It's Saturday afternoon, a blessed day off, and the beginning of the holidays here in Matsue; councelling week at AEON begins next week, so except for a couple of private lessons, I won't teach again until January 5. I have a lot to absorb, after three weeks of immersion into teaching and a new culture. I am suffering a little from culture shock, and, as could be expected, suffering my "first Christmas away from home", as Stan Rogers sang. I've been having really vivid dreams, some great, some very disquieting.

 

After work last night, dying for some relaxation, I went down the street to Kaya, a bar often frequented by foreigners that Neal had pointed out to me. It was empty at 10pm, except for the owner/bartender Seiji, who hastily put aside his guitar as I entered. Kaya is small and simple, with two long benches with mismatched chairs, a couple of smaller tables, and a long bar with lots of stools and (thank the stars!) a free Internet station. The plaster walls and wooden shelves were cluttered with bric-brac from all over the world and posters with hand-written notes attesting to the hospitality of Kaya and her owner. Seiji himself is a heavy-set, broad-faced Japanese man in his late thirties who speaks very good English. He apparently teaches some beginner English classes at the university. I asked him for a Japanese drink, because I'm very frustrated by my inability to read any labels in the beer/wine section at the supermarket or on menus, so I haven't sampled any local drinks. He brought me something (umi-something; the name escapes me, but I remember "umi" means "plum") made from plums and served on ice. It was delicious. A little while later, another Japanese guy who Seiji knew well came in on his way home from work, and a woman named Yuko who clearly learned her English in Australia came in a little later. They both worked in different libraries in Matsue. We chatted for a while, but I was too really tired to make small talk. I tried something else, a little stronger; it had less taste, but was served in a clay cup over ice. Seiji warned me to drink it slowly. He's a beer guy himself. Apparently a lot of the foreign community went home for the Christmas break, explaining why Kaya was quiet, although Seiji seemed puzzled that it wasn't busier.

 

On my way home, I saw the Matsue nightlife for the first time. I had passed through this section of town on walks during the day before, when these little side streets seemed narrow, crooked, and kind of colourless and shuttered. Now the streets were alive with people, many of them well on the way to being very drunk (Japanese workers live by the maxim "work hard, play hard") but very cheerful. Bright lights and glowing signs and lamps contrasted with the darkness, and there was a lot of noise. Despite it all, I felt quite quite safe. I was very tired, and felt quite far away from it all. I was happy to get home to bed. 

 

Today I slept late, and had a quiet morning. I aired out my futon and bedding on the little balcony, and drank tea from my new little teapot. Then I came here to the Kunibiki Messe, where a huge "Christmas party" (more like a craft fair) is happening. The International Centre is also having a Multicultural Forum, so I had a chance to try on a traditional kimono, laughing and making limited conversation ("pretty!", "you are cute!", " 'aka' is 'red'!") with the women there. I have pictures. They encouraged me to walk around and show people in the hallway. Let me tell you, a 'gaijin' in a kimono attracts A LOT of attention in Japan. People were very friendly, and wanted to talk, but usually I had to apologize since I couldn't understand them. I also made tea in the traditional way in an abbreviated version of the tea ceremony. I also watched a tiny little girl get dressed in a miniature kimono - cute!

 

Outside the International Centre, I ran into Yuko, one of my students, with her 6-month old son, Akinari, who is very charming. Yuko has been very kind to me, and I like to talk with her; I hope I get to know her better. she came to the International Centre because she is interested in tutoring people who want to improve their Japanese. I think she'd be very good at it. Speaking of lessons, I had my first lesson with my tutor Fujii yesterday. Japanese promises to be very hard to learn!   

 

I'll talk to you all again soon. Happy holidays

 

Love,

 

Sarah