MAY 11
Today is Mother’s Day! Of course, I had to wait until
it was evening here in order to call home at a decent hour. I figured I would
just catch my mom at home, but when I called the person who picked up the phone
sounded too “professional”, for lack of a better word. It was as if they were a
secretary. I was taken aback a bit so I ended up asking for my mom by name.
That’s when we both realized who was on the other side; it was my Aunt after
all. She and her siblings were all visiting my grandmother for Mother’s Day.
Eventually my mom got on the phone, so I was able to
properly convey my message, if not in a slightly awkward tone. I had nothing
else to say, and it seemed like they already had plans for the day. It was nice
to talk to them though, even if it was just a brief ‘Hello.’ I miss playing
canasta (a card game) with them, haha.
MAY 12
It turned out to be a slightly busy Monday today.
First it started out with grammar class, and then Joy and I had lunch with Mrs.
Yamamoto’s seminar class again. It actually wasn’t the class per say. Only four
of the seminar students showed up, but that included Shogo, who is a member of
the futsal club. One day Joy and I want to check them out. Hopefully they will
let us play, too.
In the last minutes of lunch we hurried to finish our
pair homework for conversation class, which only took a couple minutes. Then,
following class we had International Cafe. Many of the new Chinese and
Taiwanese students came this time, but oddly enough there were only a couple
Japanese students. As a result, the groups were a bit unbalanced, but we
continued to hang out afterward so that we could all go out to eat curry together.
Naan curry, of course.
Two of the new exchange students, Lai and Go, had not
been to the restaurant yet. Originally, I planned to take them there last
Monday, but since I couldn’t make it back to Nagoya, we settled on today. I’m
not sure the flavor was what they were expecting. They said it tasted it good,
but that’s not the expression I read on their face. I helped them finish the
leftovers, and then had a couple extra naan myself. I don’t know what beast was
inside me today, but it was a hungry one.
MAY 13
I only worked on manga for a little bit today
before heading back to school for dance practice. Actually, I met with Gakki in
the school cafeteria to eat for a bit first. I haven’t had the chance to see
her since she came back from San Francisco, so that was the purpose of our
talk. She dressed up in what he determined was American style, but it looked
more like American tourist style to me. The hat she bought was a floppy
fisherman-like cap, which I thought might have been more suitable for a place
like Australia. Then again, I haven’t been out West. Had it been a cowboy hat,
I would have to say it was American.
So, anyway, we ate dinner. I ate more than I usually
do before practice, so I felt a bit sluggish. Even if I hadn’t, I couldn’t
focus my attention. I know how I want to dance, but I can’t figure out what to
practice exactly.
MAY 14
It’s been a while now since I started training. I’ve
come to really understand why the students are so shy to speak: they don’t have
regular chances to practice. Because of that, I’ve started having my older
students read out loud in class. At first they were really shy, but I think
they are getting used to and maybe even enjoying it. Students who were quiet
before are now laughing. It’s a small accomplishment, but it’s very
encouraging.
MAY 15
Dance? Work on manga? No, today we have to work on our
report and presentation on ikebana, traditional Japanese flower
arrangement. I had a brief experience making ikebana three years ago,
and then last fall we also went to see an ikebana exhibition. My
presentation is focused on the rules, or rather the math, that goes into
creating a balanced arrangement. Creating the presentation from start to finish
took all day, but it’s ready now!
MAY 16
My presentation went very well, which is always a
relief. I was one of the first to present, so my information was relatively new
at that point, but since everyone had to present on ikebana,
there was some crossovers. Many people talked about the different styles, or
about the tools used. We still have presentations to sit through next week on
the same topic… that’s the only downside to this class.
Then, after my presentation, guess what? Yes. I went
home and took a nap. This is a problem, I know, but now that I think about it,
it’s probably because I feel stressed. When I’m stressed with a large project
for example, anything is better than consistently working on it. So, I break up
the time with naps. It also helps me reset my mind for the task. This time, it
was actually quite a long nap since I only had an hour to work on my manga
before I met the other for Game Night at Heart n’ Soul.
Tonight’s free meal was wrapped sandwiches!! Luckily
there was chicken wraps, too, so I was able to eat as we played Blocks again.
It was time for revenge! In reality, I was consistently ganged up on by two or
three other players, so it was a game of survival and not ending up in last
place. We played that game for the whole two hours with an unrelenting fury.
However, the event ended at 9pm, so we had to set our Blocks aside for now.
Since it’s been a while since I’ve gone to dance
practice, I joined Ken and the others for a late practice at the Naka District
Hall. Practice was going pretty well, and then this old guy shows up out of
nowhere. I see him walking toward us, me in particular, so I take out my
earphones. That was a mistake. I thought he had a simple question, or maybe he
was a beggar and would quickly be one his way. Instead, he took it upon himself
to tell me how he used to be able to do push-ups with his thumbs and all kinds
of acrobatics forty years ago when he was younger. I had been practicing more
handstands at the time, and he kept saying, ‘Ah, you need more muscle, more
muscle here,’ and then he would grab my arm. Yes, I’m aware, thank you,
good-bye, was what I was thinking, but he wasn’t taking the hints that I wanted
to get back to practicing. None of the other guys interrupted him either until
I sort of led him in their direction. I know he was harmless, but come on, guys,
step up.
MAY 17
Training ended early today so I was able to catch the
tail-end of the dinner party at Chi and Tobias’ new apartment. Most of the food
was gone, but I made a meal out of the remaining potato chips and garlic butter
spread. I watched the group playing a new game where each member rights down
what they think is the best answer to a question written on a card, and then
the card holder chooses which answer they like best. However, they only played
for a little longer and then many of the members left for home. A few of us
hung around and played UNO until midnight or so. Then, the party was truly
over. I walked home with Marie and her boyfriend, who came to visit from
Hokkaido again. We still haven’t gone to karaoke together yet, though we’ve promised
to do so several times now. Maybe we can go in July when he comes to visit
again.
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