Dartboard

Sometimes I think, “Yeah, I’m really busy and all I want is have a lie in on the weekend,” but then I get my Saturday lie in and have no plans for the entire day and I get bored and lonely and sad. (Lie in = sleep in, a new term the Brits taught me this week!!) Today I did two important things 1. went to the grocery store for more milk and a corn on the cob and 2. changed into sweatpants when I got cold. I suppose I could’ve gone out and played basketball or taken up Laura and Kerry on the offer to see Dawn (ALT visiting from Ojika), but leaving the apartment seemed too much of a hassle. I baked and cleaned a little, but mostly I just watched the entire first season of Scrubs and listened to the rain on my balcony.

A very late typhoon was headed our way this week, but it’s changed course and now is only a mild storm. The wind is picking up more now, but earlier this evening I was staring out into the darkness on my balcony and just listened to the rain falling, draining down the gutters for over an hour. I was thinking about how quickly time is moving here. It’s already December and I’ll be making my first trip home in just a few weeks. I feel like I just arrived a few weeks ago; I feel like I was in Norway just last month. I can’t believe it already two years since my dad died. A lot of the time on my balcony I spent crying and missing him, wishing he could see me. It was nice to have a quiet moment and cry, but I also really wished there was someone who could give me a hug and tell me it’d be alright.

I did give Harald a call. He just got back from his month in Brazil (!!!) and he always listens to me when I need someone to talk to. I’m so grateful he is such a close friend. No one seems to understand me and just “be there” for me like he is. I only wish he could give me a hug over the phone. He patiently listened while I talked about my lack of human contact. It’s the only thing that I really miss in Japan—people to love up on. I really love putting my head on someone’s stomach and my head bobbing up and down with each breath. It’s the small things in life…

This week, however, I did get to be the most popular girl in school—even if it was elementary school. I made my first visits to Wakamatsu Higashi Elementary and taught grades 4-6 on Thursday, grades 1-3 on Friday. The kids there are really great and they just love to hang all over me. The entire four hours I was there each day I was holding multiple small hands in each one of my hands and had more kids linking arms (and sometimes legs even) as I walked down the hallways. I was very happy to be the celebrity of the week and be fussed with even if they were only eight years old.

Most the lessons went really well. I did a Christmas theme and taught them some vocabulary and played games. The only class that was really too hard to handle were the first graders, but they’re so wild and loud I wasn’t sure what to do. I was relieved when the teacher said, “Let’s go play soccer for the last 10 minutes of class!” Even that was a bit disastrous, leaving about three kids in tears, but I wouldn’t have known what else to do in the classroom.

My favorite classes were third and fourth graders and I ate lunch with them on each day. They were really interested in me as a person and asked various questions from what foods, colors, sports I liked to what my first impression of Kamigoto was. The fourth grade teacher spoke the most English and I think there was some joke I wasn’t getting because he couldn’t stop smiling and blushing through lunch while his students asked him to translate questions for me. I actually got to use a fair amount of Japanese too. The kids are the best to practice with because they slow down their speech for me and use shorter, more informal language. They want to communicate so badly they’ll do whatever it takes to get me to understand.

Hanging out in the gym with these fourth graders.

A fourth grader saying “Itadakimasu” before starting his meal.

“Gochisosama!” Now let’s play!!

Recess was definitely the best part. I had kids on every side of me, in my hair, in my shoes, in the treetops above me. (I really worried about the kid in the tree that was climbing from the branch onto the swing set above me.) They wanted me to play on every structure, run around the track, time them running around the track, feed the rabbit, feed the chickens, bounce the soccer ball off my head, etc, etc. I loved every minute of it. They even extended recess by three minutes so the third graders and I could finish our girls vs. boys soccer game.

With a bunch of fourth graders at recess. Could they get any closer to me??

With the third graders at recess.

Some of the equipment on the playground.

I also got to see a few students who I practice karate with on Tuesday nights. About four of the students go to this elementary school and felt totally comfortable around me while at school with their peers. I’m hoping this carries over to next week’s karate practice and they want to come and “talk” to me again. They loved telling everyone that they already knew me from practice. They are really adorable.

Third grade class picture. The girl in red to my right and the boy in blue on my left both practice karate with me on Tuesday nights.

Waiting in the kocho-sensei’s office I had to take pictures of his beautiful flowers.

…

Sunday
Okay, today I never left the apartment, but I’m feeling much better. I’ve had a nap and many visits from neighbors. First, Mami-chan, my next-door neighbor brought me carrot cake. Then this afternoon Hirano-san brought me chingensai (some green leafy vegetable) that she grew in her garden. She was trying to explain to me what to do with it at my door, but I didn’t really understand so I invited her in and we cooked together. It was really delicious and I realized how badly I’ve missed vegetables. I’m beginning to have the problem many single, living alone people have: no desire to cook for one. I need to make more of an effort to cook meals for myself.

Here’s the chingensai and bacon I made with Hirano-san. Ahh, the leafy greens—such an important food group!

It really pays to know your neighbors. This week I had dinner with the Hatakeyama’s and Naoko-san (Hatakeyama’s wife) lent me a Christmas CD to take my elementary school. Koichiro came over and helped me make little Japanese vocabulary cards that I’ve taped up in my apartment to help learn kanji.

Also, I got a bike this week. Asagami-san sent one of his old bikes to Nagasaki to get a facelift and it came back this week looking really good! I was really hoping to use it this weekend, but it was too windy and rainy! Maybe the real winter weather is beginning finally? Got to go study some Japanese now.

Love, Sierra

Other pictures to share…
My sister enjoying her Thanksgiving dinner with friends in New Orleans.

Joelle drinking a hurricane cocktail.

Daniel sent his first picture from basic training in Alabama. He doesn’t look very happy! Ganbatte! Hang in there, only a few weeks left!!!

A little late for election jokes, but I thought this was funny.