IrishOboe

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!

Oct. 11^th I believe classes were fine, but that’s because the students are great.

Wednesday (Oct 12^th) first period was great (again, that’s my favorite class – they are so eager and willing!) but 2^nd period was a disaster. Well, I don’t know if it was a disaster, but I felt that it was. I’ve been struggling to keep myself from desiring to be well liked by everyone. Of course I want the students to enjoy class because learning is enjoyable, but to make my aim to be keeping a smile on everyone’s face at all times is a ridiculous focus. I wanted their smiles not so much so that they’d be happy but so that I’d be gratified as a good teacher. I keep pulling myself out of that but I keep slipping back in when I have a good class of all smiles – I want to take it for my glory! So, having a number of great classes followed by a not-so-great class spun me into depression again. I was so downhearted that I couldn’t focus so I left the school and went on a very long walk. It was nearly lunch time and I didn’t have any more classes that day and I desperately needed to get away from everything school related. It was a beautiful sunny day (which has been rare lately – the weather has been much like Rochester weather . . .), and the air was cool and the sun was warm and I could see the majestic Mt. Fuji and God reminded me that life isn’t about school or work or learning English or pleasing people. He didn’t give me inspiration for a good lesson plan, but I knew why. That’s not what matters. I needed to be reminded to love each of those students as God does. It’s so easy to feel special here because I appear so different compared to the sea of uniformity before me, but to God each one of those kids is unique and special and he loves them just as much as he loves me! It sounds trivial, but it’s hard to remember when they all dress the same, act the same, and talk the same (well, it sounds the same to me because I can’t understand it!). I’m not treated as much like a celebrity as some JETs are, but I still get more attention than I’ve ever had in terms of standing out and being known (and feared?) by everyone. It feeds the ego something terrible and it’s been good work for me to keep it from gorging on the attention. The rest of the week (Oct. 13-14 R-F) was difficult as I made the adjustment again and God kept me humble with less than exciting classes. I also chose to console myself by spending two evening/nights in a row reading from the moment I got back from school until late at night a book that I borrowed from the church. It was Francine Rivers’ Redeeming Love, which is not the greatest book, but it is based on the book of Hosea and had some interesting points to make. It’s about a man in California during the gold rush years whom God calls to marry a prostitute who subsequently runs away from him a number of times but whom Hosea keeps on loving until she becomes a devoted woman of Christ. It was a good reflection of God’s unending love for Israel, though the love was not as beautiful as George MacDonald’s paintings of love and she focused too much on the goodness of sex within marriage. Anyway, that’s partly why I read it so fast so that I could be done with it (plus it's pretty addicting reading and I have my father’s ability to keep at something for a ridiculous number of hours . . .)

Also during the week, I don’t remember which day (Thursday?) I decided to go for a run again and PRAISE BE TO GOD I was able to go for 20 minutes without my knee giving out. My muscles are multiple times stronger from my daily bike to school so it was perhaps the most pleasant run I’ve ever had. I went at night around my neighborhood and discovered some open fields (though still the only roads are paved) and peaceful back streets. I have been two times since (I’m trying not to push it) and both times I have been equally successful, though the runs have been just as short.

Friday (Oct. 14^th) evening I took the train to Fred’s place for dinner. I bought the keep ticket at Ryuo and intended to make the difference at the other end since I didn’t know how much it would cost. Well, the Minobu line is ancient and it doesn’t work like the other JR lines. I found the train all right (even though the signs were all in Kanji and there’s usually romanji (roman phonetic spelling) to help us poor foreigners out), but I noticed something was strange when the doors didn’t open at every stop. I noticed people moving up the cars (I was in the back car) so I decided to see if the door of the other cars opened. Well, they did sometimes and people were taking tickets as they boarded (which is not how the other lines work), which worried me until I realized that I got on at the beginning of the line so it didn’t matter if they charged me full price for not having a ticket. Still I noticed that the doors didn’t open at every station and as my stop approached I decided to follow the crowd up to the front of the train, where, to my horror, I saw that people were showing their tickets as they got off! That meant I’d have to hold up the train while I paid my money and my hands were full of bike helment, book (The Phantom Tollbooth – sent in a wonderful care package from Andy), and backpack. I managed to get to my wallet but the conductor was all confused by my ticket and I was all confused by the machine he told me to put my money into. He had to rummage into his bag to figure the fare (my Japanese wasn’t good enough to tell him that my ticket was good from Ryuo to Kofu and I just needed to pay for the Minobu part, for which I knew he knew the fare). I’m pretty good with numbers in Japanese but in this pressure situation (I’m holding the train up!) I couldn’t listen to the price and do the subtraction to find my fare. He said something less than 300 yen so I started to put in 300 yen in the machine and it spit back a bunch of coins at me. The conductor then took the coins from the two different slots that it had spit things out at me and put most of them back in my hand. He took a little from my hand and told me to get off the train. I have no idea how much I paid and left in a fit of hysterics at the whole situation. I love Japan!

Anyway, my evening with Fred was delightful, as usual. We went shopping for food, cooked a nice dinner that included tomatoes with fresh mozzarella, olive oil and basil (not fresh, but it was still good); garlic bread (yum, yum!) and a fruit salad for dessert that was really quite something. We talked and tried out our Kanji reading on a TINTIN book and I succeeded in missing the last train to Kofu by a few short minutes. I felt terrible about that but Fred graciously took me home. I went to bed too late and I didn’t get up the next day until 11:30!!!! This was very unfortunate because Saturday morning (Oct. 15) was the only time I had to myself for that weekend. It was also unfortunate because I was supposed to meet Yuko (Sasaki sensei) at school for lunch and a movie at noon, which meant I had to bike there right away but my bike was at the station (since I got a ride home and thought that I’d have lots of time Saturday morning to get it) and it takes 20min to walk to the station. It worked out okay, though. Yuko picked me up and we went out to lunch. We had hamburgh, which is hamburger without the bun and it was really quite tasty because there were other spices in the meat. We then went to school and watched Swing Girls, a Japanese film that’s very popular. The reason we were at school is because Yuko, being a first year teacher, has to do a lot of crazy things. She must be at school almost every weekend not because she has to do things, but just so someone will be there in case something happens with the brass band club. They come in for about five hours on Saturday and though Yuko doesn’t know anything about music, her presence is required at the school. So, I offered to come and keep her company one day, though I certainly don’t want to spend my weekends at school either. We had a great time, though. I really enjoyed Swing Girls because it was such an amazing reflection of my experience of Japan. If it’s possible to get it in the US you should definitely see it. It might as well be my school in my town near my river with my students with my brass band (not that it’s mine). The reflection is complete with the same crosswalk music. I’m not sure Yuko understood what I found so funny about the whole thing. It’s also a very Japanese story: based in reality, but totally fantastic in the ridiculous sense. I wish you could see it.

After that we went to church together. She had never been to church and was a bit nervous, but she seemed to be comfortable when there. It was another powerful night of worship and fellowship. It doesn’t seem that Yuko was either frightened or moved by my show of emotion during worship, but she said she enjoyed the evening. I can’t say we sang the best worship songs, but God can speak through anything. What’s even greater is that at the end of worship time the leaders said they felt the Holy Spirit calling for more worship time so they same more songs and had more prayer time. I still love the thoroughness of a liturgical service, but it is very refreshing to be in a church that can be so spontaneous.

Again, we all went out to dinner afterwards, which Yuko also seemed to enjoy. She agreed to go to Bible study with me the Monday night!

Sunday (Oct. 16^th) I don’t remember exactly what I did. I was unable to hang my futon because again, it was a grey, wet day, but I did clean out my closet of winter blankets which I hadn’t touched since I’d arrived. There were some not so nice presents waiting for me, but I got things cleaned and organized and put out the carpet that Dennis had given me and put a blanket over the ugly, moldy couch thing and made my place just that much nicer. I think I enjoyed a little too much Phantom Tollbooth, too. The weekend always seems too short.

Monday (Oct. 17^th), and the whole week classes went much better since I was able to focus less on their enjoyment and lo and behold they enjoyed it! This week’s lessons included a review of last week’s dialogues and a version of Boggle that every class – advanced and beginning – loved! It was great to see students enjoying thinking in English for the sake of enjoyment. I know they enjoyed it because after they no longer “had” to do it they were still looking for words!

Anyway, after class on Monday Masumi (Shimizu sensei) and I led ICC (English club) and I tried out my Boggle version on them (sorry, I’m a little out of order, the Boggle lessons didn’t start until Tuesday). I also stayed a bit longer doing things so that Yuko and I could go to Bible study together. I carefully printed out directions to the Browns' home and left them in my office. Thank goodness for cell phones, we figured it out. We needed to stop for dinner and shortly after I told Yuko I didn’t care where we went I spotted a Wendy’s and blurted out “Let’s go to Wendy’s!” Yuko said she was so surprised to hear something so strong from me, but I guess it’s one of those “I thought I wouldn’t be able to have such things in a long time and the fact that it’s here makes me want it!” I was not disappointed. I enjoyed a very good, nostalgic meal of a spicy chicken combo with fries and a Frosty. Wendy’s is good here, too! Yuko very much enjoyed her meal to. She doesn’t care for McDonalds much.

Bible study was one of the deepest conversations about difficult issues that I’ve had in a very long time. At least Yuko knows we don’t change anything for guests! I can imagine it would be hard to follow if you weren’t a native speaker, but I’m sure she understood more than she let on. There are certainly many varying opinions in this group, but people are free to say what they believe without causing discomfort in the group. How amazing! The only difficult part about it for me is that I go home and go to bed and it’s the next day! I continue to have much respect for people who can handle 9-5 jobs, housework, and family and still seem to be healthy and happy!

Tuesday (Oct. 18^th), both Yuko and I needed to get out of school and because we’d had so much fun at Wendy’s the night before we went again for lunch. I will now never be able to go to Wendy’s again without thinking of her. I think it’s one of those experiences that can’t be described, but everyone knows what I’m talking about.

That evening God blessed me with the spirit of work and I cleaned up my kitchen so that now there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. Perhaps it's not the best place for everything, but that can come later. I also had a lot of catching up to do with my finances and even though I stayed up late I still didn’t finish. I also went for another delightful run. My fingers are freezing so there are probably more typos than usual, sorry. The weather has turned quite cold and I’m holding out on the heat as long as I can so I can get used to the chill since I hear Japanese buildings are just plain cold in the winter.

Wednesday (Oct. 19^th) I stayed after school and visited Tea Ceremony club. It was very fun! Yuko came with me and translated and it was very neat to see the kids doing the very precise and graceful movements for preparing and making the tea. I made some tea and served it to one of my first year students, which was fun. Akane (3^rd year student) had invited me and was helpful in showing me how to do things. The hour went by quickly.

I don’t remember if anything special happened on Thursday.

Friday (Oct. 21^st) I thought of Heather throughout the day and it was weird to think that it wasn’t her birthday yet for her. In the evening I did get to talk with her and Mom and Dad, which was wonderful since I had neglected them as much as I’d neglected the blog. Don’t forget everyone, you can call me even if I don’t call you!

I was privileged to be able to observe some classes with Yuko since it’s the week of peer evaluations. I didn’t go to judge, but to learn. I went to a geography class where they learned about key cities on the East coast of the US, and boy did that make me homesick. I kept leaning over to Yuko and saying “I lived there!” or “My sister lives there, and it’s her birthday today!” I also went to a Japanese classes where they were studying an old form of the language that basically needs to be translated to be understood. I’m afraid I made the teacher very nervous even though I had no clue what he was saying! The last class I visited was math, and after Yuko translated the probability problems I was able to solve them, which impressed her very much and made me realize how much I miss solving problems!

That night I made myself a special treat of shrimp, veggies and sauce over rice with mashed sweet potatoes as a side. I don’t quite see how people think it’s hard to cook for two because when I cook I usually have just enough for dinner and the next day’s lunch. Maybe I just eat twice as much as a normal person . . .

I read more of the book of the week. I’d turned in Redeeming Love and taken home Surprised by Joy, which for me was a good exchange. C.S. Lewis’s writing is a challenge to my English skills, which I realized I need to work on if I’m not going to lose it. People speak English quite well around me, but they are not native speakers and it’s making my ear for what sounds right a little weak. Plus, Lewis uses a lot of vocabulary I don’t know. Actually, I was glad I didn’t know much of the vocabulary he used to describe his school days . . .

Now it is Saturday, Oct. 22^nd and I’ve been up for three hours without breakfast. I gave one hour to God and two to you for this update, now I can enjoy the morning meal (though it’s already 11). God bless!