Sep
27
Sports Festival
Filed Under Newspost
Let’s lose weight and make friends!
One of the most anticipated events at least on the organization’s side since the beginning of the semester had been the Sports Festival. It was close to being canceled at the last moment due to rain but fortunately the cumulonimbus clouds spared us for one day and only returned when everything was over. All the students taking part in the festival were divided into 4 groups of different color (Red, Yellow, Black and Pink), and each student received a colored wristband to differentiate him/herself from hostile factions. Our Red team eventually finished 2nd, but the doping test results aren’t ready yet. It was obvious someone had been taking horse steroids.
Joking aside, the event included a short 8-man relay, arm wrestling and some typically Japanese SportsFes events each one more bizarre than the last: Borrow-and-run, Doki-doki-race, 6-legged 7-man race and Typhoon Shock. We had had two meetings prior to the actual event to discuss how the different competitions should unfold but in vain; most of the stuff had to be re-explained on the spot regardless.
Lasse attacks, Red team prevails ©Tariq Lacy
Running ~ Serious business ©Tariq Lacy
Visa and "The Stare" ©Tariq Lacy
Unlike the weather the day before and every day since that specific Saturday, sun was shining throughout the SportsFes. The sun, that sneaky bastard, took quite many people by surprise as there was an unhealthy red glow on several competitors’ faces and necks once the day was over. Needless to say, it was a great event to attend and it had been damn long since I had run at top speed anywhere. Running was very enjoyable especially after securing our team’s victory in the first relay race. My legs are still sore, though. The remainder of the competitions was much less serious, except for the arm wrestling tournament which Visa singlehandedly took care of by turning Super Sayajin and using his basilisk gaze to turn opponents to stone. Despite our best efforts, the Black team claimed first placed and their captain walked away with a trophy stuffed with two Hello Kitty plushies. It made me cry inside.
Nattô-kun
And now for something completely different. Nattô, along with umeboshi, is arguedly the traditionally Japanese food that foreigners won’t be able to stand. Naturally, this meant I had to prove otherwise. I was finally able to find some of that explicitly weird stuff in the supermarket as asking a clerk about its location was prohibited by my brain. After hearing the warnings of those co-gaijin who either had tasted it and hated it with a passion, but also of those who hadn’t had the heart to touch the whole condiment, I was even more determined to get it down my throat and like it.
The small box came with just a handful of nattô beans and a small bag of soy sauce and an even smaller bag of Dijon mustard (nani?). Traditionally, nattô is eaten on top of rice at breakfast, but since I didn’t have rice available and was too lazy to go get some, I just mixed all the soy and mustard into the nattô and ate it raw. The smell was not too intense, and the taste was basically just salty. I can’t really say I like it, but it’s definitely edible. Next up, umeboshi.
-Antti