Settle in and grab a snack; this is going to be a sort of
long post since I haven’t updated for a while. As my third week of teaching
draws to a close, I figure it’s about time I got my thoughts in order.
A lot of things have happened—starting free Japanese lessons
at the library, an international potluck, a welcome party, fun interactions
with students, and a weekend trip out to Kansai to see a band I like,
Galneryus, in Osaka. (It was so, so worth it.) I’ll write more about that in
the next post since this one’s a biggie.
I’ve almost gotten used to the routine of things and the
teaching environment, but there are still times when I have a minor freak-out
if my lessons are all at the start of the day without any planning periods
before, and it’s a new one I haven’t taught before at another school.
Thankfully, there are online resources with lesson plans for each grade level,
which we can of course modify, perhaps adding in or substituting games we’ve
learned from another teacher or from training.
I arrive at school at 8 and get to go home around 4:30 each
day, but the other teachers get there earlier and stay later, so I feel a
little guilty leaving them behind. There is sincerity behind my perfunctory “Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu” (“I’m being
rude by going first!”) that I say when leaving. Another standard phrase, which
is handy and would be nice to have in English, is “Otsukaresama desu/deshita!” This literally means something like
“You must be tired” and basically expresses that you think someone’s been
working hard—good for them. Another thing I feel bad about is having fewer
lessons than everyone … typically I teach for three periods a day, sometimes
two, sometimes four, but there are six periods in total.
Now for funny things that have happened more than once, in
no particular order. When the kids find out I’m 22 (during Q & A at the end
of my self-intro, for example), some are like “Wakai!” (“So young!”) Which is ironic given that
they’re, you know, the ones in elementary school. Many times now, I’ve been
asked if I have a boyfriend or if I like anyone (today I just responded “I like
everyone~!” and gestured to the whole
class. Evasive tactics!). When one girl at lunch asked about my living
situation and I said I lived alone in an apartment, she asked if I had a
boyfriend and when I said no, she went, “Oh, but I think you can find one soon.
;) ” Uh…thanks for the reassurance, little lady. A couple kids have even asked
if I have kids! But that’s before they find out my age. Not that there aren’t
22-year-old moms, but still.
Another fun thing:
this Tuesday, I had my first sudden schedule switcheroo (SSS?) in which I
taught 3rd, 5th and 6th grades instead of 1st
through 3rd and the special needs 2nd and 3rd graders,
and the order was all switched around. But the English representative had a lot
of things planned out, so it worked out okay. Another surprise was the quick
interview with the broadcasting kids, a pair of 6th grade girls.
They asked me and the young teacher whose desk is next to mine about things
like our birthday, what mascot characters we liked (I said Doraemon and
Rilakkuma), what the best things were about that school’s students, and what
our goal for this year was. I did my best in Japanese but threw in a little
English to help them learn!
Then, after that lunch
period, I found out some of the girls in 4th grade were reeeally
into Frozen (or Anna and the Snow Queen as they call it here) as they started
singing some of “Let it Go” in Japanese and encouraged me to also sing in
English. Damn, that song is high! Then they got more into it and one girl (who
is an interesting mix of Japanese, Filipino and Brazilian) started acting out
all the motions, even as they switched into other songs like “Do You Wanna
Build A Snowman?” and “In Summer” …her Olaf was on point! She did his little
jazzy tap section, too (“ta-ra-ta-ta-ta tata!”). Then she periodically
collapsed on the floor. Crazy young’ins!
At my biggest school,
we also talked about Frozen’s greatness,
and the homeroom teacher encouraged me to draw myself on their 6th
grade blackboard which one kid had already doodled on. I did, though I haven’t
drawn in a while and chalk is hard, but the kids were nonetheless impressed,
more than was warranted. “Umai!” (So
good!) “Niteru!” (It looks like you!)
Someone said my style was like Osamu Tezuka’s—haven’t gotten that before! Then
they started doing their own versions all around it—I loved the variety of
styles, so I ran down to grab my phone for a picture. Side note: I’m loving
this iPhone, can’t believe I survived until Japan without one.
Now, back to the first
week—that Sunday was a busy one, as my big school actually had class that day,
with Monday off in exchange. Thankfully I got off early after I finished
teaching 3 classes and rushed up to an international potluck in a lovely park
north of town. It was a little drizzly and cold, but thankfully there was
plenty of shelter. The sakura were
still in full bloom there, which brightened things up a bit. The highlight of
that was getting to try dishes from various countries and hear how different
people sounded in Japanese—there’s not just one “gaijin accent.” I hung out with other ALTs and met Japanese,
Jamaican, Indonesian and Thai people. My “baked” mac and cheese was a big hit—I
did my darndest with what was available! I couldn’t find cheddar (I bought what
looked like it but turned out to be American cheese; I cried inside as I threw
it in the sauce) and my shredded cheese didn’t specify what kind, and I didn’t
have an oven, but I toasted the breadcrumb topping in the toaster oven and it
somehow worked! One of my Japanese instructors, who helped set it up, was such
a fan she asked if she could bring the rest back to finish off and return the
baking dish next class. Clearly they need some mac and cheese revolution up in
this country!
That night was my
first and only welcome party … yes I had only been invited that morning, and
yes it was around the cost of one’s firstborn child (kidding; ¥5000 or $50), but it was my
only chance and I don’t get many chances to party or bond with people, so I
YOLOed it (said ironically, of course). At the party, which was in honor of new
staff members, I found out why it was that costly…it was a lovely traditional
restaurant that had a small courtyard inside and served very high-class
old-school Japanese food. And beer, of course…though some teachers drove alone
so they had oolong tea or 0% beer. There was a funny skit by a young male and
female teacher, and I managed to get on the LINE messaging list for the house
parties that the guy has sometimes in summer. Yay social lives! Also, hilarity
ensued when some of us were trying to exchange LINE contact info and
frantically shaking phones at each other (there’s a “Shake It” feature). My
English representative was super nice and gave me a ride back home since I had
drunk a bit.
Now it’s time for
“Read Between the Lines” – a look at that famous Japanese subtlety.
What is said: “Aren’t
you cold?”
What is meant: “Why
aren’t you wearing more clothes?” (Ok, that time I didn’t really get it, since
I was wearing a blazer, dress and tights…plenty covered up!)
What is said: “Is that
enough?” (referring to my amount of lunch)
What is meant: “Teacher
are you dieting???” (one kid asked me that another time…really it was a pretty
normal amount of food, and I usually snack after school anyway)
What is said: “It
might be hard to prepare the school lunch without meat.”
What is meant: “It is
literally impossible to make anything without some form of animal remains.
You’re on your own for lunch every day. Welcome to the Japanese Hunger Games
and may the odds be ever in your favor—good luck, ya weirdo hippie!”
What is said: (email
from work) “Sometimes you have to pay some for the free drinks at school,
because sometimes teachers buy them. It’s free, but be careful about Japanese
culture….”etc. etc.
What is meant: “Your
coworker at this one school may have told you that the coffee is free during
the start of the year, but time’s up: you gotta bring your own drinks or pay
up, f***er.”
Okay these were
slightly exaggerated for comedic effect…I meant no harm!
Tune in next time for
my experiences at a tiny Kobe synagogue and a metal show in Osaka…
I'll do a big photo dump in that entry since I'm having some internet problems. Shikata ga nai / C'est la vie!
