Moping Around

I have had a miserable few days!

I had earache on an off for about a week but since Friday it has been non stop!
This was made worse when I went to the hospital and the doctor didn’t know why it was hurting either as apparently he couldn’t see anything! I did get some medicine though and after spending the weekend moping around, feeling sorry for myself and generally trying to make everyone else miserable too, I finally felt better yesterday.

So much better in fact that I decided to clean my apartment top to bottom and get ready for winter. I put away all my summer clothes, pulled out the coats, jumpers, scarves, gloves, put an extra cover on my bed, got out my kotatsu blanket and threw away a lot of junk.

My ear still hurts a little but at least I’m ready to face winter head on this year!

The IgNobel Prize goes to...

The Ig Nobel Prizes are a parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October — around the time the recipients of the genuine Nobel Prizes are announced — for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think."

The prizes are presented by genuine Nobel Laureates, originally at a ceremony in a lecture hall at MIT. The ceremony is followed a few days later by the Ig Informal Lectures in which laureates have the opportunity to explain their achievements and their relevance to the general public.

If such explanations become too longwinded, they are interrupted by the cries of Miss Sweety Poo (or Sweety-Poo), a little girl who repeatedly cries out "Please stop. I'm bored" in a high-pitched voice. The awards ceremony is traditionally closed with the words: "If you didn't win a prize—and especially if you did—better luck next year!"

Ishii Sensei and I taught our international course kids about the Ignobel awards because a Japanese lady just won one. Mayu Yamamoto won the chemistry prize for extracting vanilla flavour from cow dung!

We encouraged the students to think about funny things they would research or invent if they wanted to win an Ignobel award. Here are my favourties:

Mikans and Green Tea

It is officially winter as the mikans are appearing. For those that don’t know, mikans are small oranges and are eaten in autumn. Bags and bags of them are appearing around the staff room and every day there are 2 or 3 sitting on my desk. Apparently taking a bath in mikan peel is good for your skin but I haven’t got around to that yet!

In my quest to become ‘a part of the school’ I have decided to join a club. I really wanted to do something that was unique to Japan and so I have decided to join the tea ceremony club. This is perfect as the club only meets once a week and it involves drinking green tea which is good for you!

I have been sitting in on Tuesdays after school and now the old lady that teaches it has decided she wants to train me too! Apparently this is a really big thing as she’s usually very strict and doesn’t like anyone. The only bad thing is that I now have to practice sitting in seiza (on my knees) for about half and hour – OUCH!

For more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony

Fireworks and Festival Food!

I have been hearing about the annual firewirk show down in Yatsushiro but I’d never been so a group of us decided to rectify that tonight.

The fireworks are one of the largest displays in Japan and last around two hours. It felt like everyone in Kumamoto decided to catch our train as we pushed ourselves on and found a safe place to stand.

I always enjoy events like this mainly for the festival food. Stalls and stalls of old grandma’s, bickering married couples and small kids working as hard as they can to feed the masses.

Once we’d found a good spot along the river we settled down and looked forward to the show. After the sun had gone though the temperature plummeted and even with our jacket’s, scarves and hats we were all freezing. We decided to call it a night fairly early but we saw most of the show and it was worth it.

I’m looking forward to going back next year and will definitely remember to pack the extra coats!

A new life at 60

After a long week at the office everyone was ready for the staff party. It was a special party in honour of the teachers who are 60 this year. Sixty is a very special age in Japan and signals the start of a new life.

There were four teachers being honoured tonight including the principal and one of the English teachers I work with.

I always dread work parties as it means my Japanese will be put to the test but once I’m there and the beer is flowing a good time is had by all – especially me!

FIRE! Well...maybe...I'm not sure....

I’m never really sure what to do when a fire alarm goes off in Japan. In England I would get up and walk outside but here I just don’t know.

Our super duper brand new fire alarm went off today and nobody knew what to do. I was glad that I understood what the automated announcer was saying “There is a fire in the gym. There is a fire in the gym”, but when I looked around the staff room was full of blank faces. This told me it was no drill but nobody was moving either!

A few teachers crowded around the fire system and pressed various buttons so that we then had the message and sirens. Still nobody moved. The vice-principle came, then the secretaries, then a few more teachers. There were lots of “umm’s” are “arr’s” until finally the vice principle came back and gave it a few whacks.

Five minutes later they managed to switch it off and everyone went back to work. I can’t wait until the earthquake alarm goes off. I think I’ll still crouch under my desk just to be sure!

An old friend from school just dug out this old picture. I think it was taken around 1992 when I was part of the netball team in primary school. We were the undefeated league and tournament champions. I hadn’t seen this in 14 years! I am getting old!

Taxes :( and Candles :)

WORD OF WARNING! If you happen to live and work with Americans when their taxes are due LEAVE TOWN FOR A FEW DAYS! I am so thankful that the Inland Revenue is the way it is (for now anyway).

There was a candle festival in town tonight and despite my best efforts to find out what it was for I still don’t know. Lots of holders had been craved out of bamboo and 20,000 candles were supposed to have been alight. They were placed along the roadside, along the riverbank and in the river itself. Beautiful!

Mahalo Plenny

Tonight was Dawn’s parents last night and we took out for dinner and karaoke. They got to sample all of Kumamoto’s finest foods including raw and cooked horsemeat.

I will miss waking up to freshly cooked omelets, packed lunches made up from leftovers and coming home to the wonderful dinners sitting on the table ready to be eaten. Mahalo!

Decisions! Decisions!

I arrived at school for find an envelope on my desk. Inside were re-contracting forms for next year! I’m on an annually contract which starts in August and so they only give us two months before asking if were thinking of another year.

Decisions, decisions! I know that I love my life out here. I have no money worries, I frequently travel to different places and countries and I’m constantly learning
things that will help my future career.

I suppose I should be saving more for the future but every time I do mum and dad just ask “why?” I might as well enjoy it while I have it, right?

I am beginning to feel like it’s getting towards the time to move on. I know what I want to do and next year I will start working towards it. However if I stayed one more year I could see just a little bit more of the world and save more.

Decision due February 1st!

I am so tired! I have been up since 4am this morning but it was worth it as I can cross two more items off my “Things to do in Japan” list.

The two things in questions are

* Eat whale
* Eat blowfish

I took a trip to Shimonoseki with Dawn and her family as they really wanted to go to the early morning fish market. We wanted to see the fish auction too but it was a Sunday so we were out of luck.

Being at the market so early meant super fresh sushi for breakfast and the chance to try new food. The blowfish didn’t really taste of anything and the raw whale tasted irony (I suspect that’s because it was raw).

Hmm that’s horse, squid, octopus, liver, heart, raw fish, live fish, blowfish and whale to name just a few things I’ve eaten over here. I wonder what the next taste sensation will be!?

English Club

I have decided to start an English Club at school. They have never had one before so I have no idea how it will turn out. I plan to meet 3 times a week; Mondays are for studying, Wednesdays are free discussion days and Fridays are for fun.

I decided to start ‘Fun Fridays’ with Jenga and was pleasantly surprised when 5 students came bursting through the door.
So it’s a start. I’m going to play around with the idea until the new students arrive in March and then really get things moving – can’t wait.

Japanese Crazes

Every year a new craze hits Japan and students and teachers alike get caught up in it.

In my first year I saw a lot of this guy:

This is ‘Hard Gay’. He was educated at one of Japan’s most prestigious universities. He then became a wrestler and in 2006 he spent most of his time dressed like this and thrusting his groin at people. All harmless fun and I loved the elementary school kids’ impressions of him.

Then I became aware of ‘Gorie’. A man dressed as a cheerleader complete with a range of outfits and colours. He released a few singles including a copy of “Hey Mickey”.
Well this year is no exception and we now have Koujima Oshio. He also went a top class university in Japan but is now famous for appearing on TV in swimming trunks and singing nonsense songs. Needless to say the kids love him and they love nothing more than a foreigner doing impressions of him. Yes I will stoop to any level to get my kids to speak English!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d_11yXPu-k&NR=1