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So I’ve been really busy with stuff (the prefectural mid-year conference and traveling to Fukuoka for a whirlwind sumo weekend) and so I apologize for taking forever to get even pictures posted. You didn’t actually think I could keep up this blog like I did my first few months though, did you?

The JET Mid-Year Conference was in Nagasaki and it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. I had fun and enjoyed getting off the island—got a few days off work, but I was disappointed with the actual conference. I went over on Sunday morning and I couldn’t get ahold of Noelle who I was staying with for the weekend so I sat in this park overlooking the bay and read for hours. There was a huge Harley Davidson festival going on so there were lots of Japanese cowboys and country music to be had. I’m not sure how I feel about Japanese hicks in cowboy boots, hats and lots of leather. It was interesting to say the least.

In the afternoon I met up with some other ALTs in the area and played soccer for hours! We even got to play on grass!! The ground was slanted and led right into a canal where we lost our ball several times. We had to throw rocks to make ripples to bring it to shore. We played a group of junior high schoolers that also happened to be in the park.

The park where I read my book for hours in the sunshine and was called “gaijin-san” by passerbyers.

Watching the boats come in…

When I got home from the conference I was feeling pretty down. I enjoyed playing soccer and hanging out with the guys in the evening. I really did not want to come back to this tiny little island practically devoid of male life aged mid-20s. I had a really good talk with Masami in the Career Center Wednesday (she seems to be my lifesaver on more than one occasion) and we’ve made a plan to get me more involved with younger life!

And this weekend I went to Fukuoka for Japan's last sumo competition for the year, the Kyushu Basho tournament. Kerry and I decided to take the 7:40 a.m. ferry to Sasebo Saturday and take a bus up to Fukuoka, but we missed the ferry by just a couple minutes and had to wait for the next one at 10:30. Why we missed it is a long story, but basically I had to drive Koichiro up to Aokata to get his car and we didn’t leave until 7 a.m. which wasn’t really enough time, but I felt bad getting him up any earlier on a Saturday morning.

Eventually we made it to Fukuoka, but only got to see the last 10 matches or so. They were the final matches and probably the most exciting anyway. Here are the pictures!

Kerry and I are still smiling despite our long journey!

They do these little squat moves and leg warm ups for about five minutes before they actually start wrestling.

On your mark... Get set... Go!!

And then the wrestling begins!

Paul and Laura watching the tournament.

Here’s the winner of the tournament, Asashoryu. He’s Mongolian!

Peter and Dean (some guys I met at the Halloween party in Sasebo weeks ago) keeping close track of the winners and looking annoyed that I’m interrupting them.

The sumo celebrities giving out their signatures as they leave the building! Notice the guy on the left in the blue yukata is Caucasian?? Apparently he is a wrestler-in-training, but he needs to gain a little weight before going out on the sand!

Peter and I had to get our picture taken with the winner! I rub his belly for good luck!

Laura and I with Mr. Sumo.

We stayed one night in Fukuoka. Finding our hotel was quite a challenge as Asagami booked it for us, but they couldn’t find our reservations. Even with some stressful moments we managed to get a wonderful hotel room with futons on tatamis. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant and it was so good! They even had tacos al pastor and frozen margaritas!!! I totally fumbled up my Spanish because I couldn’t stop thinking in Japanese. Even easy, polite words like “por favor” totally escaped me. “Onegaishimasu” was all that came to me! Kerry definitely showed me up in that department!

The owner of the restaurant, Suu, studied Mexican cuisine in D.F. for two years so he spoke beautiful Spanish which complimented his external beauty. He was also really helpful as I was trying to find this bar that Asagami asked me to go to. He called the bar several times to get directions for me and talk to the owner who was sending out her staff to meet me in front of some random hotel—it was really confusing. Then Suu even called the bar back to tell them I wasn’t coming when I realized how far away it was. He gave me his business card but I’m too embarrassed about my Spanish to actually email him.

We had one last meal of Indian before making the long trek back to the island. Kerry and Laura were able to sleep on the bus, but I was wide awake from my Starbucks coffee.

Tomorrow is a day off and I’ve been invited to go scuba-diving with Yoshida-sensei. He’s a history teacher here at Nakagoto and runs everything audio-visual at the school. Fukuda-sensei is coming too so if there’s any confusion she’ll be able to help interpret!

A picture of Sierra’s Spot last week. Posted Oregon brochures/magazines and an article about our rainy weather.

I’m so surprised to be experiencing 70ºF weather in November!! I love it here!

Love,
Sierra

Sending my picture off to friends at 7 a.m.!