February

     Hello, all! Jorden here. Things have been rolling along smoothly in Kanazawa; life is beginning to feel somewhat steady and even a little bit normal here.
     February was a welcome change after its dismal predecessor wreaked havoc on my cheery spirits. Despite what that old poet Eliot has to say, I am confident that January is the cruelest month. I mean, the post-holiday letdown sinks in, the Christmas decorations come down, your pants fit a little more snugly after all the delightful confections of December, and the cold is more relentless than ever. All that to say, good riddance, January. Japanuary. February has been much kinder. The sunshine has peeked through the clouds, and yesterday I swear I even saw the very first icy-warm glimpse of spring. Cherry blossom season is perhaps the most prominent, captivating feature of Japan. Lasting only about ten days in most areas, it remains the most fleeting of all seasons, and yet the one featured on nine out of ten postcards. Come early April, the streets of Kanazawa will look like wedding aisles--or so I'm told. Pictures to come.
     Valentine's Day at Izumigaoka High School was wrapped in an abundance of miniature chocolates, cupcakes, and other adorable multi-colored snacks. The girls walked the halls, tote bags in hand, delivering homemade goodies to their friends and teachers. I was lucky enough to score a handful of them from a diabetic teacher who sits at my desk clump.
     Daniel and I wound up at a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu class class night, compliments of a half-Brazilian, half-Japanese man named Willians who teaches informal lessons. I was amazed--at his physical abilities, yes, but moreover by his linguistic capacities. He made seamless transitions between English, Japanese, and Portuguese throughout the lesson, catering to the specific needs of his pupils. I couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic when I listened to him speak Portuguese to his fellow Brazilian. You know, all those days spent in Brazil just came back to me. ---No, I just mean nostalgic for hearing other languages regularly, particularly Latin American ones. I haven't spoken Spanish since my freshman year of college, and to be honest, I really miss it. I'm rusty as heck, too; now when I try to think in Spanish, I find that the language compartment of my brain has been monopolized by Japanese, and that the Spanish files are being replaced faster than I can say "Bob es su tío." (Point and case, I had to look up the Spanish word for "uncle.") Anyway, I hope that when I return to the states, I can pick it up again. Maybe Manuel, my ESL student from Confluence in Denver, would be willing to brush up with me over a plate of enchiladas.
     Our friend Shaelynn visited us for about a week at the end of January, and it was a great reminder to have a tourist here. It's only a matter of time before any city starts to feel mundane, I suppose. I have a college friend from Hawaii and he used to tell me how sick he was of eating mangoes from his backyard. Well, no mango trees here, but there are a lot of really amazing things to see and do. It begins to feel normal to have a samurai district in our city, a ninja temple, a castle, Hello Kitty emporiums. I forget that there are natural hot springs within walking distance, bullet trains to ride, buzzing soba restaurants right under our noses. Shaelynn, if you're reading this, thanks for being the adventurous type, and for conquering the 17-hour time difference in a single day. Also, we have found about seven Totoro souvenir shops (and perhaps nine sake sets) since you left. Crum.
     Daniel's dad will be visiting us in early March, so we'll be sure to post some pictures from our adventures. Looking forward to seeing him and showing him around this city of ours. It's pretty cool, I guess.