Random Thoughts, 10 Days In

Teaching little children has its up and downs. They're easy to amuse and impress, and it's easy to get them to learn. Yet their screaming leaves a lot to be desired, like intact eardrums. And asking "What's your name?" and "How are you?" all day long, in a voice only used when adults speak to children (or when they want to patronize other adults), practically singing each syllable, is very tiresome.

But I must say it's strange hearing adults talk to one another (and me) using the voices they use with 4 year olds. The question, "How was class this morning?" when asked as if I were a preschooler can be a little unsettling. As is finding yourself with "Ten Little Indians" or "If You're Happy And You Know It" repeating in my head, ad nauseum, hours after I've punched out for the day.

On a different note, the other night I picked up a box of Pringles and a beer. Upon popping the box, I came across something rather different...


Now, we've all heard stories about Americans wanting tattoos of something written in Chinese or Japanese simply because they like the kanji, and then being shocked to learn, often months or years later, that what has been written is something profane (and far from what was originally requested). I met a mother of a student the other day who was wearing an orange tee shirt with the Reeses logo. However, instead of "Reeses", the word "Cannabis" was there. I also met someone who was wearing a Nirvana shirt with some rather profane words on the back, and he had no idea what the shirt said, much less who Nirvana was. So I guess it's a two-way street.

It's been hot and humid here (but not St. Louis hot). But hot in a way that upon exiting the shower, sweat immediately starts pouring down the brow. And what goes better with the summertime heat than heated toilet seats? Answer: Hot tea. Yes, even in 95 degree heat with 90% humidity, I'm hard-pressed to find a restaurant goer who is not drinking scalding hot tea.

Very, very slowly adjusting to life in Kusatsu.

"Land of the Little People"

Before some of my students met me for the first time, they were told I was like William Wallace - 7 feet tall and could shoot lightning bolts from his arse. So when I walked in on Friday, all 9 girls (aged 6-9) together let out one big whispered (and unrehearsed), "wowwwww."

But to them, and well, most adults here, I might as well be 7 feet tall. This country was not made for the American build. I've counted 6 times I've hit my head on the top of door frames since arriving. 6 times in 4 days. I'm starting to get used to limboing whenever I enter or exit a room. Besides the head pounding, it has been frustrating attempting to sit at a counter at a restaurant or bar, where the stool is bolted to the floor and too close to the counter. At least my groin muscles are getting some much-needed stretching.

On a recommendation from my school's coordinator, I went to a sushi place for lunch yesterday. Walking up to the place, I was encouraged by the English writing on the outer wall. It said something to the effect that the restaurant was a happy place to eat fresh fish. "Great, maybe there's an English menu there." Of course there was not, but I wasn't too discouraged - having eaten sushi countless times, I know the Japanese names for many types of fish. So I was able to successfully order without too much difficulty.
However, the fact that I used (very broken) Japanese to order convinced the waitstaff and sushi chefs that I'm fluent in Japanese. So when time came to ask for the check, everyone was really confused that I didn't understand a word that was said to me. The process of asking for the bill took about five minutes and three people. But everyone was very friendly and willing to accommodate.

3rd post, 4th day, and I repeat, "This is gonna be interesting."

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A couple more pictures of where I am. While I don't live in the middle of the rice fields, they aren't that far away...

Pictures

Konnichiwa

Konnichiwa and welcome to the Tetsu Otoko Brog. (that translates to "Iron Man Blog")

I've been in Japan for 4 hours, 2 of which were spent on trains. Yet another hour was spent trying to decipher the train schedule and routes - which included buying a ticket for the right price, but for a very wrong station, - with 100 pounds of luggage in tow.

On the train, I took in the view of the city/countryside. I know Czech is hard, and I've been told it's tougher than Japanese, but at least I could read the signs in Czech (with some effort, granted). I stared, and felt relieved, at the signs UNIQLO and JAROO simply because they were of English letters, for at least a short while.

Finally arrived in Kusatsu and met Maki and Patrick. Pat is the guy who's place I'm crashing at for the next couple weeks until my place is all set up, and Maki is one of the coordinators at the school where I will be working.

We get back to Pat's place, and Pat has to run out to the office for a little bit of end-of-the-day work. I take some time to get my bearings, sit down for a bit (in case I didn't have enough sitting after 24 hours on two planes, two trains, and three airports), and freshen up. I go to the bathroom and take care of my number one business (if you know what I mean), and go to flush. However, where is the flush button?? Maybe you can find it for me.


No? Well, to help idiots like myself, they have a handy-dandy guide on the underside of the toilet cover.


Hmm... ok. Well, I think one of the buttons is for a bidet, so push a different button. The icon on it isn't very clear, but I think it seems like a flush button. I'm encouraged when a splash of water lands in the bowl, but then nothing happens. For a moment. A retractable arm extends out from the inside of the bowl, much like an R2D2 extendo arm, and proceeds to spout some water out. At first, the pressure is low enough the water arcs into the toilet directly, but the pressure quickly increases, and it is soon covering me, and after I move out of the way, the far wall of the bathroom. I think that the extendo bidet arm is on a timer of sorts, but it keeps going. I start hitting all the buttons I can until I find the magic off switch. Phew. But now there is water all over the wall and floor of the bathroom.

Laughing, I mop up the mess and continue to look for the flush switch. I hit every button, and nothing flushes. So now, 20 minutes later, I'm sitting here typing this, awaiting the return of Patrick, who can explain the mysteries of the toilet to me.

Fortunately there is some baseball on television. At least I know what goes on with that. And wouldn't you know, Bobby Valentine is all over the place. In TV spots for a plastic mini baseball game, saying, in a Japanese accent, "Three bases!"

4.5 hours in the country, and all I can say is "This is gonna be interesting."

... (written a few hours later)...
So it turns out there is a regular flush lever on the far side of the toilet. HA!