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| Nagoya Port Christmas Fireworks Finale |
Workwise, it's getting more interesting with the web page writing though it's meant less time writing my journal. I've been doing fine working with the HTML language but Declan wants me to write faster. I'm a slow writer since I tend to design and structure my writing rather than letting it flow from the heart. On top of that, considering I'm writing fact-based travel web pages, I'm trying to be careful about the content.
Despite the Tuesday being the Emperor's Birthday, I actually didn't see any signs of it in Okazaki. Not that I couldn't do much else that day except study for the Wednesday test. That and a run to Anjo in the afternoon, taking advantage of the rail pass to get a free ride back to Okazaki.
The test on Wednesday went much better than the last one as I scored ten points better on both the written and interview sections. I took Fukuda sensei's suggestion after the last interview test and spoke much slower this time. What can I say? I'm a slow writer and a fast talker.
I did have one more thing to work on this week on top of everything else that happened. Thursday was last day of class for me as well as a couple of classmates. That meant I had to make a speech at the end of the class. I actually spent a few moments over the past week thinking about what to talk about and to also try to incorporate what I've been learning. Even though it's supposed to be fairly casual, I also treated it like an oral essay with a theme. By Wednesday, I had a good idea about what I wanted to talk about, especially about how much I liked that people from all over the world had come to learn how to communicate with 125 million people in this country. Again, more thought, less heart.
I found the heart that night on Christmas Eve. There was a big event that night at the Port of Nagoya to celebrate Christmas including a laser show and fireworks so I headed there quickly after work. The laser show was all right but the fireworks were wonderful. It was a perfect night for the occasion. Crisp, cool, and dark, but surrounded by a massive crowd of warm bodies looking at brilliant bursts from the fireworks as they splashed across the pitch black sky.
Back home, there's an annual firework festival over four nights in August but the days are warm and bright that time of year. It made perfect sense to me to do it at the start of winter to make you forget the days are dark and cold. The accompanying Christmas music enhanced the spirit, even when it was playing a piece where someone was trying to teach Japanese children how to sing 'Jingle Bells'. It really made me feel like a kid again.
While the speech the next day looked better on paper than on execution, I was still happy with it. There were a few stunned and puzzled faces in the class but I think Fukuda sensei was a bit impressed with the theme (though she wasn't sure she understood everything I was trying to say). It made a nice seasonal e-mail, though, for my family and friends on the internet.
The other odd thing about the week was that my final day of class, as well as the speech, was on Christmas Day. It was still a full day of classes but the students were in a celebratory mood. After all, reindeer balloons were mysteriously showing up in the Student Village and classroom.
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| SILAC Class photo on Christmas Day | Receiving SILAC class certificate | Giving a speech to SILAC class | SILAC Class dinner on Christmas Day |
With the shoryuushiki and the departure of three students from the class (plus one the day before), it was another round of gifts and lots of class photos, the mood heightened with Christmas and the upcoming New Year holidays. I had my share of chocolates from Vancouver to give to the class and also gave my thanks to the teachers. I joined the group after work at an izakaya nearby for dinner and essentially a goodbye to some who were finished at the school and others who I probably wasn't going to see before the holidays.
Friday was my first full day of work and the last day of class for my remaining ex-classmates. It was kind of odd since the next day, everyone was off for a week and had been eagerly making travel plans. By this time, other than a long standing commitment to visit my relatives in Kumamoto on the weekend and see a friend in Yokohama on Tuesday, I actually had little ambition and energy to go sightseeing. Not a good approach if I wanted to take advantage of my rail pass over the Oshougatsu week, especially with the crowds of holiday travellers I heard so much.
Still, it's been a full and productive first month in Okazaki. I am glad my classes are over though I want to keep working on my language skills. It was tough working with the classes, homework and office work but I'm getting more than I was hoping for so far.