Finally... I've had some time off. Dan and Maz have returned from Australia, and things have returned to their 'normal' pace at Nova Fuji Gran. It's a funny place to work; the 'classrooms' are glass boxes about 7'X10' in size each, and there are four of them in a row. Both Maz and I dread having a class at the same time as Jon, especially if we are right next to his class, because he has this incredibly resonant voice that bounces and clatters into the adjacent rooms... this can be really difficult if you're stuck with the sort of students who are unwilling to speak up. I try not to get too bothered about it; it's not Jon's fault, and besides, it makes the conversations more realistic. If any of these students travel overseas, they're going to have to speak up.

Speaking of students... I had what we call a 'Lucky Man-to-man' (an unpaid-for one-on-one lesson) with one of my favorite students, S, last week. He really tries hard and is very genuine, and tries to make the lesson relevant. However, he can be pretty random when he's in a group lesson, and can easily side-track the lesson with strange questions. So, I was happy to have him alone, so he could be as random as he wanted, and I could answer all of his questions-- didn't hurt that he's cute, too. Things quickly went on a strange tangent (we were supposed to be discussing Superstitions) as he complimented me on my jewelry. "Hmm. You always wearing big necklaces... can I buy for my girlfriend?" I was baffled at first, but yes, he did indeed want to by my necklace right off of me then and there. I told him no, but if I saw any similar necklaces on sale in Tokushima, I would tell him where to go. Now, S., what do you think it means when a black cat crosses your path? "Ahhh. I have a wish. Can I ask it you? Can I touch your hand?" Uhhhhh... My cheeks flushed and my blood ran cold... that was the kind of stuff that I'd heard that Nova teachers could get fired for, and I quickly explained to S. that I am his teacher and he is my student and... Anyway, he looked sorta crestfallen and my nerves were jangling for the rest of the lesson; even lucky number seven and why it's bad luck to cut your toenails after midnight couldn't resurrect the good vibes. Not that I'm complaining... I've got proof that I'm a sexy teacher!

Last week I indulged in a flurry of free-time fun, happy to finally have two days off in a row I turned two into 5 nights of footloose fantasy. On Wednesday evening I met with Neil (USA) and Ash (Australia-- both work at the other Nova) for Yaki Tori (meat on a stick) at the one restaurant that I have consistently patronized (other than Big Brother's of course). One beer led to another, and I-- filled with the joyous prospect of sleeping in the next morning-- talked Ash into going out with me. He's a really cool guy; he has a good sense of humor and is at the same time very prescise and meticulous. His girlfriend is a model in Osaka; she used to live in my apartment. ANYWAY-- we proceeded to Ingrid's for karaoke. I launched into my usual limited repetoire when a group of road-tripping guys from Kobe (actually from Australia, the US and Scotland) showed up and took the bar over. One guy, who I only know now as The Devil --red eyes, pointy orange beard-- what else was I going to call him?-- proceeded to balance chairs on his head, do handstands, and moon his miniscule audience. In the middle of one of my Madonna songs, he cornered me and began to berate me for not doing more with my musical talent (ha!) which eventually led to a heated debate about art and the validity of sexually graphic art as art-- he turned out to be just another art-school graduate with nothing but sex on his mind. Nothing new there! At some point I decided that I wanted to dance and everyone had to come along to Hop (my new-found teensy-weensy dance club). I couldn't remember how to get there, so poor Ash had to lead the way. Thank goodness he stayed on, since once we were in the club The Devil wreaked havoc; dancing like a dervish, stealing my eyeglasses, making out with a Japanese girl in the corner... Ash managed to get my glasses back, and get his coat out from under The Devil and his new girl, and safely steer us both out of the club. I think it'll be a while before I go back there.

Thursday I spent the day recovering. Friday saw me hale and hearty again, so I followed Bubu's directions to the Nagao art shop-- a steamy little store about one-tenth the size of the Opus art store I worked at in Langley. It was packed to the rafters with all manner of supplies, and all in a miniscule scale. I spent about 7500 yen to get enough acrylic paint to maybe do two or three small paintings, and headed downtown to Tokushima City park to observe the hanami and paint the revelers. Once I arrived I was in awe-- the park was just filled with foamy pale-pink trees, and giant blue tarps spread out on the grass. Most of the partying starts more towards dusk, and the day was still bright and clear, so there were only a few busy picnic sites. I settled down facing one of them with my back against a tree and set up my supplies. I instantly became a flytrap for humanity. All sorts of folks came up to observe and practice their English or test my Japanese. I was amiable enough; a working artist will attract curious people no matter where they are, so they might as well get used to it. At one point, one of the guys who was actually in my picture came up to watch, and asked in a perfect Californian accent, "do you mind?" His name was Yuki; turned out that he had been a motorcross racer for years in the States before returning to Japan to start his own plumbing company. We chatted for a while, and he headed back to his party. People came and went, the light began to change, the air began to cool. When I finished, I decided to take my finished painting over to Yuki's group so they could see how integral they had been to my art. The painting was duly passed around, and I was invited to join; before I knew it I had a hot cup of sake in one hand and a plate full of tempura and taco yaki in the other. It grew dark as we laughed and talked about cultural differences-- I really appreciate the time the Japanese take to honor the changing of seasons. The park filled up and the floodlights lit up the cherry trees; we were a sea of night-blue laughter amid the fragrant glowing clouds of sakura... small peachy lanterns dotted the night like stars. People sang, drank, talked in loud and joyous voices. The men at Yuki's party repeatedly tried to buy my painting, but I refused-- I could already tell that it had solid, priceless memory value. I kicked off my shoes and ran around the trees in a game of chase with a group of small boys and a teenager in an UltraMan costume. I drank more sake. The floodlights turned off. People gathered garbage, tarps-- everyone working togther, voices still humming and happy. I helped-- then went and got my bike. Tried to spin a big circle around UltraMan in a final goodbye, fell off into the gravel cutting my hands and bruising my bottom. UltraMan helped me up like a true super-hero, checked to see that i was daijobu (OK) and sent me off. Suffice it to say, I walked my bike home.

Since that last weeked, I've been filled with renewed energy and delight; I went to Ingrid's international hanami on Sunday armed with my sketchbook and made a few more friends, and made contact with a fellow named Joe who has a PhD in Fine Arts-- his first comment to me when he saw my sketches was "Pardon my language, but what the F*CK are you doing here?!" I suppose he thinks I ought to be in New York city or something, but I can't shake the feeling that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. Anyway, Joe put me in touch with another guy who is having a gaijin art show in Naruto in July... (Big Brothers') Norm also said that there was another person looking for international artists for a different show. Everything is progressing nicely, and it all feels natural.

Well... tonight is the night Joanna arrives, so I best get home and finish readying the house for her. I can't wait to meet her and find out what the next stage of my adventure in Japan is going to be like! I'll keep you all posted as best I can... thanks for reading!

Namaste

Endrene