|
The
Glow
Yes,
the rant the other day didn't really do anything but relieve
some tension, descents into the realms of self-pity rarely
do. I'd like to extend a special thanks to the person who
suggested that I get my head out of my ass. :) So I did just
that and did something actually productive yesterday. I finished
off the bio section. Simplified.
Sortof.
One
of my English teachers is pregnant. She's great. Cute, intelligent,
about 30 and she's got a nerdy but ultra-nice husband and
this adorable 5 year old kid who thinks I'm his best friend
in the whole world because I picked him up and swooped him
around the room like he was Superman when I went to her house
for dinner last year.
She's
glowing. In that cheesy, but wonderful, pregnant kind of way.
She's radiant.
I
tried to explain this to her this morning during the drive
to work (she gives me a lift, she lives just down the street).
The figure of speech is American.
Jeff:
Washi, you're glowing!
Washi:
uhhh.... I am?
Jeff:
Yes! Y'know what 'glow' means, right?
Washi:
I'm getting taller?
Jeff:
No.. g-l-owing. It means giving off light. And in America
we say that pregnant women glow with their happiness or the
life inside of them or some other damn thing like that. It's
an expression. Do you understand?
Washi:
(smiles) Yes, I understand.
(Five
minutes of silence ensues)
Washi:
(Very hesitantly) So... in America, pregnant women...
give off light?
I
just got done with dinner. Well, it's hard to define dinner
because I've been eating constantly all day. I had to go to
the grocery store twice to get more food because my Japanese
refrigerator is about the size of a matchbox. Today my stomach
is a bottomless pit. Sometimes it gets like that. Which surprises
the hell out of people cause I'm kindof skinny (but I prefer
the term 'slender'). I am the envy of all women.
Recently,
though, I've been developing a gut. This realization shocked
me because I've never had to worry about excess body fat.
One of my life-long pursuits and ambitions has been the accumulation
of body fat, strange as that may sound to some of you anorexics
out there.
So
I've started jogging again. Another great thing about Japan
is that you don't have to worry about getting mugged, robbed,
or killed on the streets if you're by yourself at night. Probably
your greatest concern might be getting accosted by a drunken
Japanese salaryman who smells like cat vomit wanting to practice
his English if you stop by a Lawson's convenience store for
a drink (happened two nights ago).
The
strange thing about exercise , I'm just figuring out now,
is that it gives you more energy. If you're consistent, that
is. Never made sense to me that in order for your body to
attain a higher level of energy and endurance you need to
constantly exhaust it and leach out vital body fluids and
minerals which it needs. I'm always the last one to
figure out stuff like this. I'm such a lazy bastard.
And
Now, the Work Bit
Something
which my supervisor, Mr. T, suggested we (the ALTs) do starting
next contract year is visit elementary schools. Now, don't
get me wrong. I like kids. I kind of helped raise a few. You
don't get raised in a family of eight children and hate kids
when you finally escape. But a few hundred screaming little
Japanese rugrats who can't even bloody understand you begging
you to do the Hokey Pokey just one more time? Hmmm.... let
me think about this one...
Survey
says.... "EEEEEEHHHHHHHHH"
So,
anyway, I'm thinking that we have another few months to figure
out a way to weasel ourselves out of this one, then late last
week my principal at Isao JHS comes up to me and says quite
proudly that he's arranged for me to visit elementary schools
next week in the afternoons. Oh joy.
I'm
trying to figure a way out of it. I'll probably end up asking
Mr. T for a stay of execution. But,
I'll probably get the
"TTttttttthhhhhhhhhhhh".
This
sound is made by placing the tongue directly behind the teeth
and inhaling sharply. It is one of the Japanese's favorite
sounds. It is used in the place of, or conjunction with, the
phrase "It is .... difficult" (which in turn means,
"there is no way in hell"). Mr. T is exceptionally
good at it. When he makes the sound, his inhalation is so
sharp and lasts for so long it sounds like he's trying to
suck a live eel through his front teeth.
Meditation
I
meditated for an hour today. I practiced Imagination Travel.
You allow your mind to go blank and allow images of somewhere
you've never been to come to you. I can't remember where I
learned this particular exercise, but I love it. Takes a great
deal of concentration, though. Today I went to Egypt. It was
terrific.
The
Air
There
is something different in the air today. I don't know what
it is. It feels... strange. There is an edge to it.
The
Return
The
girls (ALTs who live across town) came back from their 10-day
south-east Asia tour. I meant to call them up today and ask
them how it was, but forgot and I hate calling anyone past
10 pm. It's just a thing I have.
Damn,
that musta been sweeet. But of course, when I asked Mr. T
for only three days off during test days (when we aren't doing
anything at all in school) I got the,
"Tttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhh"
But
I don't begrudge the girls their days off. I'm happy for them.
If Mr. T likes them better cuz they're girls, hey, that's
cool, you know?
Oh,
all right. Maybe it's not cuz they're chicks. It could be
the fact that they don't bolt out of work as soon the bell
rings. Or maybe it's just that they actually pretend that
they like their jobs. Maybe because they don't huddle
over their desks pretending to read or sleep so they don't
have to socialize with all of the freaky teachers. Or could
it be that a good day for them is filled with actual teaching
and learning and smiles and praise while a good day for me
is a day I don't beat any small children with my imported
American yard stick or lock them into a half-Nelson until
they shout, "All hail the Stars and Stripes!!" (In
English, of course)?
Eh.
You're right. It's probably just cuz they're chicks.
Grumble, grumble.
|
