dinner with fukui sensei

During these past few weeks I've been letting myself settle more into life here in Naruto. My constant travel schedule over the past month wore me out a good amount and after Korea I got sick for about a week. I was definitely experiencing a big city burnout and staying home in Naruto has been both a welcome and necessary change of pace.

On Saturday night I went to my co-teacher Fukui sensei's house to have dinner. We have been meaning to get together for some time and I was happy to have the chance to become better friends with someone that I often work with. She has also been wanting me to meet her 2 1/2 year old son that she often talks about in school. I was impressed by how she was able to make an amazing dinner and still consistently give her son the attention that he craved. From what I can tell it seems being a teacher is good preparation for being a parent (and vice versa). The Fukui house is only a three minute bike ride from my apartment so I'm literally a stone's throw away. Just knowing this one family in my neighborhood has already made me feel more settled where I am.


To say the least, the meal was excellent. I was treated to a wide array of dishes, both Japanese and western (to bring back some memories of home). We topped of the meal with some nashi (Japanese pear), grapes, and coffee. They were all really surprised that ate the grape whole without skinning it first and would watch in awe as I put the whole thing in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Fukui's husband, who is a government worker in Tokushima, was very interesting to talk with. His English was excellent and I really didn't feel the need to simplify my language when speaking with him. I called their son a 'natural entertainer' and he thought that was very amusing. In response he said, "Ah, I see. So he was born with this talent..."

Fukui's mother-in-law lives with the family as well. When I came to the house, we took part in a tea ceremony before eating dinner. The house has a room especially for this purpose and I felt lucky to be given ceremonial instructions by an expert.

The night ended with stories of past travels as we glanced over the couple's wedding photos from four years ago. I didn't realize that Fukui had visited some many countries. As her husband put it, "She is very unique in this way." Hearing about her time in Chile re-opened my interest in that part of the world. However, I think I'll wait until after my life in Japan to get there.