No matter where I've been before, I always made it back home for the holidays (or at least travelled with family at the time), but this year I'll be spending my winter break with the next best thing: good friends :D. I'm going to Hong Kong on December 23rd (the Emperor's birthday) with my Osakian buddy Takashi and then meeting up with, among others, Josh and Geoff, my dear Queen's housemates and eses for life. It'll be a fun trip, but it would probably be even better with my family. Miss you guys.
In the spirit of Christmas, I gave a 'Christmas in North America' lesson to several 1st grade classes at one of my junior high schools this Wednesday and Thursday, which was met with mixed responses. One class had seemingly no interest in anything I was saying, and the teacher almost peed her pants when I said we eat mandarins (what's so funny about that...?) on Christmas Eve. Other classes, however, were attentive and interested in how Santa gets into houses without chimneys, etc. With a crowbar, obviously.
At this same school, the staff room was almost overrun by a bunch of 'panic' 3rd years (age 14-15), as one teacher called them, who unlike the troubled teens back home that cut themselves or join gangs, unleash their inner hurt by harassing teachers and vice principals, kicking furniture, slamming doors, brandishing scissors, and ripping into people of authority with language that would make the character 'Bird' from The Wire wince.
Last night some coworkers and I were invited to dinner at another coworker's place. It was a beautifully modern house newly built this July, with a new puppy to boot. Turns out my coworker's parents run a sashimi restaurant (or store?) so that was essentially the menu. Combined with the 3-month puppy that felt like a stuffed toy, it was a very enjoyable evening.
