Monday, September 17, 2001

Boohoo! The dance contest is over and I will never dance at Ocha again! Damn it I really dont want to be feeling disappointed- whats wrong with me? I hate dance competitions! I mean I am still wearing my costume (Miss Swiss and I are waiting for the after party to start- we can't leave school the typhoon is raging outside) and I really do look stupider everytime i look in the mirror. And i have looked 7 times in the last minute which means I look seven times stupider than i did a minute ago, but to be quite honest its kind of fun, in a I-need-to- be-booked-in-to-a-mental-institution kind of way.

I never was a ballet dancer as a child (something to do being totally unco-ordinated, unable to follow instructions, and spending more time in my imaginary world than the real one- bad excuses I know) so I never got the backstage nerves and make up frenzies so I am making it for lost opportunities. Pity I am not four years old as I just look like a overgrown kindegartener with learning difficulties sitting here in my red tulle and yellow head band with little feelers attatched and giant blue cape that I imagine was designed to make us look like superheroes, but in reality just makes us all stoop under the weight like an evil crone in a tutu. But hey, atleast i my costume doesn't make me look like a yodelling milk maid like some swiss people i know (*ouch* she is kicking me). And i only screwed up 7 or eight times a minute so thats an improvement!

I am going to try to avoid talking about current events because I am sure we have all had our ears full of it, and the chances of anyone coming to my site to catch up on current political and world issues, is slim to none, but i feel i ought to atleast mention it just so i have something about this week, especially Tuesday stored. Japan is getting nervous about all the American bases on Okinawa and the mainland being bombed, which is fair enough, but I dont think we are in too much danger yet... And Stephen taught me yesterday that there won't be a World war three until there is division, and everyone is on America's side at the moment so we shouldn't be too worried about a world war yet. (Thank you Mr Dillon)!

I hope everyone back home is okay and if you have relatives in the states that they are coping as well as they can...
Oooh Party time! (Lets see how crazy these Japanese straights can be, we may even drink lemonade if we promise not to get too hypo!)
Have a good week everyone...

posted by Claire English @ 9:53 AM

Sunday, September 02, 2001

Good evening everyone...
This is just a brilliantly exciting entry to tell you that I have returned to OCHA. *shudder* Thats right the summer holidays are over, and school has recommenced for the second and final half of my trip... Yup- passed the half way point last week and I am on the down hill run.... scary isnt it?!
As Caitlin so aptly put it in her block email, I dont want to go to school because I really feel like that part of my life is over, but as Jessica soon discovered last term, if you wag every day you only end up spending too much money and everyday in McDonalds eating Cheezu Bagas whilst PIEE rings and bitches at you in japanese you dont understand because the only japanese you have been learning is 'hitotsu cheezu baga pikuru nashi onegaishimasu' (one cheese burger without pickle please) and the likelyhood of PIEE ringing to ask you what your McDonalds order will be is fairly slim...
So I am back at school, back at ba-re bo-ru (volleyball) and right now I dont feel so bad. Miss Swiss and i tried to figure out where our contentedness in things we used to despise about our lives -eg. the excessive amount of time spent in starbucks, our lack of weight loss (yes the last two are connected now leave me alone) our lack of respect from moronic peers at school, and frustratingly limited vocab- actually arose from (is it laziness or adjustment?) But all I know is, we are doing the best we can, and really arent doing too badly either. (I like denial, its great)
Just before I go, a final note on my bud Fred's unbelievable Television debut. You rock my world Fred, I was so damn impressed. It takes talent to run around like an idiot answering stupid japanese questions by hurdling your body on to 10m wide cardboard 'X' infront of 25 000 people and television cameras and i know I couldnt have done it. You made me proud, and dont worry too much about loosing I am pretty sure the Mongolians were cheating (no, I have nothing to back that up with I was just trying to make you feel better).
So KAMPAI (cheers) and here's to another blood curdlingly exciting school term at Ochanomizu....
posted by Claire English @ 9:49 PM