...to post the CUTEST picture EVER! Seriously, how can a kid be that cute?!!!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Taking a break from the busiest week EVER...
...to post the CUTEST picture EVER! Seriously, how can a kid be that cute?!!!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Scary last class today!
So this week I have had a lot of last classes, which have ranged to sad with the good classes, to a “see ya later!” with the bad classes. Hehe. Actually I was sad for all of them, but it hasn’t really hit me for the most part, which is for the best at the moment!
Anyway, today I had my last class with 3-4, which is my best class, so I expected to be sad. However, instead it was a bit violent and weird in the end! So after the typhoon game I asked them which game they wanted to play, and they said a version of hot potato we do where we pass balls and if they have tennis balls I ask them a question and if they have these two other types of balls, they ask me a question. Well, it was ghetto and I hadn’t prepared for that request, so we passed textbooks while we played the English dialogue CD in the background, hahahaha. Nice.
Anyway, the kids were mean and kept purposely putting all of the books on Seki-kun’s desk. I am not sure if he is special needs, but he at least has some sort of learning disorder, as he can’t speak, read or write English at all. He is a nice kid, but he understandably is really uncomfortable during English classes because he cant do anything and is afraid of being called on. Anyway, the kids were being bastards and kept giving him the books, trying to get him to have to answer. I tried to stop them, but it didn’t work out so well.
Anyway, him and Yuto, who is like the nicest, genki-est kid in the world, kept exchanging the books, trying not to get stuck with it, and it led to DRAMARAMA! Seki got mad that the book ended up on his desk, so he like threw it at Yuto. Even nice Yuto can apparently get angry, as he got a scary look on his face and started almost punching him! THEN Seki busted out his SCISSORS and started stabbing at Yuto!!!!!! Um, SCARY! Fortunately he was too far away but it was still pretty close, it was fucked up! Then Seki cried for the last ten minutes of the class, the ten minutes of break, and into the next class! AND started crying when I tried to comfort him during lunch! ACK! That is not how I expected that class to end! Also, it was awkward, as I am taking pics with the whole class at the end of every last class, so while Seki was crying and shit, it was like, “Come on, guys, CHEESE!” Hahaha. Sad, only at Yabuchu!
Anyway, today I had my last class with 3-4, which is my best class, so I expected to be sad. However, instead it was a bit violent and weird in the end! So after the typhoon game I asked them which game they wanted to play, and they said a version of hot potato we do where we pass balls and if they have tennis balls I ask them a question and if they have these two other types of balls, they ask me a question. Well, it was ghetto and I hadn’t prepared for that request, so we passed textbooks while we played the English dialogue CD in the background, hahahaha. Nice.
Anyway, the kids were mean and kept purposely putting all of the books on Seki-kun’s desk. I am not sure if he is special needs, but he at least has some sort of learning disorder, as he can’t speak, read or write English at all. He is a nice kid, but he understandably is really uncomfortable during English classes because he cant do anything and is afraid of being called on. Anyway, the kids were being bastards and kept giving him the books, trying to get him to have to answer. I tried to stop them, but it didn’t work out so well.
Anyway, him and Yuto, who is like the nicest, genki-est kid in the world, kept exchanging the books, trying not to get stuck with it, and it led to DRAMARAMA! Seki got mad that the book ended up on his desk, so he like threw it at Yuto. Even nice Yuto can apparently get angry, as he got a scary look on his face and started almost punching him! THEN Seki busted out his SCISSORS and started stabbing at Yuto!!!!!! Um, SCARY! Fortunately he was too far away but it was still pretty close, it was fucked up! Then Seki cried for the last ten minutes of the class, the ten minutes of break, and into the next class! AND started crying when I tried to comfort him during lunch! ACK! That is not how I expected that class to end! Also, it was awkward, as I am taking pics with the whole class at the end of every last class, so while Seki was crying and shit, it was like, “Come on, guys, CHEESE!” Hahaha. Sad, only at Yabuchu!
I am a bastard!
K, I am forced to correct 200 2nensei kids’ papers about their summer vacations, and I just have to post some of their interesting English! Hehe.
“Tokyo is also famous for delicious food. For example, I like ramen very much. A lot of tall buildings and young human.”
“This summer, at curry rice and hiyaci cyuna (cold Chinese noodle salad) is very very delicious a dish. But my a family is very poor people. So this year we can’t fravel only two or three times.” SAD!
“Changing the subject, there is the thing that I have already taken nothing pleasure. It is a festival. I think that even a festival is past a lot of stands.” Hmm???
“Tokyo is also famous for delicious food. For example, I like ramen very much. A lot of tall buildings and young human.”
“This summer, at curry rice and hiyaci cyuna (cold Chinese noodle salad) is very very delicious a dish. But my a family is very poor people. So this year we can’t fravel only two or three times.” SAD!
“Changing the subject, there is the thing that I have already taken nothing pleasure. It is a festival. I think that even a festival is past a lot of stands.” Hmm???
Monday, July 09, 2007
Kylie Minogue, biatch!
Dude, I realize I am a huge stereotype for saying this, but I am currently addicted to Kylie Minogue’s “Showgirl” concert DVD. Oh my god, it is so fucking good! It is like nearly as entertaining as the Rain DVD, and I thought that was impossible to reach, especially for a white person! It is fucking awesome. I had no idea she was that entertaining, and that her songs were that catchy! It’s good shit, yo!!!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Oh my god, I can NOT speak English anymore!
Okay, so I haven’t been able to speak real English in like two years, BUT it is getting even worse, as it is happening in my lessons now! Like, I cant explain games in English anymore! I was trying to explain battleship to 1nensei today. For some reason Japanese kids have no sense of strategy, and when they hit a ship once, it doesn’t occur to them that they should hit the other two spots on the ship somewhere around the first hit. So I was trying to tell them this in English and was like, “So, Ms. Tagawa hit my ship here. That means that (in my head I am currently thinking, “Oh, fuck, I don’t know where I am going with this in English!”)...there...are...places around here...that...are...hit-able?” Ahahahahahaha. I am SURE my 1nensei understood that perfect English! To make matters worse, my JTE started laughing at my horrible English! SAD! I also said it with the most unsure voice and look on my face, so I am sure my kids think I am retarded, even if they have no idea what I am saying. SAD!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Japanese housewives have too much free time!!!
Okay, Japanese housewives actually don’t have much free time because they are like slaves, BUT they are at least clazy. So it started sprinkling today, which no one was really expecting. Anyway, this mom of a student just drove to school, ran to the staffroom and gave a teacher an umbrella to give to her son or daughter so that they wouldn’t get wet on the way home from school. Um, that is hardcore! Dude, they wear helmets, it’s not like they get that wet, and it isn’t pouring or anything! Crazy clazy crazy.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Ahahahahaha
Dude, only in Japan could students feel my “muscles” and say I am strong and macho and not be joking!!!! I need to stay here!!!
Boring week!
Mehhhhh, so this Thursday and Friday are finals, which means I only have one class in two days, AND today is BOE observation day, which means I only have one class. So between Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, I only have TWO classes! Um, BORING. Also, it sucks, since I only have a few weeks left with my kids, and I don’t want to spend it bored in the shokuinshitsu! Mehhhhhhhhh!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Shuugaku Ryokou! Day Three (Last)
On Thursday, the last day of the school trip, everyone was EXHAUSTED! But it was fun anyway. We had to wake up and head out early, as we were checking out of the ryokan in Kyoto, then training to Nara, which is an old city with lots of temples, etc., about an hour away from Kyoto. First the teachers got a bunch of omiyage (food souvenir things) from the ryokan people, the photography company, and the travel company! It pays to be a teacher! Hehe.
We had to walk to the train station which was far away, and unfortunately it was pouring! Thankfully I bought an umbrella at the 99 (memories!) the day before in preparation, so it was okay, although it was too small and my shoulders got all wet, sad! For the Nara day I joined another group to mix things up, plus because I couldn’t decide between two good groups for Kyoto, so I hung out with the runner-ups in Nara, hehe.
On the train ride there we all ASSED OUT and slept hardcore. Um, it was very lucky everyone was asleep, as I was the most disgusting human being ever while sleeping! I had a dream that I was like spitting or something, and when I woke up there was like ten gallons of drool coming out of my mouth! It was SO NASTY! I am sure you wanted to hear that.
When we got to Nara we all headed to Todaiji, which is a HUGE wooden temple, and is the largest wooden structure in the world. However, it was rebuilt about 400-500 years ago, and before it was 1/3 larger than it is now! Damn, I cant even imagine, it was BIG!
On the way to Todaiji we went through Nara Park, where there are tons of deer that Nara is famous for. I dunno how they aren’t 7,000 pounds, as people feed them senbei (rice crackers, but made for deer in this case) all day long. They are selfish deer! They also devoured a poor students’ bag of stuff, poor girl!
We eventually went into Todaiji, where there are big Buddhas and stuff inside. It is pretty cool, plus is like one of the few places I hadn’t been in Nara (I went there when I studied abroad), so that was nice. My kids and I all got omikuji, which are fortunes, I guess you would say. You pay like 100 yen, then pick a stick that has a number on it. You tell the monk your number, and he gives you the corresponding piece of paper with your fortune. I got kichi, the second-highest amount of luck, so that was pretty good, yay.
After that we headed back to the train station, after having been in Nara for a whopping two hours. There are actually tons of places to go there, but we didn’t have time, which I don’t mind, since it is all the same! Hehe. Before getting on the train, however, like ALL of my boys bought McDonald’s. It was a McDonald’s party! I think they learned not to trust the quality of the bentos on the shinkansen! However, they weren’t allowed to eat on the train back to Kyoto, so they had to wait an hour and a half to eat their McDonald’s on the shinkansen. Gross, I will never understand how Japanese people are okay with lukewarm/cold food (the effect of kyushoku!). Nasty!
While we were transferring at Kyoto station, we passed two other 3rd grade school trip groups. Um, it was HILARIOUS to see the difference between my school and those two! They were ALL quiet and sitting in one place and peaceful, while my kids were running around with their McDonald’s, being loud, and giving the teachers a hard time. Aww, I love my ghetto school! Hehehehe. The other schools looked pretty boring, so maybe it is good that I am at least at the interesting one!
On the shinkansen back I quickly switched seats away from my Kouchou Sensei (principal), as there is only so much to talk with him about, and definitely NOT enough to talk about for 2 1/2 hours! Hehe. I gave it to a kid who wanted to sleep, and I joined my Uno group again. We played Uno for another two hours. Hardcore, yo! I would say I probably played Uno for at least six hours in the three days! It was fun, though, it definitely made the time pass faster. I also scored cool points with my kids by buying them soda from the vending machines (they aren’t allowed to, but my Kouchou did on the way there for them, so I figured it was okay. Well, sorta, hehe).
Oh, between Uno games, my kids entertained themselves by plucking Shugo’s armhairs! Sad! I had noticed his arms were hairy (well, for a Japanese guy), and apparently they were fascinated by them, as it was a very fun game for the boys. One of them was like, “Jeff always says it hurts when I pull his, but you aren’t complaining!” Hahahaha.
We took the shinkansen to Tokyo, and from there we took a bus all the way to Yabuzuka. It was for like 2 hours or so, but fortunately they turned on a movie on the bus, so we got to watch Spider-Man 2. I was excited, as I had been wanting to watch it lately, but then I fell asleep like 20 minutes into it, whoops. Fortunately no drooling issues ensued!
That night we finally got back to school at 7, but I had to be a real teacher and have a debrief/party until 8:30 at night! Eek! The two good things that came out of it was that we were served cake, and I got lots of gossip of what went down that I didn’t know about! Man, there was some DRAMA! Some of it was really sad, my kids are too young to be doing some of these things, eek!!!!
Anyway, yeah, I then went home and ASSED THE FUCK OUT, as I was beyond exhausted. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun, though, I totally want to go again! But the bad thing is that it is making it harder to think about leaving my kids after getting to bond with them more! Bah!
We had to walk to the train station which was far away, and unfortunately it was pouring! Thankfully I bought an umbrella at the 99 (memories!) the day before in preparation, so it was okay, although it was too small and my shoulders got all wet, sad! For the Nara day I joined another group to mix things up, plus because I couldn’t decide between two good groups for Kyoto, so I hung out with the runner-ups in Nara, hehe.
On the train ride there we all ASSED OUT and slept hardcore. Um, it was very lucky everyone was asleep, as I was the most disgusting human being ever while sleeping! I had a dream that I was like spitting or something, and when I woke up there was like ten gallons of drool coming out of my mouth! It was SO NASTY! I am sure you wanted to hear that.
When we got to Nara we all headed to Todaiji, which is a HUGE wooden temple, and is the largest wooden structure in the world. However, it was rebuilt about 400-500 years ago, and before it was 1/3 larger than it is now! Damn, I cant even imagine, it was BIG!
On the way to Todaiji we went through Nara Park, where there are tons of deer that Nara is famous for. I dunno how they aren’t 7,000 pounds, as people feed them senbei (rice crackers, but made for deer in this case) all day long. They are selfish deer! They also devoured a poor students’ bag of stuff, poor girl!
We eventually went into Todaiji, where there are big Buddhas and stuff inside. It is pretty cool, plus is like one of the few places I hadn’t been in Nara (I went there when I studied abroad), so that was nice. My kids and I all got omikuji, which are fortunes, I guess you would say. You pay like 100 yen, then pick a stick that has a number on it. You tell the monk your number, and he gives you the corresponding piece of paper with your fortune. I got kichi, the second-highest amount of luck, so that was pretty good, yay.
After that we headed back to the train station, after having been in Nara for a whopping two hours. There are actually tons of places to go there, but we didn’t have time, which I don’t mind, since it is all the same! Hehe. Before getting on the train, however, like ALL of my boys bought McDonald’s. It was a McDonald’s party! I think they learned not to trust the quality of the bentos on the shinkansen! However, they weren’t allowed to eat on the train back to Kyoto, so they had to wait an hour and a half to eat their McDonald’s on the shinkansen. Gross, I will never understand how Japanese people are okay with lukewarm/cold food (the effect of kyushoku!). Nasty!
While we were transferring at Kyoto station, we passed two other 3rd grade school trip groups. Um, it was HILARIOUS to see the difference between my school and those two! They were ALL quiet and sitting in one place and peaceful, while my kids were running around with their McDonald’s, being loud, and giving the teachers a hard time. Aww, I love my ghetto school! Hehehehe. The other schools looked pretty boring, so maybe it is good that I am at least at the interesting one!
On the shinkansen back I quickly switched seats away from my Kouchou Sensei (principal), as there is only so much to talk with him about, and definitely NOT enough to talk about for 2 1/2 hours! Hehe. I gave it to a kid who wanted to sleep, and I joined my Uno group again. We played Uno for another two hours. Hardcore, yo! I would say I probably played Uno for at least six hours in the three days! It was fun, though, it definitely made the time pass faster. I also scored cool points with my kids by buying them soda from the vending machines (they aren’t allowed to, but my Kouchou did on the way there for them, so I figured it was okay. Well, sorta, hehe).
Oh, between Uno games, my kids entertained themselves by plucking Shugo’s armhairs! Sad! I had noticed his arms were hairy (well, for a Japanese guy), and apparently they were fascinated by them, as it was a very fun game for the boys. One of them was like, “Jeff always says it hurts when I pull his, but you aren’t complaining!” Hahahaha.
We took the shinkansen to Tokyo, and from there we took a bus all the way to Yabuzuka. It was for like 2 hours or so, but fortunately they turned on a movie on the bus, so we got to watch Spider-Man 2. I was excited, as I had been wanting to watch it lately, but then I fell asleep like 20 minutes into it, whoops. Fortunately no drooling issues ensued!
That night we finally got back to school at 7, but I had to be a real teacher and have a debrief/party until 8:30 at night! Eek! The two good things that came out of it was that we were served cake, and I got lots of gossip of what went down that I didn’t know about! Man, there was some DRAMA! Some of it was really sad, my kids are too young to be doing some of these things, eek!!!!
Anyway, yeah, I then went home and ASSED THE FUCK OUT, as I was beyond exhausted. It was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun, though, I totally want to go again! But the bad thing is that it is making it harder to think about leaving my kids after getting to bond with them more! Bah!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Stop this madness!
It is currently 28.7 degrees in the staffroom. It is currently 27 degrees outside. THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS! There is like NO fresh air in here, AND the motherfucking server is like 15 feet away from me, THIS IS HORRIBLE! It is so fucking hot! Turn on the motherfucking A/C NOW, bitches!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Shuugaku Ryokou! Day Two
Day two was our full day in Kyoto, where (thanks to the help of technology), we all broke into small groups. There were 30 groups of six students each, and each group had a different route of places to visit during the day. Each group got a cell phone-like thing that could reach the teachers (only), and a GPS thing that would tell the teachers where we were. Hardcore! Anyway, it was a LONG day, as we left at 8 am and couldn’t come back until 5 (not to mention that I went to bed at 1something and got up at 5:30), but it was fun!
I chose my own group, which was a good group. Well, I had two bad girls in it, but it was okay, especially since the boys have NOTHING to do with the girls, it is really quite amusing. I had Yuto, a good kid who speaks good English and is fun, Seki, a kid who REALLY doesn’t speak English, but is a good kid, and Takuya and Takuya, both “cool” kids, but good cool kids, not evil ones. So yeah, a good group! Throughout the day we went to a bazillion temples, as you do in Kyoto. I didn’t know which ones I had been to a few years ago, as I went with gaijin then and didn’t know the names of them. But it turns out I had been to most of the famous ones, as I only went to one new one with my group. First we went to Kiyomizudera, which is beautiful, but at the top of a hill, and it was TOO FREAKING HOT to walk up a damn hill! Ugh, we were disgusting! After that we secretly broke off into smaller groups for an hour, which was breaking the rules, but it all turned out okay in the end. I am SUCH a good teacher ;) I did score cool points with my kids on that one, tho, hehe.
We were supposed to go to Kyoto Tower next, but THANKFULLY we skipped it, as even students were saying it was boring. Um, I could have told them that the night before, it is not tall and not impressive! Silly Japanese people and their crappy towers. Instead we went to 33 Gendo, a place with 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, inside. It was VERY cool, I am glad I went. Each statue has a different face, so it is said that everyone can find their face in 33 Gendo. I do question this, however, as all of them are Asian and didn’t look like me ;) Racist Buddhists!!!
After that we had some bus drama and lost a bit of time, but oh well. Oh, we went all around Kyoto by bus. They have an AMAZING bus system, and you can get anywhere really easily! It is nice! However, I must mention that despite my kids having studied the schedule, bus schedule, and everything for a million years before the trip, they really knew NOTHING! I swear I knew more than them! But it was good, as it forced them to ask directions and stuff. Anyway, we totally went the wrong way for a bit, but then ended up at Kinkakuji, the golden temple that is the most famous temple in Kyoto. I have never been very impressed with it, as it just looks tacky and small, but it is famous for whatever reason. My kids seemed to agree with me, as we went through it at Jeff and Cindy speed! We were like, okay take a picture, BYE! Hahaha.
Next up was lunch, and we all wanted ramen, but couldn’t find it anywhere! I realized I was with the right group, however, as a teacher earlier had given me a ramen recommendation, but I didn’t know exactly where he was talking about. My kids were like, “Call him and ask him!” I told them that that was a lot of work and lunch wasn’t that important, and they all stopped walking and said seriously, “It IS that important! Lunch is that important, Jeff!” Hahahahahaha! Man, that is my kinda group!
Anyway, we ended up having udon instead, but it was good. Once again the boys had nothing to do with the girls and we got separate tables, haha. Silly chuugakusei.
Our last place to go was some sort of Kyoto castle, which took a while to get to. When we got there I immediately recognized it as the place that my friends and I went to a few years ago, but then didn’t go into, as it was too freaking expensive and we didn’t care enough. Well, my students thought the same thing, as they were like, “This is expensive! Let’s leave!” Hahaha. So we took a picture in front of the entrance, hehe.
Oh, yeah, it was freaking awesome, btw, as my kouchou sensei made me a laminated letter thing that said I was a teacher on a school trip, and I got free into all of the temples and stuff! That was nice, as I hate paying for that crap!
Oh, one more thing. Um, so I got SO MANY freaking stares for being with my kids throughout the day, I am sure I looked like a total molester pervert or something! No one could figure out our relationship to each other, which is understandable, as ALTs never go on school trips! Anyway, yeah, everyone was like, um, wtf are you doing with these kids. Hahahaha, it was funny. Hopefully the Kyoto police aren’t looking for me ;)
After the castle we were done for the day, but had an hour before we could go back, so we broke up and wandered around a shopping area, completely EXHAUSTED. It was SO hot plus no sleep was not a good thing. Some of the students got NO sleep the night before, and most only got a couple hours. Anyway, me, Yuto and Seki wanted to sit somewhere, so I was like, well, lets go to Starbucks. I got an AMAZING azuki (red bean) frappuccino, which are the best things EVER. They are new. Anyway, I quickly realized that Starbucks is not exactly a typical junior high school student hangout, BUT I was very impressed when Yuto got in line to order something! He came back and I was like, what did you get? He got COCOA! Awwwwww! SO CUTE!
We were finally allowed back in the ryokan at 5, and we were all DEAD! We had dinner, then everyone went shopping at a local shopping area. So in Japan when you go somewhere, you get omiyage (souvenirs) for your friends and family. It is just a big excuse to help the economy, but Japanese people love doing it. It is almost always in the form of individually-wrapped cookies, crackers, or something like that. Anyway, my kids went freaking balls to the wall crazy with omiyage purchases! It was ridiculous! A lot of them had to ship them back, they bought so many! However, I think it was probably exciting for them to do it, as they felt like adults! So yeah, I was the cheap gaijin barely buying any omiyage, while my kids had like 30 boxes, haha.
That night I played MORE Uno and other card games (and had the night before, too) with my kids, then drank with my kouchou and teachers again, then got another LONG four hours of sleep!
I chose my own group, which was a good group. Well, I had two bad girls in it, but it was okay, especially since the boys have NOTHING to do with the girls, it is really quite amusing. I had Yuto, a good kid who speaks good English and is fun, Seki, a kid who REALLY doesn’t speak English, but is a good kid, and Takuya and Takuya, both “cool” kids, but good cool kids, not evil ones. So yeah, a good group! Throughout the day we went to a bazillion temples, as you do in Kyoto. I didn’t know which ones I had been to a few years ago, as I went with gaijin then and didn’t know the names of them. But it turns out I had been to most of the famous ones, as I only went to one new one with my group. First we went to Kiyomizudera, which is beautiful, but at the top of a hill, and it was TOO FREAKING HOT to walk up a damn hill! Ugh, we were disgusting! After that we secretly broke off into smaller groups for an hour, which was breaking the rules, but it all turned out okay in the end. I am SUCH a good teacher ;) I did score cool points with my kids on that one, tho, hehe.
We were supposed to go to Kyoto Tower next, but THANKFULLY we skipped it, as even students were saying it was boring. Um, I could have told them that the night before, it is not tall and not impressive! Silly Japanese people and their crappy towers. Instead we went to 33 Gendo, a place with 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, inside. It was VERY cool, I am glad I went. Each statue has a different face, so it is said that everyone can find their face in 33 Gendo. I do question this, however, as all of them are Asian and didn’t look like me ;) Racist Buddhists!!!
After that we had some bus drama and lost a bit of time, but oh well. Oh, we went all around Kyoto by bus. They have an AMAZING bus system, and you can get anywhere really easily! It is nice! However, I must mention that despite my kids having studied the schedule, bus schedule, and everything for a million years before the trip, they really knew NOTHING! I swear I knew more than them! But it was good, as it forced them to ask directions and stuff. Anyway, we totally went the wrong way for a bit, but then ended up at Kinkakuji, the golden temple that is the most famous temple in Kyoto. I have never been very impressed with it, as it just looks tacky and small, but it is famous for whatever reason. My kids seemed to agree with me, as we went through it at Jeff and Cindy speed! We were like, okay take a picture, BYE! Hahaha.
Next up was lunch, and we all wanted ramen, but couldn’t find it anywhere! I realized I was with the right group, however, as a teacher earlier had given me a ramen recommendation, but I didn’t know exactly where he was talking about. My kids were like, “Call him and ask him!” I told them that that was a lot of work and lunch wasn’t that important, and they all stopped walking and said seriously, “It IS that important! Lunch is that important, Jeff!” Hahahahahaha! Man, that is my kinda group!
Anyway, we ended up having udon instead, but it was good. Once again the boys had nothing to do with the girls and we got separate tables, haha. Silly chuugakusei.
Our last place to go was some sort of Kyoto castle, which took a while to get to. When we got there I immediately recognized it as the place that my friends and I went to a few years ago, but then didn’t go into, as it was too freaking expensive and we didn’t care enough. Well, my students thought the same thing, as they were like, “This is expensive! Let’s leave!” Hahaha. So we took a picture in front of the entrance, hehe.
Oh, yeah, it was freaking awesome, btw, as my kouchou sensei made me a laminated letter thing that said I was a teacher on a school trip, and I got free into all of the temples and stuff! That was nice, as I hate paying for that crap!
Oh, one more thing. Um, so I got SO MANY freaking stares for being with my kids throughout the day, I am sure I looked like a total molester pervert or something! No one could figure out our relationship to each other, which is understandable, as ALTs never go on school trips! Anyway, yeah, everyone was like, um, wtf are you doing with these kids. Hahahaha, it was funny. Hopefully the Kyoto police aren’t looking for me ;)
After the castle we were done for the day, but had an hour before we could go back, so we broke up and wandered around a shopping area, completely EXHAUSTED. It was SO hot plus no sleep was not a good thing. Some of the students got NO sleep the night before, and most only got a couple hours. Anyway, me, Yuto and Seki wanted to sit somewhere, so I was like, well, lets go to Starbucks. I got an AMAZING azuki (red bean) frappuccino, which are the best things EVER. They are new. Anyway, I quickly realized that Starbucks is not exactly a typical junior high school student hangout, BUT I was very impressed when Yuto got in line to order something! He came back and I was like, what did you get? He got COCOA! Awwwwww! SO CUTE!
We were finally allowed back in the ryokan at 5, and we were all DEAD! We had dinner, then everyone went shopping at a local shopping area. So in Japan when you go somewhere, you get omiyage (souvenirs) for your friends and family. It is just a big excuse to help the economy, but Japanese people love doing it. It is almost always in the form of individually-wrapped cookies, crackers, or something like that. Anyway, my kids went freaking balls to the wall crazy with omiyage purchases! It was ridiculous! A lot of them had to ship them back, they bought so many! However, I think it was probably exciting for them to do it, as they felt like adults! So yeah, I was the cheap gaijin barely buying any omiyage, while my kids had like 30 boxes, haha.
That night I played MORE Uno and other card games (and had the night before, too) with my kids, then drank with my kouchou and teachers again, then got another LONG four hours of sleep!
Shuugaku Ryokou! Day One
So on Tuesday I was lucky enough to go on the shuugaku ryokou, woot! Every grade in junior high schools go on trips once a year to learn, bond, etc. The first year they go to an outdoor school-type thing in the mountains, second year they go to Tokyo, and third year they go to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara, which is far away (in Japanese terms). It is a way to learn Japanese history and have fun and everything before they graduate. Anyway, yeah, I was lucky, as my kouchou sensei (principal) invited me to go this year! I later learned that he had to pull strings and keep it a secret from some BOE people (ooo, sneaky!), so I was very lucky to be allowed to go! Yay!
We left on Tuesday, and good LORD, I had to get up early! We had to be at school at 5:30 in the morning, eek! Not amusing. I couldn’t sleep the night before, so that was not a good start, but I was excited, so it was okay, I wasn’t grumpy, surprisingly! I was amazed at how all of the students were at school way early and way before me! They were all ready by 5:30, clazy! The poor kids had to wear their nice uniforms the whole time, even tho Osaka, Kyoto and Nara are freaking HOT, and teachers had to wear work outfits, so that wasn’t very amusing, but oh well. Anyway, they were all genki and in their uniforms at a ridiculous hour in the morning, I was impressed!
Anyway, from Yabuchu we took buses to an eki (train station) about 45 minutes away, then took the train to Tokyo to take the shinkansen (bullet train). I was very amused, as one student asked me at the eki, “Jeff, why did you ride your bike here?” I was like, um, no, I came on the bus, and he replied, “Oh, I thought I saw you riding your bike over there!” Um, hello, I would NOT ride my freaking bike to an eki that takes 45 minutes by bus to get to?! Clazy kids.
Oh, the trains on the way to Tokyo were typical Tokyo-type trains (i.e. packed), and my inaka kids were NOT okay with them whatsoever! They were complaining like the whole time! Hehe. In Gunma trains are like never standing room-only, so that was a bit of a shock for them. Also, Yuto, the boy sitting next to me, had like a heart attack every time a train passed loudly by us on the track next to us. Once again, Gunma is ghetto and only has one train track, so that isn’t possible here! Haha, sad, poor inaka kids!
Anyway, we eventually got on the shinkansen, where the kids were allowed to bust out their snacks they brought. Um, the snacks are seriously the highlights of the trip for the kids, it is scary! They brought SO MANY! They aren’t allowed to bring food with them to school ever, so this was like their free time, and they took advantage of it! It was like a conbini in there, damn! I cant believe the kind of crap kids can eat, btw, it is scary! Anyway, the boys sitting near me played Uno with me for like 2 hours, which was the official start of the most Uno I have ever played in my life in a three-day span! I am now an Uno Master! It was fun to hang out with the boys, though, yay. Oh, I should mention that they aren’t allowed to bring video games, music players, etc., they can pretty much only bring books and cards. This was a good idea, I think, as it forced the kids to be social and talk to each other and stuff. So yes, hence, lots of Uno!!!
Once we got to Osaka, we took another train to Universal Studios Japan. Might I add that Yabuchu rocks, as most schools don’t get to go to USJ! Woot for us! It was the only place I hadn’t been on the trip, so I was looking forward to that. While it was TEENY, it was a lot of fun! I rode on Spider-Man 3-D twice, and that is the freaking best ride ever! I thought it was gonna be like Star Tours and Back to the Future, in that you think you are moving, but you aren’t. However, you are actually on a track moving, but there are screens and motions that make you feel like you are moving more. It is hard to explain, but it is REALLY well-made, and is freaking awesome! The 3-D part was really cool, too. They need to make a Batman ride like it, it would kick ass! I also went to Terminator 2 3-D, which was pretty good, but dated. I also got to see a 30-minute version of Wicked for free! They do about three shows a day, and it is good for being a free USJ show! It is like 2/3 Japanese and 1/3 English (the Elphaba is a gaijin), and it was enjoyable. I couldn’t get tickets to Wicked in Tokyo, so I will count this as my Japanese Wicked experience! After that I walked around with some boys and stuff. Might I add that it was FREAKING HOT there, holy crap! It is SO much more humid in that area, and USJ has no shade! Also, I should be hot and sleep-deprived more often, as I didn’t eat between 10:30 and 5 and was completely fine? It was very scary!
Oh, during USJ, I was harassed about two things! First, they kept asking why I didn’t bring Cindy, who they think is my girlfriend. Um, even if she was, WHY would I bring her on the school trip?! It isn’t like the teachers brought their wives and husbands! Anyway, they were all like, “Why didn’t you bring her? You should have brought her? What omiyage are you buying for her???” Hahaha. Then all of the guys were trying to convince me to shower with them at the ryokan (Japanese-style inn, meaning they have public showers/bath). I would actually do it if they weren’t OBSESSED WITH MY PENIS! Like, it would be fun, as guys talk about amusing things when showering in Japan (hehe), but er, yeah, not gonna happen since I am a gaijin and they talk about my bits enough as it is! The most amusing quote was from Kenta, who said, “Don’t worry, Jeff, we all have them! No touch!” Hahahahaha.
After USJ we took the bus to Kyoto. In Japan tour buses always have guides who talk for a million hours about random shit, and I felt VERY sorry for our guides, as the kids totally didn’t pay attention to them! Poor girls (they are ALWAYS girls). Anyway, we took the bus to Kyoto, got to our ryoukan (Japanese-style inn), had some dinner (um, the teacher’s dinner was SO MUCH better than the students’!!!), and that was about it. That night we had a teacher’s meeting and then I was forced into drinking with my kouchou sensei (principal) and a couple other teachers, hehe. It was fun, tho! And a good way to get gossip ;) Anyway, this is hella long, end of day one!
We left on Tuesday, and good LORD, I had to get up early! We had to be at school at 5:30 in the morning, eek! Not amusing. I couldn’t sleep the night before, so that was not a good start, but I was excited, so it was okay, I wasn’t grumpy, surprisingly! I was amazed at how all of the students were at school way early and way before me! They were all ready by 5:30, clazy! The poor kids had to wear their nice uniforms the whole time, even tho Osaka, Kyoto and Nara are freaking HOT, and teachers had to wear work outfits, so that wasn’t very amusing, but oh well. Anyway, they were all genki and in their uniforms at a ridiculous hour in the morning, I was impressed!
Anyway, from Yabuchu we took buses to an eki (train station) about 45 minutes away, then took the train to Tokyo to take the shinkansen (bullet train). I was very amused, as one student asked me at the eki, “Jeff, why did you ride your bike here?” I was like, um, no, I came on the bus, and he replied, “Oh, I thought I saw you riding your bike over there!” Um, hello, I would NOT ride my freaking bike to an eki that takes 45 minutes by bus to get to?! Clazy kids.
Oh, the trains on the way to Tokyo were typical Tokyo-type trains (i.e. packed), and my inaka kids were NOT okay with them whatsoever! They were complaining like the whole time! Hehe. In Gunma trains are like never standing room-only, so that was a bit of a shock for them. Also, Yuto, the boy sitting next to me, had like a heart attack every time a train passed loudly by us on the track next to us. Once again, Gunma is ghetto and only has one train track, so that isn’t possible here! Haha, sad, poor inaka kids!
Anyway, we eventually got on the shinkansen, where the kids were allowed to bust out their snacks they brought. Um, the snacks are seriously the highlights of the trip for the kids, it is scary! They brought SO MANY! They aren’t allowed to bring food with them to school ever, so this was like their free time, and they took advantage of it! It was like a conbini in there, damn! I cant believe the kind of crap kids can eat, btw, it is scary! Anyway, the boys sitting near me played Uno with me for like 2 hours, which was the official start of the most Uno I have ever played in my life in a three-day span! I am now an Uno Master! It was fun to hang out with the boys, though, yay. Oh, I should mention that they aren’t allowed to bring video games, music players, etc., they can pretty much only bring books and cards. This was a good idea, I think, as it forced the kids to be social and talk to each other and stuff. So yes, hence, lots of Uno!!!
Once we got to Osaka, we took another train to Universal Studios Japan. Might I add that Yabuchu rocks, as most schools don’t get to go to USJ! Woot for us! It was the only place I hadn’t been on the trip, so I was looking forward to that. While it was TEENY, it was a lot of fun! I rode on Spider-Man 3-D twice, and that is the freaking best ride ever! I thought it was gonna be like Star Tours and Back to the Future, in that you think you are moving, but you aren’t. However, you are actually on a track moving, but there are screens and motions that make you feel like you are moving more. It is hard to explain, but it is REALLY well-made, and is freaking awesome! The 3-D part was really cool, too. They need to make a Batman ride like it, it would kick ass! I also went to Terminator 2 3-D, which was pretty good, but dated. I also got to see a 30-minute version of Wicked for free! They do about three shows a day, and it is good for being a free USJ show! It is like 2/3 Japanese and 1/3 English (the Elphaba is a gaijin), and it was enjoyable. I couldn’t get tickets to Wicked in Tokyo, so I will count this as my Japanese Wicked experience! After that I walked around with some boys and stuff. Might I add that it was FREAKING HOT there, holy crap! It is SO much more humid in that area, and USJ has no shade! Also, I should be hot and sleep-deprived more often, as I didn’t eat between 10:30 and 5 and was completely fine? It was very scary!
Oh, during USJ, I was harassed about two things! First, they kept asking why I didn’t bring Cindy, who they think is my girlfriend. Um, even if she was, WHY would I bring her on the school trip?! It isn’t like the teachers brought their wives and husbands! Anyway, they were all like, “Why didn’t you bring her? You should have brought her? What omiyage are you buying for her???” Hahaha. Then all of the guys were trying to convince me to shower with them at the ryokan (Japanese-style inn, meaning they have public showers/bath). I would actually do it if they weren’t OBSESSED WITH MY PENIS! Like, it would be fun, as guys talk about amusing things when showering in Japan (hehe), but er, yeah, not gonna happen since I am a gaijin and they talk about my bits enough as it is! The most amusing quote was from Kenta, who said, “Don’t worry, Jeff, we all have them! No touch!” Hahahahaha.
After USJ we took the bus to Kyoto. In Japan tour buses always have guides who talk for a million hours about random shit, and I felt VERY sorry for our guides, as the kids totally didn’t pay attention to them! Poor girls (they are ALWAYS girls). Anyway, we took the bus to Kyoto, got to our ryoukan (Japanese-style inn), had some dinner (um, the teacher’s dinner was SO MUCH better than the students’!!!), and that was about it. That night we had a teacher’s meeting and then I was forced into drinking with my kouchou sensei (principal) and a couple other teachers, hehe. It was fun, tho! And a good way to get gossip ;) Anyway, this is hella long, end of day one!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
School Trip Photos
I added photos from the school trip to my site. Check 'em out! I will blog about it later in the week....it was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun!!!!!!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Finally adding photos
I added six new pages of pictures to my photos page, with hanami, my parents' visit, and Singapore. Check 'em out, yo.
Friday, June 08, 2007
DRAMA, part two!
Okay, this is getting ridiculous! This morning we had no water again! The only good thing that came out of it was that we didn’t have to do school cleaning, woot. It was also hilarious, as during break we all had to walk to the elementary school, fire station, or town hall to use their bathrooms! Ahahahaha. WTF, how ghetto is this shit?! Only Japan would NOT cancel school when there is NO fucking water in the building!
Anyway, the water came back like two hours ago, BUT it totally affected kyushoku (school lunch) and because of that, our lunch is fucking rice and a small piece of hamburg with NO sauce on it. Um, this is disgusting, wtf. And like Japanese kids aren’t allowed to bring snacks to school AND stay until 7 for bukatsu, meaning that the only thing they will eat for two hours is a little bit of rice and a shitty piece of hamburg. Um, that is fucking ridiculous, yo!
Anyway, this was very amusing before, but now that it has fucked with my kyushoku, I am officially pissed!!!
Anyway, the water came back like two hours ago, BUT it totally affected kyushoku (school lunch) and because of that, our lunch is fucking rice and a small piece of hamburg with NO sauce on it. Um, this is disgusting, wtf. And like Japanese kids aren’t allowed to bring snacks to school AND stay until 7 for bukatsu, meaning that the only thing they will eat for two hours is a little bit of rice and a shitty piece of hamburg. Um, that is fucking ridiculous, yo!
Anyway, this was very amusing before, but now that it has fucked with my kyushoku, I am officially pissed!!!
Thursday, June 07, 2007
DRAMA at Yabuchu
Dude, there is major water drama going on at Yabuchu, yo! So I wasn’t here yesterday, but apparently the water just randomly TURNED OFF in the middle of the school day for no reason?! That caused big drama and bukatsu (club practice) cancellation, since they couldn’t drink water during practice. Also the toilets couldn’t flush, no one could wash their hands, etc. Um, gross. Good thing I wasn’t here!
Anyway, this morning there was MORE drama! I arrived and there was NO ONE in the staffroom, which never happens. I was like, wtf is going on? Eventually I found out that yesterday someone left a tap turned on but didn’t realize it, since the water wasn’t running. Well, when the water started running again last night, the tap flowed ALL night long and flooded the third floor and the music room!!!! So this morning all of the teachers had to take an hour to dry up the third floor with towels!!! ACK! Fortunately I didn’t know it at first, and when I DID find out, I pretended I had no idea what was going on so that I wouldn’t have to help and get wet. Hahahaha, I love being a gaijin, I can get away with anything!
Anyway, the water was fine today until lunchtime when it stopped flowing again! So no one could wash their hands again, eww! And they had to cancel bukatsu again today because of it. I was in the 3nensei hall when they announced it, and the kids were SO freaking happy, they were screaming and jumping around! It is hilarious how they hate bukatsu practice, poor kids, it like consumes their lives! Hmm, maybe they are the ones turning off the water supply so that they actually have free time for once ;)
Anyway, this morning there was MORE drama! I arrived and there was NO ONE in the staffroom, which never happens. I was like, wtf is going on? Eventually I found out that yesterday someone left a tap turned on but didn’t realize it, since the water wasn’t running. Well, when the water started running again last night, the tap flowed ALL night long and flooded the third floor and the music room!!!! So this morning all of the teachers had to take an hour to dry up the third floor with towels!!! ACK! Fortunately I didn’t know it at first, and when I DID find out, I pretended I had no idea what was going on so that I wouldn’t have to help and get wet. Hahahaha, I love being a gaijin, I can get away with anything!
Anyway, the water was fine today until lunchtime when it stopped flowing again! So no one could wash their hands again, eww! And they had to cancel bukatsu again today because of it. I was in the 3nensei hall when they announced it, and the kids were SO freaking happy, they were screaming and jumping around! It is hilarious how they hate bukatsu practice, poor kids, it like consumes their lives! Hmm, maybe they are the ones turning off the water supply so that they actually have free time for once ;)
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
I am both poor and retarded
Um, I just got back from Singapore yesterday, today Cindy and I booked our Kyushu and San Francisco trips, and on Thursday I have to pay for my 3nensei trip to Kyoto, etc. Um, yeah, I have problems and NO FUCKING MONEY! SAD.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Shou Stories
Yesterday I had shougakkou (elem. school), which I both love and hate at the same time, hehe. It is really fun and the kids are great, but it is SO freaking tiring, and by the end of the day I want to tell them to get their dirty hands off me! Hee hee, I am such a great teacher! I do like it, though. It is a love/hate relationship!
Anyway, yesterday I had the 4th graders and we were reviewing colors. For colors I always play a game where I say a color, then the kids have to run around the room and touch something that is the color I say. It is the simplest game ever, but they always have fun with it. I am always amused that when I say “black,” they all touch their own hair and are like, “BLACK!” However, there is one Brazilian kid, Tainan (spelling in Japanese, I dunno the Portuguese spelling), who has brown hair, so I was like, “Ooo, I will touch his hair when I say brown!” Apparently EVERYONE thought of this, as when I said brown there was seriously a GANG of shougakkou kids chasing after him! Poor Tainan was a bit scared of this, and they literally ran circles around the classroom trying to touch his brown hair! Hahaha, the price of being a gaijin in Japan.
So 6th period (last period) I had the other 4th grade class, and I was not exactly in the mood to teach. By 6th period it is too hot and I am too tired to try to be genki about it. I felt bad about this, though, as when I got there, the kids were SO excited. I don’t know what I did to deserve such attention from the 4th graders, but they seriously are OBSESSED with me, and I think secretly have shrines to me in their bedrooms. Like, it is crazy. Anyway, I got there and they were all excited and climbing all over me, and then the teacher was like, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know, but we have to clean the school pool this class!” The kids were SOOOOOO sad, it was SAD! They were like, “NOOO, we want to do English instead!!!” When she said there wasn’t a choice, they were like, “Okay, well, let’s do English SEVENTH period (there isn’t a seventh period), or tomorrow!!!!” Then four of the kids grabbed onto my legs so I couldn’t leave the room! AWWWW! So cute! Now I feel bad that I didn’t want to teach them in the first place. Hehe. But yeah, shougakkou kids are so cute!
Anyway, yesterday I had the 4th graders and we were reviewing colors. For colors I always play a game where I say a color, then the kids have to run around the room and touch something that is the color I say. It is the simplest game ever, but they always have fun with it. I am always amused that when I say “black,” they all touch their own hair and are like, “BLACK!” However, there is one Brazilian kid, Tainan (spelling in Japanese, I dunno the Portuguese spelling), who has brown hair, so I was like, “Ooo, I will touch his hair when I say brown!” Apparently EVERYONE thought of this, as when I said brown there was seriously a GANG of shougakkou kids chasing after him! Poor Tainan was a bit scared of this, and they literally ran circles around the classroom trying to touch his brown hair! Hahaha, the price of being a gaijin in Japan.
So 6th period (last period) I had the other 4th grade class, and I was not exactly in the mood to teach. By 6th period it is too hot and I am too tired to try to be genki about it. I felt bad about this, though, as when I got there, the kids were SO excited. I don’t know what I did to deserve such attention from the 4th graders, but they seriously are OBSESSED with me, and I think secretly have shrines to me in their bedrooms. Like, it is crazy. Anyway, I got there and they were all excited and climbing all over me, and then the teacher was like, “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know, but we have to clean the school pool this class!” The kids were SOOOOOO sad, it was SAD! They were like, “NOOO, we want to do English instead!!!” When she said there wasn’t a choice, they were like, “Okay, well, let’s do English SEVENTH period (there isn’t a seventh period), or tomorrow!!!!” Then four of the kids grabbed onto my legs so I couldn’t leave the room! AWWWW! So cute! Now I feel bad that I didn’t want to teach them in the first place. Hehe. But yeah, shougakkou kids are so cute!
Ahahahaha
So today is midterms, and on testing days, the kids wear their nice school uniforms that they only use for testing, ceremonies, and...hmmm....that is about it. Anyway, because they barely use them in junior high school, and because they are expensive, parents usually buy them too big for them and hope that they grow into them. This always produces amusing results, but this little 1nensei boy just walked by the shokuinshitsu with the MOST RIDICULOUSLY HUGE seifuku ever! The jacket’s sleeves were almost two times too long for him! His hands were completely buried in the sleeves, and it looked like he had Jeff-sized monkey arms! And the shoulders were way too big, too, so it pretty much looks like he is wearing his dad’s school uniform. Ahahaha, so cute.
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