The weather outside is very grotty today. It has been raining heavily all day, and all of yesterday too. It is properly cold now too, and I had thought that once it gets cold the rain stops but it seems to overlap a bit. I have been told that it will be very dry by christmas though.
Once we got our driving licences we went down tot he Izu peninsula for a weekend. We stayed at a lovely hotel with an outdoor Onsen (like a hot bath only everyone is naked and very very clean) and views over the ocean. We even slept on a futon which was far more comfortable than I expected. I had 4 onsens in 2 days and the best nights sleep in ages!
We drove down in a hire car with another couple of friends. Will did most of the driving, and did a very good job, especially since we were following another car driven by Brendan, a crazy australian who changes lanes at a moments notice. We almost got stopped by the police because we were speeding to keep up with Brendans car, but they changed their mind and just passed us after we pulled over. We think it was probably because they saw us turn around in the back of the car, realised we were Gaijin (foreigners) and decided it was too much bother. Unfortunately this meant we lost Brendan and spent the next 20 mins trying to find him.
When we got back it was all hands on deck preparing for Family Festival. This is like the school fete, only the parents all get really involved and run stalls selling all the different foods and drink from their home countries. Since there are about 50 nationalities at ISSH, this is quite an event. I am singing and playing various bits and pieces in the faculty band, so I had to be there at 7.30 to set up, then on duty 10-4 and 2 hours of specific shifts in the middle. By the end of the day I was dead on my feet but it was a good day. The school raised 14 million yen through the day, which was especially impressive since it was - you guessed it - raining all day. keeping the water out of the PA and all the guitars was an all day job. Fortunately, since we were playing outside and the weather was grim, very few people heard our set so we are able to keep most of the same songs for the christmas party. Every cloud...
Will's mom was here for that weekend but she was staying in a hotel about 40 mins bus ride away. We went over a lot and saw her as much as possible, then she went off sight-seeing around the country. She stayed with us for the last few days and we had a great time showing her all the sights, but we were so tired by the time she left. Even so it was fun and we got the spare room sorted so other people can come now.
Our Japanese lessons mini course has finished now. I have got a load of cards with conversation snipets written down, and translations for lots of things like how to change the air con to a heater (very useful right now) and have got very good at directing taxi drivers. I have got a flat tyre on my bike and a rash on my face to match some sort of weird reaction my eyes have had for a few weeks. At one point I had 4 different types of drops in my bag. The doctors here are excellent though, very thorough, so hopefully the latest ones will clear it up. We will see what happens with my skin though. I know a lot of people react to japanese cedar so maybe that is it. I have been sneezing a lot so you never know.
This weekend I was playing piano accompanying 2 seniors from school in a singing competition. I had forgotten how nervous I get when I play for people I know! There was a recital on friday for the entire high school plus staff ( I didn't know about this when I agreed to play for them). As I sat down at the piano, I could hear my 9th graders on the floor next to me going " is that Mrs George?!" "I didn't know she played piano!" and "can you see how much she's shaking!". Great. Lets just say it wasn't my best ever peformance. When the time came to go up for the second girl, I was terrified and focused on the fact that I had only ever practised with her once cos she never showed up, and she had learned the piece with the music teacher, so I wimped out and asked that teacher to play. It seemed sensible as she knew the piece and I didn't! The next day was the competition, and since there was nobody I knew there and I wasn't worried about the second girl (who incidentally didn't make it to the competition - and her name is Rain. Apt.), I played much better. Phew. The kid gave me Y10,000 in gift vouchers to say thankyou too, which shocked me! I was very grateful. I am getting an electric piano from Will and his Mom for christmas, so at least if I do it again I will be able to learn the pieces and practice properly. I can't wait.
Our main thought now is names for our band at the christmas party. My favourites so far are "Affray in a Manger" and "we who sing disorient are". Any suggestions will be gladly received!
