So many things on a Monday

Good Morning!

Today, from the window of my ichi nen sei classroom, I watched an old tracker dredge through a flooded and muddy rice field. Back and forth it pushed and leveled the earth. A small grouping of birds danced and jumped never more than 10 feet in front of the heavy machine, rejoicing for the bugs that had freshly emerged.

The rice fields are really quite breath taking when they are all flooded. It looks like pieces of the sky have been strategically stretched out across the ground.

Good Afternoon!

I was waiting for the bell to ring so I could eat my curry rice. It had been sitting on my desk for almost 15 minutes already. The smell was reminding me of just how hungry I get when I miss breakfast. The bell rings and I still wait at least 5 minutes. Being the first person to eat, if committed to such actions, must be done with skill and a sense of calculated nonchalance. I pull my tray close to me and pour the curry contents on to my rice. I grab my cold metal spoon, which feels like a soulless utensil after using chopsticks day in and day out and begin to dig in. Mmmmm, curry rice. Curry rice and... ABBA? Yes. Today's lunch music is ABBA. The ABBA gold album. Me, curry rice, my spoon and ABBA. (I also got to drink my yogurt out of a miniature looking plastic milk container. Japan happens.

Good evening!

I also put together what those small little wooden plates were for in my cupboard. They go under my ceramic tea cups when I serve them. I have seen this done for some time now and just put it together when the Kyoto sensei served me tea, mid meeting at the Elementary school.