Sensible Jumpers... Viva La Samba, and horse mackerel
It's time. I have a nice navy one for school. I was told by Daisuke that he loves "teacher sweaters, the kind you can't wear in the real world." Well... me too.
Maruzuka had it's 文化発表会 (Culture Festival) last week. It was fun. It was on the Wednesday and my voice hadn't quite returned to me but I could make squeaking noises and nod at the appropriate moments so it wasn't a problem. The highlight for me was seeing my speech contest student perform her speech from way back when I spent my first 6 weeks teaching her everyday after school. I couldn't go to see her in the contest as I was at the other school. But that was great. After that by far the most impressive thing was the school orchestra which was damn near perfect. They did a few numbers, but the most enjoyable was the jazz number when they all stood up and pointed their horns to the sky to the big beats! When I thought it couldn't get any better, the baseball coach comes out dressed as a tv pop star in a gold sparkly suit and a hairpiece followed by the PTA mums fanning him with branches singing "Viva La Samba". HOPSCOTCH!
My voice finally was returned to me by a short man in a top hat, on arriving at the two day mid-year seminar that all the Shizuoka ALTs and a corresponding number of JTEs had to attend last Thursday and Friday. We were given workshops about many things. And lunch, taken outside in the sun, followed by a 20 minute doze. Thursday night I had another enkai (drinking party) with the teachers at Maruzuka. It was great. It's the only time the majority of them speak to me so I was trying to make the most of it, safe in the knowledge that back in school the next week I'd be forgotten. This time I headed out to karoake with them afterwards. Despite only having been granted the gift of speech that morning I was keen to be rid of it again. So it was just as well all the teachers had requests for me to perform in english! I quickly churned out Surfin' USA, We Will Rock You, Penny Lane, Jailhouse Rock, Bohemian Rhapsody and a duet of japanese and english versions of My Way. Good times but hard on the vocal chords. Well, they all had Friday off, but not I. Back to the seminar I went, looking and feeling my best.
Friday night I went to Shizuoka after the seminar for a JET pub quiz. We came third but as Doug had specifically stipulated he would not be happy without complete unequivocal victory we got the last train home and went to bed. Rising early on Sunday we started the long journey to Yume no tsuribashi. Where we tried to get to two weekends ago on the way to open mic but didn't have the time. Well, a day devoted to that purpose was propsed and stuck to. It was Christine's birthday too. So she, Doug and Daisuke joined me on two trains, a bus and an amble to find a pretty place. I took my manual camera so no pics for you, but the ones for me are just lovely. After a nice walk for an hour or two we settled in our nakedness between rocks and maple leaves in an outdoor onsen, it had all these natural mineral salts in and made me feel light and fluffy.
After that we headed to a tiny Mexican place for Buritos and Enchiladas. The place only had one table and was so small they brought in the chair that was holding up the menu board outside to seat us all.
Sunday came and I headed to the international day at HICE for some grub, then went to meet Ohsuka-sensei for some fishing in Maisaka. First time I'd ever been fishing and I caught five aji (horse mackerel), Ohsuka caught about eight. So we went back to his home where his mother prepared the most delicious sashimi I've ever tasted. She also made tempura out of it... oishii!
* * *
Today in school, one kid had to be certain my beard was really attached to my face... it was.
Maruzuka had it's 文化発表会 (Culture Festival) last week. It was fun. It was on the Wednesday and my voice hadn't quite returned to me but I could make squeaking noises and nod at the appropriate moments so it wasn't a problem. The highlight for me was seeing my speech contest student perform her speech from way back when I spent my first 6 weeks teaching her everyday after school. I couldn't go to see her in the contest as I was at the other school. But that was great. After that by far the most impressive thing was the school orchestra which was damn near perfect. They did a few numbers, but the most enjoyable was the jazz number when they all stood up and pointed their horns to the sky to the big beats! When I thought it couldn't get any better, the baseball coach comes out dressed as a tv pop star in a gold sparkly suit and a hairpiece followed by the PTA mums fanning him with branches singing "Viva La Samba". HOPSCOTCH!
My voice finally was returned to me by a short man in a top hat, on arriving at the two day mid-year seminar that all the Shizuoka ALTs and a corresponding number of JTEs had to attend last Thursday and Friday. We were given workshops about many things. And lunch, taken outside in the sun, followed by a 20 minute doze. Thursday night I had another enkai (drinking party) with the teachers at Maruzuka. It was great. It's the only time the majority of them speak to me so I was trying to make the most of it, safe in the knowledge that back in school the next week I'd be forgotten. This time I headed out to karoake with them afterwards. Despite only having been granted the gift of speech that morning I was keen to be rid of it again. So it was just as well all the teachers had requests for me to perform in english! I quickly churned out Surfin' USA, We Will Rock You, Penny Lane, Jailhouse Rock, Bohemian Rhapsody and a duet of japanese and english versions of My Way. Good times but hard on the vocal chords. Well, they all had Friday off, but not I. Back to the seminar I went, looking and feeling my best.
Friday night I went to Shizuoka after the seminar for a JET pub quiz. We came third but as Doug had specifically stipulated he would not be happy without complete unequivocal victory we got the last train home and went to bed. Rising early on Sunday we started the long journey to Yume no tsuribashi. Where we tried to get to two weekends ago on the way to open mic but didn't have the time. Well, a day devoted to that purpose was propsed and stuck to. It was Christine's birthday too. So she, Doug and Daisuke joined me on two trains, a bus and an amble to find a pretty place. I took my manual camera so no pics for you, but the ones for me are just lovely. After a nice walk for an hour or two we settled in our nakedness between rocks and maple leaves in an outdoor onsen, it had all these natural mineral salts in and made me feel light and fluffy.
After that we headed to a tiny Mexican place for Buritos and Enchiladas. The place only had one table and was so small they brought in the chair that was holding up the menu board outside to seat us all.
Sunday came and I headed to the international day at HICE for some grub, then went to meet Ohsuka-sensei for some fishing in Maisaka. First time I'd ever been fishing and I caught five aji (horse mackerel), Ohsuka caught about eight. So we went back to his home where his mother prepared the most delicious sashimi I've ever tasted. She also made tempura out of it... oishii!
* * *
Today in school, one kid had to be certain my beard was really attached to my face... it was.
posted by Jyon-sensei at 5:53 pm
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