American Visitors

1.28.08

Today my Japanese class was so exciting. I spend the entire 2.5-3 hours on my way back from Shizuoka studying Japanese on the bus. I just started chapter three in my text book which introduces present tense verbs. While I was in my class, I was able to come up with and speak several complete sentences for the first time. As I was leaving class, one of the volunteers approached me and asked me in Japanese where I lived. Because I was actually able to understand her, I was able to respond back in Japanese! She then went on to ask me how I come to class and I told her, again in Japanese, that I come by bicycle. Being able to communicate in Japanese, even if it was only for a moment, filled me with happiness. If one of my students were to ask, “How are you feeling?” right then and there, I would have pointed to the Garfield poster in the classroom and said, “I am excited!”.

1.29.08

Leah and Alex arrived at the Narita Airport on January 28^th so Hiroko and I made plans to meet them both for lunch at an Italian Restaurant near school called Charinko. It was good to see them both and talk about home, school, and life in general.

Leah, me, and Hiroko after lunch at Charinko (Alex, Leah's husband, is taking the picture).

After my classes, Lauren and I were both invited to meet Lauren’s mother and her friends (American friends that are living and working here in Japan) at the Bubba Gump restaurant near Shin Kiba. I hadn’t ever been to the chain in the states and it was quite amusing. Not to mention, Lauren’s mother’s friends where a rather silly bunch. Kirby, a Texan man in his fifties and husband of Cleo, works in Japan as an engineer. He wears a cowboy hat wherever he goes. He gave me some advice about life and music; he told me that I should go listen to some Chuck Berry tunes. Cleo, a trendy lade from L.A., was a good friend of Lauren’s mother and wife of Kirby. There was Steve, a Louisiana man in his fourties, who worked along with Kirby. We talked about what it was like to live in Japan as well as what it was like being a engineer here. Terasawa, a Japanese man in his fifties, was also a engineer and co-worker of both Steve and Kirby. We had a few laughs and joked about how living here in Japan can be an adventure at times. Even though we got home pretty late, my time had been well spent.

Earlier that day Lauren’s mother had gone with Cleo to a Washi paper shop. She showed us some of the things that she had made and I was thoroughly impressed.