The Indians have come! Or rather came and left again.
I have put the pictures up in the wrong order sorry but I cannae be bo'ered deining it again.
So here are the Indians in Nakijin resplendent in their full regalia.
The deadly sword fighters face off, these fellows were fan-taby-dosy!
One of the 4 (?) classic dances of India, this being the Mulipur one.
I with my lower lever english conversation club, just a random pic.
The drummers performing their high energy routine at Izena primary school.
The sword fighters in action!

What an unexpectedly eventful week on Izena! First the Kobe homestayers and then a troupe of Indians, both of which my Junoir High was completely unaware of and uninvolved in. I had planned to write about Cameron Diaze, the industrious nature of the Japanese and my anarchistic world view. However the Indians came.

I am going to give as objective an account of the events as I can manage so don’t be too harsh on the Okinawans. Remember this place, Okinawa, and especially Izena are amongst the most remote and rural in all of Japan. The are some such places in the USA and UK that I would be disinclined to send the Indians to for fear they may face something considerably worse than mere non-malicious cultural blunders.

Right, well, disclaimer aside on with the tale. The first I heard of the Indians was when the Kyotosensei of the primary school told me that some Indians were coming to the school that day at 2pm. I was a little surprised. He also gave me an egg that day, from one of the school hens. However the previous week he had given me two eggs, had I only put in a one egg performance that day? Maybe I am reading too much into it, I would hate to think that up to then I had not even been achieving even one eggs worth! Either way, a country where one gets eggs randomly given to you is a good one.

So! Back to the Indians, I am not sure what I was expecting but what ensued blew me away! There were about 15 or so Indians and their performances where stupendous! First a high energy drum performance, followed by an even more high energy and blindingly fast sword kata/dance. It was two chaps with bucklers and swords against a sole fighter wielding dual swords. The strokes and parries came so incredibly fast it was almost just a blur of action, I was amazed they didn’t hurt each other. The martial art is called Malipur Thaing Ta I think. Needless to say my children were also blown away. Then an Indian woman performed a beautiful solo dance and as the grand finale all the Indians started dancing. Then they invited (grabbed) the students to join the dance and then everyone. In a few minutes everyone was dancing in a number of big circles. I think the dance was supposed to form one large circle but there were too many people and it was kind of messy for a while before it formed into 3 or 4 concentric rings, one within the other (is that what concentric means?). I was in the centre ring and it was pretty cool. Afterwards my children were quite evidently hugely impressed and were trying to emulate some of the drumming and sword fighting moves. I hung around to speak to the Indians after all the students had been herded off, of course they spoke perfect English and we chatted for a while until their bus came and they had to go.

As I was walking to the shop I was passed by Yoshiaki and a car load of Indians, “My house, party!” he shouts. Alright I think. But first I shop and go for a run so I rock up late. In fact I was relaxing in the cooling breeze of my air-con when I get a ‘haiaku kite!’ email from Yoshi, mmm they really want me to come.

When I arrive I first wonder where the Indians are for around the table in the garden are a few Japanese and a noticeable lack of Indians. I sit down and receive my awamori. I am disappointed by the apparent lack of any food, usually parties have food! I hadn’t had dinner! There is some small talk and then I ask, so…..where are the Indians. Yoshiaki makes a face, “cards,” he says and motions to his house. Ahhhh, I remember how many Indians do not drink alcohol. I mention this to Yoshiaki and he makes a pained, exasperated expression. At this point two of the Indian women appear, Yoshiaki san motions for me to call them over. I hesitate because I remember from the reading up I did for my trip to India that it is commonly not considered appropriate for a woman to talk to strange men. But I yield and call them over, they come and sit down and my fears are confirmed when the first thing she asks me is, “are you a bachelor?”

I groan inwardly and tell her no but I have a girlfriend! She then tells me “I have a baby.”

'Great' I think, but after that they don’t seem to mind talking to a strange man and are perfectly polite and nice. They call over the other Indians and soon they are all sitting outside too. Yatta (woohoo!) I think. However it is apparent there no communication going on between the Japanese and Indians, none of the Japanese present spoke much English and the Indians did not speak any Japanese. I am happily talking to the drummers when an older lady comes out and sits next to me. She is introduced as the group leader so I give her a combined bow and namashite (or rather my approximation of the Indian greeting) and we chat. She has been going on cultural exchange trips like these for a number of years, her first trip was in 1984 to germany, one year after I was born! Ah I forgot to mention, this year is a friendship year between Japan and India, hense all these shinangegens this troupe is one of many and they have been travelling Japan for a month now and have a further month to go! At this point several members of the BOE (board of education) appear including none other than the boss and vice boss. The vice boss is carrying a large box of beer on his shoulder. He gestures at it and says “Beer?!” to an Indian woman, she wrinkles her noise, he is momentarily perturbed before realizing she quite obviously disdains beer in favour of stronger alcohol, “ahhh Sake!” he proclaims with a smile. After an exchange of worried glances three of the Indian men accept beers, over the course of the night two do not open their beers and one does but does not drink from it. I ask them if it is perhaps not common to drink alcohol in India, they assure me that some people do, so I tell them EVERYONE here does. They accept this with much aahhhhhh-ing and head nodding. So I continue to chat with them as the their hosts make a few more blunders. I was quite disappointed in some aspects of their behaviour as one of the things I particularly like about Japan is the high level of courtesy. I really appreciate that people are more often than not looking out for each other so as not to inconvenience or embarrass each other here. However perhaps it only really works if they are all reading from the same page. The only effort the BOE staff made to speak to the Indians was during their speeches. Blunder number one: none other than the head of the BOE simply takes out his phone and takes a picture of the Indians without asking permission in any shape or form. He, sitting only a meter or two away, without a word, and without any attempt at communication (even a gesture or eye contact) simple aims his phone straight at the Indians and take a picture. To make it worse he takes his good time and the poor Indians just sit there rigidly, not knowing how to react. If the Okinawans had any sense of how uncomfortable this was making the Indians feel they don’t let on. Then! The head of the BOE half stands out of his seat and leans forward to get a closer picture of the Indians further away, still the camera cant be much more than a meter from their faces. Whether this is not rude in Japan, or whether he was too scared to ask permission I don’t know. He then just sits down without acknowledging the Indians and chats to the Japanese around him, still apparently completely ignoring the Indians. Not much later three more Indian women arrive, an Indian man explains that they have been making food (being vegetarians I think they found it easier to make their own food). This is translated to the Japanese who then eagerly ask “can you cook us some Indian food!”

The Indians politely agree and apologize as there won’t be very much. The Japanese graciously accept this. Soon the food is brought out and boy is it spicy! I forget what it is called but it is essentially chilly mooshed up with potato. It came as a side to some rice and Dahl. Later the Indians tell me the super spicy food was hotter than currys and something they eat when they want something extra spicy, where they getting a little revenge on the Okinawans? Next the emboldened Okinawans ask the Indians to do some performances, so we are treated to another incredible sword dance and several songs. The singer has a beautiful voice and it was pretty special. The Indians ask the favour to be returned and after a period a sanshin is produced. I get the feeling the Okinawans are a little shy and perhaps overawed, as the singing was a little lackluster and not up to their usual standard. One song is sung and then the Indians ask for “iiya sasa please!” So Yoshi starts belting out the Orion beer song. Now this is a song to dance to. The vice head of the BOE motions me to dance but I tell him no I am shy, I expect them to start dancing soon as they often do to this song. But nothing happens. I see that the Indians are literally squirming in their seats with a barely suppressed desire to dance. So I pop up and begin doing the Okinawan dance (kajashi?), all the Indians immediately join in and try to copy the dance. Still the Japanese won’t join in, so I eventually grab Kamiyama and pull him up and he in turn drags up one of the PTE members. 'Yes!' I think, 'now we are cooking!' But no, after a short while the two Okinawans retire and it is left to me and the Indians to dance out the song, which we do with verve and pip. I can’t help thinking that it is a bit funny that only the Indians guests and a resident foreigner are the only ones willing to do dance an Okinawan dance to Okinawan music. Meh. Like I said they were probably shy they usually dance. I count that as a blunder by the way. So you remember the hosts requesting the guests food? That was around 10pm and I should point out that there was not very much and none of the Indians ate. At something past 11 the leader of the troupe asks me if it is alright if they go and eat dinner? I suddenly dawns on me that we (I was guilty too) just ate their dinner and then let them sit their politely for over an hour with their stomachs undoubtedly rumbling. Naturally I told them “yes, go!” without consulting the Japanese. To help understand this you need to know that here in Japan, or at least Okinawa, it is not required to excuse oneself. People just come and go from parties or dinners, often for extended period of time. The okinawans probably just assumed if the Indians were hungry they would have gone and eaten. However I can’t help feeling it was a gross breach of hospitality. The sword fighters returned and I chatted with them for a little while longer, their English was not so great but certainly good enough to communicate. I discovered from them that not surprisingly the Indian education system closely mirrors the British and that in Malipur (the region these Indians herald from) all schooling, from kindergarten onwards, was done wholly in English! I was getting tired so I told them I was off to get some shut-eye and advised them to do the same if they were tired. Which they were unsurprisingly as they have been performing every single day of their trip so far! They immediately agreed and left with me. Goodness knows, they might have stayed up out of politeness to their Japanese hosts if I had not been rude enough to bale out of the party early. Part of the behaviour of the hosts I think can be explained by A- the low uncertainty tolerance of this culture and B- the hosts were all older prominent men of the community. Who are all haughty and very attentive to their face saving. They were probably too scared to try out their English on the Indians or engage them in any way that might lead to an unpredictable situation that might result in embarrassment or loss of face. That is my take anyway.

Luckily I have the luxury of not giving two hoots about my face and quite enjoying unpredictable circumstances. Ah yes, the wife of the PTE head did come and try to talk to the Indians and between my Japanese and her English we managed quite well. The Indians, I think, appreciated her efforts.

So the scene was set for stage two. The Indians told me they were going to be performing in Nakijin the following day so as I would be going to Okinawa Honto too I was quite keen to see them again, especially as they would be doing their full show as opposed to the half show they did on Izena. Actually I must admit I was also keep to cycle down to Okinawa city which would have meant missing the show but Kelly was also keen to see them so I was persuaded to cycle around up north (near nakijin) and meet Kelly up there. Good call Kelly!

I shared the same ferry ride with the Indians to the big island. When they first saw me in my lycra cycling get up I think they were a big shocked, these was definitely some hard, verging on staring, looking but they soon relaxed. They were very cute and wanted lots of pics with me. I must admit here I am rather fold of the way Indians use English, one of my favourites from the ferry ride was;

“I vant to snap with you.” To which I readily replied “OK! Lets Snap!”

He of course mean; “I want to take a picture with you,” in bog standard boring old plain English.

My Bike ride was quite pleasant and I and Kelly picked up some pineapples and flowers as a gift for the Indians. Kelly (being attentive -unlike me- to that sort of thing) remembered how when we arrived in India there were lots and lots of flowers involved in our welcome ceremony. This whole episode brought back many memories of India, I am not still sure if I enjoyed myself there….but it was a wonderful experience if that makes sense. When asked by the Indians how I liked India I found I could not lie and just told them it was intense, that it had been wonderful but also the poor people made me sad - they seemed to accept this. I also realized that I didn’t really get to know let alone befriend any Indians on the trip so it was very nice, to say the least, to meet this group of Indians and to find them all charming and most agreeable. I have had Indian friends back home, but I always felt, perhaps unfairly, that they were different as they lived in a western country.

Well, as usual my blog entry is getting horrendously long, I appear to be unable to write with brevity and I apologize. If you have made it this far you are near the end! Promise! The performance at Nakijin was splendid with much fancier costumes and a few new acts including one of the 4(?) classic dances of India. It was quite neat to have Juhi (an Indian ALT) there to explain it all. After the Indians performed there were a number of Okinawan performances which apart from the eisa seemed somewhat….of course this is highly subjective - but they didn’t press any of my buttons. Perhaps my buttons were suffering from being overly pressed during the Indian music and dance? Two of the sword fighters came out and sat in the audience and I joined them, I think they felt the same about the music as when the eisa performers came out one commented “ah, this is more interesting.” The finale was the group dance and when the dancers came down from the stage to engage the audience they came straight to me, I felt honoured. Unfortunately my dancing skins were lacking and I had to be bumped down to number two in the line so the lead lady could lead the dance. Now here is the final event by which I was disappointed by the Okinawan conduct. Upto this point the audience had been very appreciative, apauding and cheering with wild abandon! (Kind-of). But when confronted with this group dance many of them baulked, in fact most of them did. Many sat with stony faces and tried to either ignore the dance (or perhaps they were just not impressed by it)? Well regardless, between the Indians and the ALTs and the Eisa dancers (who did eagerly join in – kids are always the best) there were enough dancers. After the dance one of the sword fighters embraced me and told me meeting me made him happy, I told him “me too,” and I meant it. Oh I forgot after the Indian dance we had one more blast of okinawan dancing. I and Kelly had time to present the flowers and pineapples to the group leader before they were ushered on stage for a group photo. Not being a fan of protracted goodbyes and assuming the najikin people would have organized some sort of party (with alcohol no doubt) I make my exit. I waved to the Indians on the stage and to my delight they all waved back, I gave a combined bow and namashite and off I went. It was good to say goodbye on high note I think and I have the leaders business card should I ever find myself in Malipur.

Well….I am done my exams. Now I feel I have mountains of free time! It is great, although it won’t last and I will be looking for something to do with myself. I think though spending more time at school and with my kids would be a good call. The week in Tokyo was fun, it is a great city. It’s huge that is for certain, around about 24-7 million people (I cant be bothered looking it up but something like that). But surprisingly, I being something of a country boy and big city hater, I liked it! It has a certain…tranquility or maybe harmony is a better word. It is always busy, the pavements are packed with people going to and fro, the roads are busy and the subway and rail systems are ALWAYS busy. So many people going about their business what can they all be doing! But it works like a well oiled machine and once you get into the groove, standing on the left of escalators if you are content just to stand on it, using the up or down stairs as appropriate to you directional needs or taking up as little space as possible on the train it is quite pleasant. I could definitely live in Tokyo, not that I will, at least I don’t think so. I stayed in a hostel in the quite area of Asakusu, I recommend it for those on a budget trip btw. There were lots of interesting traveling types there but of course I was nerding it out and didn’t have time to socialize. I did have a couple of interesting chats, one in particular with an Israeli chap. Must be quite an experience living in a country were such a large proportion of the population are liable to be called up for military service and in fact have seen action. I spent my time hopping from café to café around Tokyo, studying but being distracted by the wonderful people watching. I would study for an hour in a café and then give myself 30minutes to find the next café, in this manner I covered most of the city. My favourite places to people watch were Harijuku (crazy gothic type people) and Ginza (respectable classy type people). Each area of Tokyo has a really different feel and often the people’s appearance is very different too.

Here I am studying at the British Council, a quiet study friendly haven in the midst of the Hussle and Bustle of Tokyo.
But this picture better sums up how I spent my time in Tokyo, namely studying in Cafes, this was my favourite cafe in Ginza.
ON my first night I went out on and innocent stroll to find dinner and got caught up in a crowd taking part in a festival! It was ages before I managed to escape, it was quite the adventure!
A view of Senso-ji temple in asakusa during the festival.
Curse my slow camera reflexes, my pictures do not do justice to the weird and wonderful people I saw, but you can get an idea by what you can see of this girl.
Some dodgy looking Japanese boys trying to chat up some school girls, tut tut!
Here is what a cool Japanese couple look like, note the man is as dressed up as the girl and the high waist of the dress, very now in Japan. Their tans mark them out as shibuya peeps or just wanna be shibuya peeps I think.

I sat the exams at the British council, there were two other people sitting my first exam and only one other sitting my second exam. The British Council is an interesting place. It seems to be a veritable little British propaganda outfit. The lobby area is filled with colourful, funky seats and countless pamflits and booklets promoting the UK in different ways, mostly aimed at attracting people to study in the UK and attracting recent graduates to come and work in the UK. There were also racks of British magazines on British culture, music, fashion, you name it they had it! They even had a listening station where one could listen to a decent selection of current British music and even some audio books for children. Oh yes and there were plasma screens everywhere constantly showing the BBC world news. Anyway this aside they were very helpful and didn’t mind me studying there at all, they even offered to get me a private room to study in but I was fine in the lobby area, on top of that they had laptops available to anyone who desired to use them. If you want to know the BC is 2/3 minutes walk from Iidabashi station (sobu line) and it is a nice leafy area with a small river. The one thing that struck me about the area was A- a lot of British folks (not surprising) but also B- ALOT of mixed race (Japanese and white).

Another thing about Tokyo I liked was how much more adept at English they were and what especially pleased me was they would speak baby Japanese to me. So if they said something in polite Japanese and I gave a blank look they would repeat it in more basic Japanese, I LIKED that, I wish people would do that more here in Okinawa.

Mr Vuitton is clearly a fan of the school of though which believes pears to be THE panacea. The pears were all real btw.Here is what Ginza people look like, rather respectable and inoffensive desu ne. Just so you don't think all Tokyoites dress all crazy.
I wasn't the only people watcher!
French maid anyone? The picture below is of the enterance to a cos-play cafe. Where Japanese girls dress up as cute maid or even anime characters for the pleasure of the customer (mostly suit wearing Japanese men it seemed). I didn't go in as they had lots of signs prohibiting photographs but I got this sneaky one from the elevator, its not very good but you can see her frilly maid outfit! It is in Akihabara if you are interested...

I mostly resisted shopping in Tokyo, trying to save as I am but I did break towards the end of my trip. While in Ginza (still the shopping area with the greatest snob value but not the most shops by any means) I made the mistake of wandering through a big department store on a study break. Now let me explain, I have been giving some small thought to what I want to take from Japan with me. My list had been refined and distilled down to the following; a nice teapot, shodou equipment and a yokutta. Please don’t laugh but I have the following vision in my head: when I am missing Japan I will don my yokutta and set about making some tea, once it is brewing I will sit seiza (politely) and wait for it to be ready. Then adroitly and with impressive speed I will pour a cup, first savour its smell and hot vapours before indulging (I also like to put my face near a hot bowl of Nabe and inhale). I may close my eyes while savouring it. Then once fully relaxed and at peace I will unroll the little bamboo mat thingy that keeps my shodou brushes and felt mat and then set out my ink and paper in front of me carefully and then shodou away to my hearts delight.

I told you! Don’t laugh!

Anyway I have seen the ceramic pots in Okinawa but I had taken a fancy to the Japanese iron teapots (tetsubin). The have an alluring mix of the delicate and the rustic. Long story short I found some in the store, after asking the lady about them and having her show me lots and with different stands I settled on one and waited while she went off and did her wrapping magic. They are so good at wrapping things, and being Ginza she wrapped my pot AMAZINGLY! After I unwrapped it I couldn't put it back, there were too many precise little folds at funny angles. Also on the same floor there were some beaten bronze teapots, guess how much they cost? The largest one was just over 32man! $3200! The chap who made them was there, making them, so I presume one would have asked him what particular detail of the pot justified the price? There were also some smaller pots which were a snip at 5man ($500). My teapot did not cost anything like that, a mere 5000 odd yen. My second splurge was on Shodou stuff. Here is my tale. I was sure that Tokyo would have amazing little specialist shodou shops hiding around, I was positive they existed, trouble was I had no idea how to find them and I had to study all the time. I did find a few shodou things in a department store near my hostel but it didn’t have a great choice and I think we have the same chain in Okinawa. I was loosing hope a little by the time Thursday rolled around, Friday would be spent doing my final exam and early on Saturday I would fly back to Okinawa. As I made my way back to the hostel after my days study on the town (I would continue on my hostel bunk) I consigned myself to buying the brushes, mats and felt I needed from the department store. At asakusabashi one has to walk outside briefly to change from the JR line to the underground line and as I was feeling a little peckish I decided I may as well eat here. So wondered forlornly down the street eyeing up possible eateries. Out of the corned of my eye I saw a display of fans, I continued walking a few metres when I suddenly thought, mmm they looked handmade, and it struck my that maybe just maybe such a place might also stock shodou thingie-migums!! I backtracked and sure enough down a set of stairs tucked away out of sight was row upon row upon row of shodou brushes! As if in a trance I blissfully wondered into the store, the propiator greeted me, “ Ah, Mr Craig we were worried you might not find us, welcome!”

I smiled my appreciation being at a loss for suitable words and began to browse. The choice was impossible. Perhaps I should explain. I like brushes. I really like brushes. I paint watercolours but I think I like the paint and brushes (and their interaction of course) more than I do the actual paintings that result. If I have one pet hate, on thing that gets to me, and I might remind you am a very easy going chap, it is people who don’t look after brushes! Please do not mishandle or otherwise abuse a brush in front of me! There is a chance I value that brush more highly than you! (You better hope that was a joke!) So I delayed the problem by asking for the simple things I needed, the bamboo rolling mat and the felt mat (for under the paper). I didn’t know the words but I described them suitably and just what I need was swiftly produced. I returned to the brushes and finally selected one. I reverently picked it up and carefully carried it in both hands to the shop-keep. He, also being a man who loves brushes took it equally reverently in both hands and carefully packed my purchases after which I paid and left happy and at peace with the world. So much so that when I was eating in Macdonalds (all I could justify after all my expenses that day…..that and I couldn’t resists the tamago (egg) double mac with bacon!) I left my drink and fries unfinished to give my seat to a couple who would have been otherwise seatless. Boy! Some of that shodou stuff was expensive though, a wee block of ink for 2man ($200)! My brush was not at the top of the range by any-means but still cost me 5000 yen ($50), there were ones that went up to 1man ($100) and there were also large ones hanging unpriced in a glass cabinet, I didn’t ask my much they cost!

Back in Okinawa:
What could be a better welcome back to Izena than some fresh hot sazai!
The Kobe students dancing to samisen music.

So that was Tokyo, on Saturday I came back to Okinawa and the humidity hit my like a hot wet dishcloth to the face but I was happy to be back! Saturday night was BIG Bens birthday party and much fun was had. On Sunday when I returned to Izena there were a whole school of Kobe Junoir highschool kids on the ferry with me. They were going to Izena for a homestay, for one night! They would leave the next day. That night I was invited to join the welcome party for a group of 5 of them who were staying with a friend of mine. They knew several Okinawan songs and would sing them perfectly! Okinawan music really is popular! Much fun was had although the Izena children were very, very shy when confronted by these bubbly Kobe kids. Ah well, they are country kids I suppose and don’t get to meet many children they haven’t grown up with! Also the Kobe kids English was pretty darn good, ah well, I will keep trying my best to teach them here! Speaking of which, my English conversation club has got a good turnout this year, 15 for the beginner level and 19 for the advanced. I am happy.

There will be no post until after next week! I am in severe study mode right now, on sunday I fly to Tokyo to sit an exam on tuesday and one on friday. I have no idea how well prepaired I am, it is a new subject, a different kind of exam than I am used to and I had to study by myself. Argh! Whatever, all experience is good experience right?

Somebody asked for more pictures, dangerous request from a fellow who just baught himself a new 2 gig SD card...


OK, here we go!

Me being taught to foxtrot by my lovely Cuz who happens to be an amazing dancer! I sucked btw.And they are married! (These pics ain't in any particular order).
The rumbustious Aussies, full of mirth and ..... other stuff.
Ah-hah! My shodou! Here is where I started the lesson. This Character is DO and has an earthy meaning it seems to me.

And here is where I got to! Two hours later! I was pretty pleased with my efforts. I wonder if to the western eye it will seem much different?
Ah, back to the wedding, the couples first dance.
My uncle and the piper. Who knew there was a bag piping society in Albuqerque!
I and my mother, shortly before the wedding ceremony I think.
The beautiful wedded couple and some random in the middle.
The mountains over Telluride glowing pink as the sun sets.

So it appears I have been back in Okinawa for about a week now. Of course it now seems like I never went on my little holiday, brain seamlessly stitching the pre America timeline to the post America timeline. Why is it always like that with holidays? And while in America it did not feel like I had not seen my Mum for almost two years, maybe we expect something to have changed and when there isn't a change our grey matter just assumes it cant really have been that long? It was a fantastic trip, a few days spent before the wedding in Albuqerque which has a cute little old town, all adobe pueblo style buildings and a fairly old church built by the Spanish. We also took the works longest tramway up to the top of the Sandia mountains which look over Albuquerque. Initially I must admit America kind of depressed me. I am not sure why because no-one can claim the buildings and such in Okinawa are anything less than hideous but everything seems very ugly to me. I generally find modern buildings ugly, they are creations determined by economy and function. Gone are the days when near every building was a work of art. We are very lucky in Britain to have beautiful Victorian buildings with carved stone relief work and such like. Although modern buildings are much easier to live in of course. There are many stunning modern buildings but they tend to be the exceptions. I am aware it is my personal taste and probably a fairly european one to find old beautiful but there ya go! So it offended me when I went to a run to find asphalt roads with rough edges (not neatly finished) going to ugly little houses each with two or three huge gleaming and no-doupt polluting motor vehicles parked outside. Anyway. The wedding was perfect, really perfect. It was beautiful and moving and most importantly everyone has a really good time, much helped by a group of rumbustious, gregorian Aussies who has come across for the wedding. If you don't know my dear cousin (Amerikan-jin) has married an Australian chap who is in my humble opinion a fine fellow indeed! But I cannot go into great detail otherwise I will never finish this post and it will be hugely long (I have to leave space for any possible rants).
Directly after the wedding I attended the Aussies last HURRAH on the mean street of Albuqeruque. It was some thing going on, apperently called 'spring crawl', one of the two nights a year Albuqerque is happening. I have never seen so many police at one time! Mounted police too! Entire side-street packed with police vans and cars! What did they think was going to happen? People can't go out and have a good time without a massive police presence? The bouncer of the bar we wound up in cheerfully told us someone has been shot in front of the bar last night.....maybe the police are needed?
After the wedding we drive upto my America family's home in the little (but growing) mountain town of Durango, Colorado. Almost immediately I was reminded of why I do really like America, the nature/wilderness! It is fantastic! As we drove out of the city along the Rio Grande there were beautiful adobe house set amongst elegant riverwood and cottonwood trees with their lively green spring leaves. From there on it got better and better. I love the crazy rock colours and formations that fill New Mexico. As we hit Colorado (I guess we were too busy looking at the scenery to see it coming!) thing immediately got greener and we could see towering snow topped mountains brooding in the distance wreathed in a mantle of raging storm clouds and lighting.
We stayed in Durango for a day or two, it is a lovely town, and although it has grown it maintians it charm. The centre is easily navigated on foot and much to my relief and pleasure they buildings were pleasant on the eye. The town has a very western feel which I like, the two old hotels on Main street (the General Palmer and the Strater) have fantastic Saloon bars. One can also buy John Wayne toilet paper in the gift shops printed with the slogan 'it's rough and it's tough and it doesnt take shit off anyone.' Please excuse me for the language. Durango is at about 6000 feet and early one morning I took it upon myself to go for a run. BAD IDEA. I ran straight up a hill that took about 20 minutes to crest. WORSE IDEA! I managed to run for another ten minutes after the hill before I had to sit down. My lungs were really burning, it was verging in painful. My lungs never approached feeling this bad during a whole marathon at sea level. Altitude training, man that must work!
Then we drove to an even higher town of Telluride which a drop of at John Waynes fav. cafe in the town of Ridgeway and cresting Molas pass (10910 feet). Molas pass is famous as the spot where I succumbed to the lovely, fresh, packable, shiny, white snow and hit my mum with a snowball at a good 15-20 metres distance! And caught it on video ;)). Telluride is also a great little town although quite a bit more up-market that Durango. It was hearted to find that the orgional local community is still going strong and fighting to save their valley floor from being developed by an evil defence company owning San Diegan. The mountains were stunning and the place had a very Alpine feel, really a great place to live. I can't wait to see Austria!
Since I have been back in Okinawa it has mostly been study study. It is cram time now. I did find time to do to a spa kind of place with Kelly. I think you call it a spa at least. It has lots of various types of pools of salt water with various water jets and bubbles going on, pretty fun. I couldn't work out the system in the changing room and didn't bring my towel into the shower room and had to walk back all wet to my locker leaving puddles everywhere but meh, these things happen. On Sunday I and Kelly went to a play put on by Izena people on the mainland. This is the play I mentioned a while back, the one I had to turn down a part in due to nerdy study reasons. I almost regretted it then! The play was marvellous! Very polished and professional looking and in a snazzy new theatre that was only completed this year. They poor souls did three back to back performances on the sunday and every one was packed to the rafters. Admittedly allot of Izenians went (Izena must have been empty) and I am guessing all their relatives who live on the main island went too but still it was a good show. They were selling t-shirts and cds and books on the play, it was quite the commercial operation! They also had a pamphlet showing Izena's various produce and stalls outside selling it. Pretty good marketing operation I thought! Ok I must go study now, boy I can't wait until these exams are over.

PS. I finally made a Shodo class and it was great! I learned most in those 2 hours than I have for weeks from the book I baught. It is not something one can really learn from a book I feel.

Returned from the land where everything is bigger to the land of the small and cute.The kilted ones at the wedding.
The beautiful setting for the wedding and the even more beautiful couple, awwww utsukushi ne!
I and assorted family and family friend up in the picturesque alpine-esque town of Telluride (high in the Colorado Rockies).
I have numerous, numerous pictures of mountain scapes, here is one of my favourites of a frozen lake.
Choo choo ... a view of the train as we rode up beside it before jumping aboard, yelling and whooping wildly, dynamiting the bank safe and relieving the flustered fan fluttering ladies of their shiny trinkets (always with the utmost courtesy) and finally leaping dramatically back onto our steeds and galloping off wildly discharging our pistols into the air!

Sashiburi da ne!
I have made it safely back to Okinawa after a most enjoyable time in America. It was great to see family again especially my dear old mum. I am thrust straight back into work (had to interview kids for the America homestay program less than an hour after I got off the ferry) and study (exams in a couple of weeks) so I will write about my wunderbar trip later and also the tragedy that befell me in Tokyo airport. I have posted some pictures to wet your appetite. I promise I will write soon!

My students on our nature field trip.
The boxing crab, instead of claws he has big fists like boxing gloves
Waving a fist at me! The cheeky blighter! Normally he would have a small white anemone on each 'fist', like little pompoms, unfortunately this fellow must have lost his.

Where to start this post. Well it seems fair I should start with what I was doing thursday, friday, saturday AND sunday. And that, more sensitive readers my want to took away or read while peeking through their fingers, has been frequently and sometimes violently relieving myself. Yes, yes I got a diarrhoea bug and now everyone knows. But I am fine today so HAH! I think I may have lost as much as 2kg, at least 1.5kg. A little scary. Anyway, it is all in the past now and I can get on with my life. It started on wednesday when I got a fever. It has be raining HEAVILY every so often here and I being without a car got very wet walking to school that day. As a result I was a little grumpy wednesday morning but I managed to wrestle my foul mood into submission and pull of the genki ALT trick for the kids. Then wed night the fever hit, I didn't take my temperature, not owning one of those new fangled thermo-meters, but the alternate burning and freezing was a clue. A curious thing happened and at around 4am is suddenly broke. Literally, I went from feeling terrible to, huh, I feel ok! So I went to the primary (elementary) school on Thursday and it was much fun. However it was then that the forceful faecal fun began. I did manage to go on a little nature trip with my junior high first year students that afternoon though. It helped that is was a lovely day. At this point I didn't think I was sick although I was wearing a jumpsuit and whooly hat while everyone else was in shorts and T. Everything is so clear in hindsight!
Thursday night was not a party and I was dubious about school the next day but again as dawn neared I felt better so off I trotted to pour English in the open orifices of my students(horrid image I know). I had three classes that day that were mostly my lessons so I was keen to go in. I didn't feel so bad actually and after classes managed to pack my bags, grace my porcelain throne for the last time, and catch the ferry.
And so it become to be I was on the big island. After brief but lurid deliberation I decided that unpredictable and very insistent pooping was not best for diving in a wetsuit and sadly we (I and Kelly) did not dive.
Kelly was sick too the poor mite, she has been sicker much longer than me and deserves all your sympathy. She started with infected sinuses but it has moved to the chest. Regardless we had a very pleasant weekend despite being two sickies. We got allot of errands done, my errands, sorry Kelly! I am going to AMMMMERRICA this thursday for my cousins wedding. Congrats Sheena! And congrats my soon to be cousin James! I am looking forward to it heaps, not only will I see my cousins and America family and Uncle Ron but my dear ol'Mum. I have been a most naughty boy and not been home yet, it has almost been two years! Yeah I am a bad kid I know, but........I don't really have anything to add after the 'but'. 'BUT' is a terrible word, it is a way of disclaiming all you just said (before the -but-) and even worse it helps maintain double think. I am trying to think of an example mmmmm. Well there is the obvious:
I am not racist but ...........!! ie. I don't like to think of myself as racist and I won't admit it BUT really I am (or at least have these racist views). I don't want to break my diet BUT I will have just a little of that cake, it looks soooo delish! I am not going to criticise you but you need to practice more. The French are wonderful people but............................
Well, OK, I am not sure where I am going with that and obviously in most instances the use of 'but' is perfectly innocent.
I watched two films over the weekend and those were, in no particular order, '300' and 'The last king of Scotland'.
Both were awfie awfie good in completely different ways. 300, if you don't know (yes I am going to gloat over all of those of you who didn't), is a rather newish type of film. The only thing real in the film are the actors, the rest, yes ALL of it, is computer generated. And let me tell you it looks gorgeous! I would really quite like to see it on the big screen. It doesn't always look real, and nor does it always try to look real, it is sometimes more beautiful than reality. It is about the battle of Thermopylae, when 300 Spartans stood up to the might of the Persian Army (250 000 plus) and gave them a good show (inflicting horrendous casualties) for three days before finally succumbing when they were betrayed and encircled. The reality is a little more complicated (there were maybe 7000 Greeks guarding the pass on the first 2 days and while most of these left on the last day 700 Thespians and 900 Helots remained with the Spartans) but the film is not trying to by a history lesson and is in fact based on a graphic novel based on a film based on the battle. I think this is a future or cinema. Perhaps not more artistic that traditional filming methods but it offers another way for directors to express themselves through their films. I liked it! I presented war as beautiful and morally simple, quite an illusion!
The other film, 'The last king of Scotland' dealt more with the complications of reality. Disturbing at times, funny at others, cracking film. I recommend you watch it.

Things that made me cheery this week:
Spending the weekend with Kelly.
The ex librarian running after me as I left the Board of Education building to give me a handful of cane sugar candies.
Catching a boxer crab while on the nature trip - I will post a pic later-.
Eating a Shakugai (shellfish, a bit like oyster) with a couple of my students at the beach (on nature trip).
A random old lady stopping to give me a lift to my house as I walked from the ferry on Monday.
Pooping solid again.


Things which made me frown:
Having to turn down a request from new primary school teachers to play badminton because I might have pooped myself.
The rain, especially when it got me wet.
Shodou class being cancelled because the books didn't arrive as the ferry didn't run.
Not getting to dive.
......but mostly the liquid pooping.

Take care you all!

Keep it real and POOP SOLID!

Craig

I just wrote a post yesterday, so if you have just checked my blog today go ahead and read the post below as well, if you feel like it of course.
I just have two little things I want to write about today, one a mite inconsequential and the other with too much consequence to really appreciate for most of us.
Lets start with inconsequential. I went for a run after school yesterday and while running I noticed a white dove in the road in front of me. Curious I thought, I don't think I have ever seen a white dove before, it was directly in my path and didn't seem in the slightest concerned about the panting simian bearing down upon it. So much so was it wholly unconcerned with any possible consequences of our collision that it elected not to move even one of its pretty white feathers. I in fact had to make a emergency detour around said bird while it stood immobile and quizzically observed me. Striking me as rather odd I was so affected as to stop running and turn to look back at the bird, it had not moved. Out of curiosity I walked back towards it, it was only when I got so close that I could have easily picked it up did it hop away a few feet and up onto the pavement. There is cocked its head at me and gave me an indignant look, I, remembering my manners, apologised for inconveniencing it, bid it good day and was on my way. I soon forgot about it as I had a wonderful stitch developing in my midriff. As I crested a hill I noticed a snow white cat by the road, as I ran past (only a foot or two away) it did not run but fiercely stared at me with piercing blue eyes. About ten metres later I was stuck by the coincidence of a white dove then a white cat, both of which did not run away. I stopped and turned, the cat was still there, unmoving as the bird had been. I approached cautiously. As I encroached to perhaps a yard from the cat and was about to introduce myself, remembering my manners as always, it suddenly upped and bolted! I was a little relieved and a little disappointed. And I must admit for the rest of the run I kept half an eye open for a possible third white animal.

My second 'thing' is something I saw on the news this morning. You probably all know about it, the fatal shooting of 33 people at a Virginia university campus. It is shocking! Horribly shocking. What drives somebody to commit such an act? What is it about a culture that has driven people to commit such acts not once but again and again not to mention the numerous columbine copy-cat massacres which were foiled? I am sure certain people in America have been asking hard questions about why the vast majority of school massacres have occurred in America, but surely a change can only come about when enough people ask the hard questions and look frankly at their culture and what has gone wrong. Something must be wrong! I don't mean to seem like I am on a high horse but I am just trying to express my horror and incomprehension, I don't have an answer I just pray enough people do. I am fairly sure it won't take a team of experts to create a new law or a profile to predict potential shooters and thus solve the problem, it is, in my humble opinion, bigger than that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_shooting
And a list of school massacres:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_School_Massacres
Grieve for the innocent victims but that isn't enough if it will happen again.
I am also distrubed by the reaction to the shooting by some, from CNN:
"Asked why the campus, which has more than 26,000 students, was not shut down after the first shooting, Flinchum responded that police determined "it was an isolated event to that building and the decision was made not to cancel classes at that time."
What does it take to shut down classes in America! A gunman on the loose is apparently not enough...
I also found the account of the massacre on the CNN website distasteful at best and at worst disturbingly complacent:
"The first crackle of gunfire shattered the Monday morning calm. It was 7:15 a.m. on the campus of Virginia Tech and an epic killing spree had just begun."
'Epic' can have the connotation of a glorious event which will be remembered through history, it certainly does not impress upon the tragedy of the event. And perhaps worse:
" fired about 30 shots in just 1½ minutes -- first blasting a professor in the head, then shooting the students."
'Blasting!' what is it this article about a movie, a computer game!? The media is a part of the problem without question.

Seiko sensei rocking it on the drums while wearing a kimono! Pretty darn cool.
I with some of my leaving elementary school teachers, sigh...it was good to teach with you guys, I will miss you. Especially Amec sensei, he was once described to me as like an out of control lawnmower, this is meant affectionately and is very true!

Good day to you lovely readers.
I had my first scuba experience! I and Kelly under the expert tutelage of Diving Dave successfully completed all the pool work for out PADI open water diving milarky. Yes it was all in a pool but none the less it was exciting to be breathing underwater. I and Kelly would take it in turns to go through the required activities, clearing a flooded mask etc. while under the watchful eye of Master Diver Dave. While I waited I was happily engrossed in exploring the difference experience of the underwater world. The heavy scuba equipment became 'weightless', movements were slow and graceful, hair waftily swished this way and that. Sounds were oddly transformed and loud. Next week we will complete the open water part of the course, and that will be in the sea. Much looking forward to that! The seas around Okinawa are amongst the best in the world, perhaps the best in Asia for diving. I expect there will be much of the wierd and wonderful to see. Already just via snorkling I have seen odd creature in abundance. From tiny delicate hydrozoa with a body shaped like a tear drop on about 1cm long and numerous tenticles that I am guessing were around a metre long to hideously ugly stonefish to a fleeting glimpse of a shark. That aside I managed to loose a number of things but get them back fairly quickly. I left my phone in the taxi from the ferry port to the bus terminal. The taxi was just disapearing around the corner when I realised and all I could do was curse my stupidity. I hailed another taxi of the same colour and asked if he could radio all taxis or something. This didn't seem possible but he let me try and call my phone on his phone, no answer! He told me that I aught to go the the taxi jimusho which I assume is the taxi homebase kinda thing. I didn't know where that was! Anyway it was time for my bus so I ran and caught that, I didn't want to have to wait another 30minutes! I did eventually manage to call the taxi driver who had my phone and by skilfully half guessing what he was saying arranged to have him leave my phone at the ferry port and not the taxi base. That night (Friday) I and Kelly ate at a nice little Italian restuarant and then went batting! It took me a while to get the hang of it, I think I have only wielded a baseball bat once before but I was enjoying towards the end. In fact perhaps it was me who insisted on a few more goes before we left ;). Saturday was scuba and I managed to loose my water bottle but we recovered it and then Sunday I came back to my island. I am much looking forward to my trip to the states in just over two weeks for my cousins wedding. I have not left Asia since July 2005! I hope I can cope with western culture! I may be popping the odd bow or two but I reckon I can disguise them as nods, nods are OK! I and Kelly have been planning our juant around Europe (yes it will be a jaunt and skipping will be involved). Maybe because having lived in a completely different culture for a while I am viewing Europe differently or maybe I have gained a sense of perspective but Europe seems an amazing place! It could simply be a result of viewing Europe through tourist websites but even taking that into consideration, wow! That is where I come from! Neat! From the inside it always seemed a bit.........hopeless and unexciting. Of course that was my perspective on it, somewhat coloured by living in Britain. Well anyway, something has put a new and exciting sheen on it all and I am eager to explore it some more! Awe inspiring cathedrals, romantic fairytale castles, grim an imposing medieval fortresses, cute cobbles streets, elegant boulevards and charming squares, exquisite palaces! And that is just the buildings! There is much planning to do and most of it will wait until we have the appropriate lonely planets but we have a rough route in mind. I am mostly excited about seeing cologne cathedral, Neuschwanstein and Eltz castles, Salzburg (home of Mozart and the sound of music), Florence (home of too much great art to write about but think Michelangelo's David and the birth of Venus), Venice and Rome. Of course there is too much to see in a month even and we will have to balance quantity with quality. Well anyway back to Japan. Our new librarian informed my today that there is a Shodou (Japanese caligraphy) class this Wednesday and I should go! Woot! I am excited, I will most certainly get myself and my brushes up there! Why oh why didn't I start this earlier! Ah well, let by gones be by gones! I was feeling a little down and stressed about Japan recently. I am not entirely sure why but it happens, living on a small island in a foreign (and it still is) culture can create stress for no apparent or obvious reason. The fact that I have to study so much doesn't help, the thought of coming home from work and just relaxing for the rest of the evening seems a remote luxury. Also I need to take some nenkyu (paid leave) but my new supervisor is proving very elusive. I have hopefully set up a meeting with him this Wednesday. Fingers crossed anyway. However the news about the Shodou has cheered me up, that and a couple of good classes this morning. The JTE left the lessons up to me so I got to inject some fun. I am looking forward to my first elementary school classes since the hols this thursday too. Always a highlight for the week, children are so much easier to handle before their hormones go rampant! My camera is working again! It wasn't really broken, the battery just needed replacing! Silly me! So I have finally got to see the pictures I took at the farewell party and have decided to post one, better late than never!
ps. The hairdresser on my island rocks. 二千円 (2000yen/20bucks/ten quid) for a haircut, a back and side with a cut throat razer, a hair wash and a back and shoulder massage. And it is a good haircut! In the UK my hair cutting experiences have been either of a cheap haircut, 5 quid, no hair washing just a no frills haircut or a more expensive cut (20-30+quid) where the quality of the haircut doesn't improve much but you get a latte or cappuccino or something and they pester you and try and make you straighten your hair or something silly (for a boy). Or in America where you get a decent cut but they tell you how lovely your hair is, how you are so lucky, then stick some funny product into your hair and then ask if you want to buy it (and you have to tip them). I prefer a no fuss good cut for a very reasonable price and a bonus massage, it is almost worth it just for the massage, thank you Japan!

It's friday morning and I will be hopping on the ferry to the BIG island in the afternoon, woot. Looking forward to my first scuba! Read this article if you have time please! I feel bad about the tuna in my fridge...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6549161.stm

　　　元気いっぱい？
Genki ippai?
So I have been trying to teach myself Shodou (Japanese/Chinese calligraphy). I guess it is really Chinese but Shodou is the Japanese name. The classes havn't matterialised yet. I was told there were classes every thursday, however it is not as simple as that. They were asking me if I wanted to take a test, and I could do that by mail from tokyo and how was Friday for lessons. I just want to practice a little bit for fun! The book on Shodou I got is pretty good though.

What else, ah all this studying has made me short sighted. No really! My left eye was a little short sighted before, but my right compensated and I could never not read anything or notice it unless I spent some time alternately closing one eye. But only after a few weeks of study I noticed a huge difference and I am quite short sighted now, I am pretty sure I would need glasses to drive if I took an eye test right now. It is a little worrying!

My new teachers are very genki ippai (full of beans), we had a marathon karaoke session after the welcome party on friday, it lasted until around 3am!

The knowledge that I am leaving soon(ish) and all this planning on what to do in the future is having a curious affect on my motivation here. On one hand I have more energy, I realise that my time is finite here so I want to make the most of it. However on the other hand my brain is full of future plans and Izena has almost been relegated to the past now, it is not something to invest my energies in because I will be leaving. Hopefully I go out with a bang!

However again due to having internalised the knowledge I am leaving I am starting to notice all the things about Japan that would be appear strange to people at home. The have TV shows that showcase experts who go into great detail on how to use a watering can, or how to walk up stairs! My favourite was a martial arts expert who demonstrated, at great length, the best technique to carry a handbag, his technique was based on the use of the katana (刀 - medium sized Japanese sword). Do Japanese people who come to the UK mock our feeble handbag carrying skills? In the course of my studies I had a unit on how national culture affects the business environment. Japan was rated by one fellow as a very masculine culture. 'Really?!' I thought. Later that night at the teachers party I noticed that all the men were sitting outside drinking while the female teachers were inside cooking, they went straight into the kitchen as soon as they arrived. Yeah...pretty masculine.

Today was the opening ceremony at the Junior High and the welcome ceremony for the new first year students. They all looked so small and cute in their Junior High uniforms! Sush I am a guy AND I can use the word cute! I will work on keeping their shogakusei genk intact!

Alright,
Craig out!

Sorry my camera is still broken so just phone pics. The above picture is very Okinawa to me, traditional Okinawan dance to honour the ancestors with the sea in the background, and a coral stone wall to boot. Sigh.....
Today the Shimi ceremony took place. I think that is what it is called. It was a ceremony to honour Shoen (king sho-en). I am sure you know he was an important Ryukyu (Okinawan) king who founded the longest running ryukyu dynasty and he came from Izena! Apparently, according to one of the other teachers, Izena has to do this Shimi to honour Shoen before they can do the same ceremony on Okinawa honto (the main island). I expect perhaps all the old Okinawan kings have to be honoured each year. It will appear in the Okinawa times, the local newspaper and last year it was televised as well. I didn't really appreciate it last year but I got to sit with all the old and important people in their black suit on the raised platform in from of the tomb.....wearing red trackies and a blue T-shirt - woops. I just copied everyone else, blowing, praying etc. In the picture of last years ceremony in the paper you can see my blonde hair poking up behind the black suited, black haired masses. This year I lurked in the background. Unlike last year there were also a few performances of traditional music and dance, I have posted a couple of pics for you viewing pleasure.

It was love at first sight!
I finally ate at the pizza place in Motobu, lovely view to eat pizza by!

Well I haven’t blogged in a while but my camera is broken! How can I post without pictures! Pictures from my phone will have to suffice. I don’t think (hope) my camera is badly broken, I think it is just the door to the battery sd card compartment. First when it wouldn’t turn on I just need to open and close it a few times but now it won’t go on at all. Pretty sure the warrantee is over but I will take it to a shop here. See if they can work some magic.

I spent a long weekend on the mainland. Didn’t accomplish much but I enjoyed it which is the main thing right? I and Kelly did do our theory test for the PADI open water scuba license we are going to get. Pretty excited about that, no diving next weekend but we will do our diving over the following two weekends and then be licensed open water divers! Sweet! Don’t expect any wonderful underwater pictures as there is no way I can afford a underwater camera housing right now, assuming my camera gets fixed. I am trying to save for after Japan, plus paying for the course I am studying plus a trip to the states, not really rolling in the dough at the moment.

I pretty much have to spend all my free time studying these days, I am still enjoying it but only just, perhaps it is more that I am used to it. It will feel odd not to get home and immediately settle down with my books and plan out my evenings study.

I and Kelly played some good April Fools jokes on Sunday, I got Andy well and good. We are still awaiting the results of one joke.

My school is awash with new teachers. I am a little sad that the old teachers whom I had grown fond of are gone, I doubt I will get to know these teachers very well before I leave. Perhaps that kind of thinking leads to a self-forfilling prophesy?

When not studying I am thinking about the future, what am I going to do! And what is this thing we call ‘the future’? Why do we fear it so much, why do we spend all our time preparing for it? Will it actually ever come? And when not preparing for it we are trying to delay and postpone it, is that really possible? Depends on your definition of future of course; ah... the inaccuracy of human language. One can certainly delay future events and that is mostly what we try and do.

Rational thoughts aside from my perspective my future is hurtling towards me at an alarming pace. There is bound to be a collision with the little life I have build up here, I suppose it will happen on the 24^th of July. To be honest I am rather excited by it, plans are slowly developing.

The initial plan is travel and fun! Not so scary! I and Kelly will see Europe and then toddle over to Scotland. Hopefully Kelly will like the wee lochs and glens of my home.

Then after Christmas is done, I missed the last two at home so looking forward to this year (wow, its only april I am looking forward to Christmas already….scary), it is time to volunteer! Time to do my little bit and make the world a better place. And perhaps do some nice things to write on my CV (resume for Americans). I have been trawling the web looking for the perfect place to volunteer for quite some time now. I thought I had found it in Guatemala. They offered a variety of projects including environmental ones (for me) and were low cost, however after reading the foreign office travel guide to Guatemala I was shaking in the boots! It seems like if you go there you will be robbed, raped and murdered within minutes. Public transport was particularly dangerous, fair enough, but private cars were stopped at gunpoint too! Mmmm not so good. I know that the foreign office always writes fairly scary descriptions of any poorish country but it seemed rather scarier than most. What tipped it was the list of crimes committed against foreigners in Guatemala in the last 11 months (supplied by the US embassy there) and the various reports of armed muggings on all the tourist sites I went to. So sorry Guatemala! Ecuador was a little better but not by much. After some looking I ‘discovered’ Bolivia! It seems relatively safe and is the poorest country in south America, who more deserving of my altruism! So it seems likely that is where we shall go! Next steps plan what I will do there and fundraise! The fun never ends!

After that…….actually I do at least know what I want to do! It has taken me a long time with many wrong turns and ventures up dead ends but I now have a pretty good idea of what I want to do. Do you want to know? Possible, it is rather hard to tell from where I am sitting. Ah well, I wish to study environmental science (masters) and pursue a career in that field. Most likely with an environmental consultancy firm but perhaps with government or a firm large enough not to need outside consultants for it environmental planning etc. And before you ask NO! I did not get this idea after watching ‘an inconvenient truth’. It has been bubbling away for a while. The next question is where and by what means of funding. I had long thought (since I spend a year on exchange at UCSD) about studying in the states and it is still an option albeit an expensive one. There are many sources of financial aid for grad students in America but as an international student I will face a higher bar to get them. It is still on the cards, however I probably shouldn’t completely overlook British universities either, we do have some pretty good ones (including the number 2 and 3 in the world). Oxford have a number of interesting environmental masters programs however I shan’t hold my breath about getting in there! Sigh…it would be nice though. For the moment I can dream!

Here’s to dreaming!

As it is in keeping with my previous post check out what the Honda F1 (Formula one) racing team have done. Instead of having corporate sponsors all over their car as other teams ubiquitously have they have done something a little bit special.
http://www.myearthdream.com
They have a map of the world painted on the car made up of tiny pixels. Each pixel is in fact someone's name. You can get your name on the car of you go the the above website and make a pledge and donate some money to the myearthdream trust. It is at least worth looking at the pledges to see what one can do to reduce ones carbon footprint. Also there is a neat map thing on the site where you can see which pledges people have chosen from which countries.

Aye
waaatsu iiii kuraku?

I do not have an awful lot to share but I am a generous soul and I will share what I have. Well if you must know I imbibed biru last nite and watched rugby. No I didn't go back to Scotland but my friend finally got around to inviting me to watch rugby. He has sky perfect and could watch all the 6 nations games which he kindly recorded for me! Unfortunately he has been awffie busy with work recently (as is the norm in this country - even on my island people regularly work 60 hours plus a week and don't take many holidays). I was settling down to some study but I could not pass up the chance and I had managed 3 hour of study at that point which is better than a kick in the derrière. Well to cut a long story short it was a fun night and now I am paying for it. I really didn't want to get up this morning. But I have a sadistic gregorian imp who will pinch me if I don't get up early. If you also have a sadistic gregorian imp please let me know and we can form an informal support group. If you (a sadisitic gergorian imp owner) exist YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you don't exist I AM ALONE! WAaaaah!
Sadistic gregorian imps aside.
I went to the mainland this weekend as is my wont. I often want to do my wont. I also had deep and incisefuly insightful thoughts on decision making. You may not think that is very interesting however I beg that you reconsider your rash judgement! Your ability to decision make will directly affect your life what you do and how happy you will be/are! We are constantly making decisions in limited time and with imperfect information, no wonder we get it wrong so often! Decision making is also done at a cultural level, and although we have made many brilliant decisions as a culture we are not getting them all right. I plan to post my thoughts later (actually I am not sure what they were, I was falling asleep when stuck by them so I jumped up, jotted them down in my rather handsome black leather bound journal and promptly resumed falling asleep and forgot all about my great thoughts - they may well be, in fact, a small pile of poo) but speaking of bad decisions we have taken as a society/culture - GLOBAL WARMING. Yes it is old news for many of us, but that doesn't mean it has gone away and that doesn't mean it is not getting worse and worse AND WORSE! For those of you for whom it is new news.......no comment. I admit with much guilt it had been pushed to the recesses of my mind too. Although my conscience is comforted by the knowledge I have a pretty small carbon footprint...relatively speaking of course. I don't drive a car, I don't leave electric appliances on standby, I take my own bag grocery shopping, I.......try not to use disposable chopsticks.....I.......yeah so I am not doing very much actually. I feel a bit bad. This was all brought on by watching 'An inconvenient truth' with Kelly. Thanks for suggesting we watch it Darling! I advise you all to watch it. It is very relevant and timely. I suppose it applys more to Americans than anyone. The Chinese too. Please guys stop using massively outdated and dirty coal burning power plants. Australia too, highest per capita CO2 emissions tut tut! So well yes go watch the movie. Then reduce your own carbon emissions and elect responsible politicians. The alternative is simply not acceptable and if there is anything you hold dear in the world we need to change before it all gets mucked up. It really is a moral decision (as Mr.Gore quite rightly says). I was impressed how fuel efficient Japanese cars were (very!) and amused that Chinese cars are more fuel efficient than American ones! America cannot sell many cars to China because they are not fuel efficient enough! I was also heartened to see that being a little environmentalism is in fact good for business at least not too bad and at least in one industry. Fuel efficient Japanese car makers (toyota, nissan etc.) are growing strongly while makers of fuel guzzling car makers (ie. ford, GM etc) are in fact in pretty serious economic trouble! Get rich and save the world! Actually from an environmental point of view I don't think this whole thing is amazingly bad. Life has survived super volcanoes and giant meteor strikes. Mass extinctions have been regular and arguably have played an important and essential role in the development of life (at least for life as we know it). Life has happily lived through periods much hotter than now and much colder than now. Life will survive. Global warming will mainly hurt us. People. It is already hurting us but we are to busy acquiring stuff to notice. Stuff is nice but there are many, many other wonderful aspects to life. Oh where am I going with this rant! Just go watch the movie, it is nothing new, nothing we havn't known for years and years, but it calls for what is needed and what is needed is something new; a responsible human race....is that possible? Individually people are great, I quite like many people, in fact many of my best friends are people. But as a whole (me very much included) we make some stinkers of decisions. So meh. Oh yah, also I have finally got around to trying Shodou (Japanese brush caligraphy). Yes yes, I am about to leave Japan and I finally get interested in learning about the culture. Whatever. Better late than never! I bought all the equipment and a book on how to do it and have been using it as my study break activity. I was also excited to find out there is a shodou class every thursday on my island! For kids but that is perfect for me! I wish I had found out about this sooner! Perhaps I shall post some of my shodou attempts later!

Take care
Barnabas Primbottom

Ps. If you thought my opening sentence is in Japanese think again.

pps. A story from last nite. Apparently Britain's unenviable reputation for awful food has got as far as Japan. My friend asked me about it and I tried to explain. I explained how traditional British food is yummy but that now people are so busy, lifestyles have changed and how big supermarkets have taken over and fresh local produce is hard to find. He accepted this but when I told him that it was also because British women also want jobs, so as neither men nor women cook the food is bad! This stuck a cord and he enthusiastically agreed telling me it was the same in Japan...while his wife was busy cooking away in the kitchen. His wife asked him how she was and he graciously told her she was a good cook. I was a little surprised as on Izena at least women stay in the kitchen and cook and serve beer to the men who sit and eat and drink. If I am invited around to someone's house to dinner the wife stays in the kitchen, if another husband and wife come to the dinner the wife goes to the kitchen to help, the man sits down and tucks in. It may be different in the rest of Japan. Anyway he told me how food was very important and how it was important to get a girl who can cook. I agreed with him whole heartedly on the food thing and told him that was why I myself try to learn to cook. They both both this was hilarious and I don't think they quite believed me. Japanese men probably feel rather sorry for us westerners. He also thought it was very funny I was trying shodou asking me if I didn't think it was boring. Silly western men who don't have women to cook and serve them, who do silly boring things like shodou when they should be busy being served things like beer and sake and making great big sucking noises with their mouths. Silly western men! Hah! Whatever I like shodou and Kelly, although you have cooked me some delish things it is not a factor in determining whether I like you or not.