Cookies!!

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Tomorrow is graduation at Koko and Kogyo, so Kogyo students are spending the day cleaning. I asked where I'm supposed to clean and was told I don't. So, I'm lesson planning at my desk while trying to subtly catch up on the news from home. A big congratulations go out two of my friends who just got engaged – you should know who you are. Looks like I'll be looking into plane tickets back to Wisconsin if I haven't already moved home by summer/autumn/winter 2012. I can't imagine missing it.

I finished grading papers for Susanna at Koko. This time, instead of just correcting them, she wanted me to issue grades and that was terrifying. She told me she wanted it from A~E and for C to have the most, so that's what I did. I ended up typing up a rubric and using that. I know now that there are adjustments I'll make to the rubric next time, but it did generally give me a bell-curve.

Mountain-sensei and I recorded the exam at Koko. We were playing it back when a teacher knocked on the recording room door and said that it was playing over the school speakers. I looked seriously at the plastic bag and imagined putting it over my bright red face. Turns out only a small section played and it should be fine, but I was so embarrassed. And, then, to make it all the better, I got a voice-mail that night that said that the recording actually hadn't been made onto the cassette, so we'll have to do it again next Tuesday on graduation day.

That night, I walked through the rain to the Koko all English teachers' dinner, held at the end of the school year as a farewell to some of the teachers (Like Ottawa-sensei) who will be leaving. It was at an Italian restaurant. I soon found out that this was an “Italian” restaurant, as I don't remember tofu, Japanese koniaku, tempura, or clams at any Italian restaurant I've ever been to. They even had Japanese-style steamed veggies for me and the main course was fish. There was, I will grant, a bit of pasta (with shrimp) at the end. It was by far the greasiest tempura I've ever had, bordering on nausiatingly greasy. The restaurant itself had tatami floors and we sat seiza (on our knees) at low Japanese-style tables. It was a $50 dinner, per person, though I did have some nice wine and Mountain-sensei, who tbegan to resemble my koniaku (which is rubbery) said I handled my alcohol quite well. I wanted to point out that, with as much food as we were having, a beer and a glass of wine could hardly get me drunk, but this is Japan and merely looking at alcohol seems to make salary-men red-faced. Mama drove me home and she asked what I'd thought of Mountain-sensei. I said his English got better as he drank and she burst out laughing. I tactfully amended it, explaining that he has more confidence.

It felt weird on Friday to have my last classes with the kids before sending them off to be second years.

At my kimono internship on Friday, I finally felt helpful. I was confused by a step at the beginning when you fold your kimono to have it properly on the ground before wearing. (i.e. you take your folded kimono, then refold it to prepare for putting it on.) This is a step that the interns will often do for me before class, as they like to help out and want everyone ready for class as fast as possible. Consequently, it's one that I've done a handful of times, but am not comfortable with. Being an intern has been good because I've learned a lot about perfecting the minute details of my wearing because I don't want to accidentally misteach the students. The obi they tied was one of my favorites when I was in this class (it looks like wings and is also the one I wore at New Years) and I remembered most of how to tie it, so I was very confident and had no problem flirting in and around and giving a pointer here or there, often in English. I finally felt like I was useful, helpful, and belonged.

I wore my hair in a bun up with chopsticks. While we may think of this as an “Asian” hairstyle, it definitely is NOT. They made such a delighted fuss over it, which was terrible because my hair was dirtier than I would have liked.

The students all stayed after for 30 minutes to talk to me and teach me Osaka-ben (Osaka regional speech.) I now know three phrases. When they told sensei, who was busy cleaning up (which is what I think my job TECHNICALLY is, though they've never told me how and I think I'm actually more there for show and to interact with the students than to do the technical work.) during most of this, she was surprised. Then I turned around and looked at her and said, “Sensei! Nande yanen!” And she looked like they'd tortured a kitten.

On Saturday, I made crepes for breakfast, then rushed off to Costco with Carol and Serita and an Interac girl I didn't know. Now, I'd been to Costco just a month or so ago, so I wasn't going to be getting myself much – lies I tell myself. I spent a lot of yen. We're not going to talk about it. I bought butter, and curry, and ravioli and tea and more of my unreasonably delicious masala chai mix. I bought Renu contact solution, which actually says “mulch-purpose” and is what I use at home. I could guess with Japanese stuff, but it's nice to know that it's DEFINITELY right.

I also need to buy toothpaste or get it shipped from America. According to Indy, the abrasive agent used in Japanese toothpastes is seaweed, which is why Japanese toothpastes taste like seaweed. I have not had Japanese toothpaste and admit, this makes me less likely to try.

We also got delicious Costco pizza, because it's cheap and tastes like America pizza – greasy and with CHEESE (and not potatoes) on top.

So Costco took a fairly long time, so I was a bit late meeting up with Indy for our date. I brought him the leftover pizza from the girls and the groceries I'd promised him, so he was forgiving. We went to a Mexican place for dinner. It was delicious as the best (and only) Mexican food I've had since coming to Japan. And even though it was Japanese-spicy (i.e. the mildest of the mild) it was still wonderful. We gobbled down our nachos (they upgraded us for free, perhaps because it was the end of the night) and I happily ate my enchalladas.

There was an earthquake on Saturday night. Elizabeth, who lives three apartments down felt it, but I didn't. I'll sleep through anything.he

Sunday afternoon, I met up with Indy and we headed down to Nara to make cookies with his friends. I about died of happiness. I've missed cookies so much and definitely took every opportunity to lick my fingers clean of cookie dough (meaning I ended up then washing my hands about a half-dozen times.) We made several different types of cookies and many people brought their ovens. I don't have an oven, so I just coveted Alexander's fantastic $600 one that he got for a mon ($100) off someone leaving. I really want one. They're microwave sized and plug into the wall and are ridiculously tiny but BAKE STUFF! I'm hoping to nab one off someone leaving sometime.

It was nice to meet everyone and good to see Indy relaxed. I'd met two of his friends before at Naked Man in Okayama, but it was nice to meet them properly and, for one, more clothed. His best friend, Alexander, was there, with his girlfriend Bridget, who is Irish. I won major brownie points with her for remembering a few lines of Irish. She's asked me to play tin whistle in her band for the cultural festival this summer. I might actually do that. They're doing Breeches full of Stitches (my first tin-whistle song) and Oro Se do bhaha bhaile, which is my favorite Irish song of all time, being about Grace O'Malley, the awesome Irish pirate-queen.

Dinner was curry at a nice little Indian place. We'd all eaten so many cookies that we split three curries among five of us and it worked very well. The ride home from Nara was long and I was exhausted. I crashed shortly after getting home. I barely managed to check my e-mail, but did see the engagement announcement.

Waking up today was hard, because I really, really wanted to sleep in again. The fact that it was raining didn't make me happier, though it did wake me up on my ride in. I wore my full rain gear and carried an umbrella. It's dangerous, yes, but I also need to look presentable at work and it was downpouring. Now, all I can do is look outside at the dreary courtyard and I can't say whether I'd prefer snow or rain more.