Ms.Go

Jun. 6th, 2007 02:09 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
[personal profile] parasitegirl
A week ago Ms.Go told me about her cancer. She confided in me that she'd recently finished chemo, had had a small mass removed from her left breast, and was on a series of hormones that made her temp rush up and down. She then told me not to be surprised. She showed me she was wearing a wig. I wasn't surprised, by the wig. I'd noticed the mismatched grey hairs at her ears and neck and that her hair was always styled in a certain Rip Taylor way. Over the years I've become better at spotting wigs here. But I hadn't guessed cancer, I just guessed that she was eccentric.

She's got the most eclectic clothing of any teacher at my On Paper school, myself included. Her clothing has multiple fabrics and fabric treatments per garment, detailed straps, folds, and poofs that confuse even me. Today her pants are faced with pleather, puffy pleather. One day she an outfit which I am still unsure, was it a dress? A cape? A jacket? Something from Star Wars that I should have known? When I started working here I assumed that she must be an art teacher or music teacher (think back to your elementary school art teachers...many of you will understand) but she's a general homeroom teacher, 4th grade. She's new to this school (despite years of teaching) and we had the same welcome ceremony.

I've worked here for two months.

When she told me about her cancer I thought about America. In America I wouldn't be that surprised if a stranger at Home Depot or a coffee shop turned and told me, unprompted, about surviving cancer...much less a co-worker. But, I am in Japan. This is not something that the Japanese routinely do, divulge health information to co-workers. The fact of the telling outweighed the shock of the actual information.

She is eccentric and that I am foreign. I realize that a small role I play here is to be The Other. Perhaps she needed to tell someone and I served the bill better than most because I am so different. Maybe she tells everyone.

Now I have this information. And this is all I can really think of doing
with it right now.
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