a very brief account of my adventures
I didnt feel like writing everything over again, so here is a copy and paste of my email to rachel cook.
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Dearest Rachel,
Oh, how I have longed to hear correspondence from you. I was more ill june 8, i had a fever n crtap, but now it has just turned into this constant runny nose, although this may be some sort of allergy thing.
I am in the middle of sheep fucking nowhere. It is pretty, but there isnt much to do. its quite rural. I am surrounded by rice paddies (yet a 10 lb bag o rice that would cost $10 in the US is $40 here...) and there arent too many ppl here my age (other than the students in this dorm of course.) We travel to other cities on the weekends by train, or we are entertained by Yuki or Chisato, two girls our age we've met here. Yuki took us kareoke-ing on the weekend (pics are on facebook). There is a picture of Chisato as well. Also, yesterday, Erin and I made friends and the nearby convenience store with a high school girl and her friend who work there. Surprisingly, a lot of young people are willing to talk to us.
The dorm we are living at is really really dirty. Apparently, it was used for some time during the winter months years and years ago for poorer rural students who couldnt travel to the high school everyday. it closed for some time, like 10 years, before reopening for foriegn student use 5 years ago. and its only used for 3 months out of the year. Therefore, it is filthy. but it is only for two more months so i can deal.
the elementary school i help teach at is nice. I get there at 8:45am by bike, and i teach one class (there is only one class for each grade. total school pop is 101 kids) english for about an hour, then i go with them to their second period class (which is usually either art, swimming, or science). Then there is a 30 min break, then i head to another class and teach for 3rd period and then go with them to their next lesson, or if they have their next lesson in the class i hang out with them.
1st and 2nd graders like me, 3rd and 4th grade love me (esp 3rd grade: i caught them a butterfly for their science lesson on the first day i taught them so they think i am the shit) 5the grade likes me, they come over to the dorm and read comics (3rd and 4th come over too, but they are rowdy and always want to play running games outside. and its hot.) 6th grade is warming up to me. they are at the shy stage where they just kinda like to be quiet when i teach. they warm up at lunch time tho one-on-one. i think one of the 6th grade boys has a crush on me...ew.
the teachers are all really nice to me. the 2nd grade teacher invited me to a tea ceremony at her house on sunday. she also took me to the safflower museum. she is really nice and is really good at english.
my japanese on-the-spot speaking is getting better. i have carried on quite a few conversations in japanese. the other kids from Um and actually really cool. This is david's first time in japan and he isnt an otaku (crazy japan fanboy person). Erin is actually really nice. She is an otaku, but she isnt annoying or pretentious about it. She is kinda cute, she looooves japanese boys, and has never been kissed. I am currently trying to help set her up with a cute japanese waiter. she met him at a restaraunt when i was sick, and we went back there last friday, and I asked the owner's daughter (who speaks english) if he had a girlfriend, and he didnt so i got his contact info for erin. the problem is, they think that I am the one that likes him (i think) so we have to kinda remedy that!
I am not afraid of skinny dipping anymore, btw...i was kinda forced into going into a hotspring...in japan you go in the nude. ugh. i saw way too many old-lady bits. it was separated by gender, thank god. but yeah. second biggest fear down. public vomiting still at the top tho
oh, another funny story. You know that traditional japanese toilets are squatter-type: built into the ground. well, at my school, i really had to use the bathroom the first day, and i went in and it is all old-school toilets like that. I cant use them (its just totally uncomfortable, plus i didnt want to try and pee all over myself on my first day of work) so i held it. FOR FOUR HOURS. I already had to go pretty bad to begin with. so now, i never drink anything in the morning before school.
well, as far as interesting stories go, thats probably it for tonight. I wont have my web cam up while i am here. As it turns out, the PC they gave us is so old it doesnt have USB ports, and all the computers and the others brought are awful awful macs, so i cant load the software. plus, windows live doesnt exist for mac yet. and i must say, this whole only-using-a-mac thing has only made my hate of the machine stronger.
I miss everyone. Gimme your addy and i will mail you a letter/postcard on pretty paper and use cute japanese stickers.
lots of lurrrrrve
Gen