Saturday Night Live...Japan?

I just thought this was odd. Try to guess the sponsor.

Catching up yet again

This is going to be a short post mostly comprised of pictures from the last days of my training experience in Osaka. Yes, I realize we're jumping back and forth a bit but bare with me as I never claimed to be a professional blogger. So put those reading glasses away, sit back, relax and enjoy the pics!

Jo ate her salad but that doesn't mean she liked it.

Erica looks like she's enjoying her food, but alas...she did not.

JR Osaka station.

PKC class in action.

One of my stops during training. Quite rural.

At the end of the day.

Typical PKC class layout.

Gloomy day. I like the black on the left and white on the right.

Why are these still around!?

Deep teaching some of the older kids.

The "cheese tortilla" I ordered was really egg w/cheese on it.

Caught in the act.

Do work!

I can finally breathe!

Well the day has come and I've completed my two weeks of training. Like the title of this post says, I feel like I can finally breathe after two longs weeks of intense training in which sleep felt like a distant memory. I'm always posting this right away but I'll post some "catch-up" stuff after this. I just thought I'd write about this while it was fresh on my mind. We all got up early today, got dressed in our nice clothes and headed down to the Osaka main office where our trainer Konrad was waiting for us. He gave us some information on how the sales side of the company operated and then we had thirty minutes to do some last minute preparation for our test. The test was 150 questions and we had to get at least a 70% to pass. The test lasted an hour and a half and I'm happy to say that I got an 85%. Not too shabby right? Konrad's goal for us was that we all got over at least 80%, so I'm happy we could all do that for him because he's a cool dude. After the test we all had our one-on-one's with Konrad in which he was able to give us the feedback from the various trainers we worked with throughout the week as well as what he observed when we gave our demo lessons in front of him. Konrad told me a lot of good stuff and said that he saw a natural leader in me and I was the "glue" that brought my training group together. Also, he said I have this, again, natural warmness and way about me that makes people feel comfortable around me and that I already have that solid foundation built in that can take a good teacher to excellent levels. He said that a lot of people have to work hard to get at that level but that I'm already ahead of the game in that respect. Needless to say, it made me feel good. In terms of my faults, I have to be more assertive with the students in order to have better classroom management. This didn't really come as a surprise to me because I knew that during my teaching this past week. I have a hard time being confrontational and loud with people in a serious manner and it's especially a challenge for me with the kids because I don't want to cross that fine line between being assertive and being frightening. It's a work in progress for sure.

After the feedback, Konrad took us all out for Nomihodai, which is basically all you can drink for two hours for a set price, and it comes with a multi-course meal. Those that know me know that I don't drink alcohol, but I had a ton of ginger ales and I still had a good time with everyone. Mostly laughing at Thomas "the Tank Engine", one of my fellow trainees, who had about fifteen drinks. Yeah, there's more on his over-the-top consumption levels to come. After we finished Nomihodai, some of the other trainees and Konrad went out to a second bar, but Logan, Erica and I decided to head back to Takatsuki. Erica went back to the hotel and Logan and I went to the game center to play some games. So, that was my day in a nutshell, and the two weeks of Peppy boot camp are finally at an end. I get a much-deserved, if I do say so myself, tomorrow and I believe me and some others are going to Kyoto to sight-see. Should be fun. Here's some pics of today's event!

Jo (L) and Erica (R) heading back to head office after lunch.

The head office in question.

Ready to do work.

The group (from L - R): Logan, Matt, Jo, Erica, and Thomas.

I have to be a fool in every photo.

Again, I'm the only one being silly.

This is more like it.

Close-up!

Official. Konrad was like a proud papa.

Nomihodai. Konrad making a strange face and Thomas feelin' tipsy.

Blitzed Thomas.

Erica, Jo and Matt having a good time.

Ahhh Logan!

Ahhh me!

No explanation necessary.

Training and more training

I finally have some time to make a post with a little length to it, so consider that your fair warning. As I may or may not have mentioned, my schedule is quite hectic at the moment. The days are long, the information being dished out is overwhelming and the hours of sleep are far too few. So let me start at the first day of training, which took place on Monday, the 12th, after our fun day out in Nagoya.

I recall having to get up around 7:30 that Monday morning at the KTC because training started in the downstairs main room at 8:30. Everyone was required to wear, "business attire", and I decided not to wear my blazer because something told me that it would just be too much. When I went to the area where the other trainees were waiting, my suspicions were correct because out of the 27 people there, only 4 or 5 people actually wore a jacket. The scene was a bit like a cocktail party or any other event where a bunch of people that don't know each other wander around aimlessly trying to decide who to spark small-talk with and what exactly should they said. I started talking to a few guys and the next thing I knew we were being asked to step into the main room to have a seat. Now I won't bore you with too many specifics, but from there it was basically an onslaught of information about the company; administration policies, expectations, things of this nature. Our trainer, Shane, was a cool guy that didn't pull any punches and laid out everything that was expected of us and what we'd all be in for in the next two weeks. (If you really want to know specifics, just shoot me a message!) We also met Yuki, the head of company administration and Jeff (the guy who picked me up at the airport), who works out of the main office and assists new teachers in their lives outside of work as well as with first aid training of all things. After the two days of training in Nagoya, we were told that our large group would be split into three, with one group staying in Nagoya, one heading a bit North to Saitama (closer to Tokyo), and Osaka, the group I was placed in. Everything happened pretty fast, to the point where we were being sent to the train station to make our way to Osaka only thirty minutes or so after Tuesday's training session.

After our group made it to Osaka, we checked into our hotel, the Takatsuki Sun Hotel, located in...well, Takatsuki. The next day, Wednesday, we'd be heading out to our first classroom environment to meet our group trainer, Konrad. We wouldn't be dealing with any students just yet, simply meeting with our trainer to get more detailed, in-classroom training. I suppose the speed in which everything happened, and continues to happen, made it all a bit stressful because we had to navigate the train systems and make sure we got to our classrooms on time. For those unfamiliar with the train system in Japan, it's certainly efficient, but like anything else, it takes some time to get used to. My group, comprised of Peter, Thomas, Logan, Erica, Jo, Matt, and myself decided it was best to stick together and learn the ropes together. (These guys are all really awesome people and I've grown to like them all quite a bit but more on that later). We met our trainer, Konrad from Wales, and felt lucky right off the bat because he's a really awesome guy. He's pretty much our mother hen for these two weeks. We spent the day with him in training as well as Thursday but Friday was different because it was our first day venturing out on our own to observe real classrooms in operation, observing a class. I should say that even though we've been receiving a ton of information within the past week, being able to see how the classroom operates with real students is an experience nearly impossible to replicate. To trump that though, on Saturday the 17th we were scheduled to teach our first class. Everyone was a bit taken aback at how sudden it was, but if you want to swim you eventually have to put your feet in the water right? My first class was a group of about six kids that were around nine years old. For my first class, I think I did alright. It certainly wasn't perfect, and I, nor my trainer expected it to be. It was more of a way to see where I needed to improve and what my strengths are. To those that know me, the acting classes really are beneficial to me in this line of work because it's really like a one hour performance that you're putting on.

After the Saturday of teaching, we had our first day-off on Sunday, thank the heavens! I spent most of the day with my fellow trainee Logan. He's a really cool kid from Florida and we probably have the most in common out of anyone in the group. He's a gamer and skateboarder and my God, the boy can play fighting games like a champ. We're talking near-EVO good. Anyway, we went to Yodobashi Camera which is a 8-story electronics store in Umeda, Osaka that has just about anything you can think of. The 8th floor is actually all restaurants and the 5th floor rules because it's where the video games are. Logan and I ate at this place that had a menu item called, "The Mega Burger", which of course we both ordered. It's not the burger you're probably thinking but it was a meat patty (similar in consistency to meatloaf. they call it Hamburg here), cheese, pork strip, meat patty, cheese, and a sunny side egg on top. I know, awesome right? After pigging out we were on the hunt for game centers (which is what they call arcades here in Japan). First we went to Joypolis Sega which was just alright. Then it was off to Namco Land, which was better. There was a woman there playing Super SF4 arcade edition just owning everyone including Logan. When she saw she just whipped an American kid's ass, she started smiling and bowing awkwardly to us. Good times. Then we went to Taito Game Station which was really small and didn't have much for me. Basically, a day spent gaming and that's a good day indeed.

I'll post again when I have the time, but for now I'm shuttin' it down because I need some sleep. I have two classes tomorrow with ages ranging from nine to twelve. Wish me luck.

I think this was breakfast on Monday.

Certainly a lunch...a quick and easy one.

The (mostly) dreaded Natto (fermented soybeans). Not my thing.

Johnathan on the left, Yuri in the far back and part of Ben's face at a restaurant in Nagoya.

Ben (looking like a maniac), Erica, and a handsome devil at the same restaurant.

I know it's gross, but these feet have been bombed with blisters!

The back of Jo at the station upon arriving at Osaka.

My current home...Takatsuki Sun Hotel. Quaint no?

Another angle of my humblest of abodes.

Jo and Erica at McDonald's. (Jo wanted a Big Mac!)

Ah, the tall-boy Dew.

In the classroom, blasphemy. Fireworks and America in June!?

Matt (L) and Thomas at Coco Curry House.

Matt's salad...I really do take pictures of everything.

My curry with pork tonkatsu. It's so awesome.

Quick Status Update

I'm not sure how much everyone is keeping up to date with the news here in Japan, more specifically Typhoon Roke that's slowly passing by at the moment, but I'm doing alright here in case there was any concern. Granted, it's more rain in the past few days than I've experienced in my years spent in LA. Yesterday's class observations were cancelled by our Head Trainer because he was concerned that we might end up stranded at our observation locations. Over a million Japanese residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes and as you can imagine, it's pretty much all they're talking about on the news. Well, time to head out to the train station for training. Wish me luck!

At the Kentucky Cafe

Here's a quick video clip of Ben singing with that Japanese country-western dude at the Kentucky Cafe in Nagoya. Chris' face makes a cameo-appearance at the end. Pretty gutsy for a guy's first day in Japan I must say. He was nervous at first, but found his groove eventually.

Time to play catch up

When I last left you true believers I had just gotten to the KTC and was doing my best to settle in. Whether you want to succumb to it or not, jet leg is a hard thing to avoid. It may or may not affect your right away, but somehow it always manages to get you. Even though I was exhausted and felt like I could sleep for a day, I ended up only sleeping about 4 hours on Saturday night. It's a strange feeling, but I'm sure it also had to do with the fact that I was in a foreign land, and in a building with a bunch of strangers, about to start a new life. Yeah, all of those things played some part I'm sure.

So the next day, I woke up and made my way out to explore the area because it was a day-off, Sunday. I grabbed some food and made my way back to the KTC building. A guy named Peter, from Poland of all places, was sitting on the steps so I introduced myself and he seemed friendly enough. We chatted a little bit about our lives and he was off to explore Nagoya. After eating, I decided I too wanted to do some exploring but on the way out, I ran into another group of guys sitting on the front steps. There was Ben, from North Carolina, Chris, from Virginia, and Daryll from Canada. We all sat there for a while talking about our lives and our reasons for being in Japan and everyone was really cool. The strangest story, for me anyway, was Ben's. He's 33 and has always had a love for Japan and the culture, but had never stepped foot outside North America until coming over here to teach English. I thought it was a ballsy move needless to say. Turns out he wouldn't be the only one I'd meet with such a similar tale. So Chris tells me a group of them are heading out to see Nagoya castle and asked me If I'd like to go. I said, "absolutely!" Daryll, the Canadian ended up going off on his own. Another guy, Johnathan, from Portland, Oregon showed up and I started talking with him as well. Again, another really nice guy who just loves all things Japan but really has a goal to master the language. This kid is impressive and can read a butt load of kanji (Chinese characters used in the Japanese written language), so I'm certain he'll reach that goal eventually.

We all set out in the blistering, humid Nagoya sun and took the train to the check out the castle. When we got there, it was a pretty awesome sight to behold from the outside. We stood around in the shade talking for a bit with our drinks when a old Japanese man slowly started making his way towards our group. He eventually started speaking to us in English and telling us that he enjoyed studying English and tried to practice it as much as possible. Then he starts telling us all of this information on Nagoya and the castle we're standing right by. Little did we know that this guy would end up being our unofficial, unrequested, but nonetheless much appreciated, tour guide. As we went in the castle, he stuck with us, pointing out different things and telling us facts about it. It was pretty cool to see how excited this guy was about sharing his culture with a bunch of Americans. We ended up being at the castle a couple of hours. It's quite massive and there are plenty of things to look at once you're inside due to it's museum-like setup.

When we decided to part ways with Mr. Yamada (I eventually asked him his name), we decided to make our way back Hongo, the area the KTC building is in and see what the local internet cafe is like. It turned out to be a bust because you had to have a membership to use anything and no one wanted to buy a membership for a place they wouldn't be seeing anymore. On that little journey we ran into Daryll and another guy from Canada named Matt. Matt's a pretty quiet guy, but now that I've gotten to know him a little better, he's a good dude. Turns out his dad is half-Japanese and of a similar note, Chris is half-Japanese as well from his mother's side. Maybe they're getting in touch with their roots. Ben (from Team America) went off with Daryll to a place called Kentucky Cafe, a country-western themed bar/restaurant in our area, because Daryll heard that there would be live country music being played. Nutty, I know. After Chris, Jon and I went exploring a little more we decided to make our way back to the KTC where we ran into Peter again, and a girl from Canada named Erica. All of us eventually decided to make our way to Kentucky Cafe and boy, what a sight we saw. A Japanese man in full-clad country-western denim, strummin' a guitar and singing with a southern, unintelligible draw. As if that wasn't surreal enough, Ben starts talking about how he's a singer/song-writer and guitar player, which then triggers the Japanese guy to invite him up to play songs with him. Now this is Ben's first night in Japan ever and here he is up on stage singing his heart out to a crowd of country-loving Japanese. I thought it was way cool and he did a great job entertaining everybody. That wackiness was the nightcap on what served to be a pretty long and crazy day. Again, another long post, but I'm going to be playing catch up for a while.

Chris, Johnathan and Ben.

The fountain right outside the station in front of Nagoya castle.

Sure looks purty.

There it be!

There I be!

Again!

For Kevin: The Dr. made it.

As you're about to enter.

Just chillin'.

Yamada-san doin' his thing with Chris.

Your guess is as good as mine.

The view from on high.

Two times.

He-man pullin' some stone.

Chris gave it a go as well.

Looks calm, but the heat...my God the heat.

Lovely.

Yamada-san and me.

Internet cafe with the big red sign.

Country-western Japanese man.

Blurry Ben and the man.

Erica and Johnathan admire from afar.

So do Chris and Peter.

These two rock hard together.