Mao Man

11.30.07

Mao Man, Dog Man, and Sleepy Man. These are the three people "living inside" my 13 year old student's mind (not really though so please don't worry). He is one of my most creative students and also tends to be one of the most fun/silliest. Getting back to the three people in his brain: Because of them, he will forever teeter on the edge of internal stability. Mao Man is my student in his normal form. Dog Man, "knocks on his brain" and makes him run around, scream, and shout. Sleepy man, the last of the three people, "knocks on this brain" and persuades him to go to sleep.

For one of my classes today, my students had to arrange a cut up sentence. Instead of organizing the letters to say "He is buying an apple at the store.", the sentence said "He is an apple...". During this same class, they thought I said "baby hotel" and couldn't stop laughing for a good two minutes. Hiroko had to come over to calm them down and explain to me what was doing on. It was silly. I don't know where they got "baby hotel" though since I had only asked them if they could tell me which season was their favorite and why.

Random Side Note: More about ryokans. Yes, there is usually an alternative western style breakfast available (depending on the ryokan), and they usually offer western style beds as well. The ryokan I stayed at in Nikko gave guests the option of having either a western or Japanese style breakfast and a western or Japanese style room. To be honest, sleeping on the tatami floor is really quite comfortable. I've slept on the one in my apartment a few times. I should also explain that you don't sleep directly on the tatami; you sleep on a futon mattress that is laid on top of the tatami. All the rooms in my apartment have tatami flooring except for the kitchen, bathroom, and entrance. It's hard to imagine something made of woven bamboo would be comfortable, but it is. If you're used to a soft mattress then it may take a little getting used to, but even western style beds here in Japan seem to be rather hard; at least in my apartment that seems to be the case. Most ryokans are quite accommodating, but there are also some rules that are not flexible. For example, you're not allowed to wear sneakers or shoes around the inn and you have to change into special bathroom shoes. Also curfew times must be strictly adhered to. Overall, I would really recommend staying in a ryokan if you want to experience a taste of what Japan is like.

Tomorrow is December 1st! Yikes stripes!