Anyways, back to September. I'm pretty sure the month started with a part at the American pub in Fujiyoshida with my friends and saw a fun weekend of socializing and shopping. The days slowly grew less hot and my little vine flowers started to blossom at last and every morning I'd awake to a new colour; it was a pleasant surprise every morning. But the days were still too hot for them to thrive and by nightfall they had wilted. My rice grew slowly but began to show signs of being ready and I ate three tomatoes in a salad from my garden. So following will be my scattered memories of September.
I recall now a little festival at the little shrine by the station. And I walked their in the cooling evening to the sound of music. Colourful lanterns were strung up around the shrine placing it in it's own little world for the evening. Lanterns are my favourite and I am thoroughly convinced that if only the world was only to be lit up with lanterns it would be a better place! They were so beautiful and the main reason I was lured there that evening to watch a talent show of the community.
But perhaps I have jumped a head for as I try to remember that night, I remember my hand being swathed in bandages which brings up the next story. I was supposed to climb Mt. Fuji with Chelsea on the second weekend of September but on Friday night, as I was preparing food for the trek I was washing a glass when it promptly came apart in me hand and sliced open the edge of my hand. A glared down at the pooling blood, called myself stupid several time, and rushed off to Kevin's only to bleed all over his doorstep as I called for help and pleasantly, he couldn't here what i was saying, told me it was okay to come in. At this point it was too difficult to let go of my hurt hand so I was reduced to banging on the door with my head until he came to my assistance, hurried me off to the hospital, and I got my first set of stitches while awake. Six black stitches would decorate my hand for the next two weeks spreading much speculation among my students and preventing me from climbing Fuji after all. Four weeks later, it looks like I'll have a little scar to remember my emergency in Japan! lol.
Side note, Kevin and I started an exercise routine where we were climbing Iwadonosan at least a couple of times a week. Since then I'm working on a healthier diet and working out once a day. It's been rewarding for I have a bit of extra energy these days (enough so that I started back on my novel that I had lay to rest after spilling milk on my computer) and the views from my mountain over Otsuki have been breathtaking.
On another weekend, Kevin, laura and I helped out with an English meeting at Nishina sensei's kindergarten, and I presented my trip to Canada. After we met up with Lena and Stuart at Nishina's house and he invited us into the tea room for matcha. It was a lovely rainy afternoon and could only be considered cozy in the little tatami room overlooking the river and Iwadonosan. I want one just like it when I grow up and am rich! It was really wonderful and was followed by dinner out and dessert and coffee.
I guess the last thing to note are the seven undoukai I attended every Saturday for three weeks. As a result, on a Wednesday, one of my favourite schools celebrated the hard work by going out for dinner at the French Japanese restaurant where each course was tiny but delicious and it took longer for each morsel of food to be described than eaten. It was really great though and in this beautiful tatami room surrounded by a lit up Japanese garden. And I came away with a friend in one of my younger teachers (later she and I would go to Fujiyoshida for parfait and have a wonderful time!) But, the main point being, sports days with my kids! It was as last year, that it was a day where the kids competed in ridiculous dangerous but fun games like a tire steal battle royal, and a game called 'omikoshi' which is portable shrine; one of the kids would ride on the shoulders of four other kids and run about attempting to steal one another's hats. There was also the tire chariot ride where they'd place a little kid with a hard hat on a tire and the big kids would drag him about. There were normal things like relay and tug-of-war also. And this funny race where two kids had to propel a box forward while inside of it like the wheels of a caterpillar. I spent a lot of time giggling until the grade fifth and sixers amazed me as always when they preformed acrobatics associated with a circus, over gravel, and built a forty kid pyramid!
So I think that sums of September. It came in like a heatwave and left with a little typhoon. Autumn definitely has days where it hints at its existence but overall it still feels like summer. I can't wait for the leaves to change and the morning frosts. Autumn is the best season!
