Take Two

A large part of Okinawan culture is eisa dancing. There are multiple dances, but the junior high students concentrate on a specific set of movements involving taikos (drums). I learned this dance over the summer--all twenty minutes of it.



Throughout the dance, several of the students in costumes and heavy makeup move throughout the dancers.



The drumming can be heard all over the island and you can feel it shake the ground.

Undoukai Week - Take One

All week I'll be showing pictures from the recent undoukai, or sports day. The students have been training for it and the upcoming October event where they take the day and spend it competing with other schools. Last year, Ie Junior High came in third, something we hope to repeat this year. Its a big event day where the entire island turns out to see just how hard the students and teachers have been working.



Sunday dawned clear and hot, but the weather proved to be a terror. A huge storm cloud rolled in from the north and drenched the field.





In America, it probably would have been an oh-shit-we're-screwed moment, and that thought did flash across my brain. But the raincloud departed after 20 minutes of constant downpour, everyone burst from their shelter and there appeared mounds of spongy material apparently used for such an occasion. I was a little amazed at everyone SPONGING UP THE WATER, but the entire island is built to drain away water quickly, so I shouldn't have been surprised.





After all that, we were off!

More Sports Day Prep

I always think about The Simpsons episode where Bart composes a birthday diddy for Lisa when I hear the tune that's playing in the background here.

BBQ

Mmm! Shrimp!

Grave

Eisa Drumming

危ない！(Danger!)

I now present the most venomous fish in the world:

.

This was caught right near the shore where a bunch of elementary students, adults and myself were enjoying the beach.

Taiko Drumming

The 5th and 6th grade elementary students have been busy preparing for the upcoming eisa (traditional okinawan drumming/dancing) festival this weekend.



Wait a sec...who's that in the back?



I've gone to every practice with them, and have to say I'm good, if not better, than a lot of them. Though I often miss some audio cues for when to move.

Touching the Sky at Five

Hey Hey!

Some junior high students prepping for their dance number during the upcoming sports day.

Beach Cleanup

Last weekend, the girls volleyball team and my friend Edo cleaned up one of the beaches on the island. It was the first time I'd been to this particular beach. It was small and hidden, but really beautiful.

Getting Stronger~

Now under 200 pounds. That's down a little over 30 pounds from the end of April.



About 22 pounds to go before I enter the "normal" weight range.