It's been a long time...I know.

The last couple of weeks before the kids’ summer vacation were devoted to tests, assemblies, and various other activities. Since my junior high school students were busy with finals, I went to the elementary school a few times. They have a friendship with another elementary school in a city not to far from where I live. Every year, the parents and children of both schools get together and play in the mudflats in the inland sea area. It was really nice to see the kids enjoying themselves with their moms and dads. We all were given make shift mud sleds and we ploughed through the mud to a sandbar where the kids collected snails, crabs, and whatever else. It was HARD WORK to get all the way out there in waist-deep mud. That after noon I was supposed to fly to Okinawa, but those plans were canceled thanks to the typhoon that ripped through there in the evening. Instead, on of my neighbors had an Okinawa party and we sat around and ate...waiting for a typhoon that never came. Here's all the damage it did in our area.

Despite the fact that I've made it clear that I don't sports, no one cares. They teacher I work with at the junior high decided that I would play basketball with the students. My knees been bothering me lately but I acted like I was playing anyway. It's really odd...it only gives me trouble when I'm seated with my leg bent for an extended period and I can't straighten it out right away when I stand. Anyway, my team lost so I guess it doesn't matter. I don't see why the other teachers don't ever play. Hmmmm. I'm not even the youngest in the faculty. Whatever.

I also joined the elementary school for their "work experience" in the mountains. In the States, 4th grades would never be let loose on a steep mountainside with razor sharp sickles to clear the brush from around baby pine trees...NEVER! We almost made it the whole day without someone cutting their fingers off. Not even 10 minutes after we returned to school, I spotted a little crowd around someone trailing blood across the stairs. I told her to hold her towel on it and press. While waiting for my bus, I went out and played with the kids. We played a game where you form 2 teams, individuals start at opposite ends, each jumps from tire to tire until they meet, and then they play rock-paper-scissors to determine will pass. The point is to get your whole team across. After that the kids swam. The warm-up was too cute. After all the splashing they jumped in and did laps. Most schools in Japan have pools and the kids are required to take swimming. In the kiddie pool next to this one, the little kids were doing their own thing. One of the kids was trying not to put here face in the water so the coach dunked her face a few times while yelling. Had I been walking by in my own world I'm sure it would have looked like he was trying to drown her.

Earlier this week we got smoke detectors installed. You would expect that to be standard but I guess it's not since we're just getting them. Sad. In the evening, my Japanese mother and her best friend took me and a coworker (who's leaving next week) to the beach to see the sunset and to a fabulous Italian restaurant. The sunset was a bust because the horizon was lined with clouds, but the food was REALLY good. I drove her Lexus SUV home...fun! Before coming here, I thought that I would live closer to some water. So, it was really nice to be at the beach.