Monday

Here I sit at the outset of another workweek and I find myself facing it with a smile . . . as usual since I have been here. Since my last video blog I had been fighting something off, as almost all of the staff at my school were some sort of sick. I ended up being able to beat it off though with little ill affect thank gosh.

A cute thing happened with one of my kid students on Friday. She is about 8 or 9 and is probably one of the shyest kids that I teach. She seriously looks like she is in pain from the embarrassment she goes through when she has to speak up in class. It is all-good though, since her classmates are nice and I try to be as encouraging and supportive as possible. I have noticed over the weeks though, that she has become more comfortable with me and participating in class and it has been very encouraging. She has been doing little things like waiting up for me when leaving and going to the classroom and holding the door open for me and such. It has been really cute and on Friday she did something new. Class ended and I had gotten all my materials together and was ready to head down. I turned the light off and noticed she had left her sweater on her chair and when I turned to call her, she was fiddling with the board, and then looked at me and sat in my chair with a playful grin on her face. I was a bit touched and even a bit relieved. I know this scene may not seem like anything special, but I never expected her to be like that with me. Now that I know she is comfortable with me, helping her improve will be a lot easier I think. We shall see.

Saturday night I had dinner with co-workers after work, which was really pleasant. I seem (so far) to have a good working relationship with all my staff and am not repeating the mistakes I made at my previous job. I have respect for those in charge of me (save some trainers that I never see) and am not taking myself too seriously in my job. I attribute this to two primary reasons. The first is that I actually respect the work I do and actually feel like most of my efforts are contributing to something good and I get to interact with people in a meaningful way and they actually respect me as a person. The other thing is that I learned from my last job. I never want to be bitter like that towards my work again and I think it is a bit of a bummer for things to have played out like that, but it is necessary I guess. I will endeavor to keep things going well at work in terms of being a team player and good teacher.

Sunday, I felt ok enough to go to hip hop class and it was a great time as usual. My instructor always has me translate terms or different moves during class and teases the girls that he will quiz them later or he just puts them on the spot and asks what certain words mean. It’s pretty entertaining. The girls also seem to be getting used to my weekly presence and even talk to me more. Yesterday was unique in that I hung for a while after class and I chatted with them, the instructor and even one of the Moms. It was really nice and pretty funny as one of them kept practicing English with me and the others were all making jokes. Also, since I can’t partake in the performance, the instructor wants to get our class to do another sort of performance sometime next year around February so that I could actually perform with the group. It was really touching and I really felt like I belonged in that moment. I am really thankful to have found that class and look forward to being able to speak more with everyone as I improve my Japanese.

The rest of the weekend up till now was a good one even though I spent a lot of it in my pad trying to beat whatever I was fighting. I was feeling really good today when I woke up and was actually surprised at how many errands I was able to take care of. I will be starting this week fresh and on the right foot hopefully.

a good wednesday

All rights, I am kinda diggin this video thing. For those of you chacking this ish on facebook; just click on the link to VIEW ORIGINAL POST. there you will be able to watch what facebook isnt posting.

For those that get this to their e-mail; could you let me know if this is showing up in the message or not and if you are having problems viewing?




Everyone, if you have any feedback on the video blog idea; please give it to me. It is mostly for you, so if a lot of ya think it is a bad idea, I will just halt this endeavor. Hope you are having a wonderful day/evening

Here's a try at something different

So from now on I am probably going to blog in this manner as I want to do a better and more consistent job about telling you how things are going here. We shall see.



Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I SKYPEd with the burbank crew and it totally made my day monday. I really miss you guys and was glad to see you all together. Quite heartwarming ^_^

PS. I said august when I meant OCTOBER. I am so impressed with how I can even mess up a video blog

whoops

Wow I was totally unawares of how long it has been. Having had only three days of work after silver week threw me off a bit I guess. Sorry bout that. Well, all in all, things have been well since I have last written. The three days of work after silver week were really kickback as there were no kids’ classes and all the normal classes were canceled. It was the perfect transition into work after a vacation. The one thing that was a bit less than desirable was that one responsibility I had been alluding to and complaining about in other posts had to be done still. I finished it on time and to standard, but geez that was difficult for me. Good thing its over.

The weekend was a good one. I went clubbing on Saturday nigh, and it was a great time as always. I went early so I could study up on my Japanese a bit so I would feel less guilty bout partying the night away, and I managed to have a moment. I sat down in the upstairs seating of a McDonalds to do my thing and a Japanese gentleman sat down right next to me about ten minutes later. It turns out he was studying English and noticed me studying Japanese haha. So he got my attention and we talked and helped each other for about a half hour and headed our ways (me to the club and him to some friends). Its moments like those that make life so worthwhile out here. At the club I managed to make nightlong friends and did my thing like I normally do. A well spent Saturday night. On Sunday I took it easy and just went to hip hop class. Nothing special went down though.

On Monday, I was SUPPOSED to go rock climbing, but they were remodeling and my homie and I were quite put out. It was all-good as I got to go birthday shopping for Moms and hang with good company all day. We shopped around Yokohama for a bit and then took the show to Akihabara to look for a costume for Halloween. It was a failure, but at least the company was good. We then headed to Gotanda to this freakin awesome steakhouse here. It was amazing. The sauce was a bit different, but the steak itself was indistinguishable from what you get in the states. A little pricey, but it was an amazing dinner. It was my first real steak in Japan and my stomach was very happy with me that night.

I’ll make another post for last week and the weekend tomorrow. Gotta sleep
-_-

Silver week

So it is the beginning of the second day after I returned from my silver week vacation. From Monday until Wednesday night, I was with my head teacher, his friend and one other in the Tochigi prefecture enjoying what the Japanese countryside had to offer. It was a good crew for the trip. I get along with my head teacher and it turned out that his friend and the other gentlemen were really good company. The people that are with you make a really big difference.

On Monday, we set out and ended up in Nikko to go see the Toshogu Shrine. Traffic wasn't too bad until we got to Nikko (everyone had a similar idea to us) and we got there at around 1 or 2ish I think. Since the roads were small and traffic was really heavy on the road to Toshogu, we parked a few Kilometers away and walked up the local streets to our location. It was a nice walk actually as that area was really pretty and there was plenty for my eyes to enjoy on the walk. Check facebook for pics. We also stopped for lunch at a Mom and Pap Korean restaurant on the way. It was a really cute place with maybe five or six tables and walls decorated with notes and pics from foreigners that have visited in the past. The owners were really sweet and talked to us while we ate and shared stories of popular customers or awards they have gotten. Definitely a good way to start off the Nikko experience . . . full of tasty Korean style food.

The Shrine was Magnificent. From the location amidst a national park to the careful detail of the artwork on every building, there was nothing about the place that was unimpressive. Leyasu was definitely an important guy because the effort that went into putting Toshogu together is clearly more apparent than other shrines I have seen here thus far. Unfortunately I was a bit sick that day and didn't get the full experience I could have, but I will still not easily forget how impressed with that place I was.

From there we got to our hotel that was basically a really big house run by an old married couple that have been there for 25 years. I was really impressed with the service we were met with, as were my companions. They made breakfast and dinner for us the two days we stayed and the meals were multi-course meal feasts. I am still hitting myself for not taking pictures of em. Probably had to do with the fact that I was dog tired by the time we sat down for dinner everyday. Also, Our room was a Six Tatami mat sized room, so sleeping was a snug experience and we spent very little time in our room. That was fine, since the living room was stocked with manga and board games that kept us occupied for hours on our second night. ^_^ A wonderful hotel.

On day two, we got up bright and early in order to catch the first Gandola to get to the 2000 Meter station of Mt. Shirane (Shirane san). It was a cloudy cool day that was perfect for a day of hiking . . . Not to mention that the leaves were turning already and the beauty started even before we started. We got to the station with no issue and got to the top of the mountain in about 2 hours. Freakin gorgeous and I have already posted good pics. Check em. From the top, we took a different path to a little pond and had lunch and then took a new path to the Gandola station and got down there even quicker. At the station, they had a foot hot spring where you could kick off your shoes and soak your feet as you enjoyed a 2000 foot view of the area. We of course took advantage of it and headed back to the hotel a little while after. We were on the mountain for around five hours, and it was a great time. I realize that I love to hike and plan to do more of it here.

After we got to the hotel and washed up, I took a long as nap to kick my cold and then played ultimate Frisbee with my crew for a bit. From there, we hit my first onsen that was about 5 minutes away. Those things are REALLY hot. It was a natural spring and I only lasted in there for about 10 minutes tops. I was totally cooked to. My body wasn’t used to that much heat for that long hehe. A good experience though. I’ll definitely be frequenting onsens in the future!

On Wednesday we checked out and headed to Kogen falls and Edomura. The falls were on the way and really pretty. Nothin much else to say about them though. As for Edomura, it is a historical theme park that is based on the Japanese way of life during the Edo period. Basically all the staff/cast dress in edo clothing and play a role all day while there are shops, shows and small attractions for guests to enjoy. Furthermore, they offer (even encourage) costume rentals from ninja to nobility of the time that my companions and I took advantage of the oppertunity. I choose to be a ninja and the other two were Samurai. I felt a little silly and of course got a lot of looks from being the white blue-eyed ninja but it wasn't a big deal. After we got dressed up and took some pictures, we caught the shows, threw Ninja stars, shot arrows and enjoyed the feel of the Edo period. If you come to Japan, you definitely want to check out Edomura. Be sure to rent the ninja outfit also, as it is really comfortable =P

Getting home was quick and painless and a good cap to a really nice getaway. I am sad it is over, but not sad to be back. It is counseling week at work and the rest of the week will be fairly low key. I like how it feels. It is a good transition from having so much time off. Whew, well I am off to work and have yet to plan out my weekend. We shall see what goes down.

Thanks for the love!

Life has been fairly hectic this week. At work, we are preparing for our counseling week that will take place after our short holiday. Basically, what is goin on is the Japanese staff at my school will be having meetings with parents of the children students next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. In the meantime, there are no kids classes and the normally scheduled adult classes are canceled as well, but we will be teaching review and private lessons to any of the students that are interested. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but the catch comes in at the fact I have to write progress reports for my kids students. I have to rank their current level in five categories for both present and past levels, and then write remarks about the student. Also not a big deal . . . BUT, lets just say I don't get to say what I want to on all of the reports. This limitation has been making this task incredibly difficult and time consuming. I really really REALLY hate certain affects of money.

In terms of teaching, life was great this week. All the adult classes have been fun as usual and my little molesters’ class was really good yesterday. They must have subconsciously known that it was my birthday haha. Oh, so I got a new student in one of my middle age elementary classes. I think that day was the first time she actually spoke English in a formal setting, but she tried really hard and had a really cute personality. There is one other boy in the class, who is really strong, but he seemed a bit bored with trying to let her catch up. Hopefully he can be helpful. I am planning to ask my head teacher to talk with him so he can help me get her up to speed and they can enjoy class a little more. Also, The middle school trial student from a few weeks back signed up for my class, and I am pretty excited bout that as well. She is pretty strong as well and I think her presence will help the other three come out of their shells a bit more. We’ll see.

Last weekend started on Saturday night with the Pot Luck Party at work. It was good times hanging and talking with the students and afterward we took the show to the Karaoke room and sang away the night till about 130am. On Sunday, I had hip-hop, which was fun as always, and then went to a club in Shibuya all night. I went alone again and have noticed a trend. Younger Japanese guys like to come up to me and talk about anything from small talk to asking to help them pick up chicks. I find the fact pretty entertaining. I wish the ladies there were half as comfortable -_- oh well haha. It was a good night at the club and it made for a totally satisfying dance fix for the weekend. Monday, I just stayed around my pad and cleaned or ran errands around my town.

On Monday I head out with my head teacher and a couple of his friends to Nikko Japan. I will definitely be filling you in and posting pics. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Also, thank you everyone for the love about my birthday. I will be responding tonight and most of the day tomorrow.

A very weird thing for me

Those of you that know me well enough are fully aware of my attitude about having kids. My catch phrase for the notion of me being a father has been "I am ok with one . . . IF ANY AT ALL." for 98% of my life, I have not been too keen on the thought of me being responsible for a child. Well, now . . . This is where it gets weird.

Teaching kids has made me particularly fond of them and its no joke. I smile whenever I see kids with their parents (anywhere) and get all excited when my kid students come to school. Moreover, most of my smiles from work come from moments I have with my students during the day. Gosh, they really have grown on me. I never thought I would be feeling like this bout kids. I'm not even dating anyone yet 0_0

One of my best pointed out something I have also noticed with this. Whether they behave or misbehave, most of the actions of younger kids are really genuine. They usually wear their hearts on their sleeves and act accordingly to how they feel. Now that they have gotten comfortable with me, the kids are starting to show their true colors and it is the cutest thing most of the time. It is definitely a learning experience though. All of them have very different personalities and I do like some a little more or less than others (just appreciate my honesty please), but I still have come to care for all of them a great deal. Now I am starting to understand why teachers always love teaching kids the most.

Haha, I really cant believe it when I think about it sometimes still, but it is all good. I know I will be happy with whatever I am fated, but I think I would want my first to be a daughter >_<