hey all,
We're still trying to plan lessons, pretty unsuccessfully I suppose. Really, there isn't enough time to do a proper job of it.
On the upside, I've presented my visa extension application. On the downside, I need to go back to Omiya City Hall and pick up some tax documents, either that, or have them mail them to me. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can have them mail the documents to the Yokohama city hall. I've never had much patience with this kind of thing.
Also on the upside, as I am now the most senior teacher at my school (which is in itself a scary thought), the boss has asked me to become the head teacher, and since the duties don't seem to onerous and I'll be getting pay raise to go with it, I'm accepting.
Cheers,
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Georgie Boy
hey all,
Here's a couple videos (viewer discretion advised) of George Carlin about natural disasters. The second one has footage of the tsunami that hit northern Japan two weeks ago.
It's been a good weekend so far. Met up with my southern friend on Friday, met up with Michi today, and also ran a bunch of errands. I did laundry, made a 2 liter batch of chili, and even studied Japanese a little. The only down note is that when I went to the store to pick up peanut oil and spices and root beer, they didn't have root beer! I wandered around the store like a lost, sad puppy for maybe 10 minutes before I got in line to check out. I'll have to find a new source for root beer.
Today, Michi and I will be heading to a rock climbing gym we haven't been to before. We're accumulating quite the collection of climbing gym membership cards by now.
On Monday, the three remaining teachers are coming back in to work to make new contracts and start preparing materials for next year. It'll be good to get out of the guesthouse.
Cheers,
Here's a couple videos (viewer discretion advised) of George Carlin about natural disasters. The second one has footage of the tsunami that hit northern Japan two weeks ago.
It's been a good weekend so far. Met up with my southern friend on Friday, met up with Michi today, and also ran a bunch of errands. I did laundry, made a 2 liter batch of chili, and even studied Japanese a little. The only down note is that when I went to the store to pick up peanut oil and spices and root beer, they didn't have root beer! I wandered around the store like a lost, sad puppy for maybe 10 minutes before I got in line to check out. I'll have to find a new source for root beer.
Today, Michi and I will be heading to a rock climbing gym we haven't been to before. We're accumulating quite the collection of climbing gym membership cards by now.
On Monday, the three remaining teachers are coming back in to work to make new contracts and start preparing materials for next year. It'll be good to get out of the guesthouse.
Cheers,
Thursday, March 24, 2011
New Look
hey all,
Most of you have probably noticed the new look of the blog. I decided that the black and white thing was a little bit too much, so here is something that I think looks a bit better.
All this extra time on my hands is driving me crazy.
Cheers,
Most of you have probably noticed the new look of the blog. I decided that the black and white thing was a little bit too much, so here is something that I think looks a bit better.
All this extra time on my hands is driving me crazy.
Cheers,
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Meeting
hey all,
There is a somewhat chilling display of before and after images of northern Japan here. And here is a chart made by one of my favorite web comic artists of radiation.
We had a meeting at work, where the three remaining teachers tried to figure out how to divy up the students for next semester. We plan on starting on April 5th, and then next week will be devoted to developing materials for the rest of the year.
Cheers,
There is a somewhat chilling display of before and after images of northern Japan here. And here is a chart made by one of my favorite web comic artists of radiation.
We had a meeting at work, where the three remaining teachers tried to figure out how to divy up the students for next semester. We plan on starting on April 5th, and then next week will be devoted to developing materials for the rest of the year.
Cheers,
Monday, March 21, 2011
Big Update
hey all,
Lots of things in the works here. My school is still on holiday for the time being, basically until I hear from the boss and get asked to come in. I may take up a part time job at another school in the meantime, to supplement or replace my income.
The situation with the nuclear reactor finally looks like it is getting better, or at least not getting any worse, which is a nice feeling to have. One news source was quoting the World Bank as saying that it will take Japan at least 5 years to totally recover from this. The thing that still amazes me is the death toll; climbing closer to 10,000 by the hour, and over 11,000 missing. Around 200,000 people are lacking either food, water, electricity or homes. But if you compare this to the causality rate in Indonesia during the 2004 tsunami (which was caused by an ocean earthquake of only slightly greater magnitude than the one in Japan), your perspective changes completely. Despite the direness of the situation, the amazing infrastructure of Japan has probably saved 10's of thousands of lives.
Appropriately, Michi and I rented Touching the Void and The Beckoning Silence, two movies based on books by mountain guide/ rock climber Joe Simpson. The first I'd seen part of before. It is about an accident that befell the author when he was 25 years old while climbing in Peru, and how he managed to survive it. The latter, The Beckoning Silence, is a recounting by Joe Simpson of the story of Tony Curtz and his ill-fated team's attempt to climb Mt. Eiger in Switzerland in the 1930's. They are both kind of disaster movies, is what I'm getting at.
I finally got to see some of Michi's baby pictures, because we ate dinner with her family twice over the long weekend. The company was really good to have, especially after staying cooped up in my room all by myself for most of last week, with my overseas friends and family saying "Run away! Come back home!" and two teachers from my own school making plans to head back to their respective countries until things calmed down here. But spending time with both Michi and her family has calmed me down quite a bit, and given me a lot more hope and maybe a better perspective on Japan's and my own situation.
In other news, I have officially spent two years in Japan.
Cheers,
Lots of things in the works here. My school is still on holiday for the time being, basically until I hear from the boss and get asked to come in. I may take up a part time job at another school in the meantime, to supplement or replace my income.
The situation with the nuclear reactor finally looks like it is getting better, or at least not getting any worse, which is a nice feeling to have. One news source was quoting the World Bank as saying that it will take Japan at least 5 years to totally recover from this. The thing that still amazes me is the death toll; climbing closer to 10,000 by the hour, and over 11,000 missing. Around 200,000 people are lacking either food, water, electricity or homes. But if you compare this to the causality rate in Indonesia during the 2004 tsunami (which was caused by an ocean earthquake of only slightly greater magnitude than the one in Japan), your perspective changes completely. Despite the direness of the situation, the amazing infrastructure of Japan has probably saved 10's of thousands of lives.
Appropriately, Michi and I rented Touching the Void and The Beckoning Silence, two movies based on books by mountain guide/ rock climber Joe Simpson. The first I'd seen part of before. It is about an accident that befell the author when he was 25 years old while climbing in Peru, and how he managed to survive it. The latter, The Beckoning Silence, is a recounting by Joe Simpson of the story of Tony Curtz and his ill-fated team's attempt to climb Mt. Eiger in Switzerland in the 1930's. They are both kind of disaster movies, is what I'm getting at.
I finally got to see some of Michi's baby pictures, because we ate dinner with her family twice over the long weekend. The company was really good to have, especially after staying cooped up in my room all by myself for most of last week, with my overseas friends and family saying "Run away! Come back home!" and two teachers from my own school making plans to head back to their respective countries until things calmed down here. But spending time with both Michi and her family has calmed me down quite a bit, and given me a lot more hope and maybe a better perspective on Japan's and my own situation.
In other news, I have officially spent two years in Japan.
Cheers,
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Yet Again
hey all,
We just had another earthquake, this one in Shizuoka and around a magnitude of 6. In Yokohama, it was about a 4 or 5-. Just some minor shaking for 30 seconds or so. The nuclear reaction situation seems to get worse and worse every time I read an article about it or see it on the news.
Not much to report about me. I finally found some bread, but other than that, spent the whole day watching movies and South Park online, and studying Japanese. I've got some frozen food, and several big containers of curry still, plus some eggs and a large supply of peanuts. And of course several liters of water. I've even got matches, a lighter, my camping stove, etc, so if I lose power and water, I'll still be able to cook and drink.
I have to admit that I'm a little scared and freaked out by this thing, and I seem to have lost all faith in the ground below my feet.
Cheers,
We just had another earthquake, this one in Shizuoka and around a magnitude of 6. In Yokohama, it was about a 4 or 5-. Just some minor shaking for 30 seconds or so. The nuclear reaction situation seems to get worse and worse every time I read an article about it or see it on the news.
Not much to report about me. I finally found some bread, but other than that, spent the whole day watching movies and South Park online, and studying Japanese. I've got some frozen food, and several big containers of curry still, plus some eggs and a large supply of peanuts. And of course several liters of water. I've even got matches, a lighter, my camping stove, etc, so if I lose power and water, I'll still be able to cook and drink.
I have to admit that I'm a little scared and freaked out by this thing, and I seem to have lost all faith in the ground below my feet.
Cheers,
Monday, March 14, 2011
Shopping...
hey all,
I was called early this morning and told that morning classes were canceled, as not many students were expected to come or even be able to come. I was asked, however, to come in for the afternoon as maybe we might have some students then. By the time I got to the school however, the entire day's classes had been canceled, so I went shopping instead. Here is what I couldn't buy:
In an emergency, you can see what food stuffs people think are important. There was actually a large amount of meat left, but meat spoils easily. The vegetable section also had a lot of items left, and the alcohol section had barely been touched.
If you check out the Japanese Meteorological Agency website, you can see the frequency and strength of recent seismic activity. It looks like they are now predicting a second powerful earthquake.
That's all I have for now.
Cheers,
I was called early this morning and told that morning classes were canceled, as not many students were expected to come or even be able to come. I was asked, however, to come in for the afternoon as maybe we might have some students then. By the time I got to the school however, the entire day's classes had been canceled, so I went shopping instead. Here is what I couldn't buy:
 |
| Pre-made lunches and meals section |
 |
| Bread |
 |
| Eggs |
 |
| Frozen food |
 |
| Tofu |
 |
| Rice |
If you check out the Japanese Meteorological Agency website, you can see the frequency and strength of recent seismic activity. It looks like they are now predicting a second powerful earthquake.
That's all I have for now.
Cheers,
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