Thursday, April 9, 2009

"Somebody else's story about your life."

Work started again on Wednesday. I'm already a bit worn out.

 

Like most of Japan, our school has no elevators or ramps. As there are frequently students on crutches, I've wondered what happens to those with disabilities. Unfortunately, that has been answered. Mama and I found a wheelchair accessible telephone booth, but got a dark laugh out of it being the only such thing in the city. "They can use the phone here - after climbing those stairs to get to it."

 

If I wonder what good can come of this job, there's a story like this. A great many bad things can be prevented if we learn to speak each other's language.

 

Though they've been budding slowly for weeks, the sakura burst into full bloom overnight. I've taken quite a few pictures but am feeling too lazy to upload, so I'll give you instead this helicopter view of the famous hanami spots in Tokyo (click HD for high definition).

It's been much warmer, as well. I remember the entrance ceremony last year was freezing and damp. Today it was so warm that a new first-year had to be taken away with damp hair and an unbuttoned jacket. But then I've found that no assembly is complete until someone has almost fainted.

 

Onomatopoeia in Japanese is a much bigger part than in English. It's used to express emotions and senses, and all kinds of adverbs. Here's a cute video from an educational kid's program that shows how some are used:

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