A Pear, Chocolate, Coffee Kind of Monday

I woke up realizing that the dreaded Monday had come and a wave of panic cascaded upon me. Yes, I had a serious case of the Mondays. I forced myself against my will to power through my morning run. I'm proud of myself for doing so, though I wore a pained expression and refused to greet my fellow runners. 

Yes, that is how my day began. However, things made a quick turn around when I arrived at work. One e immediately and handed me a piece of dark chocolate. I'm not sure if he could just read my emotions that well and I looked like I needed it like a car accident victim needs a blood transfusion or if that is his cure all for everyone's Monday blues, but whatever the case he quickly became my saving angel of the day.

It gets better. I finally realized the degree to which good coffee trumps crappy instant coffee. Last Friday, I bought some origami coffee (because everything in this country has to be origami) which is really high quality coffee in a bag that you place in a cup with this little paper contraption holding it to the sides. Then, you pour hot water over it and let it seep through for a few minutes. Sounds a bit time extensive, but totally worth it. So, I had the delicious, bitterness of dark chocolate and the unparalleled taste of truly good coffee intermingling in a sensational symphony of taste in my tummy. How could things possibly improve?

As I sat down, marinating in the bliss that had overcome me, a really shy older teacher with whom I work bashfully said "excuse me" and handed me a bag. "This is pear," he said. "From my own garden. "I could not suppress my over-the-top grin." For ... me? "I said, surprised." Yes, yes, please enjoy! "This may seem a strange gift, but it is not in Japan. Receiving fruit is like receiving gold. At the supermarket, Asian pears sell for over a dollar a piece. That is expensive for one piece of fruit! I might also add that I am the only one whom he gave a pear. I felt pretty darn special

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Jan-ru-ary...?

Teaching English to Japanese pre-teens is rewarding and enjoyable and, on a less pleasant note, sheds light on the little spelling and abnormal quirks of our language. Today during my English class for the special education class, I was teaching the days of the week, the first six months of the year and the four seasons. While I began to write the names of the months on the chalkboard, I froze while writing the word January. Crap. With all eyes on me, the blood drained from my face as I realized that writing that word is simply habit. When extensively focusing on the spelling of the word January, panic set in. Where was my best friend, Spell Check, to help me out in my time of need? Out bowling with my other buddy Second Nature, I guess. Those two are officially no longer my friends.

JANUARY? The word itself began to just sound absurd in the way that any word does if you repeat it to yourself enough. For example buttress. I mean, is that seriously a word that we allow to exist in our language!? Jan. U. Ary. That seems logical was my first fleeting thought. But then I remembered our dear friend, Feb RU ary. February? Is that a joke? What is with the silent R? Perhaps at some time in the antiquity of English it was pronounced.

My hand began to shake as I held the chalk to the board, fully aware that 30 plus sets of eyes were locked on me, the new foreign teacher conducting her first real lesson. Would she fail? This was my moment to impress them all! And, thankfully, I remembered my training. We were told to make a decision and stick with it, complete confidence shining through. If you forget who the first president was, as inexcusable as it may seem, if you say CLINTON with enough gusto, perhaps your attitude alone will make it correct enough for the students, anyway...

So, with chalk to chalkboard, I went with my gut. J-A-N-U-A-R-Y. Phew! I checked later and luckily, it was correct. No stupid, hidden R in that one! Thus, my lesson was a success, and perhaps a future generation of eager Japanese kiddos will move forward in life spelling the first month of the year correctly.

I blew the MINDS of those kids with my perfect spelling of JANUARY!