(Funny moments included again:) So my phone died (went into recovery mode around 16h00 yesterday... ya I didn't get it fixed until around 17h00 today - spent 45 minutes on the phone with English tech support, left the shop sobbing... *shakes head* As it turns out, it seems that I can do this well if I have connections to people somewhere. I don't want to go into more detail because it was really hard and I don't want to rehash it - but I will say that my sobbing scared the poor Japanese shop people. They aren't used to showing emotion and I showed A LOT. However, I'm blessed and my phone is back online. MMM I'm sort of paranoid about it now though... yeesh.)
This morning I woke up early to deal with my phone (the shops didn't even open until 10h00 so I had some waiting to do). I got back around to my place around 11h15 and made some lunch and waited for M-s to come over. Today was visiting my schools day! I had a little time to kill so I did some Sudoku. Thank goodness I have that book or I might have gone a little nuts! After she got here, she showed me what buses to take and where to catch them. We got me a bus pass and then had some time to kill so we sat at the bus station and started to chat about whatever. During my chat at the bus station with M-s, a drunk guy came right up to me and got in my face and slurred something in Japanese at me. I had no idea what he said and next thing I knew he was sitting on my lap! M-s said he'd asked if he could sit. I of course scooted sideways so he fell off my lap. He got in my face and apologized profusely. Then he started calling me Pretty Baby over and over. *rolls eyes* In any case, I did not use ANY Japanese with him. I figured that would encourage him. As he wasn't shutting up, I finally turned to him and said, "Thank you." He LOVED that. So I turned to M-s and said, "Don't we have to leave now?" LOL I don't know if she took the hint or she thought I knew the time and it was really time to go, but she said yes and we got up and left. I didn't look back. The guy reeked and as I said before, I didn't want to give him the idea that I had appreciated his advances. M-s got lost going back to her car. HAHAHA! We walked back to my apartment and then she was like, "Ah! I didn't park here! Sorry! Sorry!" LOL Then off we drove to Morioka Minami. Oh! Which reminds me, yesterday I mentioned that Shinoki may have been trying to tell me something other than her calling. The ZL from Alabama who was playing translator (whose name I didn't even get, doh) was able to tell me that I really reminded her of the sister missionaries who found her and taught her the gospel. That was a very heartwarming experience for me. :,) She also went to Morioka Minami (minami means south). When we got to the school, I met one of the vice-principals right away. He was very nice. After that, I met the principal. His office was HUGE. We were in and right out after he gave me his meishi (business card/name card). After that, I was taken to the teacher's room and introduced to the guy who is in charge of all the English teachers this year. His name was Hashimoto-san...I think. I met half of the 8 English teachers. I remember Oikawa-san ... and that's it. Luckily they have a paper at my desk that has the English faculty highlighted (where they sit in the faculty room that is) with their names written in Romaji (Romanized letters - our alphabet) and their pictures. Thank goodness for that. The guy was tough! He seemed a little frustrated with me that I don't know Japanese fluently. Sorry. :/ Doin my best! He asked me if I would be brown-bagging it or buy lunch at the school. I said I could do either. For me, I would love to buy their lunch but it's more expensive. I think I will get it once a week. That way I can experience new foods. He asked me if I liked Japanese foods and I said I loved them but that natto plain was hard to eat (which anyone not Japanese will say) but he was like, "Well you just have to eat it!" Uhh... I will. And I assured him I would eat whatever was on my plate. I tried to joke with him and said, "I'll eat anything but insects." Ya.. he didn't laugh. *sigh* Hopefully it's a sense of humor mismatch and not that he doesn't laugh. :/ When people don't laugh I feel unsettled. So I walked out sort of freaked out. I was also sort of worried about what would happen at the next school. Oh! And he asked about my food preferences because they're going to have a party for me! I was taken aback and very grateful and when he told me that THAT was the reason he had asked he mentioned, "Some don't drink alcohol and some are strict vegetarians." After that I added, "Oh I don't drink but I'm ok if other people do." He looked at me, nodded and said, "Lunch party then." I don't know if I passed or failed a test! Hopefully they will love me when they see what a great teacher I am - how motivated I am and how I really love my students and am invested in them succeeding. Of course, I could have misread the whole meeting and he loved me and it was just the Japanese "hiding one's emotions" going on. For me I just hope I made a good impression!
After we finished there, we went to Chokaku Shien (chokaku means deaf). It was the opposite experience. We got there early so we sat in the car for minute. I saw a student approach a window and 3 teachers got up and were signing with her. I was transfixed! It was so amazing to see! I was geeking out to see JSL. :D I was so excited to see signing on campus and excited to meet the faculty. Because it's a Deaf school, it's got a high school, junior high school, and an elementary school. The campus is spread out and very pretty. We started at the high school. A vice-principal was again the first person I met. She took us to a small room and chatted for a minute. Then she took us to meet the principal. I expected the same thing to happen, but no, I was invited to sit and was given tea. They all looked at me expectantly and asked if I liked Japanese tea. Uh, well I don't care for green tea (well, I like it uncaffeinated but the caffeinated is very bitter) and the tea they had put in front of me was the color green. Well, I said I loved it. LOL It was really good though. I think it was a seaweed tea. If nothing else, they had flavored it with seaweed. (There were seaweed flakes in it.) We chatted a little bit and the vice-principal told the principal that I knew ASL so I showed them some and they were all very awed. -Which for me is a HUGE blessing as many Deaf schools don't allow signing at all. And really I will be teaching English but they can't stop me from teaching ASL at the same time! It will more helpful for them anyway. The vice-principal said herself, "It's much easier for the students to learn sign language." Uh, agreed. It's their natural language after all! Anyway, she then took us to the high school faculty room. It FREAKED ME OUT. They all stood up when I walked in and stood in silence and stared at me. o.0 So I gave a short speech. I said, "Nihongo wo manabitai, kedo sukoshi wakarimasu. *smiles all around* Ann Carlisle tou moshimasu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." - I want to learn Japanese but I understand a litte. I am called Ann Carlisle. Please accept me." They all clapped for me when I was done. I didn't know what to do! It was completely opposite from the other school and the teachers were so nice! The English teacher did a self-introduction (and I don't remember who it was or their name - I was still freaked out at the whole experience.) Then I was taken to the junior high school faculty room. Oh man, same reception. They all stood and stared at me. Only this time, after my first line they broke out into clapping and happy exclamations of how amazing I was. It was like being a celebrity. I finished the rest of my little intro and then the guy they called, "Funny man" wanted to tell me something. He got out a yellow notepad and started flipping through it. The first line he uttered was unintelligible to me. Then the second one? "Look into the light." *blink blink* He was cracking everyone up. Then he asked me my favorite food. Well, first he said, "How do you like your food?" I didn't understand how he wanted me to answer that... well done? So he asked the question in Japanese and the English teacher translated, "What food do you like?" So I said, "My favorite food is popcorn." -"Eeeh!? Poppukaan!?" They all laughed at me and started teasing me. The vice-principal suggested "Mac-do" (McDonalds) to which I couldn't help but make a face and shake my head vigorously and "smells bad." That won major points! :D I guess that's what they think is an American's favorite food. LOL Funny Man also asked me if I like soft something - I think he meant Japanese soft serve. I told him I had not yet tried it. The vice-principal asked me if I liked Chocolate or Vanilla but she asked it after we were talking about popcorn so I was a little confused. I said I liked both but I liked chocolate, especially dark chocolate best. She mm-ed in appreciation and approval. In any case, Funny Man said that he would have popcorn for me next week. So I said to him, "Next week when I see you, I will say *holding my hands in a bowl shape* poppukaan! *points finger to one hand*" They all laughed and he mimed giving me one kernel so I said, "At least 3!" Although the ASL "3" palm facing me is their 7! Also another guy asked me if I had had Jajamen yet (Iwate is famous for their noodles especially 3 dishes and jajamen is one of them. I've heard about it. They give you noodles and vegetables and you eat most of them and then give them back the rest and they crack an egg over it and make a soup out of the leftovers and give you that.) I admitted I had not yet tried it but I wanted to do so, next thing I know the teachers are setting me up on a date with this guy who is going to take me to jajamen! *shakes head* But they were all joking around and laughing and THAT is an atmosphere I know and appreciate! So when I said 3, I had held up my hand like that and added, "Or 7!" Then the vice-principal did something that worried me - she ran ahead to the last room (elementary faculty) to warn them I was coming. I was told the atmosphere was different there. Then the same thing, everyone stood and stared at me. They were like the junior high school in reception to me. They were so impressed by my little bit of Japanese and almost everyone introduced themselves. The only guys I remember is one who said I could call him Mino (a nickname) then took it back so I'm not sure what that means. Then another, the English teacher, was ratted out by the other teachers. They said I could call him Lennon. (After John Lennon) So I made a gesture about glasses as he didn't wear any... then out came a wig and glasses! LOL It was great! There was also a Deaf teacher who introduced herself. I signed to her, but as she doesn't know ASL I'm sure that meant nothing to her, but I couldn't help myself and I was so excited! :D They told Lennon he had to sing, so he said, "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year." ?? As we left, I turned around and said, "Karaoke!" That would so be fun if we went out! We walked down the hall a little ways and we chatted with one of the teachers or she might be an interpreter there (as she interpreted what I said for the Deaf in the jhs and es). The vice-principal said I speak Japanese very well. That floored me. However, I think she meant that my timing was good. I tried to type it out with lower case and upper case... It didn't really work. In any case, I said I took it in high school and college (the same classes twice) and that I liked anime. Which is my favorite? Escaflowne. They hadn't heard of that one, but brought up Naruto and Dragon Ball-Z. They said if I brought up anime with the jhs students, they would love me. :) I was grateful for that knowledge. :D Wow, what a difference in schools. However, I forgot to mention that Morioka Minami is famous for their sports and performance in sports so it may be that I was picking up on the competitive spirit there. I was asked at MM if I would help to interview students (practice interview with them for their English exams) and I said I'd be happy to do so. That won me points I think. And really, that's why I'm there! At CS they told me they have an English presentation in December and wanted my help preparing. I said I would be happy to help. :) As we drove away from CS M-s told me that when I get there next week that I should say, "Poppukaan ga tabetai naaa" -I want to eat popcorn, eeeh? LOL She also taught me how to say I'm hungry and I THINK it was "Onaka suita" - I'm not sure about that one so I may just stick with the first phrase. :P
After we finished there, M-s dropped me off at my apartment and I went to the office to fix my phone. I fixed it and walked away feeling much lighter. I then stopped at the Daiso (100 yen shop) on the way home and got a few things I needed (trash cans - trash here is separated into paper/burnable, plastic, and metal - a drainer (for my dishes), 2 soap dishes (one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen), etc. It's nice to be a bit more organized. I need a few other things but I will have to get them at the mall. I couldn't find them at the Daiso. Also I made plans with Limor. :) She's going to stay at my place Saturday night and Sunday morning and bring her futon. :) YAY! - Although I thought she was coming Friday night and staying Saturday morning. I went back and checked the text. Dang it, what about Conference? I have 2 apartment keys... I could probably leave one with her so she could lock up if she leaves while I'm at church which with Conference unless she's staying all day... since it takes about an hour to walk to church I'm not going to walk home an hour and then walk right back for the second session! I'll just pack a lunch. Well I'll pray it all works out and that I don't offend her. :/ Anyway, I'm excited to have my first guest! :D
Have a great day/night - love you all! XOXO, A
P.S. Once I get my whole place put together I will make and upload a video tour. :)
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