Grey balls and a stormy outlook

Ah, week four of school is over, and it's into week 5. One month down, 10 more to go. For this year anyway.

Week four was brilliant. Monday was a national holiday (the day I came back from Osaka) and Thursday was a national holiday. So only 3 days of school. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying school, but I also like to sleep, and I don't seem to have enough time for that with all these boozy nights out.

Tuesday was a fairly quiet day at school. At Junior High School I am often only involved in one lesson per day, so I spend a lot of time attempting to learn Japanese (and failing). I was still getting worked up though because I had elementary school on Wednesday and needed to prepare after school, but I couldn't because we had our first English Conversation Class in the evening. This was really good- held in a shop on one of the old fashioned streets- and about 12 locals came, all with varying levels of ability and confidence. Plus, two of my Junior High School girls came as well, such is their keen-ness to progress! They all brought food and the class was a welcome party for Christine and me! This town is so nice. Anyway, got a lift home in the rain and thought a lot more about elementary school in the morning. And didn't do anything about it. Oops.

So on wednesday I got a lift to school from one of the teachers who happens to live in my building- very handy as the school's a 30 minute drive away. Immediately upon arrival I began to draw things and download pictures from the internet and then held a very successful lesson where the children learned the names of vegetables, the numbers 11-20 and the names of sports.

The day continued to be a success as I found not only a sport I was good at, but players whose skills I could match. That the sport was ping pong and the players aged 6-12 is really of no importance, and actually quite insignificant I'm sure you'll agree... I took part in the after school club, which actually wasn't after school, as they just shorten the school day so that the kids can go and leave at a decent hour. Makes sense to me.

Thursday was a day of rest and so I didn't get up till around 10, and didn't get dressed till 12. I thought, ooh I'll get some money out and I'll go and pay my bills at Lawson (yes, bills come with bar codes on and you can pay them at the till of selected convenience stores). D'oh! The cash machine was closed. All three cash machines in my town were closed. Hot damn! And while this alarmed me, the sight of my school kids in their school uniforms alarmed me even more. It's a holiday! No school!

Well, it was onto the train to Kuse to meet Johanna for lunch (revolving sushi, mmm), a spot of shopping, and then a trip to the video shop, where Johanna completed her membership and then wandered down one of the aisles as if she owned the place. Except she obviously didn't as she didn't see the over 18s only sign and walked straight into the porno section. The screaming could be heard for miles, as could my laughter, and the laughter of the guys behind the counter. Eventually we rented Matrix Revolutions and some American film I'd never heard of. We decided to enjoy with snacks and stopped off at an odd little shop on the way. I obviously left my principles in my wardrobe in Ilford as I found myself buying a Nestle kitkat, amongst other things. It was such a success. The American film was on DVD and wouldn't play in Johanna's PC. Wrong region. Johanna's snack of chipsticks turned out to be sugar coated. Straight in the bin. Matrix Revolutions was on video and it worked -hooray!- but it was dubbed in Japanese. We watched it anyway. And finally I opened mt last pack of sweets to find compressed candy floss. It was like eating a grape flavoured tampon. More for the bin.

By the end of the Matrix we were clearly delirious and after having tea and watching some more bizarre Japanese telly, I shuffled home to bed.

Friday was a normal day at school, but the night was a big one. RayVon and her friend Ruth and Ab Slance (Abby) all came to visit. We met Christine and Jeremy and drank at Kats bar. Our friends, the owners, weren't there, but the girl from Lawson's was behind the bar. 2 jobs in a one horse town. We'd had plenty of drinks by the time some locals came in, and realised it was time to go when one of them made a successful grab for Jeremy's manhood. So we ran to the karaoke where everyone sang badly but I wasn't allowed to sing 'Gloria' by Laura Branigan. Damn that cancel button. From there we headed to Kuse, losing Christine and Jeremy on the way, and carrying out a full scale drunken assault on Lawson's on the way. But the Outback bar was closed! I have recollections of banging on the door 'cause there was noise inside, but we weren't allowed in. Hot damn! (part 2). So we went back to Johanna's where I passed out.

Saturday was a blur of not sleeping, watching TV, eating (constantly) and with a spot of shopping thrown in for good measure. And an early night.

Sunday morning I awoke at 9, and it was fortunate that I did so as the postman was at the door at 9:30 am delivering a battered packiage of germolene and teabags from my Ma. On a Sunday? Are you mad sir? Johanna came round and for a change I cooked for her, a nice curry, having found garam masala and chilli powder in the local supermarket. It was another night of not much sleep as I worried about the new schools I was staring this week...

Monday was great. A new Junior high, where I had to introduce myself in front of the kids (I hadn't expected to) and I spoke quickly enough so that no one noticed mistakes. From there it was straight into the four classes I had to do. The kids were cool, funny and lively and I think I have perfected the art of being an imbecile. Pull a face every time something goes wrong (ie all the time) and o everything like you know it's stupid. And have a bum chin. It's a saving grace with kids over here.

Tuesday was the same, a busy day packed with classes and kids going wild! I only played an actual game with one class, and the other four I had practising 'I like ... and ...' with animals, sports and food, and they all really enjoyed it. I know 'cause they said so. Yay! At the begining of each class I had to sing an atrocious 'hello' song, and it truly is atrocious. However, it's even more atrocious when you're acting like a Butlin's red-coat on acid using more hand signals than a driver with road rage.

At elementary schools you get given school lunch. And it's strange. On Monday we had 3 dishes, one of which was potato salad with ham (!) and kiwi fruit (!!). Nice it wasn't. On Tuesday it was 3 dishes, one of which was meat, so I wouldn't eat it, and the other was a bowl of soup with squidgy white things, spring onion and balls of grey. Apparently these were fish. They tasted strange. I was desperate for food so had to eat them.

As it was Tuesday night, it was English conversation class and we bluffed our way through. I think next week we'll have to prepare a bit more. I did learn though that those purdy red flaaahs are called cluster amarylliseseses. Or at least that's the translation of the Japanese.

Oh and guess what happened today? Typhoon. Again. They're getting boring now. I ran out of chocolate at 8 and it's not safe to go to Bonnie's. Hot damn! (part 3).