BBQ

No, we weren't just burning the weeds. We were getting our BBQ action on! I had my farewell BBQ last night and I learned a few things about myself.
1. I can't read when I'm nervous. My little speech was embarrassing.
2. It's hard to hold a plate, chopsticks, hand towel, beer and camera all at the same time. I never figured out how to add eating into that equation.
3. I really, really like fireworks -- especially those that are lit in people's back yard but still get pretty high.

Yakisoba Baby!

6th Grade

Me with the kids....
6th grade had a good-bye party for me. They made me cards and a large chain of origami cranes. We played "Fruit Basket." They sang me a few songs and we played a game of Typhoon. Some of the girls gave me more personal letters.

I took my indoor shoes with me when I left that day. That made me sad.

Miyazaki - Thumbs Up Or Thumbs Down?

Thumbs up! Way up!
Lori had an interview in Miyazaki prefecture and wanted some company on her trip over there, so I agreed to go with her. After a boat ride to Nagasaki and a five-hour bus ride to Miyazaki, we had a chance to check the scene out.
We met Hugh at a Jazz club. Hugh is a professor in Miyazaki. He's been in Japan for 23 years. We were feeling random and didn't want to tell Hugh that we were there for an interview, so we came up with a story about collecting "sweat rags" for a design label based out of NYC. Luckily, or not, Hugh was drunk so he didn't really see through our story. He did introduce us to a kinda cool bar, though.

Lori on interview day. She'll be working in Miyakonojyo, which is about an hour outside of Miyazaki. We rode the train to Miyakonojyo where her soon-to-be supervisor picked us up and started our day of errands.

Night number two should have ended way earlier than it did. If we hadn't been hanging out with Katsu and Joe, two of the bar tenders, until the wee hours of the morning we may have actually woke up to catch our bus. As it turns out, we over slept and wasted some cold, hard yen on a bus ticket that went unused. We're still smarting from the experience, but I'm sure it'll be a funny story in a few years.

Parties, Parties, Parties....

The ladies I made dolls with over the last two years treated me to an awesome dinner at Taiko. We had sashimi, curried chicken wings, fish bones in soup, fried shrimp and fried pork with cheese.

It was the first time I'd seen them all outside of our making dolls on Tuesday nights. Conversation was a little awkward to start, but when we left the restaurant at 9:30 I was shocked that we'd been there for three hours. I actually asked the woman giving me a ride home if the clock in her car was right. Time flies when you're eating curried chicken wings and listening to Ojikans speak their-Ojikan Japanese.

Yakyuu

Hokushou Nishi had their final baseball game of the school year a few weeks ago. I had a business trip in Nagasaki on Monday, so I was able to catch the game in Sasebo before heading off to Nagasaki.

I was especially interested in seeing the game because Tatsushi, one of my seniors, was playing in the position of catcher for the last time. He, and most of his teammates, were so gung-ho about the game that they all shaved their heads a week or two before the big game.

When I asked them all why they did it, they merely replied, "BASEBALL!"

Hokushou has a freshman pitching for them. He's actually pretty good. He impressed me by striking out lots of players while he was on the mound.

The game was pretty tense. It was a tie game all the way through into the 9th inning. Unfortunately, when Omura HS was up to bat with two outs, one of their boys hit a ground ball into left field and won the game.

Tatsushi and his teammates were crying when they left the field. Tatsushi's mom and the other people in the audience were crying too. I didn't cry. I did, however, sneak out early to avoid seeing a lot of people cry. Awkward.

Ne...mu...ii....

I'm sleepy. I have to wake up in t-minus five hours. I've just attended a goodbye party where the head of the town's education department presnted me with lobster sashimi and the mayor grabbed my ass twice. (Both times it was more like two football compatriots encouraging eachother, but still -- a slap on the ass!) Aiko-chan (although I should say "san") hosted the gathering and it was super. We put on our "hapi"s and danced to "Wa re ra Ojika" one more time-- for old time's sake.

Here are the photos:

It was a feast....

I already miss it....

Photo Fun with Sierra

Sierra came over last weekend. We took a long walk where I made her cross a puddle, which she wasn't happy about.
We ran into a random duo of people (one of which was not Japanese) who were selling bags "made" by children in Nepal. They said their proceeds went some sort of music charity. It was random.

After our walk, we hung out at my house and Sierra showed me some stuff on her computer. She renewed my intrest in videotaping people with my camera and we goofed around with some photo options on her laptop. Here are the results that make me laugh and laugh and laugh.

Whoa! I look like an alien!Here, Sierra has the "Lenno Chin".

A party with the elves, anyone?

Present-O!

Two of my elementary schools presented me with photos of me teaching as a souvenir of my time on Ojika. All I can think when I look at them is: Do I really look like that? And, man! All that bike riding around didn't do anything for my "shape." In the wake of the montage viewing, I only ate half of my lunch.

Jikan ga nai yo!

Well, here it comes. The end of an era. I've set my date and have packed my bags (well, not yet, but I'm getting there). I'm leaving Ojika on July 26th, which is in three weeks.

I had my first leaving ceremony with the elementary school yesterday.
These fourth graders were chosen to present me with a large bouquet of flowers and a picture, Then, they each gave a little speech.This is the nicest bouquet of flowers I have ever received.

And last night, I had my first goodbye party with the elementary school teachers at the yaki tori place.

Three weeks and counting. I'm just afraid I'll be fretting so much about what I have to get done that I won't fully enjoy all the attention and parties.