Diluvian Tales: Snakes in Miyako

There aren't any. While other Ryukyu islands (Ishigaki, Iriomote, Okinawa, etc.) do have snakes, Miyako doesn't. Sources say that relative sea levels were higher in previous eras and much area of the islands was previously underwater. Miyako, being the geographical oddity that it is (it is extremely flat), was likely entirely submerged while the higher elevations of other islands remained above the water. Snakes (and presumably other animals) found refuge from the sea there, but no such purchase was to be found in Miyako.

However, we still have sea snakes. And they sure are curious about humans in the water.

EDIT: Apparently there are land snakes on the island. And a few sea snakes pursued us in the water today (13 MAR).

A Post for Posting's Sake

Hey, it's your boy on this island of the southern East China Sea.  I'm not doing much right now-- it's been a slow day at school-- but I am getting a fair bit of studying done.  My goal is to pass the second level Japanese language proficiency test this year (this summer at the earliest), so I've got plenty of preparation to do.  I found a few good study books (here’s one) and am having a go at it.  About this particular book, though: I am startled at how well it fits my current Japanese ability.  While the entire book is written in Japanese, each of the 173 individual grammar points is followed by an explanation that is concise and straightforward.  That is, I'm not having to learn new grammar to simply read the provided explanations of new grammar.  There is plenty of kanji, but it is accompanied by plenty of furigana.  As I study the grammar I record any new words I encounter, so it is a pretty decent way to study, I figure.

People I've talked to recently have probably heard me gloat about how warm it is here.  It is warm here.  However, today is a bit cloudy and cool.  Being an island, it's got some rapidly changing weather patterns.  That smells oxymoronic.  Anyway, you never know what's going to happen over the course of the meterological day, especially in the off months (i.e., not the 8 months of summer and not the 1 month of winter).  I should have taken the motorcycle to school today, but I didn't, fooled as I was by the gray skies.

Fun fact: I buy most of my study supplies at the convenience store.  Here is where I launch into an account of how convenience stores in Japan are different from those in the States.  First, the ones in Japan are usually well-kept.  They are not usually paired with gas stations.  You can pay your bills at them.  They also feature an assortment of foods that I hesistate to call fresh, but may actually be so (if you've ever been to Wal Mart or Kroger and seen those prepared and date-stamped deli items you have a good idea of what is found at these convienience stores).  You'll still get fat and die if you eat conbini (Japanese term for the stores) food all the time, but it is probably still better than Joyfull.  Anyway, the conbini also have tons of other quality convenience merchandise, including, namely, one of my favorite brands, 無印良品 (mujirushiryouhin -- 'no mark/label/brand quality goods').

Say it.  mujirushiryouhin.  moo-jee-roo-shee-rr-yoh-heen.  Again.  

mujirushiryouhin

I like how my made-up transliteration is more difficult to digest than the proper romaaji spelling (italics).  It helped not at all.

One more time: mujirushiryouhin.  It's fun.  It's also a line of clean, elegant, and reasonably priced products for your body, home, and office.  I like their writing elements and use them exclusively.  With the matching aluminum pen case.  Exquisite.  My notes explode with vibrant color.

You know, there are many words I still can't pronounce correctly.  For example, I still can't properly say 論理学 (ronrigaku - 'logic as a study').  Yeah, esoteric, I know.  But in my line of work, it's plum(b) necessary.  As a philosophy major, you never know when you'll have to justify your chosen line of study to some assailant in a foreign language-- when you do, you need every possible asset.

I break out ronrigaku whenever I have to get into it with someone.  It's a gamble, though: I typically end up saying something on a spectrum between 'lonely-gah-koo' (very sad) and 'rr-ohn-ree-gah-koo' (mentally impeded), preferably tending toward either extreme.  This leads the assailant to dismiss me as a blathering idiot and the issue, from his perspective, is settled.  Blathering idiots cannot hope to justify themselves, after all.  Afterwards I usually continue attempting to say the word (to myself).  This exacerbates others' perceptions of me.

I'm about to call it a day, but first I must say that I really like what I'm doing here.  The workdays afford me enough time to do some language study (which makes me a better teacher and co-worker), and the teaching itself is enjoyable far more often than not.  It's a great learning opportunity for both myself and the students, and I continue to have a lot of enthusiasm for it even through these grayer months.  The third year students are going to graduate in a few days, so I've got several ceremonies to attend.  I'll be back at ya shortly.  Peace.

The other day,

someone asked me when I was going to leave this place.

Heh.

A Whale-like Voice

So, they (members of the local board of education, my employer) thought it would be super kokusaiteki, or an otherwise good idea, to have me play banjo (very exotic) during the intermission at this term's junior high school English storytelling contest. 

Here's the thing: they wanted a complete show featuring me, a set of songs, and singing.  

I'm a terrible singer.  My Most Excellent Friend Eli describes my voice as 'cetaceous.'  Yes, I pulled a fast one on someone in the JET Programme selection process: I don't have "excellent intonation, rhythm, pronunciation, and volume", or whatever is called for.  I sound like a whale, and though whales sing in their way, it is a style that is fairly inaccessible.  Like enka.*

Perhaps it is best described as not being entirely unlike the sound of a shitty practice amp whose bass knob is cranked up as the remaining tonal knobs are turned extremely off.  That is, it can sound loud and deep, yet it is  somehow inherently muffled.  It's been a blessing and a curse since my youth.  No, I take that back-- it's given me an unbelievable amount of shit.  Mostly in the form of my dad yelling at me for mumbling all the time.  And I can't sing.

So,

Clearly they had no idea what they were getting into.  Sure, sure, I can play a few crappy songs on my crappy banjo with my crappy technique, but asking this guy to sing is agressively reckless.  One could really sour the mood of the event by doing this sort of thing.  And it's a day for the children, you know.

Still I reluctantly accepted the task because, well, I had already done this sort of thing for one of my schools.  They had a schoolwide musical presentation in which I was called up to play "Country Roads."

Little did you know, all Japanese people are familiar with "Country Roads"; that is, KANTORII ROUDO(ZU).  It was a safe choice.

Anyway, I did it.  It was fine because the audience simply consisted of my students (who already know how cool I fail to be) and grandparents of said students.  I could have gone on stage and hula-hooped for 3 minutes and been met with applause.  It wasn't fine because someone surreptitiously shot a video and committed it to Digital Versatile Disc (DVD).  Not that anyone has or will ever watch it-- it's probably sitting in a cabinet at the school.  I'm still uneasy.

The board of education was aware of this whole affair.  I decided it would be socially costly, if not rude, to decline their request for me to play, regardless of how much of an ass I anticipated making of myself.

With the actual contest weeks away, I had ample time to practice up and prepare a set list.  So I waited until the day before the show to do all of that.

I decided to break out the guitar for one of the songs, Old Crow Medicine Show's "Big Time in the Jungle."  No demanding singing there, and I like the song.  On the banjo front, I readied "Rocky Top" (feebly reppin' for TN) and KANTORII ROUDO (why waste time learning a new song?). 

Despite the changes and my newfound, cleaving decisiveness about what to play, I became extremely nervous as the performance approached.  Really nervous.  I made it a point to express my unease to every person I encountered regardless of whether the conversational context suited it.  I felt like hadn't prepared well enough.  Which I hadn't.

When I finished teaching that day, I decided to do what little practice I could manage.  Half-panicking, I went outside and proceeded to go through the material.

It didn't take long for students to start gathering around me to listen.  They emerged gradually, two or so at a time.  This was fantastic because it helped me get used to the idea of performing in front of lots of people.  Eventually the resident third year (our 9th grade) rockabilly guitar dude came up.  I gave him the guitar and asked him whether he knew KANTORII ROUDO.

As if there were any question about the matter. 

We jammed on that shit for 10 minutes.  Everyone joined in and sang Engrish on the chorus, and I held the verses together while turning out some decent banjo rolls.

Rocking out with the students really turned my world around.  I felt all genki and like myself again.  This isn't meant to imply that I thought I could play the songs better-- it was just that I cared less about whether I sounded good and cared more about rocking.  So, lots of positive energy was received at that moment, and it got me psyched up for the performance.  As for the performance itself, I don't know how good it sounded, but at least I didn't forget any lyrics.  One of my teachers stepped up and played guitar on KANTORII ROUDO (because everyone knows...) as I did my thing.  I even did an extra song when the intermission ended up running longer than expected.  Anyway, I'm not sure that I could have done it without kicking it with the students first.  

Thanks.

* ZING, JAPAN!  Or not.

Potentially unsatisfying

But really I can only take one prune at a time, regardless of whether it is individually wrapped.

Onion-salt rice with pork and coconut chicken curry

This plus salads and drinks for less than 2000 yen.

Laid Back Cafe

Cafe near my place

I like the style ofthis place.

A principal gets the students jazzed up for an ekiden.

I can write from my phone now.

Grand.

Non-sequiturs and 28 JAN 2009

The other day we were visited by a pair of pianists from Okinawa.  Actually, they are sisters and are originally from Miyako, and while back on the island they decided to drop in at a few schools and play some piano for the students. 

Anyway, after several songs they called up volunteers one at a time to play alongside them at the piano.  The collective mind of the auditorium's occupants (except that of myself-- the slot in my brain for the Nippon Mental Net Transponder is greedily occupied by an All-American Rugged Individuality Unit) pushed a certain sannensei to the front as the first victim.  He played a single repeating, droning note for a bit as one of the professional pianists played a complex pattern.  He soon returned to his seat and the show went on.

After the recital, I asked the student (in Japanese) what he thought about the experience.  He turned and said "Florida, yes, and California."

Sorry.  What?

I stumbled away in hopeless confusion.  

Actually, I'm really not confused about this.  Many students don't actually listen to what I am asking (whether it is Japanese or English) and simply respond with whatever English words pop into their heads at the moment.  Don't get me wrong-- they have absolutely zero regard for meaning, so whatever shit they come up with usually makes me laugh.  But it's kind of frustrating too.  So, as for me, hopeless, yes, but not confused.  It's another reason to never put any effort into connecting with the kids at this school.  

But I have to.

-=-=-=-=- For those who are interested, asking 'Was it fun?' (TANOSHIKATTA? 楽しかった？) in Japanese sounds nothing like any English phrase I am aware of, much less any phrase referencing coastal states.