Ukyo Junior High School...and the Onsen!

(That's my desk! No the computer doesn't work...)My first real day at Ukyo Junior High School was the weirdest ever. Tuesday, the two English teachers both introduced themselves and said they would talk to me later in the afternoon, meaning I sat in the teachers' room all day and did nothing, plus I don't have the Internet at my desk and most sites on the public computers are blocked. Everyone was dressed super casually i.e. t-shirts and jeans but colored denim not blue jeans (so 80s!) or athletic pants. The principal and vice principal had on shirts and ties. I gave my short self introduction in Japanese for the teachers and everyone (especially the Japanese teacher) went on and on about how great my Japanese is. I was sure to tell them that it's because I've done my intro a million times that it sounds so good...hahaha! Aside from doing nothing I pretended to listen during the days meetings while drinking my creamless, sugarless coffee thinking to myself, "Where in the world is the green tea! And what am I supposed to be doing?!" While I waited around the office I chatted with the Vice Principle (who doesn't speak English), a couple teachers, and a special needs student named Tomoko. The teachers asked me questions about Georgia and one asked about Jazz then went and printed off the info for Blue Note in Fukuoka...SO NICE OF HIM! And what do ya know MORE SNACKS! The Vice Principal printed out three name tags for my shoe cubby so that I could pick the one that I liked the best. So unnecessarily nice of him. There are three special needs students out of 182 students and there are also the "slow learners"...Tomoko and Yoshi came to my desk to introduce themselves, show me the mugs they had decorated, and chat a bit. I'm not sure what disabilities they have. Since Tuesday, Tomoko has made it a point to come over and talk. At about 3:30 music is played over the loud speaker and the students clean the school. So a group came in with brooms and rags to sweep and wipe down the teachers' room too. AMAZING! And they do this everyday...amazing but UNNECESSARY! One of the teachers showed me where the two coffee pots are. I asked if they were onaji (the same) and she said yes. I wanted to say "Yeah, onaji nasty!" Instead I smiled and thanked her. The worse coffee I’ve ever had in my life has been here...at the JHS and at the board of education...likes there's a contest for the most disgusting coffee...hehehe! So I got a big tub of Folgers while I was in Tokyo. It will have to do for now. Lunch at this school is nowhere near as good as the "school in heaven" and it’s almost twice as expensive. And yes I got more snacks today. I’m gonna keep the snack pictures to a minimum. I'll only post the interesting ones.… Today, I helped the principal. He asked me to proofread a presentation on Dementia that he translated into English. Two students and their teacher are going to a conference in Germany to present an initiative that they've created here in response to the high percentage of elderly people with dementia in the city. Then after school he introduced me to the teacher and she gave me a ride to the train station...SCORE! No 20 minute walk! I did my self-introduction lesson but this time I included a worksheet for the students to do in groups. And I think I have my first admirer...every time I came to his group another boy would count down from three then my admirer would say, "You are pretty!" But I completely ignored him every time. Michelle, I’ll be sure to wear turtlenecks! I think it’s interesting that there are so many unmarried women over the age of 35 around here. No, that had nothing to do with the last comment! I’m not suggesting that they marry fresh little junior high boys...hehehe!

I just came home from and onsen or bath house...OMG, It was soooo nice! (I'm fighting sleep now!) Once you get over the initial shock of being nekkid with strangers (and friends) it's the BEST! We were in the outdoor part...AMAZING! Sorry, no pictures! When you go in you pay a machine for a ticket...about $5...then you hand it to the lady at the desk...that's where the men and women part ways...you leave your clothes in the dressing room and you head to the room where you bathe...sitting on a stool, with a big bowl, soaps, and a detachable shower head...after you're clean you soak in the indoor or outdoor tubs...Something like that would cost a fortune in the states! There are vending machines and a restaurant in the lobby as well as massage chairs...and they close at 1 AM. All I could say was WOW!!! So now I can say that I've been there, done that, and I'm looking forward to doing it again. As the saying goes, "When in Rome...Take a bath!!!"

My photos won't load for some reason so I'll have to post the pictures of Tokyo foolishness later!