This entry happened over several days because I didn’t want the sole contents of this entry to be about the first topic. You’ll see…

What is this a picture of you ask? So yesterday I was given a bizarre little package on my desk. It turns out that I have been “randomly” selected to provide the school nurse with a urine sample. I love it when things like this happen in the work place. I think they are just curious as to what I get up to on the weekends. I could probably refuse but it’s not necessary to cause a fuss. The strangest part is probably the format of the test. I have to make the cup out of origami. It is also a test of my cultural ineptness. I could technically fail this second part of the test. I don’t know if any of you recall the time I tried to make a crane out of origami and the disastrous results of that expedition but this could be a little worse for obvious reasons.

So I went to go do it and I successfully folded the cup but then I successfully dropped it in the toilet! I had to flush it! I really am not sure what to do about this. They are going to ask me for the test sooner or later and they will think I am just trying to dodge it. I would just fold another cup but the instructions were on the cup itself. The folding instructions themselves were ridiculous because the first fold you had to make covered up the instructions. It isn’t difficult to make but there is an obvious need not to make any mistakes. I can’t believe this has happened. I will now have to look up the instructions on how to make the cup again and steal some similarly coloured paper from the photo copy room. Or I could just go to the nurse and explain through broken Japanese and gestures what has happened. Sigh. Have you ever heard of plastic cups people? I am just irritated because I have done this stupid thing!

Well it all got sorted out in the end. I explained and a new kit was given to me. I had to file some paperwork at the Board of Education office and for some reason my BOE supervisor already knew about the whole thing. I hope it’s in the paper. That would be great. (Sarcasm).

That business with the test all happened on Wednesday. On Thursday a van pulled up to the school and we all had to get in and be tested for pneumonia. I told them I was pretty sure I didn’t have it and all the x-rays were going to give me cancer but in the end I did it anyways. As always. There is nothing like having to strip down at the office with only a thin sheet separating you from all your co-workers. Really, there is nothing like it. They are obsessed with health checks here. The kids are all going through rigorous screenings for everything under the sun right now too. Japanese people live longer than anyone else on earth so I imagine they have good reasons. They are just doing it because they care and not because they are being weird and nosey as I first suspected. I guess that is my North American identity coming out. They have to do checks for everything though, it is nuts! There is a stomach cancer check (not pleasant!), a pneumonia check, an eye exam, the now infamous pee test, they take your blood pressure and body temperature every chance they get, it goes on and on. They are a little hypochondriac I think. I might have mentioned before that one of my students from my adult class went to the hospital because her lips were very sore and dry. This isn’t really something to tie up the medical system with in my mind.

The sakura is almost finished now and I am little sad about it. But apparently there are still loads of other blossoming trees to take place. The apple orchards all look great right now. Today was a parent’s observation day and the first day of my elective class. I was very nervous to have the first day of my class observed by a crowd including other English teachers and my vice principal and principal but I think it went ok. The kids are really genki (excited to learn) and they all seemed to understand me just fine. I have taken a number of steps to learn their names which I usually find difficult. I have also finally set my Golden Week plans now and am quite excited. I will be going on a driving trip with Gisela to Kyoto and Nara. Then probably to Tokyo to enjoy a little night life. Emi has been at my house these last few days and she made an incredible dinner last night. She teaches English and Home Economics so she can do amazing things in the kitchen. I am off to the dental hospital again today to continue treatment. My mouth has been giving me a lot of problems lately and so I hope to get some stuff sorted out today. Fingers crossed. These are some pictures I took of Shiojiri at night after my private class. It is so beautiful at night, so peaceful. I love to see all the Japanese people out enjoying it. They really appreciate their own country. When we think of traveling we usually want to go somewhere else but they always want to travel to different parts of their own small patch. I still want to see other countries but it reminds me not to take Japan for granted. Boys day is coming up and people are decorating with large fish windsocks. If you have a boy who is 3, 5 or 7 (I think) you put up three of these fish. Some are approximately 12 feet long and they are very expensive. It is just another of the million things that japan has invent for it's citzen's to purchase. Way to fuel your own economy eh? Talk to you soon!