I Think I'm Turning Japanese
 
Well, this is just silly. Are we really expected to hike up this slippery hill every winter morning? Yes, the cold is bad enough, but the tiny mountain is no picnic  to climb in warm weather, so imagine what it must feel like when your lungs are screaming against the cold and you can't feel your toes. And what is with the girls wearing their skirts with no tights to protect their little legs! I watched them huff and puff up the hill with sweat on their brows, but goosebumps on their legs. Did they not read my last entry about Ninja Cold? To get a good idea of how blase the Japanese are about the cold and possibly abunai weather situation, read the following conversation I just had with one of my OTEs:

Yokoi sensei: "Was it hard to come up to school today?"
Me: "Well, it was just really cold."
Yokoi sensei: "You didn't fall?"
Me: "No..." 
Yokoi sensei: "Yes. Because some people slip. Some people don't slip. It is very dangerous."
Me: "So... do they ever close the school because kids can't climb the hill and cars can't drive up?"
Yokoi sensei: Looks thoughtfully at the ceiling... "I think maybe... no. No reason."

Okay! So, time to buy some ice climbing shoes...



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