There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.

A weekend full of memories

Returned from a weekend away of home yet again, it seems like every weekend I am going somewhere, visiting someone. This weekend was unique in the sense that I actually got to participate in what we would call “a cultural experience.” I visited a friend in Noshiro, Akita which is about two hours north of Omagari, where I live. Got in on a friday, a night filled with relaxation, good food, great conversation. Saturday was an all day all night affair. I was able to attend a school ceremony at a middle school, i cant get over how young these kids act and look. Middle school, 7th and 8th grade, and the students looked like 5th graders. So tiny and cute, they giggle innocently and seem to be so young. There were two students who performed speeches in English. They stood up in front of the whole school and recited flawlessly, I would of been a nervous wreck at that age. But the seem calm, cool and collected.

I attended a summer festival in the evening, it was held in a local park which was very quaint and beautiful. I dressed up in a kimono (wrong word but it my outfit is similar to a kimono) danced traditional japanese dances all night, ate some food, drank some beer, conversed with the people of the town, met some other foreigners. It was a great evening,

However the night was only beginning , after the festival I headed down to “night groove” which was held at a local rec center and consisted of a make shift bar, a few dozen people and local dj’s. Some other ALT’s from the area came for the night, there were probably 15 of us total. At first the mood a night groove was serene and chill, however a few whiskey sodas will get any party started. By the end of the night we all were dancing , laughing, singing. I have never danced so much in my life, I ve danced at weddings and high school proms, that is about it. But I was in such a radiant mood, the music just took over. It was about 2 am when we left, I was ready for bed, still on my natural high from dancing. I wanted a cold shower and a comfortable bed. But people had other plans, apparently no one besides the 30yr old wants to end the night at 2am. So reluctantly i went to another bar. Now i was so tired, i felt like i had woke up and was starting a new night. In the three hours we were there, we drank, played darts, sang an abundance of karaoke , ate late night meal. By the time 5 am came around, I wondered how was i still standing!