THE YEAR

Here's some pictures from the past year. Please enjoy them!

It's over

Well it's all done. I've finished my year in Toyama. The past week has been an absolute insane bunch of crazy. I had my last days at school, speeches, final parties, and all that stuff.

These girls are always together and asking me why I don't shave my arms and how many boys I've kissed.

My final enkai. Lotsa beers, lotsa people I didn't know. But it was pretty fun, I drunkenly explain "grits" to the superintendent.

That's Yamada San, she's about to have a big strapping baby boy. He is actively learning English in the womb. To the right is Lee, my sempai/supervisor/neighbor/personal consultant. That there in the middle is my new summer yukata courtesy of the Board of Education.

My three Eikaiwa students. They lived in Greece for three years and on Saturday they experienced Hawaiian pizza for the first time. It made them do this!



Then the leavers party at Bananas. Rachel and me, sans her sword of doom.

The past year has been fun, crazy hard but interesting. I was really lucky to meet some great people. Everyone is welcome to come and visit anytime!!! Now if only Nagoya wasn't the hottest damn city this side of the island, I'd be all set. I walked outside to buy a light bulb today and lost ten pounds. Thank the lord for burritos. Next post will be a recap of the last year, so get ready.

It's my last week here, and I'm getting ready. It's the week of last classes, goodbye parties, final vacuuming, etc. It's kind of sad, but I'm super excited because Raschelle is here in Osaka! Talked to Monday, she's already hittin up the sake with her host family.

Here's some pictures from last week/weekend. Took four Toyama ladies (Rachel, Lydia, Gill and Sharon) down to Nagoya for a stay in the Will Youth Hostel this weekend. Crazy times and someone left their underwear.

Had my last lesson with Kamio San, my Japanese tutor. She likes tongue twisters and The Carpenters.

The three kids I tutor just found a kitten under their house. Her name is Minya and she almost ate my sandwich.

On the way to Nagoya.

Hmmmm, that's a tough choice there.

Okay, one more.

In attempts to show up Steve's mangled theatre hand, I decided yesterday would be a fine day to try to cut my finger off with an oscillating fan. In a mad dash to get my keys to go the video store to rent National Geographic documentaries about sharks, I somehow managed to ram my middle finger into a high-speed fan blade. After lots of bloody deliberation, Lee took me to the hospital. If you ever need immediate awesome medical care, go to a Japanese hospital. I was in and out in about 15 minutes, had 3 people helping me and got my medicine right afterwards. Got some powdered Japanese pain killers, a.k.a Kool-Aid packets and antibiotics.

The culprit.

The victim.

Had a super great weekend. Friday's farewell party was fun. Nagoya was great - lotsa bluegrass, lotsa sumo! I'm considering combining the two to make some sort of fusion soley viewable by proper registration and to be enjoyed only with tacos.

For real bluegrass. In Japan.

Sumo!

Oh man, moving. It's rough. I've accumulated a lot of stuff in the last year, but I think I can manage to cram it all in a few boxes and put it somewhere else. I’m currently trying my hardest to focus on my last week of lessons, but it’s getting harder with every loose end to tie, piece of paper I have to sign and tiny detail added to my list of “stuffs to do that I don’t wanna”.

Happy 4th everyone. It's only fitting that this Fourth of July I am currently reading an Outline of American History. I'm only up to the French and Indian War, but here's what I've learned so far:

* Doing anything significant in the 1600's required seeds, boats and the name "John"
* Harvard is way old. So is Yale.
* Barbecues are a fine American tradition rooted in colonial times
* There was a sort of JET Program in the 1700's for Scottish and Irish people to come to America to teach

Had a little barbecue outside the mansion here to celebrate. Got some fireworks too.

You know those weekends in Japan where you sit back on Sunday night and you're like, "Oh, that was unexpected." Kinda had one of those.

Started Friday night in Toyama meeting up with Rachel. Went out for some food and drink, enjoyed Toyama's best kept secret "Jazz Bar". Drinking in there should require a cane and/or smoking jacket.

Saturday was spent cleaning, running and partying. Went to 135's to see The Bento Boys last night, enjoyed the atmosphere-everyone seemed to have a lot of fun......until the soccer game.



Sunday was spent with Gill and Amy eating a 15 course lunch with some ladies from Colare and then onsening in some crazy cedar bath. Lotsa fun, perfect weather for a lazy day.



Later we went to Colare for Tanabata Festival decorating. We had to write wishes down to hang from the pole. (I wished for health and happiness as well as a cane and/or smoking jacket.) Here it is a in a photoy nutshell.







The whole thing ended in noodles and hula.