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What a weekend!

First of all, I got to video-chat with an ex-boyfriend, Jared, forever on Saturday morning! We see each other online often, but I’m always at school so we can’t audio or video-chat, but he finally caught me on a weekend! It was nice to catch up—he’s just as wonderful and happy as ever. Again, the hair—it was not like this when we met! He recently broke up with his girlfriend which explains the unshaven, greasy look. Okay, not really…he was always unshaven and loved the grudge look.

Saturday I spent 3 hours at the pool. Yes. Count them. THREE! I was doing my workout—my goal was 1.25 km without rest and I was on lap 24 when I noticed people in the other lanes were looking at me funny. At lap 25 I was flagged down—the lane I was swimming in had been changed to a lesson lane. The only lane available had 12 thousand walkers so I had to stop. Five lanes. Four for lessons. One for walkers. What about swimmers! Just 5 more laps until I reached my goal! But I had to stop, so I chatted with the old ladies, onsened, walked in the walking pool, KILLED TIME for an hour until I could finally go finish. I ended up doing another set of 25 laps so I swam a total of 2.5 km instead, which is much further anyway, but I would have liked to finish my goal.

I talked to Tanabe and Ryohei for a long time too. They are both so sweet and funny. My heart goes out to Ryohei... Tanabe finally said on Saturday that my stroke is "jozu” (good). He's never said that before where I’ve actually believed him—I could always use more instruction. But his last suggestion to me on Friday was “Relax!” and then I got it! Sometimes you just GET IT and I felt like I was really swimming well Saturday. It felt good to be told so by someone that actually knows too. Then he invited me to join his lesson from now on. He teaches three 5th grade girls every evening, but they are some of the better swimmers so they need very little instruction. He usually just talks to me during their whole lesson anyway. I really like the girls, Yui especially. It’ll be nice to join them occasionally.

Tanabe invited me to his baseball game on Sunday morning in Arikawa. He said it might be canceled because of the snow, and it was, but I still went up early to watch some of my students play a soft-tennis match nearby. It was too cold to stay for long so I went to the pool again where I met Shigehisa in the parking lot. We went swimming until noon then decided to go eat ramen at my number one favorite ramen restaurant. It was fun, but awkward at times when you don’t know exactly what to say and it doesn’t come easily in a foreign language.

After ramen we went out to the car and I had a dead battery! I had left the head-lights on and so I got a jump-start from one of the cooks in the restaurant. Probably most embarrassing was that not one of us could find the latch to pop the hood! There were three of us searching everywhere for it, going, “へえ、へええ！” and finally someone in the restaurant came out to open the glove box and pull the latch. Damn. How embarrassing. I don't know who our savior was, but we would probably still be looking for it if he hadn’t come. We jump-started and I took Shigehisa home. He also showed me the only gas station that’s open on Sundays. Now can someone please show me the ATM that doesn’t charge a $2.00 fee on the weekends?

In the afternoon Yuka and I met to make books. She’s a book-maker. She taught me how to make a book with the traditional Japanese binding. It was really interesting to learn, and now I’ve got to work up the courage to actually use it for something. It’s my first book. What is special enough to be in my first book!?! I don’t want to ruin it! I was feeling pretty miserable (my sore throat got a little sorer than I hoped) so we went out for dinner and then I went home to go to bed early.

Here you can see the binding.

Do I look sick? Well, it’s my only excuse.

Today is White Day. (Remember the “reverse” Valentine’s Day in Japan when the guys give the girls presents.) I got a present. From Koichiro, of course. It’s just a bag of cookies and chocolates with a note. A sweet gesture. He’s probably leaving the island in 2 weeks. Friday is umidohi. Judgment Day. The ax will fall. The teachers that are leaving will be advised that they have two weeks to get outta town. Tomonaga-sensei is nervous. He doesn’t want to leave, but he’s afraid he’ll have to! I’ll be sad to see him go.. unless he’s replaced by a nice, young, and single English teacher. That wouldn’t be so bad.

That’s all from me today. The sun is shining again—the weekend must be over!
Love, Sierra

P.S. And the title of this blog. My friend, Steven, needs to do a psychology project in which he breaks social norms. Recording people’s reactions to a 25-year-old guy making-out with a 70-year-old woman is breaking a social norm, right? If only I were still in Oregon and contribute to this good cause! Steven, I love you!

The “Ash Event” at Mt. St. Helens? My mom sent me this picture of Helen’s (a mountain in Washington that erupted in 1981) blowing ash. I didn’t know about it—was this scheduled? This is also just a good view of the landscape near my home in Oregon.

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