Today, like every other Saturday so far (except last Saturday because it was a holiday and classes at the gym were canceled), I rode my bike to the 11:00 yoga class at my gym, the one taught by a parent at my school and attended by another parent at my school. After class ended I went by the bank/post office (same place!) to get my passbook (it's like a checkbook) updated in the ATM, and went by the fancy grocery store that sells imported international goods to get almonds and check if any treats caught my eye. I ended up getting bacon and a twisty doughnut. Then I went next door to the bakery (really more styled like a French pâtisserie, though Asian-style in that you take a tray and a pair of tongs and make your way around choosing things to place on the tray, which you then bring to the register) and got a cornet-shaped pastry filled with custard cream and a frosted roll with swirls of poppyseed paste and walnut bits (absolutely delicious). I don't usually eat bread and other grain-based things, but some weekends I like to indulge in pastries for breakfast, so I was getting things for today and tomorrow. The night before I had already gotten orange juice and iced coffee so I would be all ready to go once I got back.
On my way home, I remembered that my company had asked me to take my car in to a shop to get inspected today, and had asked me to go early in case it needed to be there all day. Instant flash of irritation. Immediately annoyed that they wanted us to use our Saturdays like that when my car runs perfectly fine, I decided that wasn't going to stop me from the relaxing post-yoga time at home I had planned. I would relax first, then see about going to get the car inspected. And that's exactly what I did! I did sort of forget about the inspection though, until 4:30 or so, so I had to call the shop to make sure it was still okay to bring it in and they could get it taken care of that day. It was, so I got ready and drove down to the shop. I am soooo glad one of the other English teachers who's been living here longer than me gave me a GPS he doesn't need since he bought an iPhone. It has been indispensable. It's in Japanese, and I could set it to English it looks like, but where's the fun in that?
At the shop they told me it would be an hour wait. I had already decided, though, that since the shop was located pretty close to the river and the adjacent downtown areas with lots of cultural attractions, there was no way I was sitting for an hour in a mechanic shop waiting room, one of my least favorite places in the world and where I have spent many bored, unhappy hours in motor oil-scented air watching bad television or listening to bad radio (without the ability to navigate away from the ads). Even though I had brought my Kindle loaded with JK Rowling's new novel to entertain me this time, for once there were destinations worth going to within walking distance of the shop (which is never the case at home), and the weather was nice (well, overcast but not raining). So, I told them I was going on a walk and would be back in an hour, and set off!
I love Shinto shrines and my city is an old one so it's chock full of them (and Buddhist temples, but I'm not so interested in those for whatever reason). I knew there would be at least one within walking distance and there was. I looked it up on my GPS and we were ready to go! (It turns out my walking speed is 3-4 km/hr, in case you were wondering.) I walked along the river, over the bridge, and into what I recognized as the entertainment district where we'd had our get-together to celebrate birthdays and the arrivals of the new ALTs. Let's just say it looks different in daylight!
To my surprise the shrine I was looking for was right across the street from the izakaya where we had begun those festivities! I had no idea.
I don't know why I like going to shrines. It's just very peaceful inside, and I love all the rituals involved. It's so calming to go through the motions. So far, all the shrines I've visited in this city have been devoid of visitors, so I've had the grounds all to myself. This one was the same. It looked well maintained, and I had a wonderful time just browsing around. I was surprised to find it even had a public restroom, and when I went in to use it, I ran into a priest just exiting the area, since that's their bathroom too. Haha!
Then I looked around for another shrine, and there was one five minutes away. When I arrived, I was delighted to find that it was a fox shrine! I love foxes. This one was also pretty well maintained, also totally devoid of other visitors, and had a nice array of goods for sale. There were arrows and protective charms and ema, and I'll definitely be coming back for some when New Year's rolls around I'm sure. I wanted a cute fox-shaped charm/phone strap I saw, which I was able to purchase once I found a woman who worked/lived there. I love it! Oh, and the best part of that shrine was that the inside of the building was open to the public! Usually, you can only catch a glimpse of the artifacts on display inside from the outer porch where the offertory box is, but you can't go inside to where they are. But this time I was able to enter (taking off my shoes and putting on guest slippers) and look at the sort of 'inner sanctum' -- that's probably the first time I've ever been able to go inside a shrine like that. Sooo cool. I really liked that shrine and want to go back.
Mostly, though, that area was jam-packed full of Buddhist temples. That shrine was surrounded by a little less than a dozen, most next door to one another. A path lined with temples took me back to the bridge, and the scent of incense filled the air.
Then I picked up my car and came back home! Best car inspection experience ever.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
The past 3-4 weeks
Finally, I'm settling into daily life a bit more... and I can write another update. It's taken a while for things to calm down a little bit, and it all still feels terribly new, but I'm slowly getting more and more used to it.
Well, let's go back to training in East Hiroshima (45 minutes away from the city center, out in the middle of nowhere!), which was three weeks ago now. There were definitely some stressful moments, and some I-want-to-run-away-so-I-don't-have-to-do-this moments, but in the end I made it through, I completed my final exam (teaching a 30-minute lesson), and I'm so glad it's all behind me. The highlight for me was getting to go out one night and meet up with Itou-sensei, one of my teachers (an intern; she's still in grad school) from Middlebury this summer! Conveniently, she happens to live and go to school right near where my training was held! I say my teacher, but she's actually two years younger than me. We're still used to being teacher and student so we use polite Japanese with each other, like we did at Middlebury. I'd like to eventually start using more casual speech patterns though... someday! Anyway, some of the trainers dropped me off at the closest train station, and she met me there and we walked to a nearby izakaya (Japanese bar and grill) and had some drinks and food. The conversation was largely Middlebury gossip. It was so much fun!!! I think we both had a really, really good time.
At training, I enjoyed getting to hear so many different accents. English, Australian, Irish... all so delightful. I agreed to go running with one of the Australians one morning before training, only to find out he'd been a gym trainer so he made us go through this ridiculous obstacle course and do burpees on curbs. IT WAS AWFUL. Mistake!! Mistake... but running around the rice paddies and such was lovely, at least.
Also, on Friday night after training was over and we'd all done our final exams that day, trainers and trainees all went out to an izakaya together and had a multi-course meal with all-you-can-drink. It was a lot of fun, although I felt that I had overpaid (3800 yen!) so I drank as many drinks as I could to make up for it, which was not a good idea!! Fortunately after that I just wanted to go straight back to the hotel, so I took a taxi back with some other people (including the head of the Hiroshima branch of my company, so the taxi fees were invoiced!) and didn't go to karaoke with a lot of people, who ended up getting totally gypped and everyone had to pay like $40-50 for a few hours of karaoke. Absolutely insane; so glad I wasn't involved in that mess.
At training I found out my school assignment: only one school, a junior high. Before I arrived I had been told my assignment might be one junior high, several elementary schools, so I had been mostly planning on that, and this came as a shock! But it's actually really good to only have one school, and junior high was sounding like a better fit for me anyway, so I'm happy with it.
Saturday morning after our night out, it was time for everyone to depart for their various locations. We were driven to the nearby station, where a lot of us boarded a bullet train for Okayama. Some people got off there, but a few of us transferred to various different things. Sarah, my fellow new teacher in my city (from England, but grew up in the US, where her parents still live), and I rode with one of the trainers who lives in the city next to mine, on the express train north from Okayama. It was a fairly good journey, I enjoyed the scenery (when we weren't plunging into tunnels through mountains that of course obscured all views!) although the trainer warned us that this train is notorious for inducing motion sickness, and I did start to feel a little stomach upset even though I don't usually get motion sick!
Finally, Sarah and I arrived in our town, which is a wonderful/ridiculous mix of old and new. I'm not going to name it, or my company, because I want to be able to be fairly honest here--though I don't plan to do any badmouthing, I'd just rather be safe. Anyway, it's the prefectural capital, and a former samurai seat with tons of history and traditional buildings and so on, it even has an old feudal castle, but the prefecture is very rural. (I've actually realized it's a LOT like my parents' hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.) Case in point: usually when you exit a Japanese train station, you feed your ticket into a machine. Here in my city? There is an actual person who takes your ticket from you. An actual person. I have seriously never seen that before. We are not in Tokyo--or its suburbs, even--anymore, kids!!! Where am I?!
Anyway, so we physically handed our tickets to a real live person, exited the gates, and were met with two Japanese women and one American, another teacher in our city. Each of us got one Japanese person to escort us around and help us buy daily essentials, take us to our apartments, etc, and the other teacher just came along for the ride because she's friendly and also has a good relationship with one of the women. I got her group. We all walked out together to a parking garage, and in the back of the other teacher's car was a giant bounty of hand-me-downs! Other teachers who had left had given this teacher all the things they didn't want, and we could now pick and choose what we wanted--for free! We divided things up and I wound up with a vacuum, a hot water dispenser, a blanket, clothes hangers, silverware and dishes and mugs, two pans, some tupperware, and a few other things I can't remember. Also, waiting at my apartment complex were two bicycles, one for each of us! All of this, for free! Can you believe it? It was magical.
After we loaded up our luggage and new acquisitions, we separated and went to go shop and go to our apartments. My Japanese helper lady, the other English teacher, and I went around to the dollar store (Japanese dollar stores are infinitely better than American ones, and the best place to get simple home goods for cheap, so I really loaded up there), the department store (where I got bedding, a towel, a bath mat, a quality kitchen knife, and other essentials), McDonald's for dinner, and then the grocery store. It was exhausting! First a train journey, then before even going to my new home immediately setting out to purchase home essentials, so I have to think carefully about what I'll need and be mindful of prices. Oh, and we also picked up my car, which is on a lease, and I drove it (very nervously) back to my apartment.
The next day, the other English teacher agreed to take me around shopping again, so first we went to Uniqlo (sort of like the Gap, it's only in NYC in the US) where I was hoping to get some short-sleeved shirts but they already had all their fall stuff out! I did get a pair of black pants and a pair of khaki pants though, and I'm very pleased with both, especially the fact that the length is perfect for me off-the-rack! American pants are always too long. We also went back to the dollar store, back to the department store, and to another home goods store, and also met up with another English teacher and had lunch at a chain restaurant (overpriced). Back to the grocery store too. That night my largest suitcase was delivered; I had shipped it on ahead of me from the hotel in East Hiroshima where we had training.
The next week I had off; work wasn't going to start until the next week. But I had one day where another Japanese helper person, this time an older man, took me around to all of the various government offices and so on to get all my stuff registered and sorted. We went to immigration to get a new alien registration card, we went to the city office to get me registered as a citizen and signed up for health insurance, we went to the bank to open an account, and we went to buy a cell phone. We also had lunch at a ramen place! I suggested ramen because I knew the old guy would know a great place, and he totally did. That day was SO EXHAUSTING because all the typical Japanese red tape and paperwork was so cumbersome and frustrating, and it just never ended until FINALLY, it was all done!
The next day I went to city hall with all the other new teachers and we were introduced to members of the local board of education. Then I went to my school for the first time to meet the principal, one of the vice principals, and the English teacher in charge of me.
I spent the rest of the week, well, I'd like to say I spent that time getting fully unpacked and putting everything away in my apartment, but that didn't happen for another week after that. The cold that had been brewing since my arrival in Japan finally, thanks to an immune system weakened by jet lag and stress, turned into something that meant I needed to rest as much as possible (I busted into the supply of DayQuil/NyQuil I had wisely brought with me), so that's why I couldn't get to all of that. I even almost canceled going to the board of education and my school that day because I wasn't sure I felt up to it, but I went in the end. When I felt better, partly because I was still too scared to drive my car, I started riding my bike around places and familiarizing myself with my city and my neighborhood. I got my bike registered under my name (which meant some rules had to be overlooked... oops) and I went to a gym I had researched before coming to my city, a gym that had yoga classes, and liked what I saw so I signed up for a membership. The guy who runs the gym is really nice, the gym always plays eurobeat music, and women get a discount on the membership price, which makes it reasonable by Japanese standards (though a good $10-15 more a month than I paid for my membership back home, which was the cheapest around). It's also within biking distance! So far I've biked to the gym whenever I can (whenever it's not raining or about to rain--or stupidly hot).
The Saturday before I started going to my school, the local ALTs had a combination birthday party for four people/welcome party for us new people. It started at an izakaya with all-you-can-drink, and once that ended we made the rounds of a few local bars. One had a second floor that felt like a loft, and one is a "pirate bar" where you can be quite literally locked up in a room (we didn't do that). One is very popular with English teachers and has a lot of themed nights and events. It was really great to get to know everyone in the area better.
Then on Monday September 3, I began my first week at my school. My commute is only five minutes by car, it's pretty great. But that week was all taken over by sports day (sort of like our field day), and I didn't teach at all. I did a lot of sitting in the staff room! The first day, there was an assembly and I gave a speech in English which I'm sure no one except maybe the English teachers understood, and then that day and the next were all rehearsals for sports day, which was Wednesday. It was pretty brutal being outside all morning in the heat and humidity--my job was photographer, even though there was an actual pro photographer there, so I don't know what I was doing--even after I started hanging out mostly in the shade. I brought a 200-ml bottle of water, but it was not enough... I started to feel pretty faint and weak as we got closer to lunch. But I can't even imagine what it was like for the students who had to be out in the middle of the field under the sun, going through event after event. I didn't revive until the end of lunch when they passed out energy drinks and I had gotten myself a little more hydrated. Fortunately for me, at that point it started to rain and thunder! Everyone rushed outside to take down the decorations (giant plywood signs, one for each team--there were six) and all the afternoon events were canceled and postponed until Friday. I still had to be there until 4 though (I go to work from 8:30 to 4 every day).
That night there was an enkai, or formal work party where everyone blows off some steam, at a hotel downtown (which surprised me--usually they're held at izakayas, but there's a lot of staff so we wouldn't fit). Most of the food wasn't to my taste, and there was pretty much just beer to drink (I discovered the wine too late), and we all had assigned seats, so I didn't have a great time, but towards the end people got up and mingled around the room, and I was able to have some pretty good conversations with some of the other teachers. Oh, and they made me give a speech since I'm new, and I seriously credit Middlebury with my ability to do that (all in Japanese) and do it capably. I basically just talked about how I thought I might faint at sports day (which got a laugh, as intended), but I was inspired seeing the students out there working harder under worse conditions, so I was impressed by the students and the teachers, and I want to work as hard as them here, and I'm grateful to everyone for welcoming me, etc etc. It was very much a speech tailored to exactly what Japanese people expect and want to hear. I'm not above pandering if I know how to do it! It had been in the employee newsletter than I speak Japanese, and I'd had conversations with a few people, but the speech basically established to everyone "Oh, her language skills are actually legit. Cool" and that was pretty much what it accomplished for me. Afterwards I got compliments on the speech and my Japanese, and more people seemed willing to approach me and begin a conversation, though that could have been the alcohol too!
After an enkai there's always a nijikai, or second party at a different location (usually karaoke, or going to a smaller restaurant or bar, and about 50-75% of the guests from the first party make it to the second), which I would have liked to attend, but I had taken a taxi there because it was raining, and forgotten to bring enough money to get back home again (the enkai and the taxi were both expensive), so after the party was officially called to an end (how Japanese is that?), the English teacher in charge of me got up to leave and she offered me a ride home, which I gladly accepted!! I knew she lived fairly close to me, so it all worked out.
Thursday the school was closed (I think it had been open for class the previous Saturday, to accommodate sports day, so this was a compensatory day off) and then Friday we basically did the events that would have happened Wednesday if not for the rain.
And then the next week, which was this past one, went back to real classes and I started teaching. I visited every class in the school, which is 18--four a day Monday through Thursday, then two on Friday. In every class, it was me and the full-time English teacher, a Japanese woman (whose English aptitude is at varying levels, shall we say). I start off asking basic questions about the weather, day of the week, and date, and then this week I did a self-introduction. For every class I made a worksheet that corresponded to what I was talking about, and I had pictures. I think my self-intros were definitely educational, as every one incorporated grammar and sentence patterns out of the textbook, but I'm not sure how much the students enjoyed them. But I also don't know what junior high-schooler enjoys school. Well, whatever, I did my best! Most classes were mediocre to okay, not great but not bad. About three were bad, largely thanks to boys who wanted to look cool by making fun of me and imitating things I'd say, do, or even how I'd laugh. Those really got to me and I'm not looking forward to returning, which will unfortunately be every week. However, about 3-4 classes were very awesome and I enjoyed them a lot. I am glad the week is over. I had thought that from now on, I'd just be assisting the full-time teacher, pronouncing words, reading passages, etc, but already one teacher (unfortunately the one for the bad classes!) has asked me to make another worksheet and materials, this time on my summer vacation. I really don't want to... these students are not going to appreciate it... but, obviously, it's my job, so I'll do it.
The teachers at my school are very nice and the majority seem very capable. The students... well, the girls all love me, and comment "cute!" about me all the time, and I get shouts of my name or "Hello!!!" (pronounced the Japanese way) wherever I go, but overall, they all seem to be on the under-disciplined side. I think my school is a bit of a problem one. In Japan, students don't get sent out of the classroom for misbehaving, and there are no consequences if you don't do your work and even if you fail a class. You're still going to graduate. So the students who've figured that out just check out of class. And English, as a foreign language, is hard for them, so that's the one they're going to check out of the most. In every class, the teacher will give directions--write sentences, fill in blanks, etc--and there will be students sleeping, daydreaming, visiting with others, or walking around instead of doing the work. It's pretty appalling but there isn't much that can be done. My job doesn't extend to discipline. All I can do is try to be engaging and appealing, but I am new at this so I'm still pretty nervous and I might not be accomplishing that. And every time a smarmy middle school boy mocks my laugh or my tone of voice, that I am trying hard to keep energetic and upbeat (and therefore not "cool" and middle schoolers must be "cool"), my nerves and self-doubt increase, because I'm not confident or secure in my capability to do this yet.
My contract is until March. After that, I would really like to find a non-teaching job, since I have the Japanese skills for it, if I can manage to get a job like that--and I may not. It's going to be a gamble. But especially when I think about the hard parts of this job, and how isolated my city is (three hours away from the closest big city, Hiroshima), which I have been doing all this past week, I feel very motivated to try as hard as I can to make it happen.
On that note, I'm all registered for level N2 (second-highest one) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), which is in December. Getting that certification will help me out a lot when it comes to job-hunting and my resume. I began studying out of N2 textbooks in January, and I study from them at school when I have free periods and no grading or preparing to do, plus I tested in that range on another exam this summer, so I think I should be able to pass it this time (I failed it in 2009). Fingers crossed! Oh, and I took an Oral Proficiency Interview while at Middlebury, and my result was low advanced. Yay!!! I've been upper intermediate forever (that was my level at Middlebury too) so it feels good to break into advanced, finally, in this one small way... even though I still have a long way to go!
For a little while, I was chafing at being here, where I will always look out of place and everyone will assume I don't speak the language, and being so far away from everyone I love especially my boyfriend, cat, and parents (except my sister in Beppu, of course!), but I am getting used to it little by little, as I get more familiar with the area and make more ties to people here. I am enjoying going to yoga (and working out at the gym too), and the Saturday morning yoga teacher is a parent at my school, as is another woman in the class! I have discovered an amazing cafe with wonderful coffee and desserts right by my gym, there is a weekly curry night with other English teachers (although the curry and naan there were among the worst I've ever had, even though actual Indian people run the restaurant and we can order in English from them!), there are a lot of sightseeing spots and restaurants/cafes/shops in this city I still want to explore (I went to the castle today!), and I'm slowly growing more comfortable and rooted here.
In one of my Friday classes, I mentioned I liked yakiniku (grilled meat, AKA Korean barbecue), and I think that inspired the teacher to invite me to a PTA lunch for the third-year students the next day with that as the menu. So I went to that after yoga, and it was really nice, and free! There were tons of griddles and they were cooking up meat, noodles, veggies (pumpkin!)... it was all so so good. As soon as I got there, a boy ran up to me with a plate of food! I think the students were glad to see me there even though a lot of them didn't approach me. I spent a while chatting with the teacher who had invited me, and we exchanged contact information, and will grab a meal together sometime soon! I also asked if I could sit in on the students' Japanese class sometime, because I have a feeling middle school Japanese is around my level in terms of Chinese characters, reading ability, and so on (maybe!!) so I would like to be able to learn along with the students if I can. It looks like I'm going to be able to! I hope I'm not too much of a distraction. That would be a really fun thing to get to do during my free periods, especially on Fridays. And, free Japanese classes for me! Haha.
Well, let's go back to training in East Hiroshima (45 minutes away from the city center, out in the middle of nowhere!), which was three weeks ago now. There were definitely some stressful moments, and some I-want-to-run-away-so-I-don't-have-to-do-this moments, but in the end I made it through, I completed my final exam (teaching a 30-minute lesson), and I'm so glad it's all behind me. The highlight for me was getting to go out one night and meet up with Itou-sensei, one of my teachers (an intern; she's still in grad school) from Middlebury this summer! Conveniently, she happens to live and go to school right near where my training was held! I say my teacher, but she's actually two years younger than me. We're still used to being teacher and student so we use polite Japanese with each other, like we did at Middlebury. I'd like to eventually start using more casual speech patterns though... someday! Anyway, some of the trainers dropped me off at the closest train station, and she met me there and we walked to a nearby izakaya (Japanese bar and grill) and had some drinks and food. The conversation was largely Middlebury gossip. It was so much fun!!! I think we both had a really, really good time.
At training, I enjoyed getting to hear so many different accents. English, Australian, Irish... all so delightful. I agreed to go running with one of the Australians one morning before training, only to find out he'd been a gym trainer so he made us go through this ridiculous obstacle course and do burpees on curbs. IT WAS AWFUL. Mistake!! Mistake... but running around the rice paddies and such was lovely, at least.
Also, on Friday night after training was over and we'd all done our final exams that day, trainers and trainees all went out to an izakaya together and had a multi-course meal with all-you-can-drink. It was a lot of fun, although I felt that I had overpaid (3800 yen!) so I drank as many drinks as I could to make up for it, which was not a good idea!! Fortunately after that I just wanted to go straight back to the hotel, so I took a taxi back with some other people (including the head of the Hiroshima branch of my company, so the taxi fees were invoiced!) and didn't go to karaoke with a lot of people, who ended up getting totally gypped and everyone had to pay like $40-50 for a few hours of karaoke. Absolutely insane; so glad I wasn't involved in that mess.
At training I found out my school assignment: only one school, a junior high. Before I arrived I had been told my assignment might be one junior high, several elementary schools, so I had been mostly planning on that, and this came as a shock! But it's actually really good to only have one school, and junior high was sounding like a better fit for me anyway, so I'm happy with it.
Saturday morning after our night out, it was time for everyone to depart for their various locations. We were driven to the nearby station, where a lot of us boarded a bullet train for Okayama. Some people got off there, but a few of us transferred to various different things. Sarah, my fellow new teacher in my city (from England, but grew up in the US, where her parents still live), and I rode with one of the trainers who lives in the city next to mine, on the express train north from Okayama. It was a fairly good journey, I enjoyed the scenery (when we weren't plunging into tunnels through mountains that of course obscured all views!) although the trainer warned us that this train is notorious for inducing motion sickness, and I did start to feel a little stomach upset even though I don't usually get motion sick!
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| The view out the train window. |
Finally, Sarah and I arrived in our town, which is a wonderful/ridiculous mix of old and new. I'm not going to name it, or my company, because I want to be able to be fairly honest here--though I don't plan to do any badmouthing, I'd just rather be safe. Anyway, it's the prefectural capital, and a former samurai seat with tons of history and traditional buildings and so on, it even has an old feudal castle, but the prefecture is very rural. (I've actually realized it's a LOT like my parents' hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.) Case in point: usually when you exit a Japanese train station, you feed your ticket into a machine. Here in my city? There is an actual person who takes your ticket from you. An actual person. I have seriously never seen that before. We are not in Tokyo--or its suburbs, even--anymore, kids!!! Where am I?!
Anyway, so we physically handed our tickets to a real live person, exited the gates, and were met with two Japanese women and one American, another teacher in our city. Each of us got one Japanese person to escort us around and help us buy daily essentials, take us to our apartments, etc, and the other teacher just came along for the ride because she's friendly and also has a good relationship with one of the women. I got her group. We all walked out together to a parking garage, and in the back of the other teacher's car was a giant bounty of hand-me-downs! Other teachers who had left had given this teacher all the things they didn't want, and we could now pick and choose what we wanted--for free! We divided things up and I wound up with a vacuum, a hot water dispenser, a blanket, clothes hangers, silverware and dishes and mugs, two pans, some tupperware, and a few other things I can't remember. Also, waiting at my apartment complex were two bicycles, one for each of us! All of this, for free! Can you believe it? It was magical.
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| An example of the type of bike I have. It looks basically like this, same color, except the basket is silver and not as nice-looking, and also the entire bike is a rust bucket, but hey, it was free. The brakes screeched terribly until I finally took it into the bike shop and a very nice older couple helped me; the guy just turned a wrench at the top and the squeak went away completely. Amazing! And they didn't charge me at all. |
After we loaded up our luggage and new acquisitions, we separated and went to go shop and go to our apartments. My Japanese helper lady, the other English teacher, and I went around to the dollar store (Japanese dollar stores are infinitely better than American ones, and the best place to get simple home goods for cheap, so I really loaded up there), the department store (where I got bedding, a towel, a bath mat, a quality kitchen knife, and other essentials), McDonald's for dinner, and then the grocery store. It was exhausting! First a train journey, then before even going to my new home immediately setting out to purchase home essentials, so I have to think carefully about what I'll need and be mindful of prices. Oh, and we also picked up my car, which is on a lease, and I drove it (very nervously) back to my apartment.
| Not a photo of my car itself, but this is the make/model/color I have. |
The next day, the other English teacher agreed to take me around shopping again, so first we went to Uniqlo (sort of like the Gap, it's only in NYC in the US) where I was hoping to get some short-sleeved shirts but they already had all their fall stuff out! I did get a pair of black pants and a pair of khaki pants though, and I'm very pleased with both, especially the fact that the length is perfect for me off-the-rack! American pants are always too long. We also went back to the dollar store, back to the department store, and to another home goods store, and also met up with another English teacher and had lunch at a chain restaurant (overpriced). Back to the grocery store too. That night my largest suitcase was delivered; I had shipped it on ahead of me from the hotel in East Hiroshima where we had training.
The next week I had off; work wasn't going to start until the next week. But I had one day where another Japanese helper person, this time an older man, took me around to all of the various government offices and so on to get all my stuff registered and sorted. We went to immigration to get a new alien registration card, we went to the city office to get me registered as a citizen and signed up for health insurance, we went to the bank to open an account, and we went to buy a cell phone. We also had lunch at a ramen place! I suggested ramen because I knew the old guy would know a great place, and he totally did. That day was SO EXHAUSTING because all the typical Japanese red tape and paperwork was so cumbersome and frustrating, and it just never ended until FINALLY, it was all done!
The next day I went to city hall with all the other new teachers and we were introduced to members of the local board of education. Then I went to my school for the first time to meet the principal, one of the vice principals, and the English teacher in charge of me.
I spent the rest of the week, well, I'd like to say I spent that time getting fully unpacked and putting everything away in my apartment, but that didn't happen for another week after that. The cold that had been brewing since my arrival in Japan finally, thanks to an immune system weakened by jet lag and stress, turned into something that meant I needed to rest as much as possible (I busted into the supply of DayQuil/NyQuil I had wisely brought with me), so that's why I couldn't get to all of that. I even almost canceled going to the board of education and my school that day because I wasn't sure I felt up to it, but I went in the end. When I felt better, partly because I was still too scared to drive my car, I started riding my bike around places and familiarizing myself with my city and my neighborhood. I got my bike registered under my name (which meant some rules had to be overlooked... oops) and I went to a gym I had researched before coming to my city, a gym that had yoga classes, and liked what I saw so I signed up for a membership. The guy who runs the gym is really nice, the gym always plays eurobeat music, and women get a discount on the membership price, which makes it reasonable by Japanese standards (though a good $10-15 more a month than I paid for my membership back home, which was the cheapest around). It's also within biking distance! So far I've biked to the gym whenever I can (whenever it's not raining or about to rain--or stupidly hot).
The Saturday before I started going to my school, the local ALTs had a combination birthday party for four people/welcome party for us new people. It started at an izakaya with all-you-can-drink, and once that ended we made the rounds of a few local bars. One had a second floor that felt like a loft, and one is a "pirate bar" where you can be quite literally locked up in a room (we didn't do that). One is very popular with English teachers and has a lot of themed nights and events. It was really great to get to know everyone in the area better.
Then on Monday September 3, I began my first week at my school. My commute is only five minutes by car, it's pretty great. But that week was all taken over by sports day (sort of like our field day), and I didn't teach at all. I did a lot of sitting in the staff room! The first day, there was an assembly and I gave a speech in English which I'm sure no one except maybe the English teachers understood, and then that day and the next were all rehearsals for sports day, which was Wednesday. It was pretty brutal being outside all morning in the heat and humidity--my job was photographer, even though there was an actual pro photographer there, so I don't know what I was doing--even after I started hanging out mostly in the shade. I brought a 200-ml bottle of water, but it was not enough... I started to feel pretty faint and weak as we got closer to lunch. But I can't even imagine what it was like for the students who had to be out in the middle of the field under the sun, going through event after event. I didn't revive until the end of lunch when they passed out energy drinks and I had gotten myself a little more hydrated. Fortunately for me, at that point it started to rain and thunder! Everyone rushed outside to take down the decorations (giant plywood signs, one for each team--there were six) and all the afternoon events were canceled and postponed until Friday. I still had to be there until 4 though (I go to work from 8:30 to 4 every day).
That night there was an enkai, or formal work party where everyone blows off some steam, at a hotel downtown (which surprised me--usually they're held at izakayas, but there's a lot of staff so we wouldn't fit). Most of the food wasn't to my taste, and there was pretty much just beer to drink (I discovered the wine too late), and we all had assigned seats, so I didn't have a great time, but towards the end people got up and mingled around the room, and I was able to have some pretty good conversations with some of the other teachers. Oh, and they made me give a speech since I'm new, and I seriously credit Middlebury with my ability to do that (all in Japanese) and do it capably. I basically just talked about how I thought I might faint at sports day (which got a laugh, as intended), but I was inspired seeing the students out there working harder under worse conditions, so I was impressed by the students and the teachers, and I want to work as hard as them here, and I'm grateful to everyone for welcoming me, etc etc. It was very much a speech tailored to exactly what Japanese people expect and want to hear. I'm not above pandering if I know how to do it! It had been in the employee newsletter than I speak Japanese, and I'd had conversations with a few people, but the speech basically established to everyone "Oh, her language skills are actually legit. Cool" and that was pretty much what it accomplished for me. Afterwards I got compliments on the speech and my Japanese, and more people seemed willing to approach me and begin a conversation, though that could have been the alcohol too!
After an enkai there's always a nijikai, or second party at a different location (usually karaoke, or going to a smaller restaurant or bar, and about 50-75% of the guests from the first party make it to the second), which I would have liked to attend, but I had taken a taxi there because it was raining, and forgotten to bring enough money to get back home again (the enkai and the taxi were both expensive), so after the party was officially called to an end (how Japanese is that?), the English teacher in charge of me got up to leave and she offered me a ride home, which I gladly accepted!! I knew she lived fairly close to me, so it all worked out.
Thursday the school was closed (I think it had been open for class the previous Saturday, to accommodate sports day, so this was a compensatory day off) and then Friday we basically did the events that would have happened Wednesday if not for the rain.
And then the next week, which was this past one, went back to real classes and I started teaching. I visited every class in the school, which is 18--four a day Monday through Thursday, then two on Friday. In every class, it was me and the full-time English teacher, a Japanese woman (whose English aptitude is at varying levels, shall we say). I start off asking basic questions about the weather, day of the week, and date, and then this week I did a self-introduction. For every class I made a worksheet that corresponded to what I was talking about, and I had pictures. I think my self-intros were definitely educational, as every one incorporated grammar and sentence patterns out of the textbook, but I'm not sure how much the students enjoyed them. But I also don't know what junior high-schooler enjoys school. Well, whatever, I did my best! Most classes were mediocre to okay, not great but not bad. About three were bad, largely thanks to boys who wanted to look cool by making fun of me and imitating things I'd say, do, or even how I'd laugh. Those really got to me and I'm not looking forward to returning, which will unfortunately be every week. However, about 3-4 classes were very awesome and I enjoyed them a lot. I am glad the week is over. I had thought that from now on, I'd just be assisting the full-time teacher, pronouncing words, reading passages, etc, but already one teacher (unfortunately the one for the bad classes!) has asked me to make another worksheet and materials, this time on my summer vacation. I really don't want to... these students are not going to appreciate it... but, obviously, it's my job, so I'll do it.
The teachers at my school are very nice and the majority seem very capable. The students... well, the girls all love me, and comment "cute!" about me all the time, and I get shouts of my name or "Hello!!!" (pronounced the Japanese way) wherever I go, but overall, they all seem to be on the under-disciplined side. I think my school is a bit of a problem one. In Japan, students don't get sent out of the classroom for misbehaving, and there are no consequences if you don't do your work and even if you fail a class. You're still going to graduate. So the students who've figured that out just check out of class. And English, as a foreign language, is hard for them, so that's the one they're going to check out of the most. In every class, the teacher will give directions--write sentences, fill in blanks, etc--and there will be students sleeping, daydreaming, visiting with others, or walking around instead of doing the work. It's pretty appalling but there isn't much that can be done. My job doesn't extend to discipline. All I can do is try to be engaging and appealing, but I am new at this so I'm still pretty nervous and I might not be accomplishing that. And every time a smarmy middle school boy mocks my laugh or my tone of voice, that I am trying hard to keep energetic and upbeat (and therefore not "cool" and middle schoolers must be "cool"), my nerves and self-doubt increase, because I'm not confident or secure in my capability to do this yet.
My contract is until March. After that, I would really like to find a non-teaching job, since I have the Japanese skills for it, if I can manage to get a job like that--and I may not. It's going to be a gamble. But especially when I think about the hard parts of this job, and how isolated my city is (three hours away from the closest big city, Hiroshima), which I have been doing all this past week, I feel very motivated to try as hard as I can to make it happen.
On that note, I'm all registered for level N2 (second-highest one) of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), which is in December. Getting that certification will help me out a lot when it comes to job-hunting and my resume. I began studying out of N2 textbooks in January, and I study from them at school when I have free periods and no grading or preparing to do, plus I tested in that range on another exam this summer, so I think I should be able to pass it this time (I failed it in 2009). Fingers crossed! Oh, and I took an Oral Proficiency Interview while at Middlebury, and my result was low advanced. Yay!!! I've been upper intermediate forever (that was my level at Middlebury too) so it feels good to break into advanced, finally, in this one small way... even though I still have a long way to go!
For a little while, I was chafing at being here, where I will always look out of place and everyone will assume I don't speak the language, and being so far away from everyone I love especially my boyfriend, cat, and parents (except my sister in Beppu, of course!), but I am getting used to it little by little, as I get more familiar with the area and make more ties to people here. I am enjoying going to yoga (and working out at the gym too), and the Saturday morning yoga teacher is a parent at my school, as is another woman in the class! I have discovered an amazing cafe with wonderful coffee and desserts right by my gym, there is a weekly curry night with other English teachers (although the curry and naan there were among the worst I've ever had, even though actual Indian people run the restaurant and we can order in English from them!), there are a lot of sightseeing spots and restaurants/cafes/shops in this city I still want to explore (I went to the castle today!), and I'm slowly growing more comfortable and rooted here.
In one of my Friday classes, I mentioned I liked yakiniku (grilled meat, AKA Korean barbecue), and I think that inspired the teacher to invite me to a PTA lunch for the third-year students the next day with that as the menu. So I went to that after yoga, and it was really nice, and free! There were tons of griddles and they were cooking up meat, noodles, veggies (pumpkin!)... it was all so so good. As soon as I got there, a boy ran up to me with a plate of food! I think the students were glad to see me there even though a lot of them didn't approach me. I spent a while chatting with the teacher who had invited me, and we exchanged contact information, and will grab a meal together sometime soon! I also asked if I could sit in on the students' Japanese class sometime, because I have a feeling middle school Japanese is around my level in terms of Chinese characters, reading ability, and so on (maybe!!) so I would like to be able to learn along with the students if I can. It looks like I'm going to be able to! I hope I'm not too much of a distraction. That would be a really fun thing to get to do during my free periods, especially on Fridays. And, free Japanese classes for me! Haha.
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