while you were sleeping,

You see, I’m not actually sure if I need to apologize for not posting on Monday. But then all of a sudden I remember that for you it may still be Monday where you are. Monday night, anyways. So I’m not really that far off from keeping my posting promise.

Are you confused? Please, don’t be. Let’s just keep things rolling along..

WELL!

When I was meaning to post last Friday I was suddenly whisked away to an afore-promised event. I was about to hit the ‘post’ button when our vehicle was purring outside and our mini-volleyball memebers were piling in.

No, I wasn’t late. Nor was I unorganized and caught off guard -but I’m guessing being a little slack and not such a perfectionist sometimes could be a good thing for me.

But you want details, don’t you?

Here in Embetsu (to the best of my present knowledge) we have something called mini volleyball. This means that we play volleyball on a badminton-sized court. And we play with a ball that is, well, not a volleyball but a dodgeball. One of those nice, big round dodgeballs that were it to whap you in the face, you’d probably sport a nice red cheek for the remainder of the day.

But lo! Nobody was whapped.

We did however play a round of volleyball with all the teachers here in Embetsu (or the better part/most of them). Every sensei (that is, teacher) from the Elementary school, to Middle school, High school and such played rounds against each other.

Bottled and delightfully unsweetened green tea and sports drink (something like Aquarius, it is called. And no, nothing compares to it in Canada in my opinion -it’s nice!) were available for our consumption.

We played, we sweat, we laughed at each other.

Slowly I am learning that my perception of Japan is widening. That there is fun, loads of fun, in fact to be had with co-workers, colleagues and friends here. It is not all the business tolly of rush-and-push Tokyo that many of us see. Or maybe you never had that perception at all.

You see, before I came to Japan I knew that I wanted a non-city experience. And so here I am in a small town of just a few thousand with all the rice and grain fields I can stand.

On a side note I must add:

The crows here sound completely different. There has been many a day already where I have been walking to work and strolling in the evening, and I fib you not, when a crow HAWs at me it honest to goodness sounds like a grown man saying HAW, or HEY in a deep-ish voice.

Yes, I might add, I did miss the crows when I was not in Japan -before I came here. They are a friendly bunch. And they are big, too!

All this and that aside I have been busy. BUT,

And a big BUT, I might add- my classes thus far have been fun. Some taxing and busy but not difficult. And that is because I am working so far with a great and nice bunch of Japanese teachers of foreign languages here. I won’t forget the students. They make the cake, so to say.

Finally, I had a date last Friday.

At the kindergarten I was taken by surprise last week at how sweet and cute all the kids are.

I will say this, in the purest and happiest sense, my heart melted last Friday. When a little girl in my kindergarten class of about four came up to me after the lesson and held my finger and asked me in Japanese, ‘sensei, you’ll sit and eat lunch with me today, won’t you?’

Need I say more?