First week over.../ "Harro!"

Still no pics I'm afraid...

I have just completed my first full week of teaching at a local junior high school.
Verdict? Not too bad actually.
It has actually made me think that teaching is do-able. I admit I had my doubts, and me not speaking any Japanese really doesn't help matters- but apart from that- I can do it. Yes- there is the brief nervous sensation that I get each and every time I walk into a class room but I am greeted so noisily by the students-
(seriously thinking of changing my name for the fun of it- even kids I haven't taught yet know my name and insist on yelling it along with "hello" or "harro" as they pronounce it) that there is nothing I can do but be noisy in return. Where has this teacher person come from?! Who is this person that stays after school to run the English club?

I already have some favourites- I know I shouldn't but I do. Like the cheeky looking boy in third grade who would mispell words deliberately much to the amusement of his classmates (and me if I'm honest). Or the captain of the English team who wants to learn real English and not the American version that they are taught in school- I was surprised that she was even aware there was a difference! Or the tiny boy with glasses in the second grade that didn't make a sound the whole class and when he did try to answer a question was sadly overlooked by the teacher. Or the girl who I am convinced must be half black- she is darker than the others and sports an afro that looks almost as unruly as mine.

Don't get me wrong- I know English is not a very popular subject- and some students make this more than clear by not writing down a single thing that is put on the board for them. It doesn't help that at least 3 of the Japanese teachers I am meant to be assisting can barely speak English themselves! But what can you do?

So yeah- the kids I can handle- the adults in the staffroom are a nother matter entirely. Since most of the staff don't speak English and I don't speak Japanese, I find the periods when I am not in the classroom drag on really slow- and in near silence for me. Not fun at all. On the upside- since I have fuck all to do for hours on end I have been working my way through the Japanese alphabets. Yes, you read that right- alphabets. It is a loooooonnngg process.

The Japanese workplace- well at least a school one is a constant buzz of activity. Teachers run in and out as though on some urgent mission. Drop something and half the room rushes over to help you pick it up. Make a mistake on an opening cermony leaflet and everyone is running to help print and fold and distribute the new ones.

And everyday the teachers and the students clean the school. I mean brooms, mops, binbags, the whole deal- in so much that there isn't really anything to clean- but they do it anyway. Everyday. It's like it is on the curriculum or something!

I have been taking notes and photos so when I finally get the internet at home- in early June I will be updating this again properly like before.

My first day at school

Hello. Today was my first day at school. I did not like it a lot because I did not know anybody and I did not know what to do.
I honestly feel that basic!
I'm skipping past cool entries about the dolls' festival I went to, and the tea ceremony, my first encounter with a Japanese old school style toilet, my shiny new Japanese mobile phone with instructions purely in Japanese and my growing appreciation for Japanese pop music; and sorry, still no pics as I'm still using a public computer that doesn't like my USB stick- but I needed to vent/update. I'll put those entries in later- with pics as soon as I can.

Today was my first high school's opening ceremony- which involved lots of long speeches in Japanese that I had to pretend I was listening to, whilst shivering in a cold gymnasium, on a stage facing all the pupils. It was scary.
Then I sat in the staffroom for several hours doing not much as there was nothing for me to do. To make things more fun, I can count the number of teachers who speak English on one hand... They then made me give a short speech in English over the P.A system that they then translated into Japanese. I hate the sound of my voice already, but I will admit I do sound beautifully English- which if you've heard me speak is a miracle in itself! Do I really have to go back on Monday?!

On the positive side I got sent home early :) but I have a sneaky suspiscion that I shouldn't get too used to it. I've already had a cheeky anklebiter grin and ask me in Japanese whether I understand Japanese- to which I replied in English- no. And I heard a girl describe me as 'kawaiee'- which means cute, as though I was a kitten or something!
On Monday and for most of next week I will be doing introductory lessons about myself- my name is Sanyu, I'm from England, my favourite colours are blue and green, etc...

This weekend I've been invited to a barbecue where there will be lots of other gaijins (foreigners)- and it co-incides with the city's cherry blossom festival (sakura), where people gather together to contemplate the beauty of the cherry blossoms and eat and drink.

This entry is a bit rambly and boring without the pics so I guess I should just stop here!