Dartboard

“It’s the sun, probably.” (referring to why I look so old) –Andre, a 33-year-old Munich man I met in a Sasebo bar.

It’s been a crazy week. It feels like it’s lasted forever already, but at the same time I can’t believe it’s already Friday. I started out the week with a nice long conversation with my supervisor. Okay, cut out “nice” and “conversation” and enter “3 hour” and “argument” in the above sentence and it would be more accurate. She and I and the head of the English department all sat down together and talked about how things “are going” so far. If we hadn’t beat around the bush for the first two hours, talking about logistics, time schedules, testing requirements, etc, we may have been able to solve the heart of the matter much faster—but that wouldn’t have been very Japanese.

I’m not sure why we choose Tuesday to have the discussion because it doesn’t seem like there’s been a problem for a while. I guess the students thought Sasaki-sensei was bullying me in class last week and she had to spend an entire period explaining what happened. I think it’s funny they thought I was being bullied because if you know me at all you know I’m more likely to be the bullier than the bullee. Either way, our poor relationship is beginning to affect our classes and that’s the last thing either of us want.

The discussion was tough, but a lot tougher for her than for me because she can’t really speak English. I can say whatever I want in my native language and she’s fumbling around with vocabulary and verb tenses and not focusing the content of what she’s saying. We can’t make very much progress. After about five minutes she gave up and spoke mostly in Japanese and I tried my best to understand her. Hatake didn’t translate much either. It was weird.

She was really upset, tearing up and voice quavering by the end of it. I feel the tears were more out of frustration and stress then because the discussion was a highly-emotional event. She’s not handling this transition from college student to full-time teacher very well. She’s nervous and insecure. I didn’t realize how unhappy she is—so even if that’s the only thing I learned from the meeting, it’s a good thing.

I tried to end on a positive note by saying three nice things to her. Three things she's done that I respect or appreciate. It made her smile and Hatake was very happy about that. Was it too much for me to expect a similar gesture? I was hoping she’d end it by saying some nice things to/about me, but I guess that was hoping for too much. I felt pretty stoic during the whole meeting. I never have let our relationship get to me personally so I’m able to look at it more objectively. (Not completely objectively, of course, but more so than her, I think.)

Enough about her.

Six days until Joelle and Steven get here. And today is Steven’s birthday! Happy Birthday Steven! Are you 24 already? I’ve applied for my nenkyu (paid leave) and am taking eight paid holidays and three summer vacation days for their visit. That’s like 9 more days than I took with Daniel and my mom combined. I’m excited to get away from the school and see some more of Japan though. I’m making a mental list of the places we want to go, but no secure plans or dates yet.

I have to get a Japanese driver’s license. I hear passing it on the first try makes you a legend so I’d better prepare well for it. I don’t want to have to take it more than once. I met someone once who passed it on the first try. So, it’s not impossible.

I have to wake up really early for that cooking class tomorrow. I am really exhausted and wish I could sleep-in one of these mornings!! Misty is coming over from Fukue and her ferry gets in early so I won’t get to sleep-in Sunday either. Monday is a day off. We’re having a goodbye barbeque for Peter at Shinji’s. Going sailing one last time together. I guess I won’t see him again once Joe and Steven and I leave the island on July 24th. He’ll be gone when I get back.

I met Yuka for dinner on Monday, but I don’t have any plans to see Laura before she goes. I don’t even know when she’s going… What a year!

Well, writing this is just procrastinating what I really have to do. Preparing for a couple lessons and sorting out taxes, licenses, car check-ups, etc—which reminds me—I have to go the bank and post office too! I just want to sleep!

Love, Sierra

This one’s for all those boyfriends who said I couldn’t cook!

It feels good to be back home. I love leaving the island because coming back to it always feels so good. My trip to Sasebo (Camp Sechibaru) was fun. The orientation was very informal and I got away from the school for two whole days! That was four nights off the island—and plenty of shopping and restaurant eating in Sasebo and Nagasaki. I wore jeans for four days straight.

I got the following email today from the organizers of the Golden Week Hitchhiking trip. It looks like Peter and I won the Hitchhitching Challenge!! (It was a race, did I mention?) Doing all three challenges really paid off, I guess!

The email reads:

team,
the rules were bent, broken and scattered to the four winds, mainly by me, but any quibbles are elementary when i break the news that one pair managed to complete ALL OF THE CHALLENGES!!! i think maybe they misread the rules or something, but they did it, and within the time limit n'all! so, without further delay, ado or procrastinisation, a round of applause for the thoroughly efficient winners of the 2005 edition of the Annual Oita AJET Charity Hitchhike...

with a collosal, (and poetically consecutive), 2,345 points...

alll the way from Nagasaki-ken..

"My Island is More Inaka Than Your Island"

or

SIERRA and PETER!!!

unberiebable! Todd and Hiro came in a "close" second with 1,425 points and a visit to the hospotal for exhaustion, and the bronze medal goes to The Teabag Party, my homeboys Piotr and Paul, with an impressive 1,305, (impressive coz ive seen them, and i cant believe ANYONE would stop to give em a lift, let alone offer them the THREE homestays they got!!!)

......

I should also mention that we DID NOT read the rules wrong. Peter and I intentionally did all the challenges in each prefecture because (well, my reason, anyway) I wanted to see as much as Kyushu as possible. It was perfect!

This is me on Aoshima in Miyazaki Prefecture. The Aoshima shrine honors the mythical deity Yamasachi Hiko, and the shrine itself is known for conferring divine blessings to those wishing to get married. I, of course, bought an omomori so I may have good luck when that time comes. The Devil's Washboard (what you see in the picture below), is washed by the black tide, an unusually-shaped rock formation whose name perfectly describes its appearance.

Going to watch a movie on my beautiful new DVD player now!
Love, Sierra

The Fight.