Half-Day Hurray!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 10

So, today will be my first day at Kogyo. I'm a little nervous, because I'm not used to getting up this late, but it should be a nice change of pace. I assume it'll be a bit of a tour, a meeting of teachers, time to clean out my desk, and maybe some lesson discussion, but I honestly don't know what to expect. I just have to be at the front steps of the school in 30 minutes. I'll leave in about 5 or so and still probably be early. Maybe I'll bring a book.

It rained again last night. So, me hanging my bento cloth out to dry after washing it last night kind of defeated the purpose. But then, BRIAN has all of his laundry outside now and it's dripping, so it could have been worse.

The baby downstairs has been crying a lot. I woke up to the drums from the temple. I closed my door and went back to sleep. Speaking of sleeping in, my alarm didn't go off until half an hour after I'm usually at work and I stole every second of that extra sleep that I could. I think my body is also still sore from biking this weekend. Mountains, I swear...

I've really tried not to talk about myself too much in this blog dedicated to ME! but I must say it. Japan, I don't know what it is, has made me look so much younger. Like 7 years younger. Like a teenager in the full blossoms of teen acne. (Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but bad enough, for someone of my advancing years.) Honestly, I wash my face more religiously than I did at home (but it's also hotter and sweatier here than at home.) and nothing seems to help. The make-up I'm wearing today is half to make a good first impression and half to hide zits.

My bike ride to Kogyo goes through rice paddies and past a Japanese cemetery (in the middle of a rice paddy.) For the record, bike paths here have little stop lines and lights and signs and even little descending rail road crossing rails for when trains come by. I have pictures coming. Although, realistically, a train comes by about once every four minutes, so I suppose it's practical. But the gates are so tiny – so cute!

So my timing ended up being perfect. As there were no students around to ask and as I had been told to meet my supervisor at the head entrance, I parked my bike in the nearest bike shelter, which is for senior class 7. The bike survived and there were no problems, but I was politely informed multiple times where to properly keep it in the future. Understood.

The teachers were very friendly. I was lead in to meet the vice-principal (whom they kept calling the “vice-president.”) We sat down and tea was brought in. It was wheat tea, which I've never had before. Like all Japanese tea, it seems, it's not sweet, but it was cool and that was good. In true Japanese fashion, they had printed out a schedule of events for this meeting, which honest to goodness, involved pleasantries, identifying my home town on a map (listed as “hometown issue” on the agenda.) and then a tour of the school. And that needed a printed out schedule.

This is a technical high school with emphasis on machinery, shop, Information Technology, a few home-economic classes, Physical Education, and some architecture. The school is mostly boys. I think I saw only two or three girls the whole time we walked around.

I also will need to spend more time in the school to find my way around.

The annoying thing about Japanese schools is that they're built open-style with many buildings, connected by covered walkways. This means that many doors are always open to the outside. And with no air conditioning in most of the buildings, it's just as hot (90 currently in my apartment) and humid (about 300%, I'd guess) as outside.

After about the fifth or sixth time the teachers said it and wandering around school, I finally started to believe that they were serious when they said that the boys were going to be excited to have me. They're high school boys, and that transcends cultural boundaries. I think I was getting cat-calls in Japanese, but I'm not sure. I was certainly getting looks and “hello” said back to me pitched just way too high to not be cheeky.

At this school, I have the freedom to teach pretty much whatever I want. They want practical English, that will be helpful for students in real life. This is a nice contrast from Koko. I'll be looking over Justin's lessons but am quite excited to start planning. The only interesting/amusing/annoying part is that it was emphasized to me three our four times that I must only speak English with the students. While I appreciate this rule, even more so since Koko's classes are all taught in Japanese, I eventually really just wanted to bluntly say, “I can't speak Japanese anyway! Do you really think this'll be a problem?”

As you recall, I was up late last night making rice for lunch. This school, however, it seems, doesn't intend to keep me around “working” as at about 12:30, they sent me home for the day. I chatted longer trying to make sure I understood fully that they were sending me home, as it was more implied than stated and I didn't want to accidentally walk out on my first day. When I come later this month, then, too, they want me from 10:30 to about 12:00. Brilliant!

For the record, if you ever see some news story about some major epidemic break out – SARS, Avian Flu, H1N1, etc. – and it's illustrated by a picture of a Japanese person wearing a protective face mask – disregard that! EVERYONE wears face masks all of the time. I average about one person a day that I see wearing one, even employees at stores. Back home, I think we'd try to hide the fact that our employee was sick (go have a coughing fit in the back room if you need to, but don't let anyone hear you!) but here, it's blatant. I find it disconcerting, but I suppose most people must be used to it.

It's raining again. I'm glad I'm not outside. Although, actually, maybe... that sounds nice. I remember the last time I went running through the rain. I miss being cold. No. I miss not being sweaty.

I hate to admit this, but without the internet, I'm at a loss for what to do. Especially as it's raining and biking with an umbrella is illegal (although someone just biked past holding one) and I have no idea where I'd even go. I want to bake. I want to make cookies. I miss having an oven. I think that I may have to invest in the next week or so in a toaster-oven (which, I think is about as close as I'm going to get.)

Also, I hit a scene in “How I Met Your Mother” where Robin is complaining about moving to Japan, and how it's a big adventure but how she doesn't speak the language. I hear you, sister... I hear you. I had to pull out my kanji survival guide to try to figure out how to work the mini-grill part of my hob. Good news... I learned a few new kanji. Bad news... I have no idea what the kanji on MY hob says.