CRAZY week!
The past week has been a whirlwind. I don't even know where to start... so I guess I'll just break it down by the day.
月 ー 水 （ようび）
Monday I got called into the principal’s office and had an impromptu Q&A about my experiences thus far. Got some forms to fill out and was told I'd have another formal interview on Wednesday with more questions. No sweat and got some flattering complements about my time so far (and some pretty sexist ones from another party present at one point), but - in hindsight - it was a good surprise and positive experience. I think I am doing more than Kocho (the boss man) knew - including teaching some classes alone...which I later realized I maybe should not have mentioned - so I guess checking in once in a while is a good thing. I think it's fair to say that the Kyoto Sensei (Vice Princ.) really runs the daily operations at Japanese schools, but I was not surprised that Kocho has not witnessed more, however.
On Monday I was also informed that a visiting professor from a graduate program of linguistics at Osaka University (a pretty famous uni here) would be observing my 'general' third year class on Tuesday morning. Um, the general class is probably the least structured of all the classes I have. I quickly put together a lesson plan to fit the occasion (vs the normal one we were doing), but my co-teacher adjusted it to a lecture of sorts... which luckily went pretty well (raves from the prof!).
Wednesday was my big 25th. I was recently told this is the last b-day I am ever supposed to have (or the first of many 25s?!), and I did feel like it was a pretty substantial one, but I am comfortable enough in my new number (the panic has eased a bit). I will let you read more about that in my b-day posting, though.
Conference in Kobe (目 － 金）
Thursday and Friday brought with them the mid-year conference. It was quite a site. I would say I haven't seen that many gaijin (foreigners) in one place in a long time, but it's really been about 2 weeks...or since Thailand. It was still a great occasion, though. I had fun catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a while and seeing familiar faces. I actually got a lot out of the workshops, too. The socializing during those evenings also produced some new discoveries about my stomping ground, Kobe, including a free, outdoor, foot onsen (water spa) that I didn't know about (bonus!) and a really great little Korean place near Sannomiya Station. I also finally made it to Star Child’s, the 'famed' burger joint ('twas good as they say and very charming) and had a lot of fun at a Habitat benefit concert my friend hosted at Ryan's Irish Pub on Friday night. I drank a bit much (easy to do when you go to dinner with friends, then happy hour with other friends, then a concert with other friends, etc, etc) but I got to see a few peoples' bands play and really enjoyed 'Funky Punky', the Japanese band that played at Ryans.
Saturday （土 ようび）
So with all the excitement, I haven't gotten much running in lately. Yes, I have been taking it easy because of the knee, but my impulsive recent partying habits (or committments?) have led to the dawn of laziness (or poor planning). Takiko and I were going to do a long run on Saturday, which I was pumped for since I really need it, but now she has hurt her knee as well, so we ended up walking for a little over 2 hours. She was going to show me her favorite bakery, but we opted instead for the deluxe Harimacho tour. The tour turned out to be the better deal. Wow. We explored one corner to the next. My favorite part was visiting some local shrines and temples, including the Ae Shrine, a series of small, wooden shrines where four Gods live, built in the 16th century. The chat was really nice (Takiko is so kind!) and I really feel like I can better navigate the area after our walk. She also showed me the local public gym (like a nice YMCA - with hot herbal baths!). Now I can do cardio when it rains!
The party (and potentially my last all-nighter...ever)
Saturday night was the big party. We had planned to go to a SE Asian place in Kobe (Elephant Cafe) that my coworker recommended, but Jane and I disovered it had moved to Osaka when we went hunting for the location on Tuesday... so we moved the party there, too! We met everyone outside of Yodabashi Camera in Umeda. Dinner was nice, but there was a lot of miscommunication between us and the cafe staff (when we booked?...I guess), so we ended up paying more than expected for less food and there was some drama about drinks. We were at two different tables and in a pretty secluded part of the restaraunt, which did not translate the cool atmosphere of the place... but did provide some nice privacy for our group. Lena and James - two American friends from Hyogo - surprised us with a huge, delicious birthday cake and I was happy to be in good company. After this dinner, I think this will retire from organizing my own parties and stick to dinners (or let others plan them) from now on...
Anyways, after dinner some people headed home and a few brave souls decided to hang on and brace a full night of dancing fun with us. We were on the fence about whether to do Saze-a (house music, in Umeda), but decided to go to Pure in Shinsaibashi. Pure is not exactly the classiest club in town (it' s like a Lodge or Drink, but worse...), but I like what the DJ plays (great for dancing), they have pool, it's open all night, and it's nomihodai (all-you-can-drink) with pretty much anything once you pay the cover. I danced in the beginning, but then spent most of the night by the pool table talking to friends. The club ended on a sour note when a rude expat yelled at my Japanese friend Rumiko as she was leaving (wasn't provoked - some foreigners can be so embarassing for the rest of us!), so we did a little karaoke and picked up some breakfast before heading home and collapsing into bed.
Once I finally got up on Sunday, I spent most of the evening studying Japanese (was horribly behind in my correspondance course ) and watching movies.
This week should be ok and Tuesday is another birthday dinner with a small group of people from work, but I am ready to tone it down after that.
月 ー 水 （ようび）
Monday I got called into the principal’s office and had an impromptu Q&A about my experiences thus far. Got some forms to fill out and was told I'd have another formal interview on Wednesday with more questions. No sweat and got some flattering complements about my time so far (and some pretty sexist ones from another party present at one point), but - in hindsight - it was a good surprise and positive experience. I think I am doing more than Kocho (the boss man) knew - including teaching some classes alone...which I later realized I maybe should not have mentioned - so I guess checking in once in a while is a good thing. I think it's fair to say that the Kyoto Sensei (Vice Princ.) really runs the daily operations at Japanese schools, but I was not surprised that Kocho has not witnessed more, however.
On Monday I was also informed that a visiting professor from a graduate program of linguistics at Osaka University (a pretty famous uni here) would be observing my 'general' third year class on Tuesday morning. Um, the general class is probably the least structured of all the classes I have. I quickly put together a lesson plan to fit the occasion (vs the normal one we were doing), but my co-teacher adjusted it to a lecture of sorts... which luckily went pretty well (raves from the prof!).
Wednesday was my big 25th. I was recently told this is the last b-day I am ever supposed to have (or the first of many 25s?!), and I did feel like it was a pretty substantial one, but I am comfortable enough in my new number (the panic has eased a bit). I will let you read more about that in my b-day posting, though.
Conference in Kobe (目 － 金）
Thursday and Friday brought with them the mid-year conference. It was quite a site. I would say I haven't seen that many gaijin (foreigners) in one place in a long time, but it's really been about 2 weeks...or since Thailand. It was still a great occasion, though. I had fun catching up with some friends I haven't seen in a while and seeing familiar faces. I actually got a lot out of the workshops, too. The socializing during those evenings also produced some new discoveries about my stomping ground, Kobe, including a free, outdoor, foot onsen (water spa) that I didn't know about (bonus!) and a really great little Korean place near Sannomiya Station. I also finally made it to Star Child’s, the 'famed' burger joint ('twas good as they say and very charming) and had a lot of fun at a Habitat benefit concert my friend hosted at Ryan's Irish Pub on Friday night. I drank a bit much (easy to do when you go to dinner with friends, then happy hour with other friends, then a concert with other friends, etc, etc) but I got to see a few peoples' bands play and really enjoyed 'Funky Punky', the Japanese band that played at Ryans.
Saturday （土 ようび）
So with all the excitement, I haven't gotten much running in lately. Yes, I have been taking it easy because of the knee, but my impulsive recent partying habits (or committments?) have led to the dawn of laziness (or poor planning). Takiko and I were going to do a long run on Saturday, which I was pumped for since I really need it, but now she has hurt her knee as well, so we ended up walking for a little over 2 hours. She was going to show me her favorite bakery, but we opted instead for the deluxe Harimacho tour. The tour turned out to be the better deal. Wow. We explored one corner to the next. My favorite part was visiting some local shrines and temples, including the Ae Shrine, a series of small, wooden shrines where four Gods live, built in the 16th century. The chat was really nice (Takiko is so kind!) and I really feel like I can better navigate the area after our walk. She also showed me the local public gym (like a nice YMCA - with hot herbal baths!). Now I can do cardio when it rains!
The party (and potentially my last all-nighter...ever)
Saturday night was the big party. We had planned to go to a SE Asian place in Kobe (Elephant Cafe) that my coworker recommended, but Jane and I disovered it had moved to Osaka when we went hunting for the location on Tuesday... so we moved the party there, too! We met everyone outside of Yodabashi Camera in Umeda. Dinner was nice, but there was a lot of miscommunication between us and the cafe staff (when we booked?...I guess), so we ended up paying more than expected for less food and there was some drama about drinks. We were at two different tables and in a pretty secluded part of the restaraunt, which did not translate the cool atmosphere of the place... but did provide some nice privacy for our group. Lena and James - two American friends from Hyogo - surprised us with a huge, delicious birthday cake and I was happy to be in good company. After this dinner, I think this will retire from organizing my own parties and stick to dinners (or let others plan them) from now on...
Anyways, after dinner some people headed home and a few brave souls decided to hang on and brace a full night of dancing fun with us. We were on the fence about whether to do Saze-a (house music, in Umeda), but decided to go to Pure in Shinsaibashi. Pure is not exactly the classiest club in town (it' s like a Lodge or Drink, but worse...), but I like what the DJ plays (great for dancing), they have pool, it's open all night, and it's nomihodai (all-you-can-drink) with pretty much anything once you pay the cover. I danced in the beginning, but then spent most of the night by the pool table talking to friends. The club ended on a sour note when a rude expat yelled at my Japanese friend Rumiko as she was leaving (wasn't provoked - some foreigners can be so embarassing for the rest of us!), so we did a little karaoke and picked up some breakfast before heading home and collapsing into bed.
Once I finally got up on Sunday, I spent most of the evening studying Japanese (was horribly behind in my correspondance course ) and watching movies.
This week should be ok and Tuesday is another birthday dinner with a small group of people from work, but I am ready to tone it down after that.
posted by Brenda Ann Elizabeth McKinney @ 6:48 PM
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