Hello to all the readers out there, however few of you there may be.I probably could keep more attention on this blog if I updated more than once a month. My mistake and my apologies. A lot has happened since the last post, and I'd be able to remember and comment on it all if I wrote about it as soon as it happened. Instead, I need to cluster my memories of the last month into this post. We'll start with a peculiar recycling note that relates to the last post: how efficient is the recycling in Japan? Well, I'm convinced it's effective, and I presume that recycling facilities have separation devices to keep metal and glass out of the plastic. At the same time, they have bins that clearly demarcate a plastic and glass / can receptacle. If you lift the lid to the bin as I did in my curiosity, you will find that everything falls together into the same can. So, I assume that this gets worked out later down the line, but it's quite a farce and disappointing for anyone who has felt guilty for using the wrong hole. After that, what have I spent my well-earned money on? I bought a moped, a two-wheeled monster that can move me around at speeds of up to 20mph (legally) or 40mph (physical limitation). It's not fast, but I have never had to travel more than 30 miles, and for the moped itself and all the fixins, including three years of insurance, I paid the princely sum of about $950. My birthday also came and went, so I bought a monitor at a local PC store. The cost was originally 44,700 yen (about $430). By chance, I went into the same store the next weekend to check out some other prices on items because I was in the area for work-related business. In particular, it was Saturday and I drove to the city to watch a girl who I had been coaching perform in a speech contest. She didn't win, primarily because my Mr. Rotondo-esque inspirational skills are not yet up to par. Anyway, the price on the thing had dropped 5,000 yen ($45!). I brought my receipt in the next day, which used a couple hours and a full tank of gas (3L / 500 yen). To my surprise, however, their policy was different than I have ever seen. They refunded me 150% of the price difference. So the final cost of the monitor was 37,200 yen. Not bad. So, what else? I just registered for a 10km marathon. 6.2 miles is apparently a marathon, much like how a tiny apartment is a mansion. It's part of a November festival. I found out about the event through sheer luck in a conversation with my landlord, and this proves that I need to be in touch with the locals more. They can certainly 1) be good friends and part of valuable relationships and 2) keep me informed on local happenings that I may otherwise miss. Such events aren't hugely advertised, and while I receive a monthly newsletter, I can only read some of it without extensive dictionary help. My reading, at the same time, is moving along nicely. Sometimes, as I read kanji, the Chinese character set that gives all foreigners the greatest headache, I consider the progress I've made, and it's probably significant. In keeping with the humility around me, I'll be attaching "maybe" and "probably" to about everything I say. Anyway, classes have been in session for the last month, and it's going quite well. The students have surpassed the initial "OMG there's a foreigner here and he's a male and he has facial hair and a short haircut" and are more accustomed to seeing me around. I have already established a kind of niche; i.e. I help the English debate club and try to help out any and all students who personally come to me for help. A girl asked me yesterday about what is the best path of English learning if she wants to become an international guide in Japan. I told her that pronunciation is key and perhaps that grammar is not so important, given the nature of the job. It hurt me to put grammar down like that. The Japanese have trouble with it, and hell, Americans do, too. Some classes are more enthusiastic than others, some are more skilled than others, and some are more eager than others. I naturally have become fond of the more energetic and eager ones. There are classes where students frequently fall alseep and there's essentially nothing to be done about it. You can wake them up, but that lasts 10 seconds and they simply don't care. There is a balance of kids who care and those who don't, so I'm beginning to think that it's better to focus my energy on fostering those who care and not worrying so much about saving those who don't. After all, English is a language they are required to learn, and many of them do NOT care and will likely hardly ever encounter it in their lives. If those kids fall asleep, it may be better to just let it go and save the effort. It's hard to decide. On my birthday, 10 students wrote up a card and gave it me along with a cup of my favorite local drink, Aquarius. It tastes just like the god himself. As I read, they sang Happy Birthday in an embarrasingly loud manner. A few days later, the English debate team threw me a mini-party replete with similar drawings, food, and even a couple of presents. It was incredibly sweet for the students to do that and I was in relative disbelief. So, it's picture time. Pictures 1 and 2 are the letter from the 10 students. Picture 3 is most of the debate team at my mini-party. Picture 4 is from a beautiful, secluded beach. Picture 5 is one of the most amazingly surreal sunsets I have ever witnessed. Pictures 6 and 7 are from an island where an annual reggae dance party was held. We had a barbeque in the afternoon, drinks in the evening, dancing in the night, and a visit from the numerous and friendly local deer who wanted breakfast the next morning. Picture 8 is an INSANE spider. The spiders here are frighteningly large almost across the board, and one night, I was talking to a friend and eyeing up a cockroach that was walking along a bridge. Then I saw a flurry of motion and walked over to investigate it. This massive spider (see the cockroach for scale) does not weave a web but instead actively attacks and devours its prey. It was grotesque enough for me to put my camera inches away for a good shot. Picture 9 is from an old favorite, Fukiage Beach. I walked out into the shallow water and found a heart-shaped sandbar protruding. It was charming.
Ask me questions, people! It's starting to get a little lonely here, so contact would be wonderful.
Chris
