Are You Pregnant?

Monday, September 25, 2006

I have so many little things to write about…I’ve forgotten most of it.

First, my Japanese is getting better. I’m learning more and more how poorly I’m speaking but at least I can say more and understand more. It’s a slow process but I want everything now!

And on that note, this laid back relaxed style of living is so not for me! I’m a run around like a chicken with my head cut off kinda girl! I want to be constantly on the go. But everyone else is all about the waiting around for the wind to blow before they do anything.

I want fucking internet!!!! I can’t stress that enough!!!

On top of that, I still haven’t gotten my repaired glasses yet. First, it took a good week or so to fix and now it’s taking twice as long to get around to picking them up.

I want internet.

Another thing is the lack of spontaneity. I always thought that I was a person to plan everything since I was so busy all the time. But here, I gotta make plans at least a few days in advance! No one just up and does stuff. Nothing is on a whim here. I feel bad for changing plans suddenly as well. No, we’re not going to meet at the food court, instead I’m off to uni qlo (great clothes store)…no the world is not coming to an end just because I changed meeting places.

Oh, Uni Qlo. Love that store. I went in there to find winter clothes and I mostly found autumn clothes since that is the current season after all. But the prices were a little above Targets and I’m pleased to see that. I got some great skirts, thin but fleece PJs and jacket ($10 each), and a nice and heavy trench coat for windy days! It’s not lined and it doesn’t go down to my ankles but it is thick and…stylish :)

Other than that, my classes, as I’ve mentioned before, are going great! I’m opening up to the students more and more and since I have far less students at Oodochi, I’m really getting to know them! Also, since my Japanese is getting better, I am understanding a whole lot more of what the students are saying. Apparently, I was missing a lot before (hmmm big shocker there)

The things I’ve heard people talking about in the hallways:

1. WHOA! There goes Nina! She was shopping at Value!!! (the nearest and more popular/frequent franchise of grocery stores) <-- So what’s the big deal? I don’t know, I just heard someone shout it.

2. This guy is a bully (pointing to the kid next to me). There was also something in this conversation about pregnancy complete with hand motions.

3. There is a teacher in my office with a particularly round head. A student came up to me and told me that he was dirty. Since the same student was just making fun of this same teacher for brushing his teeth after lunch, I was a little confused. He then told me that his head looked like a kokkeshi doll. Ahhhhhhhhhh, it’s all so clear now. Kokkeshi…..(this is dirty, so a warning first. “The following is rated pg-13, if you wish not to read, please move to #4) Kokkeshi dolls are wooden cylinders with a round top for the head. They are then hand painted and are quite traditional looking. Kokkeshi is thus the slang term for dildo since that’s what they resemble.

4. A girl saw me today in class and asked if I was pregnant. She wanted to know because my outfit wasn’t baggy like everyone else’s (hate that style) and my stomach was…well, it’s got a little pooch to it since I’ve been eating nonstop recently. I told her that I wasn’t but the joke went on throughout the class. It was funny. Suppose you had to be there.

5. This same female student then asked a question about adultery (how she thought of this, I’ll never know) By American standards, is it adultery if the man takes another woman (other than his wife/girlfriend) out to dinner or does he have to kiss her before it’s considered adultery? I told her that if the man pays then it’s adultery because he’s probably expecting a kiss (at the very least) by the end of the night.

6. The Otaku boy doesn’t like pictures of Yuna on his papers. He wants to see Sepheroth. Now, I like a badass character just as much as the next person, but what TEENAGE BOY would rather see a badass bad guy than a sexy chick? And I put sexy pictures on those assignments too!!! AND I know what he’s talking about which I think is commendable. No one else seems to care or think it out of the ordinary. Of course, everyone knows who Yuna and Sepheroth are. Duh!

Now on to some of the strange things I saw students doing today.

Actually, they aren’t all that weird. I remember doing some of the same things….but not all.

1. Every student must wear a uniform. They are complete with boy and girl style ties. Boys get regular men’s ties and girls get a little bow. I watched one girl take a guys tie, put it on, and give him her tie and made him put it on. He was embarrassed, clearly, but he let her do it all the same. Personally, I have no idea if she likes him or what, but the guy is the Magician and let’s call this girl the flirt. She is always touching this guy which is a little unheard of in Japanese schools.

2. The flirt then took the magicians hand and started painting his nails with an orange high lighter. Since the magician never cuts his nails because he’s a freak of nature, he then had orange claws by the time she was done. Just in time for Halloween!!!

3. My favorite student (the one who has a lisp, is outgoing, and really seems like he’s gay though I know he’s not) I have seen on more than one occasion walking around the halls with his pants undone and around his thighs so the world can see his boxers. The second time (today) I looked at him and asked him why he does that. He then pulled his pants down more and started motioning around his boxers…. Why is he my favorite again? Dunno.

Maybe when I get internet I won’t write such long posts because I’ll actually have someone to talk to about all this misc. stuff.

It is significantly colder in Oodochi!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH