| | All of the new ALTs in Minamishimabara City have (to this point) overcome the need to possess and operate cars. Many have taken to the labor of traversing the sidestreets, hills, and mountain of the Hanto under their own power. This is good. This makes me not the only one. Finally it enabled me to sample the Tabi no Beer Ran of Unzen. For two years I avoided sampling a Japanese rarity, the microbrew, since I lacked the volunteers (so I really never really asked anyone anyway) to bike the two hours up the mountain to try it with me. Luckily Joel, the Portuguese aristocrat (finally someone to dress up - and did last weekend for town posters - and historically reenact with me the highly traditional 17th century tradition of playing J-pop on stage at a Christmas festival.) was convinced to ride up despite participating in a grueling four karate training session just prior. The brews weren't bad. I tried all three varieties and preferred even the weakestsauce one over just about any Japanese beer with the exception of possibly Yebisu and perhaps this Asahi Primetime I'm drinking right now "For all the best moments in life, let yourself go"...which is possibly blog writing, who knows.
 
This week I had three days in a row of elementary school and I'm nearly dead from it. My shoulders are strung tightly enough to launch a ballista dart. Luckily the first of my trials was at a small elementary I had never been to, population 26. I've never had to teach in this type of elementary school environment before, and honestly it was the best time I've ever had at an elementary school. I managed to memorize every single students name. For a comparison, I can barely remember all the names of kids I've had for two years in a single Junior High class. A lot of them had brilliant English and I wondered where exactly they learned it all. Maybe they think Eigo de Asobo really rocks. One of the girls was named Maria, highly odd for Japanese girl, but perhaps not for Nagasaki-ken. I was vaguely upset upon leaving. But, why, WHY, was lunch champon? And why, WHY did I have to eat with the whole school? And WHY, WHY am I Japanese enough to feel like I'll lose face if I don't eat it all? For the record, champon is highly not like, and this was school lunch champon yet besides.
Also proficiency in riding two wheeled bikes with no hands in no way translates into riding a unicycle proficiently.
  We love champon, we've always loved champon. Two bowls of champon plus two bowls of champon is five bowls of Champon.  This kid is the seven-year-old spitting image of Takeshi Kitano.He better grow up and be a gangster. 
And oh, don't forget about Kelly, in case anyone wants to know how the private Eikaiwa life is.
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| | Posted 10/20/2006 11:23 PM - 31 Views - 6 eProps - 4 comments
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