Sorry!

Wow, I feel really bad about neglecting this site. Lately I've been ridiculously busy with school. However, I think I do have time for a good rant.

This past Monday I got a major culture shock. I had had to skip kendo practice that last half of the week before because of homework, so I had been really looking forward to going that Monday. Well, I went and at the beginning of practice, I was just about to do an exercise and I caught my toe on my hakama while I was moving forward....again.

But this time was much much worse. I couldn't even finish the exercise. It was so embarrassing. I hobbled off to the side and sat down, removed my armor and tried to swallow the tears that were coming. Of course the girls were pretty concerned and they brought me some ice. I had to sit out the whole practice, icing my toe, which very rapidly got swollen. There was a teacher there, as well. He's pretty young, though. From what I understand, he graduated from the school I go to a couple of years ago. He was kind enough to ask me how I was when he saw me sitting near the windows. When I lifted the ice to show him my toe (which was red because of the ice) he rummaged through his bag and gave me a couple of strips of this felt stuff with blue jelly on the underside to put between the ice and my foot. He even put them on for me, when he saw I blankly I was staring at them.

At any rate, practice went on as usual, but towards the end I had to think about how I was going to get down 2 flights of stairs, walk over to the next building and get up to the third floor where the locker room was. Because I was in some serious pain. I was sitting with my back to the windows, which were open because it gets hot when you're moving around a lot in all that armor. But even the wind coming from the open windows was making my leg spasm with the pain. And, of course, it didn't help that everybody was stomping, and with every shake, the pain flared up. The teacher asked me how I was going to get home, and offered me a ride as far as the nearest station. But, unfortunately, I had ridden my bike to school that day, and I was a bit reluctant to impose on him. At any rate, that meant I would have to cross the station, get on the bus, and then walk all the way to the house from the bus stop. It never seemed so far before, but I didn't think I'd be able to make it with that toe.

So when practice ended I sort of sat there, wondering what to do. Then my guy friend, Daisuke, came up to me and offered to help me up to the locker room. So he helped me up and helped me hobble to the dojo entrance. But as we were walking one of the guys yelled out "don't touch me!" in English. I know for a fact it wasn't a first-year because Daisuke is a second-year and therefore their superior, and I knew the second-years wouldn't do that to him. So, it was either a third- or fourth-year. And it made me inordinately angry. Daisuke was the only one who offered to help me and they were making fun of him for it. Sometimes I wonder how it is that they still have the mentality of a middle school student (no offense to middle school students).

Once we gain the entrance the second-year girls tell Daisuke that they'll help me from there. So Daisuke waited with me until the girls got ready to go and then I had to get up and put my flip-flops on. Unfortunately, I was only able to put one on. Then two girls got on either side of me and helped me hobble through to the stair landing just outside the dojo. There were a few of us, since they were obliged to carry my armor, so we were blocking the stairs for the most part. But the three of us had moved very awkwardly, and they were discussing how to get me down the stairs since the three of us couldn't get down there together. So one of the girls said something along the lines of "maybe somebody should carry her, maybe a guy..."

And that's when one of the fourth-year guys came up behind us, on his way back to the boys' locker room. He asked what was wrong. "What? She hurt her foot?" And then he brushed past one of the girls that was helping me and went right on down the stairs, not even bothering to apologize to the girl he had brushed aside.

I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped.

I don't think I have ever been so shabbily treated by a man...except that time that my ex yelled at me. And I had never had such an urge to spit on anybody as I did that night.

In the end the girls put me on the back of the thinnest girl in the club (which is saying something because this is Japan) and she ran with me down the stairs, over to the next building, into the elevator, and into the locker room. And I know for a fact that I weigh more then she does. Once I got changed (that was interesting) and back downstairs, one of the third-year girls brought me my bike. Thankfully once I got on my bike I was fine, since I don't really put pressure on my toe while I'm pedaling. But, unfortunately, that day I had chosen to wear a white skirt...and it started to rain while I was a quarter of the way home.

But apparently most Japanese guys are not very gentlemanly at all. They don't hold doors open for women here, or even, it seems, offer to assist someone who obviously cannot walk down stairs by themselves. And it's at times like those when I really just want to go home.

More Money

So for my birthday I invited a few people to go eat sushi for lunch with me. After kendo practice we met up at a famous sushi chain restuarant (Kappa Sushi) and squeezed into a booth.



After we had finished eating we started talking about driver's licenses and such. (In Japan it costs about 3,000 US dollars to obtain a driver's license.) And then my Japanese friends asked to see the American money I had in my wallet. After I showed them one of my friends pulled out this REALLY REALLY old Japanese currency.



Awesome, huh?

Of course, when I went home later we went over to my host-aunt's house (okaasan was still in the hospital) and we had...guess...SUSHI and cake. But it was nice.

Spring

So it is officially spring now. The trees are a gorgeous green, flowers are blooming everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. Here are some random pictures that I've taken around the neighborhood and in and around the house.



A little random, I know, but I hope you enjoy them.

Kid's Day

In Japan May 5th is a national holiday to celebrate children. Originally it only celebrated boys, but for some reason, despite the fact that girls also acquired their own holiday (March 3rd), they changed it from boy's day to kid's day. However, they still fly the carp flags to celebrate male children. On that day my host-dad took us to a nearby river where they had strung out a few long lines of these carp flags. Here are some pictures from the river:



And afterwards we all went back home to eat a big dinner.




And here are my host-sister and host-sister-in-law puzzling over my Japanese homework.



Thanks to those of you who have continued to look at this blog!