I signed up for next Saturday's Kumagaya Sakura Marathon (or 10 ks of it, rather). I've been suffering from a serious lack of motivation the past few weeks, but on Tuesday afternoon, a combination of nice weather and fear of embarrassment motivated me out of my danchi and into my runners.
I've got a route that I like. It's 10k, more or less (probably less). It takes me down my hill, over the bridge that looks over the mountains, past the shops that never appear to be open, and straight ahead until I reach the red barn. I distract myself with my thoughts, trying not to think about fatigue and sore feet.
So I'm running along, enjoying The Drums and the scenery, and I see the head of my Board of Education driving towards me. I give him a cheerful wave, but all I get back is this awkward smile that says "Oh... heyyyy." I know that smile. It's the kind of smile you give to psycho relatives you don't want to be seen with in public.
Odd, I thought. Sure, he was a little stand-offish when I first arrived, but I thought he'd warmed up to me after I learned a bit of Japanese and mastered the standard "Hello, how are you, nice weather, ne?" Apparently an afternoon job in Japan is more unconventional than I had thought.
But a few minutes up the road, I feel this frantic tapping on my shoulder. I turn around and this woman in an apron is trying to catch her breath, just gasping, "Sumimasen, sumimasen! Excuse me!" And I'm beside myself, totally confused and scouring the archives of my brain for some Japanese words that are appropriate in a "being-chased-while-jogging" scenario.
Konnichiwa? Genki desu ka? For the love of god, do I know nothing relevant in this situation??
While I'm working out how to say "Do you need medical attention," she catches her breath and starts asking me questions, just going straight for the small talk. And as she's talking, two things are running through my mind: a) This definitely explains the weird look my boss just gave me, and b) she ran an awfully long way in her apron for small talk.
Eventually I figure out that she's seen me in the neighbourhood and wants to use me for my English-speaking abilities, although the specifics are lost in translation. We walk back to her car (which was quite a walk, never mind a jog, showing her remarkable passion for English.) We exchange contact information and make some kind of English conversation date.
Yesterday evening, she had me over to her house, and I can't express how lovely the whole family is! We chatted over tea and cake, switching between Japanese, English and awkward silences. An hour later, I left with a bag of baked goods and a handful of grapefruits.
I've been going through a bit of a homesick hermit phase, but this, and the slow creep of spring, are helping ease me out of it.
