In a land where I am Santa..

I've been teaching Christmas at my elementary school this week. I get asked questions like have I ever seen Santa and does he really live in America like their older brother said, etc... But that's not exactly talking about when I say that I am Santa. All my students have gone into hug overdrive since last week. Girls and boys seem to think that's the appropriate greeting for me now as I pass down the hall. I've decorated the AV room with Christmas decorations the kids made. I'll take a picture next week. This week, I'm being told secrets galore. I have a feeling it's because of the Christmasy environment that I made and the fact I know Santa personally. Kind of like why you tell priests what you did wrong, so they can pass the word onto the head honcho. I got told by a first grader today when all his friends left that he was gonna get to go to Huis Ten Bosch, a bavarian type theme park near my place made too look like Bavaria or Holland or some place European. As you can tell I haven't been there. But interestingly the story didn't stop there, the reason he was able to go was because his dad was getting a 1,000 dollar bonus and because of that he could go to there and was getting a Nintendo DS. I love it when little kids tell you too much information. A girl today told me she got to see Santa in the Philippines. When I asked why she was in the Philippines she said it was when she was small (she's in the 5th grade) and because she was half Filipino (said in a whisper). I told her that was really cool, (half kids aren't cool unless you're half something from an English speaking country) and that my auntie and sister-in-law was Filipino. Man, you should have seen the smile on her face, she said, yea I think it is too and ran away. I dunno, it just all makes me feel like Santa.

Apples

(Fuyuzakura, winter cherry blossoms, Nagano-ken)
I'm finally more than half healthy right now. I can't tell you what a relief that is. I've got another 23 or 22 days (depends on if you count today or not) until I go home. I've got 16 days of work left, though they are 16 really hecktic days. None the less, I'm looking forward to going home and keeping busy while I'm here. Last weekend I got to go to Nagoya and see my ojiichan and obaachan (grandpa and grandma).

Tanaka Tanaka's wife and random
country old lady

We went to Nagano prefecture, (winter olympics place a few years back) north of Nagoya to the countryside. All the leaves were changing in all their beautiful glory. Everything happened a bit slower this year because it was so warm in October. On top of that, I got to see rare cherry blossoms in November. I know, big whoop right? Cherry blossoms are so infinitely representative of Japan to me, that they do and forever will remind me of Japan. These trees normally bloom in April, but these rare trees bloom twice a year, really gorgeous among all the momiji, Japanese maple, changing color with everything else around. Not to mention there were snow capped mountains off in the distance. I can't download all the pictures from my phone and like an idiot I forgot my camera the day I left because I woke up massively late and had to run to the station for my life to catch my train. Anyways, I've said it before and I'll say it again; trees make me happy. Here's the picture to prove it.

We went to Nagano to see the cherry blossoms and to get apples. I've got a crap load of expensive, delicious country apples. I can't tell you how happy I was to be in an apple orchard again. I teared up a bit when I went out there. I've decided all people who own orchards are bound to look like my uncle Jim and my dad, despite their nationality. They had the smallest little trees. I laughed when they asked me if I'd been to an orchard before. God there is something about the smell of orchard. Anyways I was one happy camper, as you can see. I'll have some better photos later on when I get hard copies of the pictures I took with Tanaka's camera.

I'm sure there is something more interesting than this, but not to me right now.

Some days I love my jobs and some days....

I have a constant reminder to take my birth control that day. Today is a birth control day. I swear that some children just wake up that morning with a plan to be annoying.

Me: "Do you want to play the game?"
Everyone: "Yes!!!"Me: "Okay, then you have to be quiet so you can listen to the instructions right?"
Good kids: "Yes!!"
Annoying children: "I don't know how to play the game, I don't know how to play the game, I don't know what she's saying, hahaha, (to the kid next to them) haha, do you know this game, what does this sign say? (As I am explaining, the rules and what the sign says.)
Good kids: Shut up! Didn't you hear her? We want to play the game!
Annoying children: "What, what, what did you say? I can't hear you cause other people are talking."

And so on, and so on... It always bothers me most when best classes that you've had are the youngest children in the school and the older kids act worse than the young kids ever do. The only thing that made me feel a little bit better was when I was untangling a mass of strings and clips after school created my the annoying children and I had some of the 1st and 4th graders come in and start playing with my picture cards. Instead of saying them in Japanese they were saying them all in English and asking each other how to pronounce things. While that was going on, I had another 1st grade boy walk outside of the classroom yelling, I'm happy, happy, happy, happy, happy.... which was one of today's new phrases. Thank God for little kids.

How people get to Saga

When I get older...

losing my hair, many years from now... buy me a puppy and sneak me good ice cream (I can taste the difference) in the home and I won't haunt you after I'm dead for putting me in a home. I hugged the cutest puppies at work today. Why they had puppies at work today is beyond me, but lemme tell you, I did not mind. The first one was a black furry little poof of lovely that looked like a lab mix. The second was mutt all the way and matched the color of the sweater that I was wearing. He was sooo chill and when he got tired of the kids petting him, he hid his head in my boobs. HOW CUTE IS THAT? If only I had no desire to travel I would have put him in my big bag and ran away from them all. Aww, the area that he layed his little head out smells like puppy! Wonder if febreez will get that out? A slightly interesting fact is that even if you don't feed a puppy, dog food he still has puppy breath. He had some rice mush looking stuff, but still stinky puppy breath.

I have to learn a song tonight. Damn, I only know the first two lines. There is a choral concert for school and they are asking all the teachers to sing. Damn it's high. I sang that high in the 3rd grade. Shit I gotta do laundry. Okay, I'm off will try to write more tomorrow, have lots of belated semi-interesting stories and pics. Puppies, puppies, puppies.

Spider vs Human

Holy moley! I just killed or maybe just injured the biggest spider I have ever seen inside a house. This was even bigger than the spider that was the size of my hand on the back of my couch and I had to call Dayo to come across town to kill with a half can of raid. I was gonna catch it in a party cup first, I try not to kill animals, just talk them down from the ledge and the hell outta my house, but I realized it was wayyyy too small for the freakin thing and had to empty my trash can to catch it after a 20 minute stuggle. My neighbors are probably gonna leave me a nasty note for screaming twice as it dodged the trash can two times. I lost it for a bit, but was gonna tear up my house if I couldn't find it, so thanks to a handy flashlight I found it's beady ass eyes mad-doggin' me. I say, nah-uh (mother's accent kickin' in) GET DA HELL OUDA MY HOUSE, PINCHE CABRONE! I sprayed it, ran, I sprayed and kicked things around to make it go outside and it went further inside unfazed by the deadly spray which is now giving me a headache. Right before it got into the kitchen I trash canned it. I could hear it moving trying to get out. I almost died. After internally screaming for 6 mins or so, I managed to get something over it and got it off the wall. I breathed, but then the top came off I screamed again, said NO WAY YOU'RE GETTING OUT! and opened the screen door then kicked trash can and top outside and slammed the door shut. I hope it burns in spider hell. It's got all of outside to chill, why's it gotta be up in my shit, bugging me on a Friday night?

Sometimes I think it maybe easier to kill or beat an intruder than to kill a spider, bug or creepy crawly thing. Aaah, I have phantom spider chills. Fa&kin' spider, rot!!!!!!

Happy, happy, joy, joy

Good day sunshine, good day sunshine, good day sunshine...

Very strange, as I started to type that, it got brighter outside. Crazy... like anyone will believe me anyway. It's not too hot, not too cold, nor are the children or co-workers irratating me- it's just a good day. My jaw isn't making me wish I or everyone including my dentist was dead, I am a little sleepy, but I know where Chris hides the candy in his desk and he's at sho-gakkou. I am no longer doing my English conversation on Wednesday with very strange man and I just found a lollipop in my purse. I have 48 days till I go home and see my momma, life is good.

Now, I'm gonna prepare for a workshop I'm helping to give Monday. Even that isn't getting me down. Man, these must be some good drugs. Good day sunshine, bom-ba-doo-doo, good day sunshine, bee-de-doo-da, good day...