IrishOboe

IrishOboe will be undergoing non-routine maintenance for a little while.  Please refrain from making posts or comments until the changes are complete, otherwise your good words will disappear into cyberspace and never return....  Thanks.

Well, I know I should have spent my time tonight catching up in my blog, but I bought a new toy and I’m having too much fun with it, but that will have to wait until I get to writing about yesterday . . .

So, I left you last Saturday morning (Oct. 22^nd) and I believe the rest of the day was good and productive. Yuko came to church with me again, and it was a little weird for me because we sang the same songs that we did last week and in the same order, too. It actually made it a little difficult to worship (not the least because they weren't my favorite songs). I understand the need to limit rehearsal time, though . . . (More)

I’ve had a rough time at school, though it was mostly in my head and heart so I apologize for neglecting this site. I’ll update you on the past two weeks then I’ll try to get to describing rice cutting. I’ll let you know in advance that things are much better at school as I’m slowly learning how to handle all my responsibilities.

Let’s see, I left you on Oct. 10^th (Monday), which was Health and Sports Day so there was no school. I continued my recovery regimen, but I don’t remember it being a particularly productive day, but unfortunately, I don’t remember that far back. I felt okay for school and certainly by the end of the week I was fully recovered from my little sickness. Thanks for your prayers! (More)

Monday (Oct. 3rd) was a so-so day with classes and I was busy doing exam grading. It was a great day considering how much happened in the weekend. After school I had double booked myself, but it worked out okay in the end. I went to two-thirds of ICC (English club) and we had a great time playing party games like “Bang.” I was sad to leave them but I’d promised the brass band (what we simply call band) that I’d come. As far as I could gather, a director comes in once a month and other than that they are on their own. They practice three hours each day six days a week, too! Anyway, however their regular schedule is, when I was there it was 11 first year students and not an adult in sight. The third-year students are done for the year (or so I gathered) and the second-year students are on their school trip. It was great to have time with my students in a setting where they are comfortable and the group is small! I played a little, they played a very little, we talked and joked and had a good time. In that setting they responding to my acting and miming and being a goof, so that was very much fun, too. Sometimes I still wish I were in junior high or elementary school. They are just too serious and cool in the high school classroom! I’m just grateful to have some at-ease time with my students, though. I taught them some English and they taught me some Japanese (which later turned out to be a bit of a rude saying, but no harm was done). I stayed until 7ish and I promised I’d come again next week. It’s too tempting to have a group of music students with lots of time and no director . . . Besides, what better what to learn some Japanese? (More)

For those of you who are keeping track, this weekend comes right after my crazy night out to dinner and karaoke with fellow teachers and right before the week of exams. Friday (Sept 23) was this Autumnal Equinox so there was no school. I slept in until 9am recovering from the night out. I had the urge for pancakes so I walked to the train station to retrieve my bike and go to the store. They were out of maple syrup so I had to go to another store and in this close comparison I was able to see just how much more expensive the close store is compared to the far store. This is part of what inspired my search for another store (which I wrote about, I think). Anyway, after a breakfast of pancakes I cleaned a bit and studied Japanese. I then took the 4pm train to Otsuki where Meagan and Chris (husband and wife fellow Christians and she’s a JET) live, so we could hang out and go to Tokyo together the next day. Otsuki is halfway between Kofu (where I am) and Tokyo so it only took me about an hour to get there and it put me much closer to Tokyo for the next day. I listened to my Japanese tapes on the train and Meagan and Chris met me at the station and we stopped for pizza on the way back to their place, which is in a lovely little spot. We had dinner and watched some movies since they are big movie fans and I trusted their taste in movies better than my non-Christian friends. First we saw The Last Samurai. I don’t know if I would have reacted differently to it if I’d seen it before I came to Japan, but I really enjoyed it very much. That is, after I determined that it had no grounding in logic or history whatsoever. It’s a beautiful fantasy story that borrows the culture of Japan for its setting. It is also a wonderful look into what is beautiful about Japanese culture. I don’t know too much about it, but from what I do know it seems fairly accurate from that standpoint. I wouldn’t, however, recommend it to children since it is about samurai (warriors) so there is a fair amount of fighting. Even so, it is 90% tastefully done (and I can forgive the 10% of it that was a little too graphic for me) and the closest you get to a sex scene is a kiss. I’m glad to know that Hollywood hasn’t forgotten how to elicit strong feelings without being vulgar.

 (More)

Wow! I am so behind! I’ll just post stuff directly from my diary. It’s a little dry (not to mention not always in complete sentences), but it’s something until I can write about my weekend extravaganzas. It will also help you see that the overtime is not giving me much time during the week to write either . . . (More)

 I'm so sorry I'm this behind but I keep doing amazing things.  I don't have time to devote to describe Tokyo and sumo right now, nor to explain why I spent fifty-some-odd hours away from my apartment this weekend cutting rice, going to a community sports day and a Wine festival with another display of crazy fire use.  I made it home safely at 10ish Sunday night and today (Monday) I spent 12 hours at work (including travel).  I'm going in early tomorrow, too, with the hopes of not staying too late.  I'm having a wonderful time, though.  I really, really want to get in touch with more people and answer those who have written me.  I am so sorry that I haven't figured out how to juggle my time here.  I love you and I care for you and I'm thinking about you.  Please me patient with me!

Love,
Janet

Hello, hello!  I have negative time to write an update right now.  I just wanted to let people who are following know that since I've been away from my apartment for 52 of the 54 hours of this weekend so far I will not be able to write about my adventures any time soon.  I will say that you some interesting things to look forward to including a rice harvest, Hans Chrisitan Anderson's fairy tales, a community sports day, and a wine festival.  Right now I have to get ready for tomorrow which includes making plans for English club, getting ready for a visit (with oboe) to brass band club, and a number of other random things for school I'd planned on doing on the weekend . . . Wish me luck.

Love to all,
Janet