Hi everyone. Hope this turns out to be a good first blog.
Today I have been here in Maizuru 6 weeks. It’s been a fun and interesting period. A week and a half of training, a week’s national holiday for Obon and then three and a half weeks teaching on my own. Obon is a festival in Japan every august where your dead relatives come back to earth and are with you for a few days. During this time, the Japanese usually go to see their relatives at a cemetery once or twice within this week where gifts of fruit, sake and the odd cigarette are left. After Obon, even though there is still six weeks left of summer, the Japanese are quite superstitious and believe that if you go swimming at the beach, you’re dead relatives who have just left you will drag you under the water and take you with them. Therefore, there are only a handful of people at the beach on the weekends for the rest of the summer. Even business’ at the beach close down after Obon. During this holiday week, I went to a couple of different beaches nearby, a few festivals, outdoor markets and a fireworks night. Have met a lot of friendly people within the last month. People at the fireworks night or just people on the street who are keen to have a chat and see where you’re from or what you're doing in Japan. Had a guy last week, come back and pick me up and drive me to the place where I had asked him directions to a minute earlier. A few simple little things like this I have encountered so far, and it’s very re-assuring for a foreigner. A caretaker at a Temple late at night about two weeks ago re-opened the entire temple grounds just for me. She insisted she wait outside for about 10 minutes at each building on the grounds while I prayed inside. While in the third temple, she went into her house and prepared me a small Japanese meal and Oocha (green tea). As I left that night she also gave me some souvenirs of the temple. I was shocked to say the least at her kindness.
I moved into my apartment in Nishi Maizuru about five weeks ago. This is above one of the four schools within the company. On a main road, a touch noisy but it is much bigger than the average English teacher gets in Japan. It’s tidy and close to everything I need.
I teach at the Higashi (east) Maizuru School for about 85% of my classes, but I have two adult classes of a night where I catch a train back to the Nishi (west) School. After these lessons, I simply head upstairs to my apartment. Easy. An average day’s work is about 5 classes. A pre-school class, two elementary classes and about two adult classes. The best classes by far are the pre school classes. These children are between 3 and 6. They jump all over me, hit me with various soft toys and play with my hair/earring etc. At the start of the lessons they usually come and tell me at a million miles an hour in Japanese of course, what they did at school that day or what new toy they have. They look at me right in the eye thinking I know exactly what it is they are talking about. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had my first girl cry in one of my lessons because she couldn’t guess an answer before a timer, and my first girl run to me crying for a cuddle when another boy pushed her. Not good moments for the students but good for my teaching experience.
The friends I have made since I have been here have mostly been the students. They do all sorts of things for me. Drive you home after my last lesson, bring me fruit and vege’s from their backyard, take me to nearby cities on weekends, have me over for lunch, give me household goods for the apartment. The list is endless. It is a gift-giving society, so it’s a very accommodating country for foreigners.
My Japanese has increased a little but not as much as I would have liked. It’s hard because my job is to speak English so everyone I meet wants me to speak to them in English. I will take up Japanese lessons again next week just to master what I already know and keep up my conversation skills.
Food and Liquor is nothing really strange. A few dishes that have been surprisingly tasteless have been what have shocked me. The food focuses largely on delicacy rather than strong flavors or large portions. I have been eating lots of seafood that is quite cheap and very fresh from the local supermarket. I think I have actually been eating quite healthy the last 6 weeks because Fruit and Veg anyone can buy, but packet food in Japanese language I can’t yet read. Breakfast is not a focal point of the Japanese diet, so cereal is a small section at the supermarket and the largest size box is the smallest in Australia. Bread is quite sweet which you get use to after some time and multigrain, whole meal etc doesn’t really exist.
I have found a cheap and adequate gym in the local council building that costs $2.90 a visit and the manager there speaks enough English. Looking to buy a car in the coming weeks which will give me the ability to explore the region a whole lot more. Went to Kyoto on Sunday and visited the city’s most famous temple ‘Kiyomizudera’ built in the 8th century.
Anyway, could write forever. I have had a great time since I’ve been here. Looking forward to the coming months as it gets colder. Posts will be shorter and frequent from now on.
Take care all,
Tim
Today I have been here in Maizuru 6 weeks. It’s been a fun and interesting period. A week and a half of training, a week’s national holiday for Obon and then three and a half weeks teaching on my own. Obon is a festival in Japan every august where your dead relatives come back to earth and are with you for a few days. During this time, the Japanese usually go to see their relatives at a cemetery once or twice within this week where gifts of fruit, sake and the odd cigarette are left. After Obon, even though there is still six weeks left of summer, the Japanese are quite superstitious and believe that if you go swimming at the beach, you’re dead relatives who have just left you will drag you under the water and take you with them. Therefore, there are only a handful of people at the beach on the weekends for the rest of the summer. Even business’ at the beach close down after Obon. During this holiday week, I went to a couple of different beaches nearby, a few festivals, outdoor markets and a fireworks night. Have met a lot of friendly people within the last month. People at the fireworks night or just people on the street who are keen to have a chat and see where you’re from or what you're doing in Japan. Had a guy last week, come back and pick me up and drive me to the place where I had asked him directions to a minute earlier. A few simple little things like this I have encountered so far, and it’s very re-assuring for a foreigner. A caretaker at a Temple late at night about two weeks ago re-opened the entire temple grounds just for me. She insisted she wait outside for about 10 minutes at each building on the grounds while I prayed inside. While in the third temple, she went into her house and prepared me a small Japanese meal and Oocha (green tea). As I left that night she also gave me some souvenirs of the temple. I was shocked to say the least at her kindness.
I moved into my apartment in Nishi Maizuru about five weeks ago. This is above one of the four schools within the company. On a main road, a touch noisy but it is much bigger than the average English teacher gets in Japan. It’s tidy and close to everything I need.
I teach at the Higashi (east) Maizuru School for about 85% of my classes, but I have two adult classes of a night where I catch a train back to the Nishi (west) School. After these lessons, I simply head upstairs to my apartment. Easy. An average day’s work is about 5 classes. A pre-school class, two elementary classes and about two adult classes. The best classes by far are the pre school classes. These children are between 3 and 6. They jump all over me, hit me with various soft toys and play with my hair/earring etc. At the start of the lessons they usually come and tell me at a million miles an hour in Japanese of course, what they did at school that day or what new toy they have. They look at me right in the eye thinking I know exactly what it is they are talking about. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had my first girl cry in one of my lessons because she couldn’t guess an answer before a timer, and my first girl run to me crying for a cuddle when another boy pushed her. Not good moments for the students but good for my teaching experience.
The friends I have made since I have been here have mostly been the students. They do all sorts of things for me. Drive you home after my last lesson, bring me fruit and vege’s from their backyard, take me to nearby cities on weekends, have me over for lunch, give me household goods for the apartment. The list is endless. It is a gift-giving society, so it’s a very accommodating country for foreigners.
My Japanese has increased a little but not as much as I would have liked. It’s hard because my job is to speak English so everyone I meet wants me to speak to them in English. I will take up Japanese lessons again next week just to master what I already know and keep up my conversation skills.
Food and Liquor is nothing really strange. A few dishes that have been surprisingly tasteless have been what have shocked me. The food focuses largely on delicacy rather than strong flavors or large portions. I have been eating lots of seafood that is quite cheap and very fresh from the local supermarket. I think I have actually been eating quite healthy the last 6 weeks because Fruit and Veg anyone can buy, but packet food in Japanese language I can’t yet read. Breakfast is not a focal point of the Japanese diet, so cereal is a small section at the supermarket and the largest size box is the smallest in Australia. Bread is quite sweet which you get use to after some time and multigrain, whole meal etc doesn’t really exist.
I have found a cheap and adequate gym in the local council building that costs $2.90 a visit and the manager there speaks enough English. Looking to buy a car in the coming weeks which will give me the ability to explore the region a whole lot more. Went to Kyoto on Sunday and visited the city’s most famous temple ‘Kiyomizudera’ built in the 8th century.
Anyway, could write forever. I have had a great time since I’ve been here. Looking forward to the coming months as it gets colder. Posts will be shorter and frequent from now on.
Take care all,
Tim
posted by Tim Harris at 9/18/2006
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