9.16 - 18.09

The 15th was Sekinai and when I arrived at the school everyone was warming up for the てつぼう- excersize bars? High bars? What do you call them in English? One of the little boys, Ayumu, who has lips just like Hatim (I swear to god) fell and hit his head pretty hard, cried quietly and rested in the shade with me. He was back up to 100% by classtime. There were a ton of dragonflies. At lunch break some of the kids caught some by their wings and brought them to me. I was upset they did that, worried the dragonflies would be hurt, and was distressed to see one of them had a badly damaged wing, but the little girl said it was like that before she caught it. She took it to be back with its mother. They handled them gently enough, I'm just neurotic. It was interesting to feel their little legs poking the skin of my finger and see the weird eyes and mouthparts moving. I tried the tetsubou but said I couldn't, and the new girl asked me what things I used to be able to do as a kid. It was kind of sad to say I could run and swim knowing that now I probably can no longer do those things.

Helped the jock teacher proofread a simple English script for "Snow White". He apparently typed the whole thing himself the night before and I was impressed. Realized he is married from his ring. Learned Asako is married, too. Feeling young again.

The evening of the 15th I was invited by Asako to meet Sakai-sensei, the woman Kim learned to play the koto from. She'd told me before I left that she'd suffered a lot of loneliness in Date until she found Sakai-sensei, and from her stories I learned how fond she was of the woman. I was a bit intimidated since I was told her Japanese was very proper and might be hard to understand, but she spoke to me simply and kindly. I watched Asako, Sakai-sensei, and one other student practicing their kotos together. Will put up video on Facebook at some point. Beautiful sound. Sitting in the tatami mat room and listening, the part of me hungry for traditional Japanese culture could contentedly omnom, and for a while it didn't seem foreign at all- more like the familiar plucking of a mandolin. A five foot long mandolin with different notes, but... The feeling. Somehow it was as though I'd always heard this.
The other student left and I was given a chance to play. My fingers are thick, stumpy, and crooked, so the claws didn't fit quite right, but Mrs. Sakai instructed my hands and explained to me so that I could play the first two lines of a simple song. I'm not gonna lie- koto is badass. Having a claw on each finger and producing such a resonant and mysterious series of sounds could be addictive. But as I explained to Asako after we left (causing some confusion resulting in her thinking I hadn't enjoyed myself, which couldn't be farther from the truth) I would rather practice an instrument I can take with me back to the states, and one that doesn't require it to be taken apart and put back together before each playing. I know for a fact I would not be dilligent enough to keep playing such a huge and unweildy instrument once I left here. I know Sakai also teaches Shamisen so I'll ask her about it in October, when we'll meet every Tuesday. She's offered to feed me. After they let me play, we talked together for around an hour and it turns out both women think I strongly resemble Kim. I am worried perhaps Mrs. Sakai will expect me to be like Kim and might be disappointed in finding I'm actually not a がんばるーさん but rather very lazy, but she seems to know my feelings as an ALT inside and out already. I'm looking forward to her company.


Last few days have been as close to "slow" as it gets around here. No major playdates, heading home and trying to warm up and rest. Unusually cold, think I'm catching sick. Waking up way late, discovered Natto can be delicious without Miso if a little soy sauce is poured on it. The 16th was spent at the office and I recieved my first homework from the U of M. Figured out the topic of my first essay and wrote a pretty hearty rough draft. Went to lunch with Akiko and Mr. Itou for the first time over at KFC and had a chicken wrap and french fries. I haven't had french fries for years. We talked about siblings, whether or not to have kids, and the inevitable urging me to talk more at the office. I don't know how to say any more clearly than I am that I don't know how to start a conversation here to save my life. My speech is just too slow and people think what I have to say is some kind of serious news, so making a casual comment can result in stress for people, and therefore for me. So still working on that one. Worked late that day rather than playing tennis with Mayu like I said I would. Felt a little warmer with everyone when I was tired.

17th was Date nishisho. I've been drawing more often in my break periods and drew Damario and Miranda lounging by a riverbank as well as Emma. Didn't really look like Emma in the end but what can you do. Kids were fab. Lesson was Where do you Want To Go? Which in one class resulted in me running every which way to tell the kids what things were in English, often things too difficult for me or for them. Good indication would be when I was asked what かものはし　was. I asked for an explaination and the teacher did so by saying its face was long, that it looked like a bird. A girl pointed at a picture of a duckling, so in desperation I drew a duck on the board and asked, "Is that it??" Apparently it wasn't and the questions were piling up, so I ran off. Later the teacher had a dictionary and showed me. Platypus. Oh. Of course. I also learned the word for Greek Mythology (ギリシャ神話).
Note to self. Never tell another student that the actual way to say something is too difficult, but you probably can't do that, so here is an easier way. The look that girl gave me made me realize that's not a very nice thing to say. Just say, "Say it this way" and if they pursue linguistics they'll figure it out later.

Today was Higashisho, arrived late after hauling ass on bycicle in the hot sun. Number practice, think one of the 5th grade teachers' lessons is terribly inefficient, and went directly from the first 6th grade class to the second without rest. Amazingly tired. Forgot a lot of names. The more mature girl in 6th grade is Ruko, I think. Found out she is skilled at drawing. Drew a wolf. She's the one who plays violin, too. Can't remember her sport- volleyball?
When leaving the school one of the small, softspoken, eternally nervous looking girls bid me fairwell and asked me to come back and teach English again.

I do like this gig, you know.