REIZOUKO

Last night I cooked dinner for my host family! And it was even a moderate success, i think! At any rate, nothing went hideously wrong and it tasted good - not as good as when my dad makes it, but not bad, anyway. I made spaghetti and salad and garlic bread, which sounds very tame, but it isnt really, when you consider that spaghetti here normally involves fish eggs or squid or something. Anyway, I was pleased, eventhough i still cant get the damn garlic smell off of my hands, and i stained my tshirt with sauce.

And now for something semi-interesting about japan. Theyve just finished up regional elections here. And not a moment too soon, because it was damn annoying. In Japan, in order to get out the election message, candidates and their helpers drive around (at about 30 km/hr) in vans with giant megaphones/speakers mounted on top, literally blasting their message at full volume. And they start at about 8 am. For the last several weeks Ive been woken up mid-nice sleep to various versions of "GOOD MORNING EVERYONE (honourable everyone, but whatever)! IM namenamename! DOOZO YOROSHIKU ONEGAIITASHIMASU (this translates oddly, but.. er.. like ..please consider me favourably)!" Ive woken up, dreamed vaguely about throwing huge rocks at the offending vehicle, and then fallen back asleep with my hands over my ears - every morning for weeks. Before school started, I biked through the park on my way to meet alex somewhere, and one of the candidates was in the park, with helpers, making a speech. To an empty park. With a megaphone. So that she could properly annoy everyone living nearby, i guess. They waved at me.. and I wanted to yell but was too polite. Darn. When I told my Okaasan that they dont do things of that ilk in Canada, she was shocked and asked how we knew who was running. Granted, Im not always the best PG-Politics informed person (I went last time to specifically NOT vote for Deborah, who ruined my favourite role in MidSummer Nights Dream) , but i prefer a semi-ignorant state to being woken up by people blasting their name into my house. I thought numerous times, "God i wish i could vote just so i could NOT vote for these damn bastards ruining my sleep"

Now that the election is over, things can go back to normal. Just the two trucks that come around sometimes - not even once a week- blasting annoying messages. One is deffinetly collecting old appliances (for the longest time the only word I could pick out was "reizouko" - refridgerator) and the other plays some annoying kids song for reasons unknown to me. Ive started making a list of things i want to do before i go home - namely all things ive been too polite to do so far- and i think chucking a rock at one of those cars is on it. Although since the lead politico in Nagano was shot/killed while in one of those message-cars, I may have to reconsider, we`ll see.