Last weekend it was extremely windy. Friday night when we got home and washed all the dirty clothes from our week of hiking, I opened up a couple of windows so that the wind could blow the clothes dry. All Friday night the wind whistled around our house. Since our house is right on the edge of rice fields, and WE provide the wind block for the neighborhood, the wind at our house tends to be pretty loud. It really didn’t bother me until Saturday night. Ian and I were looking for something good to watch on Netflix and settled on the TV show American Horror Story. As the name might imply, it’s a bit scary, but I’ve heard that it was a really good show. I’m not a scary movie person, but I liked the show. It wasn’t so scary that I had to look away at parts or wanted to crawl under the blanket and curl up into the fetal position. We instantly got hooked on the show, and as the night grew later and darker, the wind started howling louder. I’m not afraid of the dark, but after watching a couple of episodes and hearing the wind whip around the side of the house, I found myself snuggling closer and closer to Ian. I was thirsty and got up to get a drink from the kitchen and literally had to tell myself: Melissa, there is no ghost in the kitchen. Nothing is going to jump out and get you. Gaaaaaaahhhhh!
I think that strong wind blowing around blew in a cold front. Sunday morning as I slipped out of bed I shuddered and grabbed a blanket to wrap around me. I had left our laundry room window open so that the clothes hanging in there would get dry, but I quickly closed that and made me a cup of tea. All day long Ian and I both had difficulty staying warm. Since it’s well into spring, we’ve already taken down our doors that divide the rooms and keep in heat. Plus we’d already emptied our kerosene heater and stored it in the closet. I had thought about getting my summer clothes down the day before and changing out my closet, but now I’m thankful that I didn’t! It was so cold that once the clouds cleared and we could see the peak of Ichifusa, there was snow on it! Snow….on Ichifusa….in April!! *gasp*
Every week when I go with Ian to Kirishima on Monday night, we play a stupid game on the way home. If there is a car in front of us on the Fruity Road, we guess where it will turn off. Ian was almost right the week before, but last week I was spot on! We caught up to a car just outside of Yamae, and I asked Ian the normal question: “Where do you think it’ll turn?” He said it would probably turn off in Sagara, but I called the Fukada part of Asagiri. As we approached where I thought it would turn, the car turned on its signal. I was beside myself with excitement. I squealed and screamed “YESSSSSSSSSS! I WIN! I WIN!” It’s a stupid game to play, but the fact that I could guess correctly where the car in front of us would turn was the highlight of my commute home on Monday night.
Tuesday at school was the entrance ceremony. If Japan enjoys one thing, it’s ceremonies. There’s a ceremony for EVERYTHING! Entrance ceremonies are kind of like the opposite of graduation ceremonies. All the town officials come, the new class parades in, there are numerous speeches, and the new students officially become members of the school. My JHS one was as boring as anticipated. At the end of it all of the teachers had to go in front of the crowd and be introduced by the principal.
After my JHS entrance ceremony, I had to walk across the street and attend my ES entrance ceremony. Since that was my first time back to the ES since the teachers shuffled, I saw several new faces but didn’t have time to introduce myself before the ceremony started. The ceremony was MUCH cuter and more entertaining than the JHS one because the new first graders were dressed up in precious little outfits and couldn’t quite sit still long enough to save their lives. There were still the same boring speeches, and at the end all of the teachers had to go before the audience just like at the JHS. I hesitated going up, wanting to make sure that I actually was supposed to, but the teacher sitting next to me motioned for me to follow her. I did, and one by one the teachers were announced by the principal. I was at the very end of the line, the normal pecking order where the ALT falls. After the teacher to my left was announced, I stepped forward, ready to bow and say “yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”
……….only my name wasn’t called. For a moment, my heart sank in my chest, and I wondered if I wasn’t actually supposed to be up there with the teachers. I wanted to curl into a hole and die. Since I hadn’t met the new principal, he didn’t know my name and hadn’t called it. Once I sat back down with the rest of the teachers, I’m not sure if someone told him my name or what exactly, but he announced my name, and I stood up and bowed. After the ceremony, I saw him in the hall, we did our formal nice-to-meet-you, and he apologized profusely. Even the vice principal and some of the parents that I walked out with apologized for him. Ha! Ha! It wasn’t THAT big of a deal…….
I’m going to end it here because the next topic I want to cover is rather long, and this blog is already quite wordy…. Stay tuned for more adventure stories!!
No comments:
Post a Comment