| So Im here at work, playing on the middle schools laptop...(yes its irritating to find the ` button, deal with it haha) and Im starting to realize Im not cut out for this job. I mean...Ive always been told as a kid that "youll become what you dislike the most when you grow up." I like teachers and all....but Ive always hated English. However, since the kids are funny, and Ive had my mind set on two years....Im pretty sure Ill do two years...the third year is debattable (well see how it all goes). This is what my schedule is like: Monday - Wednesday at the middle school and pretty much finding out the schedule of when I help teach English that monday. Thursday at the elementary school (taught 5-6 grades last week), next thursday is the 3-4 grades, then the following week is the 1-2 grades....for only a 45 min class, I mean seriously....this is not enough time to each this group English. And then, like the teachers tell me that my pred (person before me) would give like 4 pieces of homework, when they would only like two pieces...this isnt enough. Especially, since theyre changing rules for learning English. So by this coming April, I suppose, English is mandatory for all elementary school students to start learning instead of middle school. So, this is going to be hard not being able to see them everyday and none of the teachers speak English....I seriously wonder how the people before me survived without knowning English. Anywho went off track on that but Ill get back to that. Friday, the first and third friday im at the Board of Education working from 830am to 10am, then playing with the kindergarteners from 10 to 11am, then returning back to the BoE from 11 to 1130am...and then Im done on Friday (35 hour week thats all Im suppose to do apparently, but I dont mind working since I am afterall a workhorse). Anywho the 2nd and 4th Friday, Im only at the BoE for the 3 hours (what Im suppose to do there...I dont really know, I mean the only things Ive done for them was play with the kids during the summer camp or translated a few documents.) Back to the subject, where no one speaks English in the village...yeah thats right I said it VILLAGE (4000 people and nothin but rice fields as far as the eye can see). The only English speakers Ive met where two of the actual English teachers at the middle school (and even then its not perfect and having to speak really slow for them to understand). Other than that, my advisor at the BoE and coworkers were relieved that I understand Japanese (more or less, and able to somewhat speak back). But I do have to say that the Japanese is improving gradually since Ive come to the VILLAGE haha. Anywho, school just started last week, including myself giving a speech to both the middle school and elementary school. And then, taught the 5-6 grades at the elementary school....I think this past week...Ive never really had a culture shock in Japan before until now. Now, its just more or less working through the barriers at work and trying to get use to school systems daily schedule. For example, middle school, start at 810 am (be here for teachers morning announcements), each class is 45 or 50 mins (this depends on the day, I suppose). So after 4th period, they (students and staff prepare food (having it all set out already for youre SPECIFIC SEAT), or student/staff that arent parparing food have to clean the school). This is where it gets interesting, as some schools do back in the states they do daily announcements (mixed in with some random things as well, but the kids are free to do whatever they want = loud and crazy and all that jazz haha). However, when this is going on EVERYONE becomes silent and all you hear is the sound of people eating and listening to the announcements. After eating, students and staff at the table play rock, paper, sisscors in order to find out who has to take back that tables dishes and what not. If you dont eat everything on your plate theyll (typically the teachers) ask if your on a diet, "you should eat because its good for your health", or pretty much tell the students "you must eat it!" Its quite interesting...kinda weirded me out a bit...still kinda does...like seriously if Im full, Im seriously full (and I tend to have the smaller stomach as weird as that is). Anywho, 5 and 6th period roll around depending on the day, and then kids go off to their club activities (shotput/track&field/pingpong/high jump/ etc). And then, I go home by 455pm. Now to talk about the house...its WAY TOO BIG, seriously little old me in like a 6 person house (tatami room, living room, dining room, kitchen, up and downstairs bathroom, three bedrooms upstairs and an office space. Oh and a garage....with all of this in mind...its still pretty surprising that I DONT PAY RENT, but only utilities for the house. The house it self...is quite scary at night...I really wish I didnt watch the japanese grudge 1 and 2 a long time ago...man something is just going to come crawling down the stairs or little boy meow at me. Anywho...I think this is a super way long post...I think youre just lucky I havent been including what Ive been writing in my journal with the personal reflection haha...but anywho, l8rz |
