kyoto sensei

so, I haven:t written much on this blog, but for a quick update--kyoto sensei at Nagai kongyo is awesome. I love him. And the teachers here are really great too. thats not to say they aren:t great at my other school, but its just 2 completely different atmospheres. Anyways, I had asked a while ago about going skiing with the students. The answer was a tentative, indirect no. Fueled by by the thought that I would have no classes at this school for the next month, which meant endless hours of desk sitting, I asked again today. Kyoto sensei asked me about my other school (Arato koko) and what their opinion on the matter was. I told them what the other kyoto sensei (Kenshyu) said. My JTE and the cool kyoto sensei responded with a lot of grumbling and Japanese that I didn:t understand. I asked what it meant...and my JTE said "ehh, uhh...goddam Kenshyu". hahaha, it was hilarious. I couldn:t manage to hold back all of my laughter. My JTE is so cute. Anyways, the ski answer was better this time. I still couldn:t go with the students because it meant the school would be liable for me, but kyoto sensei would ask the "young teachers" to take nenkyu (vacation days) to take me skiing during the week. I feel really bad about this because I don:t want the other teachers to have to take nenkyu on my account. But thats kind of how it works here. The Japanese teachers take nenkyu instead of sick days and their vacations are really short. I've decided not to tell them about next weekend's trip to the Hokkaido snow festival because I feel like every weekend I go somewhere and do things and they are probably tired of hearing about it. Today at lunch a teacher was asking me where I had not been in Japan. I don:t know how I would feel if someone came in doing a similar job as me with the same pay but with loads less work...not to mention less hours. This job sometimes feels like a joke because my JTE does all the difficult work. And thats why Im staying a second year.

nothing to do at work

now im beginning to see why so many ALTs in Japan have a blog....we have extremely large amounts of down time. Which can be a good thing if its used wisely. Lately my time has been used researching flights back home, checking out cool places in the south of Japan to visit in March, and spottily studying Japanese. Apparantly we dont have any classes for most of the month of March but we still have to come to school. Before coming to Japan I had a feeling that an all day desk job wasnt for me, Japan has helped me confirm this feeling. It will be weird for me to go back to having a job where there is actual work to be done. I feel like all I do is plan games, a few lessons, and have many confusing/funny/strange conversations with the students and teachers. Yesterday I had alot of fun at the elementary school. Although I did my introduction with 6th graders (who can be too cool for school), I got them to sing a song and dance with me. I left feeling really energized. I think Joey D did too.
I decided to stay a second year because I think I will get more out of Japan. It takes time to get used to the place and to pick up the language. And I can use everything I learned in my first year in my second. I am having fun here and there is tons to do and to see. I dont think I will stay more than 2 years though because the job isnt as fulfilling as I would like it to be. I dont get to see the students make much progress and I don't have as much job autonomy as I would like. Oh, by the way, the sumo tournament was amazing! I really hope to go back again next year because it was so sweet. Next year I wont tell any of my coworkers im going because I think they were all envious that I went. Sometimes I feel like they resent me because I don:t have as much work as they do. I dont get it though, they work so hard and so long but alot of them dont really do much at work. And they work on the weekends alot and don:t take holidays. I don:t like refering to my Japanese coworkers as "them" but its kind of unavoidable. Right now the guy next to me is snoring loudly and Im trying really hard not to laugh.

Japan is beginning to grate on my nerves. or maybe im just having a bad week. First with the whole speech on the history of MD. LEt me describe the phone call*
"hello, I will pick you up at your apartment on saturday January second and we will go to lunch" Then you will go and talk about the history of Maryland.
"you will talk for 1 hour and then there will be a break and then there will be 45 minutes for questions"
"I was told I was speaking for 50 mins"
"no, one hour then 45 mins for questions. it should be easy for you" "very easy"
"I was also told I would have access to power point"
"power?"
"yes, a computer, a projecter, power point"
"no no, give speech, very easy"
" but I prepared a power point presentation with pictures"
"its no problem, very easy for you"
arg, what the hell.
Then later, I get another call. The elementary school visit--which I thought was just going to be a self-introduction. Now they dont want me to do an introduction, they want me to sing songs and talk about life in America for elementary school children. After I printed out all my pictures and prepared for my self intro, this comes along. Iw ouldnt: be so annoyed except that i had just received the history of Maryland phone call about an hour earlier. And I wont have any time to plan this weekend because Im going to Tokyo for sumo and fun. I don't expect to have any time at all! I am just annoyed, but I guess I shouldn:t be. Im tired of not hearing the whole story, not knowing whats going on. its time to go so i can catch the dinosaur train.

reaquantaince with the blog

Hey, So I found my old India blog! yay! except now I don't know what to write. So Ill wait until something interesting happens. The only reason I found this blog was because I was procrastinating from doing my big hour speech on the history of Maryland. But I suppose procrastination time is over now. Ill add a picture for kicks