I guess winter is about the only time I have time and desire to post. I have been sick recently with another cold, it's cold out so I don't want to go out and I don't want to get out of my kotatsu.
Here's what's up:
I just returned from a 10-day trip to Vietnam and Thailand. Five days were spent in each country. It was marvelous! More than reasonably priced food, vitamin D from the natural light of the sun, sandy beaches next to crystal clear water, bargain shopping, decorative temples, sexily dressed people dancing to real hip hop music spun by DJ SG...The summer adventure in the midst of Ishikawa winter was worth the mosquito bites!
When I returned from the hot and humid conditions of SE Asia it was chilly, but Osaka was only two-thirds as cold as Ishikawa. I was afraid I would be freezing back in my apartment! Luckily, Ishikawa wasn't snowing or snowed over on the day that I arrived Komatsu. That soon changed and I was happy to leave for a mini-trip to Tsujido--a small city on the other side of the island. Although it wasn't warm enough to wear a t-shirt, Tsujido was warm enough to ride bikes next to the beaches and it was nice just to have the sun on my face. I got to see some friends who I rarely see. I played Just Dance 2 for the first time. It was a much needed transition trip!
Unfortunately, when I returned to Komatsu from this second trip, it was snowing this time. I had no cash on me, so I walked from the station to my apartment through the snow in my worn out shoes. I had no idea it would be snowing and I packed shoes that had worn down soles. It felt like I was walking barefoot on the water that is used to clear the roads. This and probably my sudden exposure to different climates every few days led to my current sickly condition.
I experienced some new things this past week. Some were good and most were bad.
Have you heard of a stye? No? Me, neither! Or at least I hadn't until I got one on my last day in Tsujido. My friends thought it might be pink eye, but it didn't seem likely since it was only red on my right eyelid. Then over the weekend it returned after it seemed to disappear for two days. What was worse was that the left eye also developed a stye which got larger than the one of the right! Ugh...it doesn't feel too bad. It just looks bad.
Before the start of this past weekend, an old woman in my apartment building bought me a can of hot tea from the vending machine. It was a random, sweet gesture. This woman has given me so many things for no reason! The first time I ran into her downstairs she asked me to wait while she ran up and got me some mandarin oranges! Another time she gave me some sesame paste that she made. Every time she gave me something I didn't know how to refuse her, because she has the thickest Ishikawan accent or uses some different dialect and I don't understand what she's saying to me. This time I offered to take her to the store whenever she needed to go since she bikes and that's quite difficult to do in this weather. This weekend was the snowiest I've ever seen Ishikawa! It got to be over a foot of snow in parts of the prefecture--maybe more! Anyway, the woman was happy to get a ride and I took her yesterday. I tried my best not to look interested in anything because I had a feeling she would just pay for anything I even glanced at. She still did it anyway. One voluntary car ride got me raisin bread, some strange egg soup, deep fried rice balls, fish cake rolls and crackers. I'm not trying to get goods out of this lady, who I am now to call "Ishida Okaasan." Ah, well...at least I have a new mother figure.
The last new thing of the week is my announcement to my school. I informed my supervisor, vice principals and principal that I will be leaving at the end of my contract. I decided not to renew for various personal reasons. It was very difficult to tell them. I'm pretty sure I used the words "I think I'm going to leave," which is not true--I know I'm going to leave. I am leaving August 2011. There was probably some stuttering involved as well. Awkward. This is all after hearing, upon returning from my 10-day trip, that they would like me to re-contract. They had submitted request forms to the Board of Education while I was away. Perhaps I should stay? No...that's probably a bad idea. I made my decision and I should stick with it. When I told my principal he seemed so surprised that I would be leaving. He only had good things to say and I was very flattered to hear that he thought I had become a respectable teacher. I told him that I have gained so many experiences at the school, and I love working there(!), but I need to go home for many reasons.
And as I sit under my kotatsu, with a stye in both eyes and five different types of pills for who-knows-what, I'm certain I've made the right choice.
