Here is a quite update on my mouth. I will have surgery on the 17th of this month. Leading up to that, I will have three root canal procedures to take the nerves out of the area around the growth. Then I will be in the hospital for about four days. I predict much less. When I had general anesthetic for my wisdom teeth and previous cyst, I left about an hour after I woke up. I think they are over reacting. This is all somewhat crappy but it won't last long. It will just be kind of a difficult month. I am very thankful that I have a good group of people here to help me out. I have a translator now too for each time I have to go which makes a big difference. The down side of all of this may be that I have to cancel my trip to Thailand because they don't think it will be a good idea for me to fly. I think I will play it by ear though because I really want to go! I am sure I could just be doped up on pain killers for the flight. It is only a couple of hours too.
On the bright side, I get a break from kyushakyu (mandatory school lunch). My school is all worked up about this and the lunch ladies are currently pondering how to offer me a softer school lunch. Apparently bringing my own isn't an option. I told them that I can just have the strained soup for a while but they want to flex the culinary creativity for a while I guess. It all sounds like the making of the worst lunch I have ever eaten. There is nothing like fish from the blender. One of my co-workers now gives a 10 minutes talk in Japanese on the whole problem with my mouth and asks me to comment on it to the class. So much for confidentiality. My board office supervisor told him everything thing because she can with me to the hospital on Wednesday to supervise my translator. This is all a very Japanese thing to have happen and it isn't meant badly but it’s annoying. The information does make the class very well behaved though which is always nice but it is unnatural. Oh well, it will all be over soon. I expect you all to come and visit me in the hospital. You too Canada people! No loafing! Miss you all! And just in case it wasn't widely publicized yet, it's Mom's birthday on the 8th of November. Love you Mom! I have thrown in some pictures of my elementary students painting on the front lawn of the school. They take painting and fines arts so seriously here, even from the youngest grades. It's relaxing to watch them paint in such a beautiful backdrop.