Making Progress

So today was probably the first time since I got here that I really felt like I was making some progress..with my junior highers! Gone (mostly) are the days where they wouldn`t even say konnichiwa to me when they walked by; some are even saying Hello to me first now! And they no longer run away from me! Am I really that scary?! hahaha Sure, I`m monsterously tall, but still.

But I really started to feel good about my being here this morning during a 3rd year class. As soon as I walked in a few of the guys were all like `Sensei, sensei..which is colder, Canada or Japan?`...an actual question! And of course I said Canada, but holy frig! I may start to rethink my answer if it continues being this freaking cold! Really wish I could get my heaters going at home...it was a very cold night last night.... Anyways, we continued to have a lovely half English conversation about how cold we all were. Later on during the class, the Japanese English Teacher asked me to walk around and ask questions using the day`s new grammar, and I was surprised that they all actually answered me in pretty flawless English. Wait...I`m not sure if I`m properly getting across how exciting this is to me. Until now when I tried this in any class the kids would just look around like they were in pain `What the heck is she saying to me?!` so needless to say I feel good that the kids are beginning to be more comfortable speaking to me in what English they do know.

Then, as usual before lunch, we were all milling around waiting for the food to be laid out, when a few of my 2nd year girls started asking me questions. Again, mostly focused on how cold it is, and why I was wearing a suit (I have no other warm clothing! My mom didn`t send my winter stuff to me until a few weeks ago, so there`s at least a few more weeks of suffering through the cold), but again! They spoke to me first! Usually I`m the one to ask them questions and try to get them to talk to me. Unfortunately I could never really make any progress with them, causing a crippling downward spiral of `Why don`t they like me? What the heck am I doing here?` that usually ends in a deep depression of staring blankly at my computer screen for the rest of the afternoon...or in tears in the bathroom. (This has only happened a twice, I swear!)  Then in the lunch room some other 2nd years invited me to sit with them instead of my usual `Hey, can I sit here?` followed by frantic looking at each other to confer if I they should let me or not., which of course they would say yes cause it`s rude not too, but then I`d feel like I was encroaching for the rest of lunch. (Off topic: many of the older community ladies tell me I have a Japanese heart..not sure how I feel about this... :/ )  But what made me the happiest of all was the same 2nd years telling me that most of the students` favourite subject was English, and how sad they were that we didn`t have class this morning due to the other English teacher being sick.

Overall, a very good day with some definite progress. Nowhere to go but up now, right?!

Tea Ceremony? Sure, I'll give it a go...

So I was invited by a lady whom is also in my English conversation class, as well as Yosakoi group, to join her and a few older ladies in their Monday night Tea Ceremony practice. Shigeko and I arrived fashionably late at 7:30, where we were immediately rushed in to get started. There were about five other ladies there already, all dressed in beautiful kimonos and sitting in the seiza-style that all Japanese women can do so well.

Overall the experience was very enjoyable, minus the constant throbbing from my legs. No matter how I sat they just weren't happy :( Tried my best to sit seiza, but after ohhhh 2 minutes my legs would go numb and would end up sitting cross legged for the rest of session. It's okay, they said, cause I'm foreign hahaha Oh the things I get away with because of that! Everyone was so nice and complimented my Japanese pretty much the entire time, which can be a little tiring, but I know they mean well.

My favourite part was definitely the treats. We ended up going through three different styles of tea ceremony in the two hours we were there, and each time brought with it a new way of receiving and drinking the tea, which was a tad confusing. Trying to remember what we did during the previous time, and then they would tell me to forget that and just watch the women before me. But, more elaborate sweets! Lots of red bean and mochi, so needless to say I was over the moon~ :) Then at the end they gave me what was left and invited me to come back again next week. I don't know though...if I keep on like this then all my exercising and 'attempts' at eating healthier (which is already going extremely poor by the way) will all be wasted. Will power..where are you when I need you?! hahaha  I  haven't decided if I'll keep on with tea ceremony though, since I'm busy the rest of the week, but I haven't really done too much with it up until now, so why shouldn't I? Besides, if it means more free treats... :P Plus, there's also the chance of getting to wear a kimono, which is always fun. They were saying that by wearing one it changes the entire mood of the session, and they were right. I felt kind of out of place (nothing new there haha) in my normal clothing. Oh well, fingers crossed on that free kimono next week!