The Saikai City ALTs (and friends!) got together last Saturday for our going away party. If you hadn't guessed by now, yeah, we got rick rolled.
(And if you aren't familiar with it, rick rolling is an internet meme where someone pulls a switch on you, tricking you into watching Rick Astley sing "Never Gonna Give You Up" instead of what you thought you were going to see. The voice that comes out of this guy combined with the dancing...)
Dino set the whole thing up, and he did a damn good job of it. Thanks Dino! The first stop was the all-you-can-eat meat place. We reserved their separate karaoke room, so we had the room to ourselves for three hours of grilling all sorts of meat combined with as much ridiculous karaoke as we felt like. (note: it was a fair bit of both). Dino brought a camera so that the three people leaving (me, Claudia, and Elizabeth) could say a little something to go with the presents we were all leaving for our successors.
The rick roll came at the end of our reservation, when Wendy's husband Ron queued it up and everyone (yeah, everyone) ended up singing it together for the last song before we went to stage two back in Oshima. If you just listen to the song and don't watch the ridiculous video, I think it's all right. But maybe I've just got a positive association, ha.
Dino (again, rock!) knows this great Filipino bar in Oshima called Pico Poco, so we went there for more karaoke. You'd think we do this stuff all the time! Personally it takes a certain kind of atmosphere for me to do any kind of karaoke at all, but we all were having a good time with it.
My personal highlight of the night came from Wendy and Ron, but not the rickroll. See, Ron is actually a reggae singer back in Jamaica and that boy can SING. Up until now Wendy had not gone up to sing a single song, content to provide "backup" from the comfort of her seat.
They picked out "Bob Marley - Is This Love?" and for this song she got UP. She can sing too! How about that? Watching them sing it together was just beautiful. And let me tell you, it was a pretty damn good night, but that just shows you how nice it was to see them singing this song for it to top everything else.
It'd be nice if all of the other goodbyes could be as fun and entertaining as this one. I've got my last day at one of the elementary schools this Thursday, and school in general is only in session until next Friday, the 18th. So now I'm trying to get my speeches written and everything else squared away. It is not going to be a fun process. I'll probably even cry some when I have to give my speech at the junior high next Friday. It's also crazy busy and things are starting to ramp up, so this might be it for me. We'll see.
mad love from the never gonna give you up,
-greg.
ps: just to be clear, i am really excited to be coming home and seeing everyone. it's just, you know, that's kind of outweighed at the moment by having to say goodbye to all of these people that i've spent the last year really getting to know and become close to. kind of rough. but i love you guys a lot! it'll even out. silly world traveling, haha.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
soft drink deception [2008.06.29]
Drew went home today. Well, technically he is in the process of going home as I write this, probably just about to depart from Nagoya to San Francisco, and then on to JFK. It's a bit of a journey.
It's a little strange, because I've never considered my apartment "big", but it was completely fine for the two of us this past month while he was visiting. (being roommates in college probably helped). Now though, it seems positively HUGE. Just, you know, a little lonelier.
On the way to the airport today (waking up at 515am!), we stopped at a 7-11. Browsing the drink selection, I came across the gem you see before you:
I'd seen an ad for this new Fanta "Shaker" so I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, who doesn't love orange Fanta? So I gave it some hearty shaking, popped it open, and took a swig!
Imagine my surprise upon guzzling down little bits of orange jelly as well. If I had looked a little more carefully at the can I would have seen that it says "jelly" (well, ゼりー) and that the jelly is the reason for the shaking. Egad! I think the only drink that I can take with jelly in it is Aloe (that's A-lo-e).
In related Drew-going-home news, Andrew was kind enough to let me pack his extra duffel and take it home for me. We got to Nagasaki Airport and told her that he wanted to check three bags. She wrote down the charge for the third bag on a piece of paper and showed it to us.
I was expecting something between $25 and $50, so I read it as twenty-two hundred yen (about $21 or so). But NO, it was actually twenty-two THOUSAND yen, which is quite a bit more. The woman helpfully suggested that he take it on the plane as his carry-on, with his monstrous backpack counting as a "personal item". Since he is still in transit I don't know how he will fare when he checks in for the international flight, but I am hoping that the cost isn't so high, because I'd rather not drop $200 on an extra bag. Suspense!
It's been quite a good month, and now I've only got one left here. What?! Time for the last scramble to make sure everything is in order to get home with a minimum of hassle and stress.
Hahahaha. In the very least, it'll be a busy month. I think there's one weekend day where I don't have anything to do. Maybe. But I'll be loving every minute of it. Keep an eye out for the results of the upcoming ping pong tournament in Nagasaki City...
future love (but not for much longer,
-greg.
ps: check out these awesome pictures my friend Jess took when she visited us in Oshima with her husband Scott. especially check out the mini dunk contest...
It's a little strange, because I've never considered my apartment "big", but it was completely fine for the two of us this past month while he was visiting. (being roommates in college probably helped). Now though, it seems positively HUGE. Just, you know, a little lonelier.
On the way to the airport today (waking up at 515am!), we stopped at a 7-11. Browsing the drink selection, I came across the gem you see before you:
I'd seen an ad for this new Fanta "Shaker" so I figured I'd give it a shot. I mean, who doesn't love orange Fanta? So I gave it some hearty shaking, popped it open, and took a swig!
Imagine my surprise upon guzzling down little bits of orange jelly as well. If I had looked a little more carefully at the can I would have seen that it says "jelly" (well, ゼりー) and that the jelly is the reason for the shaking. Egad! I think the only drink that I can take with jelly in it is Aloe (that's A-lo-e).
In related Drew-going-home news, Andrew was kind enough to let me pack his extra duffel and take it home for me. We got to Nagasaki Airport and told her that he wanted to check three bags. She wrote down the charge for the third bag on a piece of paper and showed it to us.
I was expecting something between $25 and $50, so I read it as twenty-two hundred yen (about $21 or so). But NO, it was actually twenty-two THOUSAND yen, which is quite a bit more. The woman helpfully suggested that he take it on the plane as his carry-on, with his monstrous backpack counting as a "personal item". Since he is still in transit I don't know how he will fare when he checks in for the international flight, but I am hoping that the cost isn't so high, because I'd rather not drop $200 on an extra bag. Suspense!
It's been quite a good month, and now I've only got one left here. What?! Time for the last scramble to make sure everything is in order to get home with a minimum of hassle and stress.
Hahahaha. In the very least, it'll be a busy month. I think there's one weekend day where I don't have anything to do. Maybe. But I'll be loving every minute of it. Keep an eye out for the results of the upcoming ping pong tournament in Nagasaki City...
future love (but not for much longer,
-greg.
ps: check out these awesome pictures my friend Jess took when she visited us in Oshima with her husband Scott. especially check out the mini dunk contest...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
overwhelming [2008.06.17]
There is no way that I will ever be able to describe all of the amazing things that I have experienced here. I try to pick some of the things that I think will reflect the overall picture the best, but really it is something that could never truly be accomplished. Currently I've got at least a half dozen things that I want to write about, but for the moment I'll just run with the kindergarten for a minute.
Father's Day in Japan is the same as it is in the US, so this past Sunday Andrew and I moseyed over there in the morning to help all the little chilluns during the "My First Cooking With Daddy" event they had going on.
Before getting down and dirty with our culinary selves though, we had to get properly kitted out, which means apron, bandana, and face mask. Hygiene first! It was really cute watching all the little kids peeling and cutting the carrots and potatoes, with some guided assistance from daddy dearest (and the two of us of course). Yeah, there were four and five year olds cutting and peeling. They did it with lots of supervision, but they nonetheless were doing it themselves. Then we moved the tables out of the way, put down some tarps, and started chowing down.
The fact that they actually cut the vegetables themselves is pretty impressive, and I think it bears some further thought. Working in kindergarten I get to see how much free reign these kids get, and I feel like it's more than the average one would get in the US. They pretty much run amok all over, and that's O-K. They're only four or five, but they're like little people already! I suppose this wouldn't be such a revelation to someone who's ever actually had children, but my time at the kindergarten is really the first time I've had extended contact and interactions with the same small child / children.
There might have been more, but there's just too much! Gotta trim the fat fat...
future love from incheon airport,
-greg.
ps: Okinawa. rainy season, not a whole lot of rain, amazingly beautiful. so beautiful. also the first place i've ever seen an A&W restaurant, home of "All-American Food". it had been a while since i'd last had a root beer, and it was delightful. Drew is way faster with pictures than me, so go enjoy his stuff here.
Father's Day in Japan is the same as it is in the US, so this past Sunday Andrew and I moseyed over there in the morning to help all the little chilluns during the "My First Cooking With Daddy" event they had going on.
Before getting down and dirty with our culinary selves though, we had to get properly kitted out, which means apron, bandana, and face mask. Hygiene first! It was really cute watching all the little kids peeling and cutting the carrots and potatoes, with some guided assistance from daddy dearest (and the two of us of course). Yeah, there were four and five year olds cutting and peeling. They did it with lots of supervision, but they nonetheless were doing it themselves. Then we moved the tables out of the way, put down some tarps, and started chowing down.
The fact that they actually cut the vegetables themselves is pretty impressive, and I think it bears some further thought. Working in kindergarten I get to see how much free reign these kids get, and I feel like it's more than the average one would get in the US. They pretty much run amok all over, and that's O-K. They're only four or five, but they're like little people already! I suppose this wouldn't be such a revelation to someone who's ever actually had children, but my time at the kindergarten is really the first time I've had extended contact and interactions with the same small child / children.
There might have been more, but there's just too much! Gotta trim the fat fat...
future love from incheon airport,
-greg.
ps: Okinawa. rainy season, not a whole lot of rain, amazingly beautiful. so beautiful. also the first place i've ever seen an A&W restaurant, home of "All-American Food". it had been a while since i'd last had a root beer, and it was delightful. Drew is way faster with pictures than me, so go enjoy his stuff here.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
maybe it's their fault [2008.06.10]
I would have written about this earlier but I got sidetracked a little. You know, trip to Okinawa with Drew, that sort of thing. But this takes precedence, because it was that important.
I ask you to first recall the scene and atmosphere described in the last bit I wrote, about the pep rally: the formality, the subdued clapping, the speeches. Imagine it, feel yourself surrounded by it, then clear it completely from your mind; because when it's actually game time here, people do it RIGHT.
I'll start with the preliminaries. There were events going on all over Saikai City but the first day Andrew and I opted for Oseto to check out the triple threat of soccer, tennis, and basketball. We went to the first soccer game of two (there are only three teams in Saikai) and cheered for our boys along with a few other parents. Luckily one of the kindergarten teachers was there too (her son's the captain) so she showed us over to where we could get loud. Between the three of us we showed plenty of support for our kids, hollering all the way to their 10-0 victory.
Yeah, ten to zero. We couldn't go to the second game, but they won that one 14-0. This awarded them the coveted "victory flag", an incredibly nicely made flag of thick, embroidered material that is rotated every year, with pendants hanging from it for each year's winner. I believe there are currently four consecutive "Oshima" pendants. Dynasty, anyone? Throw that diamond in the air.
Unfortunately neither boys' nor girl's tennis fared quite as well as soccer, although the girls were able to log some victories at least. After a lunch break spent bonding with the soccer boys, we went over to see how our basketball girls were faring. I'd seen them play in two games before, so I was pretty sure they would be fine, but it was still anyone's guess.
My uncertainty was completely unfounded. First game: 98-21. NINETY-EIGHT. The game we saw ended up at 90-32, again in Oshima's favor. Another team, Oseto, beat their opponent by 50 points or so, and Oshima was set to play them in the next day's schedule.
Before finishing the day we stopped by the school to get news about baseball to see if they had won their game that day, allowing them to move on to day two. They had! The game was also set to be early because of a rainy forecast for the second day's final.
This game was not a soccer or basketball style blowout. By the bottom of the seventh (junior highs play seven innings) after two outs the score was 1-0 in favor of Oshima thanks to a beautiful squeeze play in the third or fourth. Saikai North was in a good position for scoring though, with runners on second and third. The batter slapped out a solid line drive, but our second baseman made a fantastic dive to stop the ball and get it to first, ending the game and securing another victory flag for Oshima to display for the coming year.
That only left basketball's final two games. It all came down to the last game, Oshima versus Oseto, both teams 3-0 thus far. Up until this point Oshima's cheering section had consisted of some parents and the two big white guys with sporadic cheering at best, and Drew and I had decided that if nothing else then we would certainly yell our heads off for the girls in the final showdown.
Luckily some other teachers had arrived to cheer on this last contest of the day, bolstering our numbers a little, giving us a few more voices to add. A few more voices seemed to be insignificant though, compared to the might that Oseto had mustered. See, we were on their home court, and all of their other teams that had finished had turned out to watch the game. They filled the whole section of seats across from us, giving them at least 80 people, if not more. We had maybe 15. But we had something special.
We had Katsuki sensei.
The man is a cheering machine. Drew and I had planned to cheer a little, get loud, you know, but less than a minute into the game he had started a chant. And we picked it up.
And he just kept GOING. We cheered for almost an hour straight. Katsuki sensei led the offensive chants and he recruited me to lead the defensive ones (with big support from Drew). He even had a special cheer for timeouts. We cheered during the timeouts! The only lull in the chanting came during halftime. Oseto might have had more voices than us, but there was no way they could match our pride or dedication.
We weren't completely alone either, because between myself, Drew, and our coach's wife, we had recruited the teams from both Seihi (the coach lives there) and Saikai South to our cheering section. These kids were awesome, and one especially friendly kid went home with Drew's "courage" bracelet. He was great, even teaching us the offensive cheers in the middle of chanting for the defense.
The result of all this untiring support? It was a fierce contest initially, but then Oshima pulled away, leading 30-10 at one point. Oseto fought back with intensity though, stopping the Oshima offense and playing their hearts out. Both teams gave it everything they had, and you can't help but respect that, but in the end Oshima managed to finish it with a seven point lead, bringing home the third victory flag for Oshima.
I don't think I have ever been so invested in a sporting event, whether it was one I was playing in or not. The baseball game was mighty intense, but this basketball game trumps everything. I am so proud of all the Oshima athletes, they are amazing, but I have a special spot for our basketball squad.
in the future let your game speak,
-greg.
ps: our defensive chant was "DE-FENSE *clap* *clap*", but ironically Katsuki sensei started it the first time, not me. no one seemed to have a problem with it though, so i guess it's common enough.
I ask you to first recall the scene and atmosphere described in the last bit I wrote, about the pep rally: the formality, the subdued clapping, the speeches. Imagine it, feel yourself surrounded by it, then clear it completely from your mind; because when it's actually game time here, people do it RIGHT.
I'll start with the preliminaries. There were events going on all over Saikai City but the first day Andrew and I opted for Oseto to check out the triple threat of soccer, tennis, and basketball. We went to the first soccer game of two (there are only three teams in Saikai) and cheered for our boys along with a few other parents. Luckily one of the kindergarten teachers was there too (her son's the captain) so she showed us over to where we could get loud. Between the three of us we showed plenty of support for our kids, hollering all the way to their 10-0 victory.
Yeah, ten to zero. We couldn't go to the second game, but they won that one 14-0. This awarded them the coveted "victory flag", an incredibly nicely made flag of thick, embroidered material that is rotated every year, with pendants hanging from it for each year's winner. I believe there are currently four consecutive "Oshima" pendants. Dynasty, anyone? Throw that diamond in the air.
Unfortunately neither boys' nor girl's tennis fared quite as well as soccer, although the girls were able to log some victories at least. After a lunch break spent bonding with the soccer boys, we went over to see how our basketball girls were faring. I'd seen them play in two games before, so I was pretty sure they would be fine, but it was still anyone's guess.
My uncertainty was completely unfounded. First game: 98-21. NINETY-EIGHT. The game we saw ended up at 90-32, again in Oshima's favor. Another team, Oseto, beat their opponent by 50 points or so, and Oshima was set to play them in the next day's schedule.
Before finishing the day we stopped by the school to get news about baseball to see if they had won their game that day, allowing them to move on to day two. They had! The game was also set to be early because of a rainy forecast for the second day's final.
This game was not a soccer or basketball style blowout. By the bottom of the seventh (junior highs play seven innings) after two outs the score was 1-0 in favor of Oshima thanks to a beautiful squeeze play in the third or fourth. Saikai North was in a good position for scoring though, with runners on second and third. The batter slapped out a solid line drive, but our second baseman made a fantastic dive to stop the ball and get it to first, ending the game and securing another victory flag for Oshima to display for the coming year.
That only left basketball's final two games. It all came down to the last game, Oshima versus Oseto, both teams 3-0 thus far. Up until this point Oshima's cheering section had consisted of some parents and the two big white guys with sporadic cheering at best, and Drew and I had decided that if nothing else then we would certainly yell our heads off for the girls in the final showdown.
Luckily some other teachers had arrived to cheer on this last contest of the day, bolstering our numbers a little, giving us a few more voices to add. A few more voices seemed to be insignificant though, compared to the might that Oseto had mustered. See, we were on their home court, and all of their other teams that had finished had turned out to watch the game. They filled the whole section of seats across from us, giving them at least 80 people, if not more. We had maybe 15. But we had something special.
We had Katsuki sensei.
The man is a cheering machine. Drew and I had planned to cheer a little, get loud, you know, but less than a minute into the game he had started a chant. And we picked it up.
And he just kept GOING. We cheered for almost an hour straight. Katsuki sensei led the offensive chants and he recruited me to lead the defensive ones (with big support from Drew). He even had a special cheer for timeouts. We cheered during the timeouts! The only lull in the chanting came during halftime. Oseto might have had more voices than us, but there was no way they could match our pride or dedication.
We weren't completely alone either, because between myself, Drew, and our coach's wife, we had recruited the teams from both Seihi (the coach lives there) and Saikai South to our cheering section. These kids were awesome, and one especially friendly kid went home with Drew's "courage" bracelet. He was great, even teaching us the offensive cheers in the middle of chanting for the defense.
The result of all this untiring support? It was a fierce contest initially, but then Oshima pulled away, leading 30-10 at one point. Oseto fought back with intensity though, stopping the Oshima offense and playing their hearts out. Both teams gave it everything they had, and you can't help but respect that, but in the end Oshima managed to finish it with a seven point lead, bringing home the third victory flag for Oshima.
I don't think I have ever been so invested in a sporting event, whether it was one I was playing in or not. The baseball game was mighty intense, but this basketball game trumps everything. I am so proud of all the Oshima athletes, they are amazing, but I have a special spot for our basketball squad.
in the future let your game speak,
-greg.
ps: our defensive chant was "DE-FENSE *clap* *clap*", but ironically Katsuki sensei started it the first time, not me. no one seemed to have a problem with it though, so i guess it's common enough.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
go team! [2008.05.28]
This coming Sunday and Monday is the All-Saikai Junior High School Sports Tournament and things look to be pretty serious. Every sports team (club) from all eight of the junior highs in Saikai City will be competing at locations throughout the area (remember that in this case "city" is more like "rural township") and unfortunately it is physically and temporally impossible for me to make it to all of the various games and matches. Perhaps I should say "we", since Drew (my old roommate) will be arriving on Friday for a long visit.
In preparation for all that, we had a pep rally today at school. Well, "pep rally" would be the equivalent event in the US, but I would hardly apply that word and all that it entails to today's assembly.
To start, there are only about 130 students in the school, making it substantially more difficult to have crowds of yelling and cheering students. Another barrier to crowds of yelling and cheering students is a bit more formidable: Japanese culture. First though, some context.
There is only one non-sport club at Oshima JHS, and the art club's only been around since this past April. This is fairly common, from what I can gather, or in the very least the majority of clubs are sports clubs. Students only belong to one club, and that club becomes their group. Occasionally students will change clubs between years, but this isn't overly common I don't think.
So for the assembly, the students that aren't on one of the teams sat and waited in the gym, seated on the floor as usual (only the graduation and entrance ceremonies merit chairs, and that's because they put down a special rubber floor). They put some marching music on the PA (the same as in the Sports Day last weekend, which is its own story), and all of the teams marched into the gym in turn, to the applause of those of us waiting inside.
That was about as "peppy" as it got. It bears noting that the applause was the standard "I have to clap" applause, and there was certainly no "hooting" and / or "hollering" involved in any way whatsoever. Well, except from me, but I'm a crazy foreigner.
Once in the gym, everyone stood up and bowed to begin the assembly, and then the teams took turns hustling up on stage, introducing their members, bowing with a hearty "onegaishimasu!" and hustling off the stage, with varying levels of loudness and enthusiasm. After that there was a speech from the principal, a speech from a student council member, and then we all sang the school song. The assembly was closed with a bow, and then the each team got together for their team picture.
Not quite the old "rah rah siss boom bah!" is it?
forget love, let's crush the future opposition!
-greg.
ps: oh, "onegaishimasu" means... hm. well, it gets used all the time actually, but it is kind of like asking someone for a favor, or for support, or as a nice way to ask for something or.... it's polite, and it's important, but don't quote me on the rest.
In preparation for all that, we had a pep rally today at school. Well, "pep rally" would be the equivalent event in the US, but I would hardly apply that word and all that it entails to today's assembly.
To start, there are only about 130 students in the school, making it substantially more difficult to have crowds of yelling and cheering students. Another barrier to crowds of yelling and cheering students is a bit more formidable: Japanese culture. First though, some context.
There is only one non-sport club at Oshima JHS, and the art club's only been around since this past April. This is fairly common, from what I can gather, or in the very least the majority of clubs are sports clubs. Students only belong to one club, and that club becomes their group. Occasionally students will change clubs between years, but this isn't overly common I don't think.
So for the assembly, the students that aren't on one of the teams sat and waited in the gym, seated on the floor as usual (only the graduation and entrance ceremonies merit chairs, and that's because they put down a special rubber floor). They put some marching music on the PA (the same as in the Sports Day last weekend, which is its own story), and all of the teams marched into the gym in turn, to the applause of those of us waiting inside.
That was about as "peppy" as it got. It bears noting that the applause was the standard "I have to clap" applause, and there was certainly no "hooting" and / or "hollering" involved in any way whatsoever. Well, except from me, but I'm a crazy foreigner.
Once in the gym, everyone stood up and bowed to begin the assembly, and then the teams took turns hustling up on stage, introducing their members, bowing with a hearty "onegaishimasu!" and hustling off the stage, with varying levels of loudness and enthusiasm. After that there was a speech from the principal, a speech from a student council member, and then we all sang the school song. The assembly was closed with a bow, and then the each team got together for their team picture.
Not quite the old "rah rah siss boom bah!" is it?
forget love, let's crush the future opposition!
-greg.
ps: oh, "onegaishimasu" means... hm. well, it gets used all the time actually, but it is kind of like asking someone for a favor, or for support, or as a nice way to ask for something or.... it's polite, and it's important, but don't quote me on the rest.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
this is your life [2008.05.14]
You work your way on top of the shard of broken pottery sitting in your little plastic basin and look up at the children hunched over, staring at you. They are excited, but eventually they lose interest or else are hustled along by one of their teachers. You try to climb up the plastic, only to slide right back down the side.
You stop and listen: you hear no scraping from the basin next to you. In fact, there probably isn't even a basin there anymore. Only you.
They put you in the metal trough sink sometimes and wash the brown water out of your tub, cleaning it and putting fresh water in. The little ones throw you your food and squeal in delight as you eat it down.
Every Wednesday, I look down at you as you look up at me, trying in vain to scale the plastic sides of your tub, thumping when you inevitably hit the bottom after losing your grip. You might as well be Sisyphus, except you tricked no one to be here; you are simply slow and interesting to children.
You are Biggest Sad Turtle, and this is your life. You are Biggest Sad Turtle, and you are possible the only thing that is sad in all of Oshima Kindergarten.
But you are very very sad.
in the future, deserve's still got nothing to do with it,
-greg.
You stop and listen: you hear no scraping from the basin next to you. In fact, there probably isn't even a basin there anymore. Only you.
They put you in the metal trough sink sometimes and wash the brown water out of your tub, cleaning it and putting fresh water in. The little ones throw you your food and squeal in delight as you eat it down.
Every Wednesday, I look down at you as you look up at me, trying in vain to scale the plastic sides of your tub, thumping when you inevitably hit the bottom after losing your grip. You might as well be Sisyphus, except you tricked no one to be here; you are simply slow and interesting to children.
You are Biggest Sad Turtle, and this is your life. You are Biggest Sad Turtle, and you are possible the only thing that is sad in all of Oshima Kindergarten.
But you are very very sad.
in the future, deserve's still got nothing to do with it,
-greg.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
employment opportunities [2008.05.09]
If I ever fail in pursuits related to computers or languages I know that I will always have a future as a cat-herder. It's close enough at least to what I do every Wednesday when I go teach at the kindergarten here in Oshima.
In Oshima there are two classes, divided by age group. The Flower group is for the 4-5 year olds and the Rainbow group is for 5-6 year olds. The Rainbow kids graduate up to elementary school at the end of the year, and the Flower group becomes the new Rainbow group.
Now, the Japanese school year runs from April to March, so up until the end of the previous school year I had 31 crazy, wonderful, all-over-the-place little munchkins running around every Wednesday morning during my hour long English class. Twelve of them graduated in March but I got a fresh crop of 11 itty-bitty four year-olds in April, and that's just a totally different animal. That could almost be a literal statement, based on the difference that four months of kindergarten makes in how these kids behave. The cat-herding description is even more accurate now.
My days at the kindergarten run from 10am-3pm. Technically the kids generally leave at 2pm, but afterwards the teachers clean a little and then have "tea time". That's what the they call it, a little pinch of English mixed into the Japanese. English class itself runs from 1030-1130, and then after that it's chaos, lunch, then some more chaos, with general kindergarten-type learning stuff thrown in for good measure.
Overall these kids are warm, friendly, curious, innocent, and adorable. That's a lot of adjectives, but they deserve it. Of course there's the kid who cries as soon as he gets to school and then refuses to eat lunch, the one who cries if he gets too excited, and the little spoiled one who's always bothering the other kids and throws a tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants, but they're four years old, what should one expect?
All of the different schools have their own perks and charms, but I really love the simple joy and fun of the kindergarten and the younger kids. Ironically, I get to talk to them almost more than the junior high kids because I realized that English Only with five year olds is stupid.
walking through the future jungle,
-greg.
ps: speaking of six year olds, some of the first graders asked me yesterday if i was from the US. when i said yes, one of the girls asked me if i was going home to America that night. she couldn't believe it when i said i lived in Oshima. i love it.
pps: "walking through the jungle" is quite possibly their favorite book. crocodile!
In Oshima there are two classes, divided by age group. The Flower group is for the 4-5 year olds and the Rainbow group is for 5-6 year olds. The Rainbow kids graduate up to elementary school at the end of the year, and the Flower group becomes the new Rainbow group.
Now, the Japanese school year runs from April to March, so up until the end of the previous school year I had 31 crazy, wonderful, all-over-the-place little munchkins running around every Wednesday morning during my hour long English class. Twelve of them graduated in March but I got a fresh crop of 11 itty-bitty four year-olds in April, and that's just a totally different animal. That could almost be a literal statement, based on the difference that four months of kindergarten makes in how these kids behave. The cat-herding description is even more accurate now.
My days at the kindergarten run from 10am-3pm. Technically the kids generally leave at 2pm, but afterwards the teachers clean a little and then have "tea time". That's what the they call it, a little pinch of English mixed into the Japanese. English class itself runs from 1030-1130, and then after that it's chaos, lunch, then some more chaos, with general kindergarten-type learning stuff thrown in for good measure.
Overall these kids are warm, friendly, curious, innocent, and adorable. That's a lot of adjectives, but they deserve it. Of course there's the kid who cries as soon as he gets to school and then refuses to eat lunch, the one who cries if he gets too excited, and the little spoiled one who's always bothering the other kids and throws a tantrum if he doesn't get what he wants, but they're four years old, what should one expect?
All of the different schools have their own perks and charms, but I really love the simple joy and fun of the kindergarten and the younger kids. Ironically, I get to talk to them almost more than the junior high kids because I realized that English Only with five year olds is stupid.
walking through the future jungle,
-greg.
ps: speaking of six year olds, some of the first graders asked me yesterday if i was from the US. when i said yes, one of the girls asked me if i was going home to America that night. she couldn't believe it when i said i lived in Oshima. i love it.
pps: "walking through the jungle" is quite possibly their favorite book. crocodile!
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