Lots to talk about...

So, this past weekend I participated in one of Sendai's largest parades. A bunch of teachers and I pulled the mayor's float...it was pretty sweet, and I thought I was doing a good job until one of the supervisors (a cute girl) told me that I was "weak" in Japanese.

Here's a pic from a previous year...sorry I don't have any pics of me in my cute brown outfit.





Lots of people dancing and taiko drums playing...it was a fun day.



In other news I got to play a hero at school this week. There is an insane mother of a former student who comes in periodically to yell at the teachers - she seriously has a screw loose and I feel awful for her daughter. The teachers just sit and take it as she comes into the staff room and curses them out. Well, on this fateful day I walked into the staffroom and she was using the phone which is beside my desk. I sat down and a few minutes later a couple of students came in and said hello. I was joking with them and got them a little wound up, so they were pretty noisy considering they were in the staff room, let alone with the crazy woman on the phone. When she got off, I apologized for the noise (in Japanese), and she said, "Come over, and let's talk." (in English). I went over and we talked for a minute or 2, about nothing, and then she left. She didn't even really yell at anyone...all of the teachers were saying, "Thank you" and "gokorosam" for the rest of the day. BOOYAH. My kind of place, lots of credit for minimal effort.