"Been away long?" "Long Time."

Let it never be said that I don't love winter. It's snowing outside. The second snow in a week. Falling outsside is the kind of snow that would have children hoping in vain for a school cancelation the next day. Nothing beats a good snow.

Last Sunday it snowed. It was snowing in the morning, while I was at church. After the service there was an unusually packed Bible Study. This meant there were 7-8 people. The guy who runs it and who has taken me under his wing was of course there. So were 2 regulars. His wife was there, and so was his daughter, who apparently rarely comes to church, and I noticed didn't take communion. Not sure why she came on Sunday. But i spoke a little Japanese and explained the Moore Protestant Catholic divide in Japanese. After church everyone else went to coffee hour, but I wussied out and went home. Felt pretty bad about that, think its kind of rude.

I am not sure where I left off, and I don't feel like checking the archives. Sometime in January. Well, I started a Japanese class that meets five days a week for ~ 4 hours, for 200 minutes class time each day. I think it is a good price, considering how much it meets. It is cheap, relatively speaking, of course because there are 20 students in the classroom. I do think that getting more personal attention is a tangibly positive thing. We are going slower in this class then in my summer class, but that is not a bad thing. It gives time for the concepts to sink in. For example, I think I have adjectives down alot more solidly than before, as well as the groupings of verbs.

One nice thing about the class is everyone is so friendly. Everyone. I guess we all share a common interest -- learning the language. The youngest is 14 (!) and the oldest is either a French man or a Malaysian man, both of whom are married to a different Japanese woman. The 14 year old is from China and staying with her older sister who is doing the same thing, attending class, but for longer. Most people don't have jobs who attend the school. One Korean 25 year old works from around 8,9 -- 12.30, then class at 1.15 -- 5.00, then work from 6-9 ! crazy! As I said, everyone is so friendly. I have befriended a couple people in the class. Last week I went out to a club with two Taiwanese classmates. We spoke in English, Japanese, and translated Taiwanese. The club was ok. Then we went for fresh sushi at 6 am. I am no sushi conneisure. It was good, but i couldn't taste the freshness! I couldn't taste the life force that had just been sucked out of it. I thought about the circle of life. I thought about the Lion King. Then I went home.

Work is going good. By that I mean, my present job. Next week is my last week teaching these kidz, before their final exam the week after. So I am gonna have a little party during class and give out candy. For one class we still have a lesson to do, so gonna try to plow through that quick. For the other class... at some point during the semester I accidently skipped a day's lesson. I could never figure out what it was. So they will have a free day/ party for their last day, maybe play games or something.

Nothing beats class parties! These kids are graduating from college in about a week, so I'm sure they don't care anyways. They finished work for all their other classes, so they are on cruise control. I am reminded of my senior year Spanish class -- 3 guys, a crazy teacher, and 20 girls. We had a tortilla party at the end. By the end of the year, of course, Spanish class had devolved into anarchy. There was myself, Dan, and Kyle, 3 loud males. Kyle hated the teacher. He always disrespected her to her face, and refused to do her bidding. He was a funny guy, of course, so he pulled this off with some aplomb, but it was pure hatred. I played the polar opposite. I did whatever she asked me with good natured, but exagerated relish, made frequent attempts to befriend her and asked her to hang out, and was a teacher's pet to the extreme. And Dan was somewhere in the middle. That lady was crazy, now that I look back. How many nice middle aged lady teachers are handshaking chain smokers? She had a real nervouse smile, and was alway talking about the PhD she was pursuing in her free time. Guess you had to be there. Now it was well known amongst our grade that Latin class was free conversation time, and had been since sophomore year. They apparently used to discuss the teacher's dating life and all sorts of innapropriate stuff. We often heard them next door from our room making a ruckus. Well, actually, I believe that our low profile class beat their's in terms of slacker joy. It was a topsy turvey world where students ruled the classroom. Instead of a low energy, low priority chill time like their's, our class was an egalitarian society reaching towards the lofty goal of doing as little work as possible. After two years under the iron curtain of our previous Miss B, our chain smoking nice old lady was a dream. But for some reason Kyle still hated her.

Anyways, I'm gonna have a party for the students and am looking forward to that. I informed one set of classes last week, and will inform the other at the beggining of next.

In other news... the job situation is tight. I got an offer from the Assistant Language Teacher company I'm sort of hired for for 2 jobs. one 30 minutes past the middle of nowhere, and the other one not really anywhere either. I declined the first. I want to live in Kobe very badly. Barring this, I want to live in a city. I wont be in Japan forever, and want my time here being spent making friends and memories. I don't think I will make many friends in the countryside, becuase where would I meet anyone? The Japanese countryside's beauty still appeals to me, but it just wont work for me right now. I want to move away from Tokyo. Seen a lot of it, time to see the next spot. Besides, I hear Tokyo is the most unfriendly city in Japan. I was offered the second job, and this evening, emailed her back turning it down. I hope I am not shooting myself in the foot. Hiring season is now. I need to get on the ball asap. I applied to 5 jobs last week and 1 tonight, all in or near Kobe. One rejected me, and haven't heard back from the others. I just upped my resume today though (kinda stinks that I applied last week,) to put down that I have taught young kids English since January. (just between you and me, I've subbed for a friend 3 times.) the guy who works there is really cool, and I wanted to ask him if it was OK if i put the school down on my resume and references. He said sure. He has also given me career advice the past 2 times ive worked there. He's American, owns the school, been here for 10+ years. I think he understands the situation Im in, and I definately appreciate his help. I appreciate the help of all the people who have given me a hand along the way to getting these various jobs. When I get older, I think I'll try to do the same thing for young people who need it.

Weird thing happened to me today. I was browsing in the supermarket when I hear a soft voice say "Hi" behind me. The voice sounded like a dead child's. It also sounded like "Hi" as opposed to "Hai" and was clearly projected in my direction. I turned around and did a double take, although I am not sure if it was because I saw this ghostly voice came from a body that was staring at me, or if it was because she was so hideous. She looked at me and said in a very good accent "are you free?" My heart was thumping. She had butter-yellow bucked teeth, googly eyes, and just looked sad. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Are you free, tonight?" she replied. What the heck was this scary looking 30 year old asking a stranger in a supermarket if he was free for? I essentially was, but said "No." She said sorry, turned around, and immediately walked away very quickly away. I noticed she wore a helmet and a backpack. I had wondered if she was a prostitute, but then figured they usually don't approach people in supermarkets wearing a helmet and backpack.

I suppose it is human nature to abhor the untouchables. She was so ugly that I actually feared her, my heart was literally thumping. She was different, no doubt about that, else why would she approach me to begin with. But as I imagine it now, she was just a lonely woman on a Saturday night, who saw a lone gaijin who probably also had no friends (correct) and wanted to meet. I rejected her, and ultimately didn't feel good about that. If you say that it is not one's duty to befriend every lonely person, you are probably right. But as a Christian, I think it is probably my duty to connect with that person who so obviously and so sadly reaches out for companionship. After all, Jesus talks about going amongst the lepers and friendless. Moreover, I should not be kind to this woman out of duty, but out of empathy, (not sympathy.)

Thoughts like these were running through my head as she was speaking to me. That is why I asked her "What do you mean?" If she had clearly expressed her desire, say, to get a drink at a bar, I probably would have done that. But instead she didn't, and by propriety, I couldn't extend a provisional friendship, because then rejection would be even more painful. If I had to do it over again, I'm not sure how I would have done things different. Bear in mind, I also wanted to come home and apply to more jobs.

Anyways, that's all I wrote, apparently.