TGIF!!!

I apologize for the hold up on photos but they won't load for some reason...Anyway, life goes on...

As much as I love changing my hair and switching up my clothes, it seems like folks around here can’t handle it. I mean people around here rarely wear their hair differently and a lot of people wear pretty much the same things all the time. The funny thing is that when I do decide to switch it up it seems to distract the teachers more than the students. Tuesday I wore my hair in what I like to call a faux bob...hair pulled back and tucked under in a headband...One too many people were all up in my personal space too early in the morning (as in before I could get good and settled into my desk) over it so I decided to put it in a French braid and headband Wednesday. BACKFIRE! “Wow you changed your image today, “ and, “You look sporty today.” I guess there’s just no way around it as the foreigner.
Today, during sixth period, the office was silent and empty so I decided to listen to a French podcast. Halfway through the period, one of the teachers comes back into the teacher’s office to look for something. Then he walked over to me and said something that I couldn’t understand, but it was about the gym, students singing, and shall we go. So I closed the laptop and made my way to the gym. Boy was I surprised when I got there. The room was decorated with ribbons, banners, and designs made of crepe paper flowers. All the students were standing in rows and the 1st and 2nd graders were facing the third graders and singing a song. All the teachers were standing around…including the principal, vice principal, the other administrative guy, and both English teachers who all speak English well enough to have informed me that there was an assembly going on. When the principal finally spotted me, he came over and said, “This is the party for the 3rd graders who are graduating in two weeks.” Well DUH! I’d gathered that on my own by then. Nice timing! I want to know why it took one of the teachers who has no reason to talk to me to inform me that something big was happening in the gym when I work directly with two other teachers!!! What makes it worse is that the English teacher whose class I taught today appeared to be over the festivities!…Maybe it’s just me, but most people would consider that pretty inconsiderate. THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY!!!
After school, the boys and I (since the other female teacher who works with us is in Chicago on vacation) made plans to a buffet restaurant. One of my co-workers and I work in the same city, meaning that we get off at the same train stop. I was waiting for him to get to the bus stop so that we could meet the other two at the restaurant and this fool was already on a bus on his way to the place...so much for team work...Speaking of which...The other day we all jumped on a crammed train and I ended up standing. Three male English teachers, all from the States, and no one even thought about offering me a seat. In the words of my friend Michelle, "The G.R.I.T.S. would riot!" So I walked to another car and had a seat...sigh. MANNERS!? There are a lot of things that are indeed rude about folks back home, but we do the whole public transportation etiquette thing at least. While waiting for the restaurant to open for dinner, I bought a new kite...YAY! a girl approached me and asked my age. She was perhaps a little mentally disabled or had a severe social disorder (I'm not making fun). When I finally realized what she was asking I answered and she went into a question rapid fire mode...than reached out to touch my hair...WRONG ANSWER! I am gonna have some seriously cat-like reflexes when I get home! My natural reaction was to step back and stare at her. Anyone blame me? I've said it before and I'll say it again...JAPANESE FOLKS DON'T JUST WALK UP TO OTHER JAPANESE FOLKS THEY DON'T KNOW AND TOUCH THEM...WHY IS IT OK TO TOUCH ME?!?!?! Answer: It's not...period. After dinner, I headed over to the lil mall and bought myself some nice work shoes. While browsing, I look up and guess who's standing there...The girl same girl from outside! So she follows me around the store for a while then goes on about her business. Do her parents know where she is? Or maybe one of her parents works in the mall???