a few observations

i've been in nobeoka for nine days now, and have begun to notice some glaring differences between american and japanese cultures and mannerisms. allow me to elucidate!

most noticably: japan--particularly in smaller cities and towns--is not diverse. almost everyone is japanese. besides the other JETs, since i've been here i've seen two non-japanese people. it sounds strange, but one of the things i miss about home is seeing all types of people on a daily basis...and hearing spanish! i've had an odd desire to speak spanish ever since coming here (and even accidentally answered someone in spanish on my first day at school. oops).

it truly is a big deal to be a gai jin. yesterday, two instances reaffirmed this fact. firstly, in the morning, a student came to the teachers' office. before entering, students have to announce why they're there. this student was in the middle of his speech when he saw me. he stopped, mid-word, to stare at me open-mouthed. he continued staring at me until one of the teachers said, "etooooo," aka, "well?!"

he managed to get himself together, and finished his declaration--amidst snickers from some of the teachers. awkward!

later in the day, when dearest kellen arrived at my apartment, there were two very young children biking around watanabe, the market across the street. they stopped and stared, and didn't respond when i bid them "konnichiwa," or to my loud "hello." as kellen and i walked up the stairwell, i turned at one of the balconies to see five children gathered below, gazing up at us, dumbfounded. we waved and shouted "hello" again, but to no avail. they were rendered speechless!

teenagers and adults are stealthier, but still kind of obvious. they don't stare as blatantly, but they'll shoot you a million little glances. it's nice, though, because everyone bids each other good morning and good afternoon, so when you call out, "ohayo gozaimasu" or "konnichiwa," people above the age of twelve respond in turn with a smile.

second observation: japanese people, women particularly, handle things with great care and grace. when i got my banking, registration, phone, and other necessities sorted out, there was a lot of paperwork. i noticed that the ladies working in all the different places made very little noise when moving things around. paper was shuffled silently and slowly. cards, money, and other delicate items were put into trays and slid across the table--never hand to hand. the women spoke very softly, delicately and sweetly, in a way that made me sleepy. gestures here are never jerky or exaggerated. so, i've become hyper-aware of my own quick, sloppy, and loud movements. everything i do seems to be taking up more space and making more noise than everyone else! i've gotta confine!

and another note on that point: two days ago, i had the privilege of going with kyoto sensei to the miyazaki high school brass band festival at city hall. we were there for about three hours, and although i really enjoyed the music and dancing, my butt started to get sore after a while. at home, i pride myself on never making noise while at a concert or in a movie theater--it bugs me when people unwrap candies or text or cough or do anything remotely distracting. however, shifting in one's seat is okay in my book, and i do it often (though quietly).

however, at the festival, as i continued to cross and uncross my legs, play with my hair, and wiggle my fingers and toes, i eventually noticed that not a single other person in the theater was moving--at all. the audience was mostly teenagers, too! for about ten minutes, i watched the backs of scores of kids' heads while listening to the songs--and no one moved. fidgeting = nonexistent. how is it possible?

another, perhaps more important, difference: the main religions here are shintoism and buddhism. my supervisor thought it was hilarious when i asked if there was a catholic church in nobeoka! i'm determined to find one, though...or at least an anglican margarine version.

one last, and minute, detail before i tell you about what's been going on in mah life. the pens here are amazing. i said this to yuka, and she didn't understand until i gave her my nice usc ballpoint from home. she tried writing with it, and announced "dame!" (bad). the pens here just flow. i can't explain it. they're not the super smeary liquidy kind, either; they're ballpoints! super pointy ballpoints. i'm bringing home packs of them, because now i can never go back to bic or pentel. these japanese pens inspire gloriously perfect handwriting. they demand perfection. i'm convinced these pens could change the world.

but enough about that. i could wax on for hours about these sticks of poetry and justice. instead, let me fill you in on the happenings of this neko. on monday, yuka again was a clutchmaster and took me to get a little kitchen table, some storage stuff, and other apartment stuff. things are beginning to get lillified! the walls are still bare, though, so i'm hoping that this weekend i can get some decorations.

other exciting news: i totes fixed my camera!!! i was pathetically heartbroken after it broke, and was ready to buy a new one, until yesterday when i read online that if i smacked it around things would go back into place. i tried about twenty times yesterday, and nothing. then, this morning, i was so irritated that i shook it like a british nanny! voilà! at first things were blurry, but now it's back in business, baby!

no pics at the moment--at work--but they're coming soon. i should probably get back to practicing hiragana now...yesterday i learned fifteen, and promptly forgot them all. wish me luck!

genki,
lilly