Another week has happened here. Do I notice? Why of course! There is a lot to consider considering that Spring has finally come. There are big, blotchy patches of muddy earth where footsteps have hounded melting snow and exposed the dark belly of rich earth hiding beneath. Okay, I get excited when weather changes. This very northern location has made for quite a lot of winter. Intense winter. So much winter that it was in fact snowing this morning. Last week it was warm and sunny enough that I said ‘no’ to my inner needs to sit and sleep and sit and I instead donned running gear and went for a quick ambulation around the block -at running speed!
I also had the great opportunity to take last Friday off of work. At least the second half of the day. From noontime p.m. I was off. I went home, rested up and even visited our local onsen in the evening hours. This is the biggest golden nugget for me in my JET placement. Onsen. I get on a free shuttle, am carted out to our onsen and for mere pennies soak and rest in not one but two types of mineral-chalked waters for hours. Sometimes I even treat myself to dinner at our onsen spot. Great, hey?
But this last weekend I went out with a friendly bunch from here in town and was carted to Sapporo to watch another football match (Consadore Sapporo -soccer). A good match in a stadium of about twenty thousand fans, some fish stock-based dipping-style ramen, a Japanese-style hamburg patty for dinner (eaten with chopsticks and rice -topped with curry and cheese) it was a good and full weekend. But the workweek happens…
And change has come. School has ended and Spring has… begun? Already it is amazing to hear of the blooming cherry blossoms around Japan, and around the world.
Much to my amazement -and that of others- we had a full-on snowfall this morning. Peeking out from between the folds of my livingroom curtains this morning I saw snow coming down in a comitted fashion. Steady snowfall. Then after arriving at work the snow started and stopped, started and stopped. This snowfall hid a lot of ice under its white blanket. Before warmer mid-morning temperatures hit, this hidden ice made for a tricky walk to work. (Yeah I know I said rich earth a few moments before, but this morning there was ice…)
As for events surrounding town and this Springtime season, I had the opportunity to enjoy an end-of-year ceremony at elementary school. School anthems were sung, report cards distributed to class representatives, and other such formalities.
These days I see students in irregular places -that is, outside of school and outside of class. Young learners have some two weeks off before the new school year in early April. I see students at stores, riding bikes, streetside, etc. It is quite fun to see a bit of ‘change’ to the on-and-off of regular school and teaching patterns. This change brings a renewed brightness to daily life, hopeful of Spring and seasonal change, methinks.
Today and tomorrow some childrens’ films are being screened in effort to provide holidaying students with activities about town. But I am more in favour of tomorrow’s samplings including Pirates of the Caribbean. If I can steal a few minutes away from my desk, I might enjoy some of the film and maybe say hi to a few students on the way..
Although it is gray and snowfall-y outside I know that the sunshine is just waiting to tell us that it loves us here in northern Japan. With a few more national holidays on the charts I am planning of some inter-country travel and some more relaxing days. I hope you can say the same for yourself -relaxing days and such.
If it be a busy season, I wish you the best! But don’t forget, get outside and enjoy that which nature has to offer -in the views Thoreau and Emerson as found in Elgin’s Voluntary Simplicity, nature is the doorway to the divine, the most fitting place for contemplation and [spiritual] inspiration.
So why not get outside? Say no (okay, I’ll say no) to an excessive caffeine intake and instead go and enjoy the beauty of Spring! (And don’t worry, I’m okay. I haven’t turned over a new leaf, or re-arranged my marbles, or anything. I am just happy for Spring)!
(BIKKURIDONKEY, Japanese hamburg, not hamburger, restaurant. I drank a cup of yoghurt with my cheese/curry hamburg. Eaten using chopsticks; and a side of rice -amazing ♡)
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