jk- I'm really in Santiago, Chile...

birthday fun

2010-11-07T19:19:00.003-03:00

My poor liver...Friday, Kate Tosh & I decided to have Friday FUNday on the roof of Kate's new apt building. Tosh made salmon with curry rice w/ asparagus (so good) and after devouring that, we went up to the roof to catch some sun & drink some beer..well, some beer turned into a 24 pack. whoops! =)

Then, Saturday was my birthday party. I'm going to be in Pucon for my actual birthday, so we celebrated this weekend. The weather was gorgeous- nice & hot. We went to La Piojera- a massive dive bar that has terremotos (wine, pineapple ice cream, and some other liquor). After 1 you're drunk, 2 is usually a good limit to stop at, but I went for 3 1/2 or 4. Big mistake--the end of the night wasn't fun(and by "end of the night" i mean 6pm hahaha), but the afternoon definitely was & it was totally worth it. I was really surprised how many people came out to help me celebrate/get drunk. The entire bar sang me happy birthday, and I was constantly referred to as "la reina" because of the bday crown tosh had gotten me. =) It was an amazing day, with good friends & delicious drinks (although, the thought of one right now makes my stomach lurch) It was the best birthday party I've had in years...here are a few pix- the rest are on the 'book. We've all been playing a game of "when was this- i don't remember that...what happened..." today...signs of a great party. =P

Today (Sunday) has been a bit rough- but by noon things were on the up & up. It's been raining since then - idk what is up with this weather!!!, the Chargers won!!! woohoo! and the hangover is gone. =) Thursday night: Karla and I leave for Pucon, Friday: I'm twenty-five, Monday: we get back, and Thursday: I'm on a plane back to the USofA. Crazy.

Sept 11th

2010-09-12T15:55:00.003-04:00

I found 9/11 to be very interesting this year. In the U.S., people spend the day remembering the attacks on the Twin Towers. It's a peaceful, rather somber day, as the nation pays homage to the lives that were lost back in 2001.

In Chile however, 9.11 holds a different meaning and a different attitude altogether. In 1973, Pinochet led a military coup overthrowing the democratically elected Allende, thus beginning his 17 year reign. We received emails from work, warning us that this day is traditionally not the most peaceful-for obvious reasons. Protest groups often turn violent, so we were cautioned to stay away from any demonstrations. As I went out for my morning jog, police were stationed on every street corner, ready for whatever protests/trouble this year might hold. The day was gray, and knowing how tear gas-happy the police are here, I didn't see any need to venture out unnecessarily. Unfortunately, one of my friends had to work, and on her way home, she was attacked by 4 men in altered states. {Luckily, she thought quickly & was able to escape the situation unharmed (apart from psychological trauma) with the help of a good samaritan.} While I can't say whether these men were fucked up because of the date, or just by mere coincidence, this incident doesn't help refute the bad reputation that this day holds here in Chile.

It's strange because both countries have experienced these emotionally charged tragedies but their ways of coping with them are so diabolically different. It was just really fascinating to compare how these two nations, who have struggled with coming to terms of what has happened to them, have dealt with their situations, and just how different their paths of reconciliation have (or haven't) been.

2010-09-12T15:24:00.002-04:00

Okay, it's been awhile. Here's what's gone down in the past month:

*The weather has been fabulous, then not so fabulous. Some weekends are super sunny, in which we find ourselves sprawled out on the balcony soaking up as many rays as humanly possible. Others are rainy and cloudy (like this weekend), which prompt us to light the estufa, bundle up & watch a lot of tv while sipping on some Instant Nescafe flavored coffee.

* A little under a month ago, I went to Valle Nevado with Tosh. We snowboarded until our legs wouldn't support us anymore. The weather was gorgeous, the snow was great, and the slopes were empty. It really couldn't have gotten any more perfect. We went up on a Friday, packed our backpacks with sandwiches, snacks, drinks and fully charged ipods, and spent hours carving down the mountain. I probably boarded the best I ever have, and was able to hold my own against Tosh (who is an amazing snowboarder). The escape from the city was exactly what I needed. Most aptly named run "Chao smog". It was great to breathe some fresh air, and just have a day to let loose, and forget about the city life that dwelled some 5000 meters below.

* It's been pretty mellow the past month. We've kept close to home, if not at home- when drinking. It's just so much cheaper and more comfortable. Everyone's been pretty tight on money lately. My classes have cancelled at lot, or have ended, so it's been rough on the budget. Unfortunately, things aren't looking any better (they're actually getting worse), so it will be an interesting 2 months.

* 2 months? Yes, 2 months, because then I am on a big jet plane on my way back to California. I decided to come home for the holidays, and to take the CBEST/CSET so I can apply to the teaching credential program at SDSU in the Fall of 2011. I'm taking the 3 pre-req classes online, and will do all of the other miscellaneous stuff while I'm home. It is going to be a jam-packed trip home, but I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't been home for Thanksgiving since 2007, and the thought of missing Mexico made my soul ache. =)

* Since my classes are finishing up, I now have 3 day weekends. So, this past Friday, Tosh, Kate & I went out to Isla Negra. It's about an hour and half out of the city. There's not a lot there except for Pablo Neruda's house and a beach. We forewent the house (I saw the one in Stgo, and while it was cool- I couldn't be bothered to see another one) and spent the day on the beach, soaking up the sun when it decided to come out from behind the clouds. I felt like I was in NorCal - the water looked just like Monterray... It's crazy how much Chile resembles California. We were there for an afternoon: we picnicked, peed behind rocks, and stared out aimlessly into the ocean. Very relaxing and serene.

This week is a short week. The 18th-21st is a big public holiday, where everything will be closed apparently- even the grocery stores. I'm going with Valeria, Claudia, Maite & their pololo's to Algorrobo for 5 days/4 nights. It's actually pretty close to Isla Negra. We're renting a house near the beach, and will just be there to partake in all of the local festivities...dancing, drinking, eating. I can't wait! It should be interesting...luckily they all speak English, so they can translate when I don't understand what the heck is going on!!

besos!

Fri the 13th? so far so good... =)

2010-08-13T15:58:00.003-04:00

The past week and a half has basically consisted of teaching 1 or 2 classes a day (it's super slow right now), drinking & shooting hoops in the park. Played beer pong for the 1st time in like 2 years, and killed it. Like riding a bike ;) haha. Went to the immigration offices last Friday and got all my paperwork in order for my Chilean ID. Now all I have to do is go back on the 18th and pick it up. Saturday had a small shindig at the apt followed by dancing in Bellavista. Brittaney had just come back from Peru that day, but she was a champ and rallied & came out with us. The weather has been gorgeous, so Michelle & I have made it out to the park a few times and shot the bball around. It's so nice to finally be able to spend some time outside and not freeze! Wednesday was Zach's last day, so some peeps came by for dinner. Wasn't so much a dinner as it was a shitshow (we had gone to piojera at like 330 and had somehow decided it was a good idea to keep drinking from that point on...) Luckily at some point, the decision was made to switch to water, and by some miracle- when Thursday came, I was hangover free. (Which I was extremely thankful for since I had to be up at 6am for work!)

Today is hot. Like, it's actually hot. It's wonderful. Had class, followed that up with an always delicious sushi lunch at Kintaro with Victoria & topped it all off with a piece of chocolate cake from Lider. =) Bring on the weekend!!

sidenote: soooooo over French roommates. Is it the end of August yet?!

nube nueve

2010-08-04T17:17:00.002-04:00

So, today has been an amazing day. Why? Well...

*I was able to schedule my TWO & A HALF HOUR class 30 mins earlier to accommodate my lunch plans.

* The aforementioned class went by really fast. Luckily, that class hasn't been the death of me yet! ((I really enjoy it & like my student a ton, but 2.5 hrs a day, 5 days a week is intense))

* Femi & I were treated to an incredible sushi lunch by Daniela- a student we co-taught. We all cracked up as we tried to explain certain things in our non-native language. Needless to say, this resulted in some great Spanglish.

*After lunch, I found ~well bought, I'm not Gramps- ha!~ a new pair of anteojos del sol. $15 bucks. =) I finally won't be blinded anymore when the sun comes out (which it has been doing a lot of lately!!)

*This weekend is looking extremely promising- I can drink again since I'm not on antibiotics anymore!! woohoo!!

*My 7:30am class is going to be cancelled, so I don't have to wake up at 6 tomorrow!

..and most importantly...

* Prop H8te was overturned today!!!!!!!!! At least the CA courts had the sense to realize the unconstitutionality of the whole thing, even if the "majority" of Californians don't.

What a fabulous day! :)

Amigdalitis

2010-07-29T21:44:00.003-04:00

So last time I wrote, Chile was getting the best of me. I caved, went to the doctors and walked out $120 poorer (tonsillitis-yipee!). However, I was pleasantly surprised at how efficient the whole hospital experience was. I walked in, and on the ground floor there are a bunch of receptionists. You talk to them, tell them what's wrong, and then they determine which floor you should go to, depending on your ailments. I was to be sent up to floor 9, but there were no available appointments right away, so I was given a slip w/ the name of a doctor and told to come back at 3:30. I went back around 3ish, went to the 9th floor where you take a number (they love those suckers here). Your number gets called, you check in and pay your doctor visit fee (60 bones for a one off visit). Then you sit back down and wait to be called by your doc. There were like 13 different rooms/physicians. At nearly 330 on the dot, my appointed doctora calls my name and I go back. It was a super quick exam: blood pressure, temp check (old fashioned glass under the arm), then she checked my throat and after exclaiming "aaah si, esa es el problema" (no shit sherlock) I was dressed & out the door with my prescription for my antibiotics in hand! If I had a Staples "Easy" button, I would've pressed it. Right across the street was the pharmacy, showed them my slip & got my meds (another 60 down the drain) and I was on my way back home for a week of rest.

So, in the past 3 days I've drunk an insane amount of tea, watched a few movies, caught up on a few tv shows, sudoku-d, surfed the Internet (ie, spent a ridiculous amount of time on facebook) and that's about it. haha. Here's to 2 more days of antibiotics & tea & laziness!

en serio?

2010-07-25T19:34:00.002-04:00

Okay Chile. You win. I lose. again. for like the 3rd or 4th time. That's right folks, I am sick again. At least each time is slightly different, I appreciate the variety. The first few times were head colds. Stuffy noses, nasty coughs that lasted weeks... well, that lasted until the next cold took hold. It seems to be a never ending cycle. One week sick, one week healthy. This time around, I feel decent except that my throat is on fire every time I swallow or eat. Looking at the bright side of things, since it's just my throat/neck that is in extreme pain, I don't foresee passing out on the metro! :) {that count is at 2 thus far} I'm washing my hands, trying my hardest to not touch the poles & handrails, avoiding the hackers on the bus/metro...but to no avail apparently. Yes mom, I'm gargling with salt water and drinking lots of liquids to try to get bettah asap.

Despite Chile's best efforts to keep me locked in my room with disease, this weekend was a ton of fun. We've all been a little hard-pressed for pesos, so I bought a deck of cards and we've been having Speed competitions the past few days. Needless to say, I've been dominating. Guess all those years of playing in Mexico when we were 8 & 9 have paid off! After cards Sat. night, we went out to the clubs in Bellavista. (I figured I could stay at home and feel like shit, or I could go out and have fun, get drunk, and not really be able to tell I felt terrible, so using my excellent logic & reasoning skills, I decided on the latter.) We danced. and danced. and then danced some more. It was a great night & I can't remember the last time that we were all out together having that much fun.

Today was a fabulously gorgeous sunny day. And it was surprisingly warm outside. I spent a few hours on the balcony listening to music and watching the families & stray dogs play in the park across the street. Bought some 'little cowboys' for dinner (cabellitos - they're the super tiny noodles like what Lipton soup makes) and am now relaxing with my tea waiting for our new roommate to return with her luggage. We have another Frenchie for a one month stint apparently. She had looked at the apt earlier today, however, we were all caught off guard when the buzzer went off at 8pm and she was here to move in. Notice or a heads up from landlords? ha. Yeah right, this is Chile after all. Get serious.

2010-07-17T18:56:00.003-04:00

Things are pretty routine around here at the moment. This upcoming week I have a few classes ending, which I'm excited about. All of my roommates are going on winter break for several weeks, and I'm going to be stuck at work, but at least I'll have a lighter schedule, so maybe it will feel like a mini-vacation? I'm hoping so. Of course, the classes that I like are ending, and the one or two I could do without still have weeks to go.

We've started to have movie nights at our apartment. It's a nice alternative to going out to the "flaite" (ie- ghetto) clubs. The past 2 clubs we've been to, fights have broken out right in front of us. haha, at least it's never dull!! The past weekend we had a Sandlot/taco night followed by said flaite club and tonight we're having ice cream & Michelle is surprising us with the movie.

Even though it's winter, we've had quite a few really nice days. (during the day at least, it is freezing at night once the sun goes down!!) There is a really nice park by one of the companies I teach at, so Michelle, Ben and I have gone there and played cabello (horse in Spanish) a few times. It's nice to get out of the apt, and get a little bit of exercise/fresh air. Other than that, it's same old same old. I moved into Emma's old room. It's so much bigger than my old room, I actually have room to move! :) We think we'll get a new roommate at the end of the month, but we're not positive. That would require actual communication on our landlord's behalf - we're still waiting for them to fix the lights in our living room...3 weeks and counting now. ha!

Still haven't been snowboarding. I really want to go, and am going to try to make that happen next weekend I think. We'll see. besos!

things I saw last Friday (july 2nd):

2010-07-07T20:52:00.002-04:00

* two dogs "making puppies" as I came out of the Los Leones metro

*confetti on the street & silver tinsel in the trees- leftover from the previous weekend futbol celebrations

* 4 school girls sitting & jumping on a bent tree trying to break it

* a pack of street dogs barking at the mounted policemen in the park

* couples trying to suck the other person's face off in the park

* a man dressed in an orange jumpsuit w/ a painted face miming/panhandeling at red lights

* a man lifting his toddler to pet a horse

* 3 school kids playing in a water fountain

* a homeless man feeding the birds

* Chileans dressed up as Germans doing a polka on the steps of a fountain

when it rains...it floods

2010-06-20T17:24:00.002-04:00

So we got a TON of rain thur night/fri morning. I had to work at 8am in Providencia, and by the time I got off the metro, the streets had become mini rios. It sucked! Luckily, I had on my boots (with an inch and a half heel or so) so I managed to stay above the water for most of my 10min walk to class. UNTIL I got to the very last street. I had no choice but to forge the river, and the second I stepped off the curb, my foot sank & the water came up past my boot. Fail. I need to invest in a pair of silly rain galoshes. =)

However, lots of rain = lots of snow on the Andes. It is gorgeous. I'm going to need to start looking into weekend trips up to the mountains as it appears that the ski season is officially upon us!

Chile plays tomorrow mid-morning. Our company is throwing a breakfast party before the match. I have class at 1030 anyways, so I'm just gonna head in a bit early for free donuts & coffee!! Chi-Chi-Chi Le-Le-Le VIVA CHILE!

Wow 1 month & 10 days goes by fast!

2010-06-18T22:49:00.002-04:00

Okay well let's see. There's actually not a whole lot to report. Time has floooooown by so fast...I can't believe it's been so long since I last logged on here. Not much has changed- Monday through Friday I teach my classes. I get a lot of cancelations throughout the week due to various students being out of town on business. Unfortunately, when they cancel a scheduled class (before 5pm the day before) I don't get paid. Every now and then they'll forget to cancel ahead of time, and I get lucky because I still get my $. As you can imagine, I love it when this happens! ...speaking of love, I absolutely am loving my job. I have amazing students and I enjoy teaching all of them. (okay, okay, not all...there is 1 that I don't enjoy, but he cancels all the time which is fine by me because the class is at 7:30am one hour away from my lovely apt.) SO, this takes up the majority of my time. Every Friday I take a Spanish class. I have an awesome teacher who is super patient and I enjoy learning from. When I know that one of my classes is going to cancel, I try to schedule an extra Spanish class so that I don't have a gaping hole in the middle of my day. This also keeps me productive & prevents me from going home and sleeping even more than I already do. =)

I wish that I could say I've been having crazy adventures but that really isn't the case. I've just been in the habit of the daily grind, followed by binge drinking on the weekends. Pisco & Coke (aka Piscolas) are my drink of choice these days, and we tend to just drink at our flat since we have the most room. We went out at the end of May for Tosh's birthday party, which was costume themed. I went as a pregnant lady and that went over brilliantly! If looks could kill- the stares I got were amazeballs. Dressing up isn't something that Chileans usually do apparently, and people were having a really hard time discerning if I was really pregnant. ((For the record- my "belly" was practically square shaped from the pillow I took off our couch..it was pretty darn obvious, and it was a COSTUME party afterall)) Regardless, with my piscola in hand, the barstaff would just stare in amazement & whisper amongst themselves...some smiling uncomfortably at me with "should you be drinking?" written all over their faces. The man at the front door would help me down the 2 steps everytime, "supporting my weight". It was a hoot!!

Things here in Chile are pretty exciting at the moment though. The whole city is rallying, partying, and bursting with pride at Chile's victory over Honduras in the World Cup. It was pretty amazing to see...the game was at 7:30am here, but people took it upon themselves to start partying the night before until the game was well over, because afterall, there was celebrating to be done after the match. Cars honking, plazas filled with thousands of people watching the game on big screens the city had set up, companies hosting special breakfasts accompanied by the match. It was incredible how everyone came together & how everything stopped. There is such a positive vibe/energy to city, it's really fun to be apart of. I'll leave you with the 'national cheer' that has inundated the country as of late..."Chi-chi-chi le-le-le VIVA CHILE! "

2010-05-08T17:50:00.003-04:00

M/W:

1030-12 Private student @ Bridge

1-2:30 Private student @ BHP (a mining company)

4:45-6:15 Class (2) @ Bridge

6:30-8 Private @ Bridge

T/Th:

7:30-9 Private @ Pharmaceutical company

10:30-12 Private @ Bridge

2-2:30 Class (3 ppl) @ Orica (diff mining company)

5-6:30 Class (2) @ Bridge

6:30-8 Class (5) @ Bridge

10:30-12 Private @ Bridge

2-3:30 My Spanish Class I'm taking

So this is my new schedule. I am really enjoying all of my classes. My students are awesome, and are quite the jokesters. AND I feel like they are actually learning/comprehending what I'm attempting to teach them! I try to get up at 8 on M/W/F to go running in the park, but that doesn't always happen. =) Sometimes the snooze button is just too appealing. Not much else is new. Work takes up most of my time now... I usually have 20-30 min in between my classes after the trans-time, so I get to review/prepare for each upcoming class, so that has been nice. And each day I have a longer break in the afternoon for lunch (darn you Chile..you are forcing me to convert to your late eating schedule!)

Sadly, the revival of the "college" lifestyle is over, as the 'real world' has beckoned once again. Even though it can be exhausting, I'm really enjoying it & am getting a hang on teaching adults. And, on the rare off day, there's always a bottle of cheap, delicious Chilean wine waiting. ;) Besos!

Cajon de Maipo

2010-05-02T15:34:00.003-04:00

Saturday, a group of 9 of us went to Cajon de Maipo to go hiking in the Andes just outside of the city. I can't believe that it was my first time getting out of Santiago, but it was nice to escape for the day and just be in the mountains. We took the metro to the end of the line, and then took a bus from there to the hills. The bus was 800 pesos one way ($1.50)- so cheap, easy & direct!! We got out there and walked until we found a cheap place to start climbing. People have set up gates and charge 'entrance fees' to climb... how they have claimed that chunk of land and can charge some arbitrary price is beyond me, but it was only 500 pesos (compared to others who charge 3000) so it didn't really matter. There was no clear trail, and while it was steep, I liken it to hiking Cowles, only with lots of pricker bushes/branches that like to jump out and grab you and steep inclines in sand/soft dirt. When we got to the top- well, as far as we could go (not the top by any means..it is the Andes after all...) we had lunch & rested ontop of the boulder. There were quite a few people rock climbing - no thank you!, and in true Chilean fashion, there were tons of stray dogs even out there on the hills that would follow you & beg for food. One really loved Kate, and climbed onto her lap...cute, but grungy! ick. On the way back, we stopped to get some empanadas.. there are tons of little family 'stands' along the road selling fresh baked bread & empanadas. omg- they were delicious!! So tasty, it's a shame that we can't find some like that here in the city!!

That night, Brittaney and I went out to eat - Chinese food...it was so-so, really finding that Chilean food is pretty bland, even when they attempt other cuisines.. We then went out to a bar that is a block from our apt. They had excellent drinks for cheap (well, cheaper than in the US...3 cocktails for 15usd) and when we got back, Kate & Tosh had gotten home and we all celebrated Emma's 20th birthday.

I now have 9 classes that I teach. I can't believe how busy I am now, and it all happened so fast- in this past week really. This next week will be exhausting, but I like all of my students so far, so classes are enjoyable. I'm sure the 2 new classes this week will be similar =)

Woke up to another earthquake this morning... a 5.8 Nothing really- just a bit of shaking for maybe a minute. I rarely feel them, but this one woke me up. They're not scary, but you always kinda wonder, is it going to stop or get stronger-- do i need to get in a doorway or not. ha. So that's the latest from Santiago! much love! xx

Rant

2010-04-25T14:34:00.003-04:00

One of the things that I can't STAND about Chile is the fact that everyone and their dog smokes here. Inside, outside - i swear they'd smoke on a treadmill. The stench is so overbearing- especially in confined places...and with so many ppl doing it, there's no way to avoid it, I'm constantly surrounded by it & I'm sick of having smoke being blown right in my face ( a downside of being tall in a land of short people- when they blow their smoke "up", it's right into my nostrils! ) In Japan people smoked, but I swear it wasn't as bad as it is here... I don't know if the filters are different there or what- the boys would all chain-smoke and it never bothered me as much as it does here. I googled it, and you haven't been able to smoke indoors in CA for 15 years now... I never realized what a blessing that law was until now.

SECOND thing: how "unsafe" it is at night here (esp for females). After leaving the club for Val's bday, I was initially planning on just walking home, since it is literally only like 10 minutes from my apt. I know this was probably kind of dumb, but I hate feeling limited/restricted solely because I'm female...However, I got a little turned around, and asked one of the people who watch over the cars on the street (uniformed, walkie talkies, another 'watcher' 10 feet from us) to point me in the right direction. I was in a really well lit area, and there were lots of cars passing etc, so I felt safe enough. The guy basically told me there was no way in hell that he was going to let me walk home- that it's not safe at all. He would get me a taxi, and to just wait. I figured since I was all turned around, and not exactly sure where I was in the maze of streets in Bellavista, that that was probably best. It took awhile for an available taxi to drive by and so I waited on the corner. There was a car parked with 3 girls & a guy in it maybe 5 feet from where I was, and after awhile, one of the girls gets out and starts talking to me, asking me if i needed a ride or anything- that it wasn't safe for me to be standing out there alone. (for the record- i wasn't alone..there were the street attendents & I wasn't drunk so I was plenty aware of my surroundings) Her other girl friends eventually joined her, and they invited me to join them at a party they were going to if i wanted. They were super nice, and genuinely concerned that I was out there 'sola'. I told them I was just waiting for a taxi, and they were pretty adamant that they should take me, because apparently taxis at night 'sola' are unsafe too- "muy peligroso"... These girls were really sweet, and kept saying that they understood if i didn't want to go with them because they were strangers (not really the case- I was just ready to go home & didn't want to be around any more smoke! All 4 of them were smoking...) After insisting that this was what i was going to do, they offered to walk with me to the corner where more taxis were passing so that I could flag one down since the street we were on was kind of smaller. However, just then an empty taxi passed, we all yelled at it, and the street guy told the driver where I was going and I was off. The taxi was perfectly safe- the guy was nice, and it was cheap.

It drives me nuts that as a woman, my freedom has been stripped or at the very least, severely compromised like this. You can't go out at night alone - you need to have guys with you, or be in a group of 3 or more. Well, all of my guy friends live no where near me, and if your friends bail last minute, or you want to go home early- you're screwed. I realize that not everywhere is going to be as safe as it was in Japan, but even in the US, it's not like this (sure certain areas are worse than others, but still...) There is just so much paranoia about females going out/home alone, it's crazy. I know I need to adjust to it and heed/abide by what, literally, everyone has said, but it's hard- it goes against my nature. I've always been so independent & it just sucks being restricted like this.

2010-04-25T13:44:00.002-04:00

So this past week was pretty fabulous. I have a full schedule at night now- I love my new classes. One in an intermediate class with two students, and one is an advanced class with 4. The advanced class we're watching the movie "As Good As It Gets" (which reminds me- i need to watch that today...haha, I've never seen it). Basically, we watch like 5 minutes of the movie per class, they have to try to listen and repeat lines from the movie that have important vocab/popular slang, we talk about what the characters did/why ... what will happen next. I "traded" some classes for Spanish classes next week- so Mon & Wed I'll have an 1.5 hr class before I teach my English classes. It's not a true trade- they deduct the spanish teacher's pay rate from our paycheck at the end of the month, but they're giving us the classes at 'wholesale' value if you will, and not what they charge randoms off the street.

Yesterday, Kate, Brittaney & I went shopping around Plaza de Armas. Found a cute pair of earrings & a black purse that will fit my school stuff in it. (I felt a little silly going to work in my business attire & carrying a beach bag type purse ... clashed massively! ha) The purse was only like 6.000 pesos ($12) so I was stoked. It was also Valeria's birthday, so I went to her house to celebrate with her & her friends. Around 12, we all headed out to the club that she had rented out for the night (well, she was sharing it w/ some other girl who had rented it out for the night for her bday- so it was just the 2 birthday parties & their subsequent friends--people couldn't just come in off the street...) It was a lot of fun, but around 3 I couldn't stand the smoke any longer & left. Luckily, the club was super close to my apt, so the taxi back was only 800 pesos!

week in review

2010-04-20T12:47:00.002-04:00

So last week was pretty busy, here's the basic lowdown:

*finished my spanish classes...they were really helpful, and I'm nervous that w/o them, it's going to be difficult to pick up this language. Plus, now I don't have 3 hours of spanish being forced down my throat - speaking at home is so much more difficult since it's so much easier to just speak English

*Jordan (the girl from my spanish class) and I went to a short film that one of our spanish teachers produced Friday night. Lots of fun.

*Saturday night, we had another dinner party at our house. It was potluck style, and we had waaaay too much food, which we've been slowing consuming this week. Kate & Brittaney's friends from work came, and so did Gaby&David, and Emma's French friends, so it was a very international fiesta.

*Sunday, Kate, Laura, Tim and I (laura & tim work w/ kate too) played soccer in the park. It was a nice grey day, so we went out, and tried to dodge all the dog shit in the park (not possible). I managed to drill a pigeon with the ball (it was laying down, and it tried to fly away when it saw the ball coming, but flew right into it) I frickin' nailed it...it was kinda sad, but everyone found it hilarious.

*Yesterday was Brittaney's birthday. We went shopping at the Santa Lucia market in the Centro. I bought a fabulous alpaca sweater for like $12. It's amazing. It has alpaca on it. We went out to dinner at this wonderful little restaurant on Lastarria, and then went to a cake & ice cream shop in Providencia where Brittaney's friends had planned a surprise get together for her.

*TODAY - I have work later tonight, but we're going out for a sushi lunch after we lesson plan. I received 2 new classes today that will be starting this week so I'm super excited. I'll now be working from like 5-8 Monday-Thursday. (48 hrs/month, so I'll be getting more than the minimum salary! woohoo!! $ is good!! )

sunday funday

2010-04-12T14:43:00.002-04:00

Well, the "lazy" Sunday turned out not to be so lazy. I went with Kate and her friends Tosh(american) and Antonio (Chilean) to the artist's house. The tour was in Spanish, and I only caught maybe 1/4 of what was said, but Kate explained after we finished what I missed. I need to remember to keep paying attention to what they're saying. I'm used to just tuning people out, cuz that's what I would do in Japan...uh, I can't understand you, so I'm just going to stop listening-BUT i forget that I CAN understand people here if I really try and listen closely. Or at least, I can get the general gist of what's going on...

Anyways, afterwards we were walking home, and there are tons of sidewalk restaurants along this one street, so we stopped to share some beer..which turned into two, which turned into 3... which led into everyone coming back to the house- technically it's an apartment I suppose, but it's extremely large for here in Chile/what most of our friends have- and we made dinner which was chased down with several bottles of wine. I had to be up early(ish) so I didn't drink much after dinner - esp after Fri night, but the others did, and now they're struggling today..hahaa, we keep taking turns it seems.

Spanish class went really well today! My brain has decided to return and function so I'm happy! I hope that it continues to grace me with its presence in class the rest of the week. =) So far an excellent start to the week- I have just enough time for a quick nap before preparing for my lesson tonight!

2010-04-11T13:06:00.002-04:00

It's a fabulous lazy sunny Sunday here in Santiago. Later in the afternoon I'm going to go with Kate (flatmate) to the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's home/museum, which apparently is sort of Gaudí-esque. He modeled the inside after a ship apparently since he admired life upon the sea, but was unable to swim, so his solution was to decorate his house as if it were a boat. It will definitely be nice to get out of the apt today though... we had a dinner party Friday night with some friends that I had met in the hostel when I first came to Chile. It turned out really well, and I think everyone had a great time. There was definitely enough wine, and several of us were out of commission the next day ;)

Next week I continue my spanish classes and will be teaching in the evening mon-thur. I still only have 2 classes, but that's okay with me because I'm getting paid as if I had more due to the minimum salary. Things are starting to pick up, so there are more classes available, so in the next week or so I should have more. Besos!

CTL

2010-04-07T22:24:00.002-04:00

Teaching has been good so far. I was supposed to have a class tonight, but it the guy ended up calling and canceling it. However, since he called and canceled too late (CTL), I still get paid! woohoo! (not that it really matters cuz I don't have a full schedule yet, so I'm still just getting the minimum paycheck, but it was still cool that I got to go home early!) I have a new class starting tomorrow- it's going to be Tues/Thur from 5-6:30. It's 2 people from the same company as my Mon/Wed class actually, so we'll see how it goes. Carlos plans on giving me another class from 6:30 -8 so they'll be back to back which will be nice =)

Spanish classes are going... it's a very exhausting 3 hours everyday, but I really like it. Not much else is new- Easter weekend was pretty dead. Most Chileans apparently go to the beaches or the mountains where they have a getaway home. Since I couldn't go to the beach. I enjoyed the sun from the balcony & relaxed.

The new roommates are fabulous. I've had a lot of fun with the Americans...the Frenchie's boyfriend is here visiting for 10 days so she's been MIA for a bit, but all's good. Not much else is new...need to plan out my class tomorrow. besos y abrazos!

14 year old girl

2010-03-30T18:27:00.003-03:00

So, I've finished my training officially, signed the contract, so am officially on the payroll. Even got a cute little planner so that I can take notes & write down the times/places of my classes. Oh wait, that's right..i still don't have any. Carlos said he would call us the day before he has a class for us to teach. So, in the meantime, I am chillin - getting to know my new roommates (Emma - the Frenchie, Kate - from Connecticut, and Brittany- Georgia). I feel a little bit like a 14 y.o girl sitting at home on a Friday night, waiting for the phone to ring. At least I'm guaranteed a little bit of a salary at the end of April... =)

ps- it's like really hot here. still. is it winter yet?? ....i know, famous last words....

¡Fiesta!

2010-03-27T13:39:00.004-03:00

(Claudia, me, Valeria, Maite)

The bulk of my training is over...we have to go in on Monday to finish up the administration stuff/get things rolling with our visas etc. Carlos (my boss) said that he expects to have us teaching at least one class by the end of the week/early next week. I guess that companies are still settling in from vacation, so it gets a lot busier in April (which is just around the corner!!)

Last night/this morning I went to a party with Valeria & her friends that I met last time - Maite & Claudia because Claudia's boyfriend was having a dj spin at his house. Initially there was a huge 'facebook' invite to the party, but when he thought it was going to be too big, he had sent out several announcements canceling it. I guess that was just to discourage the masses but the party was still on, just for a smaller/more selective group of their closer friends. I didn't know this, so I had gone out to dinner & had resigned myself to an ice cream & a movie when Valeria called asking if I was still going. Of course I wanted to go out rather than sit at home alone, so I changed and hopped on the metro and met her & her boyfriend Pancho. We drove out to the house getting there around 11ish and then proceeded to dance & drink the night away w/ Piscola (Pisco & Coca-Cola) being the main drink of choice--it's very popular here in Chile apparently. All of their friends speak very good English, so between my broken spanish & their english it makes for some really fun and interesting conversations. =) I met a lot of new people, all of whom were really nice and chill. I ended up going back with Claudia around 630 and then caught the metro from her place back to mine when it opened again...getting home around 830am! woohoo!! jajaja

One of the roommates moved in today - the one I'll be sharing the bathroom with. She's French, here studying art until the end of July. (I forgot her name already--I met her after just waking up from like 4 hours of 'sleep')

¡soy empleado!

2010-03-24T22:14:00.002-03:00

This morning I had my demo lesson on "how many/are there any...?". When I got there, I saw that there were only 3 students and they were probably in their mid 30-40s. I kinda freaked out a bit...thought the activity I had planned was too childish. Turns out everything was fine, but the game/activity failed due to my lack of explanation/preparation of materials ( I should've had more copies to make it go smoother! oh well...) Was surprised at how easily the lesson itself went though- teaching adults is definitely going to be a change of pace (hopefully all of the students are like this ... i know that they were really understanding since they knew that they were our guinea pigs!)

Spent a few hours studying - trying to figure out the rules of when to use which tenses when. So confusing & so many conjugations (and exceptions)!!!

Hiked around San Cristobal for 2 hours or so with Ben. Wore the right shoes this time, so it was much easier & blister free! =)

work

2010-03-23T16:16:00.002-03:00

So I started training yesterday. Has been very simply & easy going thus far. It's only lasted 2.5 hours each day, so I'm home by 12 usually. =) Tomorrow I have my demo lesson...my topic is "How many ____ are there?" and "Are there any ____ ?" We get 15 minutes with a small group (3-4 people) that is evaluated by the trainer. If we're not completely hopeless, we come back Thursday & Friday (with Friday being the admin day - getting our visas and all that stuff started). Not too nervous- I think my biggest challenge is not making things "too childish" and more suitable to adults/businessmen & women.

On another note, I went to go and find that japanese izakaya type restaurant that i saw when moving here. Got terribly lost (resulting in a bit of a sunburn once again - it should've only taken me like 5 min, but wrong turn after wrong turn...) Eventually found my way to it, looked at the menu, but since the host was right there I asked him if they had what I wanted (okonomiyaki) He would say "huh" and I would repeat it - this went on 4 or 5 times, and eventually an older lady (manager/owner?) who was standing behind him tuned in and I just asked her in japanese if they had it. She *unfortunately* said 'no' and so I left, kinda laughing that I can't always be understood here in Spanish, but I have no difficulties getting my questions across in Japanese. Dude definitely looked 1/2 japanese but I guess not- since he didn't understand what I wanted to order, or what I said to his manager, and just kind of gave an aaaaaaah response as I was leaving. haha. Oh Japan - I mean Chile ;)

thur/fri

2010-03-20T12:02:00.005-03:00

what i've been up to:

*found a sushi bar right next to my apt...was pretty decent. There are a few in the area, so i'll have to check them all out to see which is better. Darn ;)

*hiked up San Cristobal yesterday. It's this hillish-mountain with a giant statue of Mary on top. I went with Ben, and stupidly wore my new sandals to do so.(repeat of hiking the Great Wall?) Got a blister or two, but the view from the top was great. There are a lot of parks at the top too, and it's only like a 10-15 min walk to the base from my apt, so will have to wear the right kind of footgear and explore it again some other time. it was neat to see the layout of Santiago from up there, but it also reminded me of coming down the 101-405 into LA, and just seeing that layer of smog as you descend-nasty.

*Finally met up w/ Valeria last night as well. I went to her house and then we went to this little bar that her friend is the new manager of. It was dead-but there were several of her friends there that I got to meet. They were all super nice & spoke English really well, so that made it easier. They prob spoke 50-50 eng/span, and it's depressing how much of the spanish I can't catch. I guess it has only been a week, so I have to remind myself to have patience. Plus the Chileans don't really pronounce a lot of their letters - most noticeably the 's'- and there are a lot of other small differences, so it's just taking a bit to get used to a)spanish and b) the chilean accent. But the girls insisted that we go out again- and this time go to a proper bar/club, so yay for new friends! =)

From the top- looking left towards the mountains

a few pix...

2010-03-18T16:13:00.001-03:00

Santiago!

2010-03-18T12:04:00.003-03:00

Hola! So I'm officially here...it's almost been a week already too! It's been a whirlwind. I spent the first 3 days apartment hunting, and eventually decided to just take the more expensive apt that I saw the first day. It is literally like 2 min from the metero, in a nice neighborhood, and the apt - more like a house on the 3rd floor- is really cool and old. The layout is unique and it is nicely furnished so I bagged it up! Moved in Monday, spent Tuesday running around buying a few necessities, and then yesterday (wed) just vegged and studied spanish all day. It was definitely nice to relax! When Patty came home, we chatted for a bit and it was interesting getting to know her. While she's popular here, tv fame doesn't come w/ all the paparazzi like it does in the US. Apparently that's reserved for rock stars etc. She was telling me how that now, the cities that were really hit hard by the earthquakes are suffering because it is starting to rain, and they are living in tents (or worse) and the sick/elderly/young are exposed without much protection, so she really wants to do something to help them out. She also wants to go traveling once the show ends in July. So she is pretty down to earth, apart from her assistants who help clean up her dishes, do her laundry/clean the house..but apparently someone is going to be doing all of that for us too...I know that it's more common to have a "maid" do all that stuff down here, but it just seems excessive to me. I can do my own laundry thank you. =) So, we'll see what happens... That's all for now- it's just after 12 and i need to get out of the apt!

Besos y abrazos!

2009-05-27T07:50:00.002-04:00

its been awhile since I last updated this thing!

Well, Golden Week was the first week or so of May. Its basically a bunch of holidays bunched together - I decided to stay home for the break, but managed to stay busy by going out with Satoko & some other teachers. Went out one night with her & her friends from high school- was a lot of fun... went and had our fortunes read- which was an experience in itself since she didn't know English- we wrote everything down & then translated it over dinner (okanamiyaki! my fav.) Also went out to dinner one night with the "under 30" crowd of teachers from school- about 10 of us. Amazing dinner- grill in the middle- and they bring tons of meat & veggies for you to fry up while you enjoy all you can drink for about 2 hours! Alcohol def helps with the language barrier!

I've found that its pretty typical that people make an effort to include me as much as they can in the conversations, but as the day/night goes on (whatever the occasion may be) I tend to get left out more & more. I don't blame them- its just the pitfall of not understanding Japanese, and I know that it can be tiring for them to translate stuff in English, as most of them are not English teachers (only 1 is, and he isn't there 1/2 the time). I wouldn't want to have to "work" on my day/night off either, it just kinda sucks from time to time, so i have definitely mastered the art of occupying myself at events! =)

Golden Week went by really fast & school started up- the following Friday night the 1st year teachers from Minami (my main school) were all going out for drinks, and one of the teachers invited me to go. Unfortunately, her son got sick, and so she couldn't go, but Satoko & Junpei & Sadamitsu (the teachers I'd been going out with during g.w.) were all going, so I still went & had a fabulous time. More delicious Japanese food & all you can drink. ( Once a month, all of the teachers go out for a meal together- this ran about $80 a person - expensive, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of them don't get to go out all that much because they are so busy with school, so its their way of bonding/relaxing etc...- the food is ALWAYS freaking delicious so its well worth the price!) I also enjoyed it because I spend a lot of time at the 1st yr end of the teachers room, so i got to hang out with teachers that i always see but never talk to (due to lack of a common language)

School just started today because we had a week off for swine flu! A kid about 30 min away by train had it, so they shut down all the schools in the area to keep anyone else from catching it- with the idea that kids were to stay in their homes/ not go anywhere esp on the trains where they could get it. Crazy- but I was stoked. I decided to go up to Tokyo since I didn't go during Golden Week, and missed getting to see the boys. Friday night I met up with Nick who I had met in LAX during my i-to-i TEFL training- he's here with a different company, and absolutely hates it, so I'm doing really well with Interac! ha. Saturday I attempted to go shopping, but couldn't find anything that I liked that fit me- which wasn't much! Met up with Seth for a 100 yen sushi lunch (the kind w/ the rotating plates...) - delicious! Saturday night we all went out to this club. Had so much fun dancing the night away..literally. We didn't get home until like 8am, and Seth came in about an hour later waking us all back up. Ended up sleeping until like 230pm, and basically didn't do anything but eat (another delicious) dinner in Rappongi Hills. It was a chinese restaurant (we had Peking duck- omg- aaaaah mazing) and after we went to get coffee [ met up with one of Seth's alt friends- he was from Glasgow, but went to school in Edinburgh, so we had a good time talking about that for awhile] It started to POUR rain- complete with thunder & lightening! Felt kinda bad because I scammed the trains to & from Tokyo- it only ended up costing me about $5 RT *instead of $150!! - but it took 9 hours each way... so good & bad to it I guess. haha.

This past Monday (the day I came back from Tokyo) I went bowling with Satoko, Junpei & Kondo-sensei. I got a 206!!!!!!!!! I had never bowled so well in my life. The next 2 games I sucked (well, still over 100 ) but had fun. At this alley, if someone in your group gets a spare or a strike in each frame, for 9 straight frames, the bowling people bring a stack of cards over & you pick one. Then, whatever combination that is on that card each person tries to bowl (so we picked a 6 - spare). If you can bowl that in 1 try, you win some $. WE weren't able to do it, but I definitely want to go back & try again! ha

Well, it seems as though the weather from Tokyo has followed me here...its now dumping buckets of rain outside w/ thunder & lightening. So crazy- we never get rain like this back home... I should get used to it though since June is the rainy month. 9.5 inches is the average (the avg rainfall in SD is 10.5 inches - for the YEAR!) I'm going to die- or drown i should say.

why I <3 my job...

2009-04-15T06:09:00.004-04:00

As I was leaving school last week, I had stopped to talk to some of my students hanging out by the gym...

After awhile one of my boys asks "whats my name?"

Me: ...ugh I don't know...haha..sorry...

Him: "no no ..what do you call me?" ...me finally catching on...

... "Oooooh Kleenex Boy! Tissue Man!"

Him to the others w/ a huge grin - "YEAH!!! she calls Kleenex boy!! " =)

..he was so freaking excited, it was super cute. [he used to walk around with a box of tissues that he had attached some blue cellophane tape to for a strap when he was sick/had allergies..]

And then today I was teaching the 1st years the alphabet. As I was walking back to the teachers room, a group of them were coming down the stairs, and started chanting/yelling the alphabet when they saw me. So I would tell them the next letter, as they yelled it back. So cute & its English outside of the classroom! SUCCESS! haha...

....its things like this that make me <3 class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">even more.

2009-04-10T08:08:00.002-04:00

School started Wednesday. Still haven't had any classes. Literally sat in the staff room for 8 hours each day doing nada. Can't even go to just chill in a class since they're busy settling in for the new school year. At least I'm getting paid again (spring break = unpaid)! Weather is also gorgeous! Want it to stay like this and not get muggy! not gonna happen though i'm sure.. New kyoto sensei (ie- Vice Principal) was an English teacher, so she & I have been talking the last few days. She's fabulous...also now sit next to 2 really sweet teachers - they don't speak english - but they've always been really nice to me too. The teachers have all been really sweet & talkative the last few days, which is surprising- Kita used to be my more awkward of the two schools - so I'm really excited that spring is bringing in lots of new changes!

Am pretty close to cherry blossom overload. Saw them a bunch w/ g&g when they were here, and also saw them a ton in Tokyo...then did a 7 hour (SEVEN HOURS!) blossom walk Tuesday w/ Kayoko... she wants to take me to something else this weekend too- i feel a cherry blossom overdose coming on!

Not much is new... 1 month until Golden Week (no clue what that is, I just know it means 3 days off of school!). After that there are no more breaks until August... :/ Still no plans for G.W. but I'm sure the gang will think of something! :)

spring break: part FUN

2009-04-01T09:23:00.003-04:00

So I've been on the go ever since school ended. Thursday "taught" that English conversation class..ie- I just sat there and talked about myself, answered their questions, and got paid about $50 bucks. pretty sweet deal.

Friday boarded the trains for Tokyo w/ Amelia. Took us about 8 1/2 hours to get there. Actually went pretty quick- didn't seem like that long at all. Got in, had dinner in Shinjuku, and then searched for an internet cafe. We didn't have the print-out from the company- so we spent awhile finding a place to print the receipt- and of course- we didn't even need the damn thing. That night we met the boys back in Shinjuku (after dropping our stuff off at their apt) for drinks w/ some of their friends. Ended up getting good & drunk ... didn't get home/go to bed until 4am ... had to be up at 6am for snowboarding. Was definitely still a little drunk when we left to go..slept on the 3 hour bus ride to the resort. My cohort Amelia was unable to snowboard. She spent the entire time sleeping and puking in the toilets of the small lodge. (hangovers can be a bitch) It actually worked out kinda well though, because we only had 1 set of gloves and 1 pair of goggles that the boys had given us in tokyo- and she didn't know how to snowboard, and it turns out that the resort wasn't for beginners whatsoever. I absolutely loved it- it was perfect for me. The "beginner" runs were fabulous- and the snow was amazing for it being the last weekend in March. Wasn't even all that icy- except for at the very bottom. Almost everyone there was snowboarding- and they were all amazing... they obviously go every weekend they can. SO, I snowboarded...Amelia puked & slept all day... and that was pretty much our Saturday.

Sunday we woke up and made pancakes (from scratch) w/ eggs & bacon for breakfast. ((and by "we" I mean Amelia & I watched Austin Powers while Seth & his gf made breakfast..ha)) SO freaking delicious. Amelia and I ventured off in the afternoon to Koenji & met up with Jun in Kichi Joji where the cherry blossoms were blooming and walked around the lake. He took us to his fav coffee shop, and then Seth & his gf met up with us and we all went out to dinner & drinks afterwards.... again, managed about 4 hours of sleep before having to wake up at 7am Monday morning so that we could spend another 9 hours on local trains back to Kyoto.

.....finally got to Kyoto (an hour later than we hoped..we got lunch for 10 min which then messed up our connecting trains), got to grandma & grandpa's hotel 5 minutes before they all left for dinner & have since been doing Kyoto sightseeing with the grandparents...which will come later in part 2... :)

Spriiing Breeeeaaaaaak!

2009-03-25T08:53:00.003-04:00

Well, its spring break now (for me at least--the real teachers only get about 3 days off-sucks for them) Should be a pretty busy break actually. Got to sleep in today- which was really nice! Have been exhausted since our sumo weekend in Osaka. {sumo is actually pretty interesting live- was perfect because there were about 8 of us that went, haven't seen some of them since xmas, so we just spent the whole time catching up and occasionally paying attention to the matches going on} It was really strange being in Osaka actually because it such a big city compared to the towns that I live & work in, and compared to Kyoto. Kyoto is very old, and there are building restrictions to help preserve the area, but Osaka was huge & busy & bustling. It was a gorgeous day as well, so it was fun to explore. Great nightlife too (too much fun actually-spent the next day w/ an atrocious hangover-boo) but will definitely have to go back again. It was only an hour away by train which is nothing considering it would take me an hour and a half to get into work when i was living in tokyo.

Speaking of Tokyo, will be going there on Friday. Taking the local trains - 9 hours - but will be super cheap as the JR trains have this special ticket that you can use any local train all day. So will cost me 30 bucks to get to Tokyo instead of 150 on shinkansen! =) So Tokyo Friday, snowboarding on a day trip from there...then leaving to meet the grandparents in Kyoto Monday. As long as all of the trains are on time- I will get back to Kyoto at 5:30/5:45 - just in time to meet g&g for dinner at 6:30! haha

Tomorrow (thur) I am going to Japanese mum's English class she goes to twice a month. Am supposedly just going to talk to the group for an hour and a half. Am slightly nervous- don't really know what to talk about but at the same time I don't really care. Think they're gonna pay me, so thats cool! Should help pay for Tokyo! :) However, this class has turned into class & lunch with some of them afterwards..and then dinner at japanese mum's house...so what started as a two hour commitment, has now turned into an all day event! -figures.

So thats whats been going on out here... school was kind of low-key..just a bunch of cleaning the last few days.. I got to help paint though, so that was exciting! Found out that I'm going to be staying at the same schools that I'm at next year. So I'm happy- will be the same thing as last school year. One of the girls in Kyoto had been teaching at 4 schools, but will now be teaching at 10, so I was glad that mine stayed the same! Time for bed- gotta be up early..this is not going to be a "sleeping in" break unfortunately! xx

kita graduation

2009-03-14T03:51:00.002-03:00

this morning was Kita's graduation. So STRICT (as expected) but what i wasn't anticipating was the waterwork show. The teachers and students lost it completely at the end of the ceremony. I was shocked esp as the "tough" guys who have literally broken windows and basically made life miserable for these teachers were losing it. About 1/2 of the kids were crying as they were leaving, and the 3rd grade guy teacher was ridiculous. Like rubbing his face and sobbing- I was just thinking "Get a grip man- pull yourself together"!!! Its middle school graduation for goodness sakes! (later found out that he has taught those kids for all 3 years, but still...)

Afterwards the kids all say goodbye etc for about an hour or so. Teachers just mill around taking pictures and some students give them Thank You cards. The students who were friends w/ the younger kids (the whole school has to attend the ceremony) tear off and give the 2nd button off of their uniform to them..some of the "popular kids" were walking around w/ all of their buttons torn off their jackets.

WHen they finally all left, the teachers all ate lunch together in the staff room, adn then i got to go home early! :) Get Monday off as a replacement for having to work Saturday! AND there is only 3 days of school next week as Friday is a holiday. The girls are all coming in, and we're going to Osaka! Only 10 more days until spring break too!! Woohoo!

"the japanese way" of graduation madness

2009-03-13T08:34:00.005-03:00

So for the past 3 days, the 3rd year (ie graduating) students have been practicing for graduation. I was perplexed at what they could possibly be practicing so freaking much, until I got to witness the WHOLE SCHOOL 2 hour practice run. I have never seen an entire school practice standing up and sitting down so much. Of course, this is because it has to be done in perfect unison. If some students are late, everyone tries again. The 3rd yr students were pros at this (having practiced all week), but it was just amazing to see some 800 students sit & stand so fast. Very militarized. Incredible. They then practiced the 3 or 4 songs they will sing tomorrow (over and over again).

After the 2 hour practice, a cleaning spree commenced, and the hallways were cleaned for an hour and a half. That was then followed by setting up the gym. ALL of the chairs had to be in perfectly straight lines, all of the chairs had to match, and they had to go on top of this UGLY mat(which is stained- i it find ironic that everything has to be perfect but the tarps they use to cover the gym floors are heinous). This was only made more difficult because the ugly tarps were not matching up, and they "MUST" cover everything- even the centimeter of hardwood that was showing around the perimeter of the gym. So more tarps were found & brought out. Crisis adverted. All day, the teachers would ask what I though about their ceremony, repeating that "aah..yes, this is the japanese way..." One tried to tell me their way is "very zen and for unification". Not so sure how "zen" it is to be yelled at for not standing up immediately, and for getting scolded if your hands are too far left/right behind your back (they should be in the very center and in the middle behind your back.. obviously ha

So yeah. I had tried to help out with the cleaning and arranging of chairs, but i didn't really understand what was going on, or what they were yelling in japanese over the microphones, so i moved on to help the boys decorate the doorways with paper flower/poms on the sticky tape above the door - - they were still a little short (^-^) It was really cute because there were like 30 boys decorating, and they were really getting into it. Normally they're running around wrestling & punching each other, but they were wanting to make pom archways and stuff. haha.. I found it amusing...esp as they tried to come up with questions in English to ask me, and then coerce one of their mates to say it. ( "Do you like Tanaka?" ..who? "him!" ... "aaah...no no no..he's too young for me! sorry!")

This was my day today. Very long, and uncomfortable as I was either (unknowingly) sitting in the staff room on the computer as all the other teachers cleaned, or -when i finally realized what was going on- getting in the way and being more of a nuisance by trying to help. Either way, I managed to get lots of weird awkward looks from them today. haha..whatever... it is the "japanese way!" after all.

brief wednesday update

2009-03-04T10:13:00.000-03:00

was at Kita today... it was my last time teaching one of the third year classes (because they graduate next Saturday, and i'm at my other school all next week). It was really sweet, some of them came up and thanked me & shook my hand afterwards. The little shits can actually speak decent English!!- would never know it though because in class they are a nightmare - its like teaching to a combination of comatose patients and the kids who always got sent to detention. To be fair, usually before & after class they're *generally* lovely - always eager to say hi and try and talk to me... well, they mostly just get right up in my face and stare at my eyelashes, asking if they're fake (the girls are really into fake eyelashes & taping their eyelids so they get the crease...) or ask if i have a lover (somehow lover is synonymous with boyfriend here- i always think of Will Ferrel's Snl skits) I guess that is junior high school girls for you though- make-up and boys.......Anyways, I was just thoroughly surprised today, because all this time, I didn't think that any of them were really paying attention or gave a shit, so I kinda feel bad about sometimes dreading going to that school. (key word being kinda..)

wakarimasen

2009-03-03T09:01:00.001-03:00

Some of the things that confuse me about Japanese school kids:

*when finishing a test, kids here don't scramble to write in any answer in hopes that they get it right...they turn it in blank. (there are no penalties for guessing!) They also check their answers w/ the kid behind them when turning in their tests-and unlike home- if they make a mistake, they don't try to change it sneakily real fast.

*after getting their graded tests back, they each get an answer sheet to see what the correct answers are- they then come up to the sensei and point out errors that they made, thereby LOWERING their scores, which the teacher then does and records to change in their grade book. Pretty sure in the US- *almost* everyone keeps their mouth shut if they've gotten points for a wrong answer.. and if you do point it out, the teacher at least lets you keep your points! Nope. Not here...

*they have spelling/listening tests, but because they know exactly which 5 words are going to be given, they've completed the quiz before the teacher even says the 1st word. (i think they should at least switch up the order- the kids just cram 2 min before and then copy it as fast as they can..what is that doing?!)

..it also still throws me off guard every now and then when they start taking off their clothes to change into the clothes they wear to clean the school. (we clean the entire school after the last class every day for about 15 minutes) They have those clothes underneath their uniforms of course- but seeing the guys just start to drop trou and the girls taking off their skirts while we're leaving the classroom is odd. haha

2009-02-22T10:17:00.000-03:00

I can't believe its already the last week of February!! Not much has been going on out here. School has been going really well- classes have been fun. Just doing a lot of review games with the younger kids, and "fun activities about anything" with the older ones who have finished the textbook and are just busy cramming for their high school entrance test that they have in 2 weeks. We've had a bit of rain, a few cold spells that brought snow, an earthquake (minor - but enough to freak out all of my friends who are from England and have never felt an earthquake before..haha). Have pretty much fallen into the mundane routine of school- eat- skype- sleep-school-eat-skype-sleep. I still have dinner w/ Kayoko about 2 or 3 times a week. Played volleyball the past 2 Saturdays. This last Saturday (ie-yesterday) I met up with Amelia and Katherine (another English teacher from Boston) and we went into Kyoto for this GIANT flea market at the Toji Temple. Was a gorgeous day, and we spent a few hours meandering throughout the rows and rows of booths. Lots of food, and too many people. Saw lots of gaijin there- it was really strange seeing so many foreigners in one place! We are too of course, but usually we are the only ones because we're in smaller towns, so it was odd seeing that many white people in a 2-3 hour time span (most were europeans it seemed judging by their accents and foreign languages). Anyways, afterwards, Amelia and I hit up Starbucks and chatted for a few hours, since we had about 2 hours to kill before meeting up with one of the teachers from my school and her friend for dinner/drinks. Went to this nomekai (all you can drink for 100 min) and had a fabulous dinner [ sashimi, feta/avocado/tomato salad, friend chicken, nabe - bunch of veggies cooked in a broth over an open flame, then ice cream dessert] all for about $40. So good! Did some karaoke-ing afterwards, which i freaking HATE because us Kendalls are not exactly known for their singing abilities haha... usually i'm fine with it when i'm really drunk, but not last night. hahaha - esp since my japanese friends were semi-decent (at least compared to Amelia and I) ha. So yeah, thats pretty much the most exciting thing thats happened for awhile. Have just been staying inside since its been so cold and rainy the past few weeks- watched some good movies: Slumdog Millionaire, He's Just Not That Into You, Changeling, Lars & the Real Girl. Gotta love tvshack- Thanks Ben! =) Well, its a school night, so hope all is well back home!

Ah-mazing weekend

2009-01-25T04:08:00.000-03:00

So I teach at 2 different junior high schools, but I am only at the 2nd one maybe 5 days a month. This week I was at that school. The kids are insane...holding full conversations w/ a friend across the room while you're trying to read, lots of sleepers, and kids wandering in and out of the classroom. However, I think I am finally getting a handle on them...the JET (Japanese English Teacher) really enjoys the fact that I'm there, because I can sit next to the "bad kids" and help them w/ their work, giving her the opportunity to teach the class what they need to know. They can't stand it-but I love it. I find it hilarious...they're always saying "sensei no..help him" but i just respond that I like it there, and point to the next question that needs answering. It was nice to spend 4 days in a row at that school, because ususally I'm there maybe once a week, or twice every 2 weeks, and it makes it hard to connect w/ the students and teachers..but I really felt like this was the "breakthrough" week. Also helped that one of the teachers invited me to their drinking dinner party after work on Friday. I went, and had an amazing 5 course meal at this really nice japanese (obviously) restaurant, with karaoke afterwards. It was fun to get to hang out w/ the teachers after school, and I think it made them feel more comfortable with me. They really are super shy, and don't approach me all that often at school because they are embarrassed (?) at their English speaking ability. But some of the ladies realized that I am the same age as their children, so they said that they would be my "japanese mothers" ha. It was really sweet.

Saturday, one of the teachers from my other school invited me to go to dinner w/ her and her friend. I was nervous because she isn't an English teacher, and it never seemed like her English was all that great, but we had a wonderful time, and only had to use the electronic dictionary like 2 or 3 times. I guess there is less pressure outside of school so they are more comfortable speaking? I don't know, but I wish that they would just speak to me at school since I know that they can!! I just sit at my desk doing nothing for most of the day! ...after dinner I went into Kyoto for Tamera's birthday. All the girls came in from wherever their placements are, so it was really nice to see everyone and get to party together again. I have been so lucky that we all came to Japan around the same time, so we were able to form such a tight-knit group, and are all relatively normal. (there are some strange ones that come to teach here..let me tell ya)

So I'm stoked to be staying, especially because I think everyone else is staying too, so we should have a great time going around and visiting everyone in their respected locations. Plus, the two teachers I went out w/ this weekend really wanted to get together more often, so that will be fabulous..hopefully I can pick up some japanese from them too! Everything is still going just so great, its hard to believe its real! AND its the last week of January already...where did the month go?!

why not

2009-01-17T00:28:00.000-03:00

Well, I decided last night that I would go ahead and stay here in Japan. My branch manager called and said that the schools were really happy with me, and that they would really like for me to stay..and that they weren't going to take no for an answer. I told him I'd been thinking of staying, but hadn't decided quite yet. Then yesterday I was thinking about it, and apart from friends and family, I don't have any real reason to return back to the US just quite yet. The economy is in the shitter, so going back and trying to look for whatever job was available didn't sound too appealing...i might as well be here, where I put in maybe 5 hours of real work (and spend the other 3 just pretending to look busy haha). I figure no one really LOVES their job all the time, and the gig I got is pretty chill. Plus, if I truly start to hate it, they said that as long as I can give them about a months notice (so they have time to find a suitable replacement), leaving isn't that big of a problem...people do it all the time. So with that tidbit of information, I was sold, and told them to count me in for another contract. :)

Now I'm just scared for the summer...the cold I can deal with...heat & 80% humidity is a WHOLE different story though...

Hope you all are enjoying the 75-80 degree weather...jerks. ;)

quick update!

2009-01-14T06:00:00.001-03:00

Konbonwa! Things are going really great over here (except for the freezing cold...literally..its been snowing off & on for the past week now). School is fabulous. I had a hard time getting motivated the first day or two back, kind of freaked out about my lack of teaching experience/abilities, but once I got into the classroom, the kids loved the activities I had planned and the whole day went off brilliantly. So, I'm already into week 2 of being back at school, and have found myself really excited in the morning as I'm heading off to school. Which is really strange, but nice...its always good not to dread going to work..makes the day so much more pleasant! And today I got an email from my company with my scores from the evaluation the school apparently filled out (I had no idea that there even was an evaluation), but I got all excellents on it, so yay! This past weekend, my friend from Tokyo who just got placed in Kyoto and I went to this fire festival in my town. Basically, men in loin cloths ran around carrying 400kg bushels of hay, that they eventually doused w/ lighter fluid and lit...in the SNOW. It was pretty freaking hilarious. Sunday, my friend Claudia came, and has been here since. Its fun having her here, but unfortunately I have to work, so I don't get to spend much time w/ her. We did go into Kyoto on Monday (Coming of Age Day ie-no school! :) and we went to Kinkakuji Temple (the golden temple) and walked around Gion. Saw lots of girls & guys in kimonos (there is a big ceremony/celebration when a young person turns 20), so it was really cool to see them all decked out in their garb. This weekend there's a bow & arrow event, so we'll see how that goes!

2009-01-06T11:01:00.000-03:00

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T10:09:00.000-03:00

I'm finally back in Ishiyama after spending about 10 days in Tokyo. Holy crap was it a lot of fun! I got into Tokyo from an overnight bus around 7am on the 25th. Went to my friend Seth's place to crash (he had gone to Numazu for a few days), slept and then got ready for our ugly sweater Christmas dinner-ha! We all met up for drinks around 3 in Harajuku (we fit right in w/ everyone's crazy outfits), followed by an amazing dinner at Fujimama's. There were 20 people that showed up- mostly Brits w/ a few American and Japanese thrown in for good measure. The meal was excellent. We had roast beef w/ yorkshire pudding and yule log for dessert. It was a really nice mixture of a Western (well british) xmas dinner w/ japanese style since we were sitting on tatami mats & pillows. Afterwards, we obnoxiously sang carols in the streets as we made our way to the JR station to go to Kasumigaseki (where my old apt was) for all you can drink karaoke. So yeah, fabulous Christmas! :D

Spent the next day wandering around Shinjuku, jamming along to my ipod. Had a great time exploring, then met up w/ the boys for this movie w/ Jet Li & Jackie Chan & some awful white no-namer. It was so bad it was good...I'll have to research the name. The 3rd night we met up w/ this japanese guy we met on Christmas. He also lives in Kasumigaseki, so he got the Brits numbers who still live there...anyways, we went to karaoke again for his friend's birthday. It was actually really sweet because he treated the 6 of us to it, saying that when he was in the US (Alabama) his American friends would take him out to places, so he was really excited he could do the same for us. He even took Martin to a public bathhouse the next night..haha. Next few days we just kind of lounged around...we all went to Asakusa to the amusement park behind our first hotel. It was really cool to be back in the area where we spent our first 2 weeks in Tokyo. (When I say "we", there is a group of like 6 or 7 British guys/girls who are still in Tokyo waiting for placements) We basically just had a blast hanging out and going on these really cheesy rides.

Fast forward to New Years Eve. We decided to go to a temple near Tokyo Tower... you get to release a balloon at midnight w/ a wish attached. Unfortunately, we were too late, and they were all gone. Despite my best attempts to bribe the monk for a balloon, we were turned away. So the 10 of us-give or take- headed to the AMPM for more drinks (I obstained) and we proceeded to just do God knows what until midnight. About 15 min prior, there was a buddhist ceremony, w/ instruments and chanting - really cool. At midnight, they rang this giant bell about 20 times, and everyone released their balloons. Since the trains were running all night, we headed out to a reggae bar in Rappongi. It was alright...lot of seedy people. Met a lot of American Navy there actually too. The british girls really seemed to fancy them quite a bit- i called them the sleezy bastards i know they all are (my point was soon proven too..ha!) So yes, the night culminated when one of the girls started to get sick on herself, and we eventually returned home at 730am. Needless to say, the next day we did nothing- almost everyone was sick (not me-woohoo! i had stopped drinking back at the temple..) Watched Pineapple Express..(shit movie btw)..ate ice cream..laughed about the night before.

Friday, 9 of us went on a day trip to Hakone. For 5,000 yen we got to go on an old train, a cable car, a gondola, and a pirate ship (plus RT fare from tokyo-hakone). So much fun! Especially the outdoor air museum. I normally am not a big "artsy" fan, but most of the art was interactive and you could climb/play on it. We basically just ran around taking ridiculous pictures all day, enjoying each other's company before we all had to go back to our placements. It was a gorgeous day as well, and we got some fabulous views of Mt. Fuji. Even tried the black hard boiled eggs from there... surprisingly delicious!

Saturday night we all went into Shinjuku for goodbye drinks since 4 of the others were getting sent off to their placements Monday morning. We went to this zombie themed bar. It was interesting. The snacks we got were like russian roulette, and 3 of the fried squid balls were SUPER spicy. Of course, I get one, and immediately spit it out...incredibly hot. 2 of the boys got the others, and we were all dying. Then about 10 min later, I stupidly go to get something out of my eye, and then my eye starts burning from the chili pepper residue. however, this is right as the 'show' is about to start, and there are zombies climbing on top of the rafters and cubicle like walls as i'm holding an ice cube to my eye. fabulous. Ha, the best part was that the waitresses went around shooting the zombies and ghouls, and in true japanese fashion, they are using polite japanese, saying please as they are rounding up the goblins and shooting them. so freaking funny.

Sunday I had to leave at 10:30pm for Ishiyama. I crashed w/ the boys the night before since we were already in Shinjuku and the others had to pack up their places...when I got to their apt Sat night, they were all drinking, and against my better judgement, I joined in. Only got about 4 hours of sleep, before waking up when Claudia came to drop her stuff off at the boys' apt the next morning. Unable to go back to bed, we watched another great film..this time some Korean flick about a guy who sleeps w/ 4 different woman and somehow makes their love lifes w/ their boyfriends & husbands better? yah, idk. Decided to go explore some little suburb of Tokyo. It was a really neat little walking street district. We got lost and ended up walking for like 4 hours. Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we got back home. The boys fed me dinner, and I left for the 8 hr overnight bus. OF course I met some random creeper... Fal- a 30 or 40 something from West Africa selling jewelry in Kyoto...yah. Luckily, the seats were assigned and I didn't have to sit next to him. So that was basically my trip in a nutshell. Don't think I got a good nights sleep the whole time I was there...mostly just 4 or 5 hours a night..on the floor. Slept a good 16 hours my first night back home! Work tomorrow. Boo. Should get to sleep! Happy New Years!! 2009-wow.

winter break!

2008-12-22T08:13:00.001-03:00

Made it! hahaha... I teach all of one month and then get 2 weeks for break. i love it. Plan on going to Tokyo for xmas dinner and new years. Should be fun since there are still a bunch of folks there from when I did training. Most of them have finally gotten placements and will be leaving for them at the start of the New Year. School is going really well. I like the teachers I actually teach with, and all of the others are finally warming up to me. There is just a huge language barrier there. This past week was parent-teacher conferences after lunch, so I got to sit for 4 hours each day doing absolutely nothing. SO BORED. But, I relearned the hiragana I had forgotten, and studied katakana. I think I finally have it down, I just have to start learning what the words actually mean! I can spell out what the characters are saying, I just have no idea what the word means/where one word ends and another one begins. Baby steps. Am hopefully going out for drinks with one of the teachers that sit across from me once I get back from Tokyo. She doesn't speak much English, so should be interesting but fun! :)

I finally met up with another ALT. He is from Austrailia...he's been here for 3 years, and just signed on for his 4th. Super nice guy, showed me around the next little town where there is a mall, and we grabbed dinner this past weekend. All of the other ALT's have gone home for the break, so when they get back I will get to meet all of them too. Its been fabulous having someone to hang out with and talk to. Don't have a lot in common by any means, but he speaks English, and has been really welcoming. Some of the other people from my training are moving to Kyoto @ the beg. of Jan so that should be really nice too. Right now its just me and Sushi (the Ozzie's fish I'm watching for him while he's gone...but i'm gone for like 10 days too...i'm convinced i'm going to come home and he'll be a floater)

Anyways, not much is new really. Just school, dinner at Kayoko's. We went to an "italian buffet" restaurant last week. Smoked salmon (so delicious), french fries, fried chicken, "salad", and 'pizza'(potato & mayo anyone?) on crust that was made out of communion waffers. They also had lasagna in the smallest bowl you've ever seen, that was gone in 3 teaspoons. Literally, they gave you a tea spoon to eat it with. So, not so much Italian, but they had really good chocolate cake. :)

Ugh, I have fallen in love w/ the mochi here. (reminds me of you aunt terrie! hahaha) Luckily its nothing like what we had in PB...its not ice cream, but filled w/ anko, a sweet red bean paste. Sounds gross but it is delicious! Thats about it...hope all is well w/ everyone! Happy holidays!! kiotsukete!

INTERNET!!!

2008-12-12T10:25:00.000-03:00

YAY! I finally have the internet again in my room! YAY! I finally have a room! haha... yesterday I moved into my new apartment, having spent a month in hotels. I could finally unpack!! My new apt is nice. It came "furnished" (washing machine, refrigerator, microwave, table, 2 chairs) so I just had to buy a futon, etc.

Lets see... so I had to move from one hotel to another about 3 weeks ago... and while i was walking around waiting to be able to check into the new hotel this lady on a bike stopped me and asked if I spoke English. She asked if I would be willing to meet w/ her so she could practice her English, and ended up inviting me to her house that day for lunch. I had about 6 hours to kill so I went... that lunch turned into dinner and volleyball with her friends (she is 50, and she plays vball w/ about 7 other ladies aged 45-mid 60's). So- long story short- she is a housewife and is extremely bored, so she haves me over almost every night for dinner. After school I go to her house (around 430), help her cook dinner *by "help" i mean watch*, we eat, she sometimes teaches me some Japanese if I'm not too exhausted from school ( i can read hiragana almost!). Then around 830 I would go home to the hotel. It worked out really well for the both of us... I got free home cooked meals, and she got free English conversation... and we both got companionship! Without her, I don't know how I would have survived those 3 weeks in the hotel w/o internet! Everyone is super friendly, but their English is super limited. Kayoko, my "Japanese mother", is fluent in English, so she can understand most of what I'm saying. She is super nice, but can be very-uh- insistent. Every night it was "so you will come to my house tomorrow." If I said I didn't know, she would say "but why not? You can't cook in your hotel so you will come here" Allllright. I guess that settles that then. She was my lifesaver though while living in Moriyama, I'm so lucky she stopped me on the street and took me in! (she even gave me some pots & cooking stuff for my apt)

About 3 weeks ago I went to Kyoto. GORGEOUS! Kayoko took me (the 1st day I told her i was going to go to kyoto the next day, and she said 'oh i will come with you, if you don't mind. you don't speak japanese, and i do, and my husband is from there so he can tell us where to go'. uhh...sure! Didn't have a way out of that one either!!) We got to see the changing of the leaves, along with thousands of other people...literally- there were soooo many people! I have never been on a street so crowded in my life. You seriously could not move on your own volition, but were like a leaf in a river, pushed by the current of people. Insane.

The weather has been really good. I ride my bike to & from school and have been lucky that it hasn't been raining yet. Teaching is going well. I'm getting to know the teachers I work with better and I think we are beginning to understand how to best use each other. I am basically a "game machine". The Japanese teacher will do a lesson point or give a small test at first, and then I come in for 20-50 minutes with activities reinforcing the target structure. Can be extremely difficult to come up with something that the majority of the students will like, find fun & interesting, and will actually engage them in speaking- not just a worksheet/handout. About 1/3 to 1/2 of the students don't pay attention to anything anyways, so thats challenging as well. The Japanese approach school in a completely different manner than we do in the United States.

So my new apt is even closer to Kyoto...only 15 minutes by train, and I am like 12 min away from my schools(in the opposite direction) by train. The grocery store is >5 min away, and Ishiyama (my new town) is more city-like! :) PLUS there are 2 other ALT's living across the street from me (or so I'm told..need to meet them still). I'm glad that I'm not living where I'm teaching. Some students said they saw me around town (grocery/clothing stores)...and while I haven't gone out since leaving Tokyo, if/when I do go out, I don't want them seeing me drunk...don't think the company/school would like that..and Moriyama is a small town. Someone somewhere knows you, and I don't exactly blend in either. ha

Ok, thats all for now! xx

2008-11-18T08:02:00.000-03:00

Yay! Second day of teaching is done & over with. Today went really really well. It was a super easy day because I basically just read out of the textbook for all of the classes, and then helped one teacher listen to the pronunciation of a dialogue the kids were memorizing. Tonight I have to go over/make plans for tomorrow's lesson. The teacher wants me to just do the whole hour myself, so I'm a little nervous...thankfully its the same topic as the lesson that I did w/ Aaron on Monday, so I'm just going to tweak it a little bit hopefully. But for the most part the kids seem to be responding well. I say "hi" to them, and they say "hi" back, and then whisper japanese to their friends and go off and giggle. Every kid responds the same..kinda funny. Everyone is always "fine thank you" when asked how they're doing. Some classes were more shy than others, but thats just Japanese school kids. They will understand everything you are saying and will speak amazing English, but won't answer you when you ask "what day is it?". I've found that kids are either super eager to answer, or will just stare blankly at you. They hate to stand out and apart from the group.

Ugh, I have to ride the bike they gave me to school tomorrow. "its not that far..just 2 kilometers" ... except that its freaking freezing here, and looks like rain. AND I don't know where the eff I'm going, but cool deal. I think I'll need to call and clarify if I still have to ride in the rain, or if they'll pay for a bus. Not looking forward to getting to school soaking wet so we'll see. :/

Went to the 2nd school I'll be teaching for. The kyoto-sensei (vice principal- and in Japan, the VP runs the school, the kocho-sensei 'principal' is just there to do....? No one really knows really... apparently they tend to do a lot of gardening, and just like to walk around like the run the show and intimidate everyone) The VP at Kita was really nice, though she barely spoke English. Drank green tea (only drinking after she did though...10 min after it was served..a test? I'm not sure..but I passed if it was :) She told me I was the youngest ALT they have ever had at that school, but seemed eager to get a new ALT-- Mike must have really sucked. Found out that he got canned Friday [they told me I had the job Thursday night-hah] I really need to get myself a Japanese grammar/language book. I need something to read while I'm sitting at my desk for 2 or 3 hours at school not teaching...and its really hard not knowing anything esp out here in the country where even less people speak English than in Tokyo (which really wasn't many to begin with)

Moriyama

2008-11-18T00:50:00.000-03:00

Konbonwa! So I found out Thursday night after working all day at ANA testing (ie-phone interviews w/ japanese airline stewardesses) that they had found a placement for me in Moriyama, and that I was to leave Sunday. Super quick!! Claudia & I had been planing on going to Yokohama Saturday, so we quickly changed plans to go out and party instead since I was leaving. After work on Friday, we went to an izakaya w/ Seth & David. David's this American who's been here for like 5 years-and surprisingly one of the few white guys not here for a Jap. wife. He was like 30, and did juggling on the side. haha, he was actually quite normal-again rare for white guys here: they're usually socially awkward and on the ugly side (I'm not being mean..its just fact-hah) So anyways, David ordered a bunch of food-its all very tapas-esque. Everything was delicious...lots of saki :) Claudia & I met up w/ the other people from our training group and we went clubbing in Shibuya. We were actually some of the only white people in there this time... around 4 we embraced our surroundings and in an effort to become more like the japanese we went to McDonalds and "rested our eyes" until the trains started running again. Classy, I know.

Slept til about noon, then got up and packed. Jun & Seth invited Claudia and I over for dinner. They have this really nice flat in Shinjuku, with amazing nighttime views of the business district. Jun made Japanese hotpot. Basically a large pot of broth, "meatballs" - they looked like it, not sure if they really were, intestine (of what animal i didn't ask..actually didn't taste bad & I never would have known had Claudia not said something), along w/ mushrooms, bok-choi. After you eat a bunch of whats in the pot, rice is added, and it becomes a rice-soup mixture dish that you can eat w/ a spoon. Really cool & delicious. The boys also bought sticky rice balls covered in a sweet sauce for our birthdays...complete w/ a cigarette in the middle for the candle. Disgusting, but clever! haha

All of this brings me up to now...in a hotel right next to the RR tracks in Moriyama. Took the Shinkansen here. That thing is seriously fast. Got in Sunday night, met up w/ the trainer from Interac, who gave me more details about teaching the next day. They had failed to give me my weekly schedule back in Tokyo, so I was surprised to learn that I was teaching the next morning, and had a class the first period. We got up super early..met at 6:45am. Had breakfast and bought lunch (luckily the school I'm at you bring your own lunch. Some schools you eat the lunch that the school gives to everyone-which means you have to eat everything they give you..and can include such delicious items as whole fish-ie head & eyes- or whale. yes, whale. The japanese eat everything they are given and its EXTREMELY rude to not do it, so I'm glad I get to avoid any sticky situations like that since my schools don't provide lunch! :D ) ...anyways, get to school and meet the principal. Dude is seriously intimidating, as I had been forewarned. He's in charge, and likes everyone to know it. He told me I would introduce myself in Japanese to all the teachers. :O I said the 2 things I could remember and that was it..it seemed to be sufficient for him. Luckily, Aaron was staying with me the whole day, so he pretty much ran the whole 1st lesson and I just assisted. For the 2nd one, I ran it and he just jumped in where needed. (which was quite a bit!) Overall, not too bad. Made lots of mistakes, but they all know that I'm "really young" as someone put it, and that I'm brand new to teaching. As long as I plan the shit out of my lessons I think I'll be okay. I just need to make sure that I practice and think everything through. I would be getting the kids ready to play a game and then realize that i had left out certain instructions. Aaron said it would come w/ time & practice. Just hope that the Japanese give me some leeway. If you screw up- they never forget it, and there's no "fixing" or redemption. (this applies more so for being late, etc...but is still intimidating!)

So yah, thats pretty much about it. Am back in the hotel now...tomorrow I have my first classes all by myself w/o Aaron! :O I think the teacher I'm working w/ is going to use me as her personal 'english speaker', which is fine by me! Less stress and work (hopefully!!) Got my luggage ( I paid $30 to send both of my bags from Tokyo to here...best service ever!!! Trying to lug those beasts through the metro crowds here is hell.) I'm excited to see how this is going to play out!! Aaron thought I would do fine- apparently the last guy was a "total fuck up" and so I can't really be any worse! haha ... A good position to be in!! :D