Put on display

The end of August approaches and I thought, "hey, it's been a while since I wrote a new blog post", so here I am. Coincidentally, today is also the day that the Avengers comes out here in Japan. Pretty late on that right? I believe it's on DVD in the States next month. There doesn't appear to be much rhyme or reason behind when and why Japan releases certain movies. That being said, I'd like to go check it out if the opportunity presents itself. Other than that, I've been working per usual and spending my free time with my PS3. Work has been going quite well. It's nice to be back on the regular schedule after summer school. Everything just seems easier in relation and the work days go by fast. Monday is our monthly staff meeting and also the first day of parent observations. I'm not so nervous about the parents being there, but I have a couple of students who are troublemakers and I wonder if they'll give me a hard time during parent obs. Nothing quite like being made a fool by a child in front of a crowd of judgmental eyes. Now that's a good time!

It also continues to be hot and humid here with rain falling on a random basis. The sun is out one minute and in the next it's coming down hard. So that's what a Japanese summer is like. Having nearly put my first Japanese summer behind me, I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to the next. It's merciless. I would say, "bring on the winter!", but it sure knows how to get cold here and I'm sure I'll be bitching then too.

In my last bit of news, I'm still pondering a transfer here with the company. As you all know, I'm here in Oita. I've gotten used to things here and I've really taken to my students and just the way things are. However, you all also know I haven't always been stoked to be here in a rural area, as I've prefer a placement with a little more hustle and bustle. I'm really interested in Yokohama and that area because it's close to Tokyo and not too far from Osaka. In other words, it's a nice mid-way point for some interesting places and Yokohama itself is a bit city. In the next few months I'll ask about openings around the country and see what they say and whatever comes to pass, be sure I'll let you know.

Mayo flavored chips. Wack.

Peach flavored cereal.

Mentaiko (pollack roe) flavored chips. Strange but tasty.

Pretty sakura (cherry blossoms) by my place.

Air-crisp chips. Lame!

Hotel Kinsuen...my old friend.

Garlic puffs and chili chips mix. So awesomely good.

Keepin' it Mello on the way to class.

Summer School is officially over

Well my first summer school experience here in Japan has come to an end and boy howdy am I glad it's over. It wasn't so much the lessons themselves that wore me out, it was the schedule. I teach at three different schools and each school is two days of summer school with the NT (native teacher), that NT being me. Two days at each school isn't so bad, but when you have six lessons in each day, no lunch break, and only ten minutes in between lessons, you start feeling worn out early on. Those ten minutes in between lessons gives you just enough time to set up materials for the next lesson and maybe get a gulp of water. It's basically a teaching marathon. The summer school courses were broken up into A-course, B-course and C-course with A-course students being the youngest and their parents attend the lesson with them. For the most part, these lessons went well but at one of my school's, the parents had the look of statues and it made for an uncomfortable lesson. I did my best to act like they weren't even there but every time I made eye contact with them, they looked less than impressed. But who really knows what they were thinking because almost no one emoted! Not to mention, this particular classroom isn't that big and with the students and their parents there, it made for a really hot, crowded environment. However, I barreled through and found that most of my lessons were quite enjoyable and I had a good time with the kids in class. The months leading up to summer school were filled with a lot of prep, hype and stress on making it a success and looking back I feel like all the hullabaloo over it was a bit unwarranted.

In other news, I finally broke my video game sobriety and bought a white Playstation 3. Now, those of you that know me know that I don't care much for the PS3 and I'm quite content with my Xbox. However, being here in Japan, it doesn't take long to take notice of the fact that the Xbox is the red-headed little bastard stepchild of video gaming and it's hard to find products and support for it. Especially in the small area that I'm in! So when in Rome, you buckle under the pressure and get yourself a Sony product. Right now I have Street Fighter x Tekken and Batman: Arkham City. I have to admit, it feels really good to be playing console games again and it definitely gives me that feeling of home and comfort that I sometimes feel is missing from my life here. That may sound silly to some, but what can I say; I'm a gamer.

I've been watching the Olympics when I get the time and it's interesting to watch the Olympics being covered from a nation other than your own. I've only ever watched the Olympics from the American perspective back in the States, so it's been interesting to see how and what Japan on during these games. All I'll say at the moment is - South Korea knocked England out of soccer!? Are you kidding me!?

Parent observations are coming up at the end of this month so I have to start thinking of ideas in which to entertain the parents and kids as they do classes together. It feels like I just had them, but that could just be the fact that time is flying by at insane speeds. I have a week off for Obon but I'm without any plans. I may just end up sitting around playing video games so that operation: pay 'dem bills remains active. My 32nd birthday is coming up in a month and that just seemed to have come out of nowhere. Start sending your presents now!

My friend M made me cookies.

Pizza party!

The gates open for me.

Waiting for my Western-style food.

Chili con queso.

Helped to bring Christianity to Japan.

Spam sushi and salad.

Some fruity alcohol drink. Not for me.

Legit.

Some sour, blue McFlurry.

I'm happy because ramen awaits.

It's glorious.

How long has it been?

Too long, that's how long it's been! So what's new in the land of Japan? Well for me, not that much. Surprise, surprise. I'm still working my butt off but on the brighter side of things, I'm no longer having to cover for other teachers at their schools! Yay! We actually got some new teachers and that's great news not only for their respective schools, but for me as well because I'm tired of being the go-to-guy for covering. I think Richard is still doing alright up north, having taken over for Marty. As for the newest addition to the native teacher family, we have Spencer from North Carolina. Big round of applause. She did indeed take over residence in Ruki's old apartment and I was able to show her around the local vicinity on her second day here. I guess I was paying forward the kindness Ruki showed me when I first got here. It's all so intimidated and overwhelming when you're the new foreigner in town, that it really does help to have a friendly face, speaking your language. She seems to be getting along well enough and today is her first day teaching on her own at what is one of her new schools. Best of luck to her. I gave her plenty of advice, having covered at this school, so I hope she goes in there with a bit more confidence.

Other than that we had our big CM (combined meeting), which is where all the native and Japanese teachers get together to "bond", discuss and prepare all things related to summer school. Everyone, including the Japanese teachers, had to give a summer school demo, which is fifteen minutes in length, followed by five minutes of feedback from the peers in your group. I was in group 2, being the only native teacher, and had to go first at the top of the day. Everyone else in other groups have demos going on so it's a lot to focus on what you're doing and block out the noise coming from other groups. Add to that the fact that they gave me almost no prep-time before my demo and you had me looking like a sweaty mess. I was proud of myself for having covered all the parts of my lesson, but I rushed through it (being paranoid of the time) and I was sweaty. Not too bad I reckon. I was actually happy to go first because that meant I could just relax the rest of the day while everyone else stressed over their demos. We also had some various, fun activities that helped the bonding process and overall, I actually found it to be a fun meeting. I didn't expect I'd feel that way! I also got to meet Anthony, who is going to be the new PS (performance supervisor) for us NT's starting in August. He's a really friendly guy from what I could tell and he watched my summer school demo. He could've busted my balls, but he didn't, so that gave me a good vibe. We'll see how he is in future meetings and of course I'll report back. ;-)

My friend, that I mentioned I enjoyed speaking with these days, also was kind enough to pay me a visit this weekend! I was really happy that she was willing to make the trip, short as it may be (that's not the point), and I had a great time hanging out with her. I'm pretty sure we both ate too much though and I'll have to watch my belly over the next week. I swear, eating is the easiest thing to do when you have free time. Tomorrow, it's back to the real-world and back to teaching. I'll be covering for Richard up in Nakatsu, but only for the one day and luckily it's some of his better kids on Tuesday. Then it's office days on Wednesday and Thursday, capped off with a teaching day at Rachel's school on Friday. Not too bad cause I need the office day's for summer school prep. Summer school is just around the corner and my schedule is total madness as some days are six hours straight with no break. Sometimes I swear this job is trying to break me. (Lee)

Baldy-locks and the three bears.

Meat sauce flavored taco ships.

Vanilla Oreo soft cakes.

Orange sauce Calpis. Tasty!

Yeah, we're cool like that.

The old crew.

Leave it to me...to ruin a photo!

Is his days of covering over!?

That's what you might ponder to yourself after hearing about all the covering I've been doing here since the beginning of the year. I just finished up a full week at one of Ruki's old schools yesterday and I'm really hoping that's the last bit of covering I'll be doing for awhile. I'm thinking that because on July 10th there will be a new NT moving in (no word yet if it's in Ruki's old apartment), and she'll be taking over Ruki's schools. Yay! The new teacher is from America (Go USA!) and that's all the details I have. This past week we also had a staff meeting on Wednesday and I was able to meet the other new NT that came in and took over Marty's old schools. The new guy is Richard, from Manchester, England and he's pretty cool from what I can tell. I don't think he's too happy with his placement and where he's living but as they say, them's the breaks. I just hope these new teachers stick with it past the bumpy transitional period because if they retreat, that leaves me and the other NT's in a crappy spot.

So classes this past week went quite well. The new teacher is fortunate to be taking over there. From my experience, it has no real "trouble" classes, aside from that one on Friday where the girls just give attitude for no reason other then they think they're being cool. But hey, one class out of sixteen for the week is pretty sweet. I've also been a bit under the weather this past week. I can't really say what it is, but I've just been uncomfortable with the occasional headache, bout of nausea and fatigue. The humidity isn't doing much for my condition either. Maybe my body just isn't transitioning very well into Japan's brutal summer. I'm trying to lay off spicy foods and carbonated drinks (as best I can) because I'm getting a lot of heartburn as well. Basically I'm a mess. However, I'm hoping this is a passing thing.

In other news though, I've found someone that I really enjoy talking to. She's incredibly sweet and in line with me mentally on a lot of things and most important of all is that she's lifted my spirit at a time when I really needed it and has become a person that I just look forward to. I'm not saying we're in love or anything that serious, but it's definitely in the air and I'm excited about the potential and possibilities of what may be next. We'll see what happens.

Ethnic Bros. Mexican restaurant.

Ruki and Rachel.

How bout these tortilla chips?

Bueno!

The mega burrito.

Old dude's house he turned into a cafe.

Complete with reading section.

Cozy.

A Mid-Week Blog Post!? What the!?

In rare fashion, I've decided to make a post on a Tuesday. I usually wait until my day off, or the weekend to write something up but it's been a while since my last update and I have some time to kill. I got home this morning around 10am from my hotel stay in Usuki. As most of you know, I have a hotel night during my Usuki week on Tuesday nights. I get up at 8am on Wednesday morning to take the 9:03 train back to my apartment because hotel check-out time is at 10am and my first class on Wednesday doesn't start until 6:15. Can you imagine sitting around the classroom for nearly 7 hours? I don't even need that much time for a weeks worth of class preparation. So when I got back to my place this morning I just wanted to take a shower first thing. I don't shower at the hotel because I don't make enough time for it in the morning, I don't like showering at night, and I don't pack a change of clothes for my hotel stays. Now you know all my dirty little secrets...well almost all of them. An extra set of clothes would just equate to a heavier travel load, which I'm definitely not looking for. Anyway, I go to take a shower and there's no water. Imagine my shock and anger. Then I recalled getting a letter shoved in the crack of my door sometime last week. I thought, "ah-ha! It must've had something to do with this lack of water". I check out the paper (still had it...you know what a packrat I can be), and sure enough it says the water would be shut off this morning from 9am to 11am. A minor inconvenience all in all. I remember back in LA, they apartment building I was in would shut the water off REGULARLY and it would be an all-day affair.

My classes yesterday (on Tuesday Usuki hotel night), are my least favorite of the week as well. My first class is a headache because they run around yelling and fighting each other. There is a chemistry problem going on there. However, I may have cracked the code with these young-uns. I'm thinking they just need to be active constantly, throughout the hour. Idle hands being what they are. The normally angry boy, Asahi, was fine because he knew we'd be playing some dodgeball at the end of the lesson. You have to lure them like fish from time to time you see. Don't look too much into that analogy. After that I have an hour break and then there are my teen classes. These kids aren't bad but they're just so dang quiet! It's like pulling teeth to get them to speak up. I incorporated some good 'ol fashioned UNO into the lesson and it seemed to go over well, helping to loosen them up a bit. Thank God. Again, not my favorite day there, but I feel like I made a bit more progress with these students. We'll see what next month brings. To think, it only took 9 months for this miniscule breakthrough.

This month's schedule is pretty sweet, even with me covering at another teacher's school next week. I have weekends off for the entire month. That's pretty awesome in a job where most of the time you only get Sunday off and your other days are randomly placed. What I'll be doing with this ample time has yet to be determined though. More than likely, a return trip to Fukuoka for a taste of big-city living.

Oita.

At Kitsuki station. I just thought it looked cool.

Burn energy drink. Not too shabby!

Oita again.

Oita, one more time.

Fanta: tropical punch. Garbage.

I ride the bus sometimes.

Here's how I look doing it.

Straight up black pepper chips.

Lonely Planet...Lonely Me

For those not in the know, Lonely Planet is a company specializing in travel resources for those on the go. The second part of the post title refers to me...being lonely. It's been a few weeks since my last post and there's a few reasons for that. For one, I've been busy with work...covering at different schools, going all over Kyushu to make sure classes are covered. Secondly, my great friend Erin came from Los Angeles to visit me! Yay! She brought her Lonely Planet travel guide with her but as of today, she is on her way back to LA. Now you understand everything.

So last week I had to cover in Yukuhashi, because they don't have an NT up there. I wasn't looking forward to it because, well...I never look forward to covering classes at other schools. However, I was, more so than usual, not looking forward to covering at Yukuhashi because it has a reputation for having "difficult" classes. I translate that as unruly, monster children are running amok. For the most part, the classes were okay...just okay, but there certainly were some classes that made me think about how blessed I am to be teaching at the schools that I do have. I pretty much feel that way every time I go to cover at a different school. My students, for the most part, just seem to have it together. I'd put them up against the other schools any day, in terms of overall behavior. The worst of the week were kids who pretty much just ignore everything you're saying and only talk to each other. Most of what you say is futile and it's incredibly stressful. That school will soon have a new NT and I only hope he goes in there with the right attitude, otherwise it will eat him alive. It was a long week (Monday-Saturday) and I was truly glad it came to an end, mostly because my friend Erin arrived here in Oita the same day as my last class at Yukuhashi!

Erin's bus arrived pretty late Saturday night, around 10:30 or so, but I was there to greet her as it dropped the passengers off and it was great to see her. We didn't do much that night because we were both tired, but she certainly had a full agenda of things she wanted to do and accomplish before going home and we made it happen. I was able to hear about her fun travels in Tokyo though and I was quite envious! Sunday was spent relaxing in the morning and attending a farewell party for one of the school's NT's, Ruki. Ruki lived in the same building as me and was so friendly and welcoming to me when I arrived in Japan. We had a great time at her party, hanging out, eating and talking...I'm really going to miss her. Erin had a great time at the party as well and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed meeting all the new people in my life here in Japan. Monday, we weren't able to do much because I had to work, covering at one of Ruki's schools. Luckily it was just for the one day, leaving me the rest of the week off. Tuesday, we decided to take the train up north to the big city of Fukuoka. Marty, a former NT, met up with us along the way. We had a plan to shoot some stuff for the 4th episode of ChaChaCha and Marty volunteered to be cameraman while Erin and I did some acting. All in all, I think the footage turned out great and should be really amusing. Again, a testament to Erin's work ethic and making the show a priority even when she's on vacation. Scenes shot on location in Japan...how awesome is that? After that we relaxed by having some fun at Round 1, which is an all encompassing indoor amusement center. They have games, basketball, batting cages, etc. We also made it a point to have some Fukuoka ramen, which was pretty amazing. It was a great day and I need to make it a point to go there more often. Yesterday was spent at a big shopping mall here in Oita, called Park Place. Erin wanted to buy some stuff for people back home and I think she was happy with what she came up with. We also had sushi, which was on Erin's list of things to do while in Japan. It turned out amazing and delicious. We were both wowed by the seared eel. As Erin puts it, the sushi was, "bonafide".

I took her to the airport bus this afternoon and we said our quick goodbyes. Those are the best kind when you're an ultra-sensitive guy like me. I miss her already and I'm stricken with a strong sense of loneliness, but I know it's not forever and I know this feeling will pass. I'm appreciative of her visit and hope that she had a great time. I know I did.

Erin has arrived.

Ruki and I strike a pose.

Erin and Marty ham it up.

Erin on the train to Fukuoka.

Marty and Erin after a ChaChaCha shoot in Fukuoka.

Hakata station, Fukuoka.

Erin and Marty discuss a shot for ChaChaCha.

Erin prepares for Mario Kart 2 action!

Testing reflexes.

Marty was confused.

Hey batter, batter!

Swing, batter, batter.

At Hakata station, waiting to go home.

Yeah, that's wassup.

Marty: mind-blown after seeing Oreo sticks.

The mind-blowing snacks in question.

On the bus to Park Place Oita.

Operation sushi: success.

Legit.

Partial carnage.

Behold the majesty of seared eel. So damn good.

She was really this happy.

Pizza night!

Erin gives her classic "food-stare".