Today was a bit more mellow. We were able to sleep in today, and just make a quick appearance at my high school just to show that I was in to work at least for a few minutes. After about 30 minutes, I went with Andrew over to the summer session to have lunch with some of the first year students. These were the same students that I said hello to the other day.
Andrew made a quick speech, and then we walked around and talked with kids while they ate lunch. Andrew got to say goodbye to some of his favorite students. I spoke with a few kids, but some were shy. Some looked outright petrified. It seemed like the girls were more confident than the boys when it came to English. Andrew’s English Club at school is made up entirely of girls, so the theory seems to hold. I made an extra effort to talk to the boys, but they froze up, and didn’t really have any questions or comments. I asked them a few questions, but I got a monosyllabic response.
After the school, we stopped in at a 7-11 convenience store, where we picked up lunch. I grabbed a sushi bento box, and went up to the cashier. Something weird happened mentally, because I was talking to Andrew in English, I was in a 7-11, and when the clerk asked me in Japanese if I wanted my food heated up in the microwave, I responded in English with a very helpful “I’m sorry?”. The clerk looked right back at me like I was from another planet, and then I kind of remembered that I was in Japan, and the brain will be required in this situation. After many bows and apologies, we left with the food.
After lunch Andrew went out to visit with a friend, and I took his bicycle for a test spin. I haven’t been on a bike for years, so it was a bit scary to navigate down the very narrow streets of my neighborhood. The cars are pretty good about swerving to avoid me, and it was an altogether successful ride about town. I along under the Bullet Train line until I got to the local supermarket, and then bought a shaved ice carton (90 yen = 75 cents) and sat outside the store in the shade and watched the Bullet Train roar by every few minutes.
This evening we had another JET over from Florida. Jamie has been here a year already and has really enjoyed himself. He’s a young guy, about 21, and really friendly. We ate yakuniku sandwhiches with avocado, mayonnaise, sauce, and some cheese, and watched “Shawshank Redemption”. The day was pretty relaxing. On Saturday Andrew and I are going to a barbecue with some of Andrew’s japanese friends. Sunday we will be heading out to the Kakogawa river festival, a crowded party with lots of beer, food, and fireworks at the river. Then on Monday, it’s back to work.
