Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Free Time at Work
Kocho-sensei told me I could go home at 9 a.m. yesterday because there wasn’t anyone at school and what a great day! I spent the whole day cleaning my apartment—airing my futons, washing the sheets, vacuuming everything, throwing out old magazines, donating books, cleaning my balcony, washing windows and scrubbing my shower. I even got down and cleaned the creases in the sliding glass doors with an old tooth brush! Boy that felt good and the place looks great!
Masaharu came over for lunch and we made a great meal together. I made sheppard’s pie and pumpkin soup and he made a vegetable tofu dish. (I love that at first he told me he can’t cook and all of sudden in the last few weeks he can. Once I even asked him to cut a melon and he’s like, “How?” I told him “with a knife.” I never let him get away with sitting on the couch when I’m cooking or skipping on dishes after the meal. Now, he seems to have embraced it wholly that he’s gonna be in the kitchen with me and now, miraculously, can make wonderful dishes. (His specialty is cha-han and it’s killer!))
We ate late in the afternoon and then took a walk down to the library together to get more children’s books. Unfortunately the library was closed and so we got there, turned around and walked home, but it was fun anyway. I swear he’s done more physical activity in the last month with me that in the last year!! I make him climb mountains with me, swim in the ocean at every chance, and walk to stores, restaurants, etc. *gasp* FOR FUN!!
In the evening I went over to Catherine’s and we caught up on everything—it’s been a while since the two of us sat down for a cup of tea (or in my case a couple pints of water) just to chat. We toured some of the graveyards near her house (this weekend is Obon when Japanese return to their hometown to pray at the graves of their ancestors). The graves are lit up and very beautiful in the evening.
I rode my bike to school today. It only took about 25 minutes and getting here is not THAT hard a ride, especially if I take the back roads. I only have to get off twice to walk up two very steep hills. I know I really should ride my bike to school everyday when the weather is nice like this—it’d be good for my heart and help me drop a few of these unnecessary pounds. I’m just too lazy to wake up earlier and I hate the sweaty-ness and red face that happens for the next hour after I arrive. I’m glad I started it this week when there are few teachers in school (I mean ONE other teacher) and maybe after a few days I’ll realize how easy it really is. It’s just THINKING about it that’s hard. Now I have the pump for my bike (only waited a year for that!) and endless excuses to use the car. The ride home is…much tougher, I fear. I can envision lots of hills that I breezed down this morning. Gambarimasu!
I know I haven’t really said anything concrete about Masaharu: who he is, how we met, what our relationship is. So I guess now is as good a time as any. I met Masaharu in the store he works out—Big Hirai. It’s a Do-It-Yourself store in Urakuwa. I was buying a dehumidifier and he helped me choose one, box it up and take it to my car. As my mom always demonstrated to me when we went shopping together, I made sure that this shopping experience was one he would remember. (Whatever that means, but if you know my mom, you understand her effect on people—especially strangers behind counters and cash registers. They just want to do anything to please her.)
This was almost two months ago, the very end of June. He carried the box out to my car—I thought he was being extra friendly by carrying it to my car—and that’s where he asked if we could hang out sometime. We exchanged phone numbers.
We talked on the phone for about a week (only in Japanese, that was a real challenge for me!) before we started hanging out and then sort of starting dating, I guess. At first I told him I didn’t want to date—just hang out and practice Japanese, but I guess it didn’t turn out that way. One major thing had to change before I would even consider dating though. He was a really heavy smoker. He smoked at least a pack a day and smelled so badly of cigarettes.
But the good news is he quit—almost immediately. He says it’s still really hard to resist the temptation to smoke, but it’s been 2 weeks since his last cigarette and he only had a few sporadic ones in the month before that. I’m still amazed that when we met I said, “You have to quit,” and he said “Okay, I quit!” and then… he did. It seems like he just needed a good excuse to stop. Like a girl! =)
Anyway, I’m really happy that I’ve found a Japanese someone to spend time with even though I know already that this is a relationship that started in Japan and will end in Japan. And now having said that I feel I MUST say—I don’t ACTUALLY know anything at all! I thought Harald and I would last about 2 weeks and look how wrong I was! These, however, are my thoughts for this relationship so far.
Oh! It's only noon, but I've just been told I can go home! They NEVER let me off early so this is awesome!!
Love, Sierra
Masaharu came over for lunch and we made a great meal together. I made sheppard’s pie and pumpkin soup and he made a vegetable tofu dish. (I love that at first he told me he can’t cook and all of sudden in the last few weeks he can. Once I even asked him to cut a melon and he’s like, “How?” I told him “with a knife.” I never let him get away with sitting on the couch when I’m cooking or skipping on dishes after the meal. Now, he seems to have embraced it wholly that he’s gonna be in the kitchen with me and now, miraculously, can make wonderful dishes. (His specialty is cha-han and it’s killer!))
We ate late in the afternoon and then took a walk down to the library together to get more children’s books. Unfortunately the library was closed and so we got there, turned around and walked home, but it was fun anyway. I swear he’s done more physical activity in the last month with me that in the last year!! I make him climb mountains with me, swim in the ocean at every chance, and walk to stores, restaurants, etc. *gasp* FOR FUN!!
In the evening I went over to Catherine’s and we caught up on everything—it’s been a while since the two of us sat down for a cup of tea (or in my case a couple pints of water) just to chat. We toured some of the graveyards near her house (this weekend is Obon when Japanese return to their hometown to pray at the graves of their ancestors). The graves are lit up and very beautiful in the evening.
I rode my bike to school today. It only took about 25 minutes and getting here is not THAT hard a ride, especially if I take the back roads. I only have to get off twice to walk up two very steep hills. I know I really should ride my bike to school everyday when the weather is nice like this—it’d be good for my heart and help me drop a few of these unnecessary pounds. I’m just too lazy to wake up earlier and I hate the sweaty-ness and red face that happens for the next hour after I arrive. I’m glad I started it this week when there are few teachers in school (I mean ONE other teacher) and maybe after a few days I’ll realize how easy it really is. It’s just THINKING about it that’s hard. Now I have the pump for my bike (only waited a year for that!) and endless excuses to use the car. The ride home is…much tougher, I fear. I can envision lots of hills that I breezed down this morning. Gambarimasu!
I know I haven’t really said anything concrete about Masaharu: who he is, how we met, what our relationship is. So I guess now is as good a time as any. I met Masaharu in the store he works out—Big Hirai. It’s a Do-It-Yourself store in Urakuwa. I was buying a dehumidifier and he helped me choose one, box it up and take it to my car. As my mom always demonstrated to me when we went shopping together, I made sure that this shopping experience was one he would remember. (Whatever that means, but if you know my mom, you understand her effect on people—especially strangers behind counters and cash registers. They just want to do anything to please her.)
This was almost two months ago, the very end of June. He carried the box out to my car—I thought he was being extra friendly by carrying it to my car—and that’s where he asked if we could hang out sometime. We exchanged phone numbers.
We talked on the phone for about a week (only in Japanese, that was a real challenge for me!) before we started hanging out and then sort of starting dating, I guess. At first I told him I didn’t want to date—just hang out and practice Japanese, but I guess it didn’t turn out that way. One major thing had to change before I would even consider dating though. He was a really heavy smoker. He smoked at least a pack a day and smelled so badly of cigarettes.
But the good news is he quit—almost immediately. He says it’s still really hard to resist the temptation to smoke, but it’s been 2 weeks since his last cigarette and he only had a few sporadic ones in the month before that. I’m still amazed that when we met I said, “You have to quit,” and he said “Okay, I quit!” and then… he did. It seems like he just needed a good excuse to stop. Like a girl! =)
Anyway, I’m really happy that I’ve found a Japanese someone to spend time with even though I know already that this is a relationship that started in Japan and will end in Japan. And now having said that I feel I MUST say—I don’t ACTUALLY know anything at all! I thought Harald and I would last about 2 weeks and look how wrong I was! These, however, are my thoughts for this relationship so far.
Oh! It's only noon, but I've just been told I can go home! They NEVER let me off early so this is awesome!!
Love, Sierra
