When I was in Mexico, I had a friend who liked to have his alone time. He called it going “El Soloter” despite the fact that we laughed at him and told him that “El soloter” isn’t actually Spanish nor does it mean anything. However, I can’t get his “El soloter” phrase out of my mind because this week, I’ve been having “El soloter” time.
Ian surprised me on Sunday when he said that he would be in Kumamoto City until Wednesday this week. He apparently told me a while ago (or so he says….). I knew that he was going to the city the second week of June for work (as in during our anniversary…..sad day! Can we catch a break on romantic days this year? First we missed Valentine’s Day, now our anniversary….) but I don’t remember him saying that he was going this week. Regardless…..I’m “El soloter” until Thursday and realizing how lonely it is to live alone. (I salute you, fellow ALTs for being able to live alone! You guys are amazing!) I came home on Monday afternoon to a TOO quiet house. All evening, I expected him to pop in the door as if he had just run to the grocery or something.
Cooking for one is also crappy. While I don’t have any whining from anyone else if what I made is slightly overcooked or not seasoned to expectations, I also don’t have anyone there to tell me that grilled eggplant and sliced tomatoes served on a piece of toast isn’t a meal. I also don’t have anyone to go to sleep with. On Monday night, I was watching a few episodes of TV in bed before I went to sleep. My eyes were getting heavy, and I remember closing my eyes, thinking I’ll wake up in a few minutes when the episode is over, and there aren’t any voices anymore. Since I’m not a heavy sleeper, changes in sound, temperature, and light generally wake me up. Fast forward to 3:38 AM when I actually did wake up, glasses still on and computer still perched on the edge of my bed. I pulled my glasses off and tucked the computer in my backpack before rolling over and falling back asleep, knowing that had Ian been there, he would have taken my glasses off for me.
My final whine about living the “El soloter” lifestyle is a whine/praise of thanksgiving. I knew that it was supposed to rain on Tuesday. Every Tuesday, I go to the Board of Education for 20 minutes, my first nursery school for 30 minutes, and my second nursery school for 30 minutes before going to the JHS for the rest of the day. On nice days I ride my bike, but since it was calling for rain, I sure would have driven a car……if I had one. Since Ian had it, I was forced to ride my bike. As soon as I woke up, I opened the window to see the weather. While it wasn’t currently raining, the gray ominous skies promised to open up at any time, and the wet road told me that it HAD been raining. I packed a couple of plastic bags in my backpack to wrap up my computer in case I got caught in a downpour, put on my rain jacket, packed an umbrella, and headed to the BOE. In bouncing back and forth from building to building, the only time that it rained on me was a gentle sprinkle between the BOE and first nursery school. However, not twenty minutes after I got to the JHS, the heavens opened up, and the rain poured down upon Yunomae. I said a quiet prayer to God because CLEARLY he was watching out for me!
The rest of this blog is a little scatterbrained, and I apologize. I’m just writing out the thoughts as they come to me. I mentioned God in the previous paragraph. Speaking of the guy upstairs, do you want to know how I know that he exists (other than saving me from torrential downpours)? Because there is justice in the world! On Monday night, there was a fly buzzing around the house annoying the crap out of me. I tried to swat it a few times, but it was just too smart. When I woke up the next morning, I found its dead body by the window. Justice served.
I don’t know why this bothers me so much, but it does. Japanese teachers won’t drink out of a bottle. I watch them almost everyday, and my JHS teachers who bring in bottles of tea won’t drink from them. Instead they pour the tea into a mug and drink from the mug. Actually, they look at me weird when I drink from my water bottle. I don’t get it. They’re dirtying up more dishes to wash! Why not cut out the middle man (the mug) and move on from there? I also don’t understand why this is such a pet peeve of mine. Why do I care so much about this?!?
Ian and I enjoy watching Gordon Ramsey’s shows. Our favorite is Hell’s Kitchen, in which chefs from around the country compete to win the position of head chef in one of Gordon Ramsey’s many restaurants. Those chefs could definitely cook circles around the best cook I know, but Gordon Ramsey has a way of making them look like incompetent fools in the kitchen. After Ian or I cook dinner, we always like to play a game called “What Would Gordon Ramsey Say?” Usually it’s only poor things about my cooking, but occasionally I’ll make something that will stun Ian (cheese filled hamburgers or taco salad, thank you) and ask Ian what Gordon Ramsey would say about it. “He’d probably say ‘that doesn’t suck,’” Ian told me once. If Gordon Ramsey told me that, I would take it as the BEST compliment ANYONE has ever given me regarding my cooking abilities. Not only is taste graded, but so is presentation, which has made me pay closer attention instead of just slopping something down on a plate and serving it. Playing “What Would Gordon Ramsey Say?” certainly makes dinner time a lot more entertaining!!
Today at recess I thought that I was being really cool by making clover chains for my 2nd grade girls. At first they seemed to be impressed and lined up to receive a bracelet or necklace. HOWEVER, then a couple of girls had to go and outdo me. They made me an incredible bracelet wreath of clover. It was thick, beautiful, and definitely cuter than the lowly chain bracelet I had made. In the picture below, mine is the one on bottom. Although the bracelet made by the kids broke, it was still a LOT cooler than my simple chain could have ever been. When will I cease to be amazed at Japanese children’s art and craft projects?? Once the kids tired of making clover jewelry, they decided to decorate my hair. I was wearing a Katniss Everdeen braid, so there were plenty of places to tuck clover in my hair, and the kids SEIZED that opportunity. I probably had more flowers in my hair than there were on the ground. A couple of boys grabbed handfuls of clover leaves and tried to dump that in my hair, but I pulled away and said “No! Hana dake!” I’ll wear flowers in my hair, but I’m not about to put other crap in my hair just because you want to. I wish that I had my camera with me at the time to take a picture of my hair, but alas, you’ll just have to imagine how awesome it looked.
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