… while waiting for the rain and wind to calm down.
My work (and that of two other students on the island studying dolphins) depends mostly on joining the watching/swimming trips. Since the weather has been so bad, there are no tourists here (they could not get here because the boat was canceled two days running.) and thus no trips. Some times, we will be able to go out without tourists, but only when the senchoo are available (need a special license to drive the boats here …). So we wait. There is only one other person fluent in English on Mikura. I hope to learn more Japanese and increase my proficiency in speaking nihongo while studying dolphins this summer. 'nihongo' means 'Japanese'. 'eigo' means English. 'go' is the suffix for words or language. Visits to the 'omise' (store) and taking walks help me get to know my new neighbors. Many are surprised that I speak some 'nihongo'. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive about staying on Mikura. Not because of the people or the island, but because of my nihongo skill level. I can hold a limited conversation and usually understand more than I can speak. So far, my worries were for nothing. And it is still true … a sincere smile can go a long way. J Cheers till tomorrow! Kathleen