Save, delete, save, delete...

Sometimes I wished I had a tiny disk inserted in my brain so I could record my thoughts then when I got home, I could plug the USB into my head and upload. I've had so many good thoughts and feeling over the past 48 hours, but I've gone and done lost them. Shucks. I guess I'll have to give it my best shot...

In a recent post, I mentioned that I received the responses to my 3rd and 4th grade students' xmas letters from dear old Santa. Yesterday, I informed the grade 4 teacher, who also happens to be my neighbour, who also happens to be a half-wit in the classroom and in social outings (well, with me anyway), and to my surprise, he seemed happy. He made a photocopy of the rather long letter (which I don't have with me right now - it's at school) and asked me translate it into Japanese for his class. With a huge gulp, I did what I was told and translated a nearly one page exercise in jibberish xmas speak (signed by incarcerated baddies, no doubt), into a succinct, typically Japanese efficient, 3 lined synopsis. With a hoarse voice and a low level of confidence in my Japanese speaking abilities, I did my best infront of a tough crowd: 10 year olds. Usually, these kids are nuts, but as they sat enraptured by my ghetto fab Japanese, my confidence grew, and I spoke slowly and emphasized certain parts. Then I was finished. In like, 2 minutes. Then one of the usual ring leaders started CLAPPING. Then others followed suit, and then the whole class erupted in frenzied clapping with shouts of "sugoi (awesome)!" and "subarashi (wonderful)!" And they were just blown away, which blew my ass out because I thought their hearts would never thaw to me. But I was wrong, so freaking, mercifully wrong. And then we had a great lesson and I left with my eyebrows raised. Wonders never cease.

Later that day, their teacher told me that when he was their age 20 years ago, he did the same exercise and when he received the response, he was as excited and happy as his class was yesterday. He said the letter meant so much to him that he still has it in the original envelope in a box at home. I think he got nervous as he observed my agape face.

The other day, when I basically boo hooed in a post, Stacy told me to keep my head up because these kids would remember for years to come and I was making an impact on their lives, even if I couldn't see it right now. At the time, it cheered me up and gave me that little extra push. Yesterday, it kicked my ass down the stairs. And guess what? It felt good. Thank you 4th graders, thank you Sakae-sensei and thank you Stacy. I needed that.

**********************************************************************

Today is Setsubun in Japan, which is the day before Spring. Apparently Spring will be here in 1.5 hours, however no one told the 3 feet of snow still hanging around town. On the day of Setsubun, people partake in mamemaki, which is throwing beans at demons to chase out bad karma. After they shoo away evil, they take some fish and impale them on a stick and put them outside their front door. Then they sit down at the kitchen table, grab a sheet of nori (seaweed), put some rice on it, spread some egg and other stuff on it, roll it up like a great, big sushi roll and proceed to eat it in the south-east direction. Gosh, I hope I got that right. My second and third grade students, with the help of the JTE, filled me in on this uniquely Japanese experience this morning. Unfortunately, no one invited me to their home to see if it was true, so I have to assume it was all lies. Just kidding. I asked a couple of kids and no one does the fish thing anymore, but apparently it's pretty common place in my village.

Tsukareta desu. Neitai. Mata ne.
I'm tired. I want to sleep. Later.

BTW, FYI Flow, my ref. to "Turning Japanese" really had nothing to the do with the song, ergo, nothing to do with maturbation. You're a nasty, nasty man. And now everyone in the whole world knows. All 5 people who read my blog.