There have been lots of rain and storms around here in Kashihara, Japan, lately. Yesterday I didn't think there would be any so I didn't bring any umbrella. It rained while I was at work but there was a lull when I was walking home. A student from the art club was walking with me and she also had not brought an umbrella. She seemed nervous as she pointed out to me the birds were flying low to the ground and explained to me it was a sign the rain was about to start again. She might have been nervous because she was carrying her precious box of colour pencils. Last year, the box was about half her size, this year it's about a third of her size. It's fascinating watching how quickly these kids grow. I'm still amazed she lugs the thing to school every day.
I'm back at the school with the big art club which I was able to attend the first time yesterday since March. Since then, I'd received a lot of my old books in the mail from the U.S. so I brought in a big picture book about the Pre-Raphaelites. It did my heart good to see a group of about fifteen girls crowding around the book expressing their amazement at the techniques of John William Waterhouse and Edmund Blair Leighton. They pointed out details like the shine on a velvet cloak or the branches of trees in the background against a sunset. I'm so happy to be around these students, they make me feel better about the whole world.
On Saturday, I saw some more kids playing with fireworks:
