A very sad day at work today. I had my last class with my most favourite class today. Kenichi is my most favourite student that I have and I won't have him any more. He gave me cookies and a card and said he would miss me. His mum said they tried out the Tuesday class but that Kenichi said he didn't know the answers with that teacher but that he knows the answers when it's me. I love him. He even gave cookies to my co-worker and said he would miss him. It was just terribly cool.
After teaching I hung around and finished up some CPR's and planning for next week. I was talking to the receptionist and asked if she had plans for tonight. She giggled, which I took to mean that she had a hot date. She did. The same guy she went out with the night of the big earthquake in July. I told her I haven't been on a date since like 2001, like four years. She was very surprised and said that I was very cute so why not. Well, boys are afraid of me because I'm independent. She added that I was strange. "How so? How am I strange? I'm strange?" "You have unusual interest." "What? What interest, hobby is strange?" "You collect bugs." "I don't collect bugs!" "Joking, joking, you collect bugs. Strange girl." "You're strange, I don't collect bugs" "And your hobby is S&M." At which point I totally burst out laughing. The hell? My hobby is S&M. So I thought, two can play at this game. "Sshhhh, Hiro. Who told you that? It's supposed to be a secret" and I walked away. "Really! In fact? In fact your hobby is S&M?" "No, I'm joking. But shhhh, it's a secret" "Eh? What? You're joking? But in fact, S&M?" It was fun to toy with her. I told her she had to ask my co-worker next week if he knew my hobby was S&M. He'll laugh. I think it was my weirdest conversation here in Japan. Yesterday, in class, I was telling my adult ladies about playing in the rain and mud games (like mud rugby and frisbee) we used to play when the fields were flooded at Stelly's and Mt Doug. Yumi totally made my day with, "Are you special? Are there other people like you? You are very strange." I laughed. Not sure how to answer that one.
After work I headed home and found another teacher on the corner at Kita. We discussed plans for seeing Star Wars this weekend and then more teachers showed up and they invited me along to 13 Palms where yet another teacher was waiting. We had some really good food and a couple of beers and Taeko (my favourite receptionist who feeds me) even showed up later and stayed for a bit. It was good to sit and chat and talk school politics and life and have a couple good jokes. I think I need to do that like once a month. I'm sure that once it starts to get cooler out people will start to go out more. Nobody has really been hanging out unless they live close by for much of July and August.
I talked to Mum and Dad (mostly Mum) from like 1 to 4 this morning. It was really good to get stuff off my chest and let them in on the things that I've been experiencing and feeling for the past 2 months. I really just needed to be heard. Especially after last Sunday night when I sobbed myself to sleep by 4 in the morning.
