Week Nine

2) Oh and Wednesday was my two month anniversary of leaving the blessed land of Oz. I miss home.

3)Saturday was my English teacher's wedding and the whole class, in typical Japanese we-love-our-teacher-he's-the-bestest style decided to plan a surprise for him. So Komaki bought two big bunches of flowers and us and about half the class met at the Imabari International (Kokusai is Japanese) Hotel to spring the suprise. When we got there we were allowed to watch the end of the wedding ceremony which was really really cool. Mr. Shimisu and his new wife (who had lipstick on her teeth) walked around to each table and lit the candle in the middle with a silver sword with a flame on the end. (Actually it was one of those lighters that you use to light the BBQ with, the ones with the trigger, but longer and shinier.) And when the candle was lit, the vase in the middle changed from clear to a colour of the rainbow just like the colour changing ones from my snobby french dinner. Then when they (finally) made it to the front, the room was darkened and the couple poured two bottles of champagne over a champagne tower that went from dark to fluorescent blue from the top down. I was trying to figure out how they did it because the light change seriously started from the rim of the top glass and moved slowly downward with the flow of the liquid, so it couldn't have been overhead lights. But it occures to me if this was done by a chemical reaction I wouldn't want to drink fluorescent blue 'champagne' anyway. Ick. But it was enough to make us all go Oooh and Aaaah accordingly.
Then after this everyone grouped together outside and when Shimisu and his pink toothed wife exited everyone sang songs in which the lyrics had been changed to include his name and I'm guessing heart warming compliments. And all the while this proud proud Japanese man fought against the tears streaming down his face. I must admit I got a little choked up. *Wipes mascara coloured tears away from the corners of the eyes* *sniff* And then Komaki and Arisa gave the flowers to the couple, all the while bawling their eyes out. I was very confused at this because all the time I was in their class they kept telling me they didn't like him. Hmm. But it was very touching none the less. I forgot to mention to the new Mrs. Shimisu's dress was beautiful, dispite her matching tone of tooth colour.

Then later that evening we went to a huuuuuge Kareoke party at Wao Kareoke hall (which has the largest range of English songs, yayness) which went for SIX HOURS! My god. The room in itself was amazing. First of all it was huge. Ok perhaps only as big as your lounge room, but thats huge for Kareoke rooms. And it had a Safari theme, so there was brass butterfly light fittings, papyrus shaped floor lamps (thats a plant that grows on the Nile), brass elephant tusks framing a turkish shaped mirror and a very gawdy but cute black gold spotted panther statue in one corner. And mirrors, mirrors everywhere, the ceiling, the walls, everything. Dude, it was disco paradise.
So we sang and we sang and we sang some more. Was delighted to find that the only hot guy in my class sang like a super star. (Yessssss!) Was also suprised to find that the classes top nerd and aspiring drag queen also sang like an angel and also outsang most of the girls in both tone and pitch. And the girls loved him for it. Don't they see that he could probably coordinate their waredrobes just as well as could do their chemistry homework for them.
At the end of the night everyone gathered round into a circle with Komaki in the middle and her friends Chihiro and Ogachan sang a song for her while both trying to fight back tears. Then the microphone was passed around and everyone said a little message to their friend who was leaving for Australia. If you hadn't heard already Komaki is my exchange companion and is shipping off to Darwin for her year long exchange next Saturday. I must admit, when the mike got to me I had trouble talking through all the tears. Not only was I sad that I was losing my closest friend in Japan, but all the emotions of my own departure came flooding back again and the urge to go home is now stronger than ever. *sigh* But what a night! I had a lot of fun, even if the bike ride home (severely underdressed) was bloody freezing and uncomfortable. :)

4)Sunday I went Mr. Tanimura's Hanami Party in the park inside the grounds of Imabari Castle. Hanami is the cherry blossom festival where Japanese people flock in their droves to parks and fields to eat, drink and be merry under the cherry blossom trees. My first Hanami was unconventional to say the least. Firstly, Mr. Tanimura is an English teacher at my school so all the ALTs from the area were there, plus one of the ALTs family (English peoples) plus a hoarde of small english speaking Japanese children. However that wasn't the strange part. The ALT from my school, Richard, plays the Digeridoo. He taught himself in Canada (he's canadian) and has a band. So I ate Japanese packed lunches listening to the Digeridoo under the Cherry Trees. It was great. And what do cherry blossoms smell like? Like cherries. But that pungent cherry lollie smell, like cherry Starburst. They are trully beautiful.

Til we meet again...my friend...