Week 26: Wrapping it up!

There's really not much to talk about this week.

Weather's been a real roller coaster.

Things are wrapping up for this contract.  I have a few complaints, but hey, nothing's perfect, right?  I'm putting my resume out there, trying to look at other jobs, but if I don't get one, this company is sure to hire me back at least.  They like me.  Just not enough to give me a raise. :P

The kids are sad to see me go, (most of them) so that's kinda nice.  Tuesday school, the kids made me a crown and necklace with origami figures with English messages on them, saying they'll miss me! :D  And I couldn't very well put it in my brief case, so I wore that sucker home!

Got a lot of second looks!

Wednesday/Thursday school, the kids presented the projects they've been working on for the last few weeks.  The 6th graders did "my story book" and the 5th graders did "have you seen my ____".  With objects featuring from countries around the world.  A lot of the kids did "have you seen my clothes?" and "have you seen my food?"  One group got very creative and did "have you seen my rice?"  The American rice was Jambalaya! :D

I kept wanting to do an example book, but all my creative ideas kept coming up snarky.  "Have you seen my indigenous population?"  "Have you seen my pollution problem?"

I'll keep thinking.

Wednesday was very cold, but it was also the ward sports night.  And I really wanted to go, feeling antsy.  So I went anyhow.  It was a LONG walk for a cold night, but I had fun playing volleyball with the others.  They used a much softer ball (one of those rubber recess balls) and so I ended up with no giant bruises on my forearms.  And our team CREAMED them! :D

Friday was entertaining because of Friday school.  (you've heard me complain about them before) Well, I had the last two lessons planned, no problem, but when I go in, they've got another plan.  They don't speak much English and I don't speak Japanese, but they showed me about what they want and I was like "I'm not sure how this is going to work, but hey, let's go for it"  And so we did, and we made it work together. :)

Saturday, my friend and I have developed a pattern where we sleep in and get some chores done around our respective places and then we meet up somewhere around 1.  :)  So we did that, and we went to Osaka!  The main reason was that there was an art show.  A VERY SPECIAL art show.  It was called CatArt.  The artist, Shu Yamamoto, took famous paintings and re-painted them, but with cats as the main characters.  And I gotta say, he did really well.

We had "Girl With a Pearl Earring" By Johannes Vermeer, 

The ticket

And "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer" by Gustav Klimt

post-card I got.

And even a Japanese block print!

I don't know this one, but I recognize the style.

I was very impressed. They had a big folding screen he painted as well (with cat thunder gods) and I didn't get a picture of that because they wouldn't let you take pictures in there.

Which I totally didn't.

Of course.

shhhh!

After that, we wandered for a while.  Of course, they used the opportunity to sell everything cat-related.

So happy

LOOK at those EYES

variety

More variety

...Cat Pitcher toilet paper?!

And THEN we wandered the stores.

And found lots of odd stuff.

sucker was like $50 each.

Ah, Gucci...

Oh, and Girl's and Boy's days are both coming!  (they're separate days)   and the girls day, they put up this display of dolls, and like everything, some are expensive and some are cheaper, some are elaborate and some are not.  Here are some lovely ones that were expensive and detailed.

And then there's some dolls for the boys too!

so boy-ish.

And there was an Alice in Wonderland themed shop that actually had a LINE outside, because it was small enough you could only get a certain amount of people at a time in.

And it was cute

there's a mirror at the back, so you're surprised when you hit the end.

"Like a tea tray in the sky"

my favorite character.

And I got a "Drink me"

And it was fun. But...you know, nothing big. :)

Week 25: Takarazuka!

So this week was pretty quiet.  I mean, stuff happened, but it was mostly normal.

Monday, I was observed by the vice president of the Board of Education.  That was entertaining, because, as far as I can tell, this normally doesn't happen.  The kids were a little nervous, I could tell because when I asked for answers or participation, I got very little.  "I can swim?" eager look, no hands. "No?!"

"I can play the recorder?" (they can ALL play the recorder, it's required for music for them.) "NO?!"

"I can eat?....NO?!"

I looked at the teacher.  "Ok, tomorrow? No lunch.  They can't eat, so no lunch."

I finally got them with "I can play video games."  They all raised their hands for that. :)

I can understand the nervousness.  For one thing, the vice president lady came in, stood in the back and crossed her arms, looking very serious.  She had someone with her, (might have been the principal, I don't see him often) There was my translator, Tomo sensei, and lurking outside the classroom was the vice principal, looking in the windows!  And since the windows on the classrooms look like THIS

Only the curtains are usually open.

We could ALL SEE HIM. :P 

I was a little nervous, but that translated into manic energy, so I just looked more energetic.  By the end, she was smiling, and I'm told she was repeating along with the class, and the other teachers say she said I did well. :D  (yay!)

So, whew.  Oh, and Tuesday was awesome!  I got to see the 6th graders to a concert for their parents!

That's right. those are ACCORDIONS.

Each class played a different piece, and they were really complex pieces!  I was impressed with the kids, but even more with the music teacher!  And she had the kids in charge of the presentation and stuff, the ONLY thing the teacher did was go out and conduct. The kids presented the music piece and everything!  I have a video of it, but it's too big to go on this site.  Maybe I'll put it on youtube.

ANYHOW, I was impressed, as you'll notice, no sheet music. I had seen them practice. They learned from sheet music, then they memorized it! (We're talking 3 minute music pieces here.)

OH! You can't play the RECORDER can you?! HA!

But it was great, and I loved it.

Thursday was parents day for that grade level, so one of my classes was taught with a bunch of mothers in the back of the classroom.  It was pretty easy though, because the teacher had arranged it so it was the day for the students to present the English project they had been working on for the last 4 weeks.  They did pretty well!

Nervous, of course.

I went in and started our normal routine at first "Good Afternoon class!"

"Good afternoon class." They responded.

....

"KIM SENSEI" I said, pointing to myself.

They laughed and then we got it right.

The mothers seemed pretty impressed with how quickly they could sing "Bingo"  (I've been upping the speed every week)

And the presentations went well! I just sat in the back, took notes and tried not to fall asleep.

Saturday, I went up to Takarazuka!  Takarazuka means two things.  One, it is a small town near here that is famous for its hot springs.  Two, it is famous for Takarazuka theater, which originated here.

YEARS ago (102 specifically) a hot spring owner decided that to bring in more customers, he was going to put on an "all girl show" (Not that kind!) And so he did! and it was POPULAR, and it has become a huge thing.  There are 5 troops total, that shuffle through the various theaters they own.  (one setup is in Tokyo, the other is still based in Takarazuka)  They are a chorus review, so they take various stories and set them to music.  Stories you wouldn't think would be set to music.  Like "Scarface"  And "War and Peace" And "The Great Gatsby".   Actually, I can see the last one as a musical.  Anyhow! I saw Rurouni Kenshin!

It's a manga (and anime. and live action movie) about an assassin/super warrior who got tired of all the killing and traveled the countryside, trying to find himself.  He carries a katana with the blade on the TOP of the sword, so he can't kill unless he purposefully turns the sucker around.  (and that totally messes up the swing too)  I've loved it for a long time, and I gotta say, it was really funny watching my favorite sword slinging character wandering around the stage singing. :)

It was overdone in the wonderful way that musicals are, and the sword fights were actually pretty good, but it was obvious they were dance choreography. :)  The thing is, that the show has stayed true to its origins in that it is STILL an all female cast.  So, half the ladies dress up as guys, and I gotta tell you, they are pretty cool looking.  And they are GREAT tenors.

I didn't understand it, as it was all in Japanese, but as I already knew the story, I didn't mind much.

No. I didn't get pictures. I'm sorry, they were really against that.

 Here's a great link to see the character introduction though. It's pretty awesome.

I figured, maybe I could get a DVD and show people that!

the Blue ray says it's $108

The DVD is $86.40

So that didn't happen.  Besides, they didn't have Kenshin out yet.

One of the best parts was at the very end, after the story was over, and then they did the dance review portion!  They had some awesome singing and dancing (that had nothing to do with the story, let's be honest) and even a kick line!  And everyone was so SPARKLY.  They all had glitter on their clothes, but one character always was completely COVERED in sequins, so with the spotlight on them, they looked like a disco ball!

And at the end, they took their bows, the main characters had these GIANT tail fans!  Hang on, this isn't from my show, but it's tradition, so this is LIKE what I saw.

WOW.

I mean, REALLY. That main character's feathers DOUBLE her height!  and that tail!  When she bowed, it was all WHOOSH, and I'm amazed she got back up!

I loved this show!  It was GREAT, and they portrayed the characters SO well!  My co-teacher, who took me because she's SUCH a Takarazuka fan, and LOVED the main actress, didn't like this show as much.  Specifically, she didn't like the main character much.  I thought about it, and I think I understand.  Usually a dark and tortured past is covered by a cool and confident mask.

Kenshin covers his with comedy.

That's probably why I love him so much. :D

Week 24: I did a lot of stuff!

I'm tired today, but rather than the lethargy I've been suffering from lately, this has more of an exhausted feel to it.

So! This week!

My Monday teacher was freaking out a bit, because news that I'm an awesome teacher (paraphrasing here) made it up to the B.O.E. in my city.  So, the vice president of the board wants to come in and see what makes me so incredible.  The next Monday. (so, tomorrow now)

I'm like..."THANKS. SO. MUCH.  YUP. This is the way to reward good work!  STRESS!"

What's worse, is we're near the end of the year, so we're reviewing!  I mean, if I could have suggested a good day it would be next week, but this week is not one of the better ones!

::sigh::

At least they warned me.

Later was made better.  Once a month they hold a "club day" when the kids get together in their clubs for 6th period and do stuff.  This is how I found the science class that made lollipops that one time, and then last time I helped in the handi-craft class.  Well, this time I decided to help the cooking section!

Ready to cook!

 We made fondue!

It was pretty weak fondue, but fun.

It was fun, one group of girls let me join them!  :)  Then we ate it, and they sat around kinda chatting with each other. I THINK they were talking about Valentines day and how one girl was going to make brownies and another was making a cake. (I could easily be wrong)

 Oh, and Wednesday school, one of the classes I teach did 1,000 cranes!  Not in my lesson, but I got to see it anyhow.

SO MANY

Everyone was either sick or trying not to be sick this week, so I ended up teaching to a sea of masked faces.  I couldn't wear a mask because they have to see my lips when I talk.  Also, it's still weird to me.

I mentioned this on Facebook, but one class I didn't teach because they were ALL ABSENT.  Called in sick.  I looked blankly at the teacher who told me and was like "...that...doesn't happen in the U.S.  Just...doesn't."   She was surprised.

Later, I asked another teacher, and she said that if a certain amount of students (for that school, it was 10) call in sick (specifically with the flu) in a single class, they'll call the homes and make ALL the kids stay home.  I guess they figure the rest of them are probably carriers by then. :) (probably right)

Thursday was a national holiday.  It was Japan's Birthday! :D  They didn't have Barbecues, pie eating contests, and I couldn't find fireworks, BUT I found a sand throwing festival!

I know, the festivals I find.  Really.

And it was a LOVELY day to fling sand!  My friend and I actually shed two layers!

I love me some countryside

And the plum blossoms were out!

And when we got there, they had just started the drumming!

I loved her because she was just so HAPPY about it.

Drumming sure builds good arm muscles!

Then they announced that the other part of the festival would start!

Some people were very prepared for it.

Poncho, goggles, mask, you're good!

We were not.  We had no cover. At all.  Oh well.

So then, they started the pantomime of planting rice.  (to bless the harvest)

And then they pantomimed the rain falling.  In the form of shoveling sand over the heads of the entire audience.

And of course, the onlookers want good rain for the rice too! So they help out! By throwing sand BACK.

I'm helping!

At which point, of course, it is just a full fledged sand fight.  The kids LOVE it.  My friend and I had fun just scooping up handfuls and scattering them over the crowd.  Or throwing them at random kids... (totally did)

This would go on 3-5 minutes, at which point a drum would sound, people would stop throwing, the shovelers would go back to the temple and switch places with another group of shovelers.  They'd be led out 3-5 minutes later.

I called them teddy-bear suits

And it would start again! :D

Some people were REALLY prepared

Though I think it spoils the fun a little.

My friend and I are sure we saw many cameras capturing pictures of us. Especially when we leaned over and ruffled the sand out of our hair. :)

After that, we went to the Osaka Aquarium, which I've already told you about, so you won't hear much this time.  The only difference is, we went in the evening this time, so after we had been there for a while, they simulated evening by turning off the lights for most of the animals.  It was interesting seeing their night activities as well. :)

Also, we got to see the lights on outside as well!

OOOOOHHH

I'm gonna ride the wheel when it's warmer out.

what's THIS?!

IT"S A RED BUTTON.  It turned on the snow in the snow globe. :)

Going back to school Friday was SO HARD.

I did though! Be proud of me!  Not much happened. I got to do some fun games with the kids (that is ALSO LEARNING) so that was nice.

Saturday, I cleaned my room.  I had to move all my stuff and sweep under it to try and get RID of all the SAND from THURSDAY.  It was EVERYWHERE. I'm still finding it in pockets and corners!

Sand.  Glitter of the natural world.

After that, it was another friend's birthday!  We WERE going to go hiking, but I saw the forecast called for annoying amounts of rain, so I found something to do in Osaka!

RAKUGO!  It's ok, I didn't know what it was either.

SO!

Rakugo is Japanese storytelling.  It's a specific style of storytelling, SO specific, that if you show the kids a picture of someone doing this storytelling, they can tell you that it's Rakugo.  (Amazingly enough, I found a group that does this in ENGLISH.)

First, you wear traditional clothes.

THEN you kneel on a little pillow in front of the audience.

Then you tell the story.

He's 85. He's been doing this in English for 10 years.

The amazing thing is, they're all dialogue based!  You describe the scene a LITTLE, and any describing after that has to be part of the dialogue!  Chances are good you're telling the story about more than one person, so you have to do the voices and facial expressions.  Because you're kneeling, there's a lot of mime too.  And they're all FUNNY stories!  (one of the requirements)

IT WAS GREAT

The first guy did a story about a really fast rickshaw driver, and he mimed the running so he was bouncing up and down on his knees! (looked exhausting)

this guy did a story about two noblemen daring each other to eat blow fish.

and THIS lady did one about two older ladies going to a host club with older gentlemen! :D

The EXPRESSIONS they pulled!  The mime was incredible! 

And all from seemingly proper looking older Japanese folk! (though since it IS tradition, it counts as proper.) :D

There was even a foreigner trained in Rakugo!

he made his outfit. says it costs way less than buying.

Apparently he tours in his home country of Canada doing this too.  And he told a story about a guy pretending to be a tiger at the zoo. :)  My favorite part was the mime of him shimmying into the tiger skin costume.

So ONE guy does what he calls a "workshop" story.  He tells about the rules, the facial expressions.  He tells a short story in Japanese.  Then repeats it in English. Then he repeats it in Italian!  We were all very impressed.  He asked who speaks Japanese. Who speaks English.  Who speaks another language.  I raised my hand without thinking.

"Oh, what do you speak?"

"Spanish"

"Great! come up here and translate the story for me!"

....

....

0_0



WHAT?!  nononononono! nooooooo

I was so nervous!

I mean, SURE, I love attention, but EEK!  All my Spanish FLEW out of my head!

He fed it to me one line at a time, and it was a story about a flower shop.

We got to the line "He must be kidding me." and I paused and said "I don't remember the word for that."

He leaned over, and in a stage whisper said "none of them speak Spanish!  You can make it up!"

So that's the rule I went by for the rest of the story.  And once I calmed down a little, I did better.

he showed me how to pose too.

The worst part was, I couldn't remember the word for "cactus".  I was TRYING to remember the word "Nopalo" which is what I learned in California, but turns out it's the name of prickly pear.  What I SAID was "pulpo" and I thought "nope, that was definitely octopus".

You know how you say cactus in Spanish?!  CACTUS.  or cacto.  ::sigh:: I just kinda ran with it and was like "nope that's right. totally right, you doubting my Spanish?"

Even now I can look back and go "Nope, that was totally off. Ah well."

They're putting it up on their website. :P

After that, we wandered around Osaka's Umeda station a little.  There's a lot to see, it's apparently the 4th biggest station in the world.  We even stopped to have icecream!

parfait. very popular around here.

They are having a special on a parfait we both wanna try.  Literally both.

maybe with a 3rd friend.

Sucker costs $30.  :)

And we wandered around outside and it rained and rained and rained and rained, and when I finally made it back to my place, I changed into my Stitch onsie and got WARM. :)

WHAT A WEEK.

Maybe that's why I'm tired. :D