I figured out why my shampoo from home isn't giving me the same thrill of fresh feeling (I'm starting to speak Engrish myself)... it smells exactly like my Japanese toilet bowl cleaner.

The last little while I've been furiously occupied with work and adventuring and preparing for this coming weekend. On friday, my adoptive Japanese mother Sumiko (she has started fondly calling me "En-chan") is flying in from Tsukuba for a one-day visit... friday being my only day off this week, it works out well. However, my best Japanese buddy Ume is arriving the very next day for a saturday-sunday visit. Thus I've been scrubbing and laundering and borrowing a bicycle and bedding from Jon... I think it will go well. Time flies when you have something to look forward to!

I had my first upset at work yesterday, schedule-wise... thinking that I didn't start until 5pm, I lounged around during the morning and had just finished my breakfast at 1:10pm when I got a frantic phone call: Didn't I know I started work at 1:20 today? Many *#$%'s ensued as I rushed about throwing on yesterday's work clothes and a thin swipe of makeup, then dashed out the door to face a strong headwind as I wheezed across the bridge. Turn's out that the manager failed to inform me (or ask me, as she should have done) that I was to work early on wednesday... I should have signed some paperwork indicating that I agreed to the schedule change, and no such paperwork exists. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that the mix-up wasn't due to my being irresponsible. On a bright note, I have my first paycheck coming up in less than a week; I'm pretty thrilled, as my savings from Opus are starting to run a little dry. It will be my biggest paycheck ever! It's almost enough to make me feel like a grown-up. Almost.

Japan continues to provide a host of fascinating adventures that delight and intruige me. Last week on my day off, I decided to try and find the beach. It was a cool bright day, and I followed the directions I got at Big Brother's-- go over the big bridge, turn right. As it turned out, I went a little too far over the bridge before I turned right and spent close to two hours winding my way through alleys of bamboo and wide stretches of shimmering vegetable fields, over countless small, medium and large bridges. Eventually I came across a map directing me to the 'Tokushima-Naruto Cycle Path'... Naruto being in the direction of the sea, I decided to follow it as best I could. I finally spotted what looked beach-ish off in the distance and picked up speed, whipping alongside a blue fence that seemed to be all that was keeping me away from the shore until suddenly-- a break! I popped through the fence and found myself at a sea-side soccer field, young boys absorbed in their game. It was a big park, fabulous and shabby and beautiful and mostly deserted. The sand was fine and grey and littlered with more shells in more varieties than I have ever seen in my life; very soon my pockets were bulging with my gritty treasures. Because I had taken so long to find it, I arrived just in time for a walk up and down and to see the beautiful pastel sunset-- pink, yellow, peach, lavender. It was getting dark; time for the hour-long ride back to Tokushima.

Hungry and tired after the giant adventure, I headed straight for the bigger of the two grocery stores I frequent. I stocked up on prawn crackers, vegtables, beef (not so expensive!) and noodles and left the store wearily contemplating whether I wanted to cook or have the prawn crackers and a beer and call it dinner. As I started to cycle away I noticed a bright little cafe-type place called Bubu's. On the inside, a man was working in plain view at the grill, piling noodles and meat and eggs and cabbage into these enormous patties... I stopped dead. Parked the bike, walked right up to him, almost too tired and hungry for pleasantries. "Hi-- I'm sorry, sumimasen, I don't speak Japanese. I'm hungry. I don't know what that is, but it looks good, and I want to eat it." This little speech was accompanied by much miming-- stomach rubbing and shoulder-shrugging. Bubu looks up, smiles, and says in perfect English, "It's Okanamayaki. Please sit down, I will show you how I make it." From that moment on, the evening got better and better-- the college students that frequent the place (many of them Bubu's 'honorary children') came to meet the blonde girl and practice their English. Bubu made me the best Okanamayaki that I have had in Japan so far, and his wife gave me a free ice-cream cone. All the while, Bubu talked and translated and teased, calling me "Big Foot"-- "Oh, I have seen your picture! You live in the forest!" (When we stood side-by-side I was about an inch taller, and of course my feet were a fraction bigger than his) We exchanged cards and he and his wife invited me to come for dinner sometime. How cool is that?