Poopla

Well, the gang was in the mood for kareoke this weekend, that's for sure. Last night, Kyle, Linda, Laura and myself stayed out until 5 AM shakin' our groove thang. It's nice that the bars close at 6 AM. I never thought I would get anywhere close to closing them though. I guess we all adapt. Just another contradiction for you though: The bars close at 6:00 AM, but the "late show" at the movies is 7:30 PM. That's the very last showing of the night. Go figure. Anyhoo...yesterday was a bit packed. Wendy, Jay and I hopped on a train to the local Asahi Brewery for some large event. There were a lot of 'acts', mostly children and/or older women dancing routines to pop songs. My favorite moments were when very drunk older men tried to join in, then promptly sat down with their head between their knees.

I met another teacher, Patricia, who I would like to get to know better. It's too bad she lives rather far away. She has a car though, so I'm hoping she will visit often. We all had a great time, drinking free beer and blowing bubbles with the kids there. I'll post some new pictures soon.

It's starting to get a bit humid here, so I returned home for a quick shower. I had a dinner planned with Kentaro Mita, my 72 yr. old student, and many of his friends. They were a great bunch! We met at an isakaiya, had some sushi and (more) beer. It turns out that many of them are retired English teachers themselves. They all taught in Jr. High schools and went on to be principal or the like. Now, they've created this English club to keep up their skills. They invite foreigners to join them and practice. It was great. There was only 1 moment I can remember in which I felt a little awkward. The eldest of the bunch was very quick to tell me that he travelled to Hiroshima 2 days after the "accident" as he put it. He explained that after seeing the horrors there, he decided that learning English was the most important thing he could do. I think he felt it was important to communicate with other nations so that we can keep the peace in the world. It's a nice idea, but clearly there are many multi-linguists working today, and the world is still a mess. I didn't point that out at dinner though. I simply apologized on behalf of my country and we moved on. I find myself doing that a lot these days. Part of me finds it important to explain that not all Americans are gun-slinging bullies that throw violent tantrums when we want something our way. Another part of me simply apologizes and agrees that it isnt' a good time to be an American right now. But despite those feelings, I'm learning just how fortunate I am to be a San Franciscan. The Bay Area is a pocket of America that I will always be proud of. We look at the big picture, we actively work for progressive change, and we care to see the issues from different points of view. We can always be better, but it's clear to me that San Francisco is miles ahead of the rest.

Anyhoo...after dinner, I met up with the gang for an honest dessert, which turned into a drink at God's Party...which turned into kareoke for 3 hours, more drinking and a lovely walk home after dawn. It was great.

Today I had lunch with Tracey. She and her boyfriend, Mike, are off to Guam for a few days. She sounded mostly excited about visiting the KMart there to pick up a few western items. I'm hoping she'll bring back some toothpaste, as the brands here don't have flouride in them. (Yet, there is a button on the toilet that plays "musical sounds" if you're feeling a little shy). After lunch, I fixed the tire on my bike and went shopping. Shopping is still a bit of an adventure, though I've started to just buy brands that make me laugh. Pocari Sweat is one of my favorite drinks here in Japan and I often by Poopla toilet paper. I kid you not.

Kyle called, Ian joined and before you know it...we were singing "I shot the sheriff" over another round. Ahhhh Japan.