Hello? Anyone still there?
I’m back, and now that I finished one of the two papers that were due, I should have more time to type away and update things. So let’s get caught up…
After getting back from Hawaii I had to get right down to writing papers. Things were a little hairy at first because although I had applied for extensions to my two assignments, I had only heard back from one of the instructors. That meant that I had to work my ass off to get the other one done on time. After a week of solid paper writing I was ready to turn in what I had, but on the due date the instructor granted me a two week extension and I could breathe a little bit and focus on the other paper.
I have a good mental approach to these two papers – I fully expect them to suck. In fact, if they didn’t I’d be a little worried. I’m hoping that in marking them the instructors will give me some wisdom and future papers will improve.
So life hasn’t been really exciting since I’ve been in solitary confinement in front of my computer writing sentences like:
“The Fundamental Difference Hypothesis states that the UG doesn’t play a role in the process of learning a second language, and it cites several key differences that show that the learning processes are quite different between L1 and L2. “
Thrilling stuff. During the evenings I’ve been teaching lessons and revising drafts before and after class. The students were happy to have me back and overall were happy with the souvenirs that I brought. A couple of kids complained about their free gifts, but that just shows what age level (and maturity level) I’m dealing with.
One great highlight in an otherwise boring couple of weeks was when I met up with Brian Haven’s girlfriend Kerry in Kyoto last Sunday. She was in Japan on business doing some consulting in Osaka and Tokyo, and we arranged to meet up in Kyoto because she had some extra time.
I had never met her before, but I wasn’t surprised that she was a really cool person. Anyone that hangs out with Haven that much must be cool. We caught lunch (with some beers) and then went to Sanjusangendo, one of my favorite “off-the-beaten-track” Kyoto sights. Earlier Kerry had seen a lot of the biggies in Kyoto, so we concentrated on beating the heat by seeing just a little bit and drinking cold beers and chatting.
After walking around Kyoto a while we decided to take the train back to Akashi so that we could meet up with Kuniko and have dinner. I had hoped to take her to the underground sushi place, but he was closed for one reason or another and we ended up eating yakiniku in a restaurant near the station. Kuniko really liked Kerry, and it was a great way to end the day.
What else? The weather has been hot and humid, and I’m looking forward to autumn. The stores are selling autumn beers now, which is the first indicator that the next season is coming. Soon persimmons will be on sale and the weather will cool off. I can’t wait.
We found out that the grocery store across the street, Jusco, will be closing in a few weeks. That makes shopping more of a pain for us – we’ve been lucky enough to literally live right across from a grocery store for the last three years. There is a big shopping center next to the train station, so it’ll be a ten minute walk to get groceries – not a big deal, really. Still, I’ll kind of miss the old Jusco. It looks like a Midwestern skating rink from the outside, and even though it is small I occasionally find interesting items that come and go. Goodbye Jusco!
Tonight Kuniko and I are going to meet Inoguchi sensei and his wife for dinner. He always takes us to interesting Japanese and Chinese restaurants. He has an unusual taste in food, and I enjoy trying new things with him. He warned us that they may have eel and frog on the menu tonight, so more experimental foods… can’t wait! Inoguchi sensei is completely different from most Japanese guys I know. He doesn’t work while his wife does, and he isn’t really looking for work. He’s really interested in European and Western literature, and knows several languages. I get the impression he doesn’t have many friends, but he really is a nice guy. We met back at Takasago Minami, but I’m glad that we’ve kept in touch.
Next week I’ll be finishing the second paper and catching up on my readings, and teaching lessons from new textbooks for my students. I’ll try to keep writing here daily, so keep watching! I still have to recap the Hawaii trip, talk about Nishinomiya (and a possible return there), talk about our winter plans (Asia?) and more. Stay tuned…
