Booooo…

So they are continually taking away the internet from me…It is now at two of my junior high school where gmail, hotmail and any other sort of mail is forbidden. I have snuck Facebook by them…but I believe it is only time until that goes too, and I am completely cut out of the outside world while stuck in a stuffy staff room all day….not looking forward to that.

Other than their increased internet security – school is pretty good. It is near the end of the school year, so teachers are either trying to cram in the last bit of the textbook and requirements into the students, and therefore don’t need me, or they have finished and are just killing time, so they want me to plan all the games and activities. Either/or is pretty fine by me.

I had my last elementary school visit last week at Takashima Elementary School (one of my two island schools). They had a little ceremony after lunch with the parents where the 6th graders pass on their brass band instruments to the grade 5’s. Very exciting. But since it is such a small school, my last period class was with the whole school – all 16 kids. Always lots of fun – especially when the parents were involved as well! After English, they played “Dodge-bee”. Since I had no idea what they were talking about when they invited me to play, I decided to watch…but turns out its dodgeball using soft Frisbees…who knew? Looked like fun – but no doubt I would have been terrible at it. I sometimes dread it when the elementary kids ask me to come out and play with them at lunch. They get so excited that they are going to have an adult on their team….and then they see me play, and realize that I’m worse than the Grade 2 girls…oops.

Went to the Nagasaki Lantern Festival again last weekend with Erin and had a great time just wandering around and taking in the festivities. It was extremely crowded with people – which can get a little frustrating. But we had all afternoon and evening to kill, so we weren’t in a rush to get anywhere fast. We saw the Dragon Dance again and some Shanghai-style dancing, ate some niku mans (meat dumplings) and steamed chocolate cake(?). Good times…

So, I’m currently sitting in the teacher’s room – where one of the first year teachers is at the sink (they have two bathroom sinks in here), gargling something extremely loudly, and spitting it out…pretty gross. Personal hygiene at the desk and in the staff room seems perfectly normal here…well at least for the men. It is a ritual that most teachers brush their teeth after lunch. Coughing up phlegm (sp?) is not uncommon. Even clipping your fingernails is not a problem. Pretty gross…but that’s just me…OH - and tonight I was at the local standing bar, having a nice drink with some friend - when a guy at the bar whips out his electric shaver and starts to "freshen up" at the bar!!!! How bizarre is that?!

Good news is that there is another Taiko workshop again this weekend! Am very much looking forward to it! There were talks of there possibly being a regular group that gets together once or twice a month – but it has been put off for another month or so – so I’m not entirely sure if that will ever happen! I will keep my fingers crossed!