Yappari Gaijin Da

What up m'friends?

The muckety mucks at CLAIR should have distributed a pamphelet titled: "How to Eat and Sleep". Jesus, it's been a week and I STILL wake up at 1 in da AM without fail. I must like kicking my own ass. Thank god for my unflagging optimism and my ability to read hiragana. ^^ So ends that rant. Onto the music. In the car driving to Kashiwazaki, the Cardigans demand multiple times to be loved. David Bowie and Lou Reed are discussed wildly among the thirty-somethings. Avril and her ilk are fawned over by the students. They marvel at my weird pink IPOD creature. The kids love chatting about music even though I am discouraged from speaking Japanese with them. I was sent here for strictly English purposes so communication is strained and a bit infuriating. The kids love Ozzie Osbourne, Black Sabbath, The Backstreet Boys and some are die-hard Reggae fans. To quote:

"The reason I select English class. Jamaican speak Patowa. Patowa come from the English. I wish I were speak Patowa."

Sugoi nano? (Cool, huh?)

Friday I was obliged to endure the inevitable welcome enkai which involves, naturally, karaoke. As in every karaoke party, there's always one ham. One guy SO stoked by the sound of his own voice that nothing short of his ass exploding will distract him. Sango sensei belted out a sappy mcsap by Southern All Stars Itoshii no Ellie (Beloved Ellie) before we end up on the equally inevitable Beatles leg of the evening. Tanabe sensei sings a vintage anime theme song I have never heard but find very amusing. ATTA-KU NANBA WAN. (Attack Number 1)

A song was selected for me.

Beauty and the Beast. In Japanese.

My years of detachment training at church paid off.

On the way to apply for my gaijin registration card, my coworker Iizuka sensei comments lightly that maybe I am very quiet as we drive past the 7-11s and LAWSONS. I am tired. I am overwhelmed. It's as hot as fuck! Maybe my shy smile conveys this too well.

She presses a cute-as-a-button button on her cd player and we sing:

Ano hito bi dashita kono machi do kimi ga tadashikatta no ni ne
I know that you and the town I ran away from were right.

(Tadashii Machi (Right Town) by Shiina Ringo)

That would SO never happen back home.