Kelly in Japan

Sunny with a Chance of Typhoon

// October 8th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The weather this week has been pretty terrible, and I’ve been fighting a cold ever since combining white water rafting, hot onsen, and late-nite karaoke last Saturday (it was a really fun day till the cold kicked in on Sunday). I think I’ve ingested about 4000 ml of orange juice since Sunday, and that is no exaggeration. The freak weather culminated in a big typhoon blowing around last night. It rattled the windows and made the cabbage plants at school grow sideways. However, today, the weather was just gorgeous. Mt. Fuji is bathed in her gown of swirling white clouds, the sky is blue, and my cold has disappeared except for the constant sneezing. There was even a rainbow this morning. I am just going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Classes were cancelled up until 5th period today, and all of my Thursday classes are before 5th period. So it was a nice easy day. I got (almost) caught up on grading essays and had some free time to study.

This week I beat levels 10 and 11 of Tropico 2 with a Silver Medal, thank you very much. I also read Neil Gaiman’s Newbery-winning The Graveyard Book.

Have you been watching Glee? If yes, turn to page Youareawesome. If no, open iTunes and get your download on.

For random awesomeness, look here.

Grading Frenzy!

// March 4th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Uncategorized

Yes, I still have a bunch of pictures from Hokkaido to go through. No (Mom), I haven’t done them yet. But I’ve had good reason!

So although February started out well, it soon devolved into a never-ending sickness. Not the bad flu-type illness I blogged about earlier — just a cold that wouldn’t leave. It hasn’t helped that the weather has been rainy and miserable for most of the month. However, with the help of a fortuitous trip to onsen, several days off, and the last of my American vitamins, I’ve managed to finally fight my way back to 85%.

The school year is winding down, and I celebrated by giving my poor ichinensei the hardest OC exam in the history of time. It wasn’t entirely my fault, but I still feel a little bad doling out 30s and 40s on a 70-point exam. However, I am assured that these types of low scores only serve to make the students study harder for the next exam. The ninensei exam went over a little better, though (again, not entirely by my design) it did incude a composition portion which I am now having to grade. My fabulous 3d system for grading multiple choice saved me on the 300+ ichinensei; and I’m using that extra time for ninensei grading. The only downside is that I’ve had the counting song stuck in my head for a week as I tally up the wrong answers.

This week is junior high entrance exams. We have nearly 400 junior high students at school for three days, taking examinations to enter my academically advanced high school. I am to help with the grading of these exams (again, composition). It sounds like a scary task, so they are bribing us with super fabulous bento lunches, snacks and sweets. It’s kind of like an all-night study session at Denny’s, but with rice crackers instead of pancakes.

How about that Ben? Guess he won’t be pulling a Snape.

Keith and Sherry will be visiting us in a couple of weeks. Kory has been planning lots of adventures for them, and we’re looking forward to showing them around our new home!

I changed the blog to a new layout. Not finished, yet, of course, but I decided it was time for a break and a blog. What do you think so far?

Meds and Candy

// February 11th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Uncategorized

Well, we made it back from Sapporo safe and sound. I should have known, however, that my body’s endurance of the extreme cold was too good to be true, as approximately 24 hours after we landed in Tokyo I came down with a high fever. One of my teachers told me I should go to the doctor after school. This would usually be too scary a prospect to consider; but on Monday I was too sick to think for myself, so I did as I was told. It ended up being a good thing, as I accidentally met another of my teachers there picking up her hay fever meds. She helped me translate and now I have a nice little doctor’s card to present the next time I need to go. She also helped me through the ropes of getting my medicine at the pharmacy. She convinced me to stay home Tuesday (I only had two classes and one was hers) and then Wednesday was a holiday. So I got through the sickness with a minimum of drama. I’m back at school today, wondering if people were brave enough to eat the individually-wrapped omiyage I brought back or if someone surreptitiously trashed them …

One thing that occured to me today was how much friendships here at my school — and maybe in Japan generally, though I can’t know that for sure — are like friendships in elementary school. This morning I told the Japanese-speaking teacher who sits across from me that I liked her new haircut (in Japanese). We had a short conversation in Japanese, and, pleased with our progress, she gave me a piece of candy. You’d be surprised how many pieces of candy are exchanged in the teacher’s room. The whole thing reminds me of childhood friendships, where alliances are carefully negotiated via candy, stickers, small toys, and other valuables. I guess it works, but I always feel bad when I’m caught without a bag full of something in my drawer. Which is most of the time.

Well, it’s almost time for lunch. I think I’ll head to the cafeteria for katsu curry.

Exciting Saturday

// January 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Well, today has already been eventful, and I’ve only been up for an hour.

Someone high up decided that all the doors in my apartment complex needed to be fixed, so the repairman came yesterday morning to begin. I finished up my two morning lessons and was whisked away to my apartment by an office lady (OL) so he could replace the power hinge thing at the top of the door. I returned in the afternoon so he could scrape all the paint off the metal door. Though this was very loud, I took the opportunity to call my dad on Skype and wish him happy birthday!

This morning the repairman (I should say repairmen, as there are about four of them) returned to paint. The paint fumes are pretty overwhelming, so I have the front door propped open and the windows open. The repairman wondered if it would be too samui (cold), but I assured him daijobou (it’s ok).

Compounded to all this excitement, Kory awoke with some kind of cold-/flu-type illness. He nevertheless rode his bicycle to the post office to mail off his Japanese test for the correspondence course we are taking. I knew something was up when he crept back under the covers - something he never does once he’s woken up. At any rate, he is running a temperature of 100.5 (though I’m not fully convinced the electric blanket didn’t influence this result unduly). I made tea, am soaking some rice and am trying to avoid the paint fumes. Kory is lying miserably in bed, though he says he will want some miso soup later. Caspian is currently perched on top of him to guard against any other mischance.

Osaka, earthquakes, and medication

// September 20th, 2008 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Hey guys! I haven’t put up any pictures lately, mainly because I got sucked into the vortex of Spore, the new game from the creators of the Sims. Kory’s been after me to upload some, so I’ll try to get on that.

We went to Osaka last weekend to avoid the predicted Tokai Earthquake. Osaka was fun, but the Tokai Earthquake is unfortunately still at large. I got sick this week, and my supervisor helpfully took me to the local kusuri-ya (pharmacy), where I came away with some super strong meds. I am pretty sure they are prescription strength, as they have enough go-to-sleep medicine to knock out an elephant. But I am feeling better!

Last night we had our first earthquake. Well, Kory tells me it was more like 7:30 this morning. But I was drugged up on the cold medicine so I kind of woke up and mumbled, “Earthquake,” and went back to sleep.

Ok, I need to go now before Kory eats all the gyoza.