Our next event: volleyball! We weren't informed of the annual Mikage volleyball tournament last year, but this year they stuck us right in. We were informed that volleyball was not our area's strong point. While we had a rather relaxed mind set, the top teams were serious and intense. So of course our men's and women's teams came in 5th out of 6th. I don't understand brackets but I'm pretty sure we were 4th best though. Still one of the funner events.
Fall meant it was time again for the nth annual Mikage (our town) sports day. We had a couple of practice nights where our area's team met to practice some of the harder events like the multi-man rope jump and the relay. This year was my chance to use my long legs and speed to help win the trophy. However, practicing on the elementary-school-sized track confirmed my dreaded suspicion: my stride was too long to grip corners, meaning a major slow down for half the track. Oh well, I was still on par with my other teammates.
In the end, we were rained out. Possibly for the first time in the event's fairly long history. They attempted to reschedule for the following day but the field would be occupied by some baseball related activity. Lame.
We were hoping we would get to make a big deal for Halloween but our lack of students meant simplification. Still we bought a big bag of American candy and distributed it to our closest neighbors who helped us give our little ones a somewhat American Halloween. We had our youngest students over to make chocolate peanut butter balls then go trick-or-treating and ended with a scary game of sorts.
Everyone other than me ended up being a witch. I don't like the idea of make-up gunk on my face so I had to be a little creative. I was also very busy so I ended up throwing together a costume in about four hours for $25 and stuff I had lying around. And Alexis carved a couple of small pumpkins. I stuck one on a wraith-like body. Every so often I'd here a neighbor or kid pass saying how creepy it was. Once I even saw a couple of girls comment on it then sprint once there backs were to it. Success.
Alexis was asked to sing again at the annual cultural festival. This time she sang a Japanese song by a half-Japanese half-white singer named Angela Aki who just so happens to be Alexis' celebrity look-a-like (so says friends, students, and whispers in a crowded train). You decide.
Next was another round of ground golf. After shying away from any mention, they called us up and insisted, despite heavily alluding to our deplorable performance in the previous year. And yet again the 65+ crowd came bearing shiny alloy clubs to our wooden clubs. We were by far the youngest in a game where age seems to give you a mighty edge.
We at least improved over last year (we were a year older mind you). Instead of coming in dead last, I managed to tie the lowest score on our team. And instead of Alexis coming in dead last, she came in severely ill last; managing to score two soccer goals! Unfortunately it was ground golf, not soccer.
And then the final trip of the season; again somehow getting roped into an event where the next youngest person was twice our age. But it was with our awesome neighbor so we just had to. We weren't told what we were doing and had no idea what to expect. First stop was eat as many mikan oranges as possible straight from the tree. Most ate one or two, I ate three or four, Alexis ate nine or ten.
Next stop, a rose garden with all sorts of colors.
This one's pretty, but what a strange hat.
Oh what joy it brought me.
At least we had some pretty tasty rose soda. Next was lunch. Unfortunately our well-meaning neighbor has a terrible memory and forgot about Alexis' allergies. Lunch was on the second story of a seafood mega store. I'm not really a fan of seafood, but it was pretty good. Meanwhile Alexis baffled the attendants who were presumably trying to wrap their heads around someone with seafood allergies dining there.
Final stop: a lovely temple and landscape.
On the trip home we sang karaoke and watched old Japanese movies. Of course we had to give them some English singing so we went with John Lennon's Imagine, amid little choice. The rest of the time was spent talking to tipsy/drunk bus-mates. It was fun.
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