Not All Who Wander Are Lost: What Happens in the Inaka

I survived the office days without beating my head in the wall from boredom. There were a lot of office member changes in staff. No one in my area is different; I am very lucky. We lost seven members and gained five. Two of the changes are nice. One man was a principal at one of my elementary schools and the father of a friend of mine. Another man happens to be a very good English speaker. But I will miss seeing the familiar faces of those who have been here since I arrived in Japan. The one I will miss the most is Mr. Inada. He is a lovely man who has helped me so much. Last summer he gave me the little table and chairs in my kitchen. We talk most often during enkai's when his English comes together. His favorite singer is Enya, so at every karaoke session he requests that I sing "Wild Child." At the office farewell/welcome enkai a week ago, he sang "Wild Child" with me. Afterwards he got teary-eyed, thanking me and saying he will miss me. Ah, such a tender moment. An office member said he will invite Mr. Inada to my farewell enkai in July. I hope that he is there.

Last Friday I was invited to an enkai with the Kikugawa Youth Association. I hadn't seen most of these people since last summer. Very fun time, as you can see. Because I can carry a tune, I feel in a way I redeemed myself with these friends. As the night progressed, I was a one-man show, taking requests that ranged from Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and the Beetles.

Soon after this was taken, the guy who's mouth is wide open told me he loved me. Ha, I took that as an internationalization opportunity to tell him that "love" in English has a much stronger meaning than "dai suki." He felt pretty embarrassed after that, but probably not too embarrassed since he had been drinking so much.

This past Tuesday I went to a party at the nursing home. Some musicians from Mongolia were there doing entertainment for the elderly and afterwards for the staff. They were all very nice and spoke fluent Japanese, much to my chagrin. A good opportunity for Japanese practice, though.