Am feeling badly. When not performing essential tasks related to my job I am napping and lazing around. I spent most of my three day weekend in bed, getting out of it only to attend choir rehearsal on Sunday and our concert on Monday. Yesterday I spent all morning sneezing, leaving me little time to teach. My students kept asking "sensei, daijobu?" (translation: teacher, are you alright?) If I knew how to say "uh not really" I would have, but I don't so I just kept at it and we eventually made it through the lesson. Ganbarimashita!

I did go to dinner at a friend's house yesterday despite the cold, which was nice (but not before a two hour nap to get my energy up for it.) Her stepfather is an American from Michigan so he gave me some root beer to take home and when he saw I had a cold he was kind enough to give me an entire box of Puffs Plus. It's amazing the difference it makes for my poor poor nose!

After dinner they took me on a tour of their English school. They have Halloween parties every year around this time and my friend's mom uses hundreds of boxes and spends over a month making this gigantic maze. It was amazing! It's pitch black inside and I kept trying to come out the entrance until I finally found the passage that took me closer to the exit, although I still got lost a few more times. The second time through they let me take a flashlight.

As for today, I made it through five classes and even a short game of tag at recess with little sneezing but my voice is on its way out and my nose is basically useless. I'm taking a nap and then contemplating whether to try and make chicken soup or just go for a cup of noodles from the 7-11 across the street.