Yesterday was good. REALLY HOT THOUGH!! August will be killer in terms of heat.
I woke up and had a good workout at the gym. Always makes for a good start of the day. Then I made my way to work, and was sweating too much after my short 5 minute trek. whew!
Anywho, I have noticed that I have really been liking my Thursdays in terms of the classes I teach. I always see most of my favorite people on Thursday. The mom of one of my little molesters was in my first class and she is really good at speaking and always makes me laugh cause she is so damn cool. The class was about talking to strangers and I posed the question; "do you normally talk to strangers?" She said: "Oh yeah, I do . . . cause I'm Obasan (old lady)." So funny! Not only is it funny, but really encouraging that she is comfortable enough with me to be so relaxed and forthgiving when talking bout herself. yay >_<
My second class was the biggest class I have ever taught here so far. It had 7 people in it and they were all women. YEAH WUT!? It was a beginner class, so teaching it was kinda tricky and some of the usual students of the class got shy since there were so many people. It went well enough though, and there were plenty of laughs. It was a succes after all, but I do need to get better bout being creative when it comes to beginner classes. Like this class, all the rest went well and I "chatted it up with a lot of the students and even gave some music to one who had been asking about the type I like and interested in what I told them. I really like the Thursday crowd!
After work was cool to. I went with all but one of our staff to this amazing Nepal style curry place. From this moment on, I will refer to it as "Everest Cafe" (its name). Hanging with the Japanese staff was cool and relaxing and the food was amazing as usual. I have been there so much already that they hook me up with free rashi (yogurt drink) everytime I show up. Good stuff.
Thus, I went to bed a very happy camper. I then woke up early and caught up on basically everything having to do with keeping in touch and on top of persona ish. Life is good and I will be low stress at work today. There one minor problem though . . . I am starting to hear secadas. They better keep quiet at night!
Alrights, gotta go or i'll be late!
Peace!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I shock culture. It does not shock me!
Tuesday was a good day to start off the week. It is summer vacation for kids here, so things were quieter during the kids’ class times of the day as most of them are taking vacations or something. Other than that, nothing new or particularly exciting has gone down in terms of the school. Every day is better than the last, but the changes aren’t so significant that I have anything new to say about them. After work was chill though.
Because I was headed to the main office again yesterday, my head teacher asked me to bring some documents with me that they didn't want to have to send. I was already home, but didn’t mind coming to pick em up since the office is so close. I met my head teacher and manager at the train station on the way and before we parted, my head teacher suggested Ramen for dinner. My manager backed out and thus, the head teacher said he would treat me, so I of course said yes. It turned out to be a good decision. We went to the ramen place I like, which is the closest to my house, and actually got to know each other a bit better. I was glad for it. As most of you can tell, I have authority issues, but hanging out with him that night was definitely a plus for his and my professional relationship. He may not be perfect, but I believe he ultimately means well (in terms of me at least) and I think he is quite fair in many departments. I will keep this in mind when I do my thang at work. I hope things stay this good or get better. Oh, he also gave good advice about tackling the climb up Fuji. Very helpful!
Yesterday I had training again in Shinjuku at the head office (Tokyo). This time, it was for a workshop on how to conduct interviews for all levels of prospective adult students. I definitely needed this training, as there have been changes made to the interview doctrine at AEON and I still wasn’t comfortable about doing them with my lack of experience. It was a very informative and helpful four hours . . . and even a little fun (I know . . . I’m lame). It was also good to see the trainers again as well as one of my training mates. Always a plus.
After that I returned to my school and only had one class to teach, which went ok. The teaching point was tricky to explain and get the students to understand, but they mastered the teaching point effectively enough by the end of class fortunately. After class I lingered at work for a bit and took care of some logistical stuff and got out of the place by about 940ish. Then it has been a night of working out, catching up, and preparing for the weekend.
I have one concern though that has been on the back of my mind. In my TEFL class last summer, I learned in depth about the trajectory of the phenomenon of culture shock. Basically after 2-3 months, foreign teachers experience a down in their over experience in the country they are in and kind of resent life and their hosts as a product. I am coming up to that time, and am really hoping that I will defy the numbers on this one. How sad would it be for all this happiness I have been gushing since I have been here to be overturned in less than half of the time I am supposed to be here? I think I will be fine though. I’m not a baby and also know how to appropriate and channel any frustrations I have effectively enough. If I start to complain a lot though, lease let me know 0_0 I refuse to be the whiney American!
Anywho . . .
Tomorrow is a new day . . . looking forward to it.
Because I was headed to the main office again yesterday, my head teacher asked me to bring some documents with me that they didn't want to have to send. I was already home, but didn’t mind coming to pick em up since the office is so close. I met my head teacher and manager at the train station on the way and before we parted, my head teacher suggested Ramen for dinner. My manager backed out and thus, the head teacher said he would treat me, so I of course said yes. It turned out to be a good decision. We went to the ramen place I like, which is the closest to my house, and actually got to know each other a bit better. I was glad for it. As most of you can tell, I have authority issues, but hanging out with him that night was definitely a plus for his and my professional relationship. He may not be perfect, but I believe he ultimately means well (in terms of me at least) and I think he is quite fair in many departments. I will keep this in mind when I do my thang at work. I hope things stay this good or get better. Oh, he also gave good advice about tackling the climb up Fuji. Very helpful!
Yesterday I had training again in Shinjuku at the head office (Tokyo). This time, it was for a workshop on how to conduct interviews for all levels of prospective adult students. I definitely needed this training, as there have been changes made to the interview doctrine at AEON and I still wasn’t comfortable about doing them with my lack of experience. It was a very informative and helpful four hours . . . and even a little fun (I know . . . I’m lame). It was also good to see the trainers again as well as one of my training mates. Always a plus.
After that I returned to my school and only had one class to teach, which went ok. The teaching point was tricky to explain and get the students to understand, but they mastered the teaching point effectively enough by the end of class fortunately. After class I lingered at work for a bit and took care of some logistical stuff and got out of the place by about 940ish. Then it has been a night of working out, catching up, and preparing for the weekend.
I have one concern though that has been on the back of my mind. In my TEFL class last summer, I learned in depth about the trajectory of the phenomenon of culture shock. Basically after 2-3 months, foreign teachers experience a down in their over experience in the country they are in and kind of resent life and their hosts as a product. I am coming up to that time, and am really hoping that I will defy the numbers on this one. How sad would it be for all this happiness I have been gushing since I have been here to be overturned in less than half of the time I am supposed to be here? I think I will be fine though. I’m not a baby and also know how to appropriate and channel any frustrations I have effectively enough. If I start to complain a lot though, lease let me know 0_0 I refuse to be the whiney American!
Anywho . . .
Tomorrow is a new day . . . looking forward to it.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Befor the week starts
What a wonderful weekend! Good times, good freinds and new discoveries. Cannot be beat!
So Saturday at work was plenty well. I pretty much took care of all the logistical work that I needed to (except for two small things) and all the classes went well considering how sleep deprived I was. It went by pretty quickly. One sad thing is my co-workers totally moded me on something though. There are no written symbols in Japanese for the sound "We (as in the first part of my name)" and I have been asking and looking for symbols that sound close to it and have a pretty cool meaning. I wasn't having any luck until a student said she found a cool symbol combo that would mean "on the beach." But alas, she was mistaken as my coworkers pointed that out. Now I am back on the search once again. Bummer.
The Mom of one of my little molesters came in for class and I hung out with her daughter while she was being taught. It was cute as she had me look at her homework and help her. Then if I were to go away at all to go talk to another student or handle something real quick, she would get all jealous and territorial. She would stomp her foot or grunt frustratedly in order to get my attention. So after five minutes of that, I started referring to her in Japanese as if she were royalty (using the "Sama" title with her name). She was also doing everything she could to get the attention of my head teacher, who was doing and interview in the interview room. It was an entertaining 50 minutes haha.
That night was the event of Bon Odori in my town. It took place right next to the train station, so it was two minutes from my house. The week prior I had arranged (with the help of a coworker) to tag along with one of the kid students and her mother, who had also planned on going. So that night I rushed home from work, changed into some traditional style Japanese clothes (jimbe) and rushed back to the school and waited to be picked up. When they arrived, I was so impressed with how beautiful they looked in their Yukata. The student was an absolute doll and her Mom looked very elegant. Both of their yukata designs were gorgeous also. We took a picture and then walked over to the festival.
It was hella crowded! Considering the location of the festival, it makes sense, but it was still impressive to see how many people were actually there. Tons of people were wearing Yukata or jimbe, lined up to buy food, or dancing round/on Yakura (festival platform). The music was quite traditional, and was accented by Taiko drums played by middle school musicians. It really enhanced the feel of the event. For about an hour and a half we got some food and ate a bit and then I just watched my companions do some dancing until the festival was done for the night. There was so much to see and so many people to watch. My eyes were feasting. A couple of friends had joined us and after the festival concluded, we got some dinner at my favorite curry place and called it a night. What a good Saturday.
On Sunday I just did all my laundry and got my house into some better order. It has been in need of some attention -_- Cleaning went well enough and it wasn't too long till I was out of the house. From there I made one of the best discoveries thus far in my trip I think. On my running rout, I run by this dance studio called junk-b. I picked up one of the flyers at their door one night to see what they were about. The only things written in alphabet were some of the names of instructors and the names of classes of course, but I thought I would give them a shot anyway. It could not have worked out too much better. The first lesson is free and you pay for 5 classes up forward that are good for any class of the proper length (70 or 90 minutes) anytime during the week. Oh and they have classes everyday! I am soooo excited!!! I get to do choreo out here for a fair price and their schedule is flexible to the demands of mine. I really lucked out with my location also, as this dance studio is only one stop away from me >_< I dare you to tell me to not be excited! Check their site:
http://www.junk-b.net/
So after the class, which was an awesome class in terms of difficulty and quality (warm up and choreographer attentiveness). I went to one of the towns to do some shopping and scope another train station I will need to use to get to Tokyo tomorrow for work. It was a good trek. I know how to get to where I need to go on Wednesday and I finally got some stuff I have been needing pretty badly at my place.
Yesterday, I got to see and catch up with an old friend from Irvine. It had been ages since we last saw each other (since she has been here a year already). We met up in Yokohama and went to the top of Landmark tower for our first stop. It was a breathtaking view and wonderfully set up tourist arrangement. The building had elevators that had only two stops for the roof and bottom floors and they had an attendant give you some info on the elevator and building as you went up. It was pretty fast to. We went up some fifty-something floors in a matter of seconds . . .my ears were popping hehe. We spent about 20 minutes up there chatting, taking pictures and enjoying the view. There was also a water tank with fish in it that would eat the dead skill cells of your hand if you stuck it in there for long enough. It was a funny feeling, but a cool experience. I had never heard of that before.
From there we got some cold stone and walked around the city a bit and checked things out here and there. We didn't spend too much time in one place as it turned out my friend was looking for Kamakura and did not have as much free time as I thought. So we took the show to Kamakura, where it had started to pour. No biggie. We got some umbrellas and visited the Daibutsu like she had wanted and got some good pics out of it. Overall, It was a really nice time and I was glad to see her again and get the opportunity to explore together. Hopefully I can get down to see her in Miyazake later on. We shall see.
On the way home I did the last bit of shopping I wanted to take care of and went home where I caught up with peops from home and put the dried clothes away. Twas a good weekend ya’ll. I hope yours was similar or better! I am off to work to start another week ^_^
So Saturday at work was plenty well. I pretty much took care of all the logistical work that I needed to (except for two small things) and all the classes went well considering how sleep deprived I was. It went by pretty quickly. One sad thing is my co-workers totally moded me on something though. There are no written symbols in Japanese for the sound "We (as in the first part of my name)" and I have been asking and looking for symbols that sound close to it and have a pretty cool meaning. I wasn't having any luck until a student said she found a cool symbol combo that would mean "on the beach." But alas, she was mistaken as my coworkers pointed that out. Now I am back on the search once again. Bummer.
The Mom of one of my little molesters came in for class and I hung out with her daughter while she was being taught. It was cute as she had me look at her homework and help her. Then if I were to go away at all to go talk to another student or handle something real quick, she would get all jealous and territorial. She would stomp her foot or grunt frustratedly in order to get my attention. So after five minutes of that, I started referring to her in Japanese as if she were royalty (using the "Sama" title with her name). She was also doing everything she could to get the attention of my head teacher, who was doing and interview in the interview room. It was an entertaining 50 minutes haha.
That night was the event of Bon Odori in my town. It took place right next to the train station, so it was two minutes from my house. The week prior I had arranged (with the help of a coworker) to tag along with one of the kid students and her mother, who had also planned on going. So that night I rushed home from work, changed into some traditional style Japanese clothes (jimbe) and rushed back to the school and waited to be picked up. When they arrived, I was so impressed with how beautiful they looked in their Yukata. The student was an absolute doll and her Mom looked very elegant. Both of their yukata designs were gorgeous also. We took a picture and then walked over to the festival.
It was hella crowded! Considering the location of the festival, it makes sense, but it was still impressive to see how many people were actually there. Tons of people were wearing Yukata or jimbe, lined up to buy food, or dancing round/on Yakura (festival platform). The music was quite traditional, and was accented by Taiko drums played by middle school musicians. It really enhanced the feel of the event. For about an hour and a half we got some food and ate a bit and then I just watched my companions do some dancing until the festival was done for the night. There was so much to see and so many people to watch. My eyes were feasting. A couple of friends had joined us and after the festival concluded, we got some dinner at my favorite curry place and called it a night. What a good Saturday.
On Sunday I just did all my laundry and got my house into some better order. It has been in need of some attention -_- Cleaning went well enough and it wasn't too long till I was out of the house. From there I made one of the best discoveries thus far in my trip I think. On my running rout, I run by this dance studio called junk-b. I picked up one of the flyers at their door one night to see what they were about. The only things written in alphabet were some of the names of instructors and the names of classes of course, but I thought I would give them a shot anyway. It could not have worked out too much better. The first lesson is free and you pay for 5 classes up forward that are good for any class of the proper length (70 or 90 minutes) anytime during the week. Oh and they have classes everyday! I am soooo excited!!! I get to do choreo out here for a fair price and their schedule is flexible to the demands of mine. I really lucked out with my location also, as this dance studio is only one stop away from me >_< I dare you to tell me to not be excited! Check their site:
http://www.junk-b.net/
So after the class, which was an awesome class in terms of difficulty and quality (warm up and choreographer attentiveness). I went to one of the towns to do some shopping and scope another train station I will need to use to get to Tokyo tomorrow for work. It was a good trek. I know how to get to where I need to go on Wednesday and I finally got some stuff I have been needing pretty badly at my place.
Yesterday, I got to see and catch up with an old friend from Irvine. It had been ages since we last saw each other (since she has been here a year already). We met up in Yokohama and went to the top of Landmark tower for our first stop. It was a breathtaking view and wonderfully set up tourist arrangement. The building had elevators that had only two stops for the roof and bottom floors and they had an attendant give you some info on the elevator and building as you went up. It was pretty fast to. We went up some fifty-something floors in a matter of seconds . . .my ears were popping hehe. We spent about 20 minutes up there chatting, taking pictures and enjoying the view. There was also a water tank with fish in it that would eat the dead skill cells of your hand if you stuck it in there for long enough. It was a funny feeling, but a cool experience. I had never heard of that before.
From there we got some cold stone and walked around the city a bit and checked things out here and there. We didn't spend too much time in one place as it turned out my friend was looking for Kamakura and did not have as much free time as I thought. So we took the show to Kamakura, where it had started to pour. No biggie. We got some umbrellas and visited the Daibutsu like she had wanted and got some good pics out of it. Overall, It was a really nice time and I was glad to see her again and get the opportunity to explore together. Hopefully I can get down to see her in Miyazake later on. We shall see.
On the way home I did the last bit of shopping I wanted to take care of and went home where I caught up with peops from home and put the dried clothes away. Twas a good weekend ya’ll. I hope yours was similar or better! I am off to work to start another week ^_^
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Saturday morning
The latter half of the week has been a good one. I have just been doing work and keeping in touch with the states for the most part; but so many little things have come to pass that have made life so very fulfilling.
In terms of work, I still feel I get closer to students on a daily bases and classes have gone well. The lobby and classroom have been filled with lots of laughs and happy chatter. A particularly cute story I want to relay happened yesterday afternoon with two of my little molesters. They werent exactly angels in class, but after class was out, I was off to lunch with my coworker and we ran into them as we were walking to the destination. it was raining outside and I was without an umbrella and one of the girls tried to hold her umbrella up to shelter. what a sweetie. Then when I said "it was ok" she lowered her umbrella and proceeded to grab my hand. I joined hands with the other one and we walked for a bit like that. It was super cute >_< They are growing on me.
Another fun moment was thursday night. Usually, the manager, head teacher and assistant manager are having a meeting or discussing business when I leave work. Yesterday the manager was actually rushing the rest of the staff and me out to go home. I jumped on the oppertunity and preceded to quize both the manager and Assistant manager as to where their dates where. Hehe, they weren't ready for the questions and we shared some laughs at my goofy behavior and line of questioning. I was really glad for that moment. I felt today that our group cohesion at work was a bit better as aproduct of our shared enjoyment. Good stuff.
Last night I hung out with a teacher from another school that I have only met once. We got to know eachother at nice little bar over some beer (thats right . . . I was drinking beer)and snacks. Turned out to be a really nice time and we ended up having A LOT more in common that I thought. I am delighted to find someone who shares my music and recreational tastes. Her favorite artist is the same as mine too! usually not a big deal, but when most people I meet dont know who Kaskade is, this is something impressive. I see lots of good times had by us in the future. Yay to having a new buddy here!
Tomorrow my town is having a festival and I am looking forward to it. I even brought some traditional Japanese clothing for the ocassion at the suggestion of one of my students. I will be sure to expand on this in the next post 0_0
alrights, time is pressing and I must jet. more to come soon!
In terms of work, I still feel I get closer to students on a daily bases and classes have gone well. The lobby and classroom have been filled with lots of laughs and happy chatter. A particularly cute story I want to relay happened yesterday afternoon with two of my little molesters. They werent exactly angels in class, but after class was out, I was off to lunch with my coworker and we ran into them as we were walking to the destination. it was raining outside and I was without an umbrella and one of the girls tried to hold her umbrella up to shelter. what a sweetie. Then when I said "it was ok" she lowered her umbrella and proceeded to grab my hand. I joined hands with the other one and we walked for a bit like that. It was super cute >_< They are growing on me.
Another fun moment was thursday night. Usually, the manager, head teacher and assistant manager are having a meeting or discussing business when I leave work. Yesterday the manager was actually rushing the rest of the staff and me out to go home. I jumped on the oppertunity and preceded to quize both the manager and Assistant manager as to where their dates where. Hehe, they weren't ready for the questions and we shared some laughs at my goofy behavior and line of questioning. I was really glad for that moment. I felt today that our group cohesion at work was a bit better as aproduct of our shared enjoyment. Good stuff.
Last night I hung out with a teacher from another school that I have only met once. We got to know eachother at nice little bar over some beer (thats right . . . I was drinking beer)and snacks. Turned out to be a really nice time and we ended up having A LOT more in common that I thought. I am delighted to find someone who shares my music and recreational tastes. Her favorite artist is the same as mine too! usually not a big deal, but when most people I meet dont know who Kaskade is, this is something impressive. I see lots of good times had by us in the future. Yay to having a new buddy here!
Tomorrow my town is having a festival and I am looking forward to it. I even brought some traditional Japanese clothing for the ocassion at the suggestion of one of my students. I will be sure to expand on this in the next post 0_0
alrights, time is pressing and I must jet. more to come soon!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Been too long -_-
Ok, so I was supposed have posted most of this up by Monday or Tuesday, but that didn’t happen due to unfortunate circumstances and being too busy up to this very moment. My bad, but my story will explain everything . . . Promise.
Saturday:
Saturday at work is actually one of my favorite days of the week so far; I have realized. Not because of the freedom I will have for the next two and a half days, but rather I have all adult classes and experience little if any anxiety with regard to my responsibilities as a teacher. I like and am easily able to talk to most of my students during down times and everyone is in high spirits because its Saturday. It’s infectious and makes me feel good to be at work. Thus, Saturday was a good day.
Saturday night was a good interesting time also. When I got on the train to get to Shibuya, I apparently synced my departure with that of thousands of soccer fans from a game nearby trying to get on the same train line as me. Getting through and traveling with that mob of people was quite the adventure. After I got to my destination, I headed straight for where the club was. On my way there I was checking out other locations to scope prices and DJ lineups for possible future stops and was approached by a guy talking to me in labored English. I tried to talk to him in Japanese and quickly found out that he was Korean and didn't understand a thing I was saying LOL. Interestingly enough, he and his friend (almost silent but nice nonetheless) were looking for the same club as me but couldn't find it. Thus, I suggested we search together and we did so. We finally found the place and were informed by the staff there that we were a bit early. We had nowhere to wait and decided to hit a local convenience store to buy drinks and pre party some. I talked with my new friends about everything from music, to girls, to their military obligations coming up. I was a wonderful chance meeting and experience.
We went back to the club after it opened and the two guys couldn't get in (Korean age counting system is actually a year ahead of Japan's). I was truly bummed as we went our separate ways -_- I hope they managed to have a good time that night. As for the club, it was pretty chill. The crowd had a lot more foreigners (anyone not Japanese) than I expected and they really packed the place with people 0_0 The music was ok, but the vibe was wonderful. There were no tough guys, no bitchy people, and most everyone I saw was just smiling and moving in kind to the beat. I even made dancing buddies here and there as the night drew on. I ended up leaving at around 4 am and watched the sunrise in front of the Shibuya station, got home at around 630 and promptly went to sleep. A very good Saturday ^_^
Sunday:
I stayed in for most of the day and just cleaned, answered messages, and contacted people in the states. It was a good lazy day. It could have been a tad more productive though . . . oh well.
Monday:
So Monday I decided that I refused to stay indoors . . . and I didn't . . . but I took it too far -_-
First, I went to the gym and had a great workout as well as a bomb Ramen lunch right next to my place. It was a good start. Then I went home and did some communicating stuff for a bit and headed out again. My first destination was a western style mall called Lalaport nearby. Save for the fact that I was the only person that wasn't Japanese, the mall reminded of a few I have been to in the united states. Thus, it wasn't that big of a deal for me as I thought it might be from what students had been telling me about it. Yeah some of the stores were novel and unique, but you can find them all over the place here. So, not that big a deal I guess. One thing that was particularly cool though was one store had these guys there and they were blingin out cell phones with stickers and decals. I wanna get mine done up to >_<>
From there I got a call from an old friend that I actually went through the TEFL certification with and we met up in Kamakura. At least 10 students have mentioned Kamakura to me and I had been wanting to go for a while. It was nice to have some company along to. He and I walked around and saw 3 of the many shrines there, checked out the different shops, and caught up on what had been goin on with each other since last summer. It was a good time . . . but it didn’t end there.
My friend knew where to get margaritas and I just had to follow him there. He took me to some Mexican food/style bar that was run by a prior US Marine. It was walking distance from the US Naval base there and slam in the middle of the area where all the US servicepeople go when they get shore-leave. There were even normal SP patrols walking around . . . haha and they didnt have ish to say to me =P
Anywho, we chilled there for about 2 hours or so over four margaritas (each), wwf on the TV, and eye-ing a couple cuties that must have been hunting for foreigners. We then decided to Karaoke and did so for an hour and a half. It was fun, but not the best decision in the world. Basically, I missed the last train at a station 4 four stops (over 5 miles) away from home cause I was out too late. Damn it . . .
It didn't get me down though and I decided to try to trek it back on foot. I was confident that I would definitely beat the sunrise since it was only 1230 afterall. Well . . . I got halfway there without a problem, but when the tracks of my line converged with another, I must have gotten mixed up and walked waaaaay off coarse. I asked for directions at a convenient store and the clerk reacted like I was an idiot; and rightfully so. I had managed to walk at least 3 miles east of my target with this other rail track and would not be able to beat sunrise back to my place at that point, as it was already 330. Therefore, I got directions to the nearest train station and waited out. It gets even more stupid though . . .
Early on in my trek, I spent the last of the money I had on me on food and drink to give me energy for the hike. So along with being faced with the prospect of having to catch a train home in an hour and a half I also had to find an open ATM that accepted international credit cards (long and unimportant story, but I still dont have my card for my Japanese bank yet). I ended up going to four with no luck, but finally found one in a 7-11 just in time to catch the first train of the day . . . Whew! So yeah, I got home ok and was asleep by 730 and up by 12 for work. It was a loooong day at work. haha.
Note: if you run out of money in Japan and only have a bank card from the states, the only convenient store ATM that accepts international cards are the ones at 7-11s. I haven’t tried every chain here yet but out of the 6 or the 7 I have been to, 7-11 is the only one. Keep that in mind.
Tuesday:
As mentioned, it was a long day but not too bad actually. I was tired of course, but all the classes (even kids!) went very well. My left leg was rather sore from the night before though and I had no problems passing out right away when I got off. Man . . . definitely not missing the last train on a night before work again. I'm too old for that irresponsible BS.
Today:
Was awesome! I got rested up enough, the soreness had left my body, and I made it to work in high spirits where they stayed high all day. One of my classes had been canceled due to rescheduling and another had no students, but wasn't taken off the schedule. I was able to finish all my prep for the week and then practice/rehearse for a kids trial lesson that I had just before lunch. My head teacher also went through it with me and I went into the thing feeling prepared and confident.
It actually went fairly well. I spent about 15-17 minutes giving a preview lesson to a 5-year-old boy right in front of his mom. Kind of nerve racking to think about, but it actually didn’t bother or distract me at the time. It must have gone well though; since the mom signed her boy for the lessons right after the preview (taught by my co-worker). Yay!
After lunch, I had my kids class with the group of kids with the one girl that talks back and it went surprisingly better today. I made changes in my approach, but I didn’t expect things to go as well as they did. Heh, even the back talker was telling one of the rowdy boys to shut up on numerous occasions rather than talking herself. On top of that, all the kids in the class seemed to get the material to a satisfactory level. Thank gosh!
After that was 2 adult courses and they went as well as usual. Lots of laughing and some interesting conversation. I also got to talk to students more than usual today, which was a nice treat. I actually am feeling more comfortable with talking to people and I could even tell today. I wonder how far I have to go to get out of the shell.
Oh yeah, I also had a meeting with my head teacher and manager about my performance at the school thus far and it went rather well. I am not perfect and have plenty to improve, but they seem to like me so far. One of the comments I think about most is how the head teacher pointed out that the kids often cry when a new teacher takes over and how he was surprised when all of my kids adjusted with zero tears and little ill affect. There were other nice things, but I don't feel like tooting my horn and getting into em. I am happy just to relay that they like me so far. Awesome!
After work I got to have a good chat with my Mom and was super happy for it. Its always a treat to talk to Mom. No matter what about ^_^
Ok . . . now its bedtime again. I promise to update sooner next time 0_0
Saturday:
Saturday at work is actually one of my favorite days of the week so far; I have realized. Not because of the freedom I will have for the next two and a half days, but rather I have all adult classes and experience little if any anxiety with regard to my responsibilities as a teacher. I like and am easily able to talk to most of my students during down times and everyone is in high spirits because its Saturday. It’s infectious and makes me feel good to be at work. Thus, Saturday was a good day.
Saturday night was a good interesting time also. When I got on the train to get to Shibuya, I apparently synced my departure with that of thousands of soccer fans from a game nearby trying to get on the same train line as me. Getting through and traveling with that mob of people was quite the adventure. After I got to my destination, I headed straight for where the club was. On my way there I was checking out other locations to scope prices and DJ lineups for possible future stops and was approached by a guy talking to me in labored English. I tried to talk to him in Japanese and quickly found out that he was Korean and didn't understand a thing I was saying LOL. Interestingly enough, he and his friend (almost silent but nice nonetheless) were looking for the same club as me but couldn't find it. Thus, I suggested we search together and we did so. We finally found the place and were informed by the staff there that we were a bit early. We had nowhere to wait and decided to hit a local convenience store to buy drinks and pre party some. I talked with my new friends about everything from music, to girls, to their military obligations coming up. I was a wonderful chance meeting and experience.
We went back to the club after it opened and the two guys couldn't get in (Korean age counting system is actually a year ahead of Japan's). I was truly bummed as we went our separate ways -_- I hope they managed to have a good time that night. As for the club, it was pretty chill. The crowd had a lot more foreigners (anyone not Japanese) than I expected and they really packed the place with people 0_0 The music was ok, but the vibe was wonderful. There were no tough guys, no bitchy people, and most everyone I saw was just smiling and moving in kind to the beat. I even made dancing buddies here and there as the night drew on. I ended up leaving at around 4 am and watched the sunrise in front of the Shibuya station, got home at around 630 and promptly went to sleep. A very good Saturday ^_^
Sunday:
I stayed in for most of the day and just cleaned, answered messages, and contacted people in the states. It was a good lazy day. It could have been a tad more productive though . . . oh well.
Monday:
So Monday I decided that I refused to stay indoors . . . and I didn't . . . but I took it too far -_-
First, I went to the gym and had a great workout as well as a bomb Ramen lunch right next to my place. It was a good start. Then I went home and did some communicating stuff for a bit and headed out again. My first destination was a western style mall called Lalaport nearby. Save for the fact that I was the only person that wasn't Japanese, the mall reminded of a few I have been to in the united states. Thus, it wasn't that big of a deal for me as I thought it might be from what students had been telling me about it. Yeah some of the stores were novel and unique, but you can find them all over the place here. So, not that big a deal I guess. One thing that was particularly cool though was one store had these guys there and they were blingin out cell phones with stickers and decals. I wanna get mine done up to >_<>
From there I got a call from an old friend that I actually went through the TEFL certification with and we met up in Kamakura. At least 10 students have mentioned Kamakura to me and I had been wanting to go for a while. It was nice to have some company along to. He and I walked around and saw 3 of the many shrines there, checked out the different shops, and caught up on what had been goin on with each other since last summer. It was a good time . . . but it didn’t end there.
My friend knew where to get margaritas and I just had to follow him there. He took me to some Mexican food/style bar that was run by a prior US Marine. It was walking distance from the US Naval base there and slam in the middle of the area where all the US servicepeople go when they get shore-leave. There were even normal SP patrols walking around . . . haha and they didnt have ish to say to me =P
Anywho, we chilled there for about 2 hours or so over four margaritas (each), wwf on the TV, and eye-ing a couple cuties that must have been hunting for foreigners. We then decided to Karaoke and did so for an hour and a half. It was fun, but not the best decision in the world. Basically, I missed the last train at a station 4 four stops (over 5 miles) away from home cause I was out too late. Damn it . . .
It didn't get me down though and I decided to try to trek it back on foot. I was confident that I would definitely beat the sunrise since it was only 1230 afterall. Well . . . I got halfway there without a problem, but when the tracks of my line converged with another, I must have gotten mixed up and walked waaaaay off coarse. I asked for directions at a convenient store and the clerk reacted like I was an idiot; and rightfully so. I had managed to walk at least 3 miles east of my target with this other rail track and would not be able to beat sunrise back to my place at that point, as it was already 330. Therefore, I got directions to the nearest train station and waited out. It gets even more stupid though . . .
Early on in my trek, I spent the last of the money I had on me on food and drink to give me energy for the hike. So along with being faced with the prospect of having to catch a train home in an hour and a half I also had to find an open ATM that accepted international credit cards (long and unimportant story, but I still dont have my card for my Japanese bank yet). I ended up going to four with no luck, but finally found one in a 7-11 just in time to catch the first train of the day . . . Whew! So yeah, I got home ok and was asleep by 730 and up by 12 for work. It was a loooong day at work. haha.
Note: if you run out of money in Japan and only have a bank card from the states, the only convenient store ATM that accepts international cards are the ones at 7-11s. I haven’t tried every chain here yet but out of the 6 or the 7 I have been to, 7-11 is the only one. Keep that in mind.
Tuesday:
As mentioned, it was a long day but not too bad actually. I was tired of course, but all the classes (even kids!) went very well. My left leg was rather sore from the night before though and I had no problems passing out right away when I got off. Man . . . definitely not missing the last train on a night before work again. I'm too old for that irresponsible BS.
Today:
Was awesome! I got rested up enough, the soreness had left my body, and I made it to work in high spirits where they stayed high all day. One of my classes had been canceled due to rescheduling and another had no students, but wasn't taken off the schedule. I was able to finish all my prep for the week and then practice/rehearse for a kids trial lesson that I had just before lunch. My head teacher also went through it with me and I went into the thing feeling prepared and confident.
It actually went fairly well. I spent about 15-17 minutes giving a preview lesson to a 5-year-old boy right in front of his mom. Kind of nerve racking to think about, but it actually didn’t bother or distract me at the time. It must have gone well though; since the mom signed her boy for the lessons right after the preview (taught by my co-worker). Yay!
After lunch, I had my kids class with the group of kids with the one girl that talks back and it went surprisingly better today. I made changes in my approach, but I didn’t expect things to go as well as they did. Heh, even the back talker was telling one of the rowdy boys to shut up on numerous occasions rather than talking herself. On top of that, all the kids in the class seemed to get the material to a satisfactory level. Thank gosh!
After that was 2 adult courses and they went as well as usual. Lots of laughing and some interesting conversation. I also got to talk to students more than usual today, which was a nice treat. I actually am feeling more comfortable with talking to people and I could even tell today. I wonder how far I have to go to get out of the shell.
Oh yeah, I also had a meeting with my head teacher and manager about my performance at the school thus far and it went rather well. I am not perfect and have plenty to improve, but they seem to like me so far. One of the comments I think about most is how the head teacher pointed out that the kids often cry when a new teacher takes over and how he was surprised when all of my kids adjusted with zero tears and little ill affect. There were other nice things, but I don't feel like tooting my horn and getting into em. I am happy just to relay that they like me so far. Awesome!
After work I got to have a good chat with my Mom and was super happy for it. Its always a treat to talk to Mom. No matter what about ^_^
Ok . . . now its bedtime again. I promise to update sooner next time 0_0
Friday, July 17, 2009
Friday night
A good day overall. Things at work kept me quite busy today, but it felt like a productive and effective days worth of effort. No big challenges or failings report, so that is an even greater plus. I also got to have lunch at that Nepal restaurant with the bomb curry, and that had me in a REALLY good mood for my last two adult classes of the day. One of them was a private lessen where I just talked Japanese and American politics with the student, which was very interesting and enjoyable. My last class had some cool personalities in it and totally had me leaving work in smiles. Having cool and fun students is such a gift >_<
With regard to my kids, I have come to realize (with the help of a co-worker) that my little molesters merely just like me and are comfortable with treating me like their Dad or big brother. Another reason I let myself believe this is because one of my molesters seems to like the head teacher even more than me haha. Right in front of her mom, she got on top of his lap facing him and was touching his face and stuff like she was about to go in for a kiss. Poor guy has it worse then I do; she even said that she was gonna marry him once! I guess I have nothing to complain about HAHAHA. So I now view my treatment from these girls (except for the scrotum tap) to be cute and endearing. I am a "cool uncle" or something I guess. . .Until halfway through class and they get bored with me teaching them that is -_-. I'll figure them out though. I will have every kids class going well more often then not!
Another interesting event we had today was a workshop where we learned about the Kaizen philosophy and how to apply it to our school. Basically, Kaizen is a philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. As time goes on, things change, and Kaizen endeavors to ensure that a person or company can efficiently adapt to the changes it faces or better itself in any way. Our approach in implementing the philosophy was to write down problems in the work place and then share our ideas and then decide on the most feasable beneficial routes of action. It was interesting and I like the idea. Hopefully it bears fruit for us.
Tomorrow is Saturday and I am happy for it. I have to have a follow up meeting with my manager and head teacher about my performance as a teacher as well as my impression of the company thus far. It is to prep me for the coming follow up training I have on the third. I have some ideas of what to expect but am totally unsure of how good or bad it will go. We shall see. As for classes, it is all adults tomorrow, so that should be fine and enjoyable. Then for the night I am planning on dancing again and can't wait. This dancing once a month trend is for the birds!
Hopefully good news, pics, and a story or two to come of the weekend.
Catch ya!
With regard to my kids, I have come to realize (with the help of a co-worker) that my little molesters merely just like me and are comfortable with treating me like their Dad or big brother. Another reason I let myself believe this is because one of my molesters seems to like the head teacher even more than me haha. Right in front of her mom, she got on top of his lap facing him and was touching his face and stuff like she was about to go in for a kiss. Poor guy has it worse then I do; she even said that she was gonna marry him once! I guess I have nothing to complain about HAHAHA. So I now view my treatment from these girls (except for the scrotum tap) to be cute and endearing. I am a "cool uncle" or something I guess. . .Until halfway through class and they get bored with me teaching them that is -_-. I'll figure them out though. I will have every kids class going well more often then not!
Another interesting event we had today was a workshop where we learned about the Kaizen philosophy and how to apply it to our school. Basically, Kaizen is a philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. As time goes on, things change, and Kaizen endeavors to ensure that a person or company can efficiently adapt to the changes it faces or better itself in any way. Our approach in implementing the philosophy was to write down problems in the work place and then share our ideas and then decide on the most feasable beneficial routes of action. It was interesting and I like the idea. Hopefully it bears fruit for us.
Tomorrow is Saturday and I am happy for it. I have to have a follow up meeting with my manager and head teacher about my performance as a teacher as well as my impression of the company thus far. It is to prep me for the coming follow up training I have on the third. I have some ideas of what to expect but am totally unsure of how good or bad it will go. We shall see. As for classes, it is all adults tomorrow, so that should be fine and enjoyable. Then for the night I am planning on dancing again and can't wait. This dancing once a month trend is for the birds!
Hopefully good news, pics, and a story or two to come of the weekend.
Catch ya!
Hump day
I had my first emotional challenge at work yesterday since I have gotten here. It was more of me being disappointed with myself, but there was a student that catalyzed my frustration with the situation. In fact, she is probably one of my most challenging, if not the most, challenging students I have. She is a smart kid and always is one of the first to get the material in class, but she always tries to speak to me in Japanese (REALLY FAST) in class and often talks back. So on one hand I can’t understand her and on the other; she is fairly disrespectful (even by American standards). Anywho, I was doing an activity in class that required the use of two different students’ vocabulary cards. This one student and another were paired together and neither had put their names on the cards in order separate them after the activity was over. Wouldn’t be a big deal normally, but this girl decided to take a freakin long ass time to separate them and that time was taken away from the rest of the class. Ok, even that is fine, but when I tried to help or make her go faster, she would freak the fuck out and not let me touch the cards. Because of this, the class got out 10 minutes late and I had to rush through one section of a lesson and completely skip the other. GRRR!!
I was frustrated because I totally overlooked that the cards couldn’t be separated and the student’s behavior just put me over the edge. I was in a bad mood for about an hour after the class. It’s actually really saddening when I think about it. One thing I do not want to have happen here is to ever get frustrated with work, but I couldn’t seem to avoid it yesterday. All is good though. I am over it and will now be sure to make certain that an incident like this would not repeat itself.
The rest of the day went redeemingly well though. My last class has five adults in it, and they are all good fun people. Thus, the class went smoothly as any of the others and put me back in a good mood. Furthermore, one of my students told me that the class seemed like a party to her. This totally made my day and I finished it with a totally positive outlook. Kids may be a challenge right now, but the adults will keep me grounded and happy I think. I just really need to hurry up and figure the secrets of dealing with certain problem children.
Today was a particularly good day at work. My one kids class was relatively wonderful and my middle school aged class exceeded my expectations. Their shy as hell; which makes them seem less strong, but even the weaker student was catching on by the end of class today. Good ish!
Those that know me well enough are aware of how prone I am to making silly careless errors in life. Well I managed to pull two off today and ended up doing a lot of thinking on my toes 0_0 for the adult class I managed to grab the wrong lesson materials (book 2 materials for a book 1 lesson -_-) and got the wrong class cd for the middle aged class. What a mess, but I was able to adjust well enough to where the lessons weren’t overly (if at all) hindered. I just wrote down key parts for the adult class and got by fine while I spoke all of the CD script with different voices. The students weren’t confused or off set and did the tasks perfectly. So, I think it is safe to say that it was ok. Still, I will make sure it doesn't happen again.
So, the mom of one of my little molester students I will have tomorrow was in the class where I messed up today and I realized why the daughter is so strong in the class. Her Mom is awesome. She apparently went to a good English school before. It was easy to tell with her exceptional command of intonation, and incredible English memorization ability during the lesson. I was really impressed with her. Naturally, she asked how her daughter was doing . . . I didn't snitch that she touches my ass and stuff, but did tell her how strong her daughter is. She sounded relieved. I hope that I continue to teach both Mom and daughter ^_^
Tonight ended with a wonderful dinner with friends as we cooked our own okonomiyake (the server said mine looked the best =P ) had a couple of drinks and reminisced over songs that made us think of college and high school. It was one of those events that make life that much richer. I am going to bed with all smiles tonight!
Tomorrow is Friday. Not worried bout my little harassers and looking forward to getting to know my students and coworkers a little bit better.
I was frustrated because I totally overlooked that the cards couldn’t be separated and the student’s behavior just put me over the edge. I was in a bad mood for about an hour after the class. It’s actually really saddening when I think about it. One thing I do not want to have happen here is to ever get frustrated with work, but I couldn’t seem to avoid it yesterday. All is good though. I am over it and will now be sure to make certain that an incident like this would not repeat itself.
The rest of the day went redeemingly well though. My last class has five adults in it, and they are all good fun people. Thus, the class went smoothly as any of the others and put me back in a good mood. Furthermore, one of my students told me that the class seemed like a party to her. This totally made my day and I finished it with a totally positive outlook. Kids may be a challenge right now, but the adults will keep me grounded and happy I think. I just really need to hurry up and figure the secrets of dealing with certain problem children.
Today was a particularly good day at work. My one kids class was relatively wonderful and my middle school aged class exceeded my expectations. Their shy as hell; which makes them seem less strong, but even the weaker student was catching on by the end of class today. Good ish!
Those that know me well enough are aware of how prone I am to making silly careless errors in life. Well I managed to pull two off today and ended up doing a lot of thinking on my toes 0_0 for the adult class I managed to grab the wrong lesson materials (book 2 materials for a book 1 lesson -_-) and got the wrong class cd for the middle aged class. What a mess, but I was able to adjust well enough to where the lessons weren’t overly (if at all) hindered. I just wrote down key parts for the adult class and got by fine while I spoke all of the CD script with different voices. The students weren’t confused or off set and did the tasks perfectly. So, I think it is safe to say that it was ok. Still, I will make sure it doesn't happen again.
So, the mom of one of my little molester students I will have tomorrow was in the class where I messed up today and I realized why the daughter is so strong in the class. Her Mom is awesome. She apparently went to a good English school before. It was easy to tell with her exceptional command of intonation, and incredible English memorization ability during the lesson. I was really impressed with her. Naturally, she asked how her daughter was doing . . . I didn't snitch that she touches my ass and stuff, but did tell her how strong her daughter is. She sounded relieved. I hope that I continue to teach both Mom and daughter ^_^
Tonight ended with a wonderful dinner with friends as we cooked our own okonomiyake (the server said mine looked the best =P ) had a couple of drinks and reminisced over songs that made us think of college and high school. It was one of those events that make life that much richer. I am going to bed with all smiles tonight!
Tomorrow is Friday. Not worried bout my little harassers and looking forward to getting to know my students and coworkers a little bit better.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Forgot to mention!
Of course my company has a Japanese website that looks different from the one I showed you. Every school actually has its own website and they already have me on mine for a bit.
Here is the homepage (no action shots of me yet):
http://www.aeonet.co.jp/school/school.php?sno=1415
Here is the staff page:
http://www.aeonet.co.jp/school/staff.php?sno=1415
check it if you are bored =P
Here is the homepage (no action shots of me yet):
http://www.aeonet.co.jp/school/school.php?sno=1415
Here is the staff page:
http://www.aeonet.co.jp/school/staff.php?sno=1415
check it if you are bored =P
Tuesday
So starts another “typical” week. Though the head teacher’s sister is getting married and he won’t be back until Thursday and the assistant manager wasn’t in today either. Thus, the feel of work was quite different today. There were less people in the lobby that didn’t have class and the office over all just had a lot less bustle. Fortunately, because of this of the lack of “things going on” I finished all my lesson prep for the week. Awesome!! Now I can prep better for classes for the rest of the week or take care of other things that may need attending to.
The actual classes of the day went well enough. On Tuesdays I have three kids classes and two of them only have one student; who both of which are really good at English and make my job fairly easy. The other kids class is one of my better one’s also. Anywho, since last Thursday and until tomorrow, the kids are doing review units where they basically go over everything they learned from the previous 3 chapters and put it together. They have gone well so far and my classes today pretty much killed on them and made me very happy. Review units do a good job of indicating student weaknesses. This time around, I am noticing a lot of problems phonemic comprehension. The kids cannot spell on command as well as I think they could. I will try to adjust my method for the coming weeks so that this problem does not remain.
On a funny note, my manager as well as a lot of Japanese people love stitch (from Disney), but have failed to see the movie he failed in. I find that pretty funny. Therefore I took it upon myself to download and give a copy of the movie to her. I am presently working with her to get the right software to play the file and hopefully we get it worked out and I get to see her get crazy over how much cuter she thinks stitch is. Hopefully I remember to post her reaction >_<
Now I am off to bed . . . for real this time =P
The actual classes of the day went well enough. On Tuesdays I have three kids classes and two of them only have one student; who both of which are really good at English and make my job fairly easy. The other kids class is one of my better one’s also. Anywho, since last Thursday and until tomorrow, the kids are doing review units where they basically go over everything they learned from the previous 3 chapters and put it together. They have gone well so far and my classes today pretty much killed on them and made me very happy. Review units do a good job of indicating student weaknesses. This time around, I am noticing a lot of problems phonemic comprehension. The kids cannot spell on command as well as I think they could. I will try to adjust my method for the coming weeks so that this problem does not remain.
On a funny note, my manager as well as a lot of Japanese people love stitch (from Disney), but have failed to see the movie he failed in. I find that pretty funny. Therefore I took it upon myself to download and give a copy of the movie to her. I am presently working with her to get the right software to play the file and hopefully we get it worked out and I get to see her get crazy over how much cuter she thinks stitch is. Hopefully I remember to post her reaction >_<
Now I am off to bed . . . for real this time =P
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Been out of it
Wow, it has been almost a week since I have said anything about school. Yikes! I think this starts the slacking off period or trend that happens when one starts to get settled and gets lazy more often. Well, at least I am aware of it and am taking action to ensure that doesn't happen right now.
As far as school is concerned since Wednesday last week , I don't remember to much that I want to mention beyond two things I have been able to recall at the moment. The first thing I am able to recall took place on Friday . . . That's right you guessed it. My class of little molesters struck once again, but not as bad as the other two times though. This week, one of the girls gave me a quick playful spank that I didn't see comming. It wasn't too big a deal I guess, but what is up with those two, really? More over, at the closing of the class they were touching my head like I was some sort of animal. I'm not sure as to why they did that, but maybe my weirdness and being different is interesting to them or something.
The other thing I wanted to comment about took place on Saturday. my headteacher came in and watched me once again to teach another lesson of a different (and our primary and most expensive) format. It went ahelluva lot better then when he watched me last week and he stated that he was quite pleased with where I was at withwith the material nd how I made the class flow. It was very encouraging and I am now motivated to improve even more. I want for there to be nothing for him to nitpick on the next time he should see me ^_^
Saturday was also one of my coworker's birthday and we ended the workday with some cake and chatting with students in the lobby of our school. It was really nice and my co-worker seemed appreciative of how we made her birthday a big deal. After work, a bunch of us were suppoesed to go to the next town down on the railway and drink a bit, but it fell through and I ended up going alone with the birthday girl to meet another coworker in the Yokohama Chinatown. It was a super relaxing evening and good idea. The coworker showed us to this "american style" bar where chatted over cocktails and I marveled at how the joint was making feel like I was back in downtown LA or SF. Afterward I walked around and explored Yokohama for a while before I headed back to my apartment. It was a really nice evening overall.
Something that I am super grateful for upon my reflection of last week is how close I am growing with my co-workers. I get along with pretty much everyone so far and have realized I am getting to hang out with them all quite frequently and I cherrish the fact. it makes me look forward to work even more and feel more comfortable with life here. They are good people and I am thankful they are letting me in, as I am happy to receive them as well.
Sunday I just stayed in, did chores, laundry and caught up with a few loved ones on Skype (skype me at unpouramor). So nothing needing to be shared there. Today as you may have noticed from twitter, my weekend was cut short by some training I had to attend today. Usually, losing a day off is a bummer, but I am glad that I went to today's follow up. It really helped me out. It was all about kids lessons and how to conduct them as well as possible and for every possible age group that we have. I will be feeling a lot more comfortable in my kids classes now and am even ready to teach more should the need arise.
It was also nice to see a bunch of my training mates again after a month. Everyone has plenty of interesting stories and catching up on eachother was a fun time during our breaks and lunch. We even managed to set some plans in order. Some of us agreed on a Mt Fuji trip over Obon week, watch a soccer game in november at the nissan stadium nearby and a couple other possible trips. I am looking forward to those, should they happen. I should also mention that the training was at the head office in Shinjuku, Tokyo and that was something else. The view from the 16th floor we were on was beatiful as I was distracted by it for a good portion of the day. Japan is really an interesting place to just look at sometimes. Pictures will be on facebook soon!
I also got to meet my head trainer for my division. She came in as we were leaving and introduced herself to the teachers under her wing. She was very kind and friendly and it put me at ease bout seeing her in the future if she ever showed up at my school. She had actually heard about me from my head teacher and said that I was very energetic. I dunno if thats good or bad, but will hope for the best hehe. I'll just show her whats up if she ever gets to see me in action ~_^
Other than, I cant think of anything. Now it is off to bed for an early morning tomorrow. I hope this finds you well and amidst good times.
As far as school is concerned since Wednesday last week , I don't remember to much that I want to mention beyond two things I have been able to recall at the moment. The first thing I am able to recall took place on Friday . . . That's right you guessed it. My class of little molesters struck once again, but not as bad as the other two times though. This week, one of the girls gave me a quick playful spank that I didn't see comming. It wasn't too big a deal I guess, but what is up with those two, really? More over, at the closing of the class they were touching my head like I was some sort of animal. I'm not sure as to why they did that, but maybe my weirdness and being different is interesting to them or something.
The other thing I wanted to comment about took place on Saturday. my headteacher came in and watched me once again to teach another lesson of a different (and our primary and most expensive) format. It went ahelluva lot better then when he watched me last week and he stated that he was quite pleased with where I was at withwith the material nd how I made the class flow. It was very encouraging and I am now motivated to improve even more. I want for there to be nothing for him to nitpick on the next time he should see me ^_^
Saturday was also one of my coworker's birthday and we ended the workday with some cake and chatting with students in the lobby of our school. It was really nice and my co-worker seemed appreciative of how we made her birthday a big deal. After work, a bunch of us were suppoesed to go to the next town down on the railway and drink a bit, but it fell through and I ended up going alone with the birthday girl to meet another coworker in the Yokohama Chinatown. It was a super relaxing evening and good idea. The coworker showed us to this "american style" bar where chatted over cocktails and I marveled at how the joint was making feel like I was back in downtown LA or SF. Afterward I walked around and explored Yokohama for a while before I headed back to my apartment. It was a really nice evening overall.
Something that I am super grateful for upon my reflection of last week is how close I am growing with my co-workers. I get along with pretty much everyone so far and have realized I am getting to hang out with them all quite frequently and I cherrish the fact. it makes me look forward to work even more and feel more comfortable with life here. They are good people and I am thankful they are letting me in, as I am happy to receive them as well.
Sunday I just stayed in, did chores, laundry and caught up with a few loved ones on Skype (skype me at unpouramor). So nothing needing to be shared there. Today as you may have noticed from twitter, my weekend was cut short by some training I had to attend today. Usually, losing a day off is a bummer, but I am glad that I went to today's follow up. It really helped me out. It was all about kids lessons and how to conduct them as well as possible and for every possible age group that we have. I will be feeling a lot more comfortable in my kids classes now and am even ready to teach more should the need arise.
It was also nice to see a bunch of my training mates again after a month. Everyone has plenty of interesting stories and catching up on eachother was a fun time during our breaks and lunch. We even managed to set some plans in order. Some of us agreed on a Mt Fuji trip over Obon week, watch a soccer game in november at the nissan stadium nearby and a couple other possible trips. I am looking forward to those, should they happen. I should also mention that the training was at the head office in Shinjuku, Tokyo and that was something else. The view from the 16th floor we were on was beatiful as I was distracted by it for a good portion of the day. Japan is really an interesting place to just look at sometimes. Pictures will be on facebook soon!
I also got to meet my head trainer for my division. She came in as we were leaving and introduced herself to the teachers under her wing. She was very kind and friendly and it put me at ease bout seeing her in the future if she ever showed up at my school. She had actually heard about me from my head teacher and said that I was very energetic. I dunno if thats good or bad, but will hope for the best hehe. I'll just show her whats up if she ever gets to see me in action ~_^
Other than, I cant think of anything. Now it is off to bed for an early morning tomorrow. I hope this finds you well and amidst good times.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Real quick
First off I want to thank my family for the wonderful care package. There are somethings in the states they don't have here, and I am well stocked up now. Thank you so much for the love! ^_^ 
So, I meant to comment on this before as I discussed it with someone a while ago, but I want to say something about the concept of "life moves on." The concern was posited about how cold it was that life moves on when one leaves a place, group, or the living realm. No matter how popular or hated and individual may be, life does in fact move on after that person makes their exit. Does that seem sad and hopeless? If you want it to be; but there is something else to keep in mind.
If one makes some sort of exit, they leave with having changed the people and place they were involved with; even if in the smallest way. Even though life moves on when one makes their departure, they are not forgotten necessarily. Take myself for example. When I left In N Out, it did not shut down and my friends did not quit out of respect for my memory. Life went on as usual and I am certain that the store will be a completely different place the next time I see it again. This could be sad in the sense that I go back and things look like I was never there, but what I choose to dwell on is the fact that even though they are moving on with their lives, my friends/coworkers remember me and have shown it. I do matter and did make some sort of difference and am confident in that.
If you face this consideration when you think about the past or feel like you didn't make an impression on those or the place around. Think about who remembers you or what is different and will never be the same at that place left behind because of you. Life may have gone on there, but you have set life to take a different direction than before. Feel comforted by that. Life will always go on and on and on, but if you change its course in the slightest way, it will never forget you.
So, I meant to comment on this before as I discussed it with someone a while ago, but I want to say something about the concept of "life moves on." The concern was posited about how cold it was that life moves on when one leaves a place, group, or the living realm. No matter how popular or hated and individual may be, life does in fact move on after that person makes their exit. Does that seem sad and hopeless? If you want it to be; but there is something else to keep in mind.
If one makes some sort of exit, they leave with having changed the people and place they were involved with; even if in the smallest way. Even though life moves on when one makes their departure, they are not forgotten necessarily. Take myself for example. When I left In N Out, it did not shut down and my friends did not quit out of respect for my memory. Life went on as usual and I am certain that the store will be a completely different place the next time I see it again. This could be sad in the sense that I go back and things look like I was never there, but what I choose to dwell on is the fact that even though they are moving on with their lives, my friends/coworkers remember me and have shown it. I do matter and did make some sort of difference and am confident in that.
If you face this consideration when you think about the past or feel like you didn't make an impression on those or the place around. Think about who remembers you or what is different and will never be the same at that place left behind because of you. Life may have gone on there, but you have set life to take a different direction than before. Feel comforted by that. Life will always go on and on and on, but if you change its course in the slightest way, it will never forget you.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Weights
Recently, as I ponder why I like it here so much, mind has been mulling over all sorts of considerations. I do admit this post has hit early as the culture shock is said to take about one to two months to set in, but I can not help to comment on the fact how much I like life in Japan and why. Reason for my confusion is that I am working here full time just like I easily could in the US and there are plenty of places to see in America as there are in Japan. Why should I like it here so much when I have the same opportunity in the US where everyone understands and can talk to me?
As I ponder further, I realize that 2 main things explain why I have such high satisfaction (bordering on infatuation) with my current situation. The more minor of the two is that, though my opportunities were the same between the US and Japan, I took and still take the sites to see in America for granted. I admit there are cool things to see and do in the US, but a good portion of it never really appealed to me. This coupled with the fact that the US is spread way far out and expensive to travel makes my motivation fall to practically nothing.
On the other hand, I want to see everything here if I am provided with the opportunity. From certain types of stores to historical landmarks, if I am offered to go somewhere with someone, I will go and even also plan to do exploring of my own. I don’t know how else to explain the fact that I just am innately more interested with what Japan has to offer in terms of experiences than my home country. It is more than likely due to a vast combo of factors ranging from the fact that my cultural/familial disconnection from Japan makes it exotic and more alluring, to sentiments of disappointment I harbor towards certain personally perceived shortcomings in my home nation (yeah that aint fair, but neither was the dismissing the spread of AIDS as the “gay plague” in its early stages or telling a Rwanda refugee that “America doesn’t have friends, it has interests”). Yeah, Japan may not be perfect, but until my home nation shapes up, I have no right to criticize another nation.
The other reason I like it here so much is that I have a lot more faith in and respect for my present job as well as a far deeper sense of satisfaction. All the hurdles I may face in working for AEON were made clear to me or AT LEAST hinted at. My prior experience with National Guard B.S. has trained me how to interpret these subtle hintings and how extensive a headache they could be. I have yet to have an unpleasant surprise. It also helps that Aeon primarily wants me to be a good teacher and takes good care of me for the purpose of providing a good service and that all those above me have treated me with (at least) an acceptable amount of respect.
Moreover, the role I am performing and trying to perfect really suites me. I am working everyday to help individuals master a task that will help them understand others of a different culture. At the moment, I believe this is how I can best make the world a better place. How much better would this world be if everyone could understand one another better? My ripple in the ocean of life may be miniscule but it is better than the absolute stillness that I felt I only managed to cause up to this point in terms of my work. I finally believe my job makes a positive difference and that is mostly why I freakin love working here.
As I ponder further, I realize that 2 main things explain why I have such high satisfaction (bordering on infatuation) with my current situation. The more minor of the two is that, though my opportunities were the same between the US and Japan, I took and still take the sites to see in America for granted. I admit there are cool things to see and do in the US, but a good portion of it never really appealed to me. This coupled with the fact that the US is spread way far out and expensive to travel makes my motivation fall to practically nothing.
On the other hand, I want to see everything here if I am provided with the opportunity. From certain types of stores to historical landmarks, if I am offered to go somewhere with someone, I will go and even also plan to do exploring of my own. I don’t know how else to explain the fact that I just am innately more interested with what Japan has to offer in terms of experiences than my home country. It is more than likely due to a vast combo of factors ranging from the fact that my cultural/familial disconnection from Japan makes it exotic and more alluring, to sentiments of disappointment I harbor towards certain personally perceived shortcomings in my home nation (yeah that aint fair, but neither was the dismissing the spread of AIDS as the “gay plague” in its early stages or telling a Rwanda refugee that “America doesn’t have friends, it has interests”). Yeah, Japan may not be perfect, but until my home nation shapes up, I have no right to criticize another nation.
The other reason I like it here so much is that I have a lot more faith in and respect for my present job as well as a far deeper sense of satisfaction. All the hurdles I may face in working for AEON were made clear to me or AT LEAST hinted at. My prior experience with National Guard B.S. has trained me how to interpret these subtle hintings and how extensive a headache they could be. I have yet to have an unpleasant surprise. It also helps that Aeon primarily wants me to be a good teacher and takes good care of me for the purpose of providing a good service and that all those above me have treated me with (at least) an acceptable amount of respect.
Moreover, the role I am performing and trying to perfect really suites me. I am working everyday to help individuals master a task that will help them understand others of a different culture. At the moment, I believe this is how I can best make the world a better place. How much better would this world be if everyone could understand one another better? My ripple in the ocean of life may be miniscule but it is better than the absolute stillness that I felt I only managed to cause up to this point in terms of my work. I finally believe my job makes a positive difference and that is mostly why I freakin love working here.
Monday
So now that I have been in Japan for a month, there are two things I know that I really want to do as soon as possible. The less important one is to find a good place to get margaritas, and I think I have. There are TGI Fridays here!!! One of my friends here has been there and she says they are good and the size is legit. I just checked the Internet and there is one about 10 minutes away from me by train 0_0 I am definitely hitting there soon. Though their giant (or supreme?) margarita costs 13 bucks more or less . . . It better be big and it better taste freakin good. LOL. The other thing I need to accomplish here is to finally “go big.”
My predecessor introduced me to this term. When explaining to me how the trains operate here as well as the clubs, he explained that (since the trains stop around midnight) either one goes home early, or one “goes big.” The term basically means that you stay out and up until around 530AM when the trains start up again. Staying up till around 530 in the morning has been my style of going out for quite a while and I hope to get the opportunity to “go big” soon. Ending a day of exploring at 830 or 9 is kind of a bummer -_- Hopefully my first night of “going big” provides a good story or two to share with you.
Yesterday, work was good. I did my first prospective student interview and it went ok. I had rehearsed and practiced a few times up to this point, but there is no training like doing the actual task for real. There were plenty of things to improve on, but my manager sat in on the interview and indicated later on in the day that she was satisfied with my over all first time performance. Whew! The prospective student did smile and laugh a bit, which also put me at ease. I know I am a loser to admit this, but I look forward to the next opportunity. This is something else I want to be good at. Making a good first impression . . .for myself as well as the company I am representing.
My predecessor introduced me to this term. When explaining to me how the trains operate here as well as the clubs, he explained that (since the trains stop around midnight) either one goes home early, or one “goes big.” The term basically means that you stay out and up until around 530AM when the trains start up again. Staying up till around 530 in the morning has been my style of going out for quite a while and I hope to get the opportunity to “go big” soon. Ending a day of exploring at 830 or 9 is kind of a bummer -_- Hopefully my first night of “going big” provides a good story or two to share with you.
Yesterday, work was good. I did my first prospective student interview and it went ok. I had rehearsed and practiced a few times up to this point, but there is no training like doing the actual task for real. There were plenty of things to improve on, but my manager sat in on the interview and indicated later on in the day that she was satisfied with my over all first time performance. Whew! The prospective student did smile and laugh a bit, which also put me at ease. I know I am a loser to admit this, but I look forward to the next opportunity. This is something else I want to be good at. Making a good first impression . . .for myself as well as the company I am representing.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sorry it took so long!
Wow, it was quite the weekend. Even though I work through Saturday, my weekend did in fact begin on Friday night. A lot has gone down since I last posted and I apologize in advance for how long this may be. Friday: As I always say, and will try to say less often now, slowly but surely my teaching is improving in the sense that I am more comfortable with it and on top of all the steps I have to attend to in class. Other than that I have no real news of a serious nature, but there is once again a funny situation with the same kids class as I had that one awkward moment with last week. This time, I am actually trying to teach and am in the middle of doing a game activity with the kids. One of the girls is already done and out and I let her draw on the board behind me while she waited. No biggie. The problem presented itself as she turned around and touched both my butt cheeks with her hands and rubbed em for about a second till I stopped her (in a playful kid way I guess though) . . . Man those kids. I will be on my top guard for this class on Friday. Who knows what I face next with them?
After school, two co-workers (later to be joined by our manager), two students, and myself headed over to a local izakaya to wind down. It was a fun and relaxing dinner as we got to know each other and laugh over life’s simple or exciting pleasures. Nights like that are one of the many things that keep me smiling at work ^_^
Saturday:
As usual, Saturday is a busy day but it was a good one nonetheless. This was somewhat entertaining also. So, my head teacher needs to watch me teach a lesson and sits in on a lesson I am teaching to an 18 and a 20-year-old girl. For those of you who know me, stop laughing cause this isn’t going to be what you think . . . Jerks. Anywho, the class was about calling people on the phone and for the most part it went really well and while I am at the last ten minutes of class, I have one of the girls pretend she is calling a guy’s house, but he isn’t home while the girl (other student) is and she is his girlfriend. I didn’t even consider where they were gonna take this -_-
So here is the convo:
Student 1: Hello? This is (can’t say her name) . . . is Wes there?
Student2: No this is ___. I am Wes’s girlfriend (“oh geez” I thought to myself) Why are you calling here? (OH IT GETS BETTER)
Student1: Oh . . . I am also Wes’s girlfriend . . . (and the skit goes on, but that’s the funniest part)
So I got a little red, but we all got a good laugh out of it. Things like this definitely keep work rather interesting haha. In terms of my head teacher observing me, He liked me better that I expected. I did manage to forget a big chunk (which I had never done up to that point), but it wasn’t too big a deal. There are some preparation things I need to work on and a couple other fine details, but other than that, I am doing ok. I now have a better idea of how to improve and am grateful for it. He says he plan to watch another class this week. Hopefully I knock his socks off =P
After work, three of us teachers and one of the students went down to Yokohama city to have a night in the town. We got there around eightish and had ourselves a good time. We went to this pizza joint that is pretty popular here called Shaky’s. I guess it's a US based company with all the English and American culture that was all up in the place. The pizza was quite good though. Of course we had some pepperoni, but we tried some terriyaki chicken also, which was quite delicious.
From there we went and did some karaoke for about an hour and later took the show to a local arcade. It had several floors and all sorts of games you would and would not recognize. There were also a lot of those claw games where the prizes were anything from food to watches. Some of my friends would have never left hehe. I played this game that is like guitar hero but for Taiko drums (Japanese style drums). Very fun, and I posted pictures of it on the profile. Before we headed home, we went to this department store called Don Quijote. Its like the Wal-Mart of Japan 0_0 they had everything there >_<>
Sunday:
I met up with an old friend who actually lived next door to me in my first year at college. She was an exchange student doing a home-stay and I saw her quite often before I got deployed. It was nice to see her again after so long. We met in the city of Asakusa and initially checked out the Sensoji shrine that was there. It was an amazing site (pics posted). The structures of the gates and buildings were very impressive, and so was the long network of souvenir/snack shops between the inner and outer gate buildings. Not to mention there was a ton of people there that day. My friend said that over the New Year holiday, it is so crowded that one can’t even move around in the crowd. Crazy. Even though the place was hella crowded, I still felt the same way around this shrine as I did the one back in Omiya. It was amazing.
We then proceeded to just walk around town to watch people and catch up on the 4 years we were out of the loop with each other. There were plenty of interesting people as well as sights. For instance there was this 4 or 5 story building dedicated to televising horse races for gambling. I never guessed it was so popular here. We also walked by a movie theater where I was surprised to see provocative pictures of scantily clad women in the middle of what seemed to be “romance scenes.” When I asked my friend what that was about, she told me that XXX theaters do exist here and that they call them “pink theaters.” I thought that was funny. Then, we just chilled by the river for a bit next to the Asahi headquarters building and enjoyed the peaceful and pretty afternoon. Gosh, Japan is so peaceful at times!
Next, we stopped a few cities over in Ueno. There is this big shopping center there called “Amayay okocho.” This place was also hella crowded, but that had pretty much anything you needed in terms of shopping. I managed to get myself this really handy coin-organizing wallet. Now I won’t jingle like santa clause with all the change I carry here.
We then bought a couple of bento dinners and cans of umeshu for ourselves and ate lunch in Ueno park. It was very relaxing as well as entertaining. There were plenty of people to watch and we also had to intimidate some crows that were intent on snatching our food. My friend said that this park is a prime spot for Sakura watching during April. She pointed out that basically all the trees lining the walkway would blossom. It sounded breath taking. Maybe I will make a stop there during April. Once we finished our meals, I then got to experience my first movie in Japan . . . Transformers 2!! It was in English and I liked it a lot better than the first one. Also, theaters in Japan are a little different but not really so much as to make for the necessity to comment more on it than this.
That was pretty much the excitement of my weekend. On Monday I just did errands and took care of ish at home. I guess I just need one of those days to relax. Work was fine yesterday and more or less uneventful. Though one of the staff is having her birthday on Saturday and we may do something after work. We shall see. You know I will keep you informed.
After school, two co-workers (later to be joined by our manager), two students, and myself headed over to a local izakaya to wind down. It was a fun and relaxing dinner as we got to know each other and laugh over life’s simple or exciting pleasures. Nights like that are one of the many things that keep me smiling at work ^_^
Saturday:
As usual, Saturday is a busy day but it was a good one nonetheless. This was somewhat entertaining also. So, my head teacher needs to watch me teach a lesson and sits in on a lesson I am teaching to an 18 and a 20-year-old girl. For those of you who know me, stop laughing cause this isn’t going to be what you think . . . Jerks. Anywho, the class was about calling people on the phone and for the most part it went really well and while I am at the last ten minutes of class, I have one of the girls pretend she is calling a guy’s house, but he isn’t home while the girl (other student) is and she is his girlfriend. I didn’t even consider where they were gonna take this -_-
So here is the convo:
Student 1: Hello? This is (can’t say her name) . . . is Wes there?
Student2: No this is ___. I am Wes’s girlfriend (“oh geez” I thought to myself) Why are you calling here? (OH IT GETS BETTER)
Student1: Oh . . . I am also Wes’s girlfriend . . . (and the skit goes on, but that’s the funniest part)
So I got a little red, but we all got a good laugh out of it. Things like this definitely keep work rather interesting haha. In terms of my head teacher observing me, He liked me better that I expected. I did manage to forget a big chunk (which I had never done up to that point), but it wasn’t too big a deal. There are some preparation things I need to work on and a couple other fine details, but other than that, I am doing ok. I now have a better idea of how to improve and am grateful for it. He says he plan to watch another class this week. Hopefully I knock his socks off =P
After work, three of us teachers and one of the students went down to Yokohama city to have a night in the town. We got there around eightish and had ourselves a good time. We went to this pizza joint that is pretty popular here called Shaky’s. I guess it's a US based company with all the English and American culture that was all up in the place. The pizza was quite good though. Of course we had some pepperoni, but we tried some terriyaki chicken also, which was quite delicious.
From there we went and did some karaoke for about an hour and later took the show to a local arcade. It had several floors and all sorts of games you would and would not recognize. There were also a lot of those claw games where the prizes were anything from food to watches. Some of my friends would have never left hehe. I played this game that is like guitar hero but for Taiko drums (Japanese style drums). Very fun, and I posted pictures of it on the profile. Before we headed home, we went to this department store called Don Quijote. Its like the Wal-Mart of Japan 0_0 they had everything there >_<>
Sunday:
I met up with an old friend who actually lived next door to me in my first year at college. She was an exchange student doing a home-stay and I saw her quite often before I got deployed. It was nice to see her again after so long. We met in the city of Asakusa and initially checked out the Sensoji shrine that was there. It was an amazing site (pics posted). The structures of the gates and buildings were very impressive, and so was the long network of souvenir/snack shops between the inner and outer gate buildings. Not to mention there was a ton of people there that day. My friend said that over the New Year holiday, it is so crowded that one can’t even move around in the crowd. Crazy. Even though the place was hella crowded, I still felt the same way around this shrine as I did the one back in Omiya. It was amazing.
We then proceeded to just walk around town to watch people and catch up on the 4 years we were out of the loop with each other. There were plenty of interesting people as well as sights. For instance there was this 4 or 5 story building dedicated to televising horse races for gambling. I never guessed it was so popular here. We also walked by a movie theater where I was surprised to see provocative pictures of scantily clad women in the middle of what seemed to be “romance scenes.” When I asked my friend what that was about, she told me that XXX theaters do exist here and that they call them “pink theaters.” I thought that was funny. Then, we just chilled by the river for a bit next to the Asahi headquarters building and enjoyed the peaceful and pretty afternoon. Gosh, Japan is so peaceful at times!
Next, we stopped a few cities over in Ueno. There is this big shopping center there called “Amayay okocho.” This place was also hella crowded, but that had pretty much anything you needed in terms of shopping. I managed to get myself this really handy coin-organizing wallet. Now I won’t jingle like santa clause with all the change I carry here.
We then bought a couple of bento dinners and cans of umeshu for ourselves and ate lunch in Ueno park. It was very relaxing as well as entertaining. There were plenty of people to watch and we also had to intimidate some crows that were intent on snatching our food. My friend said that this park is a prime spot for Sakura watching during April. She pointed out that basically all the trees lining the walkway would blossom. It sounded breath taking. Maybe I will make a stop there during April. Once we finished our meals, I then got to experience my first movie in Japan . . . Transformers 2!! It was in English and I liked it a lot better than the first one. Also, theaters in Japan are a little different but not really so much as to make for the necessity to comment more on it than this.
That was pretty much the excitement of my weekend. On Monday I just did errands and took care of ish at home. I guess I just need one of those days to relax. Work was fine yesterday and more or less uneventful. Though one of the staff is having her birthday on Saturday and we may do something after work. We shall see. You know I will keep you informed.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Lonely?
I was asked recently if I was homesick yet and I have also even questioned myself as to why I am not lonely here. I have come to believe that this blog is the answer to that. as I type these words I am speaking from my heart to yours and that makes me feel closer to you. Knowing that my friends and loved ones care enough to bother to read my simple ramblings makes my heart content at its deepest point. I admit there are the moments where I would like to be able to reach out and hug you or something at will, but the knowing that you care is enough right now. Thank you.
Also, I was pretty unhappy with myself and who I was during the end of my senior year in college and the year I waited to to get out here. As my college career came to close, I didn't want to attempt grad school right away and I lost a lot of respect for my job. I was living everyday with no real tangible purpose, until I decided to come here. Even then, I had to wait to have that purpose for almost a year. I had things to work toward, but I couldn't help but feel that I was in a holding area and my life was sort of on pause (though i did live it up hehe). Now that I am here though, I feel that sense of purpose again and it makes me a lot happier with myself and life in general. It is really nice to have a positive (but realistic) spin on most things around me again.
So am I homesick . . . at times, but not in the way you think. You are my home and you are always with me. I just wish you were here sometimes.
Also, I was pretty unhappy with myself and who I was during the end of my senior year in college and the year I waited to to get out here. As my college career came to close, I didn't want to attempt grad school right away and I lost a lot of respect for my job. I was living everyday with no real tangible purpose, until I decided to come here. Even then, I had to wait to have that purpose for almost a year. I had things to work toward, but I couldn't help but feel that I was in a holding area and my life was sort of on pause (though i did live it up hehe). Now that I am here though, I feel that sense of purpose again and it makes me a lot happier with myself and life in general. It is really nice to have a positive (but realistic) spin on most things around me again.
So am I homesick . . . at times, but not in the way you think. You are my home and you are always with me. I just wish you were here sometimes.
Lunchtime thoughts
Part of this was written on my lunch break today . . .
Yesterday went well. I woke up and took care of everything I planned to and was rested. Work was good as well. No real news on teaching, but everyday I feel like I am improving upon the day or week before and that is good enough for me. One of my students said something interesting though. She told my head teacher that compared to another teacher from a while back, I am starting off more confident. Apparently when this guy first began to teach, he would drop his materials often during class cause he was so nervous. I haven't been doing that and I guess I had impressed this particular student. This encourages me; not in the sense that I am starting off better than the other guy, but that I am starting off confident. I have one less hurtle to overcome before I can call myself a good teacher. . . Smooth.
Other than that, yesterday was a good and more or less average day until I went to bed. Today, is going along in the same vein. Though I did forget to mention last Thursday, but was reminded today, that one of my student's husband got his MBA at UCI. What a small world!! I told her to go home and do the "zot zot zot" to him ad see what he did. She said he was surprised and and laughed about it. Funny stuff eh?
It has been mentioned to me by some that I should talk about how I feel out here a bit more in detail in terms of emotion. I usually do, when it comes to excitement and happiness, but I will try to avoid complaining on this medium if I have problems. I don't want this blog to ever be mistaken for a bitchy one. Why would I complain or even take the time to write about negative emotions when all that will do is take time and energy away from the good ones or overcoming the challenges? I have and will be facing adversity here for sure and I will document those experiences, but you will be hard pressed to catch how upset or sad I am about something. Though, I admit now that if foreigners come here and piss me off and make me and other well behaved foreigners look bad, I will probably vent and get all crazy bout it here. so watch out for that hehe . . .
With that said I actually need to talk about the movie "Lost in translation" and how it relates to how I regard my situation here. But after I get back from work . . .
So . . . I have owned this movie, "Lost in translation" for the last 5 years or so and didn't sit down to watch it till last week. Basically the film follows the experiences of two exceedingly unhappy spouses (not to each other) as they cope with their general dissatisfaction with their marriages as well as life in general, in the town of Shibuya (Tokyo). A lot of the directional moves in the film seem to poke fun at or mock Japanese culture as Bill Murry or Scarlet Johanson's characters seemed to predominately receive the Japanese experience with ill affect until they meet each other and have their emotional affair. I initially wanted to be annoyed with the movie, but I soon realized that my interpretation of the film is probably far from universal and the problem I had from what I saw lies somewhere else.
"Lost in translation" could easily be proclaimed as a commentary on the fact that satisfaction with one's location is a reflection of one's satisfaction with life. This can be seen in the movie as the outlook of Japan seems to improve as the Bill and Scarlet get closer and coping with everything that is different from America in a more positive fashion. Like Bill is still consistently condescending to non english speaking Japanese people, but he starts doing it with a smile on his face with a air of playfulness rather than frustration as the movie draws on. So yeah, take the movie as you see it I guess.
BUT . . . here is what that film awakened me to; which is one of my quick switches actually. For anyone not of Japanese descent and unable to speak Japanese, please recognize the cold hard fact that you are a fucking guest in this country (an uninvited guest at that). Sure Japan allows people to visit so they can spend their money here, but the US is the same way or it wouldn't be so damn hard for foreigners to get a green card or US citizenship. Thus, as an uninvited guest, we need to act the part.
Here we go . . .
DO NOT COME HERE EXPECTING THE JAPANESE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH!!! If you plan to vacation here, you had better study up on Japanese and their writing systems or get a sufficient guide (person) to help you around the country. To think that or act as if the people of Japan exist to serve your trivial recreational needs while you are on vacation is absolutely absurd. Please do not come here and start randomly talking to people that don't understand you and then get frustrated because they don't. How do you like it when someone gets in your face and starts blabbering in some language you can not understand?
HERE, JAPANESE CULTURE IS NOT WEIRD . . . YOURS IS! Do not come here and complain about how things are not the same as they are back home. The Japanese have several customs and other details of life, ranging from how one puts food in their mouths to how one views life, that differ greatly from your own. Get yourself informed of these differences, adjust if you failed to, and get over them. No one here is interested in your complaints except for maybe all the other babies that should have stayed in their home countries. And if your being in Japan was not a circumstance you wanted for yourself and you are stuck being here, do not burden your hosts (the Japanese people) with your problems and frustrations as they probably have their own to worry about. The depression is global after all at present.
Though you are an uninvited guest, I am more than confident that you will, more often that not, be treated quite graciously and with respect wherever you go if you make the slightest effort at being a pleasant guest. That means trying to comminucate in Japanese or just merely being considerate. Its really too easy to be treated well here. I have been here for a month and have yet to have a direct negative interaction with any Japanese person and am not planning to as long as I stay.
Whew ok . . . I'm over it and stepping off the box. Sorry.
Japan is different and definitely a destination not for everyone, as is any other country on this globe and some things I have seen or heard here from Non Japanese people have not settled well with me. "Lost in translation" randomly provided me the oppertunity to reflect on and articulate how I felt about the things I have been seeing.
and note that I am not speaking to anyone one in particular with this. I just wanted to vent this and let you know.
Yesterday went well. I woke up and took care of everything I planned to and was rested. Work was good as well. No real news on teaching, but everyday I feel like I am improving upon the day or week before and that is good enough for me. One of my students said something interesting though. She told my head teacher that compared to another teacher from a while back, I am starting off more confident. Apparently when this guy first began to teach, he would drop his materials often during class cause he was so nervous. I haven't been doing that and I guess I had impressed this particular student. This encourages me; not in the sense that I am starting off better than the other guy, but that I am starting off confident. I have one less hurtle to overcome before I can call myself a good teacher. . . Smooth.
Other than that, yesterday was a good and more or less average day until I went to bed. Today, is going along in the same vein. Though I did forget to mention last Thursday, but was reminded today, that one of my student's husband got his MBA at UCI. What a small world!! I told her to go home and do the "zot zot zot" to him ad see what he did. She said he was surprised and and laughed about it. Funny stuff eh?
It has been mentioned to me by some that I should talk about how I feel out here a bit more in detail in terms of emotion. I usually do, when it comes to excitement and happiness, but I will try to avoid complaining on this medium if I have problems. I don't want this blog to ever be mistaken for a bitchy one. Why would I complain or even take the time to write about negative emotions when all that will do is take time and energy away from the good ones or overcoming the challenges? I have and will be facing adversity here for sure and I will document those experiences, but you will be hard pressed to catch how upset or sad I am about something. Though, I admit now that if foreigners come here and piss me off and make me and other well behaved foreigners look bad, I will probably vent and get all crazy bout it here. so watch out for that hehe . . .
With that said I actually need to talk about the movie "Lost in translation" and how it relates to how I regard my situation here. But after I get back from work . . .
So . . . I have owned this movie, "Lost in translation" for the last 5 years or so and didn't sit down to watch it till last week. Basically the film follows the experiences of two exceedingly unhappy spouses (not to each other) as they cope with their general dissatisfaction with their marriages as well as life in general, in the town of Shibuya (Tokyo). A lot of the directional moves in the film seem to poke fun at or mock Japanese culture as Bill Murry or Scarlet Johanson's characters seemed to predominately receive the Japanese experience with ill affect until they meet each other and have their emotional affair. I initially wanted to be annoyed with the movie, but I soon realized that my interpretation of the film is probably far from universal and the problem I had from what I saw lies somewhere else.
"Lost in translation" could easily be proclaimed as a commentary on the fact that satisfaction with one's location is a reflection of one's satisfaction with life. This can be seen in the movie as the outlook of Japan seems to improve as the Bill and Scarlet get closer and coping with everything that is different from America in a more positive fashion. Like Bill is still consistently condescending to non english speaking Japanese people, but he starts doing it with a smile on his face with a air of playfulness rather than frustration as the movie draws on. So yeah, take the movie as you see it I guess.
BUT . . . here is what that film awakened me to; which is one of my quick switches actually. For anyone not of Japanese descent and unable to speak Japanese, please recognize the cold hard fact that you are a fucking guest in this country (an uninvited guest at that). Sure Japan allows people to visit so they can spend their money here, but the US is the same way or it wouldn't be so damn hard for foreigners to get a green card or US citizenship. Thus, as an uninvited guest, we need to act the part.
Here we go . . .
DO NOT COME HERE EXPECTING THE JAPANESE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH!!! If you plan to vacation here, you had better study up on Japanese and their writing systems or get a sufficient guide (person) to help you around the country. To think that or act as if the people of Japan exist to serve your trivial recreational needs while you are on vacation is absolutely absurd. Please do not come here and start randomly talking to people that don't understand you and then get frustrated because they don't. How do you like it when someone gets in your face and starts blabbering in some language you can not understand?
HERE, JAPANESE CULTURE IS NOT WEIRD . . . YOURS IS! Do not come here and complain about how things are not the same as they are back home. The Japanese have several customs and other details of life, ranging from how one puts food in their mouths to how one views life, that differ greatly from your own. Get yourself informed of these differences, adjust if you failed to, and get over them. No one here is interested in your complaints except for maybe all the other babies that should have stayed in their home countries. And if your being in Japan was not a circumstance you wanted for yourself and you are stuck being here, do not burden your hosts (the Japanese people) with your problems and frustrations as they probably have their own to worry about. The depression is global after all at present.
Though you are an uninvited guest, I am more than confident that you will, more often that not, be treated quite graciously and with respect wherever you go if you make the slightest effort at being a pleasant guest. That means trying to comminucate in Japanese or just merely being considerate. Its really too easy to be treated well here. I have been here for a month and have yet to have a direct negative interaction with any Japanese person and am not planning to as long as I stay.
Whew ok . . . I'm over it and stepping off the box. Sorry.
Japan is different and definitely a destination not for everyone, as is any other country on this globe and some things I have seen or heard here from Non Japanese people have not settled well with me. "Lost in translation" randomly provided me the oppertunity to reflect on and articulate how I felt about the things I have been seeing.
and note that I am not speaking to anyone one in particular with this. I just wanted to vent this and let you know.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Another work week
Well it is the start of my third week in Nakayama and things are well. I finally got my alien registration card in the morning and there is nothing I can not do here unless it is privately owned and the owners declare their service/good for Japanese people only. Thus, my assistant manager faxed the card to the internet guys and the are gonna be installing my internet between the 23rd and 26th. With that said; heads up as I may lose connectivity until then any day now =[
Work was well. I taught kids for real in every kids class I had and it went alright. I need to increase my arsenal of class games in order to prevent boredom and memorize the flow of ids classes, but other than that everything was satisfactory I think. The kids were all actually really good yesterday, so I am super thankful for that. Everyone in my adult class in the evening canceled, which was a bummer, but I got to chat with my staff and get closer. So it all worked out I guess. I did teach one adult in the morning though. Turns out he is a Japanese professional rugby player 0_0 The biggest Japanese guy I have ever seen. He is really pleasant and kind though and having a bro that played rugby made it really exciting to chat and get to know him. It would be cool if he could meet my bro. Maybe sometime . . .
OH! so that holiday going down this month that has the city being all decorated as the pictures show is callad Tanabata or 七夕(たなばた）. For the history of the holiday, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata. Presently, one of the main customs of the holiday is to write wishes or poetry on a peice of paper (any color and small in size) attach it to Bamboo and hang it or put afloat down a river. It is an interesting holiday, and like I said, I like how the city looks all decked out as it is ^_^
When my class was canceled in the evening, I was thinking to myself for a bit and stumbled on a realization. Whether or not I like it, I am out of control of the fact that all of life (in and out of the army) is a game of hurry up and wait. I prep and then rush to the train station with a hightened sense of urgency just to sit there and idly wait till I arrive at my location. I rush to work to be there at the appropriate time just to prep for classes or wait for instructions from other staff Or I rush to get to a party/meet up on time and end up chillin till everyone else arrives. There are countless examples of this in my own and other's daily lives that I have witnessed. Therefore, I think that those oppertunities where one is forced to wait after a stressful period of rushing are the perfect time to recover from those stressful moments. When you get on that train, when there is a lull at work, or when there is nothing to do, take that time to chill out and release that stress from your system you have just recently been undergoing. Life gives us plenty of oppertunity to chill out amidst life's chaos, but it is my and your own responsibility to take advantage of them. This is how I lived for the longest time till this very moment and have, at present, found a happy balance in my own life. I wish the same happiness for everyone around me.
I hope all is well!
Work was well. I taught kids for real in every kids class I had and it went alright. I need to increase my arsenal of class games in order to prevent boredom and memorize the flow of ids classes, but other than that everything was satisfactory I think. The kids were all actually really good yesterday, so I am super thankful for that. Everyone in my adult class in the evening canceled, which was a bummer, but I got to chat with my staff and get closer. So it all worked out I guess. I did teach one adult in the morning though. Turns out he is a Japanese professional rugby player 0_0 The biggest Japanese guy I have ever seen. He is really pleasant and kind though and having a bro that played rugby made it really exciting to chat and get to know him. It would be cool if he could meet my bro. Maybe sometime . . .
OH! so that holiday going down this month that has the city being all decorated as the pictures show is callad Tanabata or 七夕(たなばた）. For the history of the holiday, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata. Presently, one of the main customs of the holiday is to write wishes or poetry on a peice of paper (any color and small in size) attach it to Bamboo and hang it or put afloat down a river. It is an interesting holiday, and like I said, I like how the city looks all decked out as it is ^_^
When my class was canceled in the evening, I was thinking to myself for a bit and stumbled on a realization. Whether or not I like it, I am out of control of the fact that all of life (in and out of the army) is a game of hurry up and wait. I prep and then rush to the train station with a hightened sense of urgency just to sit there and idly wait till I arrive at my location. I rush to work to be there at the appropriate time just to prep for classes or wait for instructions from other staff Or I rush to get to a party/meet up on time and end up chillin till everyone else arrives. There are countless examples of this in my own and other's daily lives that I have witnessed. Therefore, I think that those oppertunities where one is forced to wait after a stressful period of rushing are the perfect time to recover from those stressful moments. When you get on that train, when there is a lull at work, or when there is nothing to do, take that time to chill out and release that stress from your system you have just recently been undergoing. Life gives us plenty of oppertunity to chill out amidst life's chaos, but it is my and your own responsibility to take advantage of them. This is how I lived for the longest time till this very moment and have, at present, found a happy balance in my own life. I wish the same happiness for everyone around me.
I hope all is well!
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