Well folks I made it two weeks before missing a newsletter. My bad. Expect more of this behavior from me unfortunately.
However, there wasn’t much to tell last week due to an uneventful week at work and bad weather over the weekend.
This week has been more eventful. First, I’ve been helping three students in ESS (English Speaking Society) club prepare for a speech competition. Well, their competition was last weekend and we took home 1st and 3rd place! I spoke to the student that got first and he said that it was all because of the help I gave him and I may have shed a tear :’). Of course, I had very little to do with it. These kids are insanely smart. Imagine writing a compelling speech in a foreign language, memorizing it, and then delivering it with better pronunciation, grammar, and stage presence than most adults. That’s what these kids are like and thank goodness because it makes my job 100000x easier.
Also, as part of my contract, I get a couple days off each term for “cultural furlough” in order to explore more of the culture and geography of Ishikawa (my prefecture, like the state that I live in). I took my summer furlough this past Wednesday and Thursday to visit Wajima, a smallish fishing town in the northern part of the prefecture. This was my first solo trip and while it was definitely nerve-wracking, I also had a lot of fun.
The first day, I explored some of the natural scenery of Wajima by walking the length of the coastline. I found some beautiful mountains, harbors, rocks, and beaches! I will admit, the beach made me a little homesick for Charleston, but it was still fun nonetheless. Later, I took a bus out to the Shiroyone Senmaida Rice Terraces. “Senmaida” literally means “a thousand rice paddies”, and it delivered. I stayed there for about an hour to explore and catch the sunset there. The whole field is maintained by volunteers and it’s been designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty.
After getting back to town, I found a street lined with food stalls and got some takoyaki for dinner, which is dough balls filled with octopus and topped with worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. It was interesting, but good. I then visited my first onsen (hot springs) for a bath. On my way out, I heard the sound of distant taiko drums and followed the music until I found myself in the middle of a parade. Turns out this week was also the Wajima Taisai Festival. It’s four nights with each night honoring a different Shinto shrine from the area. The night I was there, they set a large structure on fire, then waited for it to fall down so that onlookers could fight to claim the flags from the top of the structure and be named the “bravest”. During this festival, I also randomly met 7 other expats that are also teachers through the same JET program! Such a weird coincidence but yay for new friends.
The next day, I explored the morning market and some stores in town and then visited a craft workshop where I was able to carve my own chopsticks with a gold powder design. My hands are still sore, but I love experiences like that where you get to actually try your hand at the craft yourself.
After returning home, I didn’t do too much but I did try yakiniku (where you grill your own meat) and okonomiyaki (essentially a pancake). They were both delishhhhh. At the yakiniku restaurant, my friend and I met the owner of the restaurant who was super super nice and wanted to practice English. He gave us samples (I even tried beef tongue, which was shockingly very yummy) and a discount and invited us back! Cultural exchange!
Looking forward to sharing more yummy meals!