Pyros and Baby Steps

This is not a sign you see in Japan.

Alan has had a huge problem with the Japanese practice of burning yard waste and trash.  We live by several farmers who frequently set moderately large blazes that conveniently send all the smoke directly into our apartment.  It has been triggering Alan's allergies, and yesterday it was so bad, we had to leave the house.  This unfortunate practice has made Alan ( I had thought unfairly) label all Japanese people as "pyros."

Students did this themselves!

However, the past week in school has only lent support to Alan's theory. For example, fire drills in the U.S. are boring, routine affairs that usually occur in the dead of winter, pouring rain, or blazing heat.  You wander outside, wander back inside, and call it a day.

Not so in Japan.  Japanese fire drills are much more fun.  It involves a lot of shouting over the intercom, running around with flags, and setting fire to large basins full of gasoline multiple times.  It was pretty impressive.  Even more so, as three students got to work the extinguisher to put out the gasoline fire.  I would have thought one teacher demonstration would have sufficed... but nope, three more student led demos followed.  And then, one last, long, glorious fire to finish burning off the gasoline.  Yup.

I went to science today with the first graders and you'll never guess what they were doing... biology!  Of course not.  They were setting things on fire.  First, they experimented with candles and oxygen, and then for no reason that my poor Japanese could discern, started burning plastic.  Now I know where the strange smell of burnt marshmallows that has been hanging over the school comes from.

Despite the battles we continue to have with various bureaucratic organizations, this week was an upturn from the past two frustrating weeks.  After hitting a new low of this go-round in Japan, I am encouraged by the fact that it seems like life here moves at a baby-step pace.

Anyone who knows me knows I typically move at about 100 mph.  I do a lot, do it fast, and don't have much patience for anything except my students.  Life here is the opposite of fast.  It is the new definition of "slow".  And the people and processes move slowly too... and slowly, slowly I am learning to cope.

I had several victories this week in communication with staff and students, the most frustrating part of my time here so far.  The Japanese teacher who sits directly behind me and has never uttered more than a mumbled "ohayo gozaimasu" my direction has suddenly discovered a personality and an English ability!  She sits next to me this month during lunch, and is much nicer than I might have otherwise assumed.  Hooray!

I also worked out and wrote a Japanese "script" to ask the homemaking teacher to help me find materials I need to make my winter project--a handmade yukata.  She has been so unbelievably nice and helpful, not only ordering me the material, but giving me coupons to a special sale at a sewing store for clearance obis next week.  She has offered to help me every step of the way if I need it, and offered me the use of the school sewing machines if I decide hand sewing is too difficult.  Hooray hooray!

My winter project--a handmade yukata!  Kirei, ne?

Lastly, the women teachers at the junior high are having a pizza party for *both* Alan and I!  I'm so happy they included Alan, as I've been worried about spending time with co-workers without him.  I think he is happy too, so triple hooray and that's it for today.:)