Back to Japan

Recently my mind has been in many places. Japan is only one of those places, which is a change from how things were a few months ago. But nothing stays the same, ne?

Indeed, nothing has remained the same. Some things are predictable, but still different. Early morning frost has been replaced by cherry trees in full bloom. The blossoms, which were pink buds only a few days ago, are now white flowers with all the grace and fluffiness of giant snowflakes. When I look into a cluster of cherry trees, it's like looking into a freeze-frame snowfall -- the kind with fat, feathery flakes that seem to build resistance and slow down as they float to the earth.

I ran into a plump brown lizard yesterday. I haven't seen any of these guys since you could sweat just resting in the shade. The lizard startled me so I yelped, but then I laughed, because his presence could only mean one thing: heat is coming! He stuck his pink tongue into the air as a greeting, then dove into the nearest ditch.

So spring is coming, but it's not quite warm. This means that my camera batteries won't stay charged, because my apartment is still too cold. But as soon as possible, I will take cherry blossom photos to share.

For the first time since summer, I have no work to accomplish at school. I can get a head-start on some lesson plans, but there is no need. If I get a head-start on work now, there will just be more free time in the future, free time that I would appreciate filling up with work that I have not already completed. The other teachers are busy--not everyone is sitting around with as much free time--but since I am an ALT, I don't have as many responsibilities. I will actually be glad when spring vacation ends, and I can once again fulfill my purpose of being an English teacher. (But have no fear, I am finding plenty to do in the "free" time. I don't allow myself to stay bored all day.)

In other news, the teacher changes are officially complete. Mayumi and Jun are gone, which makes me sad. They will return on Thursday for a teacher party and a final goodbye. Then the desks in the teachers' room will be rearranged, and a new school year will officially begin, complete with new staff.

It occured to me this morning, as it has many times before, just how small your world can be. No matter how many things you learn, or how many places you go, your world will always be as big or as small as you make it. When classes aren't in session, my world at work consists of set patterns and routes and routines. I thought this while washing my hands in the teachers' room. There are 2 sinks, but I always use the same sink. I use the exact same sink and wash my hands the exact same way, every time. I'm in Japan but sometimes your world can be only so big. I thought the same thing when I was in Paris on the metro: "I ride the exact same route to the university every day; I see the same strangers and I recognize the same people who take the same route as I do. I have come all the way to Paris, but in many ways, my world can stay so small." Funny, isn't it? Expansion doesn't happen without a conscious effort.

This weekend I'm going to a concert with Mayumi in Nagoya. Yay!! Then I'm going to a hanami party (cherry-blossom-viewing festival) with a few other teachers. The batteries will be charged by then, so I hope the blossoms will still be there for me to photograph!