hey all,
So as usual, plans change. At least for now, I'm still planning on working mainly with my current company. But I will probably not be living in the apartment that I was excited about. Because I'll be working part time, just paying the rent would take something like 70% of my monthly wages, except that my monthly wages would not always be up to the task.
I have finally received my schedule, and it is borderline chaotic: some months I work almost full time, while others I work only 6 or even only 2 days. Since I will be paid by the day, my monthly wage will fluctuate accordingly. Each week is different from the one before, which will make working a steady part time job to fill the gaps impossible: my other part time job(s) will have to just as random.
I've found a different apartment for about 40% off what I would pay for the other apartment, except the new place is by the same housing company as I live in now. That is to say, it will be a guest house, so I'll have my own bedroom, but a shared kitchen and bathrooms. It looks to be a little bigger than my current "bedroom," but it'd be hard to get smaller.
I've continued putting in applications, and I've got a job interview in a couple hours, actually.
Unfortunately, the hanami party last weekend never happened. The weather has been a little cold lately, so the cherry blossoms haven't fully bloomed yet.
Cheers,
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
More Pics
hey all,
Here are some of the promised pics. First off, we have two photos that I'm probably breaking several teacher's ethics rules/laws by posting, but I wanted to give everyone an example of the type of classes I deal with. Picture one is from a very low scoring 2nd year student, while picture two is from a high scoring 2nd year student, both in the same class.
The question asks the student to write a short "essay" of 6-7 sentences describing their favorite season, and why they like it.
Moving on, we have two pics from my latest trip: Mt. Nokogiri in Chiba prefecture. You can actually look down from the rock formation on the left, but you need to ride a ski-lift contraption to get up there.
Next, we have some yamazakura, or Mountain Cherry Blossoms. If you know anything about Japan, you should know that Japanese people love (are obsessed with, might be a better choice of words) cherry blossoms. Historically, it goes back to the Buddhist tradition of viewing life as fleeting and momentary: cherry blossoms are incredibly beautiful for about 2 weeks, and then end up as so much dead vegetation on the ground. Of course, nowadays, Japanese people throw "hanami" or "flower viewing" parties, which are basically day long picnics featuring lots of eating and drinking, and yes, maybe a little bit of looking at flowers.
We are currently entering cherry blossom season, so you can find dated maps, time tables and charts showing when and where cherry blossoms are expected to bloom on the internet and in newspapers and magazines everywhere. In fact, this weekend, Michi is planning on holding a yoga/hanami picnic.
That's all for now.
Here are some of the promised pics. First off, we have two photos that I'm probably breaking several teacher's ethics rules/laws by posting, but I wanted to give everyone an example of the type of classes I deal with. Picture one is from a very low scoring 2nd year student, while picture two is from a high scoring 2nd year student, both in the same class.
The question asks the student to write a short "essay" of 6-7 sentences describing their favorite season, and why they like it.
Moving on, we have two pics from my latest trip: Mt. Nokogiri in Chiba prefecture. You can actually look down from the rock formation on the left, but you need to ride a ski-lift contraption to get up there.
That's all for now.
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Most Dangerous Thing
hey all,
So this weekend has been really interesting. Maybe a little too much so, in fact. On Saturday Michi and I went rock climbing in Yugawara again: we had wanted to go to Joyama, which we've never been to, but we couldn't find cheap available lodging. So, it turned into just a day trip to Yugawara. Now, recently it has been pretty windy, but Michi and I didn't take that into consideration when we went. In fact, while we were climbing, the trains were running in a stop-and-go fashion because of the strong winds.
So imagine clinging to a rock face with all your strength while a wind strong enough to flip a train comes blowing at you, trying to rip you off the rock. That's what our rock climbing was like on Saturday. I can honestly say that I've probably never done anything so dangerous or scary. It was pretty fun, some of the time, but still: really scary.
We only climbed a few routes, maybe two or three times each on each route, before we decided that it would be safer to quit while we could still make that decision.
Sunday was almost entirely taken up with playing Bad Company 2 with Bri. He had made a promise not to play online until we could play together, and my copy of the game arrived 2 weeks later than his, so he'd been wanting to play that game together for a while. I have to say that it is slightly more fun than the first game, and they've made lots of upgrades and improvements to the gameplay, graphics, and in other areas. I've played the single player campaign a little, but yesterday was my first time playing online as well.
Monday (today) was a holiday in Japan, so Michi and I went to Mt. Nokogiri, in Chiba prefecture. In the past, there was a quarry there, but now it is famous for a temple and for one rock formation in particular, which has a name that means something like "Looking into Hell." I wanted to look down from the top of that rock face, but you have to ride a ski-lift style car to get up there, and Michi and I had already spent a good amount of time wandering around the old quarry and other places.
I'll have some pictures coming up in a day or two.
Cheers,
So this weekend has been really interesting. Maybe a little too much so, in fact. On Saturday Michi and I went rock climbing in Yugawara again: we had wanted to go to Joyama, which we've never been to, but we couldn't find cheap available lodging. So, it turned into just a day trip to Yugawara. Now, recently it has been pretty windy, but Michi and I didn't take that into consideration when we went. In fact, while we were climbing, the trains were running in a stop-and-go fashion because of the strong winds.
So imagine clinging to a rock face with all your strength while a wind strong enough to flip a train comes blowing at you, trying to rip you off the rock. That's what our rock climbing was like on Saturday. I can honestly say that I've probably never done anything so dangerous or scary. It was pretty fun, some of the time, but still: really scary.
We only climbed a few routes, maybe two or three times each on each route, before we decided that it would be safer to quit while we could still make that decision.
Sunday was almost entirely taken up with playing Bad Company 2 with Bri. He had made a promise not to play online until we could play together, and my copy of the game arrived 2 weeks later than his, so he'd been wanting to play that game together for a while. I have to say that it is slightly more fun than the first game, and they've made lots of upgrades and improvements to the gameplay, graphics, and in other areas. I've played the single player campaign a little, but yesterday was my first time playing online as well.
Monday (today) was a holiday in Japan, so Michi and I went to Mt. Nokogiri, in Chiba prefecture. In the past, there was a quarry there, but now it is famous for a temple and for one rock formation in particular, which has a name that means something like "Looking into Hell." I wanted to look down from the top of that rock face, but you have to ride a ski-lift style car to get up there, and Michi and I had already spent a good amount of time wandering around the old quarry and other places.
I'll have some pictures coming up in a day or two.
Cheers,
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
1 Year
hey all,
So as of today, I have been in Japan exactly one year. I've been thinking back on my time here a bit, and I think I've learned a lot. I've been learning about Japanese people, history, culture, food, society, and how to live here. I've been learning about myself, what I expect of myself, my job and the people in my life. I've learned how to sport climb, and have started learning a few new climbing techniques. I've learned a little about yoga.
I've learned a little Japanese. I try to stay modest about this; but I think considering the short amount of time I've lived here, and the relatively small amount of time that I devote exclusively to Japanese study, I've made really amazing gains so far. It doesn't help that Japanese people have a habit of praising anyone who can say a few words in Japanese as being really fluent, and that my girlfriend and her friends/family say the same things. But really, there are still lots of times when I just can't understand what someone is saying to me, and I can audibly hear them switch into I'm-talking-to-a-not-so-bright-child mode. This can be useful, actually, because it does let me understand what they're saying, but it can be frustrating. I actually started reading a book in Japanese today. It is a translation of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, which I have read so many times that I can still follow the main points, despite only being able to really understand 30% or less of the actual text. I think the 70% that I currently don't understand will be a good source of vocabulary, grammar, and pointers on how to use certain constructions.
Cheers,
So as of today, I have been in Japan exactly one year. I've been thinking back on my time here a bit, and I think I've learned a lot. I've been learning about Japanese people, history, culture, food, society, and how to live here. I've been learning about myself, what I expect of myself, my job and the people in my life. I've learned how to sport climb, and have started learning a few new climbing techniques. I've learned a little about yoga.
I've learned a little Japanese. I try to stay modest about this; but I think considering the short amount of time I've lived here, and the relatively small amount of time that I devote exclusively to Japanese study, I've made really amazing gains so far. It doesn't help that Japanese people have a habit of praising anyone who can say a few words in Japanese as being really fluent, and that my girlfriend and her friends/family say the same things. But really, there are still lots of times when I just can't understand what someone is saying to me, and I can audibly hear them switch into I'm-talking-to-a-not-so-bright-child mode. This can be useful, actually, because it does let me understand what they're saying, but it can be frustrating. I actually started reading a book in Japanese today. It is a translation of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, which I have read so many times that I can still follow the main points, despite only being able to really understand 30% or less of the actual text. I think the 70% that I currently don't understand will be a good source of vocabulary, grammar, and pointers on how to use certain constructions.
Cheers,
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Bueller, Bueller, Bueller
hey all,
So as you followers of Ferris Bueller's philosophy will know, life does in fact move pretty fast, and if you don't stop and smell the roses, it might just pass you by. In your cases however, it means that my life is moving pretty quickly right now, and it probably seems like it is passing you by, as I haven't been keeping pace with letting you all know of developments as they're happening.
I've received some more details from my company. It looks like it will be 3 schools instead of five, all three of which are closer to either of two train stations than my current schools are to their closest train station. As far as I know, the number of days has not changed. I have a board of education meeting early during the second week of April.
Obviously, I can't continue living where I am and work in Tokyo. Although, I guess I could, but I'd spend so much money commuting, and waste so much unproductive time on the train, that I'd have to be brain dead to try it. So, I've been looking for apartments, and I believe I've found one that is pretty nice. It really has a lot going for it. It is bigger than my current room by a factor of about 2 or 3. It has its own bathroom, and also a kitchen area (really just a convenience like my room in Amsterdam). Although it is a little far from my schools (about 20-25 minutes by train), it is ridiculously convenient. Already, I'm pretty familiar with the area, because I go there all the time to rock climb at an indoor gym. Besides from the gym, they have a large number of restaurants, shopping areas that include clothes, groceries, electronics, books, music and movies,a movie theater, outdoor equipment, etc, and it is about a 5 minute train ride to Michi's apartment. On the negative side, the rent is a bit more expensive than what I'm paying now, and the laundry machine is coin operated.
I've been asking different companies about apartments closer to my schools, but they have all named monthly fees that are a little too high. But the real problem with these apartments is that they are owned by Japanese companies that don't cater to foreigners. Japanese people seem to feel some kind of debt or obligation to their employers that guilts them into working unpaid overtime, skipping vacations, and working themselves to death. Apparently, the same feeling can be found in the housing fees: in order to earn the "privilege" of living in a small room with electricity, water, and internet, I would have to pay about 2 months rent in advance as a deposit, a finder's fee to the realtor, key money, and then yet another fee known as "gift money." Yes, it is not enough that I pay out the butt with all the other fees, I am supposed to give my greedy landlord a non-refundable, nontaxable "gift money." All told, it would cost me over $2000 to move into one of these places, none of which I would see again. Screw that. This might just be some kind of American rationality/practicality manifesting itself, but if two people can come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement, there is no need for such a level of gratitude/obligation/sacrifice that clearly benefits the person who is already better off. I might be dumb, but I'm not dumb enough to think this is an OK way of doing things.
Anyway, outside of that little rant, things are going well. My school classes are still slowly winding down. Everyday, I say good bye to a couple more 3rd year students who've graduated. I actually feel a little bad, because it seems like some of them really enjoyed my classes, but I think I could have done a lot better. Looking back on how little I knew of how to teach English at the beginning, I wish I had become skilled more quickly. Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony.
This weekend Japan celebrated White Day. In Japan, on Valentine's Day girls give the men in their lives chocolate and/or presents. On White Day, men give chocolate/presents to the girls in their lives. Why we need two separate holidays for that, I don't know. As usual of late, Michi and I did yoga on Saturday, made dinner (vegetarian gyoza: OK, but we both agreed that for gyoza you really need a little bit of meat to get the best flavor), and then went rock climbing on Sunday. We're trying to organize a trip to Joyama next weekend, but finding lodging is a little tricky as it is a 3 day holiday, and many people are traveling.
I received my visa for next year with no problems, so that is good news. I think that's about all.
Cheers,
So as you followers of Ferris Bueller's philosophy will know, life does in fact move pretty fast, and if you don't stop and smell the roses, it might just pass you by. In your cases however, it means that my life is moving pretty quickly right now, and it probably seems like it is passing you by, as I haven't been keeping pace with letting you all know of developments as they're happening.
I've received some more details from my company. It looks like it will be 3 schools instead of five, all three of which are closer to either of two train stations than my current schools are to their closest train station. As far as I know, the number of days has not changed. I have a board of education meeting early during the second week of April.
Obviously, I can't continue living where I am and work in Tokyo. Although, I guess I could, but I'd spend so much money commuting, and waste so much unproductive time on the train, that I'd have to be brain dead to try it. So, I've been looking for apartments, and I believe I've found one that is pretty nice. It really has a lot going for it. It is bigger than my current room by a factor of about 2 or 3. It has its own bathroom, and also a kitchen area (really just a convenience like my room in Amsterdam). Although it is a little far from my schools (about 20-25 minutes by train), it is ridiculously convenient. Already, I'm pretty familiar with the area, because I go there all the time to rock climb at an indoor gym. Besides from the gym, they have a large number of restaurants, shopping areas that include clothes, groceries, electronics, books, music and movies,a movie theater, outdoor equipment, etc, and it is about a 5 minute train ride to Michi's apartment. On the negative side, the rent is a bit more expensive than what I'm paying now, and the laundry machine is coin operated.
I've been asking different companies about apartments closer to my schools, but they have all named monthly fees that are a little too high. But the real problem with these apartments is that they are owned by Japanese companies that don't cater to foreigners. Japanese people seem to feel some kind of debt or obligation to their employers that guilts them into working unpaid overtime, skipping vacations, and working themselves to death. Apparently, the same feeling can be found in the housing fees: in order to earn the "privilege" of living in a small room with electricity, water, and internet, I would have to pay about 2 months rent in advance as a deposit, a finder's fee to the realtor, key money, and then yet another fee known as "gift money." Yes, it is not enough that I pay out the butt with all the other fees, I am supposed to give my greedy landlord a non-refundable, nontaxable "gift money." All told, it would cost me over $2000 to move into one of these places, none of which I would see again. Screw that. This might just be some kind of American rationality/practicality manifesting itself, but if two people can come to a mutually satisfactory arrangement, there is no need for such a level of gratitude/obligation/sacrifice that clearly benefits the person who is already better off. I might be dumb, but I'm not dumb enough to think this is an OK way of doing things.
Anyway, outside of that little rant, things are going well. My school classes are still slowly winding down. Everyday, I say good bye to a couple more 3rd year students who've graduated. I actually feel a little bad, because it seems like some of them really enjoyed my classes, but I think I could have done a lot better. Looking back on how little I knew of how to teach English at the beginning, I wish I had become skilled more quickly. Tomorrow is the graduation ceremony.
This weekend Japan celebrated White Day. In Japan, on Valentine's Day girls give the men in their lives chocolate and/or presents. On White Day, men give chocolate/presents to the girls in their lives. Why we need two separate holidays for that, I don't know. As usual of late, Michi and I did yoga on Saturday, made dinner (vegetarian gyoza: OK, but we both agreed that for gyoza you really need a little bit of meat to get the best flavor), and then went rock climbing on Sunday. We're trying to organize a trip to Joyama next weekend, but finding lodging is a little tricky as it is a 3 day holiday, and many people are traveling.
I received my visa for next year with no problems, so that is good news. I think that's about all.
Cheers,
Monday, March 08, 2010
Pics
hey all,
I realized that I haven't been putting up too many pics recently, so here is a small sample. Enjoy!
Ramen served in a stone bowl: you should see the arms on the waitresses at this restaurant!
That Tofu Chocolate Mousse that Michi and I made
The flowers my elementary school gave me
The Ravioli "Soup Curry" I ate with Michi in Saitama-Shintoshin
Decision
hey all,
I've come to a decision about my jobs options. I've informed my company that I'll be accepting the Tokyo position, despite a few reservations. Rent, commuting, and other expenses will be higher (as one example, the video rental shop nearest my house charges 190 Yen for a one week rental of an old movie, while Michi's charges 400 Yen for a one night rental), and my pay will be quite a bit lower. On the other hand, I will have more free time to study Japanese and prepare for the JLPT in December. I will live closer to Michi. Although I doubt that I'll be able to see her more frequently, it might happen. I'll be working at elementary schools, which from what I've said to my friends and family, and from what I've written on this blog, you all know is much more fun for me (for many reasons). I should also be able to find lucrative work for my free days, so that I can at least match, if not surpass, my current salary.
Other than that, there is only a little more to say. Things are steadily winding down at my school, and I find myself having to go to ridiculous lengths to get students' attention in the class room, such as collapsing violently on the podium when I explain that a character in the textbook died. On the other hand, (some) classes seem to appreciate that a bit, and are willing to pay attention. I guess it is good practice for my elementary school lessons.
I've decided to make the jump to Windows 7, so I've backed up all my data and will be attempting installation tomorrow.
I also have been asked to pick up my new visa next week, which is very good.
One last item. One thing that has made me feel a little better about my work situation is that I found out that many Japanese teachers are in the same position. One of my ALT friends was told by a Japanese teacher that he didn't know where he'd be working next year. Basically, there is a test that Japanese English teachers can take that will give them very high status as English teachers. Until they pass that test, which requires projects, presentations, live demonstration lessons, etc, they can be (and probably will be) moved anywhere in the prefecture they live in. Imagine that at the end of every year, your company asks you to move to a different city anywhere within your state. That's what they're living with.
In fact, my very inexperienced 1st year teacher has not passed this test, so she will be working out in the middle of nowhere next year. My 2nd year teacher told me that her city has a river, clean air, and would be a good place if you like to swim. When I said there were probably only 5 people living in her city, he really laughed hard.
Cheers,
I've come to a decision about my jobs options. I've informed my company that I'll be accepting the Tokyo position, despite a few reservations. Rent, commuting, and other expenses will be higher (as one example, the video rental shop nearest my house charges 190 Yen for a one week rental of an old movie, while Michi's charges 400 Yen for a one night rental), and my pay will be quite a bit lower. On the other hand, I will have more free time to study Japanese and prepare for the JLPT in December. I will live closer to Michi. Although I doubt that I'll be able to see her more frequently, it might happen. I'll be working at elementary schools, which from what I've said to my friends and family, and from what I've written on this blog, you all know is much more fun for me (for many reasons). I should also be able to find lucrative work for my free days, so that I can at least match, if not surpass, my current salary.
Other than that, there is only a little more to say. Things are steadily winding down at my school, and I find myself having to go to ridiculous lengths to get students' attention in the class room, such as collapsing violently on the podium when I explain that a character in the textbook died. On the other hand, (some) classes seem to appreciate that a bit, and are willing to pay attention. I guess it is good practice for my elementary school lessons.
I've decided to make the jump to Windows 7, so I've backed up all my data and will be attempting installation tomorrow.
I also have been asked to pick up my new visa next week, which is very good.
One last item. One thing that has made me feel a little better about my work situation is that I found out that many Japanese teachers are in the same position. One of my ALT friends was told by a Japanese teacher that he didn't know where he'd be working next year. Basically, there is a test that Japanese English teachers can take that will give them very high status as English teachers. Until they pass that test, which requires projects, presentations, live demonstration lessons, etc, they can be (and probably will be) moved anywhere in the prefecture they live in. Imagine that at the end of every year, your company asks you to move to a different city anywhere within your state. That's what they're living with.
In fact, my very inexperienced 1st year teacher has not passed this test, so she will be working out in the middle of nowhere next year. My 2nd year teacher told me that her city has a river, clean air, and would be a good place if you like to swim. When I said there were probably only 5 people living in her city, he really laughed hard.
Cheers,
Friday, March 05, 2010
Position Offer
hey all,
Today I actually received a position offer in Tokyo from my current employer. It is part time, like they said before, but I'll be working at 5 different elementary schools, with "transportation fees" included in my salary, not on top of it. So basically, I run around to a bunch of different schools, racking up high transportation fees, paying higher rent, etc. Despite being able to live considerably closer to Michi, this does not sound like a very good offer. I'll be working a total of 140 days a year, at around my current daily pay, which works out to about $700 less per month than what I make right now, almost $1000 less if you factor in my part time job. (Adding up to about an $11,500 pay cut for the whole year.)
In order to achieve my current pay, I'd need to fill about another 100 work days through well-paid private lessons, another part-time job at an eikaiwa (English conversation school: basically the McDonald's of education, offering short, pre-prepared fast lessons in English that may be harmful to your health), or some combination of the two.
I should emphasize the fill part, and the well-paid part. Private English lesson rates are much lower in Tokyo, because there are so many foreigners, and competition drives the price down. On the other hand, there seems to be no shortage of demand for said lessons, so filling the extra days shouldn't be incredibly difficult, but it would probably take quite a bit of coordination and no small amount of hustle and bustle to keep everything straight.
Well, I've got a lot to think about.
Cheers,
Today I actually received a position offer in Tokyo from my current employer. It is part time, like they said before, but I'll be working at 5 different elementary schools, with "transportation fees" included in my salary, not on top of it. So basically, I run around to a bunch of different schools, racking up high transportation fees, paying higher rent, etc. Despite being able to live considerably closer to Michi, this does not sound like a very good offer. I'll be working a total of 140 days a year, at around my current daily pay, which works out to about $700 less per month than what I make right now, almost $1000 less if you factor in my part time job. (Adding up to about an $11,500 pay cut for the whole year.)
In order to achieve my current pay, I'd need to fill about another 100 work days through well-paid private lessons, another part-time job at an eikaiwa (English conversation school: basically the McDonald's of education, offering short, pre-prepared fast lessons in English that may be harmful to your health), or some combination of the two.
I should emphasize the fill part, and the well-paid part. Private English lesson rates are much lower in Tokyo, because there are so many foreigners, and competition drives the price down. On the other hand, there seems to be no shortage of demand for said lessons, so filling the extra days shouldn't be incredibly difficult, but it would probably take quite a bit of coordination and no small amount of hustle and bustle to keep everything straight.
Well, I've got a lot to think about.
Cheers,
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Random Stuff
hey all,
So as is par for the course, still no answer from my company about Tokyo. I did have an interview with another company yesterday that went really well, I think. The impression I got was that they are somewhat similar to my current company (in the good ways), but possibly differing in the areas where my company falls short. The problem is that this company is very small, and they were also unable to give me answers regarding possible locations, or wages, as they are waiting for the various Boards of Education to decide which company they will give their contracts to. (This is probably also the case for my company with Tokyo, but for some reason, telling me this is either beyond their English ability, or in some other way too difficult/against rules/or something.)
Not much new on the "Let's start our own business" front. To be honest, I've been running around doing visa stuff, applying for jobs, etc, and this pie-in-the-sky plan has been put on hold for now.
Something really cool that I read today was that HBO has given the "A Game of Thrones" TV series a greenlight, which really rocks. The author of the book, G.R.R. Martin, is currently still writing book 5, with a projected 2 volumes after that to come. As book 5 has taken as many years to write (that is to say, 5 years), I hope that the series can actually cover the story till the end. The plan is to film one book over the course of one season, so each book will be shown to the public over the course of one year. Which gives the author 5 years to complete the next two books. Unlikely, but if it happens, nice. In any case, at least A Game of Thrones will be filmed, and I'll definitely be watching that somehow.
Cheers,
So as is par for the course, still no answer from my company about Tokyo. I did have an interview with another company yesterday that went really well, I think. The impression I got was that they are somewhat similar to my current company (in the good ways), but possibly differing in the areas where my company falls short. The problem is that this company is very small, and they were also unable to give me answers regarding possible locations, or wages, as they are waiting for the various Boards of Education to decide which company they will give their contracts to. (This is probably also the case for my company with Tokyo, but for some reason, telling me this is either beyond their English ability, or in some other way too difficult/against rules/or something.)
Not much new on the "Let's start our own business" front. To be honest, I've been running around doing visa stuff, applying for jobs, etc, and this pie-in-the-sky plan has been put on hold for now.
Something really cool that I read today was that HBO has given the "A Game of Thrones" TV series a greenlight, which really rocks. The author of the book, G.R.R. Martin, is currently still writing book 5, with a projected 2 volumes after that to come. As book 5 has taken as many years to write (that is to say, 5 years), I hope that the series can actually cover the story till the end. The plan is to film one book over the course of one season, so each book will be shown to the public over the course of one year. Which gives the author 5 years to complete the next two books. Unlikely, but if it happens, nice. In any case, at least A Game of Thrones will be filmed, and I'll definitely be watching that somehow.
Cheers,
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