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I am a late bloomer. Friday was the first time my students asked me about sex. Most AETs get that sort of question within the first month of teaching. It happened during the 2nd grade 22 km walk from Omama town. Two of my female students somehow got on the subject of penis size. They said they had heard Toru say that he had a "big stick." The girls swore that they had never seen it. Then, they asked me if I had a boyfriend. That led to the question, "Do you like sex?" I told them I didn't know. Then they told me that they wanted boyfriends. I was so embarassed by their questions. I am sure that my face turned red when they started talking about stick size. Some AETs don't mind talking about that sort of stuff with their students, but I am too hazukashii. Idon't think it is appropriate conversation to have with 14 year olds. Two of my friends and I will be starting Karate on February 19th (happy almost birthday, Dad). I am really excited. I hope that I have the language skills to figure out how to join the group. Luckily, a Japanese friend has already talked to the sensei about us joining. So, it will probably be three adult foreigners practicing with a bunch of little kids who could whip our butts. I assume that most of you are not familiar with "onsens." They are hot springs/ hot tubs where people go to relax. These are REALLY popular in Japan. Every town has at least one place to go, be it a natural spring or not. As of late I have really gotten into these things. While I am there, I ponder about Western vs Japanse culture. I KNOW that a lot of foreigners would not like these onsens at all.
The ritual is this:
It's taken a long time for me to not have a panic attack when I go. But I have a lot of AET friends who will probably never set foot in one. Nakedness is traumatic. Valerie Straayer |