Foreigner Day!

This week's been English Overload, and the weekend looks to be no different. If my image upload service hadn't decided to go kazooie on me, I'd have more pictures to show you- as is, I'm trying to get that updated. There's some cool stuff I found that I want to share.

But until then, about this whole English thing. Yesterday was a Mexican Food Party with the Shiga Jet Crew- a fine gaggle of people, more of whom seem to be popping up all the time. Seems there's a foreign foods shop in Kyoto where one can buy Old El Paso taco fixins- which here in Japan seem odd and exotic. I think it's the first meal in a good long time where no seafood or noodles were involved AT ALL- and it was quite tasty, at that. The interesting thing about meeting with other foreigners in Japan is that you get the eerie feeling that you're at some kind of summer camp- there's the same "we're all in this together" vibe, and people swap teaching horror stories and techniques. Kind of like tales told 'round the campfire, except the campfire was a pot of homemade guacamole.

Before that, at school, classes were cancelled for "Event Day". Essentially, it was just a "Students Do Funny Things" performance- lots of synchronized dance (which is HUUUGE over here) and the littlest rock band ever played a few songs. Given that these students are a million miles from the birthplace of rock, and they're middle schoolers, the performance was amazing. Childhood cruelty, however, seems to be universal. A few kids laughed- and this SHATTERED the drummer, a girl who normally is the happiest four-foot-tall future rockstar I've ever met. She made it through the set, but afterwards was in tears. Inconsolable. I tried, in broken Japanese and simple English, to express that getting up there was crazy brave and that they did an awesome job, but naught was to be done. She did, tearfully, throw the horns, which was a good sign.

Another performance at the cultural fest was the All-Men's Water Dance, a traditional-style choreographed performance by the third-year guys. They wore traditional outfits... ish... and did a big synchronized dance number that was actually pretty cool to watch. Only after the performance did it become apparent that every one of them was wearing a belt with a big chrome water faucet sticking out the front. Yeah. Weird. And none of the teachers had a problem with this. Everyone just laughed.

Japan's odd.

Today, no class AGAIN. This time, it was the chorus competition- the "concours" I mentioned before. This was held at a HUGE performance hall three miles away from school. In America, we'd get buses and bus the whole deal over there. In Japan, they posted teachers at the corners of the intersections and told the entire student body "All right. Get on your bikes, go to the performance hall." And every single one of them did it- no truants, no detours. Even the "bad kids" dutifully got on their bikes and rode the confusing, twisting, turning three miles to the theater. Once there, they lined up by class and marched single-file into the hall, down the stairs and into their seats.

Japan's odd.

The chorus compettion was interesting, but all in Japanese. Just like in American schools, the choir consists 90% of people who don't move at all while they sing, and 10% of kids who get into it like a gospel revival. There was a whole lot of mumbling and looking at feet interposed with loud, proud and energetic (if a little clumsy) performance. Teachers acted as judges, they gave out prizes that I didn't completely understand, and evidently it's one heck of a big deal to win this thing. The first-place class (competition was, as always, by class) was literally in tears, laughing and hugging each other. Yes, even the guys.

Japan's odd.

After that, I sat at school with nothing to do until they dismissed me at 4, and I went to meet some more foreigners for a Thai dinner. This week was kind of a "United Nations" week, food-wise. Turns out Thai food's about the same wherever you get it- go figure. It's awesome, but it never changes. The restaurant's in another neighboring town- Moriyama- and I got some cool pictures there before the sun went down. If I can get the upload utility to work, I'll post them later tonight- if not, tomorrow. Tonight, after Thai, I stopped by Foreigner Central Station (the Starbucks) and met two Canadian guys teaching for "Peppy Kid's Club", a private language instruction deal here in Japan. Turns out one of them's teaching in Ritto- there are foreigners in my turf and I don't even know about them! I'm suffering from English overload- I think that's enough for awhile.

That about brings things up to speed. This weekend: Kyoto or Bust. I'm going with my coordinator and one of her friends to Kyoto (get this: I have to meet them in the last car of the 10:58 train bound for Kyoto leaving Kusatsu station- it's totally a superspy meetup) and they're going to show me around. Should be great picture fodder- the camera/cellphone/swiss army doohickey comes with.

Q & A Time (thanks, VORRT!):

Q:How does your salary work while you're in Japan? Is it like a normal USA job, or does the school board cover your expenses and give you a stiped to for food and what have you?

A: My pay here in Japan is pretty much just the house plus a monthly salary. I pay utilities and a maintenance fee, but it's nowhere near what rent would cost- so it's pretty convenient. Everything works out pretty well that way.

Q:If you are paid as if it were USA job, is it comparable with what teachers make here in the states?

A: No. No, teachers in the states get a lot more- but I'm not really a teacher. I'm an Assistant Language Teacher, or ALT. I never teach alone, I always have a team teacher I work with, though that teacher changes class to class. I work with them to prepare the lesson plan, I come up with games to play with the kids, and I'm the living, breathing dictionary. So in terms of work done to pay received, it's more than fair, especially considering....

Q:Do you have to pay taxes ala Uncle Sam's IRS and Gov. Granholm's money sink ideas?

A: Nope. I'm tax-exempt from both US and Japanese income tax this year, as I'm working in accordance with some crazy exchange treaty.

That'll about do for now- pictures to follow, when I get this thing to work.

Pax.