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.