I moved into my apartment Saturday night, and it:s a relief to finally be there, but it means I no longer have internet access. I am planning to get wireless, but I can:t even start that process until I get my Alien Registration Card in two and a half weeks. Anyway, let me take you on a tour. So, you walk in the door and take off your shoes and on your right is a closet with a nice little library of books left from the last few teachers (including a few good Japanese language books and quite a few others I:d like to read) and then you go into my little hallway and my washing machine is now on your right (it:s a good size and I did laundry today and it seems to work okay) and the shower and main sink are on your left. Walk a little farther and now my "kitchen" is on your right and the toilet room is on your left. Now let:s turn our heads to the right to take a closer look at the kitchen. There;s a mini-fridge at the floor and then above that is a small sink and one burner. Then a cabinet. And... that:s all! There are a few old-looking appliances in the cupboards around the kitchen, but I:m not sure about any of them. I think I may buy a 3000 yen toaster oven that I saw today because I really can:t do much with just a single burner and nothing else. We:ll see, though. I splurged today and bought a 2000 yen laundry rack because the one I had was completely unacceptable, so I need to be careful how much money I put into this apartment (because a toaster oven certainly would not be coming back to america with me, so it would have to be worth it for however long i:m here). Ok, please continue on down the hall to my main room. This room is probably 9 feet wide (if not a little smaller) by about 12 or 13 feet, I would say. Once I have internet access with my computer again I:ll upload some pictures, but it:s basically just a small room with a chest of drawers, a low kidney-shaped table, a regular table with a folding chair and.... that:s it! Oh, actually there:s a t.v. and dvd player, too, and the teacher before me left a small dvd library of things he bought here, so that:s nice. Last night I watched Napoleon Dynamite (or Bus Boy as they translated it) while I cleaned and unpacked.
Ok, I:m almost out of time (and it:s 100 yen every 20 minutes), so I suppose our tour has to end. But please note as you leave that my nice view (I:m on the fifth floor) includes two cemeteries right below me.
Also, please note the blank, depressing walls. If you send me a decoration for my walls I will be ever so grateful! Thanks for visiting!
Cate
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Thanksgiving
Today is Labour Thanksgiving Day in Japan, which happened to coincide with American Thanksgiving (or maybe it’s always the same day?) so we had today off. It’s nice to have a day off after only two days of work, but I wouldn’t have minded another day to observe the teacher I’m replacing, either.
This morning a group of us (the other full-time foreign teacher, the teacher I’m replacing, one of our two assistant managers, and about six students) met at the station and then we left in three cars to drive somewhere to the North (away from the sea). After a very long time sitting in the back of the car on some very windy roads we stopped for lunch and then a boat trip. The trip had been introduced to us as some kind of canyon and cave visit, but it was actually just sitting on the floor of a boat for about half an hour going through a canyon and listening to narration in Japanese. The boat was pretty packed, mainly with older people, and it never fails to impress me how all Japanese people seem to be able to sit so still with their legs folded under them for as long as they want. Also, they never mind removing their shoes, something that takes a little getting used to for westerners. The boat trip was interesting, but I would imagine it’s prettier in any of the other three seasons and it must be more interesting when you can understand the narration (I kept thinking, “welcome aboard the Washington State ferries…).
After the boat trip we stopped at an onsen, or hot spring. We always think of the Japanese as very modest people, but no one here seems to have any problem getting naked together, so maybe our definition of modesty doesn’t quite fit. At the onsen you disrobe and then go into the room with the baths and wash (you can never be too clean for the onsen!) then go in the water. There are usually a few different baths, and they may be different temperatures or have different things floating in them (today there was some kind of apple-mint tea bag type thing floating in one of the smaller pools). My favorite onsens are the ones that have both indoor and outdoor pools, but this one unfortunately did not. Most of the time if you go in a medium-sized group there are a few people who don’t go in (they never explain why) and today only three (out of seven) of the women went in. Anyway, you hang out in the water for as long as you can stand it and then wash again and leave. The post-onsen feeling is similar to the feeling one gets from a bath, but even better.
After the onsen we drove back to the city and then went to a restaurant for a goodbye meal for James, the teacher I’m replacing. We had at least four courses, most of them based on tofu, and plenty of alcohol. It was nomi-houdai, which means “all you can drink,” a very popular style here. And on that note, I suppose I should get to bed! Tomorrow is my last day to observe James and then Saturday I am on my own (but then I have two more days off to prepare for next week).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cate
This morning a group of us (the other full-time foreign teacher, the teacher I’m replacing, one of our two assistant managers, and about six students) met at the station and then we left in three cars to drive somewhere to the North (away from the sea). After a very long time sitting in the back of the car on some very windy roads we stopped for lunch and then a boat trip. The trip had been introduced to us as some kind of canyon and cave visit, but it was actually just sitting on the floor of a boat for about half an hour going through a canyon and listening to narration in Japanese. The boat was pretty packed, mainly with older people, and it never fails to impress me how all Japanese people seem to be able to sit so still with their legs folded under them for as long as they want. Also, they never mind removing their shoes, something that takes a little getting used to for westerners. The boat trip was interesting, but I would imagine it’s prettier in any of the other three seasons and it must be more interesting when you can understand the narration (I kept thinking, “welcome aboard the Washington State ferries…).
After the boat trip we stopped at an onsen, or hot spring. We always think of the Japanese as very modest people, but no one here seems to have any problem getting naked together, so maybe our definition of modesty doesn’t quite fit. At the onsen you disrobe and then go into the room with the baths and wash (you can never be too clean for the onsen!) then go in the water. There are usually a few different baths, and they may be different temperatures or have different things floating in them (today there was some kind of apple-mint tea bag type thing floating in one of the smaller pools). My favorite onsens are the ones that have both indoor and outdoor pools, but this one unfortunately did not. Most of the time if you go in a medium-sized group there are a few people who don’t go in (they never explain why) and today only three (out of seven) of the women went in. Anyway, you hang out in the water for as long as you can stand it and then wash again and leave. The post-onsen feeling is similar to the feeling one gets from a bath, but even better.
After the onsen we drove back to the city and then went to a restaurant for a goodbye meal for James, the teacher I’m replacing. We had at least four courses, most of them based on tofu, and plenty of alcohol. It was nomi-houdai, which means “all you can drink,” a very popular style here. And on that note, I suppose I should get to bed! Tomorrow is my last day to observe James and then Saturday I am on my own (but then I have two more days off to prepare for next week).
Happy Thanksgiving!
Cate
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Fukuyama
Last night I took a 5:00 train to Fukuyama, my home for the next year. One of my school’s two assistant managers met me at the station with flowers and a hug, which was very nice! Then we walked the two blocks to the school and I put my training stuff with the rest of the luggage and hung out at school for a few hours.
I arrived at the school a little after 6 and had a quick tour (I think there were about 8 classrooms, a prep room, a staff room, and two for storage, plus a lobby and reception area) and then I talked to one of the other foreign teachers, Chris for a while. After that I sat in on a discussion class with James, the teacher I’m replacing. The class was about an article in the Japan Times discussing how Prime Minister Abe is very popular with women despite what feminist’s consider backwards policies. Only one student (out of three or four, I think) showed up, so we mostly just listened to his opinions. I think discussion classes like that will be very interesting for getting a Japanese perspective on a variety of issues.
Class ends at 8 on Saturday (9 Tuesday-Friday) but there are a few things to do after classes (call students who didn’t show up, clean up, etc), so we didn’t leave until 9. The three other foreign teachers (Marina, from San Francisco, Chris, who I mentioned above, and James, who I’m replacing) helped me and the assistant manager who met me at the station carry my training bags to the hotel (I won’t have all my stuff until I move into my apartment next Saturday). After we put my bags in my room we went to a pub-type place next door to the hotel and had curry pizza and beer. It was a good way to end a slightly stressful day and to start my stay in Fukuyama! Also, I tried two new Japanese dishes yesterday, curry udon and curry pizza, and they were both great! Japanese curry is different from any other curry I’ve tried – the flavor and texture are almost like stew, but usually a little spicy. Fortunately it’s easy to make and easy to find in Seattle.
Today is Sunday and I have today and tomorrow off to explore. I think I’m meeting Marina tomorrow morning and she will help me set up Japanese tutoring, a free service that is arranged through city hall. Hopefully she can also help me apply for my alien registration card because I need to get that process started so I can get a cell phone and bank account!
Thanks for reading and thank you for your comments, I really enjoy them!!
Cate
I arrived at the school a little after 6 and had a quick tour (I think there were about 8 classrooms, a prep room, a staff room, and two for storage, plus a lobby and reception area) and then I talked to one of the other foreign teachers, Chris for a while. After that I sat in on a discussion class with James, the teacher I’m replacing. The class was about an article in the Japan Times discussing how Prime Minister Abe is very popular with women despite what feminist’s consider backwards policies. Only one student (out of three or four, I think) showed up, so we mostly just listened to his opinions. I think discussion classes like that will be very interesting for getting a Japanese perspective on a variety of issues.
Class ends at 8 on Saturday (9 Tuesday-Friday) but there are a few things to do after classes (call students who didn’t show up, clean up, etc), so we didn’t leave until 9. The three other foreign teachers (Marina, from San Francisco, Chris, who I mentioned above, and James, who I’m replacing) helped me and the assistant manager who met me at the station carry my training bags to the hotel (I won’t have all my stuff until I move into my apartment next Saturday). After we put my bags in my room we went to a pub-type place next door to the hotel and had curry pizza and beer. It was a good way to end a slightly stressful day and to start my stay in Fukuyama! Also, I tried two new Japanese dishes yesterday, curry udon and curry pizza, and they were both great! Japanese curry is different from any other curry I’ve tried – the flavor and texture are almost like stew, but usually a little spicy. Fortunately it’s easy to make and easy to find in Seattle.
Today is Sunday and I have today and tomorrow off to explore. I think I’m meeting Marina tomorrow morning and she will help me set up Japanese tutoring, a free service that is arranged through city hall. Hopefully she can also help me apply for my alien registration card because I need to get that process started so I can get a cell phone and bank account!
Thanks for reading and thank you for your comments, I really enjoy them!!
Cate
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Teaching Practice
Introductions yesterday were just fine, so that’s a relief. It was fun to see our division's headquarters and meet some of the important people there. After a short tour of the building, we waited for a minute in the hallway before being led into a room where a line of people were waiting and applauding as we walked in. Then they went down the row saying a few sentences in English (“My name is Mr. Suzuki, I hope you enjoy your stay…” etc). Then it was our turn and I said, “watashi wa keito (Cate) desu. Fukuyama kou ni ikimasu. Dozo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.” That means, “I am Cate. I am going to Fukuyama school. It’s nice to meet you.” Then I bowed and they all clapped. It was nice.
After that we had a short introduction to the company from the head of the education department. Her English was flawless and she didn’t say “eh” once, despite having studied in Canada. Next we practiced interviewing, which is something we’ll do at our schools to help assess the level of new students and also to try to convince them that our company is worth the money (close to $2500 a year for one 50-minute class per week). We practiced on two Japanese people who pretended to not speak English as well as they do and that was pretty fun. Since half the point of the interview is convincing them that our classes are fun, we get to make some small talk and just generally be as welcoming as possible.
After lunch we had a few more hours to prepare and then our first real Japanese students started showing up! They were very nice, although most of them seemed nervous at first. We practiced “lobby talk,” which is just the term for conversing with students outside of class and making them feel welcome as soon as they walk in the door and helping them switch to English mode. After a few minutes of that I got to teach a class! Fortunately, my students were just about the right level for my material and I think they actually learned something from the class (I hope). It was nice to get their feedback and I feel so much better about teaching now that I’ve tried it out.
Today my sample lesson was about reported speech, and it’s framed in terms of a break-up (“my boyfriend broke up with me. He said he needed to focus on his career. He said he doesn’t like my friends” etc). So it’s a little more advanced than yesterday’s class was and I was lucky to have students who were about at the right level for that grammar. Today’s class went well, too, though it was harder. I guess it’s good that I’m starting to feel ready to teach because I only have two more days of training!
Thanks for reading!
Cate
After that we had a short introduction to the company from the head of the education department. Her English was flawless and she didn’t say “eh” once, despite having studied in Canada. Next we practiced interviewing, which is something we’ll do at our schools to help assess the level of new students and also to try to convince them that our company is worth the money (close to $2500 a year for one 50-minute class per week). We practiced on two Japanese people who pretended to not speak English as well as they do and that was pretty fun. Since half the point of the interview is convincing them that our classes are fun, we get to make some small talk and just generally be as welcoming as possible.
After lunch we had a few more hours to prepare and then our first real Japanese students started showing up! They were very nice, although most of them seemed nervous at first. We practiced “lobby talk,” which is just the term for conversing with students outside of class and making them feel welcome as soon as they walk in the door and helping them switch to English mode. After a few minutes of that I got to teach a class! Fortunately, my students were just about the right level for my material and I think they actually learned something from the class (I hope). It was nice to get their feedback and I feel so much better about teaching now that I’ve tried it out.
Today my sample lesson was about reported speech, and it’s framed in terms of a break-up (“my boyfriend broke up with me. He said he needed to focus on his career. He said he doesn’t like my friends” etc). So it’s a little more advanced than yesterday’s class was and I was lucky to have students who were about at the right level for that grammar. Today’s class went well, too, though it was harder. I guess it’s good that I’m starting to feel ready to teach because I only have two more days of training!
Thanks for reading!
Cate
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Teaching Practice
Today is the first day we will teach a sample lesson to real Japanese students. This means that we will have to teach for 50 minutes and try to cover a whole lesson correctly! I’m pretty nervous about it, but I guess we’re ready. My lesson is about tag questions, which we use to check information (i.e. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you?” or “You haven’t climbed Mt. Fuji, have you?”). It’s hard for non-native speakers to know what words to use at the ends of those kinds of sentences.
Today we are also going to be introducing ourselves to our bosses at our division headquarters. Apparently they will introduce themselves to us in English and then we have to introduce ourselves in Japanese. Fortunately, Marcus and I both know enough Japanese to get around, and most people do not know any when they get here, so the intro they have for us won’t be very difficult. I’m sure I will be nervous enough, so knowing a little Japanese is a big comfort! And I don’t think you can get deported for bad Japanese, so I should be ok.
Thanks for reading!
Cate
Today we are also going to be introducing ourselves to our bosses at our division headquarters. Apparently they will introduce themselves to us in English and then we have to introduce ourselves in Japanese. Fortunately, Marcus and I both know enough Japanese to get around, and most people do not know any when they get here, so the intro they have for us won’t be very difficult. I’m sure I will be nervous enough, so knowing a little Japanese is a big comfort! And I don’t think you can get deported for bad Japanese, so I should be ok.
Thanks for reading!
Cate
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
A Few Pictures
Per Darcy's request, here are a few pictures:
The first is of Korakuen, the large garden in Okayama (by garden they mean a large space that I would call a park with beautiful landscaping). The next one is of Okayama castle, which Marcus and I visited Sunday, when we saw Korakuen. Sunday had perfect weather, so it was a good day to see the sites. The last picture is a statue of a dog. There are statues all over Okayama but this is my favorite.
This morning I went to Mister Donuts because they have FREE REFILLS on coffee!! It was amazing, and the coffee was pretty decent.
Also, this is Marcus's blog, and he'll have a few more pictures of our adventures: http://sdsumarcus01.blogspot.com.
Thanks for reading!
Cate
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Japan Part Dos
Today Marcus and I went to see Korakuen, a large garden, and Okayama Castle. The garden was very beautiful but my favorite part was seeing all the little girls in pink kimonos. The castle was fun but there wasn’t really all that much to see and all the explanations were in Japanese only so we didn’t learn much from it. I’m glad we went, though, and the weather was beautiful all day.
This evening we went out for a walk again before dinner and had a long conversation with a very dedicated Yahoo employee who wanted to sell us internet connections. I had a really good time trying to communicate with him (mostly unsuccessfully) and it was nice to see that I actually do remember a fair amount from the last time I was here. I can understand a lot, at least, which I guess is the first step. It helped that he was determined to make us understand the offer and his colleague even tried calling their office to see if an English-speaking employee was in but it was his day off, so no luck.
Thanks for reading! I’m about to get a lot busier because we actually have full-time training for the rest of the week, but Saturday I’ll head to Fukuyama and hopefully settle in to my life there as quickly as possible.
Cate
This evening we went out for a walk again before dinner and had a long conversation with a very dedicated Yahoo employee who wanted to sell us internet connections. I had a really good time trying to communicate with him (mostly unsuccessfully) and it was nice to see that I actually do remember a fair amount from the last time I was here. I can understand a lot, at least, which I guess is the first step. It helped that he was determined to make us understand the offer and his colleague even tried calling their office to see if an English-speaking employee was in but it was his day off, so no luck.
Thanks for reading! I’m about to get a lot busier because we actually have full-time training for the rest of the week, but Saturday I’ll head to Fukuyama and hopefully settle in to my life there as quickly as possible.
Cate
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Arrival in Japan
I’m here! The trip really wasn’t bad, though I’m glad it’s over. Things are strangely familiar, though I’m just starting to remember a lot of things I hadn’t thought about since I left nearly two and a half years ago, like the cigarettes everywhere (and cigarette vending machines everywhere), the bright colors and neon lights, and the crazy hairstyles.
I’m training in a city called Okayama with two trainers and one other trainee. We’ve only had a half-day of training so far, but it was fun and I feel like I’m learning a lot. I especially liked the Japanese lesson, and I’m surprised at how quickly I’m remembering the language. Not that I don’t feel awkward most of the time, but I can pretty much get by, which is great. The other trainee, Marcus, is Asian so people assume he speaks Japanese whereas I am clearly not Japanese so people are surprised (and pleased) when I manage anything at all.
Tomorrow is our day off so Marcus and I are going to visit Okayama’s two big tourist spots, a garden called Korakuen and a castle. Korakuen is supposed to be one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan (the Japanese love making lists like this – the ten most sacred shrines or the five oldest hot springs, etc).
Oh, and the best thing I’ve seen so far: make-up for men. I know what Nick’s getting for Christmas!
Ok, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading!
Cate
I’m training in a city called Okayama with two trainers and one other trainee. We’ve only had a half-day of training so far, but it was fun and I feel like I’m learning a lot. I especially liked the Japanese lesson, and I’m surprised at how quickly I’m remembering the language. Not that I don’t feel awkward most of the time, but I can pretty much get by, which is great. The other trainee, Marcus, is Asian so people assume he speaks Japanese whereas I am clearly not Japanese so people are surprised (and pleased) when I manage anything at all.
Tomorrow is our day off so Marcus and I are going to visit Okayama’s two big tourist spots, a garden called Korakuen and a castle. Korakuen is supposed to be one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan (the Japanese love making lists like this – the ten most sacred shrines or the five oldest hot springs, etc).
Oh, and the best thing I’ve seen so far: make-up for men. I know what Nick’s getting for Christmas!
Ok, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading!
Cate
Monday, November 06, 2006
Pre-Departure
Please e-mail me if you'd like my address in Japan (it's Cate (dot) my last name at gmail.com). Thanks!
I leave for Japan on Thursday, November 9 and will arrive at my school sometime around the 20th or 21st. Thanks for reading my blog, I plan to update when funny or interesting things happen.
I leave for Japan on Thursday, November 9 and will arrive at my school sometime around the 20th or 21st. Thanks for reading my blog, I plan to update when funny or interesting things happen.
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