Lost in Paradise

HUZZAH!!! I have not forgotten this thing...I promise...no really! Alright, I`m at work, so this post should be short, but I felt bad for not updating, so I`ll tell ya about my weekend. I didn`t take any pictures anyway haha, sorry, maybe next time. So the weekend started on Friday, as I suppose most weekends do eh? I got off of work and jumped on the 5:30 Liner (don`t even get me started on the boat schedules, I finally get it figured out and they change all the times again. Apparently we`re back on the summer schedule, meh, go figure) to enter the great city of Naha by around 6pm. What was I doing in Naha, you ask? Well, as it turns out, two of the Eisa members, a shimedaiko (Small drum) player and a sanshin (for you cultural types, this is the Okinawan version of the shamisen) player were getting married, and of course they have to have the eisa group perform at their reception. That`s right free food and yet another chance to show off my recently acquired skill. I had enough foresight, surprisingly for me, to remember to pack my drum, nice dress clothes, and my uniform! Amazing! I actually do have pictures of the reception, but don`t have my camera here, so I may add those in here somewhere...later. Needless to say, the reception was a good time, many similar parts to an American reception, and many VERY different parts (i.e. some weird video of the bride and bridesmaids covered in black paint and dancing around to "Dragonstea Din Te"...or however you spell it, and about 8 guys in drag doing a performed routine up on stage. I dunno, so don`t ask). So after we performed, me making only a few mistakes haha, we went out and hit the town at an izekaiya (it`s like a nice version of a buffet...kinda tough to explain, I`ll work on that) followed by a trip to the good ole karaoke. That`s right, a night in Japan is not complete without at least a little karaoke. Anyway, after the karaoke, pretty much everyone headed home to their various hotels, but my one friend and I were not quite ready to call it a night...in hindsight going to bed may have been a good idea haha, had to catch the early Liner the next morning which meant getting up at 8am...oh well. We didn`t really do much after that, just headed to some late night restaurant where I had taco rice (oh how I love thee, let me count...nevermind, you get the picture). Finally climbed into bed at the hostel we were staying at by around 4 am. Oh, speaking of the hostel, one of the most interesting places I`ve stayed in yet. It was basically a house with a bunch of beds stuffed in the attic...oh sorry, did I say beds, I meant BUNK BEDS! Oh yeah, awesome, I slept in one of the top bunks. (did I mention there were only two of us staying in a room filled with about 9 beds? no? huh, you`d think I would have...) So that was a good time. Four hours later, I`m getting up and meet up with my post office friend (heresoforth to be called Keita...for that is..his name...yeah) and his girlfriend/fiancee...I can`t quite figure that out. They say their only bf/gf (like, omg, he just totally said gf squeeeeal)...yeah...>.>....<.<....>.>....(those are shifty eyes for those of you that don`t know), but they are saving up together for their wedding. Peculiar and peculiar... Now by now you may be asking, "when is he going to stop typing and rambling, I thought he said he was at work"...or you may be asking, "Why would he possibly need to catch such an early boat, knowing that he is not only NOT a morning person, but also knowing that he would not have a good morning after this...or any...wedding reception?" Both very good questions, and I choose to ignore the first one, so nyeah. The reason I had to get back to my island so early on Saturday is because I started to take diving lessons. Yay! I decided that just in case I wasn`t busy enough, I should get a diving license to take up even more of my free time. Luckily I was not alone in this endeavor, as two of my fellow teachers also wished to learn to dive. Turns out that diving really isn`t all that hard..huh, who`da guessed it. Of course I will admit, I still haven`t gone very deep. That first day was long, and cold haha. The ocean seems to think it`s still winter, despite anything the boat schedules tell it...silly ocean. Oh, I also apparently almost got bit by a sea snake during my very first dive, what fun! I never saw it, but my instructor said it swam very near my arm...I am slightly disturbed by the lack of vision while wearing a mask, tho after underwater hockey, one would think I was used to it. Guess not. On Saturday, we went on two veeeeeery shallow dives, maybe 3 meters, and then we had a sit in the "classrooom" (read the picnic table outside of the diving nistructors building) and went through the instruction book. Now, remember I had been up since 8 and it was now almost 6...plus all I had eaten was a convenience store sandwich that morning while waiting for the boat to leave port. So yes, I was very hungry, and slightly sleepy. "No worries Brett, you can now go home and grab a quick bite to eat and hit the ole futon and sleep all day Sunday if you like." oh, silly silly guest, you obviously don`t know me. After diving, I get dropped off at my house and no sooner had I hung up my wet things than my cell phone rings. Keita wants to hang out. hmmm, do I sleep or go hang with Keita, Nana (Keita`s girlfriend), and whoever else may be at his house. I was going to say no, I swear!, but he had to go and say he was playing Final Fantasy 7....argh a weak point! Tricky tricky Keita. So I go, which ended up having an advantage, I had a good time, and Nana, for some reason, felt she had to cook everyone about five plates of food. *insert celebratory trumpet sound here* Food Glorious FOOOOD! I finally get back to my home around 12, very full and very sleepy. But there is no rest for the wicked, I did get to bed, but had to get up at 8 the next morning to go for day 2 of diving class, yes, that is right, Sunday was also slated as a day for learning how to dive. Now, you may be thinking, but Brett...12am to 8am...why, that`s eight hours my good sir!, surely you were rested up. I laugh at you foolish guest. I already mentioned it once in this post...this veeery long post...but let me reiterate, for the slow ones. I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON! haha, okay. I drag myself out of bed, as I do every morning that I get up when it`s actually morning, and somehow get a ride to the dive shop again. Day two was just as good as, if not better than, day one. We started with a shallow dive, practicing buddy breathing and the like, then had an enourmous lunch provided by the diving instructors wife, then we got an hour break to do with as we pleased. I chose to nap on the beach and play with some of my students I found there for a short while. The second dive was great, it was our first boat dive and I got to do the classic back entry off a boat. The depest we got was maybe 7 meters, but it was still a good time. We got to feed some fish on the bottom, and I saw many amazing fish, as well as some other deadly ones, such as the crown of thorns...i think that`s what it`s called...it`s all spikey and big...and deadly. OH! and I saw a blowfish, that was actually pretty neat...although it didn`t decide we were dangerous enough to puff itself up...darn, I should have taken a stick...note to self, bring stick next time. After the dive class was over for the day, 5pm, and I once again got a ride home (yay, lucky!). Okay, so I should have rested and possibly slept at this point, but I didn`t. About 6pm I get a keitai (cellphone) email telling me that a group of my friends went shellfish hunting during the day and were then having a small get together, and I was invited. So I go, and not only eat real meat (not fish) but get to watch the Japanese/original version of Dark Water...I forget the Japanese title. I was amused, though I didn`t think it was all that scary. Afterwards, they started playing Mah Jhong (once again, however you spell it) and I watched/learned. Whew...so that was my weekend...how was yours?
Brett AWAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!

posted by B and N @ 4:17 PM