At the CIR meeting on Monday one of the other teachers was talking about this video that presents a conspiracy theory for the Sept 11 attacks in the US, Loose Change. He was talking like a person on the brink of actually believing this crap. I have not seen this video - but I have heard some of the points they attempt to make in order to prove their own government's involvement in taking out the World Trade Centre. It is merely an apparently highly ostensible argument for the undereducated, underinformed and those who do not critically examine the world. For the rest of us it is simply a stunt pulled by a couple of smart arse college kids with too much spare time and a great instinct for how to excite an increasingly paranoid plebian crowd. They'd do well in journalism, and better in advertising. In fact, following the hype their video seems to have created among so many skeptics (although funny how unskeptical of this video they are) in the States they should be releasing Anti-corruption slogan T-shirts for all those who wish to protest the government involvement in 9/11 - for $25 a pop... If everyone who bought into their crap also bought the T-shirt they'd be rich in no time.
What concerns me most isn't that so many people are willing to believe the contents of a random video without question - although that is a huge disappointment in itself - but that there are so many people who are willing, more than willing, desperate it seems to believe that their own government orchestrated and carried out a massive act of terrorism against its own citizens. Where's the American patrotism and nationalism of old? It seems that a lot of people - or I should say college students because these are the people who seem to be making so much noise about this video - are only too glad to finally find a reason to condemn their government. They announce the US government was involved in 9/11 as though it is something to be proud of - look at the scandal we've got happening now! People should be outraged by 9/11 and they should be asking questions, but they are asking the wrong ones. Why is it so hard to believe that this act of terrorism was performed by foreigners without help? Is it because the citizens of the US really believe their homeland security is that good - or rather is it because to admit that it was terrorism plain and simple means the only question worth asking is "why were we targeted?"... All this searching for an alternate explanation for the incident is wasting time and energy that should be spent on examining why the US is a target of terrorism in the first place.
So this is why if I hear one more person saying "Oh my god, have you seen Loose Change - it makes you wonder!" I might scream because the ony thing it is making me wonder is if there is any end to intelligent people's stupidity.
September 29, 2006
September 28, 2006
random stuff
This morning I though it was Wednesday and it is Thursday! You can't get a better surprise than that. Unless you don't want time to pass faster in which case it wouldn't be much fun at all. Classes today went really well so I am just looking forward to going home and not worrying about why kids are stupid tonight. Last night I watched some late night show that was sneeze themed. They were trying to get all these people to sneeze with their eyes open. It was So funny. They would stick the camera right up in their face and then have them push a piece of tissue up their snoz until they sneezed. Kushami! Only one guy was able to keep his eyes partially open - they did close a bit though.
Last night I taught my neighbour's English class fro him again. It was a good time actually and helped pass the time. Lately I have actually been doing a bit of study at night though so time is passing fairly quickly. Whether the studyis helping or not I have no idea - I don't seem to be improving much...
Last night I taught my neighbour's English class fro him again. It was a good time actually and helped pass the time. Lately I have actually been doing a bit of study at night though so time is passing fairly quickly. Whether the studyis helping or not I have no idea - I don't seem to be improving much...
September 27, 2006
It really doesn't matter. REALLY
Yesterday when I went up to the classroom to supervise cleaning one of the girls was standing on a chair jumping up and down trying to reach the cord for the blinds that had been wound up all the way to the top of the window - the blind was now all the way down. I left the blind 3/4 way down because the cord wasn't long enough to reach without a ladder if you let it all the way down. She comes in - sees that one blind is higher than the others and just has to fix this "problem" and in doing so made a whole bunch of problems for herself. Why didn't she stop and think that maybe there was a reason for the blind being left as it was? All she had on her mind was making sure that everything was tidy and even - an unfortunately highly prevelant preoccupation over here. I made her get the ladder and fix it so it was no huge issue for me - but just another example of how everything here has to be just perfect.
Another example is the school lunch trays in the staffroom. In this school for some reason I have to come to the staffroom and get my lunch from here and then take it to the particular classroom I am eating in that week. The teachers who eat in the staffroom are the vice principal, science teacher, music teacher, librarian, nurse and the office ladies. These are mostly older ladies and they seem to get a real kick out of arranging the plates on the trays. If I am doing it I just put the bowls on the trays, as long as each tray has a bowl of each item it doesn't matter about order - but then Ouchi or Kawata will come along and rearrange it all so that all the salad bowls are in the same place - and not just in the same place but in the designated "salad area" on the tray. It is really quite amazing to watch how they simply are incapable of just letting it go. If they see a bowl that's out of order they practically dive at it to push it into place and are all tut tutting under their breath.
And even more hilarious than that, is the way they dish the food out. The food comes in metal buckets and we divide it ourselves - they have made a science out of it. God forbid that I should get one more grain of rice than Mori sensei! There's one lady in particular who I always try to beat to doing the rice cos if she does it she will actually spend 10 minutes over it, checking and double checking that every bowl has the same amount while we all just stand there watching her as though this is a perfectly normal thing to do. And she's not even DOING anything - she just goes along and kind of pats the rice on the head with the rice scoop and murmurs under her breath, moves to the next bowl, maybe picks up a clump from that bowl and shakes it into the next bowl. Really, 10 rice grains is not gonna make anyone cry.
You know how when you are little having the same amount of ice cream as your siblings was REALLY important, but as you grow up you don't care that much anymore? I think the Japanese are going the ohter way. When they are little they care about the differences, but they don't lose that paranoia when they grow up, it's kind of cultivated by the obsession with fairness in class. In class when they are decided who will go first in a game they not only decide the first person and just clockwise from there, they decide the order of everyone! That's why it takes so long to get them organised into playing games cos they spend 5 minutes doing janken to decide order. Sometimes I just come in with my eenymeenyminymo and then tell them clockwise and it leaves them all beweildered.
Another example is the school lunch trays in the staffroom. In this school for some reason I have to come to the staffroom and get my lunch from here and then take it to the particular classroom I am eating in that week. The teachers who eat in the staffroom are the vice principal, science teacher, music teacher, librarian, nurse and the office ladies. These are mostly older ladies and they seem to get a real kick out of arranging the plates on the trays. If I am doing it I just put the bowls on the trays, as long as each tray has a bowl of each item it doesn't matter about order - but then Ouchi or Kawata will come along and rearrange it all so that all the salad bowls are in the same place - and not just in the same place but in the designated "salad area" on the tray. It is really quite amazing to watch how they simply are incapable of just letting it go. If they see a bowl that's out of order they practically dive at it to push it into place and are all tut tutting under their breath.
And even more hilarious than that, is the way they dish the food out. The food comes in metal buckets and we divide it ourselves - they have made a science out of it. God forbid that I should get one more grain of rice than Mori sensei! There's one lady in particular who I always try to beat to doing the rice cos if she does it she will actually spend 10 minutes over it, checking and double checking that every bowl has the same amount while we all just stand there watching her as though this is a perfectly normal thing to do. And she's not even DOING anything - she just goes along and kind of pats the rice on the head with the rice scoop and murmurs under her breath, moves to the next bowl, maybe picks up a clump from that bowl and shakes it into the next bowl. Really, 10 rice grains is not gonna make anyone cry.
You know how when you are little having the same amount of ice cream as your siblings was REALLY important, but as you grow up you don't care that much anymore? I think the Japanese are going the ohter way. When they are little they care about the differences, but they don't lose that paranoia when they grow up, it's kind of cultivated by the obsession with fairness in class. In class when they are decided who will go first in a game they not only decide the first person and just clockwise from there, they decide the order of everyone! That's why it takes so long to get them organised into playing games cos they spend 5 minutes doing janken to decide order. Sometimes I just come in with my eenymeenyminymo and then tell them clockwise and it leaves them all beweildered.
Washuzan Highland
So here's a pic of the theme park I visited on Saturday. You can see the very very steep slope that it was built on, several roller coasters and in the distance the Setohashi which cross the Seto Inland Sea to Shikoku and is massively long. It was a great clear blue sky day and the view was brilliant from the kanransha ferris wheel.
September 25, 2006
Sambasambasamba
I had a bit of a tops weekend. Saturday I spent with my old host family. The daughter, who came and stayed with my family 6 years ago and who I stayed with on my trip to Japan, now lives in Tokyo. She is studying English and Thai and is also a member of the uni samba club so she is all Brazily and stuff. Obviously the last time I spoke to them I was pretty crap at Jap and their English was limited, although a lot better than my Jap so we didn't get much conversation going. But I always thought they were a cool bunch of people and on Saturday I had my suspicions confirmed. For the first time people were not only understanding my jokes, but laughing at them! It was great. We went by car to a Brazilian themed fun park near the Setohashi. It was a pretty much dead, even though it was a saturday and a public holiday. Appraently it is pretty old now so it's not as popular. There was a stage show with Brazilian music and dancers and they dragged us up on stage to bop around with them. It didn't take them long to recognise that M had had a bit of samba experience and they got her out to dance with them properly. It was heaps of fun.
We went on a whole bunch of roller coaster type rides and they were all pretty much scary enough for me. Actually the worst one was the Turbo Drop. Since I hate heights it wasn't too much fun being hoisted way up into the air with my legs just dangling there. When we got to the top there was no count down or anything, you were just left there for an indetermined amount of time and then suddenly whoooof - down you go, then before you reach the bottom it shoots you back up to the top again and then down and up and down and up before you finally get to the bottom. It was FREAKY. Good view of the Seto inland sea, but not enough to make me ride it twice thankyou!
Saturday night was spent at M's house eating yummy yukisoba and various other foods. I saw some pictures of me from high school which were not all that fun to look at... Did I actually ever look in the mirror before I left the house back then? It was a really fun night and it's too bad that M lives in Tokyo - although probably good for her cos she seems to be really enjoying life which a lot more than most people seem to manage these days...
Sunday was spent studying and exercising and generally doing house stuff. The weather here recently has been splendid. Clear blue skies, little wind and high 20s. Lovely. It is just hanging on to summer before the big dip into winter so I better get the most out of it! Next weekend my shcool has a parents day so I will be working. I have to do a year 2 English class - their topic for the next month was supposed to be Halloween but I changed it to insects cos I don't know anything about Halloween and I dont see how it is relevant to them either. The vocab was heaps random; black cat, witch, jack-o-lantern, ghost.... I don't think they'll need to know that kind of shit.
We went on a whole bunch of roller coaster type rides and they were all pretty much scary enough for me. Actually the worst one was the Turbo Drop. Since I hate heights it wasn't too much fun being hoisted way up into the air with my legs just dangling there. When we got to the top there was no count down or anything, you were just left there for an indetermined amount of time and then suddenly whoooof - down you go, then before you reach the bottom it shoots you back up to the top again and then down and up and down and up before you finally get to the bottom. It was FREAKY. Good view of the Seto inland sea, but not enough to make me ride it twice thankyou!
Saturday night was spent at M's house eating yummy yukisoba and various other foods. I saw some pictures of me from high school which were not all that fun to look at... Did I actually ever look in the mirror before I left the house back then? It was a really fun night and it's too bad that M lives in Tokyo - although probably good for her cos she seems to be really enjoying life which a lot more than most people seem to manage these days...
Sunday was spent studying and exercising and generally doing house stuff. The weather here recently has been splendid. Clear blue skies, little wind and high 20s. Lovely. It is just hanging on to summer before the big dip into winter so I better get the most out of it! Next weekend my shcool has a parents day so I will be working. I have to do a year 2 English class - their topic for the next month was supposed to be Halloween but I changed it to insects cos I don't know anything about Halloween and I dont see how it is relevant to them either. The vocab was heaps random; black cat, witch, jack-o-lantern, ghost.... I don't think they'll need to know that kind of shit.
September 22, 2006
New goggles
Last night my new glasses arrived! I got some new frames when I was in Hiroshima on the weekend because I never wear my old ones anymore. I had them put some UV protection on the lenses too cos I always had trouble deciding whether to wear my sunnies or my spectacles when driving - and sunnies usually won out. Squinting is heaps annoying. They were a lot cheaper than they would have been at home but delivery cost me a fortune. They already tacked delivery charge onto the price of the glasses which I paid on Sunday, but when they arrived last night the courier asked me for another $10. Maybe I am wrong here but I reckon in Australia if you are a business and you undercharge for something like delivery which you have already not only quoted on, but also taken payment for, you just cover the difference yourself - it is essentially your own mistake for miscalculating the charge. That's the kind of thing that builds good customer rapport and makes people want to come back. Not here. Not that I will be buying many new frames while I am here - or indeed in the next 10 years, but they have certainly ensured that I will never be going back to them to spend my money. Anyway, in the somewhat fuzzy pic here you can see both my new haircut and my new glasses. How's that for good value!
I hate to say it, but this week has actually flown by. Maybe owing to the Monday holiday, but it feels like it was just Friday a moment ago and here I am again. This weekend the line up isn't quite so exciting. I will probably be t my old host families house for dinner either tonight or tomorrow night but aside from that the plan is to get some serious study done. A desk in the library in Okayama is calling me...
September 21, 2006
JLPT study struggle
How excited am I that my grade 6 class got cancelled today?! Of course I have to make it up on Monday which gives me 4 classes next week but for today I am happy. I have been spending my nights studying for the JLPT which is now only 2 months away so I am a bit sleepy today. Turns out I have about a thousand million grammar points to learn if I want to pass. Plus kanji of course. The test costs a lot of money though so I really want to pass this time. Last year I got 56% - you need 60% to pass. It is all a bit of a struggle though since I am so unmotivated. I need someone to watch my study so I don't start thinking about other things. I have written any number of letters while "studying".
This weekend Saturday is a public holiday. What is the point of that? If we are not gonna get a long weekend out of it, don't even bother having a holiday. Apparently it's because most people work on Saturday morning anyway so that gives them the whole weekend. Well in that case why not make it a Monday public holiday and then they can have Sat arvo, Sunday and Monday off, and me too! But there is another long weekend coming up in October I think. That coincides with a visit from my old high school of a bunch of teenagers and my old Japanese teacher. They are doing a 5 day, 4 night homestay here in Kamogata over that weekend. On the Thursday they are having a reception and they asked me and a couple of others to come along and translate and then they just gave us the pieces of paper with what's gonna be said on it already! So less translating and more reading...
This weekend Saturday is a public holiday. What is the point of that? If we are not gonna get a long weekend out of it, don't even bother having a holiday. Apparently it's because most people work on Saturday morning anyway so that gives them the whole weekend. Well in that case why not make it a Monday public holiday and then they can have Sat arvo, Sunday and Monday off, and me too! But there is another long weekend coming up in October I think. That coincides with a visit from my old high school of a bunch of teenagers and my old Japanese teacher. They are doing a 5 day, 4 night homestay here in Kamogata over that weekend. On the Thursday they are having a reception and they asked me and a couple of others to come along and translate and then they just gave us the pieces of paper with what's gonna be said on it already! So less translating and more reading...
September 18, 2006
Mad evening
This weekend is just mental. So today is Respect for the Aged Day. That means nothing to me except that my one relaxing day at work is taken away. But it did mean that I could be here in Hiroshima for a while longer. I am in my little internet cafe accommodations. Last night it got a bit hairy when I went to all my usual places and there were no seats left anywhere! I eventually ended up shelling out for a pair seat, which is usually used by two people so I had to pay double, but the good thing is that you get a couch rather than a single chair so I was able to sleep relatively flat last night. Yay. Yesterday I got my hair cut again - this time I reckon it is pretty good and am actually happy with it - but we'll see what happens after I wash it. I also bought some new glasses. The last pair I have are now 5 years old, or perhaps more, and I just don't wear them anymore cos I don't like the style. I really don't need to wear them but probably should when watching movies and stuff and I am more likely to wear them if I like them. They were so cheap though! Frames, lenses with UV protection, case and delivery to my house all for $120! Can't go wrong! The eye test was heaps funny- all in Japanese characters. Naturally it would be, but I just found it heaps cute for some reason. So my right eye is still a tad short sighted, my left eye is still holding it's own though.
I met up with S for lunch and ate a bit too much - I snuck in an onigiri before the hairdresser too. Then she left with some jobs to do after helping me pick out frames and I went to the library and did a bit of reading. I arranged to meet my mate H at an amusement parlour type place called Round One. She was gonna meet up with some guy she met while in Ohio and we ended up going with him to join 4 more guys and out for dinner. They all seemed nice enough in the beginning but after a few drinks at bowling later the true charcters began to be revealed. Actually the friend of H's turned out to be her old English teacher from uni in the States and he was a really lovely guy and one other bloke there was quite pleasant, but 2 of them turned a bit obnoxious after a skinful and the evening ended on a bit of a sour note. Without revealing too much to embarass those involved let's just say that it shitted me that it was considered my responsibility to keep everyone from having emotional melt downs. I'm not one for playing mum to drunk people.
Anyway, how much do I suck at bowling!! I haven't done it in a while that is true - but it was just gutter ball after gutter ball. Because I got the wooden spoon I had to don a big bowling pin suit, but actually I would have done it for free cos it was fun! I reckon I might have a pic somehwere I can post here later...
So now I am just winding up my time in the cafe here then I am off home to rest before massive day at work tomoz. Not sure how I will hande being thrown straight into classes without my day of preparation! Why can't I live in Hiroshima?
I met up with S for lunch and ate a bit too much - I snuck in an onigiri before the hairdresser too. Then she left with some jobs to do after helping me pick out frames and I went to the library and did a bit of reading. I arranged to meet my mate H at an amusement parlour type place called Round One. She was gonna meet up with some guy she met while in Ohio and we ended up going with him to join 4 more guys and out for dinner. They all seemed nice enough in the beginning but after a few drinks at bowling later the true charcters began to be revealed. Actually the friend of H's turned out to be her old English teacher from uni in the States and he was a really lovely guy and one other bloke there was quite pleasant, but 2 of them turned a bit obnoxious after a skinful and the evening ended on a bit of a sour note. Without revealing too much to embarass those involved let's just say that it shitted me that it was considered my responsibility to keep everyone from having emotional melt downs. I'm not one for playing mum to drunk people.
Anyway, how much do I suck at bowling!! I haven't done it in a while that is true - but it was just gutter ball after gutter ball. Because I got the wooden spoon I had to don a big bowling pin suit, but actually I would have done it for free cos it was fun! I reckon I might have a pic somehwere I can post here later...
So now I am just winding up my time in the cafe here then I am off home to rest before massive day at work tomoz. Not sure how I will hande being thrown straight into classes without my day of preparation! Why can't I live in Hiroshima?
September 17, 2006
Ty---phooon
So yeah, up in Hiroshima, making the most of the fun to be had before the typhoon hits. It's all good over here.
September 15, 2006
Grrrr
I think I mentioned a while ago how every now and then I allow myself a day to just hate Japan. Yesterday was that day. But unfortunately it seems to have leaked over today. Yesterdays classes were absolutely hell. The kids were all mental and just wouldn't shut up so I finished their classes early told them to get out. Why is it so hard for them to just shut up? I did have an extra class as well so that made it more busy. Then when I was finally finished and got back to the staffroom there was a line of teachers waiting to apologise for their classes' bahviour and talk about stuff and I just didn't want to hear about it. I don't really care why they are nuts - just make them stop! I am not a real teacher, it's not my job to discipline them, in fact my contract specifically stipulates that I am not to. Then I got the whole "I saw you at lunch today, you can use chopsticks really well" number and I just couldn't believe it. YES WE HAVE CHOPSTICKS IN AUSTRALIA YOU KNOW, IN FACT, THEY ARE PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE THESE DAYS. Why do they insist on thinking that they are the only people in the world who use chopsticks? Someone told me that they say these kind of facile things because it's a way to start conversation. Well I have been starting conversations my whole life without handing out condescending remarks thinly disguised as compliments. And if one more teacher comes up to me and tells me I am wearing a "cute blouse" I will just kill them. It's a T-shirt, it's made of cotton, it is wrinkled and has several stains and a piece of thread hanging off the hem IT IS NOT CUTE. If they want to give me a compliment so bad why don't they start with talking about something that could actually be described as a good thing without completely suspending disbelief. Better yet - why don't they just keep on walking right past my desk without interrupting my few moments of peace and quiet here to launch their latest brain fart at me. That'd be nice.
September 13, 2006
Tuesday night party night
So Tuesday night out and about in Okayama turned out to be pretty fun! I meet my friend and we went to get me some food and her some beer. She had been at an interview for an English school all afternoon and since she had missed lunch before it had stuffed her gob as soon as she left the building rather thn wait for me. I was pleased about this actually cos when I am hungry I just eat too and it was good to experience a Japanese person with the same attitude. We went to this comfy place called Racco's for a guacamole burger and beers. The burger was heaps yummy and kind of mini sized which turned out ot be just the right size. My stomach is Japanese sized now! When 7 had rocked around we choofed off to the Aussie Bar and I introduced Hibiki to Pale Ale. We were very busy all night with her explaining her trials and tribulations dealing with some gaijin bloke in Hiroshima and me trying to explain how the Wesetrn male mind works. Well, obviously I can't lump all blokes into the same basket, but there is definitely an identifiable pattern amongst those men who always seem to have a different girl hanging off their arm every time you see them.
It may be my tendancy to takes everything that people say with a pinch of salt (see "personality identifier" result) but I have never really had much trouble picking out the blokes who say "I'll call you" without meaning it. Not that it's never happened to me, but when it does I would consider it a lucky escape for me rather than an insult. All it means is that they weren't that into me, or aren't looking for a girlfriend and they are just too cowardly to say it because for some reason they believe they are so incredible that I will break down into a crying, screaming mess. So rather than just say "Yeah, just not that into you" they say "I'll call you" and then never call. Well this is my interpretation of it, not being willing to believe that every man who has ever pullled this stunt is rotten to the core, maybe they are just wusses and really think a white lie is better than the truth. When everybody realises that when it comes to matters of the heart the truth is much better than any lie the dating world will be a much easier place.
So we were discussing this and other issues and then loe and behold, the guys who have been checking us out since we walked in found some lovely excuse to come and talk to us and next thing we were all talking about why we were both dressed the same (the Japanese suit was out in force what with my open day and her interview). It was heaps bizarre, an Australian, a Japanese, 2 Brazilians and a Korean all sitting around together talking in Japanese. The Korean bloke read my palm for me and apparently I will be very successful in business - yay for me. He just told my friend that she would have to work hard and stuff. Hmm, I think he was scraping the bottom of the bullshit barrel on that one! So I ended up staying out quite late and chatting with them. Consequently today I am feeling heaps knackered. But it was fun. I got slightly propositioned by one of the Brazilian blokes but it was perhaps the most impressively gentlemanly pick up attempt I have ever experienced - which made it that much easier to brush off! Ah, I love a happy ending.
Oh and how's this? When I got home it was pissing down again so I decided to just take a taxi home instead of walking through the heavy rain in my suit. I got into the taxi and the driver knew where I lived without even asking me!? Kind of freaky nay?
It may be my tendancy to takes everything that people say with a pinch of salt (see "personality identifier" result) but I have never really had much trouble picking out the blokes who say "I'll call you" without meaning it. Not that it's never happened to me, but when it does I would consider it a lucky escape for me rather than an insult. All it means is that they weren't that into me, or aren't looking for a girlfriend and they are just too cowardly to say it because for some reason they believe they are so incredible that I will break down into a crying, screaming mess. So rather than just say "Yeah, just not that into you" they say "I'll call you" and then never call. Well this is my interpretation of it, not being willing to believe that every man who has ever pullled this stunt is rotten to the core, maybe they are just wusses and really think a white lie is better than the truth. When everybody realises that when it comes to matters of the heart the truth is much better than any lie the dating world will be a much easier place.
So we were discussing this and other issues and then loe and behold, the guys who have been checking us out since we walked in found some lovely excuse to come and talk to us and next thing we were all talking about why we were both dressed the same (the Japanese suit was out in force what with my open day and her interview). It was heaps bizarre, an Australian, a Japanese, 2 Brazilians and a Korean all sitting around together talking in Japanese. The Korean bloke read my palm for me and apparently I will be very successful in business - yay for me. He just told my friend that she would have to work hard and stuff. Hmm, I think he was scraping the bottom of the bullshit barrel on that one! So I ended up staying out quite late and chatting with them. Consequently today I am feeling heaps knackered. But it was fun. I got slightly propositioned by one of the Brazilian blokes but it was perhaps the most impressively gentlemanly pick up attempt I have ever experienced - which made it that much easier to brush off! Ah, I love a happy ending.
Oh and how's this? When I got home it was pissing down again so I decided to just take a taxi home instead of walking through the heavy rain in my suit. I got into the taxi and the driver knew where I lived without even asking me!? Kind of freaky nay?
September 12, 2006
Look, I'm an extraverted disagreeable adventure freak!
Hey, in case you couldn't work it out for yourself; here I am! Dunno how well you can read the numbers behind the colours, but I think they are scores out of 100. The bar chart came out all squished for some reason.
My Personality
My Personality
Neuroticism | 8 |
Extraversion | 80 |
Openness To Experience | 77 |
Agreeableness | 15 |
Conscientiousness | 79 |
| Find your MySpace/Xanga/Hi5 soulmate / pysch twin MySpace Codes, Survey Software |
Open day update
So my open day went ok. The kids were heaps shy in front of the parents and refused to get involved in the big gestures and jumping around that they did last week. So to make up for it, or to make them get more involved I was being twice as stupid as usual and all the parents gave me a big standing ovation afterwards. Be better if the kids had just done what they normally done and been heaps genki. Eventually I will forgive them for making me look bad in front of their parents and my principal. Perhaps. Towards the end they started to liven up a bit but by then it was just too late. BOO.
The big bonus what that after class the whole school just went home so I get out of teaching my grade 6 hell-class! Yippee! And on top of which the staffroom is dead because the teachers are all being harassed by parents concerned about their precious child who isn't getting enough attention. Love not being a homeroom teacher I tell you what! Or a real teacher at all. But that does also mean that I am stuck here for another 2 hours with bugger all to do. All the parents who came were mums. I did not see one dad. I guess it's because they are working and not really their choice, but it kind of sucks that they have to miss out on all this stuff because of their job. I wouldn't want to be a Japanese salaryman for anything. But I guess I will find all this stuff out anyway if I ever have kids cos I would go mental without working. As soon as they are in school I'll be back at work to retrieve my sanity (and pay for their expensive little social lives). Unless I marry a billionaire Anna Nicole style and then I can just potter around and if I don't rock up to work one day because I have to see my kid at school then who cares if they fire me? Yeah, that's a good plan. Know anyone suitable?
The big bonus what that after class the whole school just went home so I get out of teaching my grade 6 hell-class! Yippee! And on top of which the staffroom is dead because the teachers are all being harassed by parents concerned about their precious child who isn't getting enough attention. Love not being a homeroom teacher I tell you what! Or a real teacher at all. But that does also mean that I am stuck here for another 2 hours with bugger all to do. All the parents who came were mums. I did not see one dad. I guess it's because they are working and not really their choice, but it kind of sucks that they have to miss out on all this stuff because of their job. I wouldn't want to be a Japanese salaryman for anything. But I guess I will find all this stuff out anyway if I ever have kids cos I would go mental without working. As soon as they are in school I'll be back at work to retrieve my sanity (and pay for their expensive little social lives). Unless I marry a billionaire Anna Nicole style and then I can just potter around and if I don't rock up to work one day because I have to see my kid at school then who cares if they fire me? Yeah, that's a good plan. Know anyone suitable?
Open day
Today the parents are coming in to watch their darlings jump around the classroom. Because of this all the teachers are in high tension run around mode. Several people have already spoken to me today where usually I am left to my own devices at my desk. They keep reminding me that it is open day, probably I don't look freaked out enough and they fear I have forgotten. I didn't forget though, I even remembered to dress up and wash my hair and stuff. Usually I look a bit like I am off to the couch to watch TV, but today I have a skirt and a shirt and all those things that people with real jobs wear to look professional even though they don't know what they are doing or why. It is a grade 3 class in the fifth period so it's just gonna be so easy. The topic is sports so we get to do lots of big gestures and generally be really rowdy all in the name of learning English.
Last night I got a message from some Jap bloke who was on the water banana trip ages ago. He asked me how school is going and stuff but it was about 10 at night and I just couldn't be buggered answering him. I mean, who messages people at 10 on a weeknight? I am a little concerned that he might like me so I have been keeping my distance. His messages are very friendly which is kind of weird considering we don't really know each other so I don't want to give him the wrong idea by being heaps friendly back. You never know what could constitute flirting in this country. And sending messages at 10 at night is pretty familiar if you ask me. Anyway, we'll see how that goes. Tonight I am racing off to Okayama to catch up with a friend from Hiroshima who is down here for an interview of some description. It's a big trip but I can get some scones from the bakery if I go...
Last night I got a message from some Jap bloke who was on the water banana trip ages ago. He asked me how school is going and stuff but it was about 10 at night and I just couldn't be buggered answering him. I mean, who messages people at 10 on a weeknight? I am a little concerned that he might like me so I have been keeping my distance. His messages are very friendly which is kind of weird considering we don't really know each other so I don't want to give him the wrong idea by being heaps friendly back. You never know what could constitute flirting in this country. And sending messages at 10 at night is pretty familiar if you ask me. Anyway, we'll see how that goes. Tonight I am racing off to Okayama to catch up with a friend from Hiroshima who is down here for an interview of some description. It's a big trip but I can get some scones from the bakery if I go...
September 11, 2006
Hustle
There's an expression that I have heard serveral times over the last few days; hurry up and wait. The first time I heard it it was asserted to be an army term and the second time I heard it it was used to describe working life in Japan. And the more I think about it the more true it is. I watch the office ladies work and that is exactly what they do. They sit around for hours staring at their computer screen and then if a visitor comes they literally run to the kitchen and run back with coffee or tea. Or if the principal asks them to do something they run, which is funny because they are not fit ladies. They kind of shuffle along with a busy busy face on and make little noises under their breath which means "I am really busy, get out of my way, I have an important job to do, look how important it is, I am RUNNING". But the stupid thing is that the things they run about are not even important. And usually the running isn't helping them get things done faster, it's just a show they put on to make people think they are doing something important. Why don't they stop pretending to be busy and actually do some real work? And why do they think that running through the office is going to make it look like they are doing work? The teachers are teh same though. If the principal or vice principal calls them to come and talk to them they run to his desk as though it's a national emergency or something. And then he will just say to them "So Hiroki went home early today? What's the story there?" or something equally so not hurry worthy. When I get called to someone's desk I walk there. I know that they expect me to run but I refuse to be sucked into their stupid game. I am not in a hurry to hear their comments on my shirt, or my hair style, or my shoes, so I don't run. It's kind of enjoyable to walk slowly across the office with them all watching me, knowing that they are all thinking "hurry UP" but are unable to say it because a) there's no real reason for me to hurry and b) it would be rude. You can feel their irritation bubbling just below the politely smiling surface.
On Saturday I taught 2 private English classes for a fellow foreginer who is off to India for a few weeks. The classes consist of mostly elderly ladies, a couple of men. THey sit around and talk and eat snacks and drink tea and talk and talk and talk. It is not really an English lesson so much as a gossip fest. What do you expect though really? I did not prepare anything and just ended up talking about Thailand and Vietnam for about 45 minutes straight and they asked me questions about it and discussed it amongst themselves (in Jap). When they were talking I would pick up a grammar error they made and try and explain it on the board but they weren't interested in being corrected. They just wanted to talk in English, not improve. It was a tad annoying because the whole point of me being there was to help them with stuff like that, otherwise they might as well just get together with each other and chat in English and save a heaps of money. Conversation classes are dodgy like that because while it is important to practice speaking, if you continue to speak without correcting yourself you will compound grammar and pronunciation errors making it harder to correct later on. But whatever, what would I know about it?
So because of these classes I was late to my mate's BBQ for her birthday. But I still had plenty of time to polish off a fair portion of the vino I brought with me before we headed to a restaurant. There were heaps of foreigners there - maybe about 18 or 20. Huge show. Nice food and lots of beer. We headed to a bar afterwards and talked about Steve Irwin for about half an hour. It was like a wake or something. Or how imagine one might be. In Okayama on the way home I bought fruit scones from the bakery and indulged myself in some for desert after tea last night. I fell asleep as soon as I got home so I had tea at about 9pm when I woke up breifly. Then I went straight back to sleep again. Feeling a little out of it today but not too bad. I got some Weetbix at the import shop yesterday but I didn't have any milk in the fridge so I had to have fried eggs for brekkie. Not a good option, they don't fill you up much! But all I have in my fridge now is margarine and 3 eggs! Better get shopping before I just start eating dry Weetbix for tea tonight...
On Saturday I taught 2 private English classes for a fellow foreginer who is off to India for a few weeks. The classes consist of mostly elderly ladies, a couple of men. THey sit around and talk and eat snacks and drink tea and talk and talk and talk. It is not really an English lesson so much as a gossip fest. What do you expect though really? I did not prepare anything and just ended up talking about Thailand and Vietnam for about 45 minutes straight and they asked me questions about it and discussed it amongst themselves (in Jap). When they were talking I would pick up a grammar error they made and try and explain it on the board but they weren't interested in being corrected. They just wanted to talk in English, not improve. It was a tad annoying because the whole point of me being there was to help them with stuff like that, otherwise they might as well just get together with each other and chat in English and save a heaps of money. Conversation classes are dodgy like that because while it is important to practice speaking, if you continue to speak without correcting yourself you will compound grammar and pronunciation errors making it harder to correct later on. But whatever, what would I know about it?
So because of these classes I was late to my mate's BBQ for her birthday. But I still had plenty of time to polish off a fair portion of the vino I brought with me before we headed to a restaurant. There were heaps of foreigners there - maybe about 18 or 20. Huge show. Nice food and lots of beer. We headed to a bar afterwards and talked about Steve Irwin for about half an hour. It was like a wake or something. Or how imagine one might be. In Okayama on the way home I bought fruit scones from the bakery and indulged myself in some for desert after tea last night. I fell asleep as soon as I got home so I had tea at about 9pm when I woke up breifly. Then I went straight back to sleep again. Feeling a little out of it today but not too bad. I got some Weetbix at the import shop yesterday but I didn't have any milk in the fridge so I had to have fried eggs for brekkie. Not a good option, they don't fill you up much! But all I have in my fridge now is margarine and 3 eggs! Better get shopping before I just start eating dry Weetbix for tea tonight...
September 10, 2006
Sunday comes again
Last night I went to Takahashi, smallish rural area, for drinks. It was great fun. I drank way too much though and am feeling not flash today. I slept on a very thin futon and am heaps sore from that. Apparently I snoozed on a funny angle. At least that's what i was told this morning. I came in here to use the interenet but I think I should have just gone home and slept. But I can buy some muesli finally so it won't be a complete waste of time. It's raining massively again. BOO. I should go for a walk or something because I did bugger all in the way of exercise yesterday and all I have done is drink beer and wine. Clearly looking after myself very well over here...
By the way - weekends are not long enough.
By the way - weekends are not long enough.
September 08, 2006
Stranger danger
To add to yesterday's panic about the criminal at large, I discovered that the teachers all walked the kids home! I wondered why there was no one in the staffroom after my last class and found out whey when they all returned to the school with the school safety sashes around them and carrying magnetic signs to the same effect which they had stuck on the front of their cars as they patrolled the streets which the kids walk home. I find it bizarre to have such a reaction. But it doesn't just happen here of course. Whenever something like this happens people freak out and start being ultra cautious before relaxing back to their previous behaviours. I don't understand how the risk of something bad happening is increased because something bad happened yesterday. If they feel compelled to watch the kids home from school today, why not tomorrow too? Is there some kind of rule that prevents potential kidnappers from loitering in the same area longer than 2 days? Everyday of the year offers the same risk of kidnapping surely? Either you deem the area safe enough for the kids to walk alone or you don't, you can't pick certain days which are more dangerous than others. People are weird.
September 07, 2006
Boogey men and babies
So it would seem that last night two grade 6 girls were approached by some bloke in a car and offered a lift near the station. They said no and got his license plate number and told the police about it which is all good, but today it has become a HUGE incident and they are all talking about it non-stop. I have heaps of paperwork on my desk about it and during lunch they made an announcement over the PA about it to all the kids. They basically said that there are criminals at large in Kamogata so when you walk home today be careful! Bloody hell, I reckon that would have freaked me out a bit when I was little, being told that there are criminals waiting in bushes to kidnap me today. They could have just given them a reminder about not going with strangers and stuff, but whatever. They all have alarms attached to their bags too. Sometimes they let them off in the classroom and they are so loud. Anyway, if any of them go missing it is their own fault because we have warned them...
Oh, and yesterday the princess gave birth to a son which has also been non-stop gossip over here. Until now there has been no male heir to the throne beyond the princes who are both now in their mid 40s. They were thinknig about changing the law to allow women to ascend to the throne because there were only little girls being born. But now there is a bloke so hurray for Japan they don't have to stain the throne with girl germs. They cancelled my TV show to talk about it too so I wasn't happy. I don't understand why people are so attached to them, they are completely useless - just like the British Royal Family, they are just sucking the state funds living the high life. People think they are gods or something. I mean, I can see why you should have a healthy respect for your country's head of state, even if you don't agree with their policy you know that they have worked hard to be where they are. But royalty are just born into it and so deserve no such respect or admiration.
SO that's the news update on Japan for today.
Oh, and yesterday the princess gave birth to a son which has also been non-stop gossip over here. Until now there has been no male heir to the throne beyond the princes who are both now in their mid 40s. They were thinknig about changing the law to allow women to ascend to the throne because there were only little girls being born. But now there is a bloke so hurray for Japan they don't have to stain the throne with girl germs. They cancelled my TV show to talk about it too so I wasn't happy. I don't understand why people are so attached to them, they are completely useless - just like the British Royal Family, they are just sucking the state funds living the high life. People think they are gods or something. I mean, I can see why you should have a healthy respect for your country's head of state, even if you don't agree with their policy you know that they have worked hard to be where they are. But royalty are just born into it and so deserve no such respect or admiration.
SO that's the news update on Japan for today.
September 06, 2006
Yay for autumn
Summer is over. Officially and unofficially. It is raining and cold and grey and miserable. I am wearing a jumper! BOO
Rain means no way to leave the house, which means a very dull evening for me indeed. Just as well I did my shopping yesterday. I actually made some soup - I have been heaps slack lately and just eating a piece of bread for tea or whatever is left in my cupboard and fridge. But tonight I have vegie soup. And plenty of time to think about the bloody presentation I have to sort out for some event Kamogata is hosting in December. They want the Aussies to make an hour long presentation about Australia, in Japanese. They are going to show Rabbit Proof Fence and then have us talk afterwards. I don't even know where to start. Clearly they will all be in tears after watching that cheerful film so we'd better make it an amusing number...
Well, it's cleaning time so I am off to supervise the destruction of my classroom...
Rain means no way to leave the house, which means a very dull evening for me indeed. Just as well I did my shopping yesterday. I actually made some soup - I have been heaps slack lately and just eating a piece of bread for tea or whatever is left in my cupboard and fridge. But tonight I have vegie soup. And plenty of time to think about the bloody presentation I have to sort out for some event Kamogata is hosting in December. They want the Aussies to make an hour long presentation about Australia, in Japanese. They are going to show Rabbit Proof Fence and then have us talk afterwards. I don't even know where to start. Clearly they will all be in tears after watching that cheerful film so we'd better make it an amusing number...
Well, it's cleaning time so I am off to supervise the destruction of my classroom...
September 05, 2006
Stupid grade 6s
What is the name of that song from Breakfast at Tiffanys? Moon-something... They play it over the PA at this school everyday at 4:30ish. I used to quite enjoy that song too.
Today I had my first classes. Grades 1,2,3 and 6. The first three classes were great. The little kids are heaps excitable and get involved in everything. I spent some time in the beginning just doing a self introduction and I had the kids come up and draw a map of the world where they thought Australia was and what shape they thought it was. It was hilarious! Only the grade 6s got the shape right but didn't really know where to put it in the world. None of them knew the Australian capital, or any city names. I told the grade 1s about the desert and from then on they couldn't talk about anything else. They were asking so many questions, all heaps detailed and I was just making it up after a while. I guess centipedes live in the desert??
I just found out that tomorrow's grade 6 class will be interrupted by the fire drill. YES!! Grade 6 sucks at this school. L warned me about it before, saying that the kids just sit there and stare at you and don't want to get involved in anything but I thought arrogantly that perhaps it was just her teaching style or the fact that she doesn't speak Jap or something. THen the grade 6 homeroom teachers were telling me the same thing and today I experienced it for the first time. They really did just sit there. One or two boys were loud enough to come up the front and help me out with stuff. Izumi came up for greeting time and when he said "What the weather like?" really badly all the other kids laughed at him! I got heaps pissed off by that because none of them had been willing to do it, but yet they were perfectly happy to laugh at the only one brave enough to do it. So I had a bit of a go at them about that and after that they really didn't like me that much. Most of the girls sat there repeating everything I said and making faces that indicated there weren't impressed and the boys seemed to be in comas. After the class the teacher stayed behind to tell me not to worry, I did really well, these kids are just buggered. I thought maybe he could give me some tips about how to get through to them, but all he said was "Yeah, they are like that in every class, I can't do anything with them either, on top of which, they hate English. Goodluck!" Thanks mate!!
Apparently it's not just that class either, there are 3 grade 6 classes and they are all the same. Weird. Must have been something in the water that year. So as you can imagine I am REALLY looking forward to those classes now.
Oh well, I will console myself with the little kids and try not to let them get to me too much. I have just been sent more stuff to translate from the BOE. At least this way I can keep abreast of what is going on with the city since it is all invitations and speeches and stuff! Inside woman.
Today I had my first classes. Grades 1,2,3 and 6. The first three classes were great. The little kids are heaps excitable and get involved in everything. I spent some time in the beginning just doing a self introduction and I had the kids come up and draw a map of the world where they thought Australia was and what shape they thought it was. It was hilarious! Only the grade 6s got the shape right but didn't really know where to put it in the world. None of them knew the Australian capital, or any city names. I told the grade 1s about the desert and from then on they couldn't talk about anything else. They were asking so many questions, all heaps detailed and I was just making it up after a while. I guess centipedes live in the desert??
I just found out that tomorrow's grade 6 class will be interrupted by the fire drill. YES!! Grade 6 sucks at this school. L warned me about it before, saying that the kids just sit there and stare at you and don't want to get involved in anything but I thought arrogantly that perhaps it was just her teaching style or the fact that she doesn't speak Jap or something. THen the grade 6 homeroom teachers were telling me the same thing and today I experienced it for the first time. They really did just sit there. One or two boys were loud enough to come up the front and help me out with stuff. Izumi came up for greeting time and when he said "What the weather like?" really badly all the other kids laughed at him! I got heaps pissed off by that because none of them had been willing to do it, but yet they were perfectly happy to laugh at the only one brave enough to do it. So I had a bit of a go at them about that and after that they really didn't like me that much. Most of the girls sat there repeating everything I said and making faces that indicated there weren't impressed and the boys seemed to be in comas. After the class the teacher stayed behind to tell me not to worry, I did really well, these kids are just buggered. I thought maybe he could give me some tips about how to get through to them, but all he said was "Yeah, they are like that in every class, I can't do anything with them either, on top of which, they hate English. Goodluck!" Thanks mate!!
Apparently it's not just that class either, there are 3 grade 6 classes and they are all the same. Weird. Must have been something in the water that year. So as you can imagine I am REALLY looking forward to those classes now.
Oh well, I will console myself with the little kids and try not to let them get to me too much. I have just been sent more stuff to translate from the BOE. At least this way I can keep abreast of what is going on with the city since it is all invitations and speeches and stuff! Inside woman.
September 04, 2006
Everybody needs good neighbours
I am very pleased to say that I do not have any classes on Mondays. Rather, I sit here and freak out about tomorrow's classes all morning and in the afternoon I go to the CIR meeting which unfortunately is being held at my school today thus preventing me from going home early when the meeting is over. BOO. So far this morning I have made 2 crocodile hats to terrorise the grade 1s with and made some flashcards. Oh and it is only 9:18! My weekend was quite jam-packed with events and I feel like I was just here...
Yesterday I caught up with the family I stayed with for a weekend on my very first trip to Japan. When I first met them I couldn't speak much Jap at all but I thought they were a heaps lovely bunch of people, kind of relaxed and liked a laugh. So it was good to actually be able to converse with them finally and discover that they actually are quite fun! THe dad thinks he is a it of a comedian and kept cracking jokes all the time, some of which i got, some I didn't. Their daughter is coming back from Tokyo at the end of the month and they invited me over for dinner to see her and their eldest daughter too who is coming back from Osaka. Quite the family reunion! I am looking forward to it.
Friday night I spent at R's house in the next town, a good hour and a half walk from mine. It is afair slog up the hill but for some reason I decided this was a good location for my Friday night drinks. His house is heaps nice, newer than mine and with a fridge about the size of a small cars and with as many functions. Apartment envy; common over here among English teachers since we don't get to choose our own living arrangements. We had a few beers and ended up at his local convenience store which just opened a few weeks ago. It turns out to be the hotspot of the area (how small do you reckon this town is?) and we ran into some drunk and disorderly students from the local high school who were fanging around on a scooter. They had a quick chat to us and made sure we knew which school they went to and what year they were which goes to show how acceptable it must be for kids to be driving without a license and pissed as farts. Next morning I dragged myself out of bed with the cold that had been threatening me all week finally rearing it's head and trekked back over the hill in the hot morning sun to do my washing before heading in to Okayama. I posted a few items, did a tad of shopping and read half a book in the bookshop where I got my application form for the JLPT (I can so pass this year...). Evening brought on a drinking session at the Aussie Bar with some of my coutnrymen, it was more than lovely to be drinking from a bottle with that familiar green label... We ran into a whole bunch of people and ended up eating quite late at some Japanese place and then everyone was making goinghome noises so we all ended up on the last train. Probably a good thing since I had to be up quite early to talk to M about some school stuff before meeting my host family.
I did get to speak to my brother last night for his birthday which was great. Found out the family gossip which seems to get more and more bizarre and like someone elses family every time. All we need now is a car accident, a coma and for one of us to join a cult and we could be any of the Aussie soaps.
Well, I am off to laminate stuff now - it doesn't get much more exciting than that around here!
Yesterday I caught up with the family I stayed with for a weekend on my very first trip to Japan. When I first met them I couldn't speak much Jap at all but I thought they were a heaps lovely bunch of people, kind of relaxed and liked a laugh. So it was good to actually be able to converse with them finally and discover that they actually are quite fun! THe dad thinks he is a it of a comedian and kept cracking jokes all the time, some of which i got, some I didn't. Their daughter is coming back from Tokyo at the end of the month and they invited me over for dinner to see her and their eldest daughter too who is coming back from Osaka. Quite the family reunion! I am looking forward to it.
Friday night I spent at R's house in the next town, a good hour and a half walk from mine. It is afair slog up the hill but for some reason I decided this was a good location for my Friday night drinks. His house is heaps nice, newer than mine and with a fridge about the size of a small cars and with as many functions. Apartment envy; common over here among English teachers since we don't get to choose our own living arrangements. We had a few beers and ended up at his local convenience store which just opened a few weeks ago. It turns out to be the hotspot of the area (how small do you reckon this town is?) and we ran into some drunk and disorderly students from the local high school who were fanging around on a scooter. They had a quick chat to us and made sure we knew which school they went to and what year they were which goes to show how acceptable it must be for kids to be driving without a license and pissed as farts. Next morning I dragged myself out of bed with the cold that had been threatening me all week finally rearing it's head and trekked back over the hill in the hot morning sun to do my washing before heading in to Okayama. I posted a few items, did a tad of shopping and read half a book in the bookshop where I got my application form for the JLPT (I can so pass this year...). Evening brought on a drinking session at the Aussie Bar with some of my coutnrymen, it was more than lovely to be drinking from a bottle with that familiar green label... We ran into a whole bunch of people and ended up eating quite late at some Japanese place and then everyone was making goinghome noises so we all ended up on the last train. Probably a good thing since I had to be up quite early to talk to M about some school stuff before meeting my host family.
I did get to speak to my brother last night for his birthday which was great. Found out the family gossip which seems to get more and more bizarre and like someone elses family every time. All we need now is a car accident, a coma and for one of us to join a cult and we could be any of the Aussie soaps.
Well, I am off to laminate stuff now - it doesn't get much more exciting than that around here!
September 02, 2006
September 01, 2006
School's back
The kids are back at school! This morning was the semester 2 opening assembly and I had to make a little introductory speech. I said some crap about the kids coming and playing with me whenever they wanted and they took it seriously I guess cso the grade 4 girls rocked up at the staffroom during recess and dragged me outside to play chasey. During that time they managed to find time to pull my skirt up and have a look underneath ( I suspect this is the reason that they asked me out to play in the first place). Charming aren't they?
There are 467 kids here. That's more than double my last school so I reckon I will have a lot more trouble with names this time around! They all seemed friendly enough though and I have already been introduced to the troublemaker who was lolling around the staffroom all morning instead of sitting in the classroom with the other kids. I ate lunch in the staffroom today but from next week I amback to eating with the kids, starting from grade 1. I knew that the Japanese education system was standardised all ver the country but I didn't realise to what extent. The music that they all brush their teeth to after lunch is the same! In every school! How bizarre is that? So it hasn't taken me long to adjust to life here since it is pretty much the same as life elsewhere...
There are 467 kids here. That's more than double my last school so I reckon I will have a lot more trouble with names this time around! They all seemed friendly enough though and I have already been introduced to the troublemaker who was lolling around the staffroom all morning instead of sitting in the classroom with the other kids. I ate lunch in the staffroom today but from next week I amback to eating with the kids, starting from grade 1. I knew that the Japanese education system was standardised all ver the country but I didn't realise to what extent. The music that they all brush their teeth to after lunch is the same! In every school! How bizarre is that? So it hasn't taken me long to adjust to life here since it is pretty much the same as life elsewhere...
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