2004-05-31
We are the champions, my friends
This weekend was busy and full, but it was a good kind of "busy and full" this time. Something interesting was happening every day, and I came out of it feeling pretty good and rejuvenated. Well, except for the fact that I'm sore all over and I'm more than a little sunburned, but more on that later.
I guess the weekend actually started on Thursday night, because Friday was "Service Day" when the students all went out and did "Ingathering", picked up garbage around the campus or other assorted goody-two-shoes type things. So Thursday night John, Amanda and I went to our normal Tae Kwon Do class and all these students were in the gym doing various things. In fact, some of my English students showed up and were playing basketball and badminton. After the TKD class I joined in a basketball shoot-around and impressed some of the girls with my mad hoopin' skillz. In reality I was really rusty but they at least feigned interest in their polite Japanese don't-want-to-offend-the-teacher way.
So Friday was Service Day, but somebody up top forgot to put our names on any schedule so the three of us basically got the day off. Amanda and I practiced for the big weekend activity--a school-wide softball game that was scheduled for Sunday. Amanda had never played softball before--I think she played cricket in Australia, which is sort of similar but different enough that she had to learn all these new motions and skills. The one thing she really took a liking to was batting, though. I told her to imagine taking swings at some of the lazy students here, which was probably not a very good teacher-ish thing to say but I said it anyway cuz I'm baaaaaaaad. So that was fun. I felt kinda bad, though--I almost hit her with a pretty hard comebacker when I was batting, and then almost broke a window in the gym on my last swing. She didn't seem too offended, so that was good. That took care of Friday morning. In the afternoon I went with John to Mobara to pick up some desserts for the Sabbath potluck. Our Campus Ministries group was in charge of supplying food for the shindig, and being lazy bums we opted to buy the stuff rather than make it ourselves. We'll end up working for them, though--the desserts here are (you guessed it) EXPENSIVE. A little half fruit log cake thing cost about 12 dollars. They weren't very big so we each picked up two, then made a vow that if any little kid took a piece and didn't eat it we were shoving the cake right down their gullets.
Then on Friday evening the Campus Ministries group packed a bunch of students into a bus and headed for the beach. I think I posted some pictures to the website of the event--several of them came out really well. That was a good time, except I found out WHEN I WAS BOARDING THE BUS that they wanted me to speak at the thing. Somebody suffered a massive brain-fart and just plain forgot to ask, but that was cool because I'm used to such shenanigans by now. People know you're a pastor or have experience in ministry and they ask you to do all manner of goofy things. So I slopped together a talk, with a big assist from Amanda who suggested the poem/story "Footprints In The Sand" as a good Beach Vespers story. So I did the talk and had a really good time with the students. I even learned that Violet has a thing developing with a boy, so I decided it was safe to stop treating her like a fusion-powered potato. We even took a walk down the beach and she told me about how excited she was about this new thing and it was cool. I told her that if the guy hurt her she should tell me and I'd beat him up, and she thought that was nifty. It seems that I'm settling into the role of Men-Tor the Friendly Alien, or maybe just Weird But Understanding Old Guy which were the roles I'd HOPED to play when I first got here. After a stint as The Heartbreak Kid it seems things are getting back to semi-normal and I couldn't be happier.
Sabbath was the normal church service--no special worships or anything. The aforementioned potluck went well--the fruit log cakes were a hit and I didn't have to force-feed anyone MY PRECIOUSSSSSS. In the afternoon, we had our normal English Bible study and I led out in the discussion, which went well except I got all emotional and choked up and un-manly at the end. I was talking about prayer, and decided to close with Jesus' prayer in John 17. I told the people there that Jesus prayed for them, and I believe that at this time, when he needed all the strength he could get to face the upcoming Passion, he thought of all of us and drew strength from his love for us. I went around the circle, said each of their names, and said that Christ saw their faces when he was praying--and that's when I started to feel all gooey and blubbery and had to take a moment to compose myself. That was kinda unexpected, but I have no regrets. Some of the students there weren't even Christian and if they at least understood that I care about them, then it's okay if they think I'm a big ol' softie.
We ended up doing an impromptu vespers that evening. Some of the students went over to the apartment of one of the staff here and we cooked noodles for them to eat. Some of the Korean ministers were there so we had some singing--in fact we sang a lot of English songs (glory!) and it was actually a ton of fun. One of the Korean pastors gave a short talk where he told this AWESOME story that I am so pilfering and talking about when I get back to the US.
Then yesterday (yeah, this entry's almost done) the softball game actually happened. I wasn't sure, because the weather has been strangely uncooperative lately, but it was sunny so we played. Unfortunately, it was also humid as all git out so it was super-uncomfortable. I ended up on a team with Amanda, some English students and some nursing students, and a couple of girls who were friends with one of the nursing students. We weren't the most imposing team there, but everyone came up with timely hits and we ended up going undefeated and winning the whole thing. Amanda, who'd never played before, scored twice and got two RBI. She also said she had a great time, which made me happy. I had five hits, scored twice and batted in four, although one of them was kinda cheap because I took a walk with the bases loaded. One of my English students hit a home run, and in this one game against what looked to be the best team all the girls on our team got timely hits to get on base and push runs across. It was an enormous amount of fun and our trophy for winning the tournament was a big ol' box of instant ramen which we distributed among the team members at lunch. Unfortunately, I ended up with a bad sunburn because I either forgot my sunscreen in America or misplaced it here.
This is way too long already. Yeah. This weekend was a blast. I'm enjoying campus life.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Monday, May 24, 2004
2004-05-23
Hold on to your hats and glasses...it's the
KOFUDAI ELEMENTARY SPORTS DAY REPORT!
Last week was supposed to be Sports Day at Kofudai Elementary, but bad weather postponed the festivities until this weekend. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to do it THIS weekend, because it was COLD and soggy yesterday. When I woke up this morning it was foggy and still cold, but we ended up going anyway. And sure enough, they had everything set up when we arrived.
Kofudai is MAYBE 25 kilometers away from the college, which for all the Americans (in other words, everyone who reads this) is about 15 miles. It takes between 30 and 40 minutes to get there because Japanese people like to drive SLOW. The drive is pretty, though, so I shouldn't complain too much. John and Amanda have reason to complain, since they do the drive every week and thus are inoculated to the nice surroundings. The SDA elementary school is right in the middle of what looked like a decent-sized town. The problem? Like most Japanese towns, this one has a hideous lack of parking. In fact, the school had NO dedicated parking lot, so everyone had to park along this ridiculously narrow street. There were cars parked along the street for several blocks. Fortunately, we ducked into a side lot that was owned by the school but which parents and other passersby might not know about. So we got decent parking after all.
We walked in and the thing had already started. They were in the middle of their warm-up exercises, or at least I THINK that's what they were doing. In fact, I would be absolutely sure except that the little kids on the field weren't the only ones doing the exercises. A whole bunch of parents and spectators were doing them, too. Maybe it's some deep-rooted need to join in what the "group" is doing, or wanting the kids to feel supported, or just the cool thing to do, but to an outsider I tell you it looked totally bizarre. Maybe the music they were playing added to the effect, but it seemed like we were walking into the middle of some cultic brainwashing session. "When the music plays, you must kill all foreigners." "WE...MUST...KILL..." Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT freaky, but it was still pretty weird. All these normally staid Japanese people suddenly seized by DAS TANZENGEIST and spontaneously combusting the disco infernos within.
Oh, and the music. I wish I had a video camera to get a recording of the music. Unfortunately, I have no such recording, but wait--YOU TOO can experience it in your imagination! First take "The most eclectic music CD ever". Auld Lang Syne? Good. "It's A Small World"? Check. "I've Been Working On The Railroad"? Sure. "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday"? Nice. Now take every song and throw them all through a John Philip Souza remix and that's what we were listening to ALL DAY LONG. You have not lived until you've heard the fanfare from "Stars and Stripes Forever" used to transition between "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude".
So what'd they actually do? It was like any number of outdoor sports festivals at American elementary schools, except the games they had were really different. Some of them looked like a lot of fun. One of them had two baskets set up on poles and a bunch of what looked like rolled-up socks on the ground. Two teams would rush at their respective baskets and just grab the socks and throw them up at the basket. Since the projectiles were soft, you didn't have to worry about hitting anyone, so the whole point seemed to be just grab as many socks as you could and chuck them at the basket. Each basket had a closed-off net so they'd catch all the rolled-up socks, and after a certain time they'd stop the throwing and count how many socks they actually got in the basket. As they counted each number, a little kid would hit a drum. It was AWESOME. The most joyful, spontaneous, chaotic game of basketball ever. Another game was a relay race surely dreamed up by some Japanese hippy on a bad LSD trip. Parents ran the relay with kids and grabbed envelopes with "tasks" to do...in the middle of the race, they'd have to roll giant rubber balls or other weirdness. One team had to lead a donkey (yes, a real donkey!) across the finish line. Mrs. Yamaji got stuck with having to drag a tire with Takashi sitting in it. For those of you who don't know, Mrs. Yamaji is tiny even by Japanese woman standards...she might weigh 50 kilos soaking wet. I thought there was no way she'd be able to do it, but she was a gamer and struggled across.
They even roped me into playing some of their insane games. One of them was a "race" where the objective was to grab an ampang (bean-filled pastry) hanging from a clothesline...with your MOUTH. Some of the kids who did the thing were all amped up and didn't even bother grabbing the ampangs, they just plowed into the things full-speed with their heads and knocked 'em off the line. Of course, this meant that they had to pick them off the ground--yes, with their mouths. So hardcore. I thought about doing that but was afraid that since I'm much bigger than little elementary kids, and because my head is so huge so as to hold my glorious brain, I might knock the entire line down and bring the game to a screeching halt. The group I ran in was filled with old big guys, so I actually had to wait to grab one of the ampang(s). They also caused the line to shake and move all over so I couldn't get a beat on my target. I finally cheated by grabbing one between my chin and my chest and running across the finish line with it tucked into my neck.
The other thing that I ended up doing was a relay race. They had a bunch of teams, mostly comprised of parents and older kids who were (I think) alumni of the school. There was also a Teachers' team that I somehow got dragged into, probably because I was with Amanda and John. Our team did really well--I ran the leg immediately after Amanda, and we held the lead for our team. Unfortunately, the second-to-last guy on our team tripped and fell and so we ended up coming in 2nd or 3rd. Of course, we all surrounded the guy who fell and beat him to a pulp like evil dark ninjas just to show the little kids the CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE! We EAT our wounded! Teachers are to be FEARED bwahahahahahahahahaha
The relay was the last event. Afterwards, the kiddies lined up in formation and a bunch of quasi-military formation marching and flag taking-down occurred. Then more group warm-down/stretching exercises, which the parents and friends also participated in and gave me the weird zombie/cult vibe all over again. The three of us got out of there as soon as everything was officially over to avoid the impending APOCALYPTIC traffic jam caused by 100 cars trying to leave on a road designed for horse carts.
All in all, a good day. I finally got to see families from the college all together, picked up a few game ideas to steal when I go back to the States, sat and talked with Amanda the whole time, and got a free lunch on top of it all. Yeah. I HAD FUN.
Hold on to your hats and glasses...it's the
KOFUDAI ELEMENTARY SPORTS DAY REPORT!
Last week was supposed to be Sports Day at Kofudai Elementary, but bad weather postponed the festivities until this weekend. I wasn't sure if they'd be able to do it THIS weekend, because it was COLD and soggy yesterday. When I woke up this morning it was foggy and still cold, but we ended up going anyway. And sure enough, they had everything set up when we arrived.
Kofudai is MAYBE 25 kilometers away from the college, which for all the Americans (in other words, everyone who reads this) is about 15 miles. It takes between 30 and 40 minutes to get there because Japanese people like to drive SLOW. The drive is pretty, though, so I shouldn't complain too much. John and Amanda have reason to complain, since they do the drive every week and thus are inoculated to the nice surroundings. The SDA elementary school is right in the middle of what looked like a decent-sized town. The problem? Like most Japanese towns, this one has a hideous lack of parking. In fact, the school had NO dedicated parking lot, so everyone had to park along this ridiculously narrow street. There were cars parked along the street for several blocks. Fortunately, we ducked into a side lot that was owned by the school but which parents and other passersby might not know about. So we got decent parking after all.
We walked in and the thing had already started. They were in the middle of their warm-up exercises, or at least I THINK that's what they were doing. In fact, I would be absolutely sure except that the little kids on the field weren't the only ones doing the exercises. A whole bunch of parents and spectators were doing them, too. Maybe it's some deep-rooted need to join in what the "group" is doing, or wanting the kids to feel supported, or just the cool thing to do, but to an outsider I tell you it looked totally bizarre. Maybe the music they were playing added to the effect, but it seemed like we were walking into the middle of some cultic brainwashing session. "When the music plays, you must kill all foreigners." "WE...MUST...KILL..." Okay, maybe it wasn't THAT freaky, but it was still pretty weird. All these normally staid Japanese people suddenly seized by DAS TANZENGEIST and spontaneously combusting the disco infernos within.
Oh, and the music. I wish I had a video camera to get a recording of the music. Unfortunately, I have no such recording, but wait--YOU TOO can experience it in your imagination! First take "The most eclectic music CD ever". Auld Lang Syne? Good. "It's A Small World"? Check. "I've Been Working On The Railroad"? Sure. "Hey Jude" and "Yesterday"? Nice. Now take every song and throw them all through a John Philip Souza remix and that's what we were listening to ALL DAY LONG. You have not lived until you've heard the fanfare from "Stars and Stripes Forever" used to transition between "Yesterday" and "Hey Jude".
So what'd they actually do? It was like any number of outdoor sports festivals at American elementary schools, except the games they had were really different. Some of them looked like a lot of fun. One of them had two baskets set up on poles and a bunch of what looked like rolled-up socks on the ground. Two teams would rush at their respective baskets and just grab the socks and throw them up at the basket. Since the projectiles were soft, you didn't have to worry about hitting anyone, so the whole point seemed to be just grab as many socks as you could and chuck them at the basket. Each basket had a closed-off net so they'd catch all the rolled-up socks, and after a certain time they'd stop the throwing and count how many socks they actually got in the basket. As they counted each number, a little kid would hit a drum. It was AWESOME. The most joyful, spontaneous, chaotic game of basketball ever. Another game was a relay race surely dreamed up by some Japanese hippy on a bad LSD trip. Parents ran the relay with kids and grabbed envelopes with "tasks" to do...in the middle of the race, they'd have to roll giant rubber balls or other weirdness. One team had to lead a donkey (yes, a real donkey!) across the finish line. Mrs. Yamaji got stuck with having to drag a tire with Takashi sitting in it. For those of you who don't know, Mrs. Yamaji is tiny even by Japanese woman standards...she might weigh 50 kilos soaking wet. I thought there was no way she'd be able to do it, but she was a gamer and struggled across.
They even roped me into playing some of their insane games. One of them was a "race" where the objective was to grab an ampang (bean-filled pastry) hanging from a clothesline...with your MOUTH. Some of the kids who did the thing were all amped up and didn't even bother grabbing the ampangs, they just plowed into the things full-speed with their heads and knocked 'em off the line. Of course, this meant that they had to pick them off the ground--yes, with their mouths. So hardcore. I thought about doing that but was afraid that since I'm much bigger than little elementary kids, and because my head is so huge so as to hold my glorious brain, I might knock the entire line down and bring the game to a screeching halt. The group I ran in was filled with old big guys, so I actually had to wait to grab one of the ampang(s). They also caused the line to shake and move all over so I couldn't get a beat on my target. I finally cheated by grabbing one between my chin and my chest and running across the finish line with it tucked into my neck.
The other thing that I ended up doing was a relay race. They had a bunch of teams, mostly comprised of parents and older kids who were (I think) alumni of the school. There was also a Teachers' team that I somehow got dragged into, probably because I was with Amanda and John. Our team did really well--I ran the leg immediately after Amanda, and we held the lead for our team. Unfortunately, the second-to-last guy on our team tripped and fell and so we ended up coming in 2nd or 3rd. Of course, we all surrounded the guy who fell and beat him to a pulp like evil dark ninjas just to show the little kids the CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE! We EAT our wounded! Teachers are to be FEARED bwahahahahahahahahaha
The relay was the last event. Afterwards, the kiddies lined up in formation and a bunch of quasi-military formation marching and flag taking-down occurred. Then more group warm-down/stretching exercises, which the parents and friends also participated in and gave me the weird zombie/cult vibe all over again. The three of us got out of there as soon as everything was officially over to avoid the impending APOCALYPTIC traffic jam caused by 100 cars trying to leave on a road designed for horse carts.
All in all, a good day. I finally got to see families from the college all together, picked up a few game ideas to steal when I go back to the States, sat and talked with Amanda the whole time, and got a free lunch on top of it all. Yeah. I HAD FUN.
Friday, May 21, 2004
Two poems for a Sabbath afternoon (Friday for all you non-Asian livers)
Prayer
Master, they say that when I seem
To be in speech with you,
Since you make no replies, it's all a dream
--One talker aping two.
They are half right, but not as they
Imagine; rather, I
Seek in myself the things I meant to say,
And lo! the wells are dry.
Then, seeing me empty, you forsake
The Listener's role, and through
My dead lips breathe and into utterance wake
The thoughts I never knew.
And thus you neither need reply
Nor can; thus, while we seem
Two talking, thou art One forever, and I
No dreamer, but thy dream.
Love's As Warm As Tears
Love's as warm as tears,
Love is tears:
Pressure within the brain,
Tension at the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat,
Featureless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.
Love's as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts--infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,
Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
And that empyreal flame
Whence all loves came.
Love's as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird-song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering 'Dare! Dare!'
To sap, to blood,
Telling 'Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best.'
Love's as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick, hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.
--C.S. Lewis
Prayer
Master, they say that when I seem
To be in speech with you,
Since you make no replies, it's all a dream
--One talker aping two.
They are half right, but not as they
Imagine; rather, I
Seek in myself the things I meant to say,
And lo! the wells are dry.
Then, seeing me empty, you forsake
The Listener's role, and through
My dead lips breathe and into utterance wake
The thoughts I never knew.
And thus you neither need reply
Nor can; thus, while we seem
Two talking, thou art One forever, and I
No dreamer, but thy dream.
Love's As Warm As Tears
Love's as warm as tears,
Love is tears:
Pressure within the brain,
Tension at the throat,
Deluge, weeks of rain,
Haystacks afloat,
Featureless seas between
Hedges, where once was green.
Love's as fierce as fire,
Love is fire:
All sorts--infernal heat
Clinkered with greed and pride,
Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,
Laughing, even when denied,
And that empyreal flame
Whence all loves came.
Love's as fresh as spring,
Love is spring:
Bird-song hung in the air,
Cool smells in a wood,
Whispering 'Dare! Dare!'
To sap, to blood,
Telling 'Ease, safety, rest,
Are good; not best.'
Love's as hard as nails,
Love is nails:
Blunt, thick, hammered through
The medial nerves of One
Who, having made us, knew
The thing He had done,
Seeing (with all that is)
Our cross, and His.
--C.S. Lewis
2004-05-21
Greatest. News. Ever.
from http://entertainment.iafrica.com/news/324080.htm
NEWS
Knight Rider turns into Hassel the Hoff
Nadia Samie
Posted Thu, 20 May 2004
Ex-Baywatch lifeguard David Hasselhoff's career has taken a slight turn from acting — to rapping. More startling is that his hip-hop name will be… Hassel the Hoff.
Hasselhoff (51) is the latest recruit of legendary rapper Ice-T, who is the actor's neighbour in Los Angeles. The two have reportedly racked up quite a close friendship.
Hasselhoff had in the past dipped into the music industry and earned a number 35 hit in the UK in 1993 with 'If I Could Only Say Goodbye' in 1993.
According to Sky News, Ice-T said of his new friend and protégé: "The man is a legend, we are going to show a whole new side of him.
"He's gonna come out as Hassle the Hoff. The Hoff will surprise people with his rap skills and humour."
Ice-T, whose real name is Tracey Morrow, is apparently dead set on turning Hasselhoff into a hip-hop star.
Well, in events a little closer to Japan, the so-called typhoon that was supposed to blow through here was a complete and utter DUD. In fact, the sun is shining brilliantly and birds are singing outside my window AS I TYPE. The students were all excited last night because there was a chance school would be cancelled if the weather got bad and messed up trains and buses and such (there are a number of students who commute in from surrounding communities). Supposedly, we were going to get a call at around 6:00 am this morning if classes were axed. Now, if the students were REALLY clever (and if this was America), they'd just call up a bunch of teachers at 6 a.m. and say "classes are cancelled" and celebrate an extra day off. But I guess they're not lil' miscreants like American students 'cause I didn't get a call early, we did indeed have class, and the big bad typhoon that was supposed to peak at 9 this morning turned out to be a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.
Tomorrow is English worship. I'm once again "in charge", although I'm not speaking this time around. I've also not involved any teachers in the program, unlike last time when the WHOLE SHOW was three old guys up front. And yes, I do count myself in that category 'cause compared to the rest of the students here I am an old guy. It's so depressing. I walk around campus and see some really gorgeous girl and think "hey, she's a really gorgeous girl" until I realize that I thought that about an EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD and I feel like a slimy toad man. Anyway, yeah, lots of students are gonna be participating tomorrow which oughta make it a lot of fun. Well, if they remember to show up. If they don't, well, that would be inconvenient.
I'm also happy this afternoon because I may have taken a major step in getting one of my Okinawan Fan Club members off my immediate tail. Amanda and I were supposed to make a dessert for this party after vespers tonight, and Satsuki and Violet wanted to "help". Satsuki is actually very helpful, but Violet's idea of helping consists mostly of her talking and laughing while she sprays sugar and eggs and partially-mixed dough all over the kitchen. Anyway, as I was on my way to the women's dorm, which has the only functional ovens on campus, I see those two walking...with a BOY. And not just any boy...I mentioned earlier that Violet may have something of a fancy for one of the guys here and !it was him! So I got uncharacteristically friendly and told him to come join us, 'cause it'll be fun and I need another guy there and...well, he gave in and joined us. Violet was still quite fond of talking to me, but I figure that's a good sign because if she's awkward and trippy around the other guy it probably means that she does indeed like him. FURTHER stirring the pot of intrigue is that they both left early to go shopping in town. Depending on how evil I feel I may inquire about how things went and make a big deal out of whatever she says.
Getting lots of attention from young college girls is nice, but being an evil embarrassing old guy may be even better.
Greatest. News. Ever.
from http://entertainment.iafrica.com/news/324080.htm
NEWS
Knight Rider turns into Hassel the Hoff
Nadia Samie
Posted Thu, 20 May 2004
Ex-Baywatch lifeguard David Hasselhoff's career has taken a slight turn from acting — to rapping. More startling is that his hip-hop name will be… Hassel the Hoff.
Hasselhoff (51) is the latest recruit of legendary rapper Ice-T, who is the actor's neighbour in Los Angeles. The two have reportedly racked up quite a close friendship.
Hasselhoff had in the past dipped into the music industry and earned a number 35 hit in the UK in 1993 with 'If I Could Only Say Goodbye' in 1993.
According to Sky News, Ice-T said of his new friend and protégé: "The man is a legend, we are going to show a whole new side of him.
"He's gonna come out as Hassle the Hoff. The Hoff will surprise people with his rap skills and humour."
Ice-T, whose real name is Tracey Morrow, is apparently dead set on turning Hasselhoff into a hip-hop star.
Well, in events a little closer to Japan, the so-called typhoon that was supposed to blow through here was a complete and utter DUD. In fact, the sun is shining brilliantly and birds are singing outside my window AS I TYPE. The students were all excited last night because there was a chance school would be cancelled if the weather got bad and messed up trains and buses and such (there are a number of students who commute in from surrounding communities). Supposedly, we were going to get a call at around 6:00 am this morning if classes were axed. Now, if the students were REALLY clever (and if this was America), they'd just call up a bunch of teachers at 6 a.m. and say "classes are cancelled" and celebrate an extra day off. But I guess they're not lil' miscreants like American students 'cause I didn't get a call early, we did indeed have class, and the big bad typhoon that was supposed to peak at 9 this morning turned out to be a whole lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.
Tomorrow is English worship. I'm once again "in charge", although I'm not speaking this time around. I've also not involved any teachers in the program, unlike last time when the WHOLE SHOW was three old guys up front. And yes, I do count myself in that category 'cause compared to the rest of the students here I am an old guy. It's so depressing. I walk around campus and see some really gorgeous girl and think "hey, she's a really gorgeous girl" until I realize that I thought that about an EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD and I feel like a slimy toad man. Anyway, yeah, lots of students are gonna be participating tomorrow which oughta make it a lot of fun. Well, if they remember to show up. If they don't, well, that would be inconvenient.
I'm also happy this afternoon because I may have taken a major step in getting one of my Okinawan Fan Club members off my immediate tail. Amanda and I were supposed to make a dessert for this party after vespers tonight, and Satsuki and Violet wanted to "help". Satsuki is actually very helpful, but Violet's idea of helping consists mostly of her talking and laughing while she sprays sugar and eggs and partially-mixed dough all over the kitchen. Anyway, as I was on my way to the women's dorm, which has the only functional ovens on campus, I see those two walking...with a BOY. And not just any boy...I mentioned earlier that Violet may have something of a fancy for one of the guys here and !it was him! So I got uncharacteristically friendly and told him to come join us, 'cause it'll be fun and I need another guy there and...well, he gave in and joined us. Violet was still quite fond of talking to me, but I figure that's a good sign because if she's awkward and trippy around the other guy it probably means that she does indeed like him. FURTHER stirring the pot of intrigue is that they both left early to go shopping in town. Depending on how evil I feel I may inquire about how things went and make a big deal out of whatever she says.
Getting lots of attention from young college girls is nice, but being an evil embarrassing old guy may be even better.
Monday, May 17, 2004
More than you ever wanted to know...
1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE?
At the top of Mount Everest. I wouldn't live there or nothin', I'd just brag that I built a house on top of MT. EVEREST!
2. YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
The silk boxers Nathan and Leanne gave me for Christmas. No, I haven't worn them. But they're so perfectly smarmy. I feel like a greasy Casanova just knowing that I own them.
3. FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Large, luscious, beautiful......................eyes. What did you THINK I was gonna say?
4. THE LAST CD THAT YOU BOUGHT?
MC Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em (Japanese version). I am SO not kidding about that.
5. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?
in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVE
6. WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?
Anyplace that's playing songs by the following: Britney Spears, Eminem, Toby Keith, and others.
7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED?
Hands. Ego.
8. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY?
Look at Stephen Hawking and the way he whooped up on Homer Simpson. Or Yoda. You just don't mess with Yoda.
9. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING?
Believe it or not, ever since I've started teaching, I've been waking up between 5:45 and 6:20 am.
10. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
Garlic Press
11. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY?
Lately, the only thing that matters is George W. Bush and his crackhead administration. Really, at the top of my Hate List are nationalism, blind patriotism, ignorance, belligerence, wack religiosity, and hypocrisy, and the Bush Administration so completely and totally embodies ALL of those, I guess they can be poster children for My Hate.
12. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Either The Smallest Violin Ever Made, The Biggest Drum Ever Made, or a beautiful woman's heartstrings.
13. FAVORITE COLOR?
"You ask me why I always dress in black...why I never wear bright colors on my back..." Well, mainly because Nathan and Leanne took me shopping and got me some black clothes on which I get lots of compliments from lots o' women.
14. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?
Geez, with those choices, I'd rather WALK.
15. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AN AFTERLIFE?
Oh yeah. The only thing that keeps a smile on my lonely single face is the idea that Jesus will play matchmaker between me and Vashti on the other side.
16. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?
"I Love You Forever". That's some twisted stuff, man. Firmly in the great tradition of "Rock-A-Bye Baby" and those old-skool fairy tales--Frightening children is ENTERTAINMENT!
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Autumn/Fall. Actually, the transition between that and winter.
18. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'm NIGH-INVULNERABLE!
19. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
I'm opposed to "body art" in general, so if I ever lost my mind enough to do it, I'd want something completely weird. Like "H-A-T-E" on my knuckles or a giant red heart that says "GOD LUVES U" covering my whole back. No, Mom, I'm not considering either with any seriousness.
20. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
The hearts of numerous first-year Japanese college students. For some reason, I'm the American Love Machine over here.
21. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
I was standing next to Kensuke Sasaki, New Japan Pro Wrestling champion, in the Narita airport awhile back. I totally got all tongue-tied and didn't talk to him, but I think that would rule. Maybe he'd be all drunk and surly and punch me, and then I could sue him to kingdom come.
22. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
Sunday, because it's my Free Day (Sabbath is STILL busy even though I'm not a pastor anymore.) Actually, it's because I am a secret agent of the Pope and Chairman Mao.
23. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR?
At the moment, I have no car.
24. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
Sushi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A million times over, sushi!
25. FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND
FIRST?
I'm gonna post it on my webjournal, so I don't suppose that counts. If anyone responds directly, I'll be surprised.
26.WHO'S LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Like I said above, everyone.
27. WHOM DID YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM?
Lauri Metropo-Lass
28. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON?
Hulk Hogan's Rock N' Wrestling PWNS U
1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE?
At the top of Mount Everest. I wouldn't live there or nothin', I'd just brag that I built a house on top of MT. EVEREST!
2. YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
The silk boxers Nathan and Leanne gave me for Christmas. No, I haven't worn them. But they're so perfectly smarmy. I feel like a greasy Casanova just knowing that I own them.
3. FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Large, luscious, beautiful......................eyes. What did you THINK I was gonna say?
4. THE LAST CD THAT YOU BOUGHT?
MC Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt Em (Japanese version). I am SO not kidding about that.
5. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?
in LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVE
6. WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE?
Anyplace that's playing songs by the following: Britney Spears, Eminem, Toby Keith, and others.
7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED?
Hands. Ego.
8. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY?
Look at Stephen Hawking and the way he whooped up on Homer Simpson. Or Yoda. You just don't mess with Yoda.
9. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING?
Believe it or not, ever since I've started teaching, I've been waking up between 5:45 and 6:20 am.
10. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
Garlic Press
11. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY?
Lately, the only thing that matters is George W. Bush and his crackhead administration. Really, at the top of my Hate List are nationalism, blind patriotism, ignorance, belligerence, wack religiosity, and hypocrisy, and the Bush Administration so completely and totally embodies ALL of those, I guess they can be poster children for My Hate.
12. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Either The Smallest Violin Ever Made, The Biggest Drum Ever Made, or a beautiful woman's heartstrings.
13. FAVORITE COLOR?
"You ask me why I always dress in black...why I never wear bright colors on my back..." Well, mainly because Nathan and Leanne took me shopping and got me some black clothes on which I get lots of compliments from lots o' women.
14. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?
Geez, with those choices, I'd rather WALK.
15. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AN AFTERLIFE?
Oh yeah. The only thing that keeps a smile on my lonely single face is the idea that Jesus will play matchmaker between me and Vashti on the other side.
16. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?
"I Love You Forever". That's some twisted stuff, man. Firmly in the great tradition of "Rock-A-Bye Baby" and those old-skool fairy tales--Frightening children is ENTERTAINMENT!
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Autumn/Fall. Actually, the transition between that and winter.
18. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I'm NIGH-INVULNERABLE!
19. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT?
I'm opposed to "body art" in general, so if I ever lost my mind enough to do it, I'd want something completely weird. Like "H-A-T-E" on my knuckles or a giant red heart that says "GOD LUVES U" covering my whole back. No, Mom, I'm not considering either with any seriousness.
20. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
The hearts of numerous first-year Japanese college students. For some reason, I'm the American Love Machine over here.
21. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
I was standing next to Kensuke Sasaki, New Japan Pro Wrestling champion, in the Narita airport awhile back. I totally got all tongue-tied and didn't talk to him, but I think that would rule. Maybe he'd be all drunk and surly and punch me, and then I could sue him to kingdom come.
22. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
Sunday, because it's my Free Day (Sabbath is STILL busy even though I'm not a pastor anymore.) Actually, it's because I am a secret agent of the Pope and Chairman Mao.
23. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR?
At the moment, I have no car.
24. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
Sushi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A million times over, sushi!
25. FROM THE PEOPLE YOU WILL EMAIL THIS TO, WHO'S MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND
FIRST?
I'm gonna post it on my webjournal, so I don't suppose that counts. If anyone responds directly, I'll be surprised.
26.WHO'S LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Like I said above, everyone.
27. WHOM DID YOU RECEIVE THIS FROM?
Lauri Metropo-Lass
28. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON?
Hulk Hogan's Rock N' Wrestling PWNS U
Sunday, May 16, 2004
2004-05-16
Show must go on
Well, I gave the students their first major homework assignment last Friday. I say "major" and kind of laugh--it wasn't a 15-page paper on the history of the English language or anything. However, I think it will test some of them and maybe end up being something they never dreamed they'd be doing for a class. The current lesson we're working on is introducing lots of "dating" language and ideas. So I asked them to write up a dating profile of themselves--describing themselves and the kind of person they'd like to meet. I hope I did a decent enough job explaining the assignment to them. We'll see what I end up getting back tomorrow.
Believe it or not, I've been playing a lot of badminton lately. The sport is pretty popular here, particularly with the girls, and both John and Amanda have been playing quite a bit since they've been here. Amanda in particular likes it and since it offers a good chance to talk and just be around her I don't complain either. I've actually begun to like it, myself. I rarely (if ever) played in the last, oh, I don't know, ten years or so, but it's a racquet sport so it's not too hard to pick up. The Korean pastors here are really good, though. The three of us played with them this afternoon--John and I were on a team, and Amanda played with one of the Koreans. We got killed. Three games to none, although we improved our score from 2 to 4 to 13 in the three games. I jokingly said that if we kept on playing we'd eventually catch them, although it might take eight games to do it. In all seriousness, it may have taken more than that. We played last night too. One of my students was there and she's still very much a beginner, so we were just practicing hitting the shuttle back and forth. It seems she likes it, though, so that's good. I'm not sure how much Korean girls do sports so it might be a whole new experience for her. My partner was this anime convention-stoppingly cute first-year nursing student named Megumi who's a whole lot better than I am. I've played with her before and she's really nice, but also has this sneaky and unexpected attitude that's actually a refreshing change from the stereotypical Japanese woman. Last night after the game I told my English student, "You and I are beginners. Megumi is an expert." When she heard that she said "Of course!" which made me laugh.
I STILL don't know how she knew my name the first time we played together, though. I had no idea who she was.
On that note, we got picture directories for the whole school, so I'm sloooooooowwly learning the names of students outside the English department. Which is good, since like 100% of the nursing dept. is on a first-name basis with me. It's going really slowly, though, because all the names are written in kanji and I knew all of three kanji characters when I arrived here. This morning I decided I was going to learn some names so I sat down with the book and began comparing names of students and teachers I knew, matching up the kanji in their names with the characters in other names. I've actually picked up maybe a dozen, although some of them are a pain because they change pronunciation depending on where they are in a word/name. "Da" and "Ta" are one example, and those aren't too difficult or strange, but the character for "Fuji" and "to" are the same which is DUMB. I did learn the names of a bunch of students which will prove helpful, although the whole process took about an hour. I should write down the kanji that I learn. Oh yeah, and I learned how to recognize "Okinawa" in kanji because under each student's name it tells their hometown/prefecture/something. Everyone I know is Okinawan had the same kanji written there so I'm assuming that it means "Okinawa". There are a whole lot of us running around here too--Okinawa may be the most common place of origin, maybe after Chiba. They're also outrageously attractive people, too. Gorgeous and funny. But y'all knew that already, didn'cha.
Didn't you???
Show must go on
Well, I gave the students their first major homework assignment last Friday. I say "major" and kind of laugh--it wasn't a 15-page paper on the history of the English language or anything. However, I think it will test some of them and maybe end up being something they never dreamed they'd be doing for a class. The current lesson we're working on is introducing lots of "dating" language and ideas. So I asked them to write up a dating profile of themselves--describing themselves and the kind of person they'd like to meet. I hope I did a decent enough job explaining the assignment to them. We'll see what I end up getting back tomorrow.
Believe it or not, I've been playing a lot of badminton lately. The sport is pretty popular here, particularly with the girls, and both John and Amanda have been playing quite a bit since they've been here. Amanda in particular likes it and since it offers a good chance to talk and just be around her I don't complain either. I've actually begun to like it, myself. I rarely (if ever) played in the last, oh, I don't know, ten years or so, but it's a racquet sport so it's not too hard to pick up. The Korean pastors here are really good, though. The three of us played with them this afternoon--John and I were on a team, and Amanda played with one of the Koreans. We got killed. Three games to none, although we improved our score from 2 to 4 to 13 in the three games. I jokingly said that if we kept on playing we'd eventually catch them, although it might take eight games to do it. In all seriousness, it may have taken more than that. We played last night too. One of my students was there and she's still very much a beginner, so we were just practicing hitting the shuttle back and forth. It seems she likes it, though, so that's good. I'm not sure how much Korean girls do sports so it might be a whole new experience for her. My partner was this anime convention-stoppingly cute first-year nursing student named Megumi who's a whole lot better than I am. I've played with her before and she's really nice, but also has this sneaky and unexpected attitude that's actually a refreshing change from the stereotypical Japanese woman. Last night after the game I told my English student, "You and I are beginners. Megumi is an expert." When she heard that she said "Of course!" which made me laugh.
I STILL don't know how she knew my name the first time we played together, though. I had no idea who she was.
On that note, we got picture directories for the whole school, so I'm sloooooooowwly learning the names of students outside the English department. Which is good, since like 100% of the nursing dept. is on a first-name basis with me. It's going really slowly, though, because all the names are written in kanji and I knew all of three kanji characters when I arrived here. This morning I decided I was going to learn some names so I sat down with the book and began comparing names of students and teachers I knew, matching up the kanji in their names with the characters in other names. I've actually picked up maybe a dozen, although some of them are a pain because they change pronunciation depending on where they are in a word/name. "Da" and "Ta" are one example, and those aren't too difficult or strange, but the character for "Fuji" and "to" are the same which is DUMB. I did learn the names of a bunch of students which will prove helpful, although the whole process took about an hour. I should write down the kanji that I learn. Oh yeah, and I learned how to recognize "Okinawa" in kanji because under each student's name it tells their hometown/prefecture/something. Everyone I know is Okinawan had the same kanji written there so I'm assuming that it means "Okinawa". There are a whole lot of us running around here too--Okinawa may be the most common place of origin, maybe after Chiba. They're also outrageously attractive people, too. Gorgeous and funny. But y'all knew that already, didn'cha.
Didn't you???
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Monday, May 10, 2004
2004-05-10
What in the...?
Well, I feel kinda bad looking at this site and realizing I haven't updated anything in awhile. I'm settling into a routine here and so maybe things don't seem as new or exciting, so perhaps that can be my excuse. I was trying to think of something interesting to post, and MSN.com PROVIDED! Supposedly, this list was the product of some kind of survey by Maxim magazine. It's Maxim, so you aren't expecting Pulitzer-level journalism, but WOW. Here are the top ten in their "Hot 100", which are (I guess) the hundred most desirable women in America? The world? I don't know.
Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100" Top Ten (via MSN.com)
1. Jessica Simpson
2. Beyonce Knowles
3. Christina Aguilera
4. Anna Kournikova
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Mischa Barton
7. Rebecca Romjin-Stamos
8. Paris Hilton
9. Jessica Alba
10. Halle Berry
Maybe I've been out of the country for far too long already, but this list HAS NO CREDIBILITY! I didn't even know who Mischa Barton was until I did a web search on her name--I guess she was the barfing dead girl from "The Sixth Sense" and is now starring in some teenybopper drama that's all edgy and stuff. Jessica Simpson is SO the Samantha Fox of this decade. People ten years from now will say "Hey, yeah I remember Jessica Simpson" and gasp in horror at the pictures the interWeb spits out. Seriously, folks. Try search for the Samantha Fox CD "I wanna have some fun" on Amazon.com and prepare to be amazed/amused by the cover photo. Oh, the 80's hairstyle pathos. Maybe I'm just being a cranky old man. I actually have nothing against any of these young ladies--it's just that this list is ridiculous because 1) every one of them needs a sammich and 2) the editors completely whiffed on the dreadful misspelling of "Lauren Graham" as "Jessica Simpson" at #1.
I don't know why I went off on that tangent. I guess I'm just a little bit sensitive about society being stupid. Okay, on to other things...
They had an "International Worship Service" here this past Sabbath. The Korean missionary group was basically in charge. However, they did a really good job of making it "International" by emphasizing the three major language groups represented here--Japanese, Korean and English. At the beginning of the service they taught everyone how to say "Good morning, nice to meet you" in all three languages and had us git up and mingle. One silly thing that happened was during the English portion of the "get up and meet people". One of the Korean ministers was a guy I've met before but apparently he didn't recognize me on this morning, 'cause when I said "Hello, my name is K" he remarked "Your pronunciation is very good!" UNfortunately for him, the worship leader was standing RIGHT THERE and heard this exchange, and he promptly said "He is the English teacher" upon which the poor Korean minister got all embarrassed. I have learned that people here are fond of embarrassing other people, so when the mingling time was over the worship leader relayed this silly exchange to EVERYONE. Amanda and I made the mistake of sitting in the front row, because said worship leader picked on us and our lame attempts at singing/reading Japanese. See if WE sit in the front next time. Try to be good churchgoers and this is the thanks you get. Really, it was all in good fun, and it was neat to see the Koreans all decked out in their "Hom-bok" clothes or however you spell/say the traditional Korean outfit.
Called home for Mother's Day today (Monday for me, Sunday for them). Paid 3000 yen for an int'l phone card, which is good for something like 67 minutes. So yeah, it was expensive, but it WAS worth it. Nice to hear the folks' voices and to know that everything's okay back home.
I'm out. The cafeteria beckons.
What in the...?
Well, I feel kinda bad looking at this site and realizing I haven't updated anything in awhile. I'm settling into a routine here and so maybe things don't seem as new or exciting, so perhaps that can be my excuse. I was trying to think of something interesting to post, and MSN.com PROVIDED! Supposedly, this list was the product of some kind of survey by Maxim magazine. It's Maxim, so you aren't expecting Pulitzer-level journalism, but WOW. Here are the top ten in their "Hot 100", which are (I guess) the hundred most desirable women in America? The world? I don't know.
Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100" Top Ten (via MSN.com)
1. Jessica Simpson
2. Beyonce Knowles
3. Christina Aguilera
4. Anna Kournikova
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Mischa Barton
7. Rebecca Romjin-Stamos
8. Paris Hilton
9. Jessica Alba
10. Halle Berry
Maybe I've been out of the country for far too long already, but this list HAS NO CREDIBILITY! I didn't even know who Mischa Barton was until I did a web search on her name--I guess she was the barfing dead girl from "The Sixth Sense" and is now starring in some teenybopper drama that's all edgy and stuff. Jessica Simpson is SO the Samantha Fox of this decade. People ten years from now will say "Hey, yeah I remember Jessica Simpson" and gasp in horror at the pictures the interWeb spits out. Seriously, folks. Try search for the Samantha Fox CD "I wanna have some fun" on Amazon.com and prepare to be amazed/amused by the cover photo. Oh, the 80's hairstyle pathos. Maybe I'm just being a cranky old man. I actually have nothing against any of these young ladies--it's just that this list is ridiculous because 1) every one of them needs a sammich and 2) the editors completely whiffed on the dreadful misspelling of "Lauren Graham" as "Jessica Simpson" at #1.
I don't know why I went off on that tangent. I guess I'm just a little bit sensitive about society being stupid. Okay, on to other things...
They had an "International Worship Service" here this past Sabbath. The Korean missionary group was basically in charge. However, they did a really good job of making it "International" by emphasizing the three major language groups represented here--Japanese, Korean and English. At the beginning of the service they taught everyone how to say "Good morning, nice to meet you" in all three languages and had us git up and mingle. One silly thing that happened was during the English portion of the "get up and meet people". One of the Korean ministers was a guy I've met before but apparently he didn't recognize me on this morning, 'cause when I said "Hello, my name is K" he remarked "Your pronunciation is very good!" UNfortunately for him, the worship leader was standing RIGHT THERE and heard this exchange, and he promptly said "He is the English teacher" upon which the poor Korean minister got all embarrassed. I have learned that people here are fond of embarrassing other people, so when the mingling time was over the worship leader relayed this silly exchange to EVERYONE. Amanda and I made the mistake of sitting in the front row, because said worship leader picked on us and our lame attempts at singing/reading Japanese. See if WE sit in the front next time. Try to be good churchgoers and this is the thanks you get. Really, it was all in good fun, and it was neat to see the Koreans all decked out in their "Hom-bok" clothes or however you spell/say the traditional Korean outfit.
Called home for Mother's Day today (Monday for me, Sunday for them). Paid 3000 yen for an int'l phone card, which is good for something like 67 minutes. So yeah, it was expensive, but it WAS worth it. Nice to hear the folks' voices and to know that everything's okay back home.
I'm out. The cafeteria beckons.
Monday, May 03, 2004
2004-05-03
But that was just a dream...
It's raining today, which is very unfortunate, because Amanda, Miso and I had planned to take a trip up north to a place called Choshi. Supposedly, there's some hill that sticks out into the ocean and you get a 360-degree panorama. I've heard it's quite breathtaking, to the point where you can see the curve of the earth. However, because the main attraction involves seeing a long way, the overcast-ness of the day would likely have rained on our parade. Yeah, yeah, that was a horrifically weak attempt at cleverness. I've been away from English speakers for too long.
The Yokohama trip went well. The service was not actually at the church with the long name--it was in the gym of the SDA school there in Yokohama. The speaker was a guy named Shiraishi, who is (I guess) the president of the Japan Union for the second time. They must have asked him after they cashiered the previous administration back in November. On a side note, I think this guy's daughter was in Loma Linda for a spell. Dean did her wedding, if I remember correctly, shortly after I arrived in Loma Linda. Someone, probably Dean, said that she was the daughter of an ex-president of the JUC. I never knew her because she and her husband either left LL just after the wedding or attended services on the Japanese side. Anyway, I digress. I'd be lying to you if I said the service was interesting, although what I caught of Elder Shiraishi's talk was good. Translated talks are kinda hard to get into no matter what, and in addition to that I was extremely distracted 'cause I was sitting next to Amanda who looked awfully nice that day. After the service the diretor of all the missionaries came up and shook my hand and talked about his recent recruiting visits to all the American colleges. It seems that he liked me okay even though he first thought I was a student. Everyone there was shocked that I was older than both John and Amanda. I really should think of some evil mischief by which I can take advantage of my appearance.
After lunch everyone gathered back in the gym for an afternoon program, which is where our group came in. Well, we didn't come in until the very end, and I use "we" pretty carelessly since they didn't ask me to do anything (thankfully). The presentation was about the recent mission trip that the college took to Thailand. They showed a video and a few of the students said some things to try and shake people down for money. I got so messed up, though. The video was just shaky enough and the gym just hot enough to make me feel sick. I had to look away for most of the video and I bet people thought I was being really rude or something. But I figured that heaving up the bento I'd just consumed would make an even worse impression. After the service we packed up into the van and headed out to the Yokohama Chinatown. Compared to the SF Chinatown, this one is pretty sorry. Or maybe I missed most of the shops since every Japanese city is built upwards. Anyway, it was pretty small compared to the one in SF. Here's one comforting thing: Fast, low-quality Chinese food is pretty much the same everywhere in the world. We stopped in at a buffet-style place and wrecked some serious havoc. It was all right, but yeah--egg rolls, lemon chicken, spicy eggplant...your standard fare. Kinda like Panda Express only $20 for a meal.
Pics soon to be posted to the website.
But that was just a dream...
It's raining today, which is very unfortunate, because Amanda, Miso and I had planned to take a trip up north to a place called Choshi. Supposedly, there's some hill that sticks out into the ocean and you get a 360-degree panorama. I've heard it's quite breathtaking, to the point where you can see the curve of the earth. However, because the main attraction involves seeing a long way, the overcast-ness of the day would likely have rained on our parade. Yeah, yeah, that was a horrifically weak attempt at cleverness. I've been away from English speakers for too long.
The Yokohama trip went well. The service was not actually at the church with the long name--it was in the gym of the SDA school there in Yokohama. The speaker was a guy named Shiraishi, who is (I guess) the president of the Japan Union for the second time. They must have asked him after they cashiered the previous administration back in November. On a side note, I think this guy's daughter was in Loma Linda for a spell. Dean did her wedding, if I remember correctly, shortly after I arrived in Loma Linda. Someone, probably Dean, said that she was the daughter of an ex-president of the JUC. I never knew her because she and her husband either left LL just after the wedding or attended services on the Japanese side. Anyway, I digress. I'd be lying to you if I said the service was interesting, although what I caught of Elder Shiraishi's talk was good. Translated talks are kinda hard to get into no matter what, and in addition to that I was extremely distracted 'cause I was sitting next to Amanda who looked awfully nice that day. After the service the diretor of all the missionaries came up and shook my hand and talked about his recent recruiting visits to all the American colleges. It seems that he liked me okay even though he first thought I was a student. Everyone there was shocked that I was older than both John and Amanda. I really should think of some evil mischief by which I can take advantage of my appearance.
After lunch everyone gathered back in the gym for an afternoon program, which is where our group came in. Well, we didn't come in until the very end, and I use "we" pretty carelessly since they didn't ask me to do anything (thankfully). The presentation was about the recent mission trip that the college took to Thailand. They showed a video and a few of the students said some things to try and shake people down for money. I got so messed up, though. The video was just shaky enough and the gym just hot enough to make me feel sick. I had to look away for most of the video and I bet people thought I was being really rude or something. But I figured that heaving up the bento I'd just consumed would make an even worse impression. After the service we packed up into the van and headed out to the Yokohama Chinatown. Compared to the SF Chinatown, this one is pretty sorry. Or maybe I missed most of the shops since every Japanese city is built upwards. Anyway, it was pretty small compared to the one in SF. Here's one comforting thing: Fast, low-quality Chinese food is pretty much the same everywhere in the world. We stopped in at a buffet-style place and wrecked some serious havoc. It was all right, but yeah--egg rolls, lemon chicken, spicy eggplant...your standard fare. Kinda like Panda Express only $20 for a meal.
Pics soon to be posted to the website.
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