I'm in Duluth at the moment. It's 2 am and I've been playing my DS for the past couple hours, killing time before I pop some NyQuil which will hopefully knock me out for several hours before I get up and head to Ryan and Audrey's wedding.
Been home for a week now, since last Saturday. I stepped off the plane and went directly back to Breezy Point and spent time with my Dad's side of the family. I was dead throughout most of the evening. I couldn't sleep on the plane, and kept myself amused reading and playing my Japanese version of Final Fantasy VI. But it was my seatmate--a teacher heading home to Canada from China, an old crusty sort who carried on a conversation well enough with me, considering I don't carry on conversations as much as listen to them--kept me entertained for the majority of the flight, but that meant absolutely no sleep.
Ever since stepping off the plane there have been X-mas--pronounced with a hard X in the Futurama sense--parties and the onslaught of a cold, then a few days of vegging out with my brothers and niece, playing video games.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
Cleared
On Friday I visited the doctor again. I have been given the a-okay and after another week of rest I can start some easy exercise. He suggested three times a week for 30 minutes--just walking--and also said sit-ups and push-ups were fine. I'll fit in some light weightlifting as well.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
My First Herniation
Over the past month, I've experienced an increasing numbness in my right foot. At first I thought it was a circulation problem. That thought then metamorphed into a support problem. I tried any number of things to relieve this problem: loosening shoes, buying new ones (which I needed anyway) and easing up a bit on exercise.
On Friday I consulted the local physician. I was apprehensive about this; no doubt my visit to the doctor would result in a lot of gesticulation. I wasn't sure if I could get the problem across to him properly, but thanks to some consultation, it went smoother than I anticipated.
I learned that it wasn't a foot problem, but a back problem.
Lumbar disc herniation.
Understand, I'm not in any pain. My particular type of herniation has resulted in foot numbness and a small amount of motor control loss. However, it does put me out of condition for a couple weeks, which puts a damper on the already limited exercise I was doing when the problem started to escalate.
The trip to the doctor wasn't without it's little needles: the doctor informed me I "need to lose weight and exercise", which is how the problem came about in the first place. When the problem first appeared, my workouts were approaching the two-hour mark.
I have a certain amount of bitterness concerning my weight which I didn't have before I came to Japan. Americans pretty much ignore what you weigh, prefering to talk about it behind your back and what-not or keep what they think to themselves. The Japanese, however, view weight as a conversation opener, as a chance to get to know someone. But I don't particularly want to talk to you after you've introduced yourself, poked my stomach and said "Looking a little fat, aren't you?"
That happens on a daily basis. Of course, the infuriation that comes is good for either spurring me on or pushing me into little bouts of depression. The upside to this predilection is that everyone knows when you have lost weight. This has been gratifying. Progress is being made.
But not for awhile. For the next two weeks at least, I'm exempt from any exercise.
I was overcome with a combination of anger and resignation as I left the doctor. I wonder if Ryan felt this way every time he visited the hospital. He seems a lot stronger now than I thought he was, and he was always a spunky one.
On Friday I consulted the local physician. I was apprehensive about this; no doubt my visit to the doctor would result in a lot of gesticulation. I wasn't sure if I could get the problem across to him properly, but thanks to some consultation, it went smoother than I anticipated.
I learned that it wasn't a foot problem, but a back problem.
Lumbar disc herniation.
Understand, I'm not in any pain. My particular type of herniation has resulted in foot numbness and a small amount of motor control loss. However, it does put me out of condition for a couple weeks, which puts a damper on the already limited exercise I was doing when the problem started to escalate.
The trip to the doctor wasn't without it's little needles: the doctor informed me I "need to lose weight and exercise", which is how the problem came about in the first place. When the problem first appeared, my workouts were approaching the two-hour mark.
I have a certain amount of bitterness concerning my weight which I didn't have before I came to Japan. Americans pretty much ignore what you weigh, prefering to talk about it behind your back and what-not or keep what they think to themselves. The Japanese, however, view weight as a conversation opener, as a chance to get to know someone. But I don't particularly want to talk to you after you've introduced yourself, poked my stomach and said "Looking a little fat, aren't you?"
That happens on a daily basis. Of course, the infuriation that comes is good for either spurring me on or pushing me into little bouts of depression. The upside to this predilection is that everyone knows when you have lost weight. This has been gratifying. Progress is being made.
But not for awhile. For the next two weeks at least, I'm exempt from any exercise.
I was overcome with a combination of anger and resignation as I left the doctor. I wonder if Ryan felt this way every time he visited the hospital. He seems a lot stronger now than I thought he was, and he was always a spunky one.
Monday, September 25, 2006
10 Things I Learned in September
10. I should have bought a keitei earlier.
I waited one year before I ventured into a cell phone shop. The fellow took my info and proceeded to fill out my information for me. An hour later, I was in possession of my own dandy keitei. Behold, the phone I only need to charge once every few days. It takes pictures, serves as a dictionary, and plays the Final Fantasy IX theme "Melodies of Life." Yes, I have a video game ring tone.
9. There's an undoukai for everything.
September 9th: Junior high sports day.
September 23rd: Nishi elementary sports day.
September 24th: Ie elementary sports day.
October 1st: Ie island sports day.
October 6th: Kunigami sports day.
8. Japanese residency gets me no bonus points come Nov. 19.
Imagine my surprise to learn that North America gets the Wii before Japan. It debuts November 19th, while Japan receives it two weeks later on December 2nd.
First party games are region free, however. Delicious!
7. Heavy drinking does not a good eye make.
After the first night of school, there was a party to celebrate the start of the term. The teachers and I went down to Yoshinoya, one of my favorite resturaunts (I dig the curry), and we ate in one of the back party rooms. This was the night I got my keitei, so there was a glorious exchange of information. I was staying away from the liquor. That is, until they asked me to MC.
Shinya-sensei--the science teacher--helped me. "Helped" is a relative term: he tried to feed me bad Japanese. I did that on my own a couple times, leading to large laughs around the table. Drinking helped this process, and about half-way through I pretty much decided it was time to get tossed.
I believe I went home after I recited Casey at the Bat. A few days later, this was the result:
Yay for heavy drinking.
6. I can live without playing FFXI constantly.
I have a lot of free time, most of which has been taken up by exercising. My workouts are getting longer, to about the 1 1/2 hour + range, and that's a good chunk of time at night that leaves me pretty exhausted. I still have a lot of free time and I'm filling it with other things. I am obsessed, however, and it remains a great connection back to the states.
5. I should have read Catcher in the Rye six years ago.
So, brother mine looking for books, read this one before you are forced to read it for class and it takes all the pleasure away.
4. Surprise!
Do shit when you can, because you never know when one of the teachers will pop up with some event that no one bothered to tell you about and it's in 15 minutes.
3. A Nintendo DS is an invaluable tool.
2. Five years of indolence does not disappear overnight...
...but it is starting to go away. Since the last report on August 27th update, I've decreased a further 5 kilograms. I've gone from 117 > 108. That was my goal for the month. 9 kilograms lost since the last week of July. That's almost 20 pounds total to anyone using the Queen's system.
I'm running three times a week, and when something doesn't pop up, going to judo 2x a week. Last week there was no judo, so I did some light running on those days and went swimming.
1. The students like me.
The former ALT apparently yelled at the students and pushed them around. He got frustrated easily, and the students didn't like him for it. They didn't like English much as a result either, apparently.
I've been doing more with students lately: exercising with them, helping them clean up and eating with them. I have a natural tendency to stay away as well, since I don't want to be the stupid foreigner getting in the way. However, being the slightly confused foreigner trying to help is better than being the lazy-ass foreigner. I'm communicating with the teachers more as well, and my coworkers seem to get a kick out of the progress of my diet/exercise program.
I've been pleased with my 9th grade students: we're working on making English skits. I connect with them better when it comes to performing. More say good morning to me and are much more likely to stop and talk to me in the hall. Also, where the elementary students love to hang and climb all over me, some of the 7th-9th graders have gotten more buddy-buddy with me of late, which scared me the first time I had an 8th graders arms around my shoulders. Say what you will of strict Japanese teaching, the teachers and students are very close to one another here. The boys wrestle and hassle with the male teachers, the girls chat and are very open with their female teachers. Not something you'd ever see in America.
I waited one year before I ventured into a cell phone shop. The fellow took my info and proceeded to fill out my information for me. An hour later, I was in possession of my own dandy keitei. Behold, the phone I only need to charge once every few days. It takes pictures, serves as a dictionary, and plays the Final Fantasy IX theme "Melodies of Life." Yes, I have a video game ring tone.
9. There's an undoukai for everything.
September 9th: Junior high sports day.
September 23rd: Nishi elementary sports day.
September 24th: Ie elementary sports day.
October 1st: Ie island sports day.
October 6th: Kunigami sports day.
8. Japanese residency gets me no bonus points come Nov. 19.
Imagine my surprise to learn that North America gets the Wii before Japan. It debuts November 19th, while Japan receives it two weeks later on December 2nd.
First party games are region free, however. Delicious!
7. Heavy drinking does not a good eye make.
After the first night of school, there was a party to celebrate the start of the term. The teachers and I went down to Yoshinoya, one of my favorite resturaunts (I dig the curry), and we ate in one of the back party rooms. This was the night I got my keitei, so there was a glorious exchange of information. I was staying away from the liquor. That is, until they asked me to MC.
Shinya-sensei--the science teacher--helped me. "Helped" is a relative term: he tried to feed me bad Japanese. I did that on my own a couple times, leading to large laughs around the table. Drinking helped this process, and about half-way through I pretty much decided it was time to get tossed.
I believe I went home after I recited Casey at the Bat. A few days later, this was the result:
Yay for heavy drinking.
6. I can live without playing FFXI constantly.
I have a lot of free time, most of which has been taken up by exercising. My workouts are getting longer, to about the 1 1/2 hour + range, and that's a good chunk of time at night that leaves me pretty exhausted. I still have a lot of free time and I'm filling it with other things. I am obsessed, however, and it remains a great connection back to the states.
5. I should have read Catcher in the Rye six years ago.
So, brother mine looking for books, read this one before you are forced to read it for class and it takes all the pleasure away.
4. Surprise!
Do shit when you can, because you never know when one of the teachers will pop up with some event that no one bothered to tell you about and it's in 15 minutes.
3. A Nintendo DS is an invaluable tool.
2. Five years of indolence does not disappear overnight...
...but it is starting to go away. Since the last report on August 27th update, I've decreased a further 5 kilograms. I've gone from 117 > 108. That was my goal for the month. 9 kilograms lost since the last week of July. That's almost 20 pounds total to anyone using the Queen's system.
I'm running three times a week, and when something doesn't pop up, going to judo 2x a week. Last week there was no judo, so I did some light running on those days and went swimming.
1. The students like me.
The former ALT apparently yelled at the students and pushed them around. He got frustrated easily, and the students didn't like him for it. They didn't like English much as a result either, apparently.
I've been doing more with students lately: exercising with them, helping them clean up and eating with them. I have a natural tendency to stay away as well, since I don't want to be the stupid foreigner getting in the way. However, being the slightly confused foreigner trying to help is better than being the lazy-ass foreigner. I'm communicating with the teachers more as well, and my coworkers seem to get a kick out of the progress of my diet/exercise program.
I've been pleased with my 9th grade students: we're working on making English skits. I connect with them better when it comes to performing. More say good morning to me and are much more likely to stop and talk to me in the hall. Also, where the elementary students love to hang and climb all over me, some of the 7th-9th graders have gotten more buddy-buddy with me of late, which scared me the first time I had an 8th graders arms around my shoulders. Say what you will of strict Japanese teaching, the teachers and students are very close to one another here. The boys wrestle and hassle with the male teachers, the girls chat and are very open with their female teachers. Not something you'd ever see in America.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Eventful
I'm usually always doing something now. Nights are getting busier, and weekends in September are crowded with sports events, speech contests and whatever else the other JETs can pull out of the event suggestion box.
This coming weekend looks to be either a time of sports and comraderie or a time to lockdown the house and wait for the storm to pass (click on the TC Warning link). A typhoon is coming, and it looks like it's on a direct course for Okinawa.
I ventured to the mainland this past weekend, which was something I hadn't done, I realized, in over a month. The last time was sometime in June, for an book club meeting in Chattan Town to discuss Vladimir Nabokov's novel Pale Fire. I alternately love and hate Nabokov's narrators; they are equally dense and well-formed as well as misleading and deceitful. It had been awhile, and I looked forward to meeting a lot of the new JETs that had arrived. I don't see them a lot; an island life can be restricting, but I often find reasons not to visit the mainland simply to save myself the trouble and money of not going.
Elina, the leader of our block of JETs, organized a weekend of events that I could not ignore. Saturday consisted of a BBQ at the beach with some swimming, a couple hours at the bowling alley, a midnight run through an Okinawan playground and a final cap to the evening with karaoke until three a.m.
It had been years since I'd been bowling--though I suspect that, if there was a bowling alley on my island, I would probably be there a lot--but after the first game I started to actually remember how to roll the ball down the alley. After the alley was the real fun though: Japanese playground equipment is crazy and sue-worthy, and it's a blast to play on. The best part was the loop constructed of rope that some of us (half-drunk or mostly-drunk) climbed through. Well, all of us climbed through.
The karaoke afterwards was typical karaoke: splendid and rousing. I will really miss it whenever I come back to the states. It's an experience that has little to no rival.
On Sunday we went sea kayaking. My first time. It was easier than I thought, but it wasn't as back-breaking as it could have been. After the kayaking was over, I trekked back to my island and pretty much zonked out for the rest of the day.
Elina has pictures of all the events posted here. Considerably more than I took, but I'll post some of mine later.
This coming weekend looks to be either a time of sports and comraderie or a time to lockdown the house and wait for the storm to pass (click on the TC Warning link). A typhoon is coming, and it looks like it's on a direct course for Okinawa.
I ventured to the mainland this past weekend, which was something I hadn't done, I realized, in over a month. The last time was sometime in June, for an book club meeting in Chattan Town to discuss Vladimir Nabokov's novel Pale Fire. I alternately love and hate Nabokov's narrators; they are equally dense and well-formed as well as misleading and deceitful. It had been awhile, and I looked forward to meeting a lot of the new JETs that had arrived. I don't see them a lot; an island life can be restricting, but I often find reasons not to visit the mainland simply to save myself the trouble and money of not going.
Elina, the leader of our block of JETs, organized a weekend of events that I could not ignore. Saturday consisted of a BBQ at the beach with some swimming, a couple hours at the bowling alley, a midnight run through an Okinawan playground and a final cap to the evening with karaoke until three a.m.
It had been years since I'd been bowling--though I suspect that, if there was a bowling alley on my island, I would probably be there a lot--but after the first game I started to actually remember how to roll the ball down the alley. After the alley was the real fun though: Japanese playground equipment is crazy and sue-worthy, and it's a blast to play on. The best part was the loop constructed of rope that some of us (half-drunk or mostly-drunk) climbed through. Well, all of us climbed through.
The karaoke afterwards was typical karaoke: splendid and rousing. I will really miss it whenever I come back to the states. It's an experience that has little to no rival.
On Sunday we went sea kayaking. My first time. It was easier than I thought, but it wasn't as back-breaking as it could have been. After the kayaking was over, I trekked back to my island and pretty much zonked out for the rest of the day.
Elina has pictures of all the events posted here. Considerably more than I took, but I'll post some of mine later.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Karaoke Horrors
I really like Paul. He's from Kentucky and one of the new ALTs. The girl dancing in front of him was also a new ALT, from Alaska. And what do ALTs, fresh to Japan, do? Karaoke, of course.
I'm no karaoke prince--though my "Time Warp" rendition was quite dramatic, I was told--but I got a kick out of Paul's singing here.
It was an eventful weekend. Full post forthcoming. Until then, enjoy.
I'm no karaoke prince--though my "Time Warp" rendition was quite dramatic, I was told--but I got a kick out of Paul's singing here.
It was an eventful weekend. Full post forthcoming. Until then, enjoy.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Some Kind of Circle
Dad, Matt and Zach were always into wrestling. I went to a practice once, wanting to watch and see just what my Dad and brothers liked about the sport. As I sat on a mat and watched, Dad came up to me and either said I participated or I didn't belong there.
I didn't go again.
Flash forward to now: I just came back from judo class. A quick browse through the wiki reveals it is one of the four forms of amateur competive wrestling, the others being Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo.
It's a class for beginners: there is one other adult there besides the sensei, all the remaining students are 6th grade age and under.
I'm more dexterous then I have a right to be and less than I need to be. It was a good, full-body workout and I can't wait until Friday night's lesson.
I didn't go again.
Flash forward to now: I just came back from judo class. A quick browse through the wiki reveals it is one of the four forms of amateur competive wrestling, the others being Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo.
It's a class for beginners: there is one other adult there besides the sensei, all the remaining students are 6th grade age and under.
I'm more dexterous then I have a right to be and less than I need to be. It was a good, full-body workout and I can't wait until Friday night's lesson.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Majionair
While Japanese television is largely boring in terms of dramas and comedies, they do have their amusing game shows. This particular one is a parody of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," but it gets rather personal. The second contestant in parts three and four looks ready to chew up the scenery.
It's in six parts, here's the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPqSyj7CH9I
The other parts are in the "Explore More Videos" section.
Incident
(This is a post I wrote sometime ago. Enjoy or don't enjoy.)
I have Friday afternoons to myself. So far its either been a time to clean my place or catch a ferry to the mainland for drinking and hanging out. But this one Friday, the third after arrival, I went out walking.
I walked all over the island: the lily-field (sans lilies, so just "field") and the rocky cliffs there, the western beaches and tide pools, which I walked through against my better judgement; a false step meant complete lasceration of my feet and legs. At the southern beaches I swam in the ocean for the first time and enjoyed a grape slushee.
On my way home, I passed the home of a friend on the island, and she invited me in for a drink. I accepted, not wanting to insult or commit some little social atrocity. Her daughter was watching TV, and soon Aladdin was playing in the background.
Disney characters are everywhere; you'd think Disney himself had a hand in writing their constitution.
I asked for a water, but soon the water was gone and there was an Orion beer in front of me.
"Do you like to drink?" She said."Sure." I didn't tell her I don't drink a lot. That "don't want to insult" mentality again.
"Our impression of Americans. Drink all the time. All day."
"Well, some of them. But they're the minority. On the job," I crossed my arms, the "no" gesture.
I finished my beer and she was on her second when she brought out the wine. I drank slowly; I had no wish to be drunk in front of her or her daughter, who I have occasionally in class. We just chatted, she showed me the ashes of her husband's grandfathers who died in WWII and I tried my damnedest to be a good guest and ask questions.
Aladdin was putting the moves on Jasmine when her husband came in.We introduced ourselves and he sat down on the tatami with a beer.
(misete age yokagayaku sekai)
We were chatting amiably enough, enjoying ourselves. Sushi appeared, we ate. The day was cooling down, and cold drinks and the rotating fan helped. I had another glass of wine while the husband and wife downed another beer or two. Like those at my welcome party a week ago, these people liked to drink. And my glass was never empty.
"Dozo," any quick Japanese will say if they see your drink vanishing. And you'll do a little bow as your glass fills and say, of course, "Domo." That said, I'm careful now to drink as slow as I possibly can lest I drink too much.
I fear my loss of self-control.
(suteki naatarashii sekai)
We had cigarettes about the time a guest arrived and sat down, another friend of the wife, a young Japanese man only a year older than me with that particular Japanese cockiness that doesn't seem threatening, just outgoing, a sun-ray. He beamed.
I'm a social smoker, meaning if someone will offer, I'm there. Sometimes it will be months between cigarettes, sometimes a few weeks. In the last year, I marked time between one and another with a death.
The wife would translate for me, but often we would just be talking ourselves as the husband and the guest conversed. I began to feel awkward as I realized either the wife couldn't hold her drink or she didn't know what was appropriate to say in English conversation.
"I'm so bored here. I've lived on the island for 14 years. So boring."
"No, I would never divorce him. I love him, but if we did, I would take my daughter and go. She's mine."
"She's our only one. My husband, he has no seed for more."
I nodded. If I have one talent it's one that allows me to go with the flow with minimal interruption. I nod, smile, offer sympathies and empathize. Minnesota nice, you might say. And it served me well. At least until the shouting started.
The daughter had popped in Finding Nemo, and the husband started to argue with his wife about her constantly watching the film. Over and over again she would watch it, and it didn't seem to be a good thing to do when guests were present.
He may or may not have liked me casting glances at the television. I'm a sucker for Disney movies, especially Pixar, and I couldn't help but look.At first it was just that murmuring arguing. Not loud, but insistent, and the wife would often stop and translate. I would catch words, eddies in the waves, indistinct and confusing. The other guest took this in stride, so I tried to follow his example.
I snapped up a piece of sushi and drank a little wine, but it was fast losing any appeal. The guest and I exchanged a look as our hosts continued. The daughter's eyes were darting between the onscreen fish and her bickering parents.
Then they were louder, almost yelling. The daughter got up and sat next to her mother, clutching her arm. The husband remained cross-legged on the floor, wine glass in hand the pet parakeet on his shoulder, murmuring. It was the wife who was shouting.And then it faded, fast and unexpected. We sat picking at our food, sipping wine, and exchanging words. The daughter still clutched her mother's arm.
Another guest arrived and the arguing renewed. He paused in the doorway but came in after. He was smiling before he entered, but as he came around and sat on the sofa I saw it was gone.
Then the wife was on her feet, moving toward her floor-bound husband. She hit him, once, twice, three, maybe four times. The daughter was up, screaming "Okaasan! Okaasan!" The first guest moved; this had happened before and he went to intervene.
They separated. The husband was on his feet, the wife pacing around him. The daughter was near the television, her hands clutched under her chin. There was a flow of Japanese and they were grappling with eachother again ("OKAASAN!"). The guest moved, separated them.
The wife kept moving toward the cabinet where the urns of ashes were kept, and before any of us could move to stop her, there was ash in the air and broken urn on the tatami. The ash went soaring into the fan and shot through the air. There was a piece (bone, oh my god it's bone) in my eye.
Five minutes later, guest #2 and I were out the door, the husband and wife offering apologies and us accepting.The first guest stayed behind, picking up urn shards.
I have Friday afternoons to myself. So far its either been a time to clean my place or catch a ferry to the mainland for drinking and hanging out. But this one Friday, the third after arrival, I went out walking.
I walked all over the island: the lily-field (sans lilies, so just "field") and the rocky cliffs there, the western beaches and tide pools, which I walked through against my better judgement; a false step meant complete lasceration of my feet and legs. At the southern beaches I swam in the ocean for the first time and enjoyed a grape slushee.
On my way home, I passed the home of a friend on the island, and she invited me in for a drink. I accepted, not wanting to insult or commit some little social atrocity. Her daughter was watching TV, and soon Aladdin was playing in the background.
Disney characters are everywhere; you'd think Disney himself had a hand in writing their constitution.
I asked for a water, but soon the water was gone and there was an Orion beer in front of me.
"Do you like to drink?" She said."Sure." I didn't tell her I don't drink a lot. That "don't want to insult" mentality again.
"Our impression of Americans. Drink all the time. All day."
"Well, some of them. But they're the minority. On the job," I crossed my arms, the "no" gesture.
I finished my beer and she was on her second when she brought out the wine. I drank slowly; I had no wish to be drunk in front of her or her daughter, who I have occasionally in class. We just chatted, she showed me the ashes of her husband's grandfathers who died in WWII and I tried my damnedest to be a good guest and ask questions.
Aladdin was putting the moves on Jasmine when her husband came in.We introduced ourselves and he sat down on the tatami with a beer.
(misete age yokagayaku sekai)
We were chatting amiably enough, enjoying ourselves. Sushi appeared, we ate. The day was cooling down, and cold drinks and the rotating fan helped. I had another glass of wine while the husband and wife downed another beer or two. Like those at my welcome party a week ago, these people liked to drink. And my glass was never empty.
"Dozo," any quick Japanese will say if they see your drink vanishing. And you'll do a little bow as your glass fills and say, of course, "Domo." That said, I'm careful now to drink as slow as I possibly can lest I drink too much.
I fear my loss of self-control.
(suteki naatarashii sekai)
We had cigarettes about the time a guest arrived and sat down, another friend of the wife, a young Japanese man only a year older than me with that particular Japanese cockiness that doesn't seem threatening, just outgoing, a sun-ray. He beamed.
I'm a social smoker, meaning if someone will offer, I'm there. Sometimes it will be months between cigarettes, sometimes a few weeks. In the last year, I marked time between one and another with a death.
The wife would translate for me, but often we would just be talking ourselves as the husband and the guest conversed. I began to feel awkward as I realized either the wife couldn't hold her drink or she didn't know what was appropriate to say in English conversation.
"I'm so bored here. I've lived on the island for 14 years. So boring."
"No, I would never divorce him. I love him, but if we did, I would take my daughter and go. She's mine."
"She's our only one. My husband, he has no seed for more."
I nodded. If I have one talent it's one that allows me to go with the flow with minimal interruption. I nod, smile, offer sympathies and empathize. Minnesota nice, you might say. And it served me well. At least until the shouting started.
The daughter had popped in Finding Nemo, and the husband started to argue with his wife about her constantly watching the film. Over and over again she would watch it, and it didn't seem to be a good thing to do when guests were present.
He may or may not have liked me casting glances at the television. I'm a sucker for Disney movies, especially Pixar, and I couldn't help but look.At first it was just that murmuring arguing. Not loud, but insistent, and the wife would often stop and translate. I would catch words, eddies in the waves, indistinct and confusing. The other guest took this in stride, so I tried to follow his example.
I snapped up a piece of sushi and drank a little wine, but it was fast losing any appeal. The guest and I exchanged a look as our hosts continued. The daughter's eyes were darting between the onscreen fish and her bickering parents.
Then they were louder, almost yelling. The daughter got up and sat next to her mother, clutching her arm. The husband remained cross-legged on the floor, wine glass in hand the pet parakeet on his shoulder, murmuring. It was the wife who was shouting.And then it faded, fast and unexpected. We sat picking at our food, sipping wine, and exchanging words. The daughter still clutched her mother's arm.
Another guest arrived and the arguing renewed. He paused in the doorway but came in after. He was smiling before he entered, but as he came around and sat on the sofa I saw it was gone.
Then the wife was on her feet, moving toward her floor-bound husband. She hit him, once, twice, three, maybe four times. The daughter was up, screaming "Okaasan! Okaasan!" The first guest moved; this had happened before and he went to intervene.
They separated. The husband was on his feet, the wife pacing around him. The daughter was near the television, her hands clutched under her chin. There was a flow of Japanese and they were grappling with eachother again ("OKAASAN!"). The guest moved, separated them.
The wife kept moving toward the cabinet where the urns of ashes were kept, and before any of us could move to stop her, there was ash in the air and broken urn on the tatami. The ash went soaring into the fan and shot through the air. There was a piece (bone, oh my god it's bone) in my eye.
Five minutes later, guest #2 and I were out the door, the husband and wife offering apologies and us accepting.The first guest stayed behind, picking up urn shards.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Downtime
Late July and the August month constitutes as what one may call "downtime" for JETs. Old faces leave, new ones show up, the kids are on break and the JET (in my case, anyway) is largely left to their own devices. Many return home to visit family, other JETs take trips. My main outlet has been the computer, indulging in Monk episodes and rereading Sandman comics.
For students technically on break, my junior high kids are constantly at the junior high anyway, training for September sports festivals and events. Tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, track. They're doing it all. So I decided, instead of sitting at the office and playing on the computer, reading news and blogs of friends (albeit quietly, never commenting), that I would connect with the students more. This meant, of course, exercising with them.
I'm introverted and self-concious, so naturally it was difficult to begin. When I showed up for the first activity of the day in the last week of July, it was with the baseball team, and naturally they seemed a bit incredulous that I wanted to exercise with them. These kids are lean and wiry, and when the big gaijin shows up, wanting to run with them, disbelief isn't unwarranted.
There's a triptych of students that give me the most trouble, inside and outside of class: Toshiki, Kowa and Keisuke. They also happen to be on the baseball team and met my joining with a combination of amusement and sneers. Toshiki in particular had a stunned lip curl that gave the strong impression that he wished I wasn't there.
But I ran with them and miraculously kept up with them for the two laps they went around the school courtyard. I did sit-ups and push-ups and belly undulations--pushing with your stomach muscles against the ground--with them. Most of them looked on at me with smiles when I did this. Who can blame them? A fat man doing the exercises that rightfully belong to the thin and better coordinated is comedy gold anyway you slice it.
And then we did sprints.
"ジョシュアー先生 早いね。" (Joshua-sensei is quick, isn't he?) One said, as he watched me keep up with the team of four I was sprinting with. My heart was beating fast, as it would for weeks after in the Okinawan sun. My legs hurt and I was tired. But someone said I was quick, and I knew instantly I would be back the next day.
I showed up at practice 3-4 times a week, usually at 8 a.m. to run with the track team. We'd start with an opening run, then do other exercises, then sprints, and sometimes more running, training for the 100-meter dash or relay. I exhausted myself; my stamina was nothing great. Short bursts of energy followed by a long recovery and much water drinking.
I liken it to boot camp. When I ran cross-country in high school, our practices were never this intense. My students did everything together, the running, the sprinting, the exercises. They did it as a team, and there was a definite sense of comraderie. I imagine it would have exhausted students I knew back in high school. But maybe not. Maybe I wasn't as involved with it as I could have been, back then. I didn't want to learn how to train my body. This, in a sense, was what was happening at present: my students were being taught to train themselves.
The weeks went on and my body began to change. I could feel myself recovering faster after runs. My leg muscles were hardening. I was keeping up. And all around me, there often came shouts of "Joshua! Fighto!"
Morning track practice ended last week. They switched to a 5-6:30 p.m. time, which is difficult for me, since I need that time to run errands. So last week, I started my own exercise regime. 7:00-8:30 p.m. is the time I set aside. I went three times, and to my amazement, I actually knew how to work out and push my body.
Current progress then: 3 kilograms lost in one month (which I'm told is healthy), and a ton of muscle tone gained.
And I have the students of Ie-Jima to thank.
For students technically on break, my junior high kids are constantly at the junior high anyway, training for September sports festivals and events. Tennis, volleyball, basketball, baseball, track. They're doing it all. So I decided, instead of sitting at the office and playing on the computer, reading news and blogs of friends (albeit quietly, never commenting), that I would connect with the students more. This meant, of course, exercising with them.
I'm introverted and self-concious, so naturally it was difficult to begin. When I showed up for the first activity of the day in the last week of July, it was with the baseball team, and naturally they seemed a bit incredulous that I wanted to exercise with them. These kids are lean and wiry, and when the big gaijin shows up, wanting to run with them, disbelief isn't unwarranted.
There's a triptych of students that give me the most trouble, inside and outside of class: Toshiki, Kowa and Keisuke. They also happen to be on the baseball team and met my joining with a combination of amusement and sneers. Toshiki in particular had a stunned lip curl that gave the strong impression that he wished I wasn't there.
But I ran with them and miraculously kept up with them for the two laps they went around the school courtyard. I did sit-ups and push-ups and belly undulations--pushing with your stomach muscles against the ground--with them. Most of them looked on at me with smiles when I did this. Who can blame them? A fat man doing the exercises that rightfully belong to the thin and better coordinated is comedy gold anyway you slice it.
And then we did sprints.
"ジョシュアー先生 早いね。" (Joshua-sensei is quick, isn't he?) One said, as he watched me keep up with the team of four I was sprinting with. My heart was beating fast, as it would for weeks after in the Okinawan sun. My legs hurt and I was tired. But someone said I was quick, and I knew instantly I would be back the next day.
I showed up at practice 3-4 times a week, usually at 8 a.m. to run with the track team. We'd start with an opening run, then do other exercises, then sprints, and sometimes more running, training for the 100-meter dash or relay. I exhausted myself; my stamina was nothing great. Short bursts of energy followed by a long recovery and much water drinking.
I liken it to boot camp. When I ran cross-country in high school, our practices were never this intense. My students did everything together, the running, the sprinting, the exercises. They did it as a team, and there was a definite sense of comraderie. I imagine it would have exhausted students I knew back in high school. But maybe not. Maybe I wasn't as involved with it as I could have been, back then. I didn't want to learn how to train my body. This, in a sense, was what was happening at present: my students were being taught to train themselves.
The weeks went on and my body began to change. I could feel myself recovering faster after runs. My leg muscles were hardening. I was keeping up. And all around me, there often came shouts of "Joshua! Fighto!"
Morning track practice ended last week. They switched to a 5-6:30 p.m. time, which is difficult for me, since I need that time to run errands. So last week, I started my own exercise regime. 7:00-8:30 p.m. is the time I set aside. I went three times, and to my amazement, I actually knew how to work out and push my body.
Current progress then: 3 kilograms lost in one month (which I'm told is healthy), and a ton of muscle tone gained.
And I have the students of Ie-Jima to thank.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
The 200th Episode
I am not a Stargate: SG-1 fan and I never plan to be since it was favored over Farscape by the Sci-Fi channel. I love the latter, though at present I'm more savvy and recognize its flaws. I don't feel comfortable admitting them, however, so they'll remain buried in garden along with the neighbor kid's dead pet cicadas. It was original and enthralling, and I hope I see it that way again when I'm older and my eye is keener. I'm hoping, perhaps foolishly, that it ages well.
SG-1's 200th episode was akin to watching Farscape. Almost every episode of Farscape has a strand of absurdity that it willingly embraces. That strand was there. SG-1 poked fun at itself and all of sci-fi television. It was one of the best hours of programming I've watched since Farscape went off the air.
You might want to take that with the proverbial grain of salt, considering my slim choice of viewing material. It was still a damn fun hour of television.
SG-1's 200th episode was akin to watching Farscape. Almost every episode of Farscape has a strand of absurdity that it willingly embraces. That strand was there. SG-1 poked fun at itself and all of sci-fi television. It was one of the best hours of programming I've watched since Farscape went off the air.
You might want to take that with the proverbial grain of salt, considering my slim choice of viewing material. It was still a damn fun hour of television.
Up and Under Construction
I'm creating this page for my family and friends, primarily to keep them better abreast of what's going on during my stay in Okinawa, Japan. I'm quite horrid with e-mail and thought this would be an all around easier way to keep everyone informed.
The site is currently "under construction." This means that I am fiddling and tinkering and not really doing any hardcore html construction. I am currently contemplating purchasing a domain name, crafting a more personal webspace, ect., but until I have the proper confidence, don't expect anything drastic.
I'm working on getting flickr set up and some other tidbits. Until then, enjoy a lot of nothing!
The site is currently "under construction." This means that I am fiddling and tinkering and not really doing any hardcore html construction. I am currently contemplating purchasing a domain name, crafting a more personal webspace, ect., but until I have the proper confidence, don't expect anything drastic.
I'm working on getting flickr set up and some other tidbits. Until then, enjoy a lot of nothing!
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