Still playing the guessing game

Although I have been in Japan for a month and have had several all-day intensive Japanese language classes (and seven more to go!), I am still very confused and everything I do is trial and error. This is particularly true in the grocery store. A few days ago I saw a sale for what I thought was a bunch of flower shaped soap and so I bought two packs because well, being so humid, one can never have too much soap. I took it home and tried it out and it dissolved right away. Perplexed and frustrated, I thought it must be some sort of candy so I took a big bite but nope, it sure wasn't edible either. Hmmmmmm...the next time I was at the grocery store I took it to a sales person and using the little Japanese that I know, I asked what it was and acted out all of the possible things I could think of (to eat it, put it in water, decoration..?) The sales lady enthusiastically nodded her head at every move. Currently these items sit in my closet with all of the other mystery items and cleaning supplies which I am unsure of. These problems have also occurred with things like vinegar instead of oil, butter instead of cheese, etc. Unfortunately, my literacy is probably not going to improve anytime soon...

School starts in a week and a half and until then I am in Japanese class and preparing my big welcome speeches that I will be doing for the whole schools. These need to be fairly long and half in English, half in Japanese. After that I will have weeks of self introductions in the junior high schools, elementary schools, and kindergartens. These will consist of guessing quizzes about myself, followed by lots of photos and maps...should be fun! I am excited to get school underway and get a consistent daily routine going...