field trip! part 2, then yesterday, today, back to yesterday, last week, yesterday, and today [threw chronology out the window on this one]

2/16/10 - room, post dinner- My titles are obnoxious. It almost didn't fit in the text box!

I couldn’t write last night. But now the exciting conclusion to the Iga field trip!

After lunch we went to a ninja village. That’s right, a village full of people descended from actual ninja. We got to see a demonstration and a traditional house and a museum full of ninja stuff. During the demonstration of ninja combat, music from the anime Naruto was playing. It was funny. Our tour guide was Tomonosukei but he said to call him Tomo chan. I immediately thought of my host mom’s grandson, Tomo chan. Everyone chuckled at the ninja asking them to call him such a cute nickname. He was really funny and spoke English really well.

Then we headed back to Nagoya train station. I did some homework but mostly slept because I was exhausted (still a little sick remember).

When I got to Kōzōji station I called my host mom and she came and picked me up. She insists I never take the bus and walk home when it is dark.

We got back and I gave her a case of strawberries I picked. You were limited to one case. It was all you could eat but not all you could carry. L My host mom loved them. [I once picked apples at an orchard in Rochester with two friends. They had an ‘all you can eat AND carry’ policy. It was nice.]

Next day was back to school again. It went fine. The commute was draining in my weakened state. Of course the train was late. They are never late but yesterday this one was. (5 minutes, that’s astronomically late for Japanese trains. I mean, barring suicides, trains are not late... That was terrible.) So because it was late more people managed to get on it. It was even more crowded than usual. At one point the doors opened at a stop and about 20 people pushed their way into the car I was in and no one got out. The Japanese know how to bend physics. I honestly thought there was no way any more people could cram into this car. But then the doors opened and I felt like I was in a trash compacter except with people. I was half lying on poor Kai san. The man in front of me was so close the back of his head was only a couple of centimeters away. He had bad dandruff… It. Kept. Flaking. Off. I pride myself on not being all that squeamish, but I found myself flattening poor Kai san in an effort to lean farther away from this guy’s head.

That was in the morning. On the way home in the afternoon I went into the commuter ticket office at Ōzone station to renew my student pass and when I left I forgot my textbook on the counter. I had pulled it out to look up a word so I could better convey what I wanted. I didn’t realize I had left it until I was standing outside Kōzōji station. My host mom called the station and they said I could pick it up tomorrow morning at the stationmaster’s office.

I have always been prone to leaving things behind. In grade school I couldn’t go a single day almost without forgetting something: books, homework, lunch. I know! ME forgetting my lunch? Me being able to accidently leave food behind is a testament to how scatterbrained I can be. My mom would get so exasperated with me. She always said, “CATHERINE!!! AGAIN?!?!?! I swear you would forget your own head if it weren’t attached!!!” I hated it when she called me “Catherine” instead of “Cathy”. It meant I had disappointed again.

I guess I have gotten better. I don’t forget things daily anymore but every now and again I leave something behind and sometimes it is a really important thing. I couldn’t really study last night because I didn’t have the book. Luckily I didn’t have homework in it or anything.

So yes, yesterday’s commute was a bit uh, character building.

Today’s commute was bearable, although it was draining too. I picked up my textbook on the way to school.

It rained all day yesterday. I am embracing the culture and dutifully using my umbrella when it rains. It wasn’t so bad really. At the entrance of every building there is an umbrella rack so it isn’t as inconvenient to carry an umbrella as it is in the US.

On the way to tea ceremony class, I almost stepped on a bird. I was on campus and this small bird was on the walkway a few meters ahead of me. I thought it would move so I just kept walking. It got closer and closer and closer. I was almost upon it so I had to quickly move over to avoid it. One leg was in the air and I half hopped, half danced to one side. Only then did it fly away. It was a downhill slope. Someone at the top of the slope could have been looking and all they would have seen was a weird gaijin (foreigner) staggering drunkenly down the hill, with an umbrella no less. That was one lazy bird.

During tea ceremony males get longer fans than females do. Well, obviously I couldn’t just let that go now could I? Last class I stole Adam’s long fan and switched it with mine. I wanted a long fan too. L He pretended to cry because I took his fan. This time when the fans were being passed around they came to me before him. He said, “Aw, great now I won’t get the long one.” Since he said that I couldn’t disappoint him. So I took the last long one and gave him the remaining short one.

Class proceeded as usual. This time all the students took a turn making the tea. The instructor said I did really well. It’s because my host mom and I practice all the time at home. :3 The sweet was awesome and my legs cramped up, same old same old.

When class was finished I reached behind me to grab the fan and return it. It was a short one! Adam said, “Sucker”. He switched them! I don’t know when he did it but next week I’ll get him back.

My host mom and I watched some of the Olympics that evening. It was figure skating.

Today went well. I bought facemasks. When they are sick (or sometimes simply to avoid getting sick) the Japanese wear facemasks to prevent the spread of germs. They are quite germ phobic. It is actually a pretty considerate thing I suppose. I want to participate in this cultural activity. I’ll try them out tomorrow.

Tonight I am studying for a test tomorrow over TWO chapters. :..( So that’s it for now. The blog automatically puts the time up when I post entries so I think I will stop writing it myself after every one. (It took way too long for me to realize that…)