Entrance ceremony is not so different from closing--dress is less the serious, black with white tie, more color (it being spring and all), but still the parents in the back (fewer tears), still lots of speeches, still lots of "stand up" "bow" "sit down" action (averaged a good eight instances of this at entrance; graduation was ridiculous, definitely over a dozen).
Knowing all the new 7th graders from teaching them in elementary school made it really fun to watch all the proceedings. Somehow most of the students were still surprised to see me there, even after I'd told them all at our last classes that I'd see them in junior high school. I won't be teaching them right off the bat (they want to get all their fundamentals down with reading, etc first) but I'm really looking forward to seeing them all in the halls at school (and getting to know the newbies at my other school next week).
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spring Break (Woo!)
...I didn't actually do much.
The first week of spring break I wound up putting up a couple guests at my place--I've registered for a site through which you can find and connect with people who are willing to put up travelers for a night, show them local sights, etc. Being one of the few foreigners in my part of Japan (and perhaps the only one registered on this particular site), I've gotten a few requests but this was the first one I could answer affirmatively. They were a couple French travelers, who'd spent two months doing organic farming in New Zealand (for those of you familiar with the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, that was it) and were spending another in Japan traveling before returning back home. I was pretty hesitant at first--after all, I'm taking a couple strangers into my home--but they were very nice and I actually really enjoyed the chance to play the role of guide, showing off my local knowledge and putting my Japanese skills to good use (they couldn't speak any).
The ensuing week (+change) had me going to the aforementioned farewell banquet, but mostly doing a LOT of housekeeping. I did a quick bang-up job before my guests arrived and at one point one jokingly commented that my home was "very much a young man's house." Other exciting ventures: taxes, financial aid paperwork.
Unfortunately, my grand visions of plentiful travels with the other JETs were dashed by the realization that, unlike me, who gets to chill at home, most JETs are forced to show up to work by their BOE--with no students there, there's very little to do. Some will take vacation days then, but we only have so many so a lot choose to grin and bear it. Overall, though, I had a very restful spring break, and I've returned to school for the new year with a renewed energy, in part due to the gorgeous weather, in part due to the excitement of having new people around again.
The first week of spring break I wound up putting up a couple guests at my place--I've registered for a site through which you can find and connect with people who are willing to put up travelers for a night, show them local sights, etc. Being one of the few foreigners in my part of Japan (and perhaps the only one registered on this particular site), I've gotten a few requests but this was the first one I could answer affirmatively. They were a couple French travelers, who'd spent two months doing organic farming in New Zealand (for those of you familiar with the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, that was it) and were spending another in Japan traveling before returning back home. I was pretty hesitant at first--after all, I'm taking a couple strangers into my home--but they were very nice and I actually really enjoyed the chance to play the role of guide, showing off my local knowledge and putting my Japanese skills to good use (they couldn't speak any).
The ensuing week (+change) had me going to the aforementioned farewell banquet, but mostly doing a LOT of housekeeping. I did a quick bang-up job before my guests arrived and at one point one jokingly commented that my home was "very much a young man's house." Other exciting ventures: taxes, financial aid paperwork.
Unfortunately, my grand visions of plentiful travels with the other JETs were dashed by the realization that, unlike me, who gets to chill at home, most JETs are forced to show up to work by their BOE--with no students there, there's very little to do. Some will take vacation days then, but we only have so many so a lot choose to grin and bear it. Overall, though, I had a very restful spring break, and I've returned to school for the new year with a renewed energy, in part due to the gorgeous weather, in part due to the excitement of having new people around again.
Labels:
spring break,
talking,
Tottori
year ends, teachers transfer.
In contrast to graduation, a big, formal proceeding, the actual end of the school year was much more of a whimper than a bang--no formal dress, just students and teachers in the gym for a short speech from the principal.
The biggest deal about the year end is the teacher transfers. As I was in Taiwan the week before, I hadn't found out about any of my schools, but the one I went to the following week had 5 teachers leaving, most of whom I was acquainted with to some extent but nobody I had a terrible affection for (the one I liked most of them was actually transferring to my other school, which was convenient).
However, as I found out at the farewell banquet for my other school as spring break started, I was losing my favorite teacher! She was one of my co-teachers, and probably the most fun to work with--we taught the same graduates who I got to know and who wrote me messages, which were compiled in book form by her. Really enhanced my experience so far, but now she's transferring to the Other School in my town (where I don't work) and I'm definitely worse for it.
The biggest deal about the year end is the teacher transfers. As I was in Taiwan the week before, I hadn't found out about any of my schools, but the one I went to the following week had 5 teachers leaving, most of whom I was acquainted with to some extent but nobody I had a terrible affection for (the one I liked most of them was actually transferring to my other school, which was convenient).
However, as I found out at the farewell banquet for my other school as spring break started, I was losing my favorite teacher! She was one of my co-teachers, and probably the most fun to work with--we taught the same graduates who I got to know and who wrote me messages, which were compiled in book form by her. Really enhanced my experience so far, but now she's transferring to the Other School in my town (where I don't work) and I'm definitely worse for it.
Himeji Safari
Right after I got back from Taiwan (literally right after--I took an overnight bus back from Osaka, took the morning train home, and didn't have time to do much more than change clothes before I set off again), I joined a couple other JETs for a day trip to Himeji. Some of you may know Himeji for its castle--very majestic, the only castle in Japan that has remained standing through the years (though others have been re-built), but it also has a nearby amusement park (shades of Spirited Away--"an old amusement park. They built them by the dozens back in the early '90s."), complete with ice skating rink (!) and safari zoo (!!).
It's always kind of surreal seeing elephants and the like when you're not in their native country, but especially so when spring has yet to fully hit and there are still copious bare trees and cold weather.
Overall, a little tacky, but a little nostalgic too--we did pass on the roller coasters and the like though, having had much better in the American equivalents.
It's always kind of surreal seeing elephants and the like when you're not in their native country, but especially so when spring has yet to fully hit and there are still copious bare trees and cold weather.
Overall, a little tacky, but a little nostalgic too--we did pass on the roller coasters and the like though, having had much better in the American equivalents.
Labels:
amusement park,
Himeji,
pictures
Tai-wha?
After graduation we had a couple awkward weeks before the term ended properly--the 9th graders had already graduated, meaning 1/3 of the school was missing, and the remaining 7th and 8th graders had copious tests (the 9th graders of course had their equivalents shortly before graduation, including the all-important entrance examination, which determines what high school(s) they can attend). I found myself with a LOT of down time at work, even compared to usual.
Enter Ludi, my sister from another mister (sorry). My spring break came a little later than most in America, and she happened to be on break and visiting family in Hong Kong--taking a brief trip through Taiwan in the middle. Given that I'm already in East Asia I took off a few days to join her and had a swell time, seeing the sights in Taipei, along with her brother an uncle, and making an awesome bike trek though the Taiwanese (Democratic Chinese?) countryside for a couple days.
If you're interested in photos, you can either check the highlights on facebook or the full dump on Picasa.
Enter Ludi, my sister from another mister (sorry). My spring break came a little later than most in America, and she happened to be on break and visiting family in Hong Kong--taking a brief trip through Taiwan in the middle. Given that I'm already in East Asia I took off a few days to join her and had a swell time, seeing the sights in Taipei, along with her brother an uncle, and making an awesome bike trek though the Taiwanese (Democratic Chinese?) countryside for a couple days.
If you're interested in photos, you can either check the highlights on facebook or the full dump on Picasa.
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