DANCE!!!

Once I fought a monster gnat, with my sword I struck it!
Then I melted down its fat, more than filled a bucket!
Cobbler, cobbler, mend my boot, you'll be paid, so that's that--
Though I may not have a coin, you shall have my gnat's fat!!!
--Hungarian folk song

I really like that song. It has been going through my head often this last week, which has been the kind of busy where our feet haven't touched the ground, nor our heads our pillows. But a lot of interesting things have happened, so I will try to briefly (HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHitisMEwritingisitNOT?!) summarize.

HOTARUGARI 蛍狩り
Summer traditional activity of Japan. Firefly viewing. I had never done it, but when 西田さん said she had a friend who knew a good place to go, we went on Wednesday night, out through country ricefields, along a shallow stream. Apparently 西田さんused to go out when she was younger in yukata with her whole family. Although the hotaru are not out in as much force as past years, and indeed, it is a little early yet, it was still very cool. There was a tree down by the water just full of fireflies, and it was lit with the eerie glow of tiny, sporadic lights. There was a bridge, and looking out over the river and into the slow, mesmerizing firefly dance was really something. The BB came with, as Sec-Hus was busy doing homework. We stayed for tea with the friends of friends, and ended up staying quite late to see the end of a Hanshin Tigers game. How Japanese is THAT?! I feel like I have done everything now, seasonally speaking. Hanami, Kouyou, and now Hotarugari. Satisfaction. I learned a song! Let's see if I remember it.
ほ、ほ、ほたる来い
こっちの水は甘いぞ
あっちの水は苦いぞ
ほ、ほ、ほたる来い
Firefly, come!
The water here is sweet!
The water there is bitter!
Firefly, come!
Or something like that. There was another one about little fish and fireflies, but I never came close to remembering that.

Apartment FOUND
Got one. We made the first processing deposit on Saturday. It will be ours. We move our crap in three weeks. Relief, just in time to panic about everything else. YESSS.

Shima Spain Mura 志摩スペイン村
We have commented before on the mindbending nature of theme parks here. Let me assure you, gentle reader, things have not changed! In Spirited Away, the father comments that a lot of theme parks were built during the bubble economy, and now are abandoned. Supein Mura (Spain Village!!) doesn't have long before it meets the same fate, I fear. Yes, it is a theme park themed on ... SPAIN! Once again, SecHus could not join us for schoolwork occupying his entire life, but the BB came, as well as Kinu-chan, and other teacher friends, as well as the very cute Kazuki, providing the under-3yrs-old contingent, as well as someone with whom I can have very complete and satisfying conversations. We stopped in Toba (near Ise) for lunch, and had fresh grilled shellfish in the shell and Ise-style udon. Clams were yummy, but the weird topshell things I shall never sample again.

Supein Mura, the BB and I concluded, was either an amusement park with a Spain theme tacked on, or else was designed after Spain using a single entry in the Encylopedia Brittanica. They close at 4:30 pm, and the place is designed for thousands and thousands of people. There were no lines. There were no crowds. We got off roller coasters and ran around for another go. The coasters had names like Gran Monserrat, Swing Santa Maria, Flying Quijote, Adventure Lagoon, and Bull Fighter. That one is particular is worth mentioning, because the whole ride was in the dark, and the coaster, I believe, was supposed to be put in place of the bull. It would stop, and start, and jerk around so violently that I think we were in death throes, and bright, neon red capes would be lit up in front of us and we would speed up to charge them. We got off, and referred to it as the Whiplash Machine for the rest of the day. To be honest, most of the rides and theme attractions of the park were kind of... sad. Most sad was the stage of foreigners in funny costumes that were clearly humiliating themselves for money. And probably not very much money. I had to avert my eyes. Though, they DID have a cool ride that combined water, coaster, AND indoor ride WITH pirates, ogres, treasure, attacking mainland castles, skeletons, Triton king of the merpeople, and clapping seals. They did have one really good coaster, and I had a blast riding the merry-go-round (WITH HORSES THAT WENT UP AND DOWN IT WAS LIKE MARY POPPINS!!!) with Kazuki and the company o’ ladies. They also had a ride that consisted entirely of Christmas lights and plastic flowers, and the most disturbing nightmare fuel of wireframe flamenco dancers whose bodies were made of lights, but had no features, and whose dresses were just… dresses. And they thrashed to and fro. They also had “Ice Castle,” which I didn’t go in, but the BB said it was basically a walk-in freezer, at minus 30 C. They weren’t kidding about the ice, apparently, and those who went in came out freezing, as the muggy humidity crystallized upon their skin. Anyway. Supein Mura may or may not last for another few years. If it doesn’t (“They must have spent MILLIONS to build this,” said the BB), then it will certainly be a splendidly haunting place. And despite the bizarre nature of the whole thing (they had a posse of animal cartoon characters that were the main characters from Don Quijote), it was, in fact, quite fun.

Sketchbook roadtrip
So, without asking my permission, the other week my darling だんな took my sketchpad to work with him to show around. I think it is because he knew I would say NO. He showed it to the art teacher. (Imagine me choking in helpless mortification as he reveals this to me.) “She liked it,” husband said. And he showed me HER sketch travel diaries which she had lent him to show to me. And… and… it was AMAZING. She sketches in 0.3 inkpen, and literally DRAWS things she does and sees, along with pasting tickets and random postcards and things in her sketchbook (without a pencil sketch beforehand). She has little manga versions of herself responding to things, and I was so amazed I forgot to be embarrassed. This is what art teachers are allowed to do, after all. Be artists. And HOW. And I am reminded of my ever-encouraging high school art teacher, Mr. Evelyn. If you are out there anywhere, Mr. Evelyn, I wear my hair short and look like Frodo Baggins now, not like Kenny G. And I hope retirement is everything you hoped it would be!

Speeches and Biwako
Had to write a speech to give in front of the Prefectural Board of Education on Friday afternoon. In Japanese. So I had my kids write most of it for me. I shall include it below in its original format. The beginning is the introduction. Kinu-chan graciously translated my overdirect and comprehensible Japanese into very polite and soft-touch keigo. There has only been minimal editing.
この三年間、短かったですが、いろいろ経験し、学び、そしてたくさんの思い出を作りました。 私たちは色々な理由で日本にALTとしてやってきていますが、私たちの仕事は生徒のために何かをすることだとすぐに気付きました。私は生徒に聞きました。私の授業についてどう思いますか？ 良い思い出や悪い思い出はありますか？そして何を学びましたか？
かえってきた生徒の答えです。
最初は外国人だと思い、きんちょうしたけれど、笑顔で声をかけてくれたり、面白いことを言ってくれたりとケイトのおかげで、今では普通に話すことができるようになりました。―Yuko
I have a lot of things from you. I seem to be walking dictionary!-- Noriko
ケイトの授業はとても楽しくて勉強している気分がしなかったよ。体育の後とか つかれて寝てしまった事もあったけど笑ってゆるしてあと、ケイトと二人でtalkingした授業はすごくきんちょうしたけど、自分の英語に自信がついた。― Mami
ケイトにアメリカのことを教えてもらってとっても、楽しかったし、アメリカとか他の国に対してめっちゃ興味をもつことが出来たよ。－Mai
Everytime you are kind to teach me English. You saved my life. – Eri
Sometime when I was in bad humor you make me happy. I don’t forget something you taught me. I don’t forget you, so don’t forget us, too. – Takaoki
ケイト先生のクラスはとても好きでした！！もっといっぱい話したかったし、たくさんのことを学びたかった。-- Miki
I had a lot of good memories with ***. I learned that English’s culture, pronunciation, and more… Especially I think I had learned “English is very funny.” --Ayumi
また出会う日があったらいっぱいしゃべりましょう！！－ Naoko
本当にありがとうござました。-- Hideya
こちらこそ、皆さん、本当にありがとうございました。
After the speeches, I hung out in the Apple store in Otsu with MacFiends. Er. Friends. Yes. Haha. Then I went to Biwako, and thought I might write, but instead was completely filled up with the lakeside. It was the perfect place to be, and the lakebreeze was entirely energizing.

さようなら、日本語教室
At Japanese class on Friday night, I realized that it would be my last class because of farewell parties on Fridays for the next two weeks. So. Again I had to give a sayonara speech. 泣いちゃった！ Again! Luisa es una mujer sensible como yo, entonces nosotras dos lloraban. Pucha!!

Beloved Husband
His paper finished, this week has another paper and a review for the ACM. Good luck, love. In our free time we can start packing stuff into boxes. On the positive side, this week both of our respective workplaces has exams from Tuesday to Friday. This will be a welcome relief and chance to get things done. Wife out.