We had been told for weeks, the other two JETs and I, that there was going to be a meeting after work on the 18th for the English teachers in Isumi city. However the pretenses for said meeting continued to take new forms as I spoke with my board of education supervisor and my fellow teachers. Up until this point I had been learning the subtleties of Japanese criticism and hierarchical communication in the little bits of information I could gather from being the silent foreigner. I was not prepared for what was to come at all though. To not delve too far into all of mayhem that occurred, three BOE staff(the section chief, another chief and my supervisor) and us, the three JETS were seated in a row in the front facing a huge conference room. At first glance it would seem like what i heard was our welcoming meeting and we would be introducing ourselves to the Japanese teachers or at least having a formal panel discussion with them. This was not the case at all though as it became apparent that we the JETs were the ones on the chopping block after not one but all three BOE staff stood up to lecture us. This went on for hours. Not only where we criticized about our poor health(Reuben had an internal cist removed and missed 80 days of work last year) but also our teaching! They went on to tell us that we would be reviewed in each class we teach and if we didn't make the cut the we would be fired and they would drop the JET program. Well not entirely, apparently they would keep on one JET who would go to 20 schools! Or the alternative if we did a good job then they would hire a fourth JET and we wouldn't have to go to all the elementary schools. They went on to even say that they expect us to win the state speech contest!! Afterwards i had dinner with Will us being the two new Jets we had to break apart and analyze what just happened. Immediately afterwards i became depressed. The next days at work were terrible, dreading the surprise visit and review of my class. I was depressed for awhile and still would be if not for another JET in the area who told me that nothing ever changes from those meetings and it was a joke to think from breaking my foot they were going to drop the JET program. It would obvious be a decision from someone higher up who knows nothing about us. I realized he was write and immediately felt lighter feeling some of the perks of being a foreigner. Today I was told that the section chief now wants to have monthly meetings to set goals and review them. All I can do is laugh about how serious he wants us to take this job; where we are basically just English tape recorders. We have no power to change things in class.
So after soon forgetting my work troubles and teaching Thanksgiving all week in class I was as excited as a school boy for school to end on Friday. I had helped plan a joint Thanksgiving party in Togane, a bigger city an hour north of me. There are about 6 JETS there and most of them live in a single apartment building. So we held it in about three apartments. After work I made it to the grocery store just in time before closing so that the lady followed me around carrying my basket to rush me through the store. I picked up some fixins for the two dishes I planned to make, Sweet potatoes and Vegetarian Stuffing. I happened to make it to the local bakery too and they had bread crumbs sitting there staring at me as if it was meant to be. The next day I woke up early and started on cooking. I had an immense amount of food to cook and not much time. There would have been no way for me to transport all this food but luckily Reuben offered to drive there. I started by boiling the sweet potatoes since I don:t have a big oven. I kind of have a toaster oven but I don't trust its heating capabilities. I then mashed them in a big clay pot and started on the stuffing. Slicing and dicing onions, celery, putting in spices and finally adding the bullion. The air soon smelled delicious. I was getting hungry but I soon discovered I was missing ingredients so I called Reuben. He made it over by 11 and we didn't make it on the road until 1:30. It was a late start but we were in good spirits, it was a nice day and a beautiful drive up the coast. We were both starving since I was in a rush in the morning i had no time to eat. We had a baguette with us though and soon devoured it. When we arrived we were the first ones there so took the opportunity to sit out in the sun on the porch drinking vine and listening to music. It was a great time while the three girls and a guy who lived in the building where rushing around in the last minute preparations for the party. As it approached six the ten or so of us who arrived early were starving and getting impatient waiting for the late stragglers. I was trying to sneak snacks but there wasn't much out yet. Finally when we were allowed to eat, we were called in five at a time, all but a smidgen of my thanksgiving excitment was sucked out of me. I was disappointed thinking back to last year when I was with Dorinne, sharing the thanksgiving tradition with a bunch of other foreigners in Nicaragua. I had such a good time I guess it was just hard to surpass it this year. For the three hours after I ate I was almost incapacitated being so full. I was on the verge of nodding off many times while the murmur of conversations went on around me. At about midnight though we all got a second wind and about 12 of us headed out to Karoke! It was a fun time but it just seemed to go on forever. A few of us left early and started filling the floor with beds. There were about seven of us in one room. We stayed up for awhile laughing and talking, but soon my eyes shut and I slept like a rock. The next day we woke up slowly and made it out by about noon. With no thought of breakfast in mind Reuben and I headed to a recycle shop, Japans version of a thrift store. The place was huge and I was excited because i had wanted to pick up some things for awhile. The place turned out to be really overpriced but it did have some good stuff. I ended up with a nice track jacket and Reuben picked up a few records. Eventually on the long drive back we did get hungry and stooped off at a taco shack. As you might already have guessed good Mexican food is incredibly hard to come by out here and this place was no exception. Even though it smelled great the tacos we ordered turned out to be burritos that tasted distinctly like taco bell. I think it was the hot sauce! When i finally made it home I was overtaken with a food comma. It seemed like all i did in the last 24 hours was eat and drink. I called Dorinne and talked excitedly about next month. If any of you don't know already I am heading to Belgium on the 17th and spending Christmas with my girlfriend. I am getting really excited about it. There will be all the weird new practices to be had like the bonfire night with lots of shots to keep warm. Yes many new things are right at my front door and the view from one foot is starting to take on a whole new meaning. The meaning I am creating for better or for worse. All I can do is start to hear the knocking...
I will try to give you all more details about the European tradition soon. I wish you all a Merry Christmas!!!! Oh and look at my pictures! http://www.flickr.com/photos/nihonbouken/
