He Mele No Lilo

My first day at work-as if yesterday hadn't felt overwhelming enough as it is. I am not proud of my poor Japanese skills (and they must be incredibly poor indeed, since the mantra we've gotten is you'll constantly be hearing "Ooo nihongo o jyosu desu ne!" and I've only heard it from 3 or 4 people) but I think if I had walked in without any I would be panicking even more. 

I just feel as if I am doing everything half-ass backwards, and it doesn't matter that I'm a foreigner, they still look at me like an idiot. The teachers I interacted with today-the vice principal, and largely the two English teachers-were very nice and helpful, but huge mounds of the conversation were in Japanese and flew right over my head. I got the impression I was embarrassing or inconveniencing them constantly... I automatically told the vice principal "Bless You" when she sneezed, but that apparently just embarrasses them. I forgot everyone's names, and stumbled over the simplest pronunciation. Seriously, "なまえ" is not that hard! I had only chicken for lunch, since I can't cook any complicated dishes, and the teachers giggled over my lack of rice. 

So it's been a pretty strange day. JETs who took me out for food this evening said it's completely typical, so maybe survival is an option. Who knows, I might even form a coherent Japanese sentence someday. 

"Kalakaua is his name, a flower that never fades in the sun. It blooms on the summit on the mountain, Mauna Kea. Burning bright at Kilauea, illuminating Wahinekapu."