I’m wrapping up this strange week of light classes and heavy Japanese study. Today I only had one class – a good group of first year students who were having fun with the lesson.
I spoke a while with Yamada sensei, the head of the first year teachers. We’ve only spoken a few words in the past, usually in Japanese, but she’s been curious lately so we’ve talked a bit more. Today we had a full blown conversation in Japanese, about some pretty heavy topics.
She surprised to hear that most people in America go home after work, that is to say, right after work. In Japan it’s usually the man that works, and it is very common for him to put in lots of overtime, and then go drinking with his co-workers or play pachinko and not get in until 8 or 9 p.m.
She was wondering what American men do when they get home. I said that maybe they help clean the house, maybe make dinner, maybe work on projects, maybe just watch TV. Your average Japanese house is pretty small, and so she thought that the only way that arrangement could work is because American houses and yards are so much bigger. They can accommodate two people being home at the same time.
She was impressed that men sometimes help with cooking and cleaning, which from what I hear is pretty rare here. We talked for a long time, and in the end I was exhausted but glad that I could communicate. Later she commented to me and some other teachers that my Japanese has really improved. To me it seems like it’s always the same, but I guess something must be changing.
We had a sporting event for the first years today during sixth period. It was a three legged race – where you tie two people’s legs together and then they run. They had an interesting twist though, they tied the whole class of 40 students together by the ankles. It ended up being one giant line, and then they had to run 30 meters.
This made for some spectacular wipe-outs, with people’s legs being pulled apart in opposite directions. I walked around and cheered on the students, who constantly tried to get me to join the line. It looked dangerous, though, and I didn’t want to hurt myself or others.
One of my students who has been too shy to speak with me outside of class until now made an effort to come up and say hello. She seems really nice, but so shy – you get the feeling if somebody popped a balloon across the schoolyard she would jump up and run. Anyway, we did a conversation half in English and half in Japanese, and she looked really happy to be talking with me. It was my personal intercultural moment of the day – very cool.
After school I snuck out a half hour early and caught the train home. I bought some chicken that was on sale at Ito Yokado and made a chicken and vegetable rice bowl. It turned out really good – I think I’ve been overcooking chicken all these years. This time I pan seared the pieces in a teriyaki sauce with some sesame oil and a shot of Jamaican hot sauce. Oh yeah.
Tomorrow I’m meeting Kuniko in Kobe after her interview. She has an interview at a private high school in the northern part of Kobe. She’s really hoping to get out of her current job situation at the end of the term, and so I’ve got my fingers crossed for her. We’re planning on catching dinner in Kobe and then heading to Osaka for the evening. The next day I’m going to a sake party with Komuri sensei, and then going right back to Kobe for another wedding fair/dinner with Kuniko. This weekend will be over before I know it!
