling training offered at this conference. I attended last year, and I remember really liking the learning feeling, and also the chance to meet the other members of our otherwise phone/skype/email-only group.

I tear myself away from my hectic ALT life to attend.

And while that normally would be just me, being sarcastic, I do mean it this time. Yesterday, we finished speech practice early. As usual, I’m very proud of my kids, and pleased with their progress. As usual, I think we have a fighting shot at first and second place, but I’ve been wrong so far.

Since we finished early, I knew it was my chance to memorize the second half of my model speech, an oration which is approximately twice as long as the student speeches. I took it outside so I could pace up and down by the river, muttering and proclaiming to the trees and clouds. I had initially planned to memorize it a paragraph a day, but that pretty much failed. I had to really buckle down, and walk laps around the elementary school during my free period to memorize the first half.

Now the whole speech is safely stored in my head, but if I know myself (and I do, better now than before at least), it will have a tendency to fly me when faced with a distraction as large as someone watching me. The other teachers don’t seem concerned. Of course you can memorize this much; it’s English, your native language. Why should you feel nervous? It’s English, your native language.

Having nothing to do with the language, I color red whenever I am placed in front of a large group of people. I can prepare and prepare, but I will still get flustered, if only for a moment. The key is to not allow that moment to snowball!

But I digress. Speech contest preparation, planning the skit to entertain my students while the judges deliberate, memorizing my own shit, and weekend travel are just set atop the usual go-round of planning elementary, and putting together entertaining (educational!!) activities for the daily grind. Oh and October, so kempo tourney, Halloween, and my birthday are coming up, not to mention tis the season to go festival-ing!

Immediately following this PA conference is the Japan Writers Conference, in Kobe (conveniently on the way home from Tokyo, for me). I’m not fully decided on how long I’ll stay, since Sunday (the 16^th) is also Iwa Jinja’s major autumn festival and it is my last year, after all.

Until just now, I hadn’t considered how this week has neatly lined up the three different futures I still hold possible for myself: counseling, writing, teaching. The big three.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in with this before going on to write of a few long-weekend adventures: Kansai By the Seat of my Pants, and Kagoshima By the Skin of my Teeth. To complete the image of a young lady on a busy schedule, I will continue to get to work!

Since I do not yet have time to give you news of my adventures, please consider planning your own:

http://consumerist.com/2011/10/10000-free-round-trip-tickets-to-japan.html

The Ponderous Overload of the Uj

Well, it's almost October, and you know what they say about October.

They don't say much. Or at least, I don't, because I'm too busy.. being busy. I have entries I want to write, and photos I want to post, and letters, and things to say and explore and share, but frankly my dears, it's speech contest season, so we've gone directly from party-all-the-time summer vacation, to party-all-the-time sports day, to three-day-work-weeks-are-awesome lineups... aaaand now we're in the city of work a regular week and stay two hours late every evening, thanks.

And it only happens once a year, but I don't much like it. I do it because I want to.. because I love my speech kids and I want them to do well, and I want to spend time with them, honestly, because they are impressive kids. But this whole get home at 6:20 and then turn around and go to your evening activity crap is... crap. On the evenings when I don't have anything going on (and believe me, they crop up, if only because I make them sometimes), I don't really have the energy to get anything accomplished.

I end up doing things like going for walks, reading, playing video games, enjoying the autumnal coolness of the air. Which is all well and good, although you will think I've fallen off the face of the planet.

SO, I have some GREAT photos, and really fun stories, and I've had some wonderful experiences, and I do want to share them all, but I also want to do them justice. So they will have to wait.

I haven't fallen off the Earth.. it's just October, y'all.. October.

The Ponderous Return of The Uj (as in "usual")

Well, I must apologize for leaving you so long with that bad taste in your mouth of me being a little bit of an asshole. The truth is, I only felt bad about it for a short while, because things just got too busy to carry on with all that!

That weekend that was supposed to be International Picnic but was typhoon instead (9/3-4) preceded our seven days of working-not-working, or Sports Day Week.

Since I had been complaining about needing a vacation, I tried to look at the daylong stand-around-outside fest as a forced vacation. It worked for a while anyway. The first few days after the typhoon was finished were almost cool, and they were clear and pleasantly bright. I stood under the blue sky, looked up through the cherry trees, and wandered amongst the students, all gathered for practice. Really, it was blissful.

And although I don't necessarily like to spend all day at my desk, I don't necessarily like to spend no time here either. I have a lot of stuff I do (I might have menioned before), things that require a bit of attention, if not daily, then at least every few days to keep them moving smoothly through the internet and my brain. Hyogo Times and JETinfogather are two big ones, but my kanji review list begins to get out of hand after too long, and there's always that TEFL course I just signed up for...

And it slowly becomes maddening to spend so much time each day doing actually nothing when you know there's stuff to be done. But by the time you get home, you're pretty worn out from all that standing around in the sun, so all you really want is a shower and a nap and maybe some dinner.

So it's the best of weeks, and it's the worst of weeks, and it's also longer than most weeks, since you spend Monday to Saturay in practice and prep, and then the Sports Festival itself is Sunday.

All of our favorite events were back, the dancing, the family races, the relays, the mukade (centipede) race (I don't know whose idea this race was, but it's hilariously full of wipeouts)... the log-pull, the hat chicken fights without a pool (also called kibasen, or "mock cavalry battle")

Sports Day itself was pretty hot, with a little douse of rain in the morning to wet down the field and make the relay race a bit tougher. I got my new camera replaced for free (the rice-bin one never did recover, but the store exchanged them for me, no questions asked.. must have been under some kind of warranty since I did only buy the thing a few weeks before it got typhoon'd) so I was holding down the shutter to take a lot of rapid action shots.

Got to see a few of the graduated students, including a couple favorites..

The PTA enkai that followed was not far from the school. At first I sighed and thought, oh, I guess I have to go, but then I remembered that I love meeting kids' parents and seeing where they came from in that respect, so I was even happier that I had the good fortune of being seated next to, across from, and diagonal to parents of a couple of my favorite students. It only makes sense, of course, that the PTA parents have the mroe involved, harder-trying kids. Best of all was that the guy to my right was my speech boy's dad.

A teacher at Higashi asked me who our speech kids were, and when I said this kid, he was like "Aw crap."

All in all, it was perhaps the most successful sports day yet. I cannot find the memory card with the photos from that day, so I'll put them up eventually.

 Following our Monday-Tuesday fake weekend (blissful, that), we had a three-day work week, which for me was chock full of the usual. Classes, commitments, planning. It went off without any more hitches than usual, anyway. Since my 17th - 19th hopes for pilgriming had been rained out, we had to devise a new plan...

That entry coming soon.