6/21/07

I finally have time to sit down and write about the last few weeks. I am trying to make plans for the upcoming summer break and I don’t know yet what I will do. I would like to see more of the countryside since I have been in the city for the entire time I have been here. I may hop a train and ride until I find some place I like and stop there for awhile.

Today I went on a tour around the school grounds at recess with some professional safari guides. They were in first grade and we talked about trees and ants and acorns and a very fuzzy caterpillar that they killed very, very slowly. I asked all kinds of questions about the wildlife and foliage and got varied returns (from the usual head cocked to the side quizzical stare, to the excited chatter that I couldn’t understand). I like to pretend that they are agreeing with me. It helps my ego.

Most of my conversations at school go like this, “Hello, how are you?” the immediate return “How are you?” “No, no you can’t answer a question with a question.” (I usually resort to pretending like my fingers are talking to one another in different voices (right index finger) “Hello, how are you?’ (left index finger) “I’m fine.”) It works but makes me look a little crazy. On that note I am wondering if my hair is getting too long. I have a good moptop going on and it is usually pretty wild after being stuffed in a helmet for the ride to school. I bought some clippers the other day and for convenience sake I will probably just cut my own hair. Sounds dangerous and it is. I might lose a limb or two. How would I explain that at school?

It is the rainy season right now but it is not raining much. It feels like the hot and humid season (it reminds me of East Texas).

I had a welcome party last Friday. I didn’t know about it until the Tuesday after. A new teacher came a couple of weeks ago and he and I were to be guests of honor at the welcome party. I think maybe they announced it during a faculty meeting but it was in Japanese so all I heard was ------ wade sensei ----- . I remember looking up from my desk half asleep. Here is a play by play of my thought process. I heard my name I know I did. I hope they didn’t find out about that red light I ran this morning or yesterday morning or last Tuesday or last weekend. Or maybe I got a bad report from the parents during the parent observations. Or maybe my clothes were too casual … or maybe too formal. I just don’t know. I wonder what we are having for lunch tomorrow…

Turns out it was none of the above, they were just inviting me to a welcome party.