In my last blog post, I talked about the old lady who lives behind us. Update on that: on Monday, Ian saw her just crouched down in the corner outside her house. Ian said that the lady who checks on her came by and had to usher her back into the house. Once I got home, the care taker and a police officer were there. They came over to our house and told us that if we noticed anything strange to call one of them. On Tuesday the care taker was back and asked us if we’d seen anything….crazy….today. We said no, that neither of us had seen the old lady that day. I’m honestly not sure how the old lady lives alone by herself……
Anyway, onto happier subjects. It’s still hot and muggy here, but I’ve found a new way to combat it! SWIMMING! Yesterday was the fourth time in a week that I went swimming in the river. The first time was last Wednesday with Melissa and Devin, and I’ll admit that it was a little chilly then. The second time, a group of us went on Sunday to enjoy a lazy afternoon, the third time was Monday afternoon after school, and the final time was yesterday when Ian and I went together. I told Ian that it was just too hot to sit around the house! Not only is the river a beautiful, magical, and peaceful place to go swimming, but it’s also got a slight current, so swimming upstream is actually a really good workout! It sure as heck beats sweating up a storm by biking or walking! And bonus: no pool pass required. It’s free, clean, and MUCH more entertaining than a rectangle concrete hole in the ground.
My dad works as a machinist at a plant, meaning that he’s outside a good part of the day fixing things. I remember when we were growing up, he’d come home during the summer and not want dinner. he would always say that it was just too hot, and he wasn’t hungry. I never understood that. I’m hungry all the time! I could eat a meal and be ready to eat again. You could set a plate of sweets down in front of me, and even if I was the fullest I’d ever been, I’d find a way to cram more down the gullet. However, I understand Daddy now. I TOTALLY understand. After being in the heat and sweating ALL. DAY. LONG. your body does something….it doesn’t crave food. ESPECIALLY hot food. I also find myself not wanting anything but water to drink……which is weird. I love Coke and other sweet drinks, but the only thing I REALLY want to drink is water. I EASILY go through two liters of water a day (fun fact: that’s the equivalent of how much you should be drinking everyday!), usually closer to three.
I think it’s finally beginning to sink in that my time is coming to an end here. With just slightly over a month left, things are starting to get real. We packed up the last box of stuff that we’re going to ship home. It’s currently sitting on my living room floor ready to be taken to the post office. Most of the knick-knacks that we’ve collected are off the shelves, and pictures are beginning to come off the walls. My house is starting to look like NOT my house! My supervisor came by on Monday to check on things and make sure that they were still functional…..at least that’s what I thought it was going to be. Instead she brought a big binder and basically asked us if we still had _____. She didn’t even check to make sure that we weren’t lying or anything! The Japanese are just sooooooo trusting! A few things did surprise us. For example, she asked about the iron. Iron?! We never saw any iron! We told her that we’d never had an iron! I’m not sure what happened to it in between the time my predecessor left and I arrived, but we certainly never had an iron!
Ian and I were talking about how much we’ve learned in the past two years. Not necessarily just the language but also how to deal with things. We’ve learned how to communicate in a language neither one of us studied (even if it involves making gestures or speaking in three work sentences!). We’ve learned about Japanese culture and why they do the things they do. We’ve learned how a group of friends can easily become your family, people to rely upon, celebrate with, and be someone who completely understands our frustrations. We’ve learned what it’s like to be a minority, to be touched, stared at, petted, or even asked racist questions just because we’re different. We’ve learned to appreciate home, our family, and our “normal” lives more. Honestly, the list could go on and on. I wish that everyone could have an experience like this to get out of comfort zones and see how the rest of the world does things. It has taught me a great number of things, and I’m very grateful for that!
I also found out who my successor is. Her name is Karen, and she’s from Seattle. (She will be the 3rd person in Kuma-gun from Washington! The West Coast is certainly well represented!) I found out last week when my supervisor gave me a welcome letter for her to proofread. I immediately added her on Facebook, and we planned a Skype date for Saturday. Both of us had A LOT to say to one another. She asked me questions about Yunomae, teaching, and the weather, and I told her about living in Japan, my favorite teachers, and what to expect. I gave her a tour of the house and showed her what I typically wear to work. She seemed really cool and like she’ll be a perfect fit in our little Kuma-gun family! I couldn’t believe it, but we talked for 2.5 hours! That’s one of the longest conversations I’ve ever had on Skype!!
On Tuesday when I was at the BOE, my supervisor gave me her JET application to look over. I literally saw EVERYTHING. I know when her birthday is, what classes she took in college, her passport number, and even her blood type and blood pressure. It made me giggle because that would sooooooooooo not be okay in the States. Medical and academic records are DEFINITELY confidential, and if I was a bad person, I feel like I could do some identity theft damage with the more important information. It just once again goes to show how trusting the Japanese are and how things like theft just don’t even occur to them!
Anyway….that’s all for now!
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