HA!
Classes went alright - some things could have gone better than others but overall no one caused any trouble so it's all good. One teacher did say hey we should have done a game like blahblah but...that's a very...first grader game. The kids are something else though - we had an interview games, and one kid was Obama, the other was Bush. Somebody else wanted to be Clinton. And I am pretty sure there are quite a few Daigos in my school. Oh the media - how it affects the young!
After lunch, we had yakiimofuriaietcetc - basically, we built six bonfires on the playground, and had the kids toss some sweet potatoes in there. And we baked them. I, being me, had to throw in a few, and I got to tend to my OWN bonfire. By myself. It's not hard, but I did kill a few potatoes. T__T Kaminobu-sensei kept telling me "to be careful, or you will turn into fire woman!" (he actually said fire woman in English) And then odd-jobs-teacher was like "Jessica! You're doing it wrong! Look, this one is all black!" "It's fine!" "Well, eat it and see!" "No way." "FOR THE STUDENTS. DO IT FOR THE STUDENTS." "No!" I am a very caring teacher. And yes, I made the kids take the burnt potatoes, because it was from MY FIRE, therefore it had to taste better than the others!
And yes, I was in my suit, doing this. XD I must have looked funny, covered in ash, in business attire. Those fires were hot though...geez.
Sadly, it started to rain so we had to eat our potatoes inside.
After school, Nakashima-sensei took me to Kumano's ONE kimono store. She had to get them out of their house and into the shop, it is that "busy". It is seriously tiny. Anyway, the kimono I have, will have to remain dirty. Basically, after X amount of years, there is no saving a kimono. It will be forever stained with mold/mildew/whatever you got on it. Because that's how silk is. And the way they remove these things is...costly, and time consuming, and the fabric can only handle so much of it. So they told me it was impossible and better to buy a new one if I really wanted a clean, pretty kimono. The ones I do have are still very pretty in my opinion so I will still make use of them. It's a nice shop.
As we left, we got to see a rainbow. It was so vivid...and very very very close. I felt like I could touch it.
After being dropped off at home, I bused on over to the local home and garden store where I bought a small put-it-together-yourself shelving unit (898 yen wooo! cheap, man! and it's pretty and sturdy) and YOSHIKI PILLOW. IT IS A HEART SHAPED PILLOW, BUT THE FAUX FUR ON IT IS MADE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT NATURALLY SWIRLS INTO ROSES. IT IS A HEART PILLOW COVERED IN ROSES. AND IT IS RED. And thus it is called the Yoshiki pillow. I can throw it at people and pretend I am a rich, blonde, Japanese rock star of questionable sexuality!
And my shelving unit is put together.
I suppose I should mention Thanksgiving since so many other people are. Well, I miss the food. I really, really do. For me, Thanksgiving is...food, friends, breaks, vacations, sales, being lazy, cold outside but warm inside, and I suppose to an extent, family. I haven't had Thanksgiving at home in...5-6 years. And it certainly wasn't anything to celebrate after my parents got divorced.
Anyway, it reminds me of cooking with Layne, and somehow eating it all between the two of us. And I really miss that. The baking and cooking. And Layne. If I was back in VA, I would probably be at her house for dinner. I can't imagine making my grandmother's stuffing with anyone else now.
If you're out with friends or family tonight, I envy you. Because I am here, in Kumano, doing nothing to mark the day except to tell you I can't eat delicious roasted meats, stuffings, sauces, or pies. I can't go to any little parties or get togethers. So I'm a bit envious.
But I should be thankful for what I do have, and I guess I'll list it off.
I'm thankful for:
My friends - even though I can be a real bitch/pain in the ass/embarrassment/jealous, petty child, you still stick by me and put up with me, and make me feel better about myself in the long run. And you laugh at my jokes.
My family - I rarely talk to them these days, and sometimes I want to smack them when they do talk to me, but they're my family. They support me, and give me advice when I need it.
My fish - sometimes, these guys can really brighten my day. They depend on me, and constantly watch my every move. They're silly little creatures but I love them. I'll get up out of bed if I forget to feed them before hand, just to make sure they eat.
My students - they seriously make this job fun. Some days they can really be little brats, but then they'll surprise me with how quickly they'll pick up on stuff, and will show off to me. It's awesome. And the occasional hug is most welcome.
X Japan - come on, you know they were going to be on here. Do I need to say more? Thanks you, guys, for being who you are and inspiring me to do things I never thought I would do. Keep on rocking.
T.M.Revolution - you're awesome. Rock on little man, rock on.
Essential items - well, I do talk to inanimate objects. So thank you, house, chair, bed, computer, tv, heater, toilet, stove, and food. You help me stay alive.
And well just because - Japan, and the USA - you're countries, but you've shaped me into who I am. Don't go fighting each other anytime soon because I hate choosing sides.
And that's all I can think of. =3=
Only downside to being alone on Thanksgiving, none of your friends or family are online to talk to you.
After lunch, we had yakiimofuriaietcetc - basically, we built six bonfires on the playground, and had the kids toss some sweet potatoes in there. And we baked them. I, being me, had to throw in a few, and I got to tend to my OWN bonfire. By myself. It's not hard, but I did kill a few potatoes. T__T Kaminobu-sensei kept telling me "to be careful, or you will turn into fire woman!" (he actually said fire woman in English) And then odd-jobs-teacher was like "Jessica! You're doing it wrong! Look, this one is all black!" "It's fine!" "Well, eat it and see!" "No way." "FOR THE STUDENTS. DO IT FOR THE STUDENTS." "No!" I am a very caring teacher. And yes, I made the kids take the burnt potatoes, because it was from MY FIRE, therefore it had to taste better than the others!
And yes, I was in my suit, doing this. XD I must have looked funny, covered in ash, in business attire. Those fires were hot though...geez.
Sadly, it started to rain so we had to eat our potatoes inside.
After school, Nakashima-sensei took me to Kumano's ONE kimono store. She had to get them out of their house and into the shop, it is that "busy". It is seriously tiny. Anyway, the kimono I have, will have to remain dirty. Basically, after X amount of years, there is no saving a kimono. It will be forever stained with mold/mildew/whatever you got on it. Because that's how silk is. And the way they remove these things is...costly, and time consuming, and the fabric can only handle so much of it. So they told me it was impossible and better to buy a new one if I really wanted a clean, pretty kimono. The ones I do have are still very pretty in my opinion so I will still make use of them. It's a nice shop.
As we left, we got to see a rainbow. It was so vivid...and very very very close. I felt like I could touch it.
After being dropped off at home, I bused on over to the local home and garden store where I bought a small put-it-together-yourself shelving unit (898 yen wooo! cheap, man! and it's pretty and sturdy) and YOSHIKI PILLOW. IT IS A HEART SHAPED PILLOW, BUT THE FAUX FUR ON IT IS MADE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT NATURALLY SWIRLS INTO ROSES. IT IS A HEART PILLOW COVERED IN ROSES. AND IT IS RED. And thus it is called the Yoshiki pillow. I can throw it at people and pretend I am a rich, blonde, Japanese rock star of questionable sexuality!
And my shelving unit is put together.
I suppose I should mention Thanksgiving since so many other people are. Well, I miss the food. I really, really do. For me, Thanksgiving is...food, friends, breaks, vacations, sales, being lazy, cold outside but warm inside, and I suppose to an extent, family. I haven't had Thanksgiving at home in...5-6 years. And it certainly wasn't anything to celebrate after my parents got divorced.
Anyway, it reminds me of cooking with Layne, and somehow eating it all between the two of us. And I really miss that. The baking and cooking. And Layne. If I was back in VA, I would probably be at her house for dinner. I can't imagine making my grandmother's stuffing with anyone else now.
If you're out with friends or family tonight, I envy you. Because I am here, in Kumano, doing nothing to mark the day except to tell you I can't eat delicious roasted meats, stuffings, sauces, or pies. I can't go to any little parties or get togethers. So I'm a bit envious.
But I should be thankful for what I do have, and I guess I'll list it off.
I'm thankful for:
My friends - even though I can be a real bitch/pain in the ass/embarrassment/jealous, petty child, you still stick by me and put up with me, and make me feel better about myself in the long run. And you laugh at my jokes.
My family - I rarely talk to them these days, and sometimes I want to smack them when they do talk to me, but they're my family. They support me, and give me advice when I need it.
My fish - sometimes, these guys can really brighten my day. They depend on me, and constantly watch my every move. They're silly little creatures but I love them. I'll get up out of bed if I forget to feed them before hand, just to make sure they eat.
My students - they seriously make this job fun. Some days they can really be little brats, but then they'll surprise me with how quickly they'll pick up on stuff, and will show off to me. It's awesome. And the occasional hug is most welcome.
X Japan - come on, you know they were going to be on here. Do I need to say more? Thanks you, guys, for being who you are and inspiring me to do things I never thought I would do. Keep on rocking.
T.M.Revolution - you're awesome. Rock on little man, rock on.
Essential items - well, I do talk to inanimate objects. So thank you, house, chair, bed, computer, tv, heater, toilet, stove, and food. You help me stay alive.
And well just because - Japan, and the USA - you're countries, but you've shaped me into who I am. Don't go fighting each other anytime soon because I hate choosing sides.
And that's all I can think of. =3=
Only downside to being alone on Thanksgiving, none of your friends or family are online to talk to you.