...you try to take money out of an ATM machine and can't figure it out. And you can't ask for help either, 'cause no one understands you. It's a humbling and embarrassing experience. I soothed my wounded pride with coffee from Mister Donut (or sometimes just MisDo in Japan), the Tim Hortons of Japan. Decent coffee, but twice as expensive as coffee in Canada.

I taught "twist my rubber arm" to two of my advanced students after class last night. They want to go out to karaoke after my welcome party next Saturday. I'm going to be such a bad influence (on their language, not their karaoke...). At NOVA, the big competition for AEON, the teachers aren't supposed to socialize with their students. I'm glad AEON doesn't feel the same way. How else are you supposed to meet people in a foreign country?

It's a nice day here in Matsue. Despite my complaints about heaters and cold mornings, it's been a nice winter here; the weather only occasionally drops below zero. We had some miserable, windy damp days (my days off, of course) but today the sun is breaking through a mist on the river, the light has a pearly quality to it and the river is calm. I can see some fishermen motoring east on the river on their long, narrow, flat-bottomed skiffs, one man to each boat. I think they fish with nets in the shallows for the tiny shimeji clams Lake Shinji is famous for (I haven't tried them yet, but they are popular in miso soup).

My Japanese tutor just got here, so I'm off. I'll write again on Monday. Soon, I'll have the Internet at home! Yay! My phone is hooked up now, too, so I'm feeling more in touch. Talk to you soon!