First Day of School, and First Enkai! (Company Par-TAY)

My first day of school was great. A slew of kids came up to me of their own accord and asked me questions. (Mostly, "How big are you?") I tried to tell them how big I was in feet, but they only know the metric system, so I took my shoe off at told them my shoe size in centimeters. They freaked out. Apparently 30 cm is quite unheard of over here.

Some of them are very good at English, and some of them are just very brave. I'll take both. One girl, who spoke less English than any other kid who came up to me, managed to convince me that she was going to be the next Japan Idol. I think she's got a shot. Plenty of spunk.

At the end of the day, I had my first ENKAI!!! It was pretty cool. After school, we all went to a really super-nice restaurant where the food was incredible and my glass was never allowed to go dry. Its kind of a neat way to do it. You are never allowed to fill your own glass, because that would be like saying that your host isn't looking out for you. Consequently, I had about a dozen people assiduously top me off over the course of the night. I tried to take small sips so that I wouldn't get too shnookered. The Principal, on the other hand, really enjoyed himself. He rolled up his pants, took off his socks, and tied his tie around his head. The other teachers picked up his socks and pointed and laughed at them. They're a pretty fun crowd.

So then, just when the party seemed like it was about to die... Karaoke. At the end of the enkai, we all went to the local karaoke club in Daigo to take the party to the next level. It was quite a blast. These Japanese LOVE their karaoke. The senior English teacher got up their first and sang some Japanese pop song about being south-paw (yes, a song about being left handed). It even has its own little motion that you do whenever you sing 'south paw'. You do something funny with your fingers like pinch them together, and then sweep your left arm down and away. They all got a huge kick out of this. I guess we do funny things like that too, but it was just bizzare, because I had NO context for the humor of it.

I sang a few duets with the pricipal, who had his tie around his head, and was definitely enjoying himself as much as anyone else there. (During the dinner party he invited me over to his house for sushi, unagi, and to meet his 23 year old daughter who, he pointed out very dramatically, is ALSO 23!) I may or may not go. Though the prospect of more unagi (freshwater eel) is enough to draw me into even immanent danger, so I may have to.

They loved the fact that I sang at the karaoke club. I did eagles, beatles, stevie wonder (They picked that one. I didn't even know it. ha ha) I even tried to sight read some Japanese with them for the Japanese pop songs. I managed to pick up a few words and keep of for a few verses (or at least snippets of verses.) This downright shocked them. I was quite pleased with my bad self.

So yes, Karaoke is fun, and its very different in Japan. And where else does a 23 year old guy get to sing "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynnet in front of all his co-workers and actually get a modicum of respect for it? (By the way, it was painfully akward. By no means do I endorse the solo performance of that song by a solo male artist. Ouch)

I get my car today!!! YAAAAAY! Suzuki Wagon R. Its an oversized shoe box with 10" wheels. Well, maybe 12". Either way, it is my ticket to ride, and therefore escape the mind-numbing boredom of my apartment which is filled with strewn clothes, a 99 cent hand towel which I use after showers, and two bricks of Ramen. (I think you understand how much I'm looking forward to my first paycheck now.)

In spite of the poverty, crazy schedules, and distance from friends and family, Japan is a wonderful experience. If you can hang tight during the waves of self-doubt and physical exhaustion, then the challenge of absorbing something very foreign and very beautiful can be a real joy. My Japanese is coming along quite well. Now that I'm seeing Kanji (Japanese/Chinese picture words) in their native environment, I'm picking them up more quickly. I can even write a few of them faster than I can think of them. I guess that means that they're memorized somewhere between my brain and my hand. Full body memorization, ha ha.

Well, I'm off to pick up my car. All I need is my licence and my personal stamp (hanko... its like a signet ring, only its a stick instead of a ring. You use it to give your legal/official signature) Now where did I leave that thing...