Christmas letters

For my last day before Christmas at my smaller elementary school I decided to give my kids a treasure hunt of sorts. I prepared some origami envelopes the night before, putting a funky sticker into each one and adding my stamp/seal to the tops. I went in to school the next morning a little earlier than usual, and without anyone knowing went around the school hiding the envelopes. I thought it might be something a few kids would enjoy at breaktime.



The first two lessons went by and all teachers returned to the staffroom for morning break and a good chinwag. I was sat enjoying a coffee and a biscuit when a teacher rushed in, an expression I misinterpreted as concern on her face. She turned directly to me and rapid-fired something in Japanese at me. Despite the coffee my brain was still in "morning" mode, and the only word I understood was "gift." She was now smiling widely and looked elated. The brief sudden feeling of unease was swept away, and my sweat glands stood down from red alert. She then sprung into a rapid report to the staffroom of how all the kids in the school were tearing around trying to find coloured envelopes with my name on the front. The staffroom mood lifted from 'every day happy' to 'something wonderful is happening happy' and I was told how kind and thoughtful I was. I think I managed a sheepish shrug: I didn't give it lots of thought, I just thought it would be fun.



Of course, Newton was a bright spark, and every action does indeed have a reaction. That reaction is dozens of my kids now clinging to my limbs as I walk through school, begging me to tell them when I'm going to do it again. They make me laugh so much I cry! I couldn't do it every day, but I love teaching my elementary kids!

X-Files greenhouses

Good grief I've been slack with the blogging! Things happened in December, really, I was just too preoccupied with heading home for Christmas to think about recording them. Ok, let's rack the memory a little. Photos will help.

Winter came in hard like a hammer towards the end of last year. The summer was hot and long and cold nights didn't start creeping in until the beginning of December. Autumn was short and sweet, unlike 2009. And even after that the majority of the days leading up to Christmas were bright and the sun warm.

The pic below is one in a row of greenhouses that I pass on my drive into the city. At night I drive back along this road (usually from the Karate dojo) and the greenhouses are lit up eerily, like something out of Mulder's dreams. Presumably the veggies inside are being given extra light/heat now that summer has faded. For ages I'd been telling myself I was going to get a picture or two, then one night I remembered my camera and stopped. This part of the village is rather isolated (like most of it, really) and no one was around. As I pulled over my headlights reflected in the eyes of tanuki (raccoon dog) as it foraged beside the road. I was half expecting to find it in the car when I got back in after taking the pic.

Minamiminowa Illumination Festival

My favourite illumination. It reminded me of Will O' the Wisp on the surface of the water.


Totoro!


A terrifying head on a scarecrow. Too far Japan, too far.


Crab from Sonic the Hedgehog?


Cute house (terrorised by giant child in the background).


"Stained glass" style. Another nice exhibit.

On Sunday night I headed north with some friends for the Minamiminowa Illumination Festival, an event held in the middle of a forest/park. It was nice to see everything all lit up in the dark and glowing, and the exhibitions have now put me in a really Christmassy mood. If only I had some garish, electrically-powered tat to stick to the outside of my house... where are you poundland when I need you?!