I know, really bad blog posting. I'm not good at this game. Also, I think its only fair to tell you that I haven't been writing at school either. Its been getting hot, and the will to scribe just kind of goes out the door when it gets to be about 80 degrees and 100000000000% humidity in the teacher's room. On the bright side, it is getting warmer and sunnier, and that is awesome. I love summer, I think its been about 2 years since I've really had a hot summer, so the heat still feels heavenly.
Also, since I haven't really been writing, this installment goes a ways to catching us up to the present...sort of. This is maybe 10-20% of what I have written so far just to give a ball-park update type figure.
These are transcribed entries from the journal I am writing in at school. I started the journal for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being that I didn’t have internet yet so I couldn’t post things online. The other being that I had free time on my hands. These entries are slightly modified, but mostly for grammar. I suppose you’d never know either way. Surprisingly, I had way more to say than I thought. Unsurprisingly, I have been bad (abysmal) at keeping my online entries up to date with my written ones. Someday, the dates will match but for now…These are the voyages of a long time ago in a galaxy far far away:
April 28, 2009 (kayobi) Tuesday
Today I ate plankton for lunch. What else can one say? If nothing else happened today (and when is that ever true?), I think that one sentence would be plenty for the day. And a time efficient entry as well. (I was still handwriting at this point, remember.)
They finally have me working more than two or three hours a day, so I have less time to write, which is ok with me. I’m still mostly just a human voice box, which is also ok by me, but it means that my lessons require exactly zero prep time/effort by me. So I write, practice/study the Japanese, and today I threw the disc around with K. Sensei and my Kyoto Sensei, (Kyoto Sensei: Vice principal) which was totally sweet! We used Kyoto Sensei’s free-style disc, which is kind of weird and small and light- but whatever, man! Yay for frisbee, its so relaxing!
As for Japanese, I found a website that explained Japanese verb conjugation – yes, the Japanese do freaking conjugate verbs! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Its was a rather satisfying discovery. Rules! Also, I can start building my verb vocabulary because I finally get the whole verb thing…maybe…probably not, (definitely not) but it’s a good step. (Future flash: I still use that website, its timwerx.net/language/jpverbs – yes I have memorized the address, no I have not even come close to mastering most of the contents. I really like the site, though, its still really helpful.)
I also used a bit of Japanese today in class. Well, just one word really, but I said it with authority. Also, the kid understood me – yahoo! In class, he pointed at the English word “school” and looked at me, so I said “gakou” (school in Japansese) and he said “oh, ok!” Successful teaching momeeeent!
In addition, strides were made today in the dress code dept. (We’re teaching the passive voice to the third year students right now, sorry Furstenthal, I want you to know that it hurts me too.) I suited down to no-tie-no-jacket when I was playing frisbee and then I stayed like that for cleaning time with the kids. Then I sports-suited up for the kid’s track practice! Steps one and two towards my ultimate goal of going to school in a tracksuit: check. Further down on the list: getting a tracksuit. Track suits are cool. Exhibit: most of the teachers at my school own one, and a good chunk of them teach in them from time to time.
May 1, 2009 (kimyobi) Friday
So I’m a bit behind in the writing (at the time I was trying to write nearly every day; that fell through, let me tell you) and I only have a pen, (I don’t like writing in pens, something to final / illegible about my penmenship) but a man’s gotta do…The last few days have been pretty busy; four classes a day plus track practice after school means not so much time for writing. Also, Wednesday was Showa Day, which is a holiday to commemorate the end/beginning of the previous/current emperor’s reign – so no school. So, for my first month of teaching I’ll have had a 6-day week (Open house on the first Saturday) two 4-day weeks, and one 2-day week because next week is Golden Week- which is a series of holidays jammed together. It’s a hard life.
For Showa Day, Winston and I went for an adventure out to Kujukuri beach, which is on the Eastern side of the Chiba peninsula. On a map is that big long smooth ark; yeah, it’s as sweet as it looks. As I later learned from one of my teachers, kujuku literally means 99 (which I probably should have figured out) and ri was an ancient Japanese unit of distance, so Kujukuri beach is like saying 99 mile beach. More accurately, kujuku is used to express a lot of something, so kujukuri beach really translates as something like “the fucking long beach,” or something - my translation skills are still a little weak.
Anyway, just getting to the beach was quite an adventure, because our maps were not so great, and we have never really driven anywhere in Japan yet, and you have to drive on the wrong side of the road here, and, you know, the signs (and our directions) were mostly in Japanese. Fortunately, that actually worked in our favor, because the route we took was along major roads which all have English on their signs, so when we reach a stretch of road with no English, time to turn around. (This happened with some frequency)
The most exciting part, however, was when we took a highway going the wrong direction. And not like, oh no, we went West instead of East (well, ok, that is exactly what happened, but read on, read on) but more like instead of heading inland (we live on the West coast of the Chiba peninsula) we headed outland, like towards the water. This may not sound like a huge deal, but the road we were on actually turns into a bridge across Tokyo bay leading to Tokyo – which is decidedly not Kujukuri beach - and doesn’t really have lots of places to turn around, and it costs 2000 yen to get across. But for the eternal grace and patience of the Japanese bridge-toll-people…toll man figured out that we were ridiculously lost gaijin, and explained how to turn around before we ended up in Tokyo, and let us through for free.
It was a pretty classic moment. We were decked out for the beach, with maps to Kujukuri, (the opposite direction) on the road to Tokyo. We come up to the toll person and ask “kujukuiri?” to which the kindly toll person replies with a concerned shake of the head, “Kawasaki.” (the southern boarder of Tokyo) “Shimatta!” (“shit!”) And the learning process continues apace.
The beach was sweet, but really windy. However, just being on sand and near ocean made both Winston and me look forward for hotter days and rekindled Winston’s excitement for skim boarding: a sport he’s never tried, but is very passionate about. It’s a board sport where you run and throw a thin light board onto the very edge of the surf (like an inch or so of water) jump on and ‘skim’ along the water.
I’m more excited for track practice! The kids have a big track meet coming up, and I have started running with them. It makes me wish I had brought my track shoes. Well, almost wish. Running feels good, and I get to dress down, score points with the teachers, and be active. Ichiban! (number 1!)
In other news, one of the teachers (male) at my school (Sunami) just had a baby girl, which was exciting for everyone, including yours truly, because the teachers were excited enough about it to explain it to me. It was pretty cute. In the afternoon we got a call from the teacher to tell us that his baby had been born! I get the impression that we were the first to know, very Japanese. And, the next day, he was at work same as always, except he did make an announcement about his new kid at the teacher’s morning meeting.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Mathnerds and April 23, 25, 27
So as I tell more people about this blog I'm feeling more pressure to actually put things in it. Which I suppose is not a bad thing. I also thought about it, and realized that if I update two entries from my journal each time I post online, but write more than 2 entries in between each post, I'll never catch up with myself. I know what your thinking: man, that kid is using his math degree to all kinds of potential. And then I just want to start writing about whats happened recently, but then the story would be out of order, and the whole blog would probably just explode.
Just in case anyone was actually wondering how much of a math geek I still am, here's a little anecdote for you. Yesterday, all the ALTs in Chiba had to go to Chiba city for a police safety meeting that my company puts on every year. Its about as boring and important as it sounds, complete with those really corny instructional/anecdotal videos about how not to get your car/purse/wallet/pension savings(?!) stolen from unsavory charcters. Anyway, to pass the time, I tried to figure out if I could derive the formula for the area of a circle using calculus. Then when I got stuck, I turned to Winston, and we talked about polar coordinates, double integrals, and functions for the rest of the lecture. So now you know the truth. I am so awesome. Also, here's more stories from my first weeks in Japan:
These are transcribed entries from the journal I am writing in at school. I started the journal for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being that I didn’t have internet yet so I couldn’t post things online. The other being that I had free time on my hands. These entries are slightly modified, but mostly for grammar. I suppose you’d never know either way. Surprisingly, I had way more to say than I thought. Unsurprisingly, I have been bad (abysmal) at keeping my online entries up to date with my written ones. Someday, the dates will match but for now…These are the voyages of a long time ago in a galaxy far far away:
April 23, 2009 (mokuyobi) Thursday
Maybe crazy days are going to be the norm. in Japan, because this is two in a row. First, Kay. Sensei either for got or just chose to not tell me when it was time for class this morning - and the schedule this week has been all wonky, so I didn't even know I was supposed to be in class until 10 minutes after it started! This is a big bad in Japan, so I'm not sure what to think. I realized something was off this morning when I couldn't find Kay. Sensei a few minutes before I thought the class was supposed to start. Fortunately, I found K. Sensei and asked her what was up, and then we both freaked out when we realized what had happened. I walked up to the classroom (10 minutes late) and Kay. Sensei acted like nothing was wrong as he beckoned me in.
I was totally on edge the whole class, which makes the genki smiling particularly difficult. However, when I started apologizing to Kay. Sensei after the class was over he told me it was "no big deal." I have no idea what to think, but this seems like one of those call-the-company-to figure-out-wtf-Japan. (I did call the company, and Nav - my boss- laughed at me. He said that this stuff happens to ALTs all the time, and that I shouldn't worry about it. I considered worrying about whether or not Nav was just trying to make me feel better, but that's stupid, so I didn't.) Stupid sideways culture, in Japan you hardly ever know if you've made a mistake because no one will say anything to your face about it. Preserve the wa (harmony) - its stressful.
Lunch was fun as always. First year students are really interesting because some of them act like little kids, and some of them have started to act like "grown-ups." One kid cracks up over every little face I make when she "shoots" me with her hand, "bang!" Another student just looks at me straight faced and says "I don't speak English" - in one of the better English accents I've heard at school - and then ignores me. I supposed she's mastered the important phrases first.
April 25, 2009 (douyobi) Saturday
Women, I miss them so much. More specifically, I miss women I can flirt with and talk to. I suppose there are plenty of women in Japan, but if they can't speak English, it doesn't really count right now. I haven't had the opporitunity to do much honest flirting in Japan, and its starting to bother me. That combined with a near constant feeling of isolation - being surrounded by people who can't talk to me, and who are totally foreign (to be fair, I suppose I'm the foreign one) - makes me really wish for a girlfriend/someone I can be comfortable with. Also, don't discount the part where I haven't even been on a date since last September. I'd be feeling the same way in America, but there I'd be able to do something more about it.
I definitely have a huge crush on K. Sensei, but at the same time, I don't. Its one part adoration - I would be 10 times more lost and confused at school without her there to take care of me - one part environment - she is litteraly one of about 7 girls I've been able to speak with since moving to Japan (and the only one in my school)- and all the rest of the parts where is a good person - funny, thoughtful, patient, smart, happy, and pretty cute.
On the other hand, she's a co-worker, so, awkward, and I know that we don't really get each other. At least I don't get her. Different cultures. I'm never sure exactly what anything means. While her English is pretty good (note from the future: her English is really good compared to pretty much any other Japanese person I've met, definitely in the top 5) its not like she's fluent, and together with my uncertainty about Japan's do's and don't's I rarely feel comfortable or relaxed when I'm talking with her.
However, on Thursday we totaly went out to toss the disc around while a bunch of teachers were in a meeting. That was a bonding moment, and a huge stress relief. We had talked about doing it before, and today I finally just turned to her and said "lets go throw." I swear, by some definition I'm probably addicted to frisbee. Even though K. Sensei couldn't really throw, it felt so cathartic to just be outside holding and chasing frisbees.
We also have our own little secret now, because she sliced up some flowers in a flower bed on a wild throw. It was a bonding moment. Also, I've never seen a frisbee do that much damage to plant life. Seriously, flowers were decapitated. Laughing and giggling and "inconspicuously" returning to the classroom, I finally relaxed a lot. It felt so natural and unforced; I really liked being able to share a laugh about something that was genuinely funny and spontaneous.
April 27, 2009 (getsuyobi) Monday
The other day Winston remarked that we always seemed to have so many stories at the end of every day we go to school. He seemed amazed by this, but at first I didn't see what the big deal was. Sure, we had stories, but I felt that wasn't so surprising. I thought our job was to make stories happen. We are supposed to be sensational at school: we're white, positive, and happy...all day. We're the most popular person on campus, of course we have stories to tell.
But maybe he as a point. Today, some third years got into a fight and one got cut with scissors! The kids all played it cool, but there was freaking blood on the floor! Ever looking for a teachable moment, I made sure the san nenseis knew the word for "blood." Also, that they missed that spot over there...I mean really, how often is this kind of crazy stuff supposed to happen? That's my crazy story for the day, and that's really all there is to tell. After the blood was cleaned up, lunch was served, and everyone acted like nothing had happened.
On a lighter note, lunch today was absurdly delicious! Curry and omelets, and of course rice. I ate with the third years (but I didn't come in the room until after the shanking) - something I don't usually look forward to because they dent to ignore me - but they were rather lively today. (possibly as a result of the stabbing earlier) The third years are funny because they have better English comprehension, but they don't speak much more than the first or second year students. I think its that they're old enough to have inhibitions, and I get the feeling that they don't like to speak English unless they know what they're about to say is right. They are less willing to experiment and string together extremely broken English, even though I can usually understand the broken stuff just as well as the full sentences.
Just in case anyone was actually wondering how much of a math geek I still am, here's a little anecdote for you. Yesterday, all the ALTs in Chiba had to go to Chiba city for a police safety meeting that my company puts on every year. Its about as boring and important as it sounds, complete with those really corny instructional/anecdotal videos about how not to get your car/purse/wallet/pension savings(?!) stolen from unsavory charcters. Anyway, to pass the time, I tried to figure out if I could derive the formula for the area of a circle using calculus. Then when I got stuck, I turned to Winston, and we talked about polar coordinates, double integrals, and functions for the rest of the lecture. So now you know the truth. I am so awesome. Also, here's more stories from my first weeks in Japan:
These are transcribed entries from the journal I am writing in at school. I started the journal for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being that I didn’t have internet yet so I couldn’t post things online. The other being that I had free time on my hands. These entries are slightly modified, but mostly for grammar. I suppose you’d never know either way. Surprisingly, I had way more to say than I thought. Unsurprisingly, I have been bad (abysmal) at keeping my online entries up to date with my written ones. Someday, the dates will match but for now…These are the voyages of a long time ago in a galaxy far far away:
April 23, 2009 (mokuyobi) Thursday
Maybe crazy days are going to be the norm. in Japan, because this is two in a row. First, Kay. Sensei either for got or just chose to not tell me when it was time for class this morning - and the schedule this week has been all wonky, so I didn't even know I was supposed to be in class until 10 minutes after it started! This is a big bad in Japan, so I'm not sure what to think. I realized something was off this morning when I couldn't find Kay. Sensei a few minutes before I thought the class was supposed to start. Fortunately, I found K. Sensei and asked her what was up, and then we both freaked out when we realized what had happened. I walked up to the classroom (10 minutes late) and Kay. Sensei acted like nothing was wrong as he beckoned me in.
I was totally on edge the whole class, which makes the genki smiling particularly difficult. However, when I started apologizing to Kay. Sensei after the class was over he told me it was "no big deal." I have no idea what to think, but this seems like one of those call-the-company-to figure-out-wtf-Japan. (I did call the company, and Nav - my boss- laughed at me. He said that this stuff happens to ALTs all the time, and that I shouldn't worry about it. I considered worrying about whether or not Nav was just trying to make me feel better, but that's stupid, so I didn't.) Stupid sideways culture, in Japan you hardly ever know if you've made a mistake because no one will say anything to your face about it. Preserve the wa (harmony) - its stressful.
Lunch was fun as always. First year students are really interesting because some of them act like little kids, and some of them have started to act like "grown-ups." One kid cracks up over every little face I make when she "shoots" me with her hand, "bang!" Another student just looks at me straight faced and says "I don't speak English" - in one of the better English accents I've heard at school - and then ignores me. I supposed she's mastered the important phrases first.
April 25, 2009 (douyobi) Saturday
Women, I miss them so much. More specifically, I miss women I can flirt with and talk to. I suppose there are plenty of women in Japan, but if they can't speak English, it doesn't really count right now. I haven't had the opporitunity to do much honest flirting in Japan, and its starting to bother me. That combined with a near constant feeling of isolation - being surrounded by people who can't talk to me, and who are totally foreign (to be fair, I suppose I'm the foreign one) - makes me really wish for a girlfriend/someone I can be comfortable with. Also, don't discount the part where I haven't even been on a date since last September. I'd be feeling the same way in America, but there I'd be able to do something more about it.
I definitely have a huge crush on K. Sensei, but at the same time, I don't. Its one part adoration - I would be 10 times more lost and confused at school without her there to take care of me - one part environment - she is litteraly one of about 7 girls I've been able to speak with since moving to Japan (and the only one in my school)- and all the rest of the parts where is a good person - funny, thoughtful, patient, smart, happy, and pretty cute.
On the other hand, she's a co-worker, so, awkward, and I know that we don't really get each other. At least I don't get her. Different cultures. I'm never sure exactly what anything means. While her English is pretty good (note from the future: her English is really good compared to pretty much any other Japanese person I've met, definitely in the top 5) its not like she's fluent, and together with my uncertainty about Japan's do's and don't's I rarely feel comfortable or relaxed when I'm talking with her.
However, on Thursday we totaly went out to toss the disc around while a bunch of teachers were in a meeting. That was a bonding moment, and a huge stress relief. We had talked about doing it before, and today I finally just turned to her and said "lets go throw." I swear, by some definition I'm probably addicted to frisbee. Even though K. Sensei couldn't really throw, it felt so cathartic to just be outside holding and chasing frisbees.
We also have our own little secret now, because she sliced up some flowers in a flower bed on a wild throw. It was a bonding moment. Also, I've never seen a frisbee do that much damage to plant life. Seriously, flowers were decapitated. Laughing and giggling and "inconspicuously" returning to the classroom, I finally relaxed a lot. It felt so natural and unforced; I really liked being able to share a laugh about something that was genuinely funny and spontaneous.
April 27, 2009 (getsuyobi) Monday
The other day Winston remarked that we always seemed to have so many stories at the end of every day we go to school. He seemed amazed by this, but at first I didn't see what the big deal was. Sure, we had stories, but I felt that wasn't so surprising. I thought our job was to make stories happen. We are supposed to be sensational at school: we're white, positive, and happy...all day. We're the most popular person on campus, of course we have stories to tell.
But maybe he as a point. Today, some third years got into a fight and one got cut with scissors! The kids all played it cool, but there was freaking blood on the floor! Ever looking for a teachable moment, I made sure the san nenseis knew the word for "blood." Also, that they missed that spot over there...I mean really, how often is this kind of crazy stuff supposed to happen? That's my crazy story for the day, and that's really all there is to tell. After the blood was cleaned up, lunch was served, and everyone acted like nothing had happened.
On a lighter note, lunch today was absurdly delicious! Curry and omelets, and of course rice. I ate with the third years (but I didn't come in the room until after the shanking) - something I don't usually look forward to because they dent to ignore me - but they were rather lively today. (possibly as a result of the stabbing earlier) The third years are funny because they have better English comprehension, but they don't speak much more than the first or second year students. I think its that they're old enough to have inhibitions, and I get the feeling that they don't like to speak English unless they know what they're about to say is right. They are less willing to experiment and string together extremely broken English, even though I can usually understand the broken stuff just as well as the full sentences.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
April 21, April 22
So, I have finally started transcribing my journal online. I have written so much more than I thought I would, and just getting caught up is going to be something of a project, so bear with me, please. I’ll probably intersperse “journal entries” with more bloggy-posty stuff. If you have anything you want to hear more about, just give a shout out, and I’ll try to oblige.
These are transcribed entries from the journal I am writing in at school. I started the journal for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being that I didn’t have internet yet so I couldn’t post things online. The other being that I had free time on my hands. These entries are slightly modified, but mostly for grammar. I suppose you’d never know either way. Surprisingly, I had way more to say than I thought. Unsurprisingly, I have been bad (abysmal) at keeping my online entries up to date with my written ones. Someday, the dates will match but for now…These are the voyages of a long time ago in a galaxy far far away:
April 21, 2009 kaayobi (Tuesday)
It might just be me, but I think that the second year class is way crazier than, well…they’re crazy. I’m pretty confident they are trying to hook up K Sensei and I; they keep asking us if we are in love. Sometimes they ask us if we are having sex (in English!) when we are both there. Awkward. Kids are jerks, but at least they are interesting.
My first year students are just too shy. One, they don’t know enough English to be interesting, and two, they prefer to ignore me. In their defense, I was pretty boring in today’s class. I have a bad habit of coming in flat on the first class of the day.
My job is basically that of an entertainer, but sometimes I feel like I should also not be a distraction. These two roles do not play nice with each other, and so I am still stuck. It’s definitely a balance routine that I have not mastered. (ok, so its only been a week) As one of the notebooks I bought for various notebook-y things says, “There is no royal road to learning.”
Speaking of learning, I am still mastering katakana, and the last few characters are elusive. Reading is still a chore/adventure, and at restaurants Winston and I are developing a habit of deciphering the menu after we have ordered. This is ok, because ordering is usually some combination of guessing, gestures, and confused stare, with the end result being the owners/waiters/whoever just making us whatever they feel like we should have ordered. So far the results have been delicious.
Yesterday we had Japanese pizza, which is more like an omelet, but much more delicious. The ordering process (and it was) mostly revolved around Winston and I confirming that we were in the right place for Japanese pizza, and then conveying Winston’s “allergy” to fish. When we tried to read the menu, the owners (2) would run to the freezer and grab whatever it was we were asking about and bring it out to show us. Now I know that tako is octopus and ika is squid.
After ordering, we “chatted” with the owners (the Nikka Sans) and figured out the rest of the menu (yakiniku is bbq meat. Remember this, it becomes increasingly important later) as well as introduced ourselves to the owners. Like everyone, they were surprised – I’d like to think impressed – at how old (young) we were, and happy (but less surprised) to hear that we were English teachers. I have really enjoyed meeting people in restaurants because they are all very friendly and eager to help/teach me Japanese. We also received business cards (my first!) which is a big deal in Japan. All in all, a successful dining experience.
April 22, 2009 suiyobi (Wednesday)
I had quite the hectic morning, but it all definitely ended in the positive. First, I hit the snooze button twice this morning, a poor choice. As a result, I left the apartment at about 7:40. Not good. It takes at least 15 minutes to get to work, and Japan is a 10-minutes-early kind of place. Fortunately, Kimitsu is a help-the-gaijin-out sort of place, and I steamrolled to work in record time, 14 minutes. As a consolation prize, AFI’s (I think) new single was playing on the English radio station. (Its actually the Yakota army/navy base station) I get in my car, and it was the most refreshing, vitalizing emo-pop-punk I’ve ever heard. Truly, music to my ears.
So I arrive at work 5 minutes early, fearing that I’m 5 minutes late Japan time, only to see two teachers entering the building, mere moments before me. This is a good sign, and I was relieved. My day starts as usual, with some Japanese practice and review and my morning cup of tea, brought to me be Mizono San, the tea man. My schedule was light today, just the one class at 4th period, and a private lesson for 2nd period. I settle in for some Japanese studying after the daily morning teacher meeting.
But then, oh wait, K. Sensei forgot to add a class to my schedule, and yes, it’s a new lesson for class 21 (second year, class 1) during, that’s right, 1st period. No prep, no real information about the lesson plan at all. Just me and my game face. Show time! Fortunately for me, 21 is the super genki (spirited) easily excitable, and really fun class, so it is a piece of cake, and we all know, I love me my clutch performances. The class was great, K. Sensei was apologetic, I scored major points, and had a great time. Alex: 2, Life’s crazy twists and turns: 0.
Of course, our 1st period class runs way late, and we rush to go to the private lesson only to arrive to an empty classroom. Due to another scheduling error, we have no private lesson, and thus ends my morning.
On to the afternoon! It must be the sunshine today, or yesterday, but today had been very strange. A sannensei (3rd year student) got into an argument with the art teacher, A. Sensei, that lasted about 20 minutes. It turned into a straight up shouting match and more than one teacher was involved. I was lead to believe that this a rather rare occurrence in Japan (its not really common in America is it, though?) and it seemed pretty serious. It was interesting to watch, because in some ways, I completely understood what was happening – a 14 year old girl was arguing (vehemently) with 3 of the senior female teachers. Apparently being a 14 year old girl is a universal affliction. On the other hand, I had no idea what the argument was about or the actual level of significance of the event. In a country dedicated to the preservation of harmony, shouting matches seem pretty out of place. In America, this would have been a big deal, but it would have lost most of its significance after the issue was resolved. I wonder what the long term implications of this event will be. (for those wondering, nothing as far as I can tell. Japan is pretty big on either letting things be or massively suppressing feelings. I haven’t decided. Also, kids seem to get a lot of leniency on the harmony thing) Good thing I’m just an ALT. As long as they use English, all I have to do is smile and say “good English,” which is exactly what happened after the fighting cooled off.
And the day goes on. Oh wait, more trouble during lunch. (yeah, this was all before lunch) The 2nd years are the most rowdy class, but usually in a good, positive way. But today, one kid poured soup down the back of another student. WTF!? Then the soup-pourer starts to break down and cry when the teacher confronts him about it. Now, in his defense, crying is pretty common among men in Japan, so that was the normal part of the event. 15 minutes and 2 teachers later, the whole thing is resolved, and life goes on like nothing happened. It must be the sun today.
These are transcribed entries from the journal I am writing in at school. I started the journal for a number of reasons, one of the main ones being that I didn’t have internet yet so I couldn’t post things online. The other being that I had free time on my hands. These entries are slightly modified, but mostly for grammar. I suppose you’d never know either way. Surprisingly, I had way more to say than I thought. Unsurprisingly, I have been bad (abysmal) at keeping my online entries up to date with my written ones. Someday, the dates will match but for now…These are the voyages of a long time ago in a galaxy far far away:
April 21, 2009 kaayobi (Tuesday)
It might just be me, but I think that the second year class is way crazier than, well…they’re crazy. I’m pretty confident they are trying to hook up K Sensei and I; they keep asking us if we are in love. Sometimes they ask us if we are having sex (in English!) when we are both there. Awkward. Kids are jerks, but at least they are interesting.
My first year students are just too shy. One, they don’t know enough English to be interesting, and two, they prefer to ignore me. In their defense, I was pretty boring in today’s class. I have a bad habit of coming in flat on the first class of the day.
My job is basically that of an entertainer, but sometimes I feel like I should also not be a distraction. These two roles do not play nice with each other, and so I am still stuck. It’s definitely a balance routine that I have not mastered. (ok, so its only been a week) As one of the notebooks I bought for various notebook-y things says, “There is no royal road to learning.”
Speaking of learning, I am still mastering katakana, and the last few characters are elusive. Reading is still a chore/adventure, and at restaurants Winston and I are developing a habit of deciphering the menu after we have ordered. This is ok, because ordering is usually some combination of guessing, gestures, and confused stare, with the end result being the owners/waiters/whoever just making us whatever they feel like we should have ordered. So far the results have been delicious.
Yesterday we had Japanese pizza, which is more like an omelet, but much more delicious. The ordering process (and it was) mostly revolved around Winston and I confirming that we were in the right place for Japanese pizza, and then conveying Winston’s “allergy” to fish. When we tried to read the menu, the owners (2) would run to the freezer and grab whatever it was we were asking about and bring it out to show us. Now I know that tako is octopus and ika is squid.
After ordering, we “chatted” with the owners (the Nikka Sans) and figured out the rest of the menu (yakiniku is bbq meat. Remember this, it becomes increasingly important later) as well as introduced ourselves to the owners. Like everyone, they were surprised – I’d like to think impressed – at how old (young) we were, and happy (but less surprised) to hear that we were English teachers. I have really enjoyed meeting people in restaurants because they are all very friendly and eager to help/teach me Japanese. We also received business cards (my first!) which is a big deal in Japan. All in all, a successful dining experience.
April 22, 2009 suiyobi (Wednesday)
I had quite the hectic morning, but it all definitely ended in the positive. First, I hit the snooze button twice this morning, a poor choice. As a result, I left the apartment at about 7:40. Not good. It takes at least 15 minutes to get to work, and Japan is a 10-minutes-early kind of place. Fortunately, Kimitsu is a help-the-gaijin-out sort of place, and I steamrolled to work in record time, 14 minutes. As a consolation prize, AFI’s (I think) new single was playing on the English radio station. (Its actually the Yakota army/navy base station) I get in my car, and it was the most refreshing, vitalizing emo-pop-punk I’ve ever heard. Truly, music to my ears.
So I arrive at work 5 minutes early, fearing that I’m 5 minutes late Japan time, only to see two teachers entering the building, mere moments before me. This is a good sign, and I was relieved. My day starts as usual, with some Japanese practice and review and my morning cup of tea, brought to me be Mizono San, the tea man. My schedule was light today, just the one class at 4th period, and a private lesson for 2nd period. I settle in for some Japanese studying after the daily morning teacher meeting.
But then, oh wait, K. Sensei forgot to add a class to my schedule, and yes, it’s a new lesson for class 21 (second year, class 1) during, that’s right, 1st period. No prep, no real information about the lesson plan at all. Just me and my game face. Show time! Fortunately for me, 21 is the super genki (spirited) easily excitable, and really fun class, so it is a piece of cake, and we all know, I love me my clutch performances. The class was great, K. Sensei was apologetic, I scored major points, and had a great time. Alex: 2, Life’s crazy twists and turns: 0.
Of course, our 1st period class runs way late, and we rush to go to the private lesson only to arrive to an empty classroom. Due to another scheduling error, we have no private lesson, and thus ends my morning.
On to the afternoon! It must be the sunshine today, or yesterday, but today had been very strange. A sannensei (3rd year student) got into an argument with the art teacher, A. Sensei, that lasted about 20 minutes. It turned into a straight up shouting match and more than one teacher was involved. I was lead to believe that this a rather rare occurrence in Japan (its not really common in America is it, though?) and it seemed pretty serious. It was interesting to watch, because in some ways, I completely understood what was happening – a 14 year old girl was arguing (vehemently) with 3 of the senior female teachers. Apparently being a 14 year old girl is a universal affliction. On the other hand, I had no idea what the argument was about or the actual level of significance of the event. In a country dedicated to the preservation of harmony, shouting matches seem pretty out of place. In America, this would have been a big deal, but it would have lost most of its significance after the issue was resolved. I wonder what the long term implications of this event will be. (for those wondering, nothing as far as I can tell. Japan is pretty big on either letting things be or massively suppressing feelings. I haven’t decided. Also, kids seem to get a lot of leniency on the harmony thing) Good thing I’m just an ALT. As long as they use English, all I have to do is smile and say “good English,” which is exactly what happened after the fighting cooled off.
And the day goes on. Oh wait, more trouble during lunch. (yeah, this was all before lunch) The 2nd years are the most rowdy class, but usually in a good, positive way. But today, one kid poured soup down the back of another student. WTF!? Then the soup-pourer starts to break down and cry when the teacher confronts him about it. Now, in his defense, crying is pretty common among men in Japan, so that was the normal part of the event. 15 minutes and 2 teachers later, the whole thing is resolved, and life goes on like nothing happened. It must be the sun today.
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