I would like to start off by apologising for my lengthy absence from Ruben in Japanland. I do have a very good excuse, and that is, I have finally immersed myself completely into Japanese society, every day at work is the same as the one before, and no-one considers me to be foreign anymore. Life in Japan has become rather tedious.
I would also like to add, for good measure, that the weather here is wonderful, the sky is purple, and Steven Seagal is a wonderfully talented actor.
Now we have gotten rid of the gullible people, lets begin. The real reason I haven't been updating my web log is because of a little Japanese test run held once a year worldwide. I famously failed last year by 0.75 of a percent, so I was extremely devoted to passing this year. So devoted, in fact, that every moment I wasn't teaching, preparing for classes and commuting between schools and home… every moment I wasn't playing basketball, going shopping, cooking or going to all-you-can-drink bars on weeknights, I was studying. Such was my commitment to passing.
The test came around much too soon. It wasn't so bad. The test site was filled with so many foreigners like Japan hasn't seen in 62 years. It was nice to be reminded that, contrary to popular belief in Japan, not all foreigners speak English. Whether I'll pass or not… It would be nice to not have to study for this test for a third year. I'll let you all know when I find out. The good thing about Japanese people is their promptness. The results will be announced promptly in February…2009.
As I may have mentioned once before, but even if I did I wouldn't expect you to remember, I joined the basketball club in Tonami. Ironically, the team name is "Tonami Basketball Club". I have been training with them for a few months now, twice a week. There have been two practice games, which I have been unable to attend due to being classed as an "import player", and scheduling problems, but I was really itching to play in a proper game. It has been over a year since my last game….
Finally I got the call. It was the prefectural knockout tournament. Our team is traditionally very strong, so we entered in the 3 rd to last round. I eagerly paid the US$ 360 for my uniform. It's expensive, I know. But the uniform is really nice, and it has two sets. Besides, joining a team even in New Zealand is expensive.
So the game day arrived. I wasn't on the starting five, which I wasn't shocked by. They were a good team without me. However, the game did not start off too well for us. The oppostion's centre [for the basketball illiterate, this means the huge, big dude that every team should have if they want to win a basketball game] was killing us. After 6 minutes of this punishment, we were a few points behind. That's when I got my first game time. Being the biggest [equal] guy on our team, I was marking the opposition's centre. Within 10 seconds, I had stolen the ball off him, passed the ball to a team mate, and ran down the court for an easy 2 points. It was an epic debut play.
From here on, the game was a blowout. My team gained confidence, the other team looked demoralised. We won comfortably by 40 points in the end.
Now I know that in Japan, it is very easy to become big-headed/overconfident/up-yourself/an asshole, especially when it comes to sport. I did realise the opponent was really not so strong, and I was looking forward to playing a better team.
Well, that never eventuated. See, as it turns out, the Japanese test was at the same time on the same day as the semi-final. I was torn, but the nerd in me eventually won. And our team lost. What I wasn't aware of was that this was the last tournament until next season. Meaning, my basketball career in Japan lasted all of one game. It also means I have a yet unused, mint condition uniform lying around. My next game might be around the time my test results come back. Promptly.
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