Back into the swing of things ... and straight back out

So I was going to fill in about my time in Holland, but before I had time to organise my pictures work started and with that, busy life in quiet Hirado. I will put in the updates about my time in Holland in the next week, but first: the last few days.

I started on monday, work that had been lying around waiting for me to come back was not too bad and I managed to sort through it pretty quickly. Lots of event planning is coming up and I'm looking forward to that.

One of the other things I needed to do was to renew the lease of my car. It turned out that Sazzle (the name I gave to my good old car) had to be returned to the factory. No choice. So I was told to come in and pick a new car asap, because Sazzle had to be returned this week. I went in and they showed my choice: 1 single car
So now, with a tear in my eye to see the PEARL white Sazzle go, I am the proud owner of exactly the same model (Daihatsu Mira), but in a lovely cream / light yellow colour... I'm the coolest dude in town!

Yesterday we went for a walk with some people of the department to try out one of the old roads that led from Hirado to Nagasaki city and the rest of Japan. Not much was left of it, but they tried to identify the old road and make it into a walking path. So off we went. It was nice to be out of the office in the afternoon and the weather was perfect. The road however was half on big tarred roads and halfs down slippery slopes down hills. At one point we had to walk miles around because it was too overgrown. I enjoyed the 10ks of sunny weather but I do not see this walk becoming a major thing.

Today I got lots of things done and I was really having a good time when the sub-head of the division called out for a sudden meeting with only the 4 people in my unit. Just as we sat down he cracked the news that my supervisor is leaving (one of the 4 people in my unit) at the end of this month!

I was really surprised and the only in my unit that didnt know yet (my other two colleagues had been told last week when I was in Holland). Wow I didnt see that one coming. I shouted out `What? He? Wow! Congratualtions!` (I knew she wanted to retire but not this soon) which was obviously not a Japanese thing to do, because they looked strange at me and asked whether I wasn't sad! Its one of those moments where we react so differently from the Japanese. But my supervisor was really happy I said it since she didn't dare to tell me personally in the last few days because she thought I might take it bad. I don't take it bad and of course I'm sad though.

In the last year we done so much together and she is one of the most caring and understanding people Ive met in Japan, let alone my city hall. She refuses to treat foreigners differently yet inquires how things are going when its extremely busy or when she feels I might miss people back home (like with christmas). She simply holds away the police by refusing to give them information on me purely because Im a new foreigner in town. That is so rare in a country like Japan where I have to fingerprint when I come back home from abroad. She gives me rice of her land and supplies me with a steady stream of homegrown veggies throughout the year. She throws parties to welcome my family when they visit. She tells me off for putting rice to close to the gas stove in my apartment and comes by when Im ill with fruit and medicines I already have, 'just to be sure'.

In other words, shes a bit like having a mother around. And knowing my own mother, I know how much she wanted that retirement. I'm glad for her, but I'm very sad to see her leave. My job won't be quite the same the coming year.

Sazzle and Kakari-cho, I'll miss you very much!

(I know this post should be about the people Ill miss in Holland, but Ill write about that later)