No classes today! We’re in the weird period where there are some classes, just four a day, but they don’t really count. I spent most of the day studying, memorizing words like “æ°‘é–“ä¼æ‰¿” (folklore), and “人質” (hostage). My tests are all graded and everything is done for me for last term.
Mr. Komori dropped by today, like us he had only morning classes, so he was free in the afternoon. I chatted with him a little while, and he looked like he was enjoying life. Kuniko sent me a message in the early afternoon and she got to leave home early, too. I figured I’d study until around 3:30, and then sneak out myself.
I did a little shopping for this week at Ito Yokado – I bought some bacon, some cheese, some octopus, and some shaved ice for dessert. For dinner tonight I made some traditional octopus balls (takoyaki), and then some non-traditional ones with cheese and bacon instead of octopus. They both turned out OK, although I’m a little out of practice flipping them on the special stove that Kuniko gave me. I ended up putting lots of hot sauce all over the cheese and bacon ones – yum.
While I was cooking dinner my cell phone rang, and it was the principal of my school. It was a strange conversation because my principal can’t speak any English at all, and so he pushes forward in Japanese, and he talks fast. At first I thought he was asking where I disappeared to this afternoon, but it turns out that the board of education was looking for me to find out if I can work sometime in August. This is the phone call that I’ve secretly been dreading – the request to work at Yashiro.
When I first arrived here two years ago we had to attend a mandatory three day session at Yashiro, and it was a boring orientation punctuated with drunken partying, and sleeping in dorm rooms with six other people, no private baths, and bad cafeteria food. At the time I remembered thinking, at least I don’t have to work this thing and clean up the puke afterwards. Guess what…
I told the principal that I’d call them tomorrow and let them know if I’m free. The principal seemed happy enough with that, but I wonder if he spent the hour from four to five p.m. today walking around the halls looking for me. No problem – I’m not worried. Really… I’m not. Well, maybe a little.
