Back to Work Part 1

Today is the last Friday that I can take a sneaky day off of work! Which in itself is funny because I never used to take sneaky days. I would worry that I'd be missed/in trouble/miss something important. It just goes to show you how you get used to things in three years. Mom and Dad are right: three years is the perfect interval for an assignment. The first year you're terrified of messing up. The second year you've got it down and are showing your stuff. The third year it's smooth sailing and getting boring. Thus, you put in for a transfer before you start slacking off due to boredom and subsequently ruin your good rep. I've had a good run here in Fujitaka and I want to go out with a bang.

Tonight it's back to my Friday night classes. My "volunteer" classes seeing as I am not techinically allowed to have a side job whilst on JET. However, they had no one else and I couldn't say no to a bunch of cute Japanese grandparents. So I get "taxi money" and have a good time doing it. I really like the Friday people because even though they are older they are all spry. People in America seem to think that 50 is old and 60 is one foot in the grave. They may feel the same way in Japan but at least they keep active! Everyone is always taking trips abroad or visiting friends or starting new projects. The people here are great.

I used to do a Tuesday class that was in the same format. It got to be too much, though. You wouldn't think that it would be tough, but group lessons are wearing. If the group is small you have to talk a lot. In both kinds you have to listen a lot. When you have things you'd rather be doing (and sometimes that is just about anything else ...) it can get tough to mind what people are saying. I started watching the clock and hating the week so I quit Tuesdays. It makes a nice evening since I don't have to rush home from Shamisen lessons in the city.

Next week on Monday is our opening ceremony. To tell the honest truth I really hate school ceremonys (and the festivals, too). I don't understand the Japanese and they are long and comprehensive. Plus I feel out of place because I don't have many people to stand with. All the young teachers and staff stand at attention with stiff backs and folded hands. Nobody leans against the back wall!! I feel like a shmuck when I do- but I've reached the epiphany that I'm not actually Japanese!! I still feel a tinge of guilt but I don't let it stop me. I'd skip this last ceremony but it is the last one. That means I'll go to the closing ceremony, too. But I am deffo skipping out early during the sports festival! Nothing is worse for me than sports (saving only swimming and Judo) and even worse than playing them is watching them (again, saving swimming and Judo).

All in all I am pretty happy. I met one of the new girls who came to join the Judo club. She's really strong and she and her two friends didn't seem so shy. I bet that'll change pretty fast in class, but I can handle that. I bought a couple of Godzillas, a Gamera and another guy to be my mascots this year. Me and "Eikaiwazilla" are going to clean house. Holla!