Today's thoughts

So this morning I was walking to class, swinging my cute Miffy lunch box, singing to myself...when the big klutz rolls her ankle and falls down on her knee. I know what some of you are thinking...my god are you okay, did you hurt anything...do you need me to palpate...:). I am alright, just a little bruised, ego that is. Me being me, it is because I was not paying attention and walked into a dip on the road. Of course, this is the day I am wearing a skirt and my only pair of nylons that I have not managed to get a run in. I had been rationing them, but alas it was not to be. I proceeded to skin my knee, bloody the nylons and produce a large hole in them. So much for my last pair of nylons.

Yesterday, we had a school uniform check. I thought, they are probably checking for tucked in shirts, no tears in blazers, and that the girls were not wearing their skirts too short. Wrong, wrong, wrong, they were checking for ear piercings, dyed hair and make up. Students here are not allowed to have their ears pierced or their hair dyed. I watched as teachers looked through hair and compared colours. They were prodded and poked like cattle. Girls were told to get their hair cut and how much to cut. It was insane, a bit reminscent of a military line up, with a drill sargeant being in their faces. Students who were in "violation" were marked off on a chart. I cannot believe the great lengths they go to make sure everyone looks exactly the same. There I was with my multiple piercings and my highlighted hair feeling really bad for these kids. I am definately not a good example in terms of what a Japanese teacher should look like, but I think I represent freedom of expression and non-conformity. I cannot help it, it is who I am and just because I choose to have my ears pierced and my hair dyed does not make me a different person on the inside. I am still the wacky girl

Poor kids....what happened to the good old days of when kids could wear anything they wanted to school...the days of the kool aid kids and thrift store outfits.

First Class





Well, I had my first class today, it has been about 1 month since I have taught. My class was filled with fresh faces, not so eager to learn English, and one really nervous Japanese-English teacher. Not me, the other teacher, my kids were infact definately taken back that there were two teachers there together to teach them. They assumed that I was Japanese and were amazed that this Nihon-jin can speak English fluently. Halfway through the class I was still trying to convince them that I was not Japanese. How come no one ever believes me when I tell them I am Canadian.




Anyways, class went well...or as well as my expectations have become of a Japanese High School English class. I see some potential in some of the kids, and I also see some that will need more work and more attention. So my goal this term is to help those shy ones and to convince the not so shy, noisy ones that English is great!
Or more realistically, to survive the next 3 months and not get frustrated and angry, as to tip a desk. That has been known to happen once or twice. Not too proud of it, that my temper got out of control, but had to get their attention some how.



Keep your fingers crossed for me. Here's to hoping for a good last term.

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Todays thoughts...Japanese and more Japanese....




I was entirely too optimistic about the weather before. It is cold and wet rainy day here in Japan. I had hopes of some warm spring temps. but alas my hopes have been dashed by all the cold rain and the wind. Oh well, I guess my poor feet can wait a little while longer.




I am actually on a study break from my Japanese homework. I am having such a hard time with this darn language. It seems the more I learn the more I realize how little I truly know. I guess it is always the case. I figured after living in a country for two years I would be entirely fluent...well not the case with Japanese. Although, I feel that I have made leaps and bounds with respect to what I came with and what I know now, (going from essentially nothing, to being able to use functional Japanese on a daily basis is some improvement), I am still entirely clueless about this language. At times, I am living in a world where I am a functional illiterate that is both death and mute to the world around me. I have mastered the art of tuning things out. You would be surprised how easily I tune it all out if someone is not talking to me directly. Japanese is an incredibly difficult language for me. If you guys do not already know this already, I am one of those people who have entirely unrealistic expectations of herself. I expect perfection from myself. I have an idea in my head that I can master anything I want to do... instantaneously...it is not about thinking too highly of oneself but of pushing myself. That I guess is where the problem lies. Damm, my need for perfection and my self loathing.....





On a happier note, I realized today that I know have exactly 20 days and 3 months before the end of my contract here. I will be returning to Canada after that. I cannot give an exact date yet, but I anticipate I should be home around the end of August or beginning of September the latest. Just in time for fall in Canada. It seems like it has been such a long time since I have seen home and everyone. I realized just the other week that I have missed two years of birthdays, Christmas's, seasons...strangely enough the time has gone by really fast, but at the same time it seems like a long time ago that I was in Vancouver. So much for only taking a year off after finishing school to relax and enjoy life. One year somehow turned into two...I know I need to leave this country before it turns into three then four years, like so many other people I know here.




Japan has definately changed and grown in my mind. I know consider it a second home and a part of me. You would be surprised to learn that I will probably miss this place a great deal, even amidst all my complaining about this culture and my students. Japan is not only about the people I have met but also about all the experiences I have had. Come on, who can forget having 20 18 year old high school boys shout out "Sharin, I love you", as you walk past them on your way home, or having some random man on the train massage your feet. You need to live in Japan to truly experience the inside of the bubble.

It is a bright Spring day here in Japan. With the sunshine it brings hope that I can free my poor feet from the confines of shoes and socks and once again go around in sandals. I anticipate that if it gets 3 degrees warmer, if it hits at least 15 degrees I am going to break out the sandals. I think my happiness is inversely proportional to how coverd my feet are. I am optimistically saying sayonara to my winter coat, toque, boots, and gloves until next year. Thankfully, I will not have to endure another cold Toyama winter without central heating huddled under my electric blanket, which unfortunately also means no snowboarding in Nagano.




Seeing how it is Japan and they are mad about Cherry Blossoms, I am glad to report most of the Cherry Blossom trees that I have encountered are in bloom. I have just come back from Tokyo and Yokohama where droves and droves of people spread out their blue tarps and had Cherry Blossom viewing parties, hanami parties as they are called. Essentially, people picnicing in the park and drinking at 9:30 in the morning. Afterall it is Japan, and any reason to drink is a good reason to drink.
I have not yet had my Hanami party this spring, but I am sure that sooner or later I will be invited to one. It is Japanese tradition afterall.




I have just returned back to my humble little apartment after spending some time travelling around Japan with my friend Barney, who came to visit from Canada. It was nice to have a visitor from home, not only cause he brought books, magazines, candy, chocolate, popcorn, and falafel with him (that helped a little) but because it was nice to share what I think of as "my Japan" with someone. We were able to travel around Japan a bit, even with my supervisor being irksome. We saw Hiroshima, Miyajim, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Yokohama. It was nice to have a travel campanion. Surprisingly after 3 weeks and almost 24 hours a day he left in one piece and on speaking terms, we did not end up killing each other along the way. However, I did threaten to leave him in some remote small Japanese village somewhere, where no one spoke English and they did not have internet. This was after we had walked umpteenth kilometers to see a stupid statue of a dog....(okay I exagerated, it was not that far, but he did drag me to see the statue of this dog, which by the way was not interesting). With all due credit, Barney did an amazing job of putting up with me afterall the GAP's and starbucks I dragged him to. Imagine coming to Japan, only to be dragged to every starbucks and GAP stores I could find. (in my defense, if you have been living in a small town with very few English speakers and only one starbucks, and nothing but teeny tiny Japanese size clothing for over a year and a half, you would seek out every GAP in the Greater Tokyo Region too) Barney deserves a huge round of applause for not killing me. He is a far stronger man than me.





Anyways, it was nice to be out of my rice paddy and in the big city, where you do not know every non-Japanese person and what they do. There were people speaking French, Chinese, German, and Spanish....languages other than rapid fire Japanese. It was lovely to hear multi-cultralism.





Now I am back to work and back to thinking that I am going to reach these kids come hell or high water, dammit. With a new school year starting and fresh new faces, I am looking forward to teaching a whole new batch of kiddies. I am eagerly anticipating making English fun and having a great time teaching them, that is until they start falling asleep and talking incessantly. Wish me good luck.