i'm sitting in my apartment, alone with only my itunes, after a flurry of weekend so far. last night rebecca came for a visit and we had sushi and tons of girl time with ann. the 3 of us get along great and it was fun to catch up on each other's lives. even though ann and i live about 100 feet apart, we often end up doing different things on weekends so we don't spend much time talking.
this morning was japanese class, which i loved. the teacher is super helpful and i feel energized and motivated to study every time i leave. i also feel like i'm learning practical japanese; knowing how to read hiragana hasn't really done much for me so far. its nice to know some REAL phrases!
after class we had a breakfast party for 8 here in my apartment. ann made french toast while i made eggs. our friends contributed fruit, coffee, and juice and what a feast it was* we all stayed around sitting on my floor chatting till at least 2:30pm. some of us went exploring on the beach after that and i found some beautiful sea glass... my curiosity got me in trouble, however, when i tried to closely examine some glass and my left ring finger was all of a sudden bleeding. i was an absolute wimp and wanted mom, haha. it turned out fine; stopped bleeding pretty quickly and i washed it when i got home :)
soooooo those are the factual details of life lately. here are some random tidbits from my mind and heart...
*the sound of this sea makes me feel like nobody can see or hear me. its beautiful when i want to be alone to cry or talk out loud...
*i'm shockingly different now than was in college; the thought of spending a saturday evening by myself, doing nothing of consequence doesn't seem terrible at all...
*smiles are the universal language; when i see kids and desperately want to talk, i feel like we can perfectly understand each other as long as smiles are exchanged.
*we have a korean [?] lady in our japanese class who is probably about 28 years old. she and her japanese husband ( at least 55) have a brand new baby. she barely speaks japanese, so i wonder how they communicate. while i'm terribly curious, i probably dont want to know the details of their story. i'm guessing it's a sad one.
*i'm off to visit the grocery store; i hope they have wheat bread and chicken this time!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
i don't wanna be that teacher
lets start on a funny note... my first class of today was 2nd grade... they have a bunch of goofy guys in that class who are good at speaking english but hate to write it. our key sentences were "what do you think of my (english)?" and "i think its very (good)"
my teacher was having the students do variations on these sentences-- starting with "what do you think of Kelly?" i got the usual responses "i think she's cute/ beautiful/ nice/ very very cute". i laughed and bowed and said thank you very much. then came the clincher. she told the students to ask me the question... "what do you think of my___"
the first kid stood up and said "what do you think of my face?" [i almost fell over laughing]
the next kid had to one-up him so he said "what do you think of my body?"
next "what do you think of my muscles?!"
-- after i recovered, i managed to give responses that were kind but clearly not-interested. seriously, these kids are hysterical*
as i was washing dishes a few minutes ago, i thought about the kids that i most frequently talk to at school... i walk through the halls saying hi to everyone but i think i give the most attention to the "popular" students [all very smart, cool, friendly, & cute]. i was startled by this conclusion for the following reason...
i was definitely not cool in high school. i'm fine with this fact now but i can clearly [and somewhat painfully] remember the teachers who were hip and made friends with the popular group of students. even in college there were staff who everyone liked and wanted to hang out with, but who chose to devote most of their attention and their true friendship to the good-looking, athletic, funny, and outgoing kids. its awful. i remember always being envious/ disgusted as i watched from afar.
NOW i am in the position of a movie star and am realizing i tend to do the same thing. it's a terrible feeling! SO i make a commitment here and now to avoid heading down that path. i would hate for students to remember me as "kelly, the alt who spoke great english but saved most of her time and energy for the cool kids... too bad i'm quiet and didnt ever get any attention". thus, i will make a conscious effort to give my focus and my questions to a different student or group of students every day.
let it NOT be said of me that i was one of the cool kids*
my teacher was having the students do variations on these sentences-- starting with "what do you think of Kelly?" i got the usual responses "i think she's cute/ beautiful/ nice/ very very cute". i laughed and bowed and said thank you very much. then came the clincher. she told the students to ask me the question... "what do you think of my___"
the first kid stood up and said "what do you think of my face?" [i almost fell over laughing]
the next kid had to one-up him so he said "what do you think of my body?"
next "what do you think of my muscles?!"
-- after i recovered, i managed to give responses that were kind but clearly not-interested. seriously, these kids are hysterical*
as i was washing dishes a few minutes ago, i thought about the kids that i most frequently talk to at school... i walk through the halls saying hi to everyone but i think i give the most attention to the "popular" students [all very smart, cool, friendly, & cute]. i was startled by this conclusion for the following reason...
i was definitely not cool in high school. i'm fine with this fact now but i can clearly [and somewhat painfully] remember the teachers who were hip and made friends with the popular group of students. even in college there were staff who everyone liked and wanted to hang out with, but who chose to devote most of their attention and their true friendship to the good-looking, athletic, funny, and outgoing kids. its awful. i remember always being envious/ disgusted as i watched from afar.
NOW i am in the position of a movie star and am realizing i tend to do the same thing. it's a terrible feeling! SO i make a commitment here and now to avoid heading down that path. i would hate for students to remember me as "kelly, the alt who spoke great english but saved most of her time and energy for the cool kids... too bad i'm quiet and didnt ever get any attention". thus, i will make a conscious effort to give my focus and my questions to a different student or group of students every day.
let it NOT be said of me that i was one of the cool kids*
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
highlights
[we're foreigners so people expect this kind of behavior ;)]
[all for you, daddio!!]
[sweet camera, huh?!]on a paper i graded today, a 2nd year student wrote "hiroki showed kim his life" i have no clue what that was supposed to mean, but i cracked up just the same. [isnt it just so darling that all these kids want to show dad their valuable possessions?!?!]
today was the most eventful lunch time of my year... i was leaving the class right before lunch and a student was bringing a bucket from the kitchen to her classroom. she pointed to the box, made a gross face and said "natto!!" i immediately got nervous-- natto is the japanese food all the students want to know if you can eat; apparently foreigners hate it. i haven't met a single non-japanese person who thinks it's tasty and even some natives can't stand it. i told myself i would try natto, just to be patriotic but that i didnt need to keep eating if it was gross. well, rumors are accurate... natto is horrible. it's these tiny brown beans stuck together with something resembling bubble-gum-on-a-shoe in appearance and resembling nastiness in taste. i valiantly tried two bites but couldn't force down the whole package... some days i really miss sandwiches.
after lunch onigiri-sensei leaned over my desk and asked "did you eat natto?" i smiled and said "i tried.... 2...." he said "2 beans?!" haha i laughed and said "no.... 2 bites...." :) he laughed and said "nice try!"
today i finally had a hint of fall. i wore my fav baggy khakis (i decided they are my classic pants to wear when i go watch my friends play intramural soccer. pure autumn wear!!), sneakers, and a long sleeve zippie. it was wonderful to not be sweaty!!
this weekend i'm having my first house guest and also my first time cooking for others!!! my friend rebecca is visiting for the weekend and we're having brunch here in my apartment on saturday after japanese class!!! YAY*
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
rwc ---> osaka
[who cares if i got stung by jellyfish my first time in the sea. they're still amazing!!]
[corner wall outside the entrance to osaka-jo, some famous but semi-boring castle]
[okonomiyaki and yakisoba: two of my fav japanese foods!!]
[crepes, shopping, college buddy: perfect weekend combination :)]i'll try to sum up the last 5 days with a few random blurbs. that will be easier and more interesting than typing a detailed excerpt about my adventures!!
- friday @ school i had a ton of hilarious quotes to write down. in a second year elective english class the students had to say "my name is.... i like...." the first boy stood up and said "i dont like yupi" the next said "i dont like yupi" i said "what is yupi?!" they said "HE is yupi" and pointed to a kid in the front row. haha, ALL the boys said the same thing (except yupi of course) and then the last boy said proudly and loudly "my name is ___ and i like kelly!!" bahhhhhh hahaha i almost died.
-later in class that same boy said "kelly is cute. she looks like a panda" [haha, a panda?! what?]
-later, in another class, the kids were doing a worksheet which included giving gifts to my family members. they had to give or show something to kim, nancy, or allen. one guy wrote "takehara showed kim his girlfriend"....... !!!!!! i didnt have the heart to tell him dad wouldn't approve of a girlfriend in 8th grade ;)
-i took the express train to osaka after school on friday [every new train trip alone is an adventure of its own. i always seem to ask a million people in japanese: "is this train going to ___?" haha] . cassie met me at the station and our FUN began. we went to the aquarium (TOTALLY amazing), osaka castle, the tennoji zoo, and about a million shopping centers.
-i enjoyed starbucks, basil/ tomato pizza, and subway :)
it was incredibly refreshing to spend time with cassie. we laughed a lot, treasured the chance to speak english, and observed/ photographed cutie kids. i think we also found courage in each others company as we attempted to speak japanese and find our way around the city! i can't wait to see her again*
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
a few ounces of success
this will be short, i promise. the last few days have found me gushing words from my brain and heart. enough of that for awhile... :)
*today the teacher across from me, a man in his mid-to-late 40's, was using a Thomas the Train towel to mop his sweat. i struggled to avoid cracking up.
*it's still brutally hot here; i'm constantly sweating and had to break down and turn on the blasted AC again!!
*in a class today, my teacher read something about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. she said "do you know about that? peanut butter and jelly?" i said "YES i have it every morning for breakfast!!" :)
*i finally got some boys to carry on a conversation today; granted they mumbled to each other in japanese every other word, but still... !!!!
*another group of boys ALWAYS joke with me about girls, boys, handsome, beautiful, all those words teenagers love to use... today one guy said "he is very handsome. he has MANY girlfriends" i said "oh, how many?"... "100!!!"... i said "wow, 100, thats a lot. how many do you have?" he said "1,000!!!"
*this afternoon i successfully picked up the train tickets for my trip to Osaka this weekend! i did it all in japanese :) of course, i looked up the words ahead of time and very little was required besides telling the guy my cell phone and confirmation numbers. STILL, it was thrilling to have those few ounces of success*
*today the teacher across from me, a man in his mid-to-late 40's, was using a Thomas the Train towel to mop his sweat. i struggled to avoid cracking up.
*it's still brutally hot here; i'm constantly sweating and had to break down and turn on the blasted AC again!!
*in a class today, my teacher read something about peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. she said "do you know about that? peanut butter and jelly?" i said "YES i have it every morning for breakfast!!" :)
*i finally got some boys to carry on a conversation today; granted they mumbled to each other in japanese every other word, but still... !!!!
*another group of boys ALWAYS joke with me about girls, boys, handsome, beautiful, all those words teenagers love to use... today one guy said "he is very handsome. he has MANY girlfriends" i said "oh, how many?"... "100!!!"... i said "wow, 100, thats a lot. how many do you have?" he said "1,000!!!"
*this afternoon i successfully picked up the train tickets for my trip to Osaka this weekend! i did it all in japanese :) of course, i looked up the words ahead of time and very little was required besides telling the guy my cell phone and confirmation numbers. STILL, it was thrilling to have those few ounces of success*
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
i hate to be johnny raincloud
today was a bummer of a day... i realize now why people find therapy in shopping. i stopped by the 100Yen shop [these are better than any dollar store in the US] on my way home [after having a crappy afternoon] b/c i wanted to make a "bag of tricks" for spare time in classes. i spent about 1,000Yen which is roughly 10 bucks. it was really thrilling to wander around the store and pick up things for teaching and for my apartment. my purchases were incredibly random and included the following: a mini frying pan [for a buck i dont expect great results, but hey, 100Yen is 100Yen], a magazine holder, cute picture frame which i now realize is somewhat broken, waterproofing spray for any shoes i buy this winter, two packages of pasta, a SUPER bouncy ball, and some more flashcards [i need to learn words and phrases now, since i know all the sounds!].
now, back to my pessimistic post... i finally got frustrated today with the education system and the current approach to teaching english. the following things make me mad:
1. this past weekend the kids had 4 days off (a make up day on friday with no school b/c of sports day the previous weekend; then yesterday was "respect for the aged day"). in every class i had students falling asleep at their desks. 4 days of holiday and they are still tired?!?!?! further investigation taught me that the kids are wicked tired b/c this holiday wasn't really... prob. 1/2 of the students had huge sports games/ tournaments that lasted almost the whole weekend. the other 1/2 did "club activities" [ie: sports or music practice] at least 2 of the days, maybe even all 4. it's no wonder people are addicted to their coffee and caffeinated tea-- they force them onto overdrive starting in jr. high!!!
2. i taught 5 classes in a row today with no breaks. THEN the last period they had this huge-o cleaning time because many important people are coming on thursday for demonstration lessons. [i usually walk around and talk to kids during cleaning- it's the highlight of my day]. i asked Kohashi if i could clean somewhere specific and she said "no, please sit here. you taught 5 classes today. i'm sorry!" ummmmm if you're really that sorry, don't ask me to teach boringness all day long... AND of course i had nothing to do b/c i have no clue what classes i'm teaching this week and cannot do anything to prepare.
3. upon arrival this morning i learned that even though it's tuesday, we were on monday's schedule. my first class on monday is called "frontiers", which i think is equivalent of pull-out special education. there were 2 students [one who doesnt even speak japanese] and 1 teacher who doesn't really know english. nobody told me ahead of time about this class so OF COURSE i had nothing on hand to do as an activity. i brought my US map and photos that i use in every other class, but that "self intro" lesson only lasts 10 minutes, particularly when the kids dont even know the word for father and mother... SO i finished and just sort of stood there waiting for some instruction about how to progress. the teacher pulled out some cards that ian used last term [pictures of animals and fruits]. the boy in the class knew almost all, but the silent girl of course said absolutely nothing. i was SUPER mad by the time i left... these kids prob get the shaft every single day... and if someone had TOLD me i'd have the class this morning i would have prepared something interactive and fun. i truly LOVE planning and preparing cool lessons; but there's no way to get that done if i have only 3 minutes warning*
4. i have decided i will never live alone again; this year is definitely exciting and full of adventure. i treasure coming home and having my quiet apartment. i also enjoy the freedom of a place to cry [still rarely!!] where nobody can see me. BUT i think it's pitiful when i cant wait to update my blog b/c it's an opportunity to just "talk"... i really miss living on campus with my girls and at home with my fam, where i can come home and tell all my stories, express my frustration, and have someone ask questions.
on the brightest note possible-- this weekend i am venturing to Osaka!! cassie is there now and i'm super duper excited to see her* i hope we'll have lots of awesome adventures exploring her new city and enjoying our mutual paleness in this crazily homogoneous country...
p.s. i'm really ready for allen-nelson-weather!
Monday, September 17, 2007
oh what a weekend
[the most awesome group of dancers :) all boys]
[it's perfect that the background is blurry so you can see only the main subject!!!]
[*abby and essie= girls after my own heart*]
[gazing into the distance from this sweet historic house]
[not a bad dump, huh?!]sooooooo i spent this past weekend with some great new friends, the kaufman family. they are the missionaries mom/dad met 23 summers ago when mom/dad came to teach english in japan. [while mom was quite pregnant with yours truly] i had an absolutely wonderful time- playing dutch blitz, take one, and pass the pigs; staying up late chatting in the girls' room; visiting historic gokayama; and swimming in the sea. i am incredibly grateful for the taste of family and familiar american food!!
when we were eating lunch in gokayama, the lady asked if we were on our way to the dance festival in johana (a city about 25 minutes away). we hadn't heard anything about a dance festival, so she gave us a map and we decided to try and check it out. we spent about 2 hours sitting along the main street in johana, watching troupe after troupe of dancers click, jump, and wave their fans around!!! it was beautiful, refreshing, and energizing* they all worked really hard and had great enthusiastic smiles :) of course, my favorite part was the cutie kids, and they were the main subject of my millions of photos and videos.
on sunday i visited their church and got to play with the kids who come for english lessons in the morning. they were super energetic and some have gotten really good at english. it was a little bit tough bc the sweetest little girl kept staring at me, i would smile, then she would say something quietly in japanese. i was wicked bummed that i couldn't understand her, b/c i think we could be great friends. anyway, the church was encouraging and fascinating. i could actually read most of the words of the songs, but since it's hiragana i didnt have any clue what the words mean. regardless, it was a great experience and i plan to go back as often as possible. for sunday dinner the kaufmans had three sweet young ladies come over; it was fun to chat with them and i definitely hope to get to know them as i practice my japanese in the near future :)
today was a "substitute holiday" which meant yesterday was some important holiday, but we get today off from school. it was perfect timing to talk to mom, dad, allen, nana, lauren, and fan on skype. i also visited the foreign foods store and bought some real strawberry jam, syrup, and italian pasta sauce... haha, YAY for familiarity and variety in my cooking :)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
third floor getaway
every day at hokubu brings new surprises and last minute news. i was informed this morning that we were having some sort of drill during 1st period. i'm still not sure whether it was for fire or earthquake, but maybe it's the same for both...??
after we all stood around outside for about 10 minutes, the students began filing back into the building. kocho-sensei asked me what the word in english is for moving of earth underneath us. haha so cute. we had a good chat about the previous earthquakes they have had in Japan. he confirmed what ian told me about himi being more protected because we're nestled between mountains... great start to my day of conversations!
classes progressed as normal. in one a boy introduced himself in the following way: "my name is ____. i like cats. i don't like cats...." [we all cracked up, including him]. he managed to get himself together and corrected his error... "i like cats. i don't like dogs. do you like dogs?" he got a sticker as bonus for asking a question and it totally lightened the mood]. another kid said "my name is _____. i don't like Noa" [Noa was the first kid who introduced himself in that class. i guess the two guys are really good buddies;that ham bone just wanted to make us laugh!!].
i talked to the 3rd years during cleaning time. during lunch with my first years, i finally made some headway in getting them to talk. every day i sit with a different group of students in room 104; today they actually managed to ask me questions and we laughed together!! [i also "shared" (ie absolutely HAD to get rid of) the miniature, putrid, awful, still intact fishes that we all got in our lunch. seriously, the food today was absolutely HORRID. usually there's at least one thing that is kinda gross, but today everything was nasty except the rice!!!]
the absolute BEST part of today was after school. classes got out early because there were some students training for a marathon next month. i was sort of irritated because i had to stay around school for another hour and all my grading was finished. i'm also getting tired of practicing hiragana/ katakana since by now i have them all memorized. since i had plenty of time to kill and no desire to stay in the teachers room, i figured i might as well walk around the school... i went through the halls and ended up on the third floor [like always :()]. this time it was 4 of the quieter girls who got my attention. we talked about all sorts of things, and ended up moving into a classroom because there was a chalkboard, and drawings helped our communication. i stayed in there with them for OVER AN HOUR!!! here are the highlights...
we talked about everything under the sun; disneyland, roller coasters, and the best way to get to Osaka. one of the girls said she wants to be a costume designer for a circus in america. she's really good at sewing and she thinks it'll be a good chance to learn many languages and meet lots of people. [AHHH, so precious!!]. they taught me a bunch of japanese today as well: i learned the word for clown, hammer, and interesting. they also taught me "osaka slang" so i could use it next weekend if i go visit cassie... i guess there's one word that you use when shopping, but only in osaka. it's a different phrase for "how much does this cost?" haha soooooo random! they also tried to teach me this joke from a comedian. they taught me the phrase, which means "why", and said i should say it to takehara-sensei next time we teach class together. [since i'm not 100% sure i understood it all, i dont think i'll risk that scheme...]
we had tons of great laughs about the teachers in school... they were beside themselves when i said i knew yamamoto-sensei's nickname is onigiri :) they also showed me how to bow to kocho-sensei in the morning. i played along, even though i've been greeting him every day for the past 3 weeks :) finally, at 4:15 i looked at the clock and said "what time do you leave school?" they said "now" so we parted ways.
annnnnnnnnyway, it was completely blissful. i know this is the honeymoon stage of the job and i'm sure it'll be over soon. for now, though, i'm going to relish the greatness*
after we all stood around outside for about 10 minutes, the students began filing back into the building. kocho-sensei asked me what the word in english is for moving of earth underneath us. haha so cute. we had a good chat about the previous earthquakes they have had in Japan. he confirmed what ian told me about himi being more protected because we're nestled between mountains... great start to my day of conversations!
classes progressed as normal. in one a boy introduced himself in the following way: "my name is ____. i like cats. i don't like cats...." [we all cracked up, including him]. he managed to get himself together and corrected his error... "i like cats. i don't like dogs. do you like dogs?" he got a sticker as bonus for asking a question and it totally lightened the mood]. another kid said "my name is _____. i don't like Noa" [Noa was the first kid who introduced himself in that class. i guess the two guys are really good buddies;that ham bone just wanted to make us laugh!!].
i talked to the 3rd years during cleaning time. during lunch with my first years, i finally made some headway in getting them to talk. every day i sit with a different group of students in room 104; today they actually managed to ask me questions and we laughed together!! [i also "shared" (ie absolutely HAD to get rid of) the miniature, putrid, awful, still intact fishes that we all got in our lunch. seriously, the food today was absolutely HORRID. usually there's at least one thing that is kinda gross, but today everything was nasty except the rice!!!]
the absolute BEST part of today was after school. classes got out early because there were some students training for a marathon next month. i was sort of irritated because i had to stay around school for another hour and all my grading was finished. i'm also getting tired of practicing hiragana/ katakana since by now i have them all memorized. since i had plenty of time to kill and no desire to stay in the teachers room, i figured i might as well walk around the school... i went through the halls and ended up on the third floor [like always :()]. this time it was 4 of the quieter girls who got my attention. we talked about all sorts of things, and ended up moving into a classroom because there was a chalkboard, and drawings helped our communication. i stayed in there with them for OVER AN HOUR!!! here are the highlights...
we talked about everything under the sun; disneyland, roller coasters, and the best way to get to Osaka. one of the girls said she wants to be a costume designer for a circus in america. she's really good at sewing and she thinks it'll be a good chance to learn many languages and meet lots of people. [AHHH, so precious!!]. they taught me a bunch of japanese today as well: i learned the word for clown, hammer, and interesting. they also taught me "osaka slang" so i could use it next weekend if i go visit cassie... i guess there's one word that you use when shopping, but only in osaka. it's a different phrase for "how much does this cost?" haha soooooo random! they also tried to teach me this joke from a comedian. they taught me the phrase, which means "why", and said i should say it to takehara-sensei next time we teach class together. [since i'm not 100% sure i understood it all, i dont think i'll risk that scheme...]
we had tons of great laughs about the teachers in school... they were beside themselves when i said i knew yamamoto-sensei's nickname is onigiri :) they also showed me how to bow to kocho-sensei in the morning. i played along, even though i've been greeting him every day for the past 3 weeks :) finally, at 4:15 i looked at the clock and said "what time do you leave school?" they said "now" so we parted ways.
annnnnnnnnyway, it was completely blissful. i know this is the honeymoon stage of the job and i'm sure it'll be over soon. for now, though, i'm going to relish the greatness*
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
daily simplicity
last night i got a huge-o box from home. it was filled with yummy treats including the peanut butter i have been longing for. tonight i watched "return to me" while i ate dinner. it was beautiful and hilarious as always, but cracking up by myself, without my girls, just isn't the same...
not sure why, but i expected hokubu to be a bummer after yesterday's awesome elementary school life. it ended up great, though, much to my surprise.
takehara warned me about one class, saying it had a lot of students who really hate english. they actually turned out to be attentive, and really got into the lesson. OF COURSE everyone is asking if i have a boyfriend [and some girls told me they have a boyfriend but apparently names are secret... haha. typical]. in my last class of the day, the 3rd years were wicked crazy... they asked all sorts of questions about kissing {ie: "do you kiss your friends when you greet them?" i explained that sometimes people do, but its on the cheek}. they teased the first kid who had to introduce himself saying he should kiss me instead of shake my hand. clearly i said no way [and he was a tiny bit embarassed] but i could tell they were only being funny and they really appreciated my laughing along with them. when the kid stood up, he said "my name is___. i like..." before he could answer i said "girls?!" everyone died :)
many different classes asked questions about allen today-- "does your brother play frisbee?" i said he does and that he can throw the frisbee very far. i also bought a frisbee last weekend, so hopefully SOMEtime i can round up some kids to play...
everyday when i leave, the girls always say "SEE YOU" and wave enthusiastically. usually the boys play it cool and just nod if i say goodbye, and that's totally fine with me. TODAY, however, i had the best goodbye. two 3rd year boys [one is really tough and macho] were tossing a baseball around and before i even looked their way, he said "KELLY...." i was thrilled, waved, and hollered goodbye. i smiled the next 5 minutes straight*
not sure why, but i expected hokubu to be a bummer after yesterday's awesome elementary school life. it ended up great, though, much to my surprise.
takehara warned me about one class, saying it had a lot of students who really hate english. they actually turned out to be attentive, and really got into the lesson. OF COURSE everyone is asking if i have a boyfriend [and some girls told me they have a boyfriend but apparently names are secret... haha. typical]. in my last class of the day, the 3rd years were wicked crazy... they asked all sorts of questions about kissing {ie: "do you kiss your friends when you greet them?" i explained that sometimes people do, but its on the cheek}. they teased the first kid who had to introduce himself saying he should kiss me instead of shake my hand. clearly i said no way [and he was a tiny bit embarassed] but i could tell they were only being funny and they really appreciated my laughing along with them. when the kid stood up, he said "my name is___. i like..." before he could answer i said "girls?!" everyone died :)
many different classes asked questions about allen today-- "does your brother play frisbee?" i said he does and that he can throw the frisbee very far. i also bought a frisbee last weekend, so hopefully SOMEtime i can round up some kids to play...
everyday when i leave, the girls always say "SEE YOU" and wave enthusiastically. usually the boys play it cool and just nod if i say goodbye, and that's totally fine with me. TODAY, however, i had the best goodbye. two 3rd year boys [one is really tough and macho] were tossing a baseball around and before i even looked their way, he said "KELLY...." i was thrilled, waved, and hollered goodbye. i smiled the next 5 minutes straight*
Monday, September 10, 2007
the good, the bad, and the adorable
i have to be realistic. life here isn't always a walk in the park. most days it's wonderful but there are definitely some down sides. apart from the occasional homesickness and the lack of a listening ear, a couple other things bug me...
first of all, i can't speak japanese well at all. so that means there are lots of times when i wish i could communicate with someone but can only get the basics covered. it really gets frustrating because i'm looking for deeper connections. there are also many times when things are confused either on my part or on the part of a co-worker. for instance, last night i thought my teacher was asking me to bring drinks to school on tuesday. i have no idea what she was actually saying, but when i asked her about it for clarification she said "no, no, you dont need to bring anything on tuesday. i'm sorry you were confused." argh...
next, it's the start of rain season and that is a royal pain. two mornings in the past week i arrived at school totally drenched. one day i was even wearing my rain pants but the flood soaked through. it's a disgusting feeling to have wet pants all morning. on a related topic, ever since i arrived, my comforter has had this weird smell and it makes it a bit hard to fall asleep sometimes. i know i don't reek; i guess its just whatever the bedding is made with has a smell i'm not used to. i can wash my sheets so they at least smell like laundry detergent, but i have been unable to get rid of the strange scent on my blanket...
the other thing i don't particularly love is the way people responded yesterday when a student would fall during a race/ game. it seemed to just up the entertainment factor; people cracked up and cheered. it's a far cry from highschool football games when everyone takes a knee if a player is down.
now, enough of kelly/ debbie downer/ johnny raincloud ;). today was an absolutely glorious day at my elementary school. there's no way i can give the details through writing. the memories will just have to stay treasured in my mind and heart. i'll try and give just a couple highlights, but it will be agonizing because there were unlimited highlights*
there's a little boy with special needs who always comes in the office to say "ohaiyo gozaimasu" [good morning] to the principal and office workers. he came over to me also and i said goodmorning back. then i gave him a thumbs up and said "segoi" (that's great). he tried to imitate my thumbs up but ended looking like he was shooting me with a gun [you know, thumb up, pointer finger forward, haha]. freaking darling!!!! oh i just love him.
i taught a 5th grade and a 6th grade class. [right before i started, someone asked if i was nervous and then said "they are a little bit naughty" :)] the kids were pretty enthusiastic and got really into the days of the week/ months of the year. they all asked if i had ever met Matsui... haha even after i had explained i live in Albany, NOT NYC. :) i sat with the 6th graders at lunch and fortunately they were not deterred by my poor japanese. the main topic of conversation with the kids sitting next to me was being left-handed. i'm pretty sure they were asking if many americans are left handed... it's not very common in japan but the boy to my left WAS also.
after we finished eating, i walked around the rest of the cafeteria to say hello to the younger kids. they REALLY speak no english but i could understand a tiny bit of their japanese because it's so basic. they were crowded ALL around me while brushing their teeth with no toothpaste; mostly boys asking me about every single possible american sports team. [previously, i have not cared about american sports but i'm eating it up now because at least it's words and names of teams that i recognize!!] some boys took me by the hand to their classroom [2nd grade, i think] and showed me little containers where they catch bugs or try to grow plants. we all went outside {i guess it was recess} and they showed me the garden. "sensei, sensei, come!!" someone gave me a sunflower seed "oishi desu ka?" [is it delicious?! hahaha]. we played with a tiny frog; i would hold it and they would all crowd around hoping it would jump onto them!!! :) i was the only teacher outside; that's how seriously safe it is here!! the boys asked me to throw a rock and cheered when it went about 15 yards [haha]. then they became the pitchers and i said they were just like Daisuke from the RedSox. they went ballistic at that comment and continued throwing rocks into the bushes "sensei, sensei, look". finally, one boy asked me to race (i dont know this word in japanese, i just figured it out from his movement and the context). i started running with him and they all ran too and followed me inside......
upon entering the teachers room after i put on my indoor shoes, all eyes were upon me. the vice principal was grinning and gave me a big nod. i knew i had passed a test that nobody was even giving. i smiled for the next 20 minutes straight. i could hardly study katakana i was so incredibly happy :)
first of all, i can't speak japanese well at all. so that means there are lots of times when i wish i could communicate with someone but can only get the basics covered. it really gets frustrating because i'm looking for deeper connections. there are also many times when things are confused either on my part or on the part of a co-worker. for instance, last night i thought my teacher was asking me to bring drinks to school on tuesday. i have no idea what she was actually saying, but when i asked her about it for clarification she said "no, no, you dont need to bring anything on tuesday. i'm sorry you were confused." argh...
next, it's the start of rain season and that is a royal pain. two mornings in the past week i arrived at school totally drenched. one day i was even wearing my rain pants but the flood soaked through. it's a disgusting feeling to have wet pants all morning. on a related topic, ever since i arrived, my comforter has had this weird smell and it makes it a bit hard to fall asleep sometimes. i know i don't reek; i guess its just whatever the bedding is made with has a smell i'm not used to. i can wash my sheets so they at least smell like laundry detergent, but i have been unable to get rid of the strange scent on my blanket...
the other thing i don't particularly love is the way people responded yesterday when a student would fall during a race/ game. it seemed to just up the entertainment factor; people cracked up and cheered. it's a far cry from highschool football games when everyone takes a knee if a player is down.
now, enough of kelly/ debbie downer/ johnny raincloud ;). today was an absolutely glorious day at my elementary school. there's no way i can give the details through writing. the memories will just have to stay treasured in my mind and heart. i'll try and give just a couple highlights, but it will be agonizing because there were unlimited highlights*
there's a little boy with special needs who always comes in the office to say "ohaiyo gozaimasu" [good morning] to the principal and office workers. he came over to me also and i said goodmorning back. then i gave him a thumbs up and said "segoi" (that's great). he tried to imitate my thumbs up but ended looking like he was shooting me with a gun [you know, thumb up, pointer finger forward, haha]. freaking darling!!!! oh i just love him.
i taught a 5th grade and a 6th grade class. [right before i started, someone asked if i was nervous and then said "they are a little bit naughty" :)] the kids were pretty enthusiastic and got really into the days of the week/ months of the year. they all asked if i had ever met Matsui... haha even after i had explained i live in Albany, NOT NYC. :) i sat with the 6th graders at lunch and fortunately they were not deterred by my poor japanese. the main topic of conversation with the kids sitting next to me was being left-handed. i'm pretty sure they were asking if many americans are left handed... it's not very common in japan but the boy to my left WAS also.
after we finished eating, i walked around the rest of the cafeteria to say hello to the younger kids. they REALLY speak no english but i could understand a tiny bit of their japanese because it's so basic. they were crowded ALL around me while brushing their teeth with no toothpaste; mostly boys asking me about every single possible american sports team. [previously, i have not cared about american sports but i'm eating it up now because at least it's words and names of teams that i recognize!!] some boys took me by the hand to their classroom [2nd grade, i think] and showed me little containers where they catch bugs or try to grow plants. we all went outside {i guess it was recess} and they showed me the garden. "sensei, sensei, come!!" someone gave me a sunflower seed "oishi desu ka?" [is it delicious?! hahaha]. we played with a tiny frog; i would hold it and they would all crowd around hoping it would jump onto them!!! :) i was the only teacher outside; that's how seriously safe it is here!! the boys asked me to throw a rock and cheered when it went about 15 yards [haha]. then they became the pitchers and i said they were just like Daisuke from the RedSox. they went ballistic at that comment and continued throwing rocks into the bushes "sensei, sensei, look". finally, one boy asked me to race (i dont know this word in japanese, i just figured it out from his movement and the context). i started running with him and they all ran too and followed me inside......
upon entering the teachers room after i put on my indoor shoes, all eyes were upon me. the vice principal was grinning and gave me a big nod. i knew i had passed a test that nobody was even giving. i smiled for the next 20 minutes straight. i could hardly study katakana i was so incredibly happy :)
Sunday, September 9, 2007
welcome to my life
[this race made me realize i'm not in kansas anymore (oh, i mean, not in new york anymore). it was all the 3rd year girls fighting for tires. at the end there would be one girl holding on to the tire for dear life while her opponents dragged the tire to their home base. you gotta give the tough girl credit even though she didnt have a chance...]
[right before this pic was taken, i was kicking a rugby ball down the field around a cone and back to my team. believe me, it was a piece of cake. in front of me is my principal (kocho-sensei) ... an absolute darling :)]
[this race was called Hokuricho Bridge... a tiny girl from each team ran across the backs of her teammates... this team won; sorry the tent pole is in the way.]
[they asked me to play janken (kinda like rock/paper/scissors) but i've never played before. i was pretty slow... ]
[the festivities begin. think military training meets nazi's meets crazy camp games...]
[welcome to sports day at hokubu chugako)so today was sports day. it was a big hit in my mind :) the kids seemed to have an absolute blast! i got to watch/ cheer along with the other teachers, community, and students. i also joined 2 events including the relay where i had to kick a rugby ball. my teacher tried to get pics of me actually kicking, but she accidentally took videos instead. haha. anyway, it was great fun bc all the kids were cheering for me ["YAY, ketty-san"]. my principal was the team leader and of course he is precious and attempted to explain the game to me beforehand*
tonight i had my enkai with hokubu teachers. i was super nervous beforehand but everything turned out beautifully. i didn't eat much food bc i was talking a lot. that's actually great bc i learned how to do the social rounds at enkais... its a detailed process, with some specific etiquette. here's a quick summary [probably not exactly perfect but they excuse me because i'm foreign]: if you want to move around the room and talk to someone, you take a bottle of beer with you. you go up to the person (for example, the darling principal) and offer to give them some more beer. they take a drink then hold their glass for you to pour some. they do the same for you in return (unless you are like me and a few others, and don't drink beer so you dont carry your glass around the room, haha). then that's your opportunity to talk and hopefully for me they are feeling brave so i can get some english out of their mouths!!!
i talked to one of my english teachers, Himashita-sensei, for a super long time. she helped me learn some japanese that i have already forgotten... but it was great to actually have a conversation that wasn't about school. we talked about our families and traveling and all sorts of good stuff. i also chatted w/ the music teacher who likes american music, especially jazz. he said something like "i have a japanese body, but in my blood there is something that appreciates american music. i can feel it in my heart and in my head. sometimes i have tears" haha it was sort of sweet the way he was talking about it, but also a bit awkward since i AM american and dont usually get that way about our music and also because he was hollering loudly even though i was right across the table. he then progressed to hum and make conducting motions to the u.s. national anthem. i could obviously hum along but he mostly seemed interested in hearing his own voice... hahaha...
yesterday when i was shopping in takaoka i saw one of the young teachers. i said hi and "genki desu ka?" but then got nervous and said goodbye. haha. pitiful. i was mad at myself bc i really like her and want to be friends but i was feeling terrible about my inability to speak japanese. anyway, today she asked me about shopping [in english!!]. we talked a tiny bit at the enkai and also on the bus coming home. i think we're friends now :) YAY.
sooooo tomorrow is my first day teaching at my elementary school. i'm sort of confused still about whether i need to bring materials for the game. i'm assuming NOT since they planned the lesson... on the other hand i'm wicked excited to spend time with little kids!!! they are so incredibly adorable and i think tomorrow is going to be tons of FUN!!!*
Thursday, September 6, 2007
"i was walking my bog"
... just another quote from the kids' summer homework journals. it was supposed to be "dog", as i'm sure you guessed :)
[not quite sure why she can't play tennis with me... maybe she knows how bad i am!! :) during my intro as i show pictures, i always say "this is my best friend melissa. she plays tennis at university. sometimes she plays with me but i always miss the ball!!" they laugh at that. ]
[now there's an ego boost*]
[this is from saki-- she's one of my favs already... even BEFORE this darling message!!!]
here's a run-down of my thurdsay, with random hilarious tidbits...
*first period: i was supposed to teach ichi-nensei (1st grade; aka 7th grade) but apparently the class got canceled at the last second [or at least i found out at the last second]. so i told takehara i could teach san-nensei (3rd/9th grade) with him. we scrambled around to get copies made. my lesson in that class went over without a hitch except that they didn't care a single bit about my beloved photos. haha i guess that's typical teenagers for ya... the best part of that class was the pictures posted above. those are some messages from students... they write HILARIOUS stuff, mostly about sports and how much they dislike english, but a few girls declared their adoration.
*2nd period: kohashi said i should go outside and talk to students while they were, get this, picking grass off the sports field. literally, all 600 of them were squatting [separated into teams] around the front field pulling the tiniest bits of weeds/ grass out of the dirt. they did this for an ENTIRE class period... so i was a bit unsure of what i was supposed to do. because did they really want me to distract the students from their task by asking them questions in english?? kohashi said i didnt have to pick grass, i should just "walk around"... yeah right!! what kind of jerk foreigner walks around and just looks at the poor tortured students picking microscopic pieces of grass out of dirt...??
not this foreigner. i decided the best method was to walk for a minute, see who made eye contact, then ask a question and continue conversation while i squatted and pulled grass right along with them. it worked GREAT!!! some of the kids i talked to really knew how to hold conversation. one girl had goldfish last year but they died and she flushed 'em down the toilet. we had a GREAT laugh when i told her ian and john did that same thing to the fish left dead in my apartment :) another group of girls talked about american food you can get at restaurants in himi. [true confession: i usually dont talk to the 3rd year boys in groups because they always make jokes in japanese, then push each other at me, then crack up, and i get embarassed, haha.]
4th period: i taught a 1st grade class and that was fun. i finally got the famous "do you have a boyfriend?" question. THEN the most darling, adorable, sweet, amazing girl said the most darling, adorable, sweet, amazing quote i have ever heard..... "why are you so beautiful? please, tell us!!"......... i basically cracked up. gosh i was surprised/embarrassed, and of course flattered, but seriously what do you say to that? i laughed/ thought for a few seconds then came up with the best answer i could... "well, my parents are both very beautiful. so. yeah." :) thanks, mom and dad... !!!!!!!!
5th period: they had early cleaning time so i walked around like always, but this time i stayed on 2nd grade floor the entire time. i talked with some girls who taught me the japanese word for dimples (ekubo)... one of the girls had the best dimples i have ever ever ever seen. so totally cute* (kawaii) then i talked to some boys, one of which spouted random japanese and i told him "nihongo wakarimasen" (i dont understand japanese). he responded "eigo wakarimasen" (i dont understand english. thats a bunch of bologna, he's been learning english for years!) kohashi came by and made some joke with the boys, then explained to me that she was imitating a japanese comedian who says some funny quote while wearing a speedo. she didnt know the word for speedo and i didnt realize it was quite so extreme-- we had a further conversation about it later and we were both cracking up!!!
throughout the day i realized that i can recognize teachers' voices even when they're speaking japanese. for some reason that really blows my mind... that i dont have a clue what the person is saying, but i definitely know who is talking. that must mean i'm settling in here*
after 6th period: one of the young teachers [she's training to be an olympic diver!!!] walked by my desk and i said i liked her shirt (it was a cute shirt, but i mostly was just looking for an excuse to show her i wanted to be friends!!) she said thanks and stopped to talk. she helped me with two katakana symbols i've been mixing up and i asked her a bunch of questions about work, where she lives, etc. it's probably hard work for her to talk to me, but i'm thrilled to have made at least a little comfortable social connection!!! i forgot to ask her if she's going to the party on sunday night, but i'm guessing there will be a good turnout so i'll just hope she shows up*
[not quite sure why she can't play tennis with me... maybe she knows how bad i am!! :) during my intro as i show pictures, i always say "this is my best friend melissa. she plays tennis at university. sometimes she plays with me but i always miss the ball!!" they laugh at that. ]
[now there's an ego boost*]
[this is from saki-- she's one of my favs already... even BEFORE this darling message!!!]here's a run-down of my thurdsay, with random hilarious tidbits...
*first period: i was supposed to teach ichi-nensei (1st grade; aka 7th grade) but apparently the class got canceled at the last second [or at least i found out at the last second]. so i told takehara i could teach san-nensei (3rd/9th grade) with him. we scrambled around to get copies made. my lesson in that class went over without a hitch except that they didn't care a single bit about my beloved photos. haha i guess that's typical teenagers for ya... the best part of that class was the pictures posted above. those are some messages from students... they write HILARIOUS stuff, mostly about sports and how much they dislike english, but a few girls declared their adoration.
*2nd period: kohashi said i should go outside and talk to students while they were, get this, picking grass off the sports field. literally, all 600 of them were squatting [separated into teams] around the front field pulling the tiniest bits of weeds/ grass out of the dirt. they did this for an ENTIRE class period... so i was a bit unsure of what i was supposed to do. because did they really want me to distract the students from their task by asking them questions in english?? kohashi said i didnt have to pick grass, i should just "walk around"... yeah right!! what kind of jerk foreigner walks around and just looks at the poor tortured students picking microscopic pieces of grass out of dirt...??
not this foreigner. i decided the best method was to walk for a minute, see who made eye contact, then ask a question and continue conversation while i squatted and pulled grass right along with them. it worked GREAT!!! some of the kids i talked to really knew how to hold conversation. one girl had goldfish last year but they died and she flushed 'em down the toilet. we had a GREAT laugh when i told her ian and john did that same thing to the fish left dead in my apartment :) another group of girls talked about american food you can get at restaurants in himi. [true confession: i usually dont talk to the 3rd year boys in groups because they always make jokes in japanese, then push each other at me, then crack up, and i get embarassed, haha.]
4th period: i taught a 1st grade class and that was fun. i finally got the famous "do you have a boyfriend?" question. THEN the most darling, adorable, sweet, amazing girl said the most darling, adorable, sweet, amazing quote i have ever heard..... "why are you so beautiful? please, tell us!!"......... i basically cracked up. gosh i was surprised/embarrassed, and of course flattered, but seriously what do you say to that? i laughed/ thought for a few seconds then came up with the best answer i could... "well, my parents are both very beautiful. so. yeah." :) thanks, mom and dad... !!!!!!!!
5th period: they had early cleaning time so i walked around like always, but this time i stayed on 2nd grade floor the entire time. i talked with some girls who taught me the japanese word for dimples (ekubo)... one of the girls had the best dimples i have ever ever ever seen. so totally cute* (kawaii) then i talked to some boys, one of which spouted random japanese and i told him "nihongo wakarimasen" (i dont understand japanese). he responded "eigo wakarimasen" (i dont understand english. thats a bunch of bologna, he's been learning english for years!) kohashi came by and made some joke with the boys, then explained to me that she was imitating a japanese comedian who says some funny quote while wearing a speedo. she didnt know the word for speedo and i didnt realize it was quite so extreme-- we had a further conversation about it later and we were both cracking up!!!
throughout the day i realized that i can recognize teachers' voices even when they're speaking japanese. for some reason that really blows my mind... that i dont have a clue what the person is saying, but i definitely know who is talking. that must mean i'm settling in here*
after 6th period: one of the young teachers [she's training to be an olympic diver!!!] walked by my desk and i said i liked her shirt (it was a cute shirt, but i mostly was just looking for an excuse to show her i wanted to be friends!!) she said thanks and stopped to talk. she helped me with two katakana symbols i've been mixing up and i asked her a bunch of questions about work, where she lives, etc. it's probably hard work for her to talk to me, but i'm thrilled to have made at least a little comfortable social connection!!! i forgot to ask her if she's going to the party on sunday night, but i'm guessing there will be a good turnout so i'll just hope she shows up*
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
first day as a teacher
[oh you know... just my name & picture in the town newspaper... :)]
[hokubu from a distance. it's surrounded by rice fields!]
[now i have proof that i actually spend my days with kids]i taught two classes today and got to spend a bunch of time just chatting with the kids. here are some highlights....
*in both classes the students had to get in groups to come up with questions to ask me. one kid said basically "all americans... their eyebrows... they are not black...?" :) i guess it was nuts to them that my eyebrowaos are so light. soooooooo cute.
*another group's question was: "does allen-san like sports?" [i said he sometimes plays basketball but usually he likes music the best. he plays drums AND guitar-- they loved that!]
*i spent hours upon hours checking their summer break homework. they had to write like a million words, 10 times each. one of the words was "ruler", they wrote "lurer" [dang those R's and L's, haha]. another error was "beantiful" instead of "beautiful" :) i almost laughed out loud at that one... oh, what beantiful hair you have... haha.
*in someone's homework they wrote "Nike to meet you". it seems brand loyalty even storms the junior highs of japan!!!
so anyway, today was great* i talked to a TON of students during cleaning time and after school. one of the 9th grade boys was a wicked show-off. he told me he is great at running and can swim very fast... doing butterfly, backstroke, AND freestyle. i think i'll take his word for it...
Monday, September 3, 2007
*rejuvenated*
[ryuichi is eating my FAV japanese food--- yakisoba!!]
[some girls i think are cool :)]today was the first day of school... i gave a wicked short speech (in english), bowed a million times, and FINALLY got to spend some time with the kids!! they were super genki all day and i LOVED it :) i watched them practice for sports day which is on sunday. they had to march in unison and do all these funny little cheers: super entertaining!! i miserably sweated my way through the entire day in a full suit. kohashi-sensei said i could take off my jacket, but i had a sleeveless shirt underneath so i figured that prob was a bad idea... she laughed when i explained :)
i also walked around during cleaning time so i could chat with the students. the boys were wicked shy- girls are much more confident. some of them even went so far as to tell me about the sport they do! perhaps the BEST part of school was that during a break in the opening ceremony, the 2 young teachers both introduced themselves. they seemed thrilled that i was even younger than they are (both: 24)... one asked me to play "softball tennis" with her. i'm pretty sure it's not much different from regular tennis, they just use a rubber-ish ball. but don't quote me on that b/c i frequently misunderstand explanations, even if they're in english :)
another great thing of today is that i re-vamped my apartment for less then 25 bucks. i bought 2 new mini-rugs, some floor cushions, flowers, and scented candles. in an attempt to lighten up my window treatments (the current curtains are dark dark blue and go floor to ceiling) i also bought three pink-ish table runners... thinking i could drape them across the top of the curtains as a valance. it didn't really work, though, so i'll have to brainstorm on this idea a bit more... i paid 600Yen [about 6 bucks] total for a three little bouquets of flowers @ the grocery store. seriously, 6 dollars for the amount of JOY that fresh flowers bring to my life*
tomorrow i teach my VERY first english class. i'm a bit nervous about how it will go; i wonder if i am trying to fit too much into the 50 minutes... takehara-sensei made me laugh today about it... he goes "tomorrow morning is your very first lesson? in japan?" and i was like "Yes, yikes!!" we both cracked up :) [he also checked my worksheet and said the students probably wouldn't understand the meaning of "uncooked meat". that is one of the incorrect choices about which japanese food i like! haha]
Sunday, September 2, 2007
what's the word for this?
cheez-u: happy birthday to ann-chan :)
[the first enkai. who knows what our supervisor is doing with his hands around his face-- what a nut!!]in my last post, i used the word "longevity" incorrectly. i don't know what the right word would be [wordiness, maybe?], but it was poor english. that seems to be a common theme in my life lately. i can't speak japanese, but my ability to speak english fades sporadically as well... weird.
since my last post i have become increasingly frustrated with this form of communication. people were confused and asked questions about my stories. for some reason, that really makes me really upset. usually i LOVE to be asked questions. but, in this case, everything is SO clear in my head. the people here are real and important to me. i don't get their details mixed up. if i were having an actual conversation with someone back home, there wouldn't be confusion because talking is just more effective. thus, in an attempt to get myself figured out, i gave up blogging for about 4 days. and yet, here i am back again...
on thursday we had a meeting with teachers from himi schools. there were 4 in my group and we all introduced ourselves. they asked me tons of questions about my family, "hobbies", and the like. then one lady introduced herself with the following statement:
"my name is yadda-yadda-yadda. i work at so-and-so school. i have a son who is your age. you can meet."
tomorrow is the official first day of school. i'm giving a speech and wearing my suit. hopefully i'll actually get some work to do; the past 10 days i've been sitting around the staff room studying flashcards and trying to keep myself motivated. i really AM all about the kids... unless i get to talk to them, my job doesn't seem worth much at all. [on friday i talked to a bunch of girls who were in the hallway. they said "what's your name?" then they told me they were training for handball there because "it is raining" :) sweet and brave enough to talk, just the way i like em.]
today i got back from "welcome weekend" for new toyama JETs. it was great fun to spend time with people i don't see often... i have some unique memories. i dont know the word for what i'm feeling now that things are quiet and i'm not overcome with constant activity. this whole week has actually been filled with missing important people. a silver civic on the way home from hokubu makes me want to be home. listening to little big town makes me want to have a sleepover with lauren, wearing trackpants. facebook pictures make me want to be there for all the significant new semester shenanigans of rwc, having fun with my fav-o sister fan...
so i think maybe i'm experiencing some culture shock mixed with homesickness. they say winter is the worst... and it's not even quite fall yet. so what's the word for this i'm feeling?
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