The other reason I came home

Painting with my three year old nephew.




Or rather painting on my three year old nephew.

This is why I came home.




Introducing Bob. Not her real name of course but since my dad calls me and my sisters Joe he has decided that the grandkids will all be Bob. This is so he doesn't have to remember anyone's name at any given point in time. They are either Joe or Bob.

This Bob was five weeks early and spent most of last week in the ICU because she couldn't keep her temperature regulated but she's finally home with her older brother Bob who still doesn't know what to make of her. Being two and obsessed with Thomas the Train he has dubbed her Salty. I kind of hope that one sticks because I think it's hilarious.

Yukatta party

Somewhere between paragliding, a trip to Osaka, goodbye parties, and packing to come home, my girlfriends and I had a yukatta and hanabi party. There wasn't a festival going on nearby before I left so we decided to make our own.

We met at my house and then headed to the arcade to take purikura pictures in our summer kimonos (called yukatta) and then we went out by the water where we set off fireworks. It was really windy so we couldn't get them lit without some effort and then we had to be careful that no one caught on fire. (No one did thank goodness.) My friend Sue's goal was to "make a good memory" and get some picture of dressed up. Mission accomplished.

Paragliding

I'm bogged down in cleaning, packing, and going to sayonara parties at the moment. But last week when I was chilling and only thinking of packing/cleaning/sayonara partying I decided to get something off my want-to-do list for here in Tahara and that was go paragliding. I'd caught glimpses of paragliders in Takigashira Park and near Mt. Zao and I've always been intrigued. I finally convinced my friend Sue to go with me and she was very kind to do all the research, scheduling, and translating safety instructions for me.

The first day we tried to go the wind wasn't so good so we had to wait a long time. I didn't really mind because we were in the shade, there was a breeze (even if it wasn't good for flying) and we had a spectacular view of the Pacific. We ended up getting to go finally but it was only for 10 minutes. We paid the guy but he said we could come back another day for free since we really hadn't gotten our money's worth.

So the next day we tried again. This time the only waiting was for Sue to finish her turn. Then I went for over an hour and a half. We flew a total of 22 kilometers - from the launch point in Toyohashi all the way down to Tahara. This was quite the deal since at the rate we paid we were only supposed to be up for 30 minutes. And I think I paid less than advertised because either the guy doesn't know how to make change or he gave me a discount because I'm foreign and/or the wind wasn't good the first day. Either way I was definitely a satisfied customer!

An hour and a half ended up being a little too long actually since my legs were starting to cramp from not being able to move but it was worth it. Great views and it was oddly relaxing. It wasn't jarring at all (even the landing) and I tended to forget that we were 100m in the air until I looked down to see my feet dangling.




Ready to go.









Looking down.


The amazing view.

3 weeks left

I was a little leery of giving myself 3 weeks after I finished school before coming home but I'm starting to think 3 weeks is exactly what I need. I was afraid I would be bored but now I can pack at leisure and spend lots of time with my friends before I go.

I rode my bike to the beach yesterday and then met Sue, Saori, and Miwa for dinner. At one point they all had their calendars out while we planned multiple events with me before I go back. We're going to karaoke on Friday. Once we realized there are no festivals nearby before I go back we decided to have our own yukatta party here in Tahara. We're going to dress up, go to the beach and set off fireworks and then maybe hit up some more karaoke. (I need copious amounts of karaoke before I return home.)

Today I went to the beach again with my friend Miyuki and her husband. Friday and Saturday my friend Danielle is coming to stay and we are going to try and bike down to the end of peninsula. I might be going to a festival on Sunday in Toyota and my friend Allison also wants to come and stay. I have lots planned with Marie. There is a sayonara party to go to with the Board of Education and I have a meeting with the mayor before I go as well. I don't know why I thought I was going to be bored these three weeks. I'll be lucky to have a moment's peace honestly.

Sue and Saori are even going to take me to the airport the day I leave. This of course means there is no chance I won't be absolutely sobbing when I go but I just feel so blessed to have such amazing friends here.

My last day of work was on Friday. I taught four classes, had lunch, gave a speech to the 9th grade and then went home. I really didn't think I was going to cry. I only teared up a little at Tobu-sho, my favorite school two weeks ago. And I didn't cry a single tear at Tobu-chu, Takamatsu-sho, or Okusa-sho.

Each of those schools had short ceremonies where I gave a speech and they presented me with a book where all the students had written me cute little messages that all said the same thing. (Thank you for always teaching me English. Your classes/games were very fun.)

Tobu-chu's student message was funny in that it mentioned the lesson where I talked about the differences between American bathrooms and Japanese bathrooms. Apparently the radical idea of the shower and toilet being in the same room had the most impact in three years.

At Okusa-sho we didn't really have a ceremony but we spent what normally would have been class time playing dodgeball (American rules because I've never quite understood the Japanese version) and then playing water basketball in the pool.

And during none of this did I shed a tear.

Then I gave my very last speech to a group of students who have been with me almost since I got here. Yusuke and Taiki who used to throw themselves on the floor if they couldn't answer "What sports do you play? during the Q&A warmup. When they could answer they shouted as loud as they could "I PLAY BASEBALL!" And the boys in 3A who spent last week asking me to sleep with them. And Koyo whose name tag said "Koyo da yo!" And Sachiko whose English was always very good and whose sister Ayako I taught before too. Touru, Akinori, Rino, Manami...and dozens more whose names I never remembered because I taught 1200 students a month. They presented me with a picture book and beautiful yukatta. I gave the speech in English and then I read it in Japanese. It wasn't until I was reading the Japanese that I started crying.

三年間楽しかったです。最初は日本語がぜんぜん分かりませんでしたでもみんなとても親切にしてくれました。ありがとうございました！私は日本語の勉強がんばりましたそしてあなたたちは英語の勉強がんばりました。だからcommunicationとることができました。あなたたちと話すことが楽しかったです。もうすぐアメリカに帰りますけど田原中学校のことをぜったい忘れません。

The last 3 years have been fun. At first I didn't speak any Japanese but you all were so kind to me. Thank you! I studied Japanese hard and you studied English hard and then we could communicate. I had fun talking with you. Soon I'll go back to America but I'll never forget Tahara Junior High.

I managed to only sniffle when I said goodbye in the teacher's room but I cried all the way home. I can't believe I'm really done. I have the sense that I'm doing the right thing even though I don't have anything lined up next but I have really enjoyed my three years here and even though sometimes I could get so frustrated with being in Japan I always had fun with the students.

Would you like to...

This is what I've been teaching to the 9th graders this week and last. P.28 of the New Horizon textbook where Judy asks Shin to go to a rock concert with her on Sunday. They're meeting in front of the station at 1:30. I've convinced most of the students that Judy is really asking Shin on a date. One of my teachers pointed out that Mike and Emi are probably a couple as well since they went on a picnic together in the 7th grade textbook - famous for the line "Oh! My cola!" (Don't worry Emi wiped up the spill with her hankie.)

We tried motivating them by telling them this is very useful English to use on cute foreigners. The unfortunate side effect however is that several of the boys have decided to practice on me. I love my students and there are several of the boys who if I were 14 I would be in love with. But I'm not 14. I'm 28 and their English teacher so when Kazuki asked me if I would like to come to his "Go to bed early party. It very enjoy," I threw my pen at him and told him "No!" and then a calmer "I'm sorry I can't. I'm busy." per the dialogue.

That was last week at Tobu JHS. This week at Tahara JHS I had 2 "Would you like to sleep with me?" 1 "Would you like to go to bed with me?" and 1 creative "Would you like to make a baby?" And I'm only half done with the 9th grade. I didn't realize my last week of teaching in Japan would consist of being repeatedly propositioned by 15 year old boys.

It reminds me of the time I was in a supermarket in Lyon, France and a teenage boy informed me that he had a "big tick." He seemed quite proud and repeated it over and over. I told him he should probably get that checked out by a doctor. At least my Japanese students are using correct English and polite English at that. One thing you can count on the world over though is that junior high school boys are all the same