Busy

I was starting to get a bit bored of Kumamoto but recently things have become more interesting and I have been to many new places and meeting interesting people such as magazine editors and musicans. I think I have added about ten new phone numbers in the last couple of weeks!

One of the great joys of living here is the amount of free drinks I am able to procure ( I dont know how, other foreginers tell me that my gift is unique.) Sometimes people will buy me the odd whisky as a sign of goodwill, othertimes however I may not have spoken to someone for the whole night and the barman will tell me that the person on the other side of the room has ordered me a drink. They may give me a smile or exchange a few pleasantaries but thats all. The best situations are of course when I have been drinking with some people who then insist they pay for all my booze for the night. Such a case happened the other night; in fact even when my drinking buddies left and I stayed on I was informed that I had an unlimited tab for the night!

I dont know what is my secret, its true its easy to sound impressive here, you can talk a lot of rubbish and people will believe you. For example I could pretend to be the 13th Earl of Willybumbum, and say that i am the love child of elton john and dam edna everage and recieve no dubious looks. In fact I could probably say that I live in a pair of giant underpants with the teletubbies and people would still believe me.

Yes, Japanese people dont get sarcasm!

Actually its best not to try and do these things. One tip i will give is to say you like all Japanese food even Natto followed by "I like shouchu" and then add the killer word "potato" (potato shochu is very strong.) Potato (imo) maybe one of the most important words in Japan, like "the one ring" it can wield enormous power but is corrupting as it can lead to much inebriation.
Maybe I am becoming the Lord of the Potatoes...

The only dissapointing thing about Japan so far for me is that I havent heard anyone fart. I was trying to get a friend to do one earlier on but she declined. Its becoming a bit of a quest. Maybe there is only one fart in Japan, hiding somewhere in the mountains and so I will have to travel around japan armed with my knowledge of the word potato in order to find it.

Ive been here for 6 months I think i am getting culture understanding shock, things are becoming clearer and I am surprising myself. Its strange and just like when I arrived I have had difficulties sleeping and have lost my appetite. The other night I went clubbing and had too many ginger ales,stayed up all night feeling like a gerbil on speed and then had to
teach eleven toddlers english the next morning. Trying to be genki and sing jolly songs when you look Moomrah from thundercats and sound like a transgendered Marge Simpson is a wee bit of a challenge!

I am starting to feel like a bit more of a therapist and less of a teacher. Sometimes I think students want to come and learn english in order to relax and express themselves in a way that they are not accustomed to doing in Japanese. Its satisyfying seeing people get some kind of cathartic experience out of the lesson. Unfortunately however I have had three lessons when I have asked my students how they are and they have told me that a close relative or friend has died. What is worse is that on two of these occassions I had forgotten that I had chosen a text regarding death. To say I felt bad would be an understatement.