I finally found some consistent ultimate. The last weekend of April, I played at a tournament in Awaji (fully 4 hours' drive from me) with a bunch of internationals, mostly JETs, from the area; weather was terrible, especially on the first day, but we stayed at a nearby teammate's house and bbq'd on Saturday night, complete with bona fide hamburger meat imported from the states, which by itself was enough to make my weekend.
Coming up: Beach ultimate in June, and in July there's a big tournament in Tajima--I actually played in it back in '05 with some Tokyo folk, and I'm really looking forward to going back and seeing how the tourney (and by extension, ultimate in Japan) has grown.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Slow Times at Junior High
The new year started in April, and with the new year came a re-organization of curriculum. Unfortunately, this has left me without classes much more frequently than I'd like.
In part this stems from new-year activities, orientation and the like leading to canceled classes, but part of it is also just an outright reduction in my classes taught at one of my schools--I went from teaching all three grades every week to only being guaranteed to teach the 9th graders. It's especially distressing for me because this school is my favorite one, where I get along with the students really well; fortunately, I still get to eat with the students and hang out (watch and occasionally chat) during club activities after school, so all is not lost, but I'm hoping that as the year progresses I'll again have fuller days. Right now many classes are still early enough in their textbooks that the "speaking" lessons haven't cropped up yet, which is another reason my teaching volume is down--some classes I have scheduled wind up not needing me.
.'がんばっています。
In part this stems from new-year activities, orientation and the like leading to canceled classes, but part of it is also just an outright reduction in my classes taught at one of my schools--I went from teaching all three grades every week to only being guaranteed to teach the 9th graders. It's especially distressing for me because this school is my favorite one, where I get along with the students really well; fortunately, I still get to eat with the students and hang out (watch and occasionally chat) during club activities after school, so all is not lost, but I'm hoping that as the year progresses I'll again have fuller days. Right now many classes are still early enough in their textbooks that the "speaking" lessons haven't cropped up yet, which is another reason my teaching volume is down--some classes I have scheduled wind up not needing me.
.'がんばっています。
Things are Heating Up...
After a fairly rainy/cold welcome upon my return to Japan from China, Things have warmed considerably. Students are back to wearing their lighter summer uniforms after a long chilly (but not cold) winter.
I like to think of right now as the calm before the storm--the weather is bearable now; soon, when the summer hits full-bore, humidity and all, it won't be.
I like to think of right now as the calm before the storm--the weather is bearable now; soon, when the summer hits full-bore, humidity and all, it won't be.
Swine Influenza Fever
I returned from China the first Tuesday in May, had Wednesday off, and went to work as usual on Thursday. During the day, my supervisor (at the board of education) called a few times: once, to confirm whenI had gotten back; again, later, to tell me that for the sake of my elementary schools, I should take tomorrow off and not teach (my thought: you DO realize you're telling me not to go to school...while I'm at school, right? I assured him I was fine); and finally, he called to tell me that, well, since I said I was healthy, I could go to work after all.
Ridiculous. The next day at the elementaries I got a round of questioning to the effect of:
"So you went to China, huh?" (yes, it was fun)
"Did you hear about the swine flu?" (some warnings on the flight over, and a lot on the way back, yep)
"...did they test or check you at all when you got back to Japan?" (yes yes, I had to fill out a form and... [at this point I exaggerated the trouble of the process so it sounded a little more rigorous])
[to the staff, visibly relieved:] "He was checked!"
Sigh. The trouble with today's widespread information network is that it's very easy to get people into a panic. At least my middle schools have some sense; no panic there. Though I did mess with one of my students at lunch (this is the same one who thought I was Howie of BSB fame; when she asked about the flu ("pork influenza;" good vocabulary!) I feigned a few coughs and got a rise out of her before I assured her I was joking.
This is to say nothing of how much things have escalated in the 3-week interim; more on that in another post.
Ridiculous. The next day at the elementaries I got a round of questioning to the effect of:
"So you went to China, huh?" (yes, it was fun)
"Did you hear about the swine flu?" (some warnings on the flight over, and a lot on the way back, yep)
"...did they test or check you at all when you got back to Japan?" (yes yes, I had to fill out a form and... [at this point I exaggerated the trouble of the process so it sounded a little more rigorous])
[to the staff, visibly relieved:] "He was checked!"
Sigh. The trouble with today's widespread information network is that it's very easy to get people into a panic. At least my middle schools have some sense; no panic there. Though I did mess with one of my students at lunch (this is the same one who thought I was Howie of BSB fame; when she asked about the flu ("pork influenza;" good vocabulary!) I feigned a few coughs and got a rise out of her before I assured her I was joking.
This is to say nothing of how much things have escalated in the 3-week interim; more on that in another post.
Labels:
elementary schools,
students,
swine influenza,
work
A Golden Week in China
Another JET and I went to China over Golden Week (a series of days off in close proximity to each other in Japan--it doesn't QUITE reach a week, but we covered the gap with a couple vacation days). We entered and departed through Hong Kong (where you can get a visa for mainland China with about a day's turnaround), with stops in Guangzhou, Xi'an, and Beijing on the itinerary as well. Notable stops included the Terra Cotta Warriors in Xi'an (and the ensuing haggling for small miniatures and souvenirs--at one point, without us even trying, a hawker bid himself down from 180 quai to 30 quai [~$30 to ~$10] as we walked by, merely browsing), and the obligatory trip to the Great Wall of China.
My friend Crank (check out his blog recapping our visit!) lives in Beijing currently, so getting to visit him was also a big highlight--I haven't seen him in a couple years, and given that I haven't seen any Dartmouth folk for a while it was really refreshing to spend a couple days with one of my favorites.
If you want more details, a vaguely slide-show-esque recounting can be found in picture form online.
My favorite, from the great wall (click for full size):
My friend Crank (check out his blog recapping our visit!) lives in Beijing currently, so getting to visit him was also a big highlight--I haven't seen him in a couple years, and given that I haven't seen any Dartmouth folk for a while it was really refreshing to spend a couple days with one of my favorites.
If you want more details, a vaguely slide-show-esque recounting can be found in picture form online.
My favorite, from the great wall (click for full size):
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
A Grand Entrance
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).
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).
Labels:
elementary schools,
school,
students
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
