I had some people stop over last night on their way across Hokkaido for a shopping expedition to Sapporo. And so, with much sadness, wailing and gnashing of teeth, I decided that since it was dropping below freezing I would make the move and turn on the heater. Really, it was for the good of my guests.
Ah, the smell of kerosene.
I hate the smell of kerosene.
Oh summer, how you will be missed.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
siberian lifestyles of the cold and caffeinated
Ugh. It's cold and rainy today, and I'm sitting in the teacher's room feeling useless and bored. I only have one class this afternoon, and it's been planned since Tuesday.
Not that I don't have plenty I could be doing -- studying for the JLPT 3 (won't someone please tell me why I signed up for that?), finishing up the new HAJET Elementary Teaching Guide so I can start printing it, improving my teaching methods, yadda, yadda, yadda... But it's cold, I've been doing very little aside from drinking coffee since I got to school this morning, and I haven't updated the old blog-ness in almost two weeks! What's up with that?
I'm sure it's all part and parcel with acclimatization to living in middle-of-nowhere Japan, and the imminent onset of the snowy season. I've been here over a year, so every day no longer brings interesting surprises. It's all settled into routine -- even more exciting things like fighting with my post office about being able to send packages via COD is not such a big deal. It's still a challenge making myself understood, and frustrating being misunderstood. Or not understanding the way things work in the system.
Okay, okay, you caught me. A day in the staff room with nothing to do but shiver and drink more coffee has brought out the "grr, this job sucks" side of things in me. I'm sure when I go home I'll lament the loss of hours on end of free time, a job where I can do whatever I want at my desk including posting to my blog, heavily subsidised rent, the opportunity to get paid for doing next to nothing and the experience of living in another culture where I get to try things I wouldn't get a chance to try otherwise. Not to mention 20 paid days of holiday time every year. Speaking of which, plans for my trip home this Christmas are almost finalized. I arrive in Edmonton December 23rd, assuming I can get a flight from inaka to Tokyo to catch my international flight -- domestic flights in Japan don't open until two months ahead of the departure date. Why? I don't know. That's just the way things work in Japan. It's best not to ask too many questions. Your head could explode (and it would probably be a very rude thing to do).
This weekend, plans include studying for the above mentioned JLPT -- Japanese Language Proficiency Test, finishing editing that never-ending book, and treating myself to a weekend at home. Read: indulging in sleeping in and spending the day in my pajamas. Hooray for self-indulgence!
Not that I don't have plenty I could be doing -- studying for the JLPT 3 (won't someone please tell me why I signed up for that?), finishing up the new HAJET Elementary Teaching Guide so I can start printing it, improving my teaching methods, yadda, yadda, yadda... But it's cold, I've been doing very little aside from drinking coffee since I got to school this morning, and I haven't updated the old blog-ness in almost two weeks! What's up with that?
I'm sure it's all part and parcel with acclimatization to living in middle-of-nowhere Japan, and the imminent onset of the snowy season. I've been here over a year, so every day no longer brings interesting surprises. It's all settled into routine -- even more exciting things like fighting with my post office about being able to send packages via COD is not such a big deal. It's still a challenge making myself understood, and frustrating being misunderstood. Or not understanding the way things work in the system.
Okay, okay, you caught me. A day in the staff room with nothing to do but shiver and drink more coffee has brought out the "grr, this job sucks" side of things in me. I'm sure when I go home I'll lament the loss of hours on end of free time, a job where I can do whatever I want at my desk including posting to my blog, heavily subsidised rent, the opportunity to get paid for doing next to nothing and the experience of living in another culture where I get to try things I wouldn't get a chance to try otherwise. Not to mention 20 paid days of holiday time every year. Speaking of which, plans for my trip home this Christmas are almost finalized. I arrive in Edmonton December 23rd, assuming I can get a flight from inaka to Tokyo to catch my international flight -- domestic flights in Japan don't open until two months ahead of the departure date. Why? I don't know. That's just the way things work in Japan. It's best not to ask too many questions. Your head could explode (and it would probably be a very rude thing to do).
This weekend, plans include studying for the above mentioned JLPT -- Japanese Language Proficiency Test, finishing editing that never-ending book, and treating myself to a weekend at home. Read: indulging in sleeping in and spending the day in my pajamas. Hooray for self-indulgence!
Sunday, October 01, 2006
lovely weekend, a shame about the liver
At long last, a weekend at home. And I'm not sick anymore so I took near-full advantage. I ran into one of my good friends after work one day this week, and it turned out that her band and a few of my other mates' bands were having a charity concert. She gave me a ticket and we were off to the races.
That was Saturday night. The concert was fun, or as much fun as a Japanese audience made up of retirees and preschoolers can be. Lots of sitting still. Not so much my style. Ah well. The singing was good, the playing was excellent, and I knew most of the people on stage. 楽しかった、ね！
From there it was dinner at the conbini -- Seicomarto for those of you who are keeping score at home, and then a right bender at the local bar. I didn't stumble home until sometime in the vicinity of 4am... I had a ridiculous amount of fun -- especially singing requests for Mama-san, Ai-chan and Yoko at the end of the night.
This morning I was up early (because who needs more than four hours of sleep?) with plenty of time to continue the great weekend telephone challenge:
Call everyone you know and catch up within the limited amount of time presented in one weekend when timezones come into alignment. It was great to talk to everyone I got ahold of, and for anyone I missed, I'm sorry.
This afternoon I went out again with the Romance crew for more eating and drinking. Hey -- after a 10 hour drinking break, it's time to start again, right?
We headed for the hills to the local cattle farm for an all you can eat/all you can drink two hour set. Less than nutritious, but delicious nonetheless. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous setting, fabulous peoples.
I thought that was all, but then I remembered I was in Japan, and a ni-jikai was in effect. So we trundled off to town fireman's housing to continue the afternoon at my friend Keiji's house. Japanese single men seem to be much tidier than single guys back home, although there was still the moment of "wait a minute while I make sure the toilet is clean...". It's pretty rare to be invited into a Japanese person's home it seems (I can count on one hand the number of non-gaijin homes I've entered), but this is a super chill group. And they are doing their best to convince me to stay in Japan another year.
Towards the end of the evening, someone pulled out a foot pressure point board which told everyone that there were problem with their reproductive organs and their livers.
My liver was not surprised and continued to threaten abdicating. I told it to shut up, seeing as I've been on a break this month, and besides, enkai season doesn't start until nearer the end of the year. Right?
That was Saturday night. The concert was fun, or as much fun as a Japanese audience made up of retirees and preschoolers can be. Lots of sitting still. Not so much my style. Ah well. The singing was good, the playing was excellent, and I knew most of the people on stage. 楽しかった、ね！
From there it was dinner at the conbini -- Seicomarto for those of you who are keeping score at home, and then a right bender at the local bar. I didn't stumble home until sometime in the vicinity of 4am... I had a ridiculous amount of fun -- especially singing requests for Mama-san, Ai-chan and Yoko at the end of the night.
This morning I was up early (because who needs more than four hours of sleep?) with plenty of time to continue the great weekend telephone challenge:
Call everyone you know and catch up within the limited amount of time presented in one weekend when timezones come into alignment. It was great to talk to everyone I got ahold of, and for anyone I missed, I'm sorry.
This afternoon I went out again with the Romance crew for more eating and drinking. Hey -- after a 10 hour drinking break, it's time to start again, right?
We headed for the hills to the local cattle farm for an all you can eat/all you can drink two hour set. Less than nutritious, but delicious nonetheless. Gorgeous weather, gorgeous setting, fabulous peoples.
I thought that was all, but then I remembered I was in Japan, and a ni-jikai was in effect. So we trundled off to town fireman's housing to continue the afternoon at my friend Keiji's house. Japanese single men seem to be much tidier than single guys back home, although there was still the moment of "wait a minute while I make sure the toilet is clean...". It's pretty rare to be invited into a Japanese person's home it seems (I can count on one hand the number of non-gaijin homes I've entered), but this is a super chill group. And they are doing their best to convince me to stay in Japan another year.
Towards the end of the evening, someone pulled out a foot pressure point board which told everyone that there were problem with their reproductive organs and their livers.
My liver was not surprised and continued to threaten abdicating. I told it to shut up, seeing as I've been on a break this month, and besides, enkai season doesn't start until nearer the end of the year. Right?
Friday, September 29, 2006
Koto concert
Friday.
2:00pm.
I still haven't had a class today. Soon... soon.
Instead, this morning was a special koto concert. I mentioned that yesterday I watched some of the rehearsal. Well, today was the real thing. It was a nice mid-morning break for myself, along with the local high school, junior high school, and the grade 6 students who will enter junior high next April. And of course, any townsfolk that could attend were also there.
It was an entertaining concert -- five ladies on five koto's. Two standard size, a soprano, an electric bass, and a double length 17 string bass. Yes, I was paying attention.
Good thing too -- I just got asked to put my impressions of the concert in the san-nen sei's weekly newsletter.
Next week it seems will be less busy. I teach Tuesdays and Fridays here at the Junior High, but next Tuesday there are apparently no classes, and next Friday is testing day. Good thing I'll be off to Muroran to help out with an English day at one of the high school's there. More fun than sitting at my desk here. And now I don't feel bad about taking another day off of school -- if the students are writing tests, there's no classes for me to go to ...
2:00pm.
I still haven't had a class today. Soon... soon.
Instead, this morning was a special koto concert. I mentioned that yesterday I watched some of the rehearsal. Well, today was the real thing. It was a nice mid-morning break for myself, along with the local high school, junior high school, and the grade 6 students who will enter junior high next April. And of course, any townsfolk that could attend were also there.
It was an entertaining concert -- five ladies on five koto's. Two standard size, a soprano, an electric bass, and a double length 17 string bass. Yes, I was paying attention.
Good thing too -- I just got asked to put my impressions of the concert in the san-nen sei's weekly newsletter.
Next week it seems will be less busy. I teach Tuesdays and Fridays here at the Junior High, but next Tuesday there are apparently no classes, and next Friday is testing day. Good thing I'll be off to Muroran to help out with an English day at one of the high school's there. More fun than sitting at my desk here. And now I don't feel bad about taking another day off of school -- if the students are writing tests, there's no classes for me to go to ...
Thursday, September 28, 2006
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