Well for the most part it seems that my funny
experiences (except the sandbath experience...see below) are becoming pretty
rare.Ý I'm fitting in the culture here and not having too many difficulties.Ý
Considering all of this I've decided to focus more on reporting the
differences between America and Japan...for there are many.Ý One
such difference is graduation here which happened last friday.Ý Remember
I work at a Jr High School so that the 3rd years, or our equivalent of
9th grade, graduated.Ý This day is a huge day in their lives much like
HS graduation is in America because the good students go on to many
different highschools all over the prefecture or country, and the
bad students that didn't have the grades to get into highschool have
to find a job at the age of 15 or 16.Ý Needless to say the day was
pretty emotional because these students grew up with each other and
now they are all going their separate ways.Ý The ceremony is really
structured.Ý Each student is given his/her diploma and at the end
of the day they all walk out as everyone claps for them.Ý Then the
audience moves outside as the 1st and 2nd years make a procession
line.Ý The graduates walk through the line receiving applause as they walk
home.Ý Many take pictures with their teachers...I think I was in about
40 or so.Ý Pretty amazing. ÝÝÝ Unlike graduations in America
though school for everyone else continues. The graduates have a few week
vacation as they find out if their test results were good enough for HS
and if they didn't take the test or failed it they can work to take
it again before HS starts up again after springbreak.Ý Like I said
school continues for everyone else until springbreak which is in
a couple of weeks.Ý ÝÝÝ Today the graduates found out
their test results and many of them came in to thank the teachers for preparing
them.Ý I thought that was pretty different from America.Ý In the U.S.
sometimes you see students thank their teachers, normally years down the
road, but it is still pretty rare, but here it seems rather common.Ý
I even got a few.Ý ÝÝÝ ------->A couple weeks ago a few friends
of mine decided to go to a place that specializes in a unique process.Ý
The direct translation of the Japanese is SandBath.Ý Here's what
happens.Ý You take off all your clothes...put on this robe..and go to
a big sand box where the workers have dug a nice hole.Ý You then lay down
in the hole (yes I had the same thoughts many of you are having now), and
they proceed to bury you up to your neck.Ý The fun part is the fact
that the sand is being heated underneath so the whole point is that
you sweat out all the impurities.Ý One thing I didn't like though
was the fact I couldn't move my arms...and I felt like a corpse.Ý
Oh yeah and the fact that my right side was closer to the heat than
the left and I was burning my right bum and leg...ouch.ÝÝ ÝÝÝ So
you sweat and sweat and every couple minutes the workers come around
to spray cool water on your face and wipe it with a wet cloth while
making sure you are not passing out.Ý I did the introductory time
of 15minutes and after you get pulled out of the hole they give you
a little massage and you have to take a shower.Ý The fun continues
when you are told to sit in a lazy boy recliner...in a new robe...and
have warm towels placed on your body as you drink all these different teas
that prevent all kinds of diseases...sweating the whole time...but
in the words of the owner "this is pure sweat."Ý My favorite part
is when they spray this really sweet smelling stuff on your face
that is great for your skin...that is until I found out that it is
made from chicken dung...I still don't know how I feel about that...still
the experience was an experience so I can check that off. --------->People
here think that ALTs are the best and the brightest and therefore
we know everything.Ý One instance of this belief is when the music
teacher asked me what some of the language was on a musical score of
his.Ý It, I believe was Italian.Ý His question "What does it say?"Ý
Well that doesn't compare to the next time when the same thing happened
but the language, I think, was Hungarian...again "What does it say?"...well
I haven't studied Hungarian lately but I'll keep him posted.ÝÝ -------->Speaking
about studying languages I am studying Japanese and so far so good.Ý
Again watch out for using the wrong words though they sound very
much the same.Ý Shiba-shiba means "often" while Shibu-shibu means
"unwillingly" so when someone asked me if I study Japanese of course
I mixed it up and said "Shibu-shibu...oops...uh shiba-shiba?"Ý laugh
laugh.ÝÝ ÝÝÝ Well that's all folksÝ