Kiyoubi (Friday!)

Today I need to wrap up working on the lesson plans for my self-introduction next week (or else have homework over the weekend). I did most of the "hard work" yesterday in terms of making illustrations and speech writing, but now I need to figure out how to arrange all the stuff I've put together into games that the kids can play after I've introduced myself. I'm not quite sure how to do this- I just don't know how long kids stay happy with an activity. I'll follow some formats that other JETs have said work decently, and with any luck it will pan out.

I did have a lot of fun doing the illustrations, however, so I've decided to post a few. I listed banjo and learning Japanese as two of my hobbies- with any luck I'll be able to incorporate these into a bingo game somehow.





I also had a cross-cultural drinking experience last night. Non-alcoholic. Actually, with the exception of a few etiquette points, drinking alcohol in Japan is pretty much the same as drinking it anywhere else. No, I'm talking about a "milk drink" I tried: I was too late to the grocery store to pick up milk for today's breakfast, so I decided to try my luck with the still-open drug store. They didn't have any refrigerated milk, but they did have something on the shelf that was in a white carton, and definitely had the kanji for "milk" in the label. In English, it was also touted as a "milk beverage" that was "A Refreshing Gift From Nature." How bad could it be? I rode back from the drugstore in the rain, poncho flapping, and popped open the carton in my apartment. The liquid inside was viscous, bone-white, and tasted like a combination of sweetened condensed milk and lemon cough syrup. It's sitting in my fridge now, and I haven't the foggiest what to do with it (I couldn't even make it through half a mug of the stuff- but I don't want to throw it away just yet because it cost me almost U.S.$3.00).

Finally, as ever, I shan't have internet over the weekend, and I'm taking nenkyu (payed vacation) on Monday, so This is it until Tuesday or so. This weekend I'm going to a dinner with some English students in Murakami city proper, as well as to see the taiko group Kodo perform down on Sado Island (hence the nenkyu). I'll try to bring back some good photos of Sado and Kodo for all of you- it's supposed to be a pretty spectacular performance.
Until Tuesday, ciao!