I promise, the novel is coming, but it's all in my journal, and it's all scratchy and such, so it'll take a while to "translate" if you will. I've started, demo, mo sukoshii ga arimasu (I can't spell Japanese to save my life...). Why can't a day be all good or all bad? This is a question Adriane asked me the other day, and I've been pondering...today was no exception. I had a great day. After being "gently nudged" to spend more time talking with students, I did just that. I joked with them during class, I played basketball with them during lunch (well, after lunch), and I taught the "table tennis" club a new game after school. Unfortunately during lunch break I was wearing two long underwear shirts, a heavy turtle neck sweater, and two layers of pants. Someone told me once that sweat is gross in Japan. I must be considered repulsive at times... Then after school I had a...shoot, I can't remember the name in Japanese, it starts with a "b", but a celebratory party for one of the teachers. (I was also informed when I got there it was doubling as my "welcome party." I arrived in Japan on September 10th....) Anyway, just before I walked out the door, I received a call from our team leader, Kate. She informed me that, unfortunately, the phone bill I received earlier in the week was correct. I expected no such thing, for, on Monday, I was handed a bill that had in big, bold numbers 17,102 yen as the total charge for the month. That roughly translates as about, oh $160 or so. Considering last month's bill was about $50, the call sort of dampened my spirits. That's the light way of saying it. Maybe more literally: I wanted to throw all my glass dishes at the wall. However, I didn't have time, and rushed out the door to my party at Pot Pourri (which they pronounce Poh Toh Poh Deeh). Nothing like three hours of joking in a language other than your own to get your mind off of your troubles. When I got home, though, my thoughts returned to the depressing piece of paper that would suck my overtime pay dry. After much thought and whining we figured out it was probably from my call to Africa last month. Woops. Lesson learned: never assume things. Never assume a country is on the international $.02 a minute plan. Never assume. Money is something trivial to use as an example, but so many other areas of life apply. How many friendships and even relationships between family members have gone sour because of assumptions. I'm reminded of a piece of wisdom we were given at orientation: Learn to cultivate an emptiness in which you seek not to be known, but to know. We need never assume we know. We, and I especially, need to take time to listen. Not doing so could cost more than a mere $100 dollars....