Thursday, February 10, 2005
Pool Party
I am shooting myself in the foot right now. It’s almost 1 a.m. on Thursday night and I have to wake up at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow to take Kerry (and myself) to the port! It’s a three-day weekend and I'm going to visit Peter, an ALT on Takashima (鷹島). I have to give you the kanji because it’s not 高島 as I once believed; it’s much more complicated than that. I haven’t started packing for my weekend or anything yet, but I’ve been posting pictures from my weekend on Fukue. Yeah! So go click on “Fukue” on the archives list to see them!!
This has been a great week. By Wednesday I decided that I better continue working out in case I still can do the triathlon in June, but I’ve about given up hope. I did some biking and swimming yesterday and today and have met some cool people in the pool since then. I’ve been spending enough time in the pool that I know all the regulars and they are getting brave enough to talk to me. Yesterday, I spent 45 minutes talking to Shigehisa in the second lane, and today a cute old woman, named Sanae, I think, talked to me in the third lane. She was so funny. I could only understand phrases of what she was saying, but she wouldn’t slow down enough for me to be able to really understand her questions, so she just kept on talking and talking and I just nodded and smiled and tried to understand what I could. She told me I’m getting fast because I’m taking so many lessons, which is not true, but I have had Tanabe (a swim coach) and Koichiro (my neighbor) helping me informally when they can. I think she sees me getting this coaching in the pool and wants to encourage me.
I saw Shigehisa again today and he said when he got home he wished we had gone out to ramen yesterday. (We got into this huge conversation about how much I love ramen—especially Kawayasu ramen—and I want to go there everyday.) We said next time we’d go together after working out, but we’re always coming and going at odd times so I’m not sure it will ever happen. Anyway, I got to know him pretty well. He’s 42 (and looks in really good health) and works at a building construction company. His English is pretty good, but I’m insistent on using some Japanese so I get to practice too. He seems really nice and has a very nice smile. I hope we can hang out sometime.
Another woman talked to me in the onsen today. I’m sure I’ve met her before but I can’t remember when, or what her name is. She’s taking this English course on TV and she just had a test in Nagasaki today. She wanted to practice with me, but I honestly couldn’t understand her English very well. I did hear that she’s going to Paris for two days in June and she can’t wait to use her English? I think she messed up something in that sentence…at least I hope so, otherwise she’ll be shocked for all two days of her Paris excursion.
Oh, it’s so late. I need to pack for this trip! I’m not sure I’ll get many pictures to post this weekend, Peter only has a phone camera and they tend to be low quality but maybe he’ll pass them on to me and me to you. Have a nice weekend and I’ll write when I get back.
Love, Sierra
Here’s a picture of my college friend, Alex, who went to Russia for Jan Term! He is standing in front of Kremlin. (P.S. I love that coat!)
This has been a great week. By Wednesday I decided that I better continue working out in case I still can do the triathlon in June, but I’ve about given up hope. I did some biking and swimming yesterday and today and have met some cool people in the pool since then. I’ve been spending enough time in the pool that I know all the regulars and they are getting brave enough to talk to me. Yesterday, I spent 45 minutes talking to Shigehisa in the second lane, and today a cute old woman, named Sanae, I think, talked to me in the third lane. She was so funny. I could only understand phrases of what she was saying, but she wouldn’t slow down enough for me to be able to really understand her questions, so she just kept on talking and talking and I just nodded and smiled and tried to understand what I could. She told me I’m getting fast because I’m taking so many lessons, which is not true, but I have had Tanabe (a swim coach) and Koichiro (my neighbor) helping me informally when they can. I think she sees me getting this coaching in the pool and wants to encourage me.
I saw Shigehisa again today and he said when he got home he wished we had gone out to ramen yesterday. (We got into this huge conversation about how much I love ramen—especially Kawayasu ramen—and I want to go there everyday.) We said next time we’d go together after working out, but we’re always coming and going at odd times so I’m not sure it will ever happen. Anyway, I got to know him pretty well. He’s 42 (and looks in really good health) and works at a building construction company. His English is pretty good, but I’m insistent on using some Japanese so I get to practice too. He seems really nice and has a very nice smile. I hope we can hang out sometime.
Another woman talked to me in the onsen today. I’m sure I’ve met her before but I can’t remember when, or what her name is. She’s taking this English course on TV and she just had a test in Nagasaki today. She wanted to practice with me, but I honestly couldn’t understand her English very well. I did hear that she’s going to Paris for two days in June and she can’t wait to use her English? I think she messed up something in that sentence…at least I hope so, otherwise she’ll be shocked for all two days of her Paris excursion.
Oh, it’s so late. I need to pack for this trip! I’m not sure I’ll get many pictures to post this weekend, Peter only has a phone camera and they tend to be low quality but maybe he’ll pass them on to me and me to you. Have a nice weekend and I’ll write when I get back.
Love, Sierra
Here’s a picture of my college friend, Alex, who went to Russia for Jan Term! He is standing in front of Kremlin. (P.S. I love that coat!)
Another picture Alex took in Russia. This is the Red Square with St. Basil’s on the left and Lenin’s Tomb on the right (right?). It’s so beautiful I told him he must enter in the Study Abroad Photo Competition at Linfield. (The competition that I ran for 3 years at that school. *Sigh*)
