Today was another day of exams for our students, and another day of relaxation for the teachers. I went in at the regular time, and Mr. Hayashi asked me to help interview someone that may help us with the STEP test interviews. She was kind of a high school prodigy, but she ended up making what Mr. Hayashi called a “wrong turn” in her career. Now she is looking for some extra cash, and the interviews might be just the thing for her. Her English was really good – better than Mr. Hayashi’s I thought, but don’t tell him that.
After the interview I asked Mr. Hayashi if I could split and he hesitated just a nanosecond before he said “Sure, no problem.” I have a feeling that I probably won’t get as much time off tomorrow, so I figured I should make today count. So what did I do with almost the whole day off and beautiful weather outside? The same thing I did in San Diego – I went to the beach.
It’s a short train ride to Suma beach, and there I laid out a blanket, had a mini-picnic with some store-bought sandwiches, and soaked up the sun, while the waves from the inland sea lapped at the shore. The beach is not the most beautiful beach in the world – off the coast there is lots of water traffic, and there are plenty of fisherman looking for tonight’s dinner.
I spent about two hours out in the sun, drinking water, reading my Japanese homework, but really just relaxing. I saw a few other foreigners out enjoying the weather. You could tell the foreigners because they were wearing swimsuits. The Japanese people for the most part were completely covered up.
Afterwards I walked back to the station, rubbing the sand off my bare feet on the sidewalk. I had a nostalgic moment remembering doing the same thing in San Diego after coming back Silver Strand or Black’s Beach. I’m glad that I can still enjoy the beach and the ocean here in Japan.
The train ride was an easy one, and I opened up the house when I got home and enjoyed the cool breeze and sunshine. After a shower to get off all the sweat and suntan lotion, I was feeling great. I spent the rest of the afternoon practicing listening comprehension from my old textbooks and doing laundry.
What a nice day – it was great to get some relaxation time in.
