Survey says!

The younger kids at Heiichi have taken to calling me Kimuchi. Because in Japanese my name is Kimu-sensei. I'd like to remind you that kimchi is a korean spicing process, and the Japanese call it kimuchi. Now, I think this name sounds adorable. But as a teacher, I don't approve, especially when I insist that they call me Kimu-sensei and they don't. Grrr.

Oh, and did you know that it's the full moon. It certainly explains why the kids have been acting the way they have for the past few days. Yep, not surprised at all.

I've been meaning to put together a list of things that I like and dislike about Miyako, you know, just little stupid things.

For example: Like -- there are dragonflies everywhere.
Dislike -- there are no squirrels.

Like -- living alone and being able to dress however I want to when I get home
Dislike -- not waiting for a certain someone to come home from work

Like -- beaches!!!
Dislike -- sand getting Everywhere

Like -- Family Mart, 2 blocks away
Dislike -- what the 105yen Tiramisu is doing to my waist like

Like -- that I can buy Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
Dislike -- when I tried to buy milk to go with the above soup, it turned out to be juice cleaverly disguised as a milk carton

Like -- Everyone here is so nice!
Dislike -- that all of you won't come and meet them

Like -- being solely responsible for the electric bills
Dislike -- how much I can't use the A/C if I want that bill to be low

Like -- the scenery on the drive to work
Dislike -- that 4 of my 5 schools are more than a 20 minute drive

Like -- the Giant Blue sky
Dislike -- how you can look one way and see nothing but beautiful blue sky, and turn around and see a rain storm. That hits you while you're riding on your scooter.

Like -- teaching English
Dislike -- how exhausting teaching English is

Like -- how easy it is to talk to all of you through the computer
Dislike -- how you are mostly all asleep right now

Like -- the nice old ladies who are surprised when you say "good evening" to them in Japanese
Dislike -- how when there's a problem, like when I went to the beach on Monday and parked in the wrong place, how the old man didn't say anything to me, but said something to Jason, who looks asian, when I understood exactly what he said to Jason

Like -- Kiyoko at the LaPlaya shop who imports surf wear from LA and how she speaks great English
Dislike -- when people at the Japanese restaurant speak by rote what they're suppose to say and I can't understand them because it's almost like they've stopped speaking words and have started speaking just sounds

Like -- having a great conversation with the 2 best at English teachers at Heiichi (they're probably the 2 most proficient in all of my schools), mostly in Japanese, but when I didn't know a word and used the English, they understood, and sometimes they were able to explain things in English. It was great.
Dislike -- When I don't understand something, and I'm trying to get the person to say it again in another way, and they just give up.

Like -- all of the butterflies
Dislike -- all of the cockroaches

Like -- unlimited use of the computers at school
Dislike -- Japanese word processors that don't type English right, no matter what

Hmm, that's good for now. More as I think of them. By the way, I do still like it here. This was just a writing down of observations more than anything.