The Cootie Game and Michelle's Musings

Lately, I’ve been pondering why I haven’t written much on the blog for the past several weeks. Though I’d love to let people think that it’s just because I’m busy, that’s not really the case. The more I think about it, the more I suspect it’s something else; I’m becoming accustomed to Japan. Now, this doesn’t mean I know everything there is to know, or that nothing is new and exciting to me. It’s just that so many of the things I wrote about over our first year have become common, everyday things. Sure, I still shudder a bit when I see octopus arms in the seafood section. However, instead of grimacing at the still-live sea snails in the same section, I just find myself chastising Ridge for poking them so he can watch them move. It’s not until I re-read that sentence that I find myself laughing at the things I’ve become accustomed to. Who would have thought I would ever have to rebuke my six-year old for toying with the live food in the grocery store? Not I, that’s for certain!

Regardless of how you look at it, this second year is more mellow, and I sometimes find it hard to write about things. It bugs me a little bit. I don’t want to stop seeing the little things around me. Looking at the world around me through new eyes has been one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about our stay here. So, I’ll make a promise to you and to me that I will absolutely try to find more of the “little things” to write about. To make up for my hiatus, I’ll relate a few things of interest.

Small item one: Ridge has a loose tooth! When he first showed me last weekend, I thought he was going to cry. It completely freaked him out to have one of his teeth wiggling about in his mouth. After some explanation, convincing, and the promise of the tooth fairy, he settled down. Now, everyday, we look at it and he tells me to wiggle it. Everyday I promise him it will fall out when it’s ready and I’m not going to insist on pulling it out. I’m still young enough to remember how terrifying it was to think someone might pull my tooth for me. I didn’t want anyone to touch my teeth! At least, that’s my memory of it. Maybe Mom and Dad have a different one.

Small item number two: Weight Loss in Japan (a.k.a. How to Get Yourself Stared at Repeatedly During School Lunch). Since early January, Aaron and I have been working hard to loose the weight we gained after we arrived. I hesitate to say we are dieting, because our goal is to keep eating pretty much the same way forever. We started by following the South Beach Diet and exercising every day. Fortunately, I brought some Yoga videos with us that have been working well. Long story short (the long story part will come in a blog entry all it’s own), we are doing great and love it. I’ve lost about ten pounds, and Aaron has lost even more than me. Oddly enough, the most difficult aspect of losing weight here hasn’t been avoiding fattening foods, but the social repercussions. As I mentioned before, my story of Weight Loss in Japan really requires it’s own entry.

Small item number three, and the last for today: The Cootie Game. Maybe some of you remember the Cootie Game; it’s a game for non-readers, good for very young kids. The object is to be the first to build your Cootie – a small plastic bug with funny features and a variety of leg-types. Well, Mom gave this game to Ridge for Christmas (and he loves it, thank you!) and I couldn’t help but commandeer it. We use it in my English classes as sort of a score keeping system. The funny thing is, the kids go completely nuts over it. The first, second, and third graders go bonkers when I bring it, like I did today! I divide them into four teams, three students each. One student from each group comes close to me, and I call out a verb. Today we worked on verbs like: run, jump, hop, eat, drink, sleep, read, etc. The person who does the action first gets to choose a piece for their Cootie. They LOVE this game, and for some reason I just think it’s really funny. They think the Cooties are the cutest things they’ve ever seen!

I’ll try and get some photos to post today or tomorrow. I know I’ve been remiss in that duty as well. Perhaps I’ll get some more snow photos in order to garner your sympathies.