Just a little something to help Katie keep up with all those who matter to her.
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| We're Not in Japan Anymore... Just a little something to help Katie keep up with all those who matter to her. |
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Thursday, October 30, 2003 Okay, here's the real post. As in, information about myself and the last few days that you probably came here looking for. Below you will find two mini-rants. (: Read them if you like; if you don't, you aren't missing anything. (; So, let's see... it was Sunday when I wrote last? Monday through today, Thursday, has been pretty busy, I guess. I've averaged about 3-4 lessons a day, which is more than I was taking on at Dai Ni. Not that I mind, really. It's nice being busy, I think. I don't find myself bored as often now. (: On top of that, each class tends to have it's own pace, so rarely are we doing the same thing in both 3-A and 3-B. We're generally doing the same thing, but the activities end up varied. Which always keeps me on my toes. (: And on top of that, Morisue and I are both new teachers, so we're still working on getting that 'classroom climate' set. (: But it's going very well, I think, and I' having fun. And I've been telling the kids about Halloween. (: We play a little 'put the face on the pumpkin', too. (: Tuesday evening I went on a fruitless search for something to wear to the wedding this weekend. The shops downtown all want around $100 for a decent skirt... and I probably don't fit into any of them. :P I have yet to check the Ito-Yokado department store (kinda like a little Meijer--where I do most of my grocery shopping). I saw some cute stuff there the other day, when I didn't really have the time to try anything on... but the wedding is Sunday... so I'm running out of time. Perhaps I will just give up and try something from my closet... >sigh< Today I had my second "Numazu Guide Class". I am much more proud of my performance today--and my students'! I think they are feeling more comfortable in the classroom; as am I. Their English levels are so varied, it makes it difficult sometimes... but, luckily I am surrounded by fluent Japanese speakers, so usually we can translate anything into Japanese for those who are having trouble with the English. I gave them a worksheet to do, and I think they understood pretty well. Then we discussed homestaying, and how Japanese homes are different from American ones--so your foreign guest may be a little surprised/confused/etc when they ask for the 'bathroom' and find no toilet. Or, they may constantly walk to the right side of the car to get in the passenger door... (>achem< ::points to self::) It went very well, I think. We talked about many differences (chopsticks, food, bathrooms and bedding...) and made sentences. A few of the students tried, but it's always the same people... it's just like Jr and Sr high! I hope I can encourage them to try and not be afraid to make mistakes. One lady made the sentence today, "I'm afraid that I make many mistakes when I speak English." So I gave them my bicycle speil. "When you learned to ride a bicycle, you made many mistakes, right?" I asked them. "You fell many times... But now, you can ride perfectly. English, and Japanese," I added with a smile, "is the same." And, luckily, I made several Japanese mistakes throughout the evening to illustrate my point. Heh... clever me, huh? That's right. So for next week, they have to explain 'how to take a bath Japanese-style' in a small paragraph. I hope some of them volunteer to read! Or maybe I can read theirs... I just want them to try... that's the most important thing to do when learning a foreign language... This Monday is "Culture Day" so, lo and behold, I have yet ANOTHER Monday off. Saturday, Japanese class is cancelled, due to the holiday. ): So I will have to try to be studious and do it myself. >sigh< Tonight, Fusako and two of her friends agreed to take me to Cape Ose, which is this really beautifully jetty/cape/thing right around here. I'm very excited. (: My digicam is still in the shop, but I have disposable cameras... (Ha ha.. yeah, the other night I got a call from the shop... Luckily the lady was very kind and spoke nice and slow for me. Yay.) Sunday is the wedding, which I am so excited for! (: I get to attend the ceremony and the reception afterwards. Yay! And Monday I might visit the home of one of the volunteer teachers at the Japanese class. His daughter is interested in attending Western Michigan University (How about that???) and he'd like me to speak with her. (: Fun! Ah okay... that's it then. I'll write again soon! Ta! posted by Katie Suttles | 7:49 AM Comments-[ comments.] I'm amazed there aren't more traffic accidents in Japan. Really. My bus route involves the bus driving down roads that buses really shouldn't be driving down. Roads that are about half-a-car too skinny for two cars to pass side-by-side. It's so crazy. And scary! Sometimes we pull off to the side of the road to let cars pass... There's one bend in the road that we have to inch up to in case a car comes barreling from the other direction. There's a corner we turn left at (NOTE: the Japanese drive on the left side of the road) where cars in the oncoming direction must stop at least a bus-length away from the intersection itself so they don't get whacked by the bus. It's really crazy. Really. I've been asked a few times if I have a car in Japan. I usually chuckle and say, 'no, only a bicycle.' I want to say, "Are you crazy?? These roads are as skinny as popsicle sticks!" There must be some hardcore, intensive Japanese driving school boot camp that these people have to graduate from, I swear. Yeah, that's it. Drivers in Japan must be 'hardcore'. After surviving behind the wheel in Japan, I'm sure any driver would scoff at any road America threw at him. posted by Katie Suttles | 7:19 AM Comments-[ comments.] Okay, what is it with Windows XP and these constant updates to download? I swear I've gotten one a day for the past week. Are these stupid things really necessary? I haven't noticed any changes after downloading ANY of them. Not one. Not since I first got XP one year ago. I've probably 'updated' over 100 times, and I've noticed nothing different. They must have some magic use, though, I suppose. >sigh< posted by Katie Suttles | 7:10 AM Comments-[ comments.] Sunday, October 26, 2003 Today was super nice. I got to talk to Jeremy lots this morning, then I went to Mishima with Kazuyo. She took me to Rakujuu-en, a park in Mishima. It was really nice! There were so many trees, and today was such a gorgeous day, that it felt so nice inside the park. There is also a small theme park there, and a little zoo, so we wandered around looking at stuff, and we rode one of the rides. (: At 1:30 we got in line to tour the 'house' that is in the park. Years and years ago a man built the house as a second home, but it's seen a lot of other owners since then; like Koreans and Americans. Kazuyo translated a lot of what the guide told us, and it was pretty interesting--and of course, very beautiful! Many of these old Japanese buildings have such a quiet, simple beauty about them... and they are built in the most amazing spots! I have to rely on a disposable camera, now that my digicam is in the shop. ): But I took a few pictures... it might be a while before I can get them digitized and online, though... sorry. So, after that, she took me to Mishima-daisha, a large shinto shrine in the city. She said it's one of the best places in the area to see the cherry trees in bloom, so I can't wait! Today we got really lucky, though. Shichi-go-san, the 'festival' celebrating the seven- and three-year-old girls and five-year old boys is about this time of year. Many Japanese take their kids (all dressed up in kimono and things!) to local shrines to pray for their well-being; so they will grow up healthy and strong, etc etc. Well, today Mishima-daisha was packed with little kids and parents. (: It was really neat. We got to see a bit of a blessing ceremony, and just seeing all the kids dressed up was sooooo cute! AND, there was a couple there that must have just gotten married that morning. They were dressed in shinto wedding clothes, and were getting their picture taken with their family. It was really neat! It makes me excited for this next weekend, when I will attend my first Japanese wedding! Yay! Whew! And that's not all! One of the principals I met at one of my welcome parties, and who I've run into a few times at various meetings and things, invited me to dinner at his home this evening. I had a great time! He has two little boys, and they are really cute! One boy knows a tiny bit of English, and he tried to talk to me a bit. Hehehe. The other boy was really funny. (: He kept dragging out photo albums and books to show me. He would go through the photos and tell me what things were and where they were and such. (: Oh, and of course, dinner was delicious. We had oden and sushi; and I got to take a few candied sweet potatoes home (daigakuimo, I think). His wife even gave me a few packages of stationary to take home, too! It was a really nice time, and I hope to visit them again. (: But... I think it's time to relax and get to bed. (: I've started to look through ideas of things to do in the Numazu Guide class... but I don't have anything concrete yet. Ugh... and I never got a call from Morisue-sensei, so I'm not sure what I have to do for class this week... I'm not even sure when I have class! :P Oh well, not a big deal. (: At least I've got sneakers for a comfy walk to school! Maybe I should try to catch the earlier bus, to give myself a few more minutes... Anyhoo.. oyasumi! (: posted by Katie Suttles | 7:28 AM Comments-[ comments.] Saturday, October 25, 2003 So today went by pretty nicely. I got up around 7:30 to get ready for Mr Nakajima's English class, that he asked me to visit today. I couldn't remember exactly when he said he'd be by, but I remembered the number 9... Did his class start at 9? So he'd be here at 8:30? Did he say he'd BE here at 9, to pick me up? Or was it 9:30 and the class was at 10..? Ah heck... I just got up and got ready by 8:30, and found him ringing my doorbell just a bit past 9:30. (: He lives in Mishima, the city next door, so we headed out there. (I got a glimpse of the Kojima Electronics store on our way....ooooooooooo!!! The next store on my list to hit...) I met 5 nice new people today. (: We chatted a bit in English, and they chatted quite a bit in Japanese... I was lost most of the time, but it was fun nonetheless. (: After that, I got a free lunch (tenpura udon! yum!), which is always nice. Then I got a ride back to my apartment to get ready for my Japanese class. Today went well in class, too. It's still review, but I'm kinda glad for it. I could use the speaking and listening practice; and a little review never killed anyone. (: It was one-on-one again with me and my volunteer teacher, but about halfway through the class a young Chinese man joined us. That was kinda cool, cuz it's nice to have someone else practicing with you.. and to hear another person speaking Japanese... I dunno. So anyway, there are now two students in group B-2-(1). (: Yay. Afterwards I hung back for a moment to say 'hi' to Atsuko. She asked what I was up to and I said I thought I might go shoe shopping, since I was still in desperate need of some more comfortable shoes. (Walking 10 minutes to school, after a long bus ride, in heels sucks big time.) She asked if I'd like company--who wouldn't! Shopping can be so boring alone. ): I think that's one reason I'd been so wishy-washy about finally getting around to buying some stupid shoes. So Atsuko and another member of N.I.C.E. (who hosts the Japanese class) took me downtown and we hunted for some shoes. I wanted a decent pair.. maybe some good Nike or Rebok walking shoes.. but wanted to keep the price around $50, if I could. (Stuff in Japan can be SO expensive...) Well, at our third store I found the pair I wanted. They are khaki colored Nikes, with a pinky-orange 'swoosh' on the side. They look nice with my blue jeans, and they'll look decent with khaki pants and skirts that I often wear to school. And, after the 10% discount they had at the store that day, they ended up being about 4,800 yen (about $44 I think). Not too bad, huh? Go me! After that, we parted ways and I had some McD's for dinner. I stopped in another store and got two shirts that were on sale, and then went to a grocer's and bought a few bananas for my breakfast cereal. (: Then I came back home. And now it's time to do something productive, right..? Like study kanji, or prepare next week's Numazu Guide Lesson or something.... We'll just see about that.... posted by Katie Suttles | 5:42 AM Comments-[ comments.] Thursday, October 23, 2003 UGH. And I thought it was hard to make my bed every morning... Try folding everything up and stuffing it into a closet soon, every morning, after you get up. Man... Usually I give myself the weekend to just leave it on the floor the whole time... heh. I mean, I'm just gonna be going to bed in another few hours, right? I think that's why I was so attrocious at making my bed. 'It's just going to end up messy again in a few hours!' I would think. But the futon takes up about half of my floorspace, and I have this paranoid feeling that people can see in my window when my curtains are open and can see my futon on the floor at 2 in the afternoon and they are thinking, 'hmph... another lazy foreigner.' ...sigh... Like they care, even if they can see in my window, which I highly doubt they can. I guess I'm still not a very good 'Japanese person' yet. :P Although... it makes me wonder if any of my students hate packing their beds every morning, too. (: Ah yes... and so my 'incarceration' has started. Soon I will visit Dai Ni to pay off my lunch bill, and maybe pick up a carton of milk, and then I will come home-and remain at home-until 4pm. Hopefully I will have updates galore for you to see. (: Don't get too excited, though... I mean, there really isn't much to share. (: posted by Katie Suttles | 9:31 PM Comments-[ comments.] Okay, so this "Numazu Guide Class" wasn't as bad as I was fearing... of course. I mean, I knew it wouldn't kill me or anything.. and Fusako was there.. I was just embarrassingly underprepared, however, that's only because I was embarrassingly underinformed. I dunno if there was really much to tell, though... So, yeah, it could have gone better, smoother... but now I have an idea of what to do. And I got a few chuckles a few times, which always helps everyone feel a bit more comfortable. Let's hear if for smiling, huh? So, yeah, next week should be a big improvement... if I can keep my butt in gear. Let's go, Katie! And that said, I'm going to bed. (Wow! A poem!) It's been a long day... Hard to believe that one week at Oohira is already down, and only three remain. Oh! That makes me think of the kids, which makes me think of the Dai Ni kids, which makes me think of this really sweet present I got yesterday! It is thick piece of posterboard that says, "Kya-sa-rin-sensei" in Japanese in the center, in a circle. All around it are lines, shooting out like rays from the sun--and in those 'rays', many students wrote 'thank you' notes to me. <3 I was so touched... it makes me want to give them something, too. (: I gave them the pictures (Hitosugi-sensei will probably dole them out tomorrow), but it doesn't seem like enough... I gotta start thinking... GOODNIGHT! posted by Katie Suttles | 8:42 AM Comments-[ comments.] So today has been tiring. And I'm not done yet. Fusako will be here in 28 minutes to take me to this class I am supposed to teach... we'll see how THIS goes... I'm really not sure what it will be like, but, I guess that's what first classes are for, right? Well, today we had this big English teacher meeting thing... I understood about 10% of everything said, which really means I learned nothing. :P But I did pass out my main page addy to the whole gang, so if any of you Numazu English teachers are reading this right now: Hello! (: And I was talking to another ALT at the meeting, and mentioned my 'house arrest' on Friday. He said something about insurance. So, I guess if I went out and got hit by a car tomorrow, I wouldn't be covered cuz I'm not at school or something. Maybe that's why I can't go to Shizuoka...? Oh well... I will visit Dai Ni quickly anyway (I was told it was okay) to pay my lunch bills, and give pictures to the kids. (Really, I gave them to Hitosugi-sensei today, but.. yeah.. Anyway.) Well, I guess I need to go scarf down my bowl of leftover rice, and my single piece of oh-so-delicious toast before I head off to teach my new 'students'. Oh, some of the Numazu English teachers are also interested in an 'English Seminar', starring me. :P We'll read stuff, and listen to stuff... to help them practice English. I feel like Great Teacher Onizuka or something--like I'll end up instructing every single citizen of Numazu before I hop across the 'big pond' again! Wow! posted by Katie Suttles | 4:07 AM Comments-[ comments.] Tuesday, October 21, 2003 Ah, right! I forgot to mention in that nice, long post down there... that this Friday looks like a good day for webpage updates. I was supposed to go to Shizuoka with the 8th graders from Oohira, but on Monday I was told I could have a day off instead. I wondered, 'oh, they must have cancelled the trip. Too bad.' Well, that's not really the case... I'm not sure what 'the case' is, to be honest... I guess I'm just not going. Well, the story changed today. Today I was told, 'because Friday is still technically a work day, you have two choices...' I can A) Come in to work at the school, even though no one else will be there, and sit around and do nothing OR B) I can stay at home, BUT... I have to remain in my apartment from 8am to 4pm, my 'contract hours'. Ugh... So, yeah... there. I'll be in my apartment from 8am to 4pm on Friday. Since I really don't do much at school (or well, I guess I DO.. I just do the same thing 8 times, for different students...) there probably won't be much in the way of me getting to finally work on my webpage. Which is good news, in it's own way... so there, look forward to some updates by Friday night, JST. posted by Katie Suttles | 6:03 AM Comments-[ comments.] So I learned a new word last night: Shimekiri. Shimekiri is a deadline, or closing (date). As in, the deadline for applying to take the Japanese Proficiency Test has passed... I'd recently started to consider taking it. I wasn't quite sure which of the 4 levels to place myself at, though... but I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore, huh? ): I guess I can always take it in America. ...doesn't seem to have the flair that taking it in Japan might... >sigh< oh well, that's what I get. Nothing exciting to report today, on my second day of school. Got up (with the help of my new, spiffy alarm clock!), got ready for school, went to school... I had first and second periods only. First period I saw the 3-A kids again, so I finished my intro speech and we played Jeparody. It went really well! The kids understood me very well, and answered (almost!) all of my questions right. (: The other class, I met them for the first time today, so they got the beginning of my 'speech'. One girl, I guess, is super-interested in English, and after class she came up to me and, in very good English, asked who my favorite actor was, and then told me hers was Josh Hartnet. (: These kids are so fun. (: After that, which was only about 10:20, I sat around on my butt, doing nothing, until lunchtime--1:25. Wee. Then at lunch I sat at a new table, with a new bunch of kids, who just sat there eating. Once in a while I got a smile or two, and I noticed one girl gesturing a ring on her own hand, but looking at me. So I held up my engagement ring and said, "yes, konyaku... engaged." And they smiled and nodded, and I smiled. And then that was about it. And really, that's been about it so far, at least during lunch... I guess I don't blame them... I mean, I haven't really tried to strike up a conversation either. It'd be a great time to practice Japanese... but I'm sure the school would rather I use English... In the teachers' room, many of the kids have already spoken to me--and it's only my second day! Some of them are very eager to practice their English. (: Ah, then after lunch... I went back to the teachers' room and sat on my butt until 3, when I was told it was okay to go home. But then I had to sit around some more, because the bus wouldn't arrive for 30 minutes, and it only takes 10 to walk to the stop. (Yeah, ONLY ten minutes to WALK to my bus stop from the school... neat, huh?) So I got the bus home and, once I was back at the train station, I decided to give "Mission: Bus Pass" another go. Remember that lady I asked about a pass and I said I thought she thought I was asking something else...? Well, yeah... so I could tell she said something about 'behind the taiyaki booth'... (taiyaki are these Japanese pastry-like treats) So I thanked her and gave it a go... walking down the sidewalk, past the taiyaki booth... but it's just this wall... the front of the train station. (The booth was set up a the mouth of the station entrance...) So I figured she thought I meant something else... either that or my Japanese is way off... and I gave up. So today I decided to try again. When I got on the bus this morning, I (brokenly) asked the driver where I could buy a bus pass. He pointed to the far end of the station (yes, it was the end behind the taiyaki booth...), and, naturally, spoke in Japanese... that I couldn't understand well. Well, there are some travel agencies down that way, where he pointed, I noticed yesterday. And I thought... 'well, I guess... maybe there.... ?' One of the signs DOES say "bus" after all... So I walked in after school today and asked, "can I buy a bus pass for the city bus here?" (after excusing my awful Japanese, as always...) A man came to the counter to help me, and he was very kind. (: I'm sure I wasn't making a WHOLE lot of sense, but he was patient and he helped me explain what I needed. I said I was working as an ALT at Oohira Jr High and I needed to go there every day (except weekends) and wanted a bus pass. He double-checked some stuff... the bus number and things, I guess... and showed me the price. A one-month pass worked out to 18,060 yen... I was trying to calculate in my head, but I was on the spot, and in a foreign country, and figuring that this HAD to be a deal.. I mean, what are bus passes for, after all? So I got it. I guess it's some sort of dorky reward for being able to communicate on my own again with more foreigners who don't know much English beyond "today" and "teacher"... (: Go me. "Mission: Buss Pass -- Complete." So, now that I'm home, and online... I'm converting the price. $164. For a month's worth of bus-riding. Sheesh... Did I get a deal? Let's see... I visit Oohira for one month, approx 30 days. I have to go there and back, so that's 60 rides. But I don't go on weekends, so usually 4 weekends in a month, so subtract 16 of those rides (2 days in a weekend so 4 rides in a weekend; 4 rides times 4 weekends is 16). 44 rides. 44 times 430 (the price of a one-way trip there or back) and that's 18,920 yen. $171. Yeah... I guess I did save some bucks. Er... yen... whichever. Both, really, right? (: Not as much as I was hoping, though... I wonder if I can use it on other buses...? And then, I can always go to Oohira on the weekends for exploring... there are some neat-looking temples out that way... Oh, and just because I have to say it, if I had one other love besides Jeremy... I'd have to say it was Japanese bread. Wow. I think I've eaten one slice of toast every freaking day I've been here. You guys gotta try this stuff. posted by Katie Suttles | 5:51 AM Comments-[ comments.] Monday, October 20, 2003 Alrighty... so today was my first day at Ohira. It went pretty well. (: The only tough part is getting there and back... first I bike 5-ish minutes to the station to park my bike, then I take a bus for about 30 minutes (and 430 yen... approx. $4... sigh), and THEN I walk 10-ish minutes to the school.... ugh. I really need to find some sneakers... But, so I started the introduction-Jeparody game thing all over again. But, I think the kids find it intersting at least. (: The school is really nice, too. I think it was recently remodeled. And this time, we have 'school lunch'--prepared in the school, served by the students and all that stuff. Not too bad. (: Better than I cook, anyway... sigh... Yeah, then I had fun trying to ask the lady who I thought worked at the 'bus window' in the station... but I guess I was wrong and she thought I was asking where the bus stop was or something... ugh... so I'll try again tomorrow, or just end up paying 860yen everyday or something... blah. But at least I got to enjoy Inuyasha again this evening. (: posted by Katie Suttles | 5:26 AM Comments-[ comments.] Alright, sorry I didn't write much about my 'busy' weekend last time, I guess I just wasn't in the mood to do much more than complain! So, sorry! (: So anyway, Saturday was, like, my 'gaijin day'--I met 4 foreigners. On my way up to my apartment after shopping (and getting pictures developed), I noticed two foreigners speaking to a woman on the first floor. When they noticed me, their faces lit up. "Do you speak English?" "Are you American?" Turns out they belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints around the way and were letting the community know about their message, inviting them to church, and such. I guess they hadn't seen a foreigner in a while, and they were pretty happy. (: So I talked to them for a bit; they were really nice guys, so maybe I'll see them again. So then after that I went to my Japanese class. I got to see Miwako and Atsuko, and show them my pictures from school, so that was nice. (: Class went well; I worked with an older woman and see kept saying, "Great, you can do this well," after each sentence I read and each question I answered... well, yeah... do you think it's cuz I studied these adjectives 3 years ago..? And I would say, "thank you. Yes, I've studied this before." Or, at least, that's what I thought I was saying... or maybe I was, she just doesn't care. Ah well... whatever. It's the speaking/listening practice I really want. And at least I breeze through it fast enough... So after class, I was heading out the door and this foreigner stopped me with a question: "Do you speak English?" in an English accent. I said I did, and he asked me what this class was like. So I told him a bit about it, and we talked for a bit about what we're doing in Japan and stuff. Turns out he's teaching English, too, but through a company. He is working with really little kids, he said... maybe 8 or so, and also some company employees. How interesting, I thought! What an interesting range of English to teach, as well as Japanese to be exposed to, huh? So then, afterwards I hung around for a while to say 'hi' to Atsuko. She asked me to help her with her announcements for the speech contest, which was the next day. So I listened while she and Mr Wantanabe read through the script (he was the Japanese announcer, and she the 'translator'), and I helped her with a few pronounciations and grammar things. La la la. After that, it was almost time for my dinner with Fusako. She was hosting one of the other judges for the contest Sunday, and asked me to dinner to meet him. So, I went. Free meals are always nice, and I was happy to see Fusako again. (: So I got picked up around 6, and after I got there I was introduced to John, who is from Wales originally, I believe. Soon after that we had dinner (my first time having Sukiyaki! Yum!), and mostly talked about our jobs and why we're here and stuff. After that, he showed me some pictures from a recent trip he took to an island not far from this area. It was the off-season, so he got some super-treatment from the woman who ran the ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) he stayed in. And everyone on the island was really nice to him. It sounds like some place I'd like to check out. (: Then I showed him, Fusako and Toshi my pictures of the students at Dai Ni. (: After that, we watched the Hanshin Tigers loose to the something-something Hawks. Then I got my ride home... and was pretty beat. The next morning, I got up kinda late and talked to Jeremy most of the morning. <3 Around noon I got ready and had some lunch, and then set out for the speech contest around 1:30. When I got there, John had already arrived but Allan, the other judge (and one of the ALTs I met at the English teacher party a few weeks back) hadn't arrived yet. I sat arround and read the rule to the contest and double-checked how I was supposed to judge and stuff. A little while later Allan showed up, and soon after the contest started. It was pretty fun. (: I was a little surprised, though, that two of the contestants had spent a significant time in America (one girl lived there for 11 years), so their English was... well, perfect, I guess. I'm sure they grew up speaking English. Weird. The other 8 contestants (?) all had studied english and worked hard to speak at the level they were at. One of the 8 was the girl who was sent to Kalamazoo by the committee that brought me here. Her speach was really touching... especially to me, I think, someone in her reverse situation. After they had all finished John, Allan and I retreated to the judge's room to discuss the winners. It didn't take us long to decide that the two girls had obviously written very good speaches, presented them wonderfully, and were therefore at the tops of our lists. ...We all were a little iffy about wanting to name them the winners, though... since they had an unfair advantage over the others, and maybe... maybe they shouldn't have even been allowed to enter (the ENGLISH speeches, anyway...). But, we figured, they HAD been allowed to compete, so it was not our place to ignore two great speaches because of their advantage--if the committee hadn't. So we chose them, and an older man who wrote about his 'dream after retirement'--which is to travel to America and become fluent in English. (: Allan and John both recognized him as a former contestant, since they have both judged in this contest in previous years. They said he had really improved over the years, too. He ended up with 2nd place. (: So, there you are. After that, the Japanese speeches started. Ah, yeah... I picked up words here and there, but was pretty much lost the whole time... sigh.... I had hoped that maybe one or two of the speakers would be about my level, so I could understand a little something... Or, well, maybe they were, I just wasn't paying enough attention. I really don't think so, though... ah well... someday, right? After that, I was invited to the tea party next door, where many of the contestants wanted to speak with me. I got to talk to the Numazu-Kalamazoo student, which was nice. (: And also to the girl we gave third place to, who had lived in America for 11 years. She hopes to go back, too--for college. A few other contestants practiced on me, and I got to try a bit of Japanese. After that, Atsuko invited me to dinner with some of the other NICE members, so I went... but I was pretty tired. :P It was nice, though... but I started to feel a little ill, so I didn't eat anything. ): Too bad... ): And then I came home and pretty much crashed... and that was my weekend! posted by Katie Suttles | 5:03 AM Comments-[ comments.] Sunday, October 19, 2003 Ugh... does anyone have a spare weekend-day to give me? Where did mine go? All I had to do this weekend was go to Japanese class, have dinner with Fusako, and judge in a speech contest. But somehow, what should have been the rest of my weekend was sucked away into some mysterious void. I was supposed to go to the station and ask about a bus pass, so maybe I won't have to spend almost $10 everyday to get to and from school. I was supposed to wash the slippers I'd been wearing at Dai Ni because they're kinda dirty... I was supposed to work on my webpage, so you can all see pictures of Numazu and my kids... sigh... At least I got copies of my shots made for the students. Now I just have to find some time to get back to Dai Ni to give them to them. And I need some decent walking shoes... and I really should wash those slippers... or maybe just buy a new stupid pair... sigh... this really stinks. posted by Katie Suttles | 7:52 AM Comments-[ comments.] Friday, October 17, 2003 So today was my last day, and a few teachers decided today was the day they'd finally approach me. :P First was the art teacher. When I first came to Dai Ni, I thought maybe he was the gym teacher... he always wore workout-type clothes, and he seemed kinda the athletic type. Nope, I was wrong! So he teaches art... and it might have been fun to sit in on one of his classes or something... but he never talked to me (beyond 'good morning'.. in Japanese, that is), and I wondered if maybe he didn't know English too well, or maybe he just didn't care that I was there-hehe. Well, anyway, today he came up to me with a small handful of plastic toys. In English/Japanese he said they were presents. They are little figurines of famous samurai statues and temple god guardians. They are really interesting! And then he was speaking to Seki-sensei about personal stamps (the Japanese often use them in place of signatures), and they said the students got to make one in class in the third semester. 'So maybe, the school you are at at that time,' Seki-sensei explained, 'will let you come to the class, and you can make a stamp, too.' Sounds neat, right? Well, I'm not sure what was wrong with waiting, but the two dug out a stone and the tools for me, and for most of the morning I worked on my own name stamp. (: And, well, you know the Japanese 'alphabet' is all these lovely Chinese characters called "kanji" right? Well, Seki-sensei and the vice-principal seached for about ten minutes, finding kanji to match my name! It was really nice of them! So I got to carve a 'tenkoku' name stamp with my name-in kanji! Here they are: 伽砂鈴The characters mean: 'helper/volunteer', 'sand' and 'bell'. Nice, huh?A few of the other teachers took the opportunity then to see my stamp and say a few words to me. Another teacher gave me a present of some origami cranes and balloons. (: So, even though I only sat around in the teachers' room today while all the kids were taking their mid-term exams, I wasn't quite so bored. (: posted by Katie Suttles | 8:28 AM Comments-[ comments.] And so, it ends... the first of six legs of my 'adventure' here. It was a sad day, but I was a little surprised when I found myself getting choked up on the podium as I began my farewell speech. Of course, it didn't help that the head student of the school recited a little something in Japanese to me... of which, I was able to understand the important parts, if not all of it... "thank you very much," "you made English class fun," "we will never forget you, please don't forget us." And then there was another lovely bouquet of flowers, from the entire school... I hardly know many of the kids... but, I think... maybe, leaving this school means something a little deeper to me... I'm leaving friendships I made, and friendly faces I recognize... and a routine I'd gotten used to, in a strange country where nothing is like home... Maybe that's more of the reason I was so sad today... But, of course, the students were wonderful, and I will miss them dearly... and, of course, I will never forget them. posted by Katie Suttles | 8:19 AM Comments-[ comments.] Thursday, October 16, 2003 So today I spent my last three classes with the first graders... ): (7th graders to us Americans) I'm pretty sad. They were a great bunch of kids, this Dai Ni group. One class of first years even bought me a beautiful bouquet. <3 They are so sweet. In the same class, three students wrote little speaches (in English!) for me... thanking me for coming to their school, asking that I not forget them, and telling me that they now like English even more... So I have to thank them in return, for letting me visit their school--because I had a wonderful time. And how could I ever forget such a wonderful group of students? And... I sincerely hope that I have had some positive influence on them about learning English... I wish I could stay all year to teach and work and play with them... but I know I can't. And I can only hope that all the other schools will be full of kids just as wonderful as this first bunch. But then again... I kind of hope not... you know? The Dai Ni students will forever have a special place in my heart. I hope I can somehow keep in touch with them... just a little. It's too sad to think I may never speak to them again... posted by Katie Suttles | 4:11 AM Comments-[ comments.] Sunday, October 12, 2003 I saw the last of Hara-san's neighborhood festival yesterday. (I tried to ask him the name, and he thought I asked something else, so he went on explaining that... oh well.) I watched as the children brought their mikoshi back to this little store the older people had chairs and tables set up in. They danced outside after they had sent the mikoshi on its 'horses'. After that, the older people handed out small bags of fruit and candy to them. (: Of course, I got some too... I hope all this stuff doesn't go bad before I get to eat it... That's kind of my trend... ugh. About an hour later the young men (and a few adult men) came back to the store. Though they were, uh.. a little drunk. It was kinda sad in this weird kinda way, watching the mikoshi spin and tip as they walked down the street... It was fun talking to the young men at the Shishihama Festival I was invited to about a month ago... These guys? I was hoping they would just pass me by. I got lucky. :P Only a few older drunk men tried to speak with me. One nice thing about being a foreigner in Japan: I can pretend I don't understand when I 1) don't feel like talking, 2) want to avoid a sales-pitch, or 3) feel threatened by drunken men. :P (Luckily optiopn 3 doesn't happen too often... only at these festivals, really.) Then that night, Hara-san said there would be a small party near his home, and I was invited. I figured, "what the heck?" and it was a free meal. (; He said it should only last an hour or so anyway, so I figured I'd be back home in time for One Piece and The Mummy, which was on last night. (: So about 6 I showed up--and walked into a hall full of old men! 'Oh boy,' I was thinking... 'I hope some ladies show up...' Soon after I arrived, Hara-san walked in and he showed me where I should sit. Sure enough, a little while later, his wife arrived with some friends and they sat with me. After that, I started having fun. (: The ladies asked me lots of questions, so I got to practice some Japanese. It was cute, too.. sometimes a lady on my other side would ask me a question I already answered to a lady on the first side, and the first lady would lean over to the second and tell her my answer. (: Hehehe... then they would laugh at each other for knowing so much about me already. (: Towards 7pm, a few older (drunk) men tried speaking with me. One guy was pretty nice, his English was very good. He helped me understand a few of the other people who tried to talk to me. (: There was lots of sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish) there, and I had three onigiri (rice balls). There were lots of little pickles and things to snack on, too. It was very tasty! And I, once again, got out of drinking alcohol--I enjoyed oolong tea all evening. (: Yum. There's this tradition in Japan to never pour your own drink, to always fill someone else's. So all evening people would see my glass was low, and they'd pick up the closest bottle of beer and tell me they'd refill it. And, like, four pairs of hands would shoot forward (from my lady friends around me!) and they would say "it's oolong! Not beer! She doesn't drink." Hehe.. what nice ladies! (: Oh, I also got an official invitation to Hara-san's son's wedding in November. (: I met his son and his fiancee, too. They are so nice.. and they are so nice for letting this total stranger attend their reception and ceremony (which I think is typically very private and personal-only for close family and friends). I can't wait to see it. (: I'm sure it's going to be very interesting! Well, that's about it. Today is Monday, but it is yet another National Holiday. It's Sports/Health Day. I guess about 30 years ago the Games opened here, in Tokyo, and ever since, they've had a holiday on that October Monday. (They chose the second Monday of the month to represent it.) So wahoo! I get a free day. Since I haven't updated my page in a while, maybe I'll do that later today. (: posted by Katie Suttles | 9:19 PM Comments-[ comments.] Saturday, October 11, 2003 ***(Encoded in UTF-8 -- if you have Japanese installed and can't read my Japanese text in this post, follow the "encoding info" on the right)*** Hi there. I had another pretty fun evening. Hara-san called the other day and invited me to the festival in his neighborhood. So, 'what the heck' I decided, and headed out to it. Well, he lives really close to Dai Ni JHS, so guess what? I saw about 20 of my students from school! They were all kinda surprised/excited to see me, too--and after a little while, a few of them even came to talk to me. (: They were so shy at first and whispering back and forth, trying to perfect their question in English. But I leaned forward and said, "学校でいません。 日本語はいいです。" (We're not at school. Japanese is OK.) They were so surprised and excited! So we spoke a little in Japanese and English. I also met a 25-year old woman who wants to teach Japanese to foreigners (hey hey!). We spoke for a while about many things, and then exchanged phone numbers... so maybe I've made another new friend... it'd be nice. (: Unfortuantely, I think Hara-san may have scared some of the kids who wanted to talk to me! And it started to rain when I left home... but it was a fun evening. I rushed home a bit ago because I remembered I had done my laundry today and left it on my balcony to dry! But when I went out to check it, everything was okay! So either it was raining in the right direction, or the balcony above mine is just the right length. My clothes aren't completely dry because the air is muggy... but at least they didn't get rained on! Yay! posted by Katie Suttles | 6:37 AM Comments-[ comments.] Friday, October 10, 2003 I had a lot of fun tonight! (: On Monday, one of the members of N.I.C.E. invited me to dinner, so she could share some pictures that were taken at the NICE dinner a few weeks back. We decided to meet at 6pm Friday night, in front of the train station. I wasn't sure which person from dinner I would be meeting, but I had a good idea. Turns out I was right! Atsuko sat at the table with me that evening, and wore a kimono. (: So we met up about 6pm and she said she would take me to a place where they have very delicious cake. (: Hehe... So we walked to the restaurant together and talked about all sorts of things. And we talked about all sorts of things throughout dinner (which was a very tasty clam and shrimp pasta) and through dessert (an even tastier treat! TWO pieces of cake! I chose Chocolate Espresso and Fig and Blueberry Pie!) and looooong after dinner was over! It was about 10pm when we realized the time, and that maybe we should let the restaurant close up! :P He he... But we talked a lot about working with students, and about the intricacies of English and Japanese, and it was very fun and interesting! I gave her my email and website addresses, so maybe she will visit my page soon. (Hi, Atsuko! Uhh... Atsuko-san?? Yamamoto-san??? Hehe...) And she told me some very important information! We have no Japanese class this Saturday! ): I'm so sad! ): Oh well... I guess that means I will have to study at home tomorrow! Just before I left for the station, though, Hara-san called me. He asked if I wanted to come to his son's wedding in November, and of course I said, "yes, please!" A REAL Japanese wedding! This should be fun! And, I guess, this weekend is a festival in his neighborhood... he invited me to check it out. So, we'll see. (: I'm sure it would be lots of fun. My meeting at the school went well. Turns out it was one of the English teachers who came by, and she is very nice! This is her first year teaching, however, and she has never team-taught. So I got to speak with her, and Seki-sensei gave her some ideas, too. I think it will be a fun school to visit. It is in the 'rural' area of Numazu, so I hear the kids are much warmer and a lot more curious. I guess we'll see! I'm looking forward to it. Oh, and I didn't get a ride to the school. (: I told the teacher that I will try taking the bus this weekend, to see if I can make my way there. She told me the bus number, and times that it leaves, and drew me a map from the bus stop to the school, so it should be all good. (: But anyways... I think I will play some FFX until I get sleepy. (: Goodnight! (: posted by Katie Suttles | 8:58 AM Comments-[ comments.] Thursday, October 09, 2003 It feels good to be back at Dai Ni... but my days there are slowly coming to an end, and it makes me sad... Tomorrow I have to bring my camera to school for the first day, to take a picture during my final 2-1A class... it's the begining of the end! ): It has started to get a bit chilly the last few days. I was 'forced' to by a new coat! All I have are blazers and my winter coat... :P So I found a nice one at this store down Nakamise-the main covered arcade in Numazu yesterday. Biking to school was a lot more comfortable today. Yay. Since the weather's cooled, I guess that makes the sky clearer... not as many clouds. So this week we've been getting beautiful views of Mt Fuji. (: Yesterday it felt a lot chillier to me; I had to keep rubbing my hands together and drinking coffee to try to keep me warm. When I looked out towards Fuji, snow had already started to cover his top. I was surprised! But today the weather seemed a bit nicer... not quite as windy for sure. When I looked out at Fuji today as I left school, a lot of the snow had melted! I wasn't able to get pictures today... but maybe tomorrow, since I will take my camera to school anyway. I will also have a short meeting after school with the principal (? i think...) of Oohira Jr High, my next stop on my whirlwind tour of the Numazu Jr Highs. I might find out my schedule and I think I'm going to be taken to the school, so I know how to get there. This weekend, I might try the buses to see if I can make it. Apparently it's a bit far. Anyways... I think I'm going to get some dinner started. Ugh... I hate cooking... posted by Katie Suttles | 4:13 AM Comments-[ comments.] Tuesday, October 07, 2003 Waaaaaaaahhhh...! And so ends my first run at an elementary school. ...Have you ever been treated like a celebrity..? Just visit a Japanese elementary school and then you'll know! All day long, I had kids gasping when they saw me, pointing and whispering to their friends, cheering my name and waving at me, sometimes running up to cling to me or just touch me, peering past the cracked door to the principal's office to see me during my "free time"... sheesh... You'd've thought I was Madonna or something. :P It was cute, but sometimes a little weird, I guess... maybe if I was more of an attention-hungry person, you know? Ah well. (: So, with the first graders, like I wrote yesterday, we played some Japanese version of Red Light, Green Light... which mainly consisted of me shuffling across the gym with around four Japanese kids clinging to my arms. I ate lunch both days with the second graders; and afterwards we had a mini Q&A. That was really fun for me cuz I got to practice a lot of my Japanese. The kids seemed to know to ask really simple questions, and I was able to give simple answers... sometimes relying on the teacher to help translate. (: I got to show my manga off to both classes and they went into mini-frenzies. Wa! I can't even think how elementary teachers can stand the screeching! :P But, it was fun to show them something they thought was so cool. (: I played with the third graders today. First we sang "Do-Re-Mi" and they they asked me to teach them some games. So I decided on "London Brigde" and "Duck, Duck, Goose". What hits! The kids loved them! Even after playing (and singing -sigh-) "London Bridge" for about ten minutes, they were still having a blast. Go figure. After that, we tried "Duck, Duck, Goose" and they liked that a lot, too. (: So that was fun. I saw three classes of fourth graders, and enjoyed them all. In all three, I introduced myself in English and Japanese, talked about my family and country, too. In the first class, we practiced greetings and had a Q&A--and I think I showed them my manga. In one of the other classes, we played a game. We were all assigned fruit names and sat in chairs in a circle. Someone started in the middle and called out one of the fruits. So all those people had to jump up and change chairs; but there we were one chair short so the last person would be in the middle. It was crazy and a little dangerous! But fun.. (: In the last fourth grade class, I passed out stickers to students who volunteered to recite a short introduction. It was funny... I asked, "Who will try?" and got about three hands... so I pulled out the stickers... and I got about ten more hands! He he... So now I know how to motivate Japanese schoolkids. We also sang "Old MacDonald" (with the aid of some cheezy pictures I drew...). Turns out there's a Japanese version, too! In the fifth grade classes, I introduced myself and taught them some easy greetings. The fifth graders yesterday played a different version of the fruit game up there--but we were animals this time. Again, very fun but a little dangerous! (: Today's fifth graders sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with me, after my mini speech and little Q&A. And with the sixth graders, I talked about myself again, gave them a quick lesson in greetings (offered one 'motivation' for being brave and volunteering!) and showed them my American money. (: In the first class, I kind of ended up teaching on my own... and I was a little freaked out when the teacher moved off to the side of the room and sat down... but I think I carried it really well! He helped out when we started the Q&A. (: That class got to see my manga, too, and they flipped. He he... Today, after school, while I was "relaxing" in the principal's office, waiting to hear the word that it was okay to leave, two young women came into the room to talk to me. (: One I recognized as a teacher I worked with yesterday. They just wanted to talk for a bit. But we were having a really nice time, we ended up talking for almost an hour! (: It was nice. During that time, I was brought 2 whip cream-covered hotcakes (delicious!) and several notebooks to sign. He he.. these kids! And on my way home, I got to pet a stray kitty. <3 Man, I miss my cats! And also, we could see the top of Fuji-san through the clouds! Snow is starting fall up there already! So I got a few pictures. (: Wow... but that's enough, right? Sorry I always end up typing these massive posts! (: Hope you enjoyed, though! I gotta go get something to eat now, though! OH! And if you didn't know, I've got pictures from the wedding I attended two weekends past! Go check them out if you like! posted by Katie Suttles | 5:52 AM Comments-[ comments.] Monday, October 06, 2003 WHEW! Even my visits to AMERICAN elementary schools didn't prepare me for THAT! (: Japanese elementary kids are... well, they're .... very genki. The handy dictionary that was left behind here describes "genki" as: healthy, fine, energetic. But genki can mean soooo much more, I think. Try, 'bouncing of the walls'... THAT is genki, too, I think. Ah, anyways... they were pretty genki. (: But fun, yes. The older kids were a bit more fun for me... They asked all sorts of questions, so I got to talk in English and Japanese. Right after lunch I played with the first graders... they are a little harder to understand. (: They mostly just clung to me as we ran around the gym playing the Japanese version of Red Light, Green Light. They're so small, though! I'm surprised I didn't step on anyone.. :P I got to eat my first "school lunch," too. It was cooked in the kitched downstairs, and students dressed up like surgeons brought it to the classroom. (: Seriously. Smocks, masks, hair cover-things... yeah. It was pretty tasty. (: Nothing fancy, of course... but I think it was more cooking than I've done since I got here. ...sigh... Yeah, and I gotta learn how to say, "It's only rain!" in Japanese. About halfway though the day, it started to rain. Ugh. So, naturally, the principal and the teacher who's been my 'contact' there were totally worried about me biking home--like it was gonna kill me or something. Anybody else read that Asimov (??) story about the girl(?/people?) made of sugar? And they couldn't go outside in the rain or she'd (they'd?) melt? Well... yeah, I always think of that when the Japanese make a fuss about me biking in the rain... I wanna ask, "Are you afraid I'm going to melt?? It's only rain!" But... yeah, they wouldn't get it. (: Oh well. So yeah, I ended up enjoying today--like I figured I would. I'll write more about my adventures tomorrow; I still have one day left with the kids! posted by Katie Suttles | 2:42 AM Comments-[ comments.] Sunday, October 05, 2003 So maybe it's silly, but I'm really nervous about tomorrow. Monday and Tuesday will mark my first two days working with the Numazu elementary kids. I've never been very good with kids... I was never around little ones a lot, except on big family get-togethers... and even then I didn't really 'take care' of them, you know? ...sigh... I have a couple songs planned... and some games... I just have no idea how it will go, and I hate that. I thought of making myself a schedule, figuring out how long it might take to do each activity... but they're elementary school kids! Nothing's gonna go as I plan, right? I'm sure, though, as soon as these two days are over... I'm gonna be wishing I could repeat them again and again. posted by Katie Suttles | 5:58 AM Comments-[ comments.] Friday, October 03, 2003 Well, I just got back from yet ANOTHER "welcome party"--and guess what I got? Did you say, "flowers"? Bingo! Like I said... it's a conspiracy to keep my dining room table clean... But it was fun. I had dinner with the people Ms Mochizuki works with in the Education Department at City Hall. I knew a few of them already, because of my frequent visits when I've been troubled about something. (: They are all really nice people. I also got to see Allan again--I met him at the English teachers' party a few weeks back. He's an ALT from Winnipeg who's been teaching here for... three years, I think? I guess he and his Japanese girlfriend live super-close to Dai Ni Jr High. (: I met another ALT, who lived near LA, who's been here for about 6 years now. I guess he was originally born in Japan, and has moved back here and lives with his wife and twin boys--and they are expecting a little girl on Monday. (: So I got to meet lots of nice people, and I even used a bit more of my Japanese than usual. Japanese was the language of choice for most of the evening, so I did my best to pay attention and pick up what I could. Even so, I only caught about half of the evening's conversations, but I guess that isn't too bad. Anyways... I think I'll be getting to bed soon. I still need to recover from the last of my jetlag, and I've got shopping I should do before Japanese class tomorrow. Aa~! I'm looking forward to it! I missed last Saturday because I went to America, the Saturday before that we were bumped to a different building and had 'games day', the Saturday before THAT there was no class for some reason, and the Saturday before THAT was my frist lesson. SO! Maybe this time we can get back to studying Japanese. (: Yay! posted by Katie Suttles | 8:50 AM Comments-[ comments.] Just because I know I need the practice, I've decided to start writing a "Japanese weblog"... HERE! So if you can speak Japanese, stop by and fix my errors! (: Hehe... or converse with me, if you like! I have comments set up over there, too. If you can't use Japanese fonts, romanji is fine! I'm not fussy. (: I have a link under my "links" section to the right, too! posted by Katie Suttles | 3:29 AM Comments-[ comments.] Thursday, October 02, 2003 Wah... Why do I feel so tired..? Maybe my jetlag is finally starting to catch up to me... poop. So the English-version manga (comics) I bought over the weekend are a hit. (: Several students have spotted them when they've come to the teachers' room to talk to a teacher. I need to figure out some way to use them in class... I think it would really grab every kid's attention. Any ideas? "Shout" them out! Of course, now I'm regretting that I didn't pick up any American books... The art teacher at Dai Ni was really interested in the English manga, especially the flipped images. And he was really curious about the Sunday Funnies from my Detroit Free Press! ...sigh... Oh well... I guess I could get some sent sometime. And WOW, check me out. After only updating with festival pictures yesterday, I have more to share! I made two pages for my friends-both here and back home. I'm still working on the wedding shots, though... maybe I could get my butt in gear tonight. (: So go check out some pages about my friends back home, and the people I've met in Numazu HERE! posted by Katie Suttles | 3:23 AM Comments-[ comments.] Wednesday, October 01, 2003 Alrighty! So I got the Shishihama Festival pages done! Woot! Go on over to my MAIN PAGE to check them out, okay? Okay! I hope you enjoy the pictures! Yesterday I had another good meeting with Momoko, to help her prepare for the next stage in the speech contest. I took a mirror this time, at Mom's suggestion, and I think it helped her a little. To be honest, though, she's really great at speaking English! And she's great at TRYING to speak English... you know what I mean? She's trying really hard to do her best... and it paid off! Her teacher/coach, Yuuko, called me this evening and said she made fourth place and she will continue on to the next competition! I'm so happy for her! I wonder if I've helped her at all...? Do you think she would have made it without my aid..? I'm betting she would have! (: Either way, I'm just going to try my best to help her get as far as she can! The next competition is on the 17th, Yuuko said. I got the wedding pictures I want to use on my page adjusted, cropped, and saved in my 'web folder'--so now I just have to spend a few hours making a page for it. Maybe I can finish it off before the weekend. (: Ganbatte! posted by Katie Suttles | 8:19 AM Comments-[ comments.] |
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