This week I found Happy Chaos. Happy Chaos is hard to explain, and better understood when experienced. Up to this point I haven't really talked much about what I do at the schools. Well, this week, at my favorite and very small school of 63, I decided to do a Halloween themed day. I decorated the halls when I got there. During class I pretty much told the kids what they needed to know about our fabulous holiday, and of course had to include Halloween origami (I mean, when in Rome, right?). During recess I planned to have the kids trick or treat from class room to class room. So I passed out bags during class and gave the candy to the teachers. And during recess, happy chaos broke out. They all surprised me by dressing up in home made costumes. It was amazing. And then one by one they all started running around the halls waiting to get candy (the first and 6th graders were taking a while to finish eating). But they were so absurdly cute and they really appreciated Halloween, running around, dressing up, going crazy, having fun. That is happy chaos.
On Wednesday, we finally had our Welcome Party with the office. That day, Jenny and I were in Onomichi working, so we convinced the Innoshima office to come to Onomichi, so we didnt have to travel 40 minutes back to the island, since there really is no place to go there anyway. Pretty much we were meeting at a restaurant. And my supervisor was convinced it was impossible for us to find. So she suggested we come all the way back to innoshima and take the bus with them back to Onomichi. To which I was like, Did you miss the point of you guys coming to onomichi to begin with? Common sense, anyone? We found the restaurant, and we were there before them. Thank you very much. So the whole group arrived. And by the time we started eating I was so hungry I couldnt think. We did this type of food where you kind of have to cook it yourself (SHABU SHABU). In Japan, sometimes it may be the case where it is more expected that the women serve and the men dont. I am the last person to be submissive, but I was so hungry, I just started throwing all the food in the pot because I needed to eat. And that way, I indirectly fed other people. The party was also an all u can drink event. But I was too involved with the food to really care all that much. My boss kept telling me the point was not to eat, but to drink. I kept telling him I was American, and that I was hungry. Later in the evening, he said to me across the room in Japanese, with Hiroshima slang, "If you eat too much, you wont be able to get married." I told him I understood him. But I didnt tell him that he is an asshole. I'll get even. Give me time.
Friday I went to a school of 27 kids total. One of the 2nd graders, the only 2nd grader, the same boy who attemped to kancho me (kancho is when the try to ram their hands up your ass, kind of like a friendly greeting, completely normal behavior for these kids), chased me through the school with a praying mantis, took me on a bug search, and threw flowers on my shirt because they stick to cloth, was the same kid who jumped on my back suddenly, and accidentally punched me in the back of the jaw, causing pain up the side of my head, into my eardrum, for the rest of the day. That is not happy chaos. That is just out of control.
Saturday I went to a Japanese hospital for a random check up. It was my first time going, and so Japan, because from the entry way I could see the vending machines glowing at me in the distance. And then the doctors assistant pretty much laughed at me for worrying too much about nothing. She sucks. After that, I went to Fukuyama with Misako and Suzuka to do final shopping for the Halloween party on Sunday. The photo of the road on the right is near a restaurant we went to. This is the city, by the way. Yeah, so I had to drive down this street. I believe it is a two-way street as well. Pretty absurd. But we did manage to get to starbucks by the end of the night, and baked cookies in a toaster oven (because real ovens don't exist here).
Sunday we had the party. It was soooo fun. And super cute. We made hot chocolate with ghosts, Misako made Moussaka. There was curry rice, pumpkin salad, fried squid caught yesterday, cookies, eyeballs (grapes with mad amounts of sugar), etc. The party was in Setoda at Yukari's house. Luckily we found the only American pumpkin in all of Onomichi and Fukuyama. For many of the people, it was their first time carving a pumpkin. So it was sooo fun. And we displayed it outside of the house and everyone that drove by looked at it.
That was the week/end. Now I want to show you some random things from the area....that goldfish looking fish, is really swimming in drainage area on the side of a house/building in Onomichi City. I can say that the drainage system is not used for drainage anymore, so this fish and his friends have been able to make a home there. Next picture, that is a squat toilet. The squat toilets are pretty much the old fasioned toilets in Japan. Unless you are in the countryside, where the squat toilet is the only toilet. At least in my island, there are the few places such as my apartment, that host the normal toilets from the west. But this photo is not just any squat toilet. Its a child squat toilet. Its sooooooo tiny. Its about the size of my foot. Also, one of the cutest things I have ever seen. Not going to lie, I was tempted to use it. The last picture I think is from a car place on my island, but I bring it to your attention because it reminds me of BEWITCHED. I just want to make sure that Im not the only one who thinks so. I just don't understand how Samantha made it to the island, but a train has not.
[this is good]
Hi Ang,
Your entries are getting better.
I hope you're saving them for your book. Also, I hope you are making a video documentary while you're there.
Love you.....
Auntie Gilda
Posted by: Coach Gilda | 10/26/2006 at 07:41 PM