As some of you may know, I recently got sick. Until now, I had somehow entirely avoided catching the flu while living in Japan. It’s not that I have never gotten sick while living here, but I did somehow manage to avoid the flu every time it was spreading around me. This time I was not so lucky. Little did I know that this experience would be the worst I ever felt in my life.

I was unwell for six days. For the first two days I had a constant fever of 39+ degrees.  I was dizzy throughout the entirety of both days and at night I experienced severe aches in both my arms and legs. These were the toughest days. On the third day, my condition improved a little and I managed to eat a little (though I did not eat much for the first four days and lacked energy). Sadly, I started feeling worse again on the fourth day. It was not until the fifth and sixth days that I finally started seeing a bigger improvement in my condition.

During this time, I mostly shut myself in my bedroom to protect others. This ended up being one of the hardest parts. I was not very comfortable being stuck there non-stop. And it was mentally draining for me. I feel like I am still recovering even now. Hopefully by next week I will be feeling back to normal. For now, I am just going to take it easy.

生徒さんがレッスン後にロビーでお話しされる内容はなかなか面白いものがあります。平日夜に比べ、平日の日中であったり土曜といった少し皆さんにゆとりがある時などは特にほのぼのとした話題が多いようです。その土曜のレッスン後、英語で五本指をそれぞれどう言うかがレッスン話題で出てきたそうです。

親指thumb、小指pinky（またはlittle finger）あたりは有名。中指は…ここでは文字にするのを控えます。人差し指はindex fingerかpointer。私は後者を使うことが多いです。薬指は答えを教えてもらえれば「ああ」と納得のいく単語で、そうring fingerです。

そこで話は終わらなかったのです。ふとSさんが「なんで日本語では薬指っていうんですかね？」と言われたので私が知っている話をしました。薬指は小指と中指の両方と腱が繋がっていて単独では自由に動かしづらく、最も力が入りづらいので、患部に優しく塗るために使う指だと聞いたことがあったのです。それを盲目的に信じていたのですが、ふと調べる気になりました。どうやら昔から薬指で薬を混ぜたり塗ったりはしていたようですが、薬師如来さまが右手のその指を曲げているらしく、そこから由来したという説もあるそうです。ほんまかいな？と思って如来像を検索しましたが、第四指を曲げてある像は発見できずじまいでした。

皆さんはlip balmを伸ばす時にどの指を使いますか？薬指？中指？汚れるから指なんて使わんわ、という野暮なコメントは無しです。化粧関係のサイトを見ると日本では薬指とその他には中指が使われるようです。さて英語のサイトで見ると…どの指が使われているかご想像ください。

薬指ももちろんありましたが、まさかの人差し指が出ていました。唇にベットリと、ちょっとキツすぎんかい？

さて、このヴァセリンやリップクリーム、軟膏などを「塗る」という表現ですが、英語ではどの動詞になるでしょうか。put onでもいいのですがそれよりもより的確な単語があります。ヒントはaで始まります。

この単語ですが実は運転免許を取る授業時のテキストに死ぬほど出てきた単語です。ブレーキを踏む、という意味です。日本語にすると全く違うニュアンスの単語に感じられますが、いやいや、本質的なところは同じです。

画像はスティックのりとlip balm。昔、この日本のスティックのりを知らない来日直後のネイティブ先生がいて、リップクリームと勘違いして唇に塗ったことを思い出しました。

Hello September！

There are only three months left until 2023 ends.

Are you satisfied with what you’ve done since the beginning of this year? 

さて、今年も残すところあと3か月となりました。

Time has flown so fast！

Most of our students asked me what I did during Obon.

Our summer vacation has two weeks off which is unusual in Japan.

Most companies in Japan don't have such a long vacation, but we do！

2週間のお盆休みが終わりました。

夏休み明けのレッスンでは皆さんにお盆はどうだったかお尋ねしました。

「おじいちゃんおばあちゃんのお家に行きました～」「〇〇に行ってきました～」など楽しいお話を聞かせて頂きました。

While I was on summer vacation, I was staying at my apartment or my parents' house, which might sound boring to most of you.

So, I have been thinking about what I could share from my summer vacation with you all day long！

皆さんは長期のお休みの時に生活リズムが変わったりすることがありますか？

私は長期のお休みの時には「必ず」と言っていいほど生活リズムが乱れます。

普段から遅くに寝るのですが、長期のお休みの時はより遅く（というより朝..？）に眠ることもあります。

生徒さんは生活リズムが乱れることはないそうで（すごい...）「やはり朝方に直すべきか」と思っていると、クラスの中で Rさんがこんなことをお話してくださいました。

私が朝型か夜型かを尋ねていた時です。

私「Are you a night owl or an early bird?」

Rさん「I'm a night owl.」

私「What makes you say so？」

Rさん「I have a tendency to get up late and sleep late during my long vacation」

私「I can't agree with you more！！」

仲間を見つけるとこんなにうれしいのか...と思った1日でした！   

Everyone in Okayama knows about the Uraja festival that takes place each summer, but I’m always surprised by the unexcited response I get when I ask people about it. Many NEO students and other friends tell me they’ve never even seen the festival, or they dismiss it as boring or too hot.

While it’s true that the heat is a problem, I think Uraja is an event that can be fun for anyone. In fact, for the past few months, I’ve been following a dance team known as Waon (環温) and working on a photo project related to the festival. I’m interested in how dancers practice and prepare for Uraja, and how they operate as a group. It’s been an enlightening experience.

For one thing, I learned that there are a lot of differences between the dance teams, which range in size from a handful of people to large groups of 80-90 dancers. The atmosphere within each team can be wildly different, with some being more precise and focused on winning a prize, and others encouraging a fun, more communal spirit. Prospective dancers can find a team that suits their level of interest.

A lot of thought goes into the performance and appearance of dancers. Hand gestures are very important, as is the make-up and costume design. This year, for instance, Waon’s dance features two “characters” from the legend of Ura – the king and the ogre. Half of the dancers wear a white happi, and the other half have a red one. Halfway through the dance, the performers turn their happi inside out to make them a matching purple color. This symbolizes the nature of Ura: he was a benevolent king to some people, and a monstrous ogre to others. Those two roles were filled by one person.

It's small details like this that make Uraja a unique, worthwhile experience. Of course, it’s also just a fun festival for the whole family, complete with food stalls and face painting. If you’ve never seen the incredible dancers of Uraja, give it a try next summer!

Dave-sensei was on "Let's Enjoy English!" on Radio MOMO (79.0 FM). Dave and D.J. Chiaki Kamibeppu talk in English and Japanese about their summer vacations. Click the button below to listen.

Dave-sensei will be on Radio MOMO (79.0FM) with D.J. Chiaki Kamibeppu on Thursday, August 31st (today!), at about 6:15 pm. They will talk in English and Japanese about summer vacation.

8月31日（木）6時15分ごろにDave先生がRadio MOMO (79.0FM) に出演します（DJは上別府千晶さん）。英語と日本語の両方で夏休みについて話します。

http://www.fm790.co.jp/