hey all,
So today was my first day and it was interesting, but at the same time really grueling. I got over to Ageo by train, and tried to take a bus to the junior high school. It started out looking like it would be easy, but soon the bus started going on streets that didn't look familiar, so I asked the driver if this bus was stopping at my stop, and he seemed to say no. So I got off, and used my map of Ageo to ask some people on the street how to get to my school. They gave me directions in Japanese, but I understood them more or less, and I asked a few more people as I got closer, until I finally arrived.
They had a teacher show me to the teachers' room, and I spoke with a few of the teachers. Then there was some kind of ceremony in the gym involving several speeches, songs, and several rounds of introductions. Then back to the teachers room, where I chatted with a few of the teacher some more, in a mix of Japanese and English, and then we had lunch. It was sushi and soba (raw fish and buckwheat noodles), and most of it was actually pretty good. A few of the pieces of fish were too chewy, but the soba was nice. After lunch there was another ceremony, this time with some guest speakers from the PTA and local government. More songs, speeches and bowing than I care to remember later, we do more introductions. After that ceremony, I worked on my introduction and some activities to do, then chatted with the teachers some more. I left at my leaving time (4:15PM), and walked back to the train station, which is a 45 minute walk.
I bought a new bike on the way back (the cheapest one I found after stopping at two bike shops cost about $102, which includes a crime-prevention registration fee), and tried to buy a parking space at the train station. This would make it very unlikely that my bike would be missing when I came back to Ageo. But, the old guy at the train station bike parking garage couldn't seem to understand anything I said to him in any language, and when I tried putting my bike in several different spots, he ended up telling me that those were full. I asked if he could show me an empty one (in English), and he couldn't understand that, so I finally just rode my bike back to Omiya, which took about an hour.
The teachers at the school were all incredibly friendly, interesting, and put up with my bad Japanese by complimenting me on how good it was, but the problems of getting to the school and back kinda messed up my good mood. I spoke with Masa, and he suggested I try a different parking garage on the other side of the station (apparently all of the spaces were booked in the one I tried, which I hadn't even thought about), and even told me how to ask if there were any open parking spaces (まだばしょがいっていますか?: are there any spaces left?). So, tomorrow, I will supposedly be teaching 4 classes in a row, and maybe I can even get a parking spot for my bike, both of which are pretty exciting prospects. But, I still have over an hour long bike ride to get over to the school tomorrow morning, which means I'm going to bed around 10PM tonight (again) so I can get up at 6:26AM.
I'm sweaty from running to the school this morning, walking back to the station, and riding my bike back to Omiya, so I'm gonna take a shower, eat some food, brush my teeth, and go to bed.
Cheers,
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Introduction???
hey,
Today, I met Ayumi (my coordinator) at Ageo-shi train station, and she took me and another ALT to our schools. Turns out, I did find the right place before, but now I'm not sure how I'm gonna get to it. I got to the train station a little early, and decided I should check on my bike. Lo and behold, my bike was not to be found. Since I only paid $30 for it, this is not the end of the world, but it is annoying. It is a 45 minute walk from the train station to my school, so that is kinda out of the quiestion. On the other hand, I've heard not so great things about the buses. I can buy a brand new bike, but I shudder to think of the prices. Plus, I'll still have to ride in to Ageo tomorrow on my hypothetical new bike, which would take 3 times longer than the train. Either way, walking or biking, I'm looking at getting up 45 minutes earlier.
Anyway, once at the school I met with someone who was apparently another teacher, and I introduced myself to him, and then Ayumi and the teacher spoke for a few minutes in Japanese, and then I introduced myself to the Japanese teacher I'll actually be working with. And then we left. So, I still don't know how busy my days will be, or a lot of other things. It seems like I get into these situations, and I go into shock, and later think of questions that I should have asked at the time.
After that, I came back to Omiya, and updated my visa status and my gaijin card, so now I officially have permission to work and live here. I tried opening a bank account but they wanted a telephone number, so I'll have to wait until I pick up a cell before opening one.
Dinner yesterday was kinda a disaster. I bought what I thought were the right noodles, but they were actually some kind of shaped clear starch that was incredibly chewy (think gummy bears, but more so) once cooked. The Pad Thai tasted ok, but the non-noodles really threw the texture off.
Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so that's it for now.
Cheers
Today, I met Ayumi (my coordinator) at Ageo-shi train station, and she took me and another ALT to our schools. Turns out, I did find the right place before, but now I'm not sure how I'm gonna get to it. I got to the train station a little early, and decided I should check on my bike. Lo and behold, my bike was not to be found. Since I only paid $30 for it, this is not the end of the world, but it is annoying. It is a 45 minute walk from the train station to my school, so that is kinda out of the quiestion. On the other hand, I've heard not so great things about the buses. I can buy a brand new bike, but I shudder to think of the prices. Plus, I'll still have to ride in to Ageo tomorrow on my hypothetical new bike, which would take 3 times longer than the train. Either way, walking or biking, I'm looking at getting up 45 minutes earlier.
Anyway, once at the school I met with someone who was apparently another teacher, and I introduced myself to him, and then Ayumi and the teacher spoke for a few minutes in Japanese, and then I introduced myself to the Japanese teacher I'll actually be working with. And then we left. So, I still don't know how busy my days will be, or a lot of other things. It seems like I get into these situations, and I go into shock, and later think of questions that I should have asked at the time.
After that, I came back to Omiya, and updated my visa status and my gaijin card, so now I officially have permission to work and live here. I tried opening a bank account but they wanted a telephone number, so I'll have to wait until I pick up a cell before opening one.
Dinner yesterday was kinda a disaster. I bought what I thought were the right noodles, but they were actually some kind of shaped clear starch that was incredibly chewy (think gummy bears, but more so) once cooked. The Pad Thai tasted ok, but the non-noodles really threw the texture off.
Tomorrow is going to be a long day, so that's it for now.
Cheers
Monday, April 06, 2009
Synchronization
hey all,
I guess if you're not into anime or manga this post won't make too much sense. I've noticed that a ton of Japanese shows feature some kind of synchronization as part of the powers of their heroes.
So in Naruto, when you team up with another ninja to perform a magic spell, you have to synchronize your soul with their soul. In Bleach, the characters each have a weapon that has a soul, so in order to use more of the weapons' power and special abilities, the characters must commune with the soul of their weapon. This is not featured very heavily in the series, but for several episodes, it forms a main plot point. The characters in D. Grey-Man have to do basically the same thing, except it is much more central to the main plot line. Same thing for the characters in Soul Eater: except that the weapons are actual people who can transform into weapons, so the importance of understanding and accepting another person's soul/personality is even greater.
So what is this obsession with merging, synchronizing, or resonating with another soul?
I honestly don't get it. Anyway, I picked up my gaijin card today. Nice to have that kinda done, but I'll still need to change it once I get my Visa status updated. Masa and I are cooking Pad Thai tonight, so that is pretty exciting.
I guess if you're not into anime or manga this post won't make too much sense. I've noticed that a ton of Japanese shows feature some kind of synchronization as part of the powers of their heroes.
So in Naruto, when you team up with another ninja to perform a magic spell, you have to synchronize your soul with their soul. In Bleach, the characters each have a weapon that has a soul, so in order to use more of the weapons' power and special abilities, the characters must commune with the soul of their weapon. This is not featured very heavily in the series, but for several episodes, it forms a main plot point. The characters in D. Grey-Man have to do basically the same thing, except it is much more central to the main plot line. Same thing for the characters in Soul Eater: except that the weapons are actual people who can transform into weapons, so the importance of understanding and accepting another person's soul/personality is even greater.
So what is this obsession with merging, synchronizing, or resonating with another soul?
I honestly don't get it. Anyway, I picked up my gaijin card today. Nice to have that kinda done, but I'll still need to change it once I get my Visa status updated. Masa and I are cooking Pad Thai tonight, so that is pretty exciting.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Weird Conversation and Sea Salt Gelato
hey all,
I went walking around Omiya a little bit today. Took some more pics of blooming sakura flowers, trees, and some random ramen shops. I was also finally able to Skype with Bri, which was good.
Perhaps the weirdest thing that's happened today is that some random Chinese person started chatting with me on skype. It took me a while to figure out that this person was completing some kind of school questionaire.
About the only other thing that's very exciting is that I tried some Sea Salt Gelato (spelled Gerato on the on container), and it was really good. There are several other sweets that I have lined up for sampling, including some colored balls on sticks that I have no clue what they are. I know they are a dessert, but other than that they could be colored/flavored pounded rice cakes, or fruits of some kind.
Nothing much going on tomorrow. On Tuesday, I meet with Ayumi and get introduced to my school.
Cheers
I went walking around Omiya a little bit today. Took some more pics of blooming sakura flowers, trees, and some random ramen shops. I was also finally able to Skype with Bri, which was good.
Perhaps the weirdest thing that's happened today is that some random Chinese person started chatting with me on skype. It took me a while to figure out that this person was completing some kind of school questionaire.
About the only other thing that's very exciting is that I tried some Sea Salt Gelato (spelled Gerato on the on container), and it was really good. There are several other sweets that I have lined up for sampling, including some colored balls on sticks that I have no clue what they are. I know they are a dessert, but other than that they could be colored/flavored pounded rice cakes, or fruits of some kind.
Nothing much going on tomorrow. On Tuesday, I meet with Ayumi and get introduced to my school.
Cheers
Saturday, April 04, 2009
酒は、日本でほうがです。
hey all,
A few summers ago, my brother went to Europe, and while over there made the discovery that Guinness consumed while in Ireland is much better than Guinness elsewhere. Presumably, this is because of the local waters used, and also because it is fresh: we all know that beer is put in brown bottles to help keep the sun from decomposing certain fragile chemicals in the beers, etc.
Today, I had my own experience with sake, 酒 in the local writing system (please pronounce the final 'e' like cafe, not like coffee...). I had tried several different brands of sake in the US, and I had tried them cold and tried them hot, and never found one that I liked, or could even tolerate for more than a few sips. I tried a pretty cheap sake, warmed it up, and found that it was tolerable, even pretty good. It had no grimace-inducing aftertaste, and went down smoothly. Although it still smelled like rubbing alcohol, the taste was mildly fruity.
Sake is better in Japan (酒は、日本でほうがです。)
One last thing is Masa and I hung out a bit today, and we ate ramen at a place called ninniku ramen, or garlic ramen. Now I have very little skill in Japanese, but 'ninniku' sounds like 'human meat': 'nin' is human and 'niku' is meat. So effectively, we ate at The Soilent Green Ramen Shop. I'll have a pic posted later.
Cheers (かんぱい)
A few summers ago, my brother went to Europe, and while over there made the discovery that Guinness consumed while in Ireland is much better than Guinness elsewhere. Presumably, this is because of the local waters used, and also because it is fresh: we all know that beer is put in brown bottles to help keep the sun from decomposing certain fragile chemicals in the beers, etc.
Today, I had my own experience with sake, 酒 in the local writing system (please pronounce the final 'e' like cafe, not like coffee...). I had tried several different brands of sake in the US, and I had tried them cold and tried them hot, and never found one that I liked, or could even tolerate for more than a few sips. I tried a pretty cheap sake, warmed it up, and found that it was tolerable, even pretty good. It had no grimace-inducing aftertaste, and went down smoothly. Although it still smelled like rubbing alcohol, the taste was mildly fruity.
Sake is better in Japan (酒は、日本でほうがです。)
One last thing is Masa and I hung out a bit today, and we ate ramen at a place called ninniku ramen, or garlic ramen. Now I have very little skill in Japanese, but 'ninniku' sounds like 'human meat': 'nin' is human and 'niku' is meat. So effectively, we ate at The Soilent Green Ramen Shop. I'll have a pic posted later.
Cheers (かんぱい)
Friday, April 03, 2009
Yay Schedules!
hey all,
So I finally have my official schedule for the entire next year. Basically, I work 8:15 to 16:15, Monday-Friday. Most weeks, I work entirely at a junior high, but on some Fridays they have me working at a nearby elementary school. It looks like it is maybe 20 lessons total (for the whole year) for the elementary school, but I still don't know exactly how many classes I'll be teaching each day for junior high. Both junior high and elementary schools have about 6 50-min. periods (with 10 min. between classes) during the day, plus lunch. So although I "work" from 8:15-16:15, I might only have 3 or 4 actual English classes to prepare for.
I know that school ends around 15:00, so I'll be there for another hour after it's over. What one of the people at Heart said (a former ALT), is that this is a good time to join a club: computer club, web design club, chess, swimming, kendo, whatever. I think as long as I can find a club where I won't have to take my shoes and socks off, and thus revel my tattoos, I should be fine. Tattoos are still heavily linked to the yakuza over here, and are basically banned from being shown in public baths, schools, etc.
On April 7th, I'm meeting with my coordinator at Ageo-shi train station, and then she'll drive me over to my school and introduce me to them. The day after that, I start work. Since I have so much free time, I'd like to go and sight see some more, but I think just the cost of train tickets would start to cut into my funds.
So I finally have my official schedule for the entire next year. Basically, I work 8:15 to 16:15, Monday-Friday. Most weeks, I work entirely at a junior high, but on some Fridays they have me working at a nearby elementary school. It looks like it is maybe 20 lessons total (for the whole year) for the elementary school, but I still don't know exactly how many classes I'll be teaching each day for junior high. Both junior high and elementary schools have about 6 50-min. periods (with 10 min. between classes) during the day, plus lunch. So although I "work" from 8:15-16:15, I might only have 3 or 4 actual English classes to prepare for.
I know that school ends around 15:00, so I'll be there for another hour after it's over. What one of the people at Heart said (a former ALT), is that this is a good time to join a club: computer club, web design club, chess, swimming, kendo, whatever. I think as long as I can find a club where I won't have to take my shoes and socks off, and thus revel my tattoos, I should be fine. Tattoos are still heavily linked to the yakuza over here, and are basically banned from being shown in public baths, schools, etc.
On April 7th, I'm meeting with my coordinator at Ageo-shi train station, and then she'll drive me over to my school and introduce me to them. The day after that, I start work. Since I have so much free time, I'd like to go and sight see some more, but I think just the cost of train tickets would start to cut into my funds.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Kinda gross
hey,
I've started picking up some ice cream to eat with dinner, and so far I've tried a chocolate/orange one, and a green tea one. The orange/chocolate one was really tasty, but the green tea one was kinda gross. I mean, it tastes like green tea! Green tea is like a slightly bitter herbal flavor, and it really does nothing for me. It leaves a weird aftertaste and your whole mouth feels kinda funny afterward. For some reason, instead of water, most restaurants serve green tea.
So why did I pick it up? I thought that I was picking up a melon flavored ice cream (which would also be green). Check out this guy's blog for more on Japanese ice cream, complete with pictures.
I've started picking up some ice cream to eat with dinner, and so far I've tried a chocolate/orange one, and a green tea one. The orange/chocolate one was really tasty, but the green tea one was kinda gross. I mean, it tastes like green tea! Green tea is like a slightly bitter herbal flavor, and it really does nothing for me. It leaves a weird aftertaste and your whole mouth feels kinda funny afterward. For some reason, instead of water, most restaurants serve green tea.
So why did I pick it up? I thought that I was picking up a melon flavored ice cream (which would also be green). Check out this guy's blog for more on Japanese ice cream, complete with pictures.
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