As far as the teaching goes, it's interesting. Today I'm starting my second week of it. Each week I am at a different school and there are three schools that I'll be rotating through. Last week was at a school called Hotoku with the English teacher who speaks the most English, Nami. On Monday there is only one class at 11 (I work 10AM-7PM) with two mothers. They are so very sweet. When we first start the class they both admit to having butterflies in the stomachs because I am there, "me too!" One of them is very eager to learn and tries to speak a lot, the other is a bit more shy but still tries to speak in English with me. This is a 40 minute class and afterwards there is nothing but planning to do for the rest of the day, which Nami has already completed for this week.
I do however get to enjoy my first Japanese school lunch. Maybe because it's all new and exciting but I certainly love it. I can't quite tell you all of what I was eating exactly, besides the rice, edamame and some sort of fried chicken. After lunch, Nami goes to practice singing in two classrooms and I tag along. In the first room the little kids are singing some song about going on vacation and the second class they sing Love Me Tender. Although it's all in English I can't quite make out what they are saying, but it sure is adorable.
Later on we go on a bus to take a small group of children home. They are all so tired and fall asleep on the bus. It is nice riding around town and seeing parts that I haven't seen yet.
Back to the school for more planning, a.k.a. nothing, until there's a teachers meeting which I attend. I don't know what's happening until I'm asked to introduce myself, knowing that the only person who can understand me is Nami, I'm not so nervous about this. I'm sent home at 5, which is nice as I was expecting to stay until 7.
On Tuesday we have two classes in the morning for 20 minutes each where we go into other classrooms and do activities with young children. We play games and recite the alphabet, things of that nature. By 10:40 classes are over for the morning. More planning... The afternoon's on Tuesdays and Thursdays are a little busier with 3-4 classes in the English room back to back. This Tuesday though, Rob and I are going to Osaka with Harry to the Immigration Office. It's a big, big city and the direction we enter it is very industrial. I can't wait to come back with more time to explore this big 'ol city.
When we get back to Hirakata Harry drops us off at the Hotoku school where there is one class left at 6PM. He is a 6th grader and we all play Scrabble. He kicks our asses.
Wednesday. I'm suppose to go to another school, Sanae, to teach another mother's class, but the one student is going to be absent so I just go to Hotoku with Nami. Of course there isn't a class until 2:40PM. I guess I'll plan. The first class is very interesting. It's a 3 year old class. They don't speak any English at all and Nami explains that they don't entirely know Japanese either so it's hard for her. Today in particular. Their mothers are there to watch the class which makes the children act silly. They cry and cling to their mothers and it's just pure chaos in the room, nothing we had planned goes without a hitch and we didn't even get to do some of the activities we had planned one. Later in the afternoon there are a couple of classes in the English room with a few students. I like these classes the best, as they are smaller, usually 1-4 students and I get to interact with them more.
On Thurday I meet Nami at another school, Kasugaoka. She comes here on Thursday mornings because it's the largest school and the English teacher here needs help. We go into 3 or 4 classrooms and do some coloring exercises. We have lunch here, a form of Japanese curry, and then walk back to Hotoku where we have a busy afternoon with classes in the English room, the same as Tuesday.
Friday we go to the zoo! Not quite what you think of when you think of a zoo. There are no elephants, tigers, bears, or anything of that sort. There are raccoons, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, peacocks, squirrels, a swan, and some other birds. Still it's exciting and we walk around with kids from all the schools and look at there interesting animals. Afterwards we eat lunches that we packed on a tarp under the shade of some trees. We take our shoes off before stepping on the tarp and face them away from us so we can make a quick getaway if needed. All the kids have bento boxes, I'm mildly jealous.
After arriving back to the school from the zoo we have a couple afternoon classes and today I get to leave at 5 again. T.G.I.F.
This week I am going to Kasugaoka. It is right down the street from where we leave, about a 5 minute walk. Again, I'm nervous to see how this week goes because I'm sure each of the teachers have different ways in which they teach. Also, Nami speaks the best English of all the teachers. The other two can hardly hold a conversation with me so I'm curious to see what they have me do. It's also possible that they are just shy about speaking with me. Also, it's frightening how much Japanese is used to teach English. Obviously it has to be done as most of the students don't understand any English and often have to ask what I'm saying or how to say something. I just don't know how I'm going to handle that when I'm the lead teacher, which I'm assuming is going to happen but really don't know. Last week it seemed like I was mostly there to be an assistant and to be the native English speaker. I don't know how it is going to differ though when it's not my first week at a school.
May 23, 2011
May 18, 2011
Rob Here:
Hello everyone. I just wanted to point out that we still haven't gotten our own internet connection. Luckily one of the neighbors has a Fon Hotspot and we are able to buy single days of access or five day packs. It it gets a little pricy, so we are rationing our days out. Luckily though, perhaps because Google is a major investor in the company, all of their websites are accessible regardless of if we are signed into a paid session or not. So we are able to access our Gmail, this blogging website, Google Translate and Google Maps (which causes more frustration than it is worth, as everything is in Japanese and searches must be done in Japanese). Facebook, however, isn't accessible except on days that we pay, so don't think we are ignoring you guys on there. I know Olivia sent out a mass email to announce this blog, but if there is anyone else you might think would be interested to know what we are up to, feel free to share the link as much as you want.
I can't believe we've already been here for a week! I like it more and more every day, and we just keep getting more comfortable with our day to day tasks. We have been taking off in a different direction every day and slowly expanding our knowledge of the area. There is a 24-hour Circle K convenience store a stones throw from our apartment to which we have been making daily pilgrimages. They have a little bit of everything there, and most of it is priced pretty comparably to the grocery store. It is also one of the few smaller stores we have discovered that takes credit cards. People generally use cash for most transactions here, so the grocery store and most restaurants don't take cards. We definitely should have brought more yen with us, as it spends very quickly when you are starting a new life in a new country. This became more of an issue when I realized that in all my excitement, I forgot to call Wells Fargo card services to let them know I would be in Japan. Luckily I found a number to call them toll-free collect from Japan and got that sorted out. The only place we are able to use the ATM is at the post-office, since Japanese banks are apparently on a different type of network, but they are all over the place, and one is on the route to on of the schools where Olivia works. I can't wait to see what sort of atrocious fees Wells Fargo tacks on, but once Olivia starts getting paid in Yen it will become a moot point.
Some other highlights of our shopping excursions have been: a great little grocery store about a 10 minute walk from the apartment along with a Drug Store (think Walgreen's) across the street from that, a 15-20 minute walk in the other direction takes us to Joshin Electronics and Midori which is very similar. Electronics stores in Japan are certainly an experience, with the brightest Fluorescent lighting you have ever seen, every item coming in 6+ bright colors and a cacophony of noise coming from every device on display. It's certainly not a place you would want to visit with a headache, but it's sort of overwhelming in a very awesome sort of way. One of our favorite things is the abundance of 100 yen stores. There is actually some pretty decent stuff in there, and we were able to acquire many household goods for very little money. It probably helps that we are so close to China and Thailand and such where these items can be produced very cheaply. While American dollar stores are filled with stuff that is obviously worth a dollar or less, the items in 100 yen stores could reasonably sold at higher prices if you encountered them elsewhere. I made a great find last night, there is a little import whiskey shop right near one of Olivia's schools that has everything, some of the Scotch and Irish whiskey is less that half the price you would pay in the US.
I can't believe we've already been here for a week! I like it more and more every day, and we just keep getting more comfortable with our day to day tasks. We have been taking off in a different direction every day and slowly expanding our knowledge of the area. There is a 24-hour Circle K convenience store a stones throw from our apartment to which we have been making daily pilgrimages. They have a little bit of everything there, and most of it is priced pretty comparably to the grocery store. It is also one of the few smaller stores we have discovered that takes credit cards. People generally use cash for most transactions here, so the grocery store and most restaurants don't take cards. We definitely should have brought more yen with us, as it spends very quickly when you are starting a new life in a new country. This became more of an issue when I realized that in all my excitement, I forgot to call Wells Fargo card services to let them know I would be in Japan. Luckily I found a number to call them toll-free collect from Japan and got that sorted out. The only place we are able to use the ATM is at the post-office, since Japanese banks are apparently on a different type of network, but they are all over the place, and one is on the route to on of the schools where Olivia works. I can't wait to see what sort of atrocious fees Wells Fargo tacks on, but once Olivia starts getting paid in Yen it will become a moot point.
Some other highlights of our shopping excursions have been: a great little grocery store about a 10 minute walk from the apartment along with a Drug Store (think Walgreen's) across the street from that, a 15-20 minute walk in the other direction takes us to Joshin Electronics and Midori which is very similar. Electronics stores in Japan are certainly an experience, with the brightest Fluorescent lighting you have ever seen, every item coming in 6+ bright colors and a cacophony of noise coming from every device on display. It's certainly not a place you would want to visit with a headache, but it's sort of overwhelming in a very awesome sort of way. One of our favorite things is the abundance of 100 yen stores. There is actually some pretty decent stuff in there, and we were able to acquire many household goods for very little money. It probably helps that we are so close to China and Thailand and such where these items can be produced very cheaply. While American dollar stores are filled with stuff that is obviously worth a dollar or less, the items in 100 yen stores could reasonably sold at higher prices if you encountered them elsewhere. I made a great find last night, there is a little import whiskey shop right near one of Olivia's schools that has everything, some of the Scotch and Irish whiskey is less that half the price you would pay in the US.
Scoot, Scooting.
15 May 2011
We wake up determined to find sheets. Harry gives us directions to a place called Izumiya, but we must go by moped, on a busy street. Eek! But we must just do it, it's really the only way. After a couple spins up and down our own street I'm ready to brave the big street, with real cars and trucks even. "I'll follow you" I tell Rob, but of course I don't go quite fast enough. He goes through an orange light and I'm left behind. There's no more turns to make so I'm sure I'll just catch up or see him at Izumiya. Just as I'm thinking to myself that it seems I've gone to far I spot the sign! I've arrived, and it was so simple! I park my scooter, which takes me a minute as, of course, I can't figure out the kick stand. Stupid foreigner. It's strange though, I don't see Rob's scooter anywhere. Maybe he parked somewhere else. No. Maybe he passed Izumiya without seeing it (but the sign was so obvious). No. Well, I decide to wait. He should be here shortly. No. Of course, he has our only cell phone and of course I forgot to write down the number so that I can't call him. I do have Harry's number though, I can call him and ask him to give me my own phone number. (So silly.) Finally, after waiting about 30-40 minutes I decide to go looking for Rob, a.k.a, go home and see if he's there. Just to make things all that more complicated I can't make a right turn very easily and have to go further up the street and down another small street into some farmland to turn around and get going in the right direction, which adds extra minutes to this circus routine.
At last I'm home, and I really started to enjoy cruising around town on my scooter, so many smells to smell and sights to see. This is great!
Shit! Where is Rob's moped? Not here. Where's Rob? Not here. I might as well go pee while I wait and think what my next step will be. About 3 minutes later he shows up, and we laugh.
His story:
He thought he passed Izumiya, turned off the road and went to a mall he thought was it. He parked next to what he thought was my scooter. Once he realized he was in the wrong place, he got back on the moped, which took several minutes to start, had the same experience I had in trying to turn around and made it to the real Izumiya. Seems as though I had left moments before he arrived and when he saw I wasn't there decided to see if I was at the apartment.
The point is we discovered a new great place to shop, conquered the scooters (and driving on the left side of the road) and all and all had a grand adventure in doing so.
We wake up determined to find sheets. Harry gives us directions to a place called Izumiya, but we must go by moped, on a busy street. Eek! But we must just do it, it's really the only way. After a couple spins up and down our own street I'm ready to brave the big street, with real cars and trucks even. "I'll follow you" I tell Rob, but of course I don't go quite fast enough. He goes through an orange light and I'm left behind. There's no more turns to make so I'm sure I'll just catch up or see him at Izumiya. Just as I'm thinking to myself that it seems I've gone to far I spot the sign! I've arrived, and it was so simple! I park my scooter, which takes me a minute as, of course, I can't figure out the kick stand. Stupid foreigner. It's strange though, I don't see Rob's scooter anywhere. Maybe he parked somewhere else. No. Maybe he passed Izumiya without seeing it (but the sign was so obvious). No. Well, I decide to wait. He should be here shortly. No. Of course, he has our only cell phone and of course I forgot to write down the number so that I can't call him. I do have Harry's number though, I can call him and ask him to give me my own phone number. (So silly.) Finally, after waiting about 30-40 minutes I decide to go looking for Rob, a.k.a, go home and see if he's there. Just to make things all that more complicated I can't make a right turn very easily and have to go further up the street and down another small street into some farmland to turn around and get going in the right direction, which adds extra minutes to this circus routine.
At last I'm home, and I really started to enjoy cruising around town on my scooter, so many smells to smell and sights to see. This is great!
Shit! Where is Rob's moped? Not here. Where's Rob? Not here. I might as well go pee while I wait and think what my next step will be. About 3 minutes later he shows up, and we laugh.
His story:
He thought he passed Izumiya, turned off the road and went to a mall he thought was it. He parked next to what he thought was my scooter. Once he realized he was in the wrong place, he got back on the moped, which took several minutes to start, had the same experience I had in trying to turn around and made it to the real Izumiya. Seems as though I had left moments before he arrived and when he saw I wasn't there decided to see if I was at the apartment.
The point is we discovered a new great place to shop, conquered the scooters (and driving on the left side of the road) and all and all had a grand adventure in doing so.
May 14, 2011
Adjusting
We arrived to Japan Tuesday night of this past week. Quite the whirlwind adventure thus far. A lot of sleeping has taken place in attempt to adapt to the time difference, which is about 15 hours. The first days were filled with constant rain, and not like that of Colorado. Rain that doesn't stop, ever. I think that I've been mostly in shock since arriving. Harry picked us up at the airport and was able to spot us out instantly, possibly because we were the only white people on the flight, and it seems the only white people in Hirakata (yea, people stare a lot). The drive from airport to our new apartment was with wide eyes and few words from us. Traveling for some 15 hours is quite exhausting. He took us on a quick trip to the grocery store so we could avoid starving for the next few days. I'm glad he was there with us as I wouldn't have, and still don't, an idea of what anything is. Back at the apartment it seems as though someone still lives there. There are things everywhere. This is good as we won't have to buy as much to start this new life (we just found out I won't be getting paid till the end of June), but there is also a lot of things we don't need, want or know what to do with. Many empty cardboard boxes, a second fridge and a second t.v. in one of the extra rooms, and several random nick-nacks. Hmmmm.....
On Wednesday we slept. Still in awe and shock.
On Thursday Harry picked us up and took us to each of the schools, three in total, that I will be teaching at. Meeting the other English teachers and seeing the children has definitely put me more at ease about being here. I think that once I am keeping busy and playing with kids, I mean teaching of course, I will feel much more at "home".
As well as touring the kindergartens, Harry took us downtown in attempt to set us up with everything we need for living here: phones, bank accounts, internet, sheets for our bed etc...
Turns out that all of these things are impossible to acquire without our Resident Card, which I need a Work Visa to get. On Tuesday of next week we are going to the Immigration Office in order to set that all up. We were however, able to buy a pay as you go phone, so we can receive calls for free but it costs a pretty yen to make a call. Today I realized that I can make phone calls from Skype for about 2 cents a minute. How very handy! Another thing we were able to accomplish was the buying of our seals. These are little stamps that have your Japanese name on them that you use for signing things, "everyone here has one!" My Japanese name (I'll show you as soon as I figure out how) translates to Weaving (or knitting) Beautiful Asia, hence the blog title :)
On Friday we wonder around. Back to the lovely, huge park across the street from us, Yamadaike. This walk was much drier than our first there on Wednesday. We walked around the city for about 3 hours before my feet and knees couldn't take it anymore. Still no sheets.
After yesterday we were both feeling much more optimistic and positive, maybe we do actually have a handle on this. This morning though, feeling quite a bit of stress and confusion again. It's really not nice sleeping without sheets on our bed and we're becoming frustrating that we are having such a hard time finding them. We also haven't yet braved the mopeds. Neither of us have driven one ever, although I'm sure it's going to be easier than we think, and they drive on the left side of the road. For the most part everywhere we'll have to go is within walking or bike riding distance, but I'm sure the convenience of the mopeds will convince us to take the challenge.
Speaking of convenience, there is a Circle K on the other side of an apartment building from us! So many good and crazy Japanese snacks for us there. Also, we've discovered the 100 Yen stores, which is basically the equivalent to a dollar store in the US, though much, much nicer.
Today we've not accomplished anything so far and again I am having anxieties about being here and letting my homesickness get the best of me. I am sure these are natural feelings for someone in my position, but I am ready to not be lost in this crazy new life. Who knows if that will ever happen.
On Wednesday we slept. Still in awe and shock.
On Thursday Harry picked us up and took us to each of the schools, three in total, that I will be teaching at. Meeting the other English teachers and seeing the children has definitely put me more at ease about being here. I think that once I am keeping busy and playing with kids, I mean teaching of course, I will feel much more at "home".
As well as touring the kindergartens, Harry took us downtown in attempt to set us up with everything we need for living here: phones, bank accounts, internet, sheets for our bed etc...
Turns out that all of these things are impossible to acquire without our Resident Card, which I need a Work Visa to get. On Tuesday of next week we are going to the Immigration Office in order to set that all up. We were however, able to buy a pay as you go phone, so we can receive calls for free but it costs a pretty yen to make a call. Today I realized that I can make phone calls from Skype for about 2 cents a minute. How very handy! Another thing we were able to accomplish was the buying of our seals. These are little stamps that have your Japanese name on them that you use for signing things, "everyone here has one!" My Japanese name (I'll show you as soon as I figure out how) translates to Weaving (or knitting) Beautiful Asia, hence the blog title :)
On Friday we wonder around. Back to the lovely, huge park across the street from us, Yamadaike. This walk was much drier than our first there on Wednesday. We walked around the city for about 3 hours before my feet and knees couldn't take it anymore. Still no sheets.
After yesterday we were both feeling much more optimistic and positive, maybe we do actually have a handle on this. This morning though, feeling quite a bit of stress and confusion again. It's really not nice sleeping without sheets on our bed and we're becoming frustrating that we are having such a hard time finding them. We also haven't yet braved the mopeds. Neither of us have driven one ever, although I'm sure it's going to be easier than we think, and they drive on the left side of the road. For the most part everywhere we'll have to go is within walking or bike riding distance, but I'm sure the convenience of the mopeds will convince us to take the challenge.
Speaking of convenience, there is a Circle K on the other side of an apartment building from us! So many good and crazy Japanese snacks for us there. Also, we've discovered the 100 Yen stores, which is basically the equivalent to a dollar store in the US, though much, much nicer.
Today we've not accomplished anything so far and again I am having anxieties about being here and letting my homesickness get the best of me. I am sure these are natural feelings for someone in my position, but I am ready to not be lost in this crazy new life. Who knows if that will ever happen.
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