Gonna make me some yakisoba soon~
I have decided watching various t.v. stations compete in bowling, not as fun as the other programs, so I'm taking this time to do a bit of an update post.
So, first of all, my address in Japan if anyone wants to send me mail:
1-5-9 Tsukama Matsumoto, Nagano
Kopo Sakae 203
390-0821 Japan
Or Kanji version for you with l33t J-go skills
〒３９０-０８２１ 長野県松本市筑摩１-５-９
コーポさかえ２０３
My landline number: (81)<----Japan's country code+ 0263-28-0153
Also, if you send me your address to rainbowcity @ gmail.com I will send you a pretty postcard, you can choose between Matsumoto castle, I have 12 of those, or of the Matsumoto area, I have 10 of those. The castle ones are kind of fancy proper cards, while the Matsumoto area ones are smaller and were given to me by another teacher.
So as for what I do:
I work for an English language school, and they offer languages classes and private lessons, they apparently have a total of three locations, but I've only ever been to two, the main one in central Matsumoto and another one farther down. They also have contracts with companies, and that's mainly what I do.
Monday thru Wednesday I don't start until 1:00 PM, and I get home around 9:30 PM. Thursday and Friday I start earlier, Thursday I have an "overtime" class that starts at 9:30, though that may change, and Friday I start at 10:30.
I do have a car I drive on days that I travel, I only take it home with me one night, only because that day I return late and I have to leave early the next morning. Though apparently I can "rent" it if I want to. I'm also going to see if I can use it in the winter since it'll be cold and it would be ridiculous to bike or walk. Though I might be able to take a bus. Who knows.
I teach classes at three companies, Fuji Electric, which mainly, only, make semi-conductors. The factory is actually ridiculously close to my apartment, and on days where I don't have to drive to another company I actually bike there from my apartment. I teach three different classes there, my largest class in six people. I have classes there Monday thru Thursday, which each classs being twice a week, so these are the people I see the most.
The next company is Epson, you know the people who make printers, the company is loacted in south Matsumoto, most likely in a place that was once a seperate city. I teach two classes there, on different days. Though the advance class I might pawn onto the new teacher coming in August if they don't mind the overtime.
The last company is Sony, though right now I'm doing what they call continuation classes, but really it's a make-up class. Sony is way out in another town, Azumino, in the country, I really like the drive there as most of it is spent on a highway and it's really gorgeous. Though this term is going to end soon, but it looks like I might be doing a new class. This is only on Friday.
The last class I teach that's not an actually school class is the Agata Toddler's Club. Though none of the kids are actually toddlers. It held at Agata Forest Park in this awesome old building that kind of reminds me of the main buidling at Tsuda. Mostly I try to teach them somthing, but they like to play. Hopefully since I have free time coming up I can make up an actual plan for them.
As for my actual classes at the school, they range from private lessons every two weeks, to intermediate and advance classes to a basic free converation class with some housewives. These though are the ones at the main location. I have some others at Yoshikawa, really close to Epson, once, soon to be for a while maybe?, twice a week. These are mostly kids classes, and basically every Wednesday night I'm there for about five hours. I have a hour break between the end of the last kids class for one adult class, this is when I walk down the street to the bento place for dinner.
So far my main problem is getting a routine for each class down, I rarely use the same text book, and then each class is different. Luckily I have a lot of planning time coming up because I have Yoshikawa off, and Agata, plus O-bon coming up. I just a lot of notebooks at Daiso and I hope to make a plan for each class. The teacher that's been here for 10 years gave me a lot of advice, so I'm hoping to figure my own balance soon.
Apparently, this is the kind of place where you don't really need to listen to the bosses, though it's adviced I should for a bit since I'm new, and just do what you need to do.
I've met most of the teachers, but it seems either you teach mostly at the school or your sent out everywhere. Oh, yeah, they also do ALT work for some of the schools here too. Unfortunately it seems mostly the new teacher adopts the old teacher's schedule, with very little changes. Hence why I'm running around to all these different companies.
So far I've only been able to go out to lunch with Mami, it seems she mostly teaches children classes, she's really nice and I really, really hope I can get to know her better, as I know I need to make friends here. Also, she might be closest in age to me. I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest teacher here. There's also Yuko, who is actually in one, soon to be two, of my classes, though she's a bit older than me, she's a SMAP, and Shingo, fan and really funny.
Matusmoto itself is slowly opening up to me, it's been hard with the suck ass weather for me to go out and explore, and the fact that I'm on the edge of the main part of town, and most of the stores closest to me are more car owner oriented. But I love, love, love the area around the school. We're really close to Yohashira shrine, it's gorgeous and as a part of it, is Nawate dori, right by a big river that cuts across Matsumoto. There's a lot of cute stores, and the area has a small shrine that is devoted to frogs. Also, a crap loud of restaraunts and the two movie theaters are close to the school. Though I have yet to go to any of these restaraunts.
Across the river is Naka-michi, an area with a lot of older shops that is really popular. Close by is Daimyo-dori and the more high end area of Matsumoto with Parco as the main shopping area. Daimyo-dori ends at the castle and then Matsumoto spreads out to the north. Then there's Eki-mae/Agata Forest/Chuo-dori which is the main street going east-west that ends at Matsumoto station, it's partly nicer stores closer to the station and more, not run down, but more normal stores until it ends at Agata forest.
If I stay here long enough and decide to move, I'll definately see if I could get a place closer to the center of town, if not I'll just get a newer place.
Basically the main drawback of my apartment might be it's age, but mostly it's the lack of storage space. The place is actually quite big, but I have no where to but anything. Heck the cabnits above my "stove" are too high up, so stuff I don't need go up there. I mean, I'm not asking for much, but I don't even have an air condintioner. Though I'm just going to ask for the fan that's been offered me, and I already have heaters. And I don't have a real desk, it's a table from the school that has a rack underneath. I'm thinking of ask if I can borrow the car during my vacation so I can either drive to the huge Daiso, or to Jusco, or Parco and buy the large things I want. Like, baskets, or what not. I might even pick up a toaster oven, since I have a normal toaster and the closet thing to an oven is something built into my gas stove. I feel really weird trying to bake or cook something in that.
Also, I want either just nice butt cushions or maybe a kind of like cushion sofa thing, but the thing I have now, totally makes the butt numb. From what I've gathered the other teacher was pretty spartan in terms of living. Which totally isn't me.
I really need to look up tips on keeping tatami clean, as I need to do some cleaning soon. I just need to hold out onto my first paycheck before getting anything big, I'm kind of worried since I went kind of crazy today buying stuff at the small Daiso in Jusco. I'm down to my last 10,000 yen and I have a week and a half until my paycheck. Though I shouldn't need to buy anything except for food.
Pic spam later, because they've started a sports/news thing now, and I'm definately going to go make food. Even Shingo can't make me sit through that.
P.S. If anyone can guess why the 27 hour t.v. shirts say 5927, I'll give you a prize. It even took me the fangirl a bit to figure it out. Hint: It's part of it is a pun. And there's another hint within my post.
So, first of all, my address in Japan if anyone wants to send me mail:
1-5-9 Tsukama Matsumoto, Nagano
Kopo Sakae 203
390-0821 Japan
Or Kanji version for you with l33t J-go skills
〒３９０-０８２１ 長野県松本市筑摩１-５-９
コーポさかえ２０３
My landline number: (81)<----Japan's country code+ 0263-28-0153
Also, if you send me your address to rainbowcity @ gmail.com I will send you a pretty postcard, you can choose between Matsumoto castle, I have 12 of those, or of the Matsumoto area, I have 10 of those. The castle ones are kind of fancy proper cards, while the Matsumoto area ones are smaller and were given to me by another teacher.
So as for what I do:
I work for an English language school, and they offer languages classes and private lessons, they apparently have a total of three locations, but I've only ever been to two, the main one in central Matsumoto and another one farther down. They also have contracts with companies, and that's mainly what I do.
Monday thru Wednesday I don't start until 1:00 PM, and I get home around 9:30 PM. Thursday and Friday I start earlier, Thursday I have an "overtime" class that starts at 9:30, though that may change, and Friday I start at 10:30.
I do have a car I drive on days that I travel, I only take it home with me one night, only because that day I return late and I have to leave early the next morning. Though apparently I can "rent" it if I want to. I'm also going to see if I can use it in the winter since it'll be cold and it would be ridiculous to bike or walk. Though I might be able to take a bus. Who knows.
I teach classes at three companies, Fuji Electric, which mainly, only, make semi-conductors. The factory is actually ridiculously close to my apartment, and on days where I don't have to drive to another company I actually bike there from my apartment. I teach three different classes there, my largest class in six people. I have classes there Monday thru Thursday, which each classs being twice a week, so these are the people I see the most.
The next company is Epson, you know the people who make printers, the company is loacted in south Matsumoto, most likely in a place that was once a seperate city. I teach two classes there, on different days. Though the advance class I might pawn onto the new teacher coming in August if they don't mind the overtime.
The last company is Sony, though right now I'm doing what they call continuation classes, but really it's a make-up class. Sony is way out in another town, Azumino, in the country, I really like the drive there as most of it is spent on a highway and it's really gorgeous. Though this term is going to end soon, but it looks like I might be doing a new class. This is only on Friday.
The last class I teach that's not an actually school class is the Agata Toddler's Club. Though none of the kids are actually toddlers. It held at Agata Forest Park in this awesome old building that kind of reminds me of the main buidling at Tsuda. Mostly I try to teach them somthing, but they like to play. Hopefully since I have free time coming up I can make up an actual plan for them.
As for my actual classes at the school, they range from private lessons every two weeks, to intermediate and advance classes to a basic free converation class with some housewives. These though are the ones at the main location. I have some others at Yoshikawa, really close to Epson, once, soon to be for a while maybe?, twice a week. These are mostly kids classes, and basically every Wednesday night I'm there for about five hours. I have a hour break between the end of the last kids class for one adult class, this is when I walk down the street to the bento place for dinner.
So far my main problem is getting a routine for each class down, I rarely use the same text book, and then each class is different. Luckily I have a lot of planning time coming up because I have Yoshikawa off, and Agata, plus O-bon coming up. I just a lot of notebooks at Daiso and I hope to make a plan for each class. The teacher that's been here for 10 years gave me a lot of advice, so I'm hoping to figure my own balance soon.
Apparently, this is the kind of place where you don't really need to listen to the bosses, though it's adviced I should for a bit since I'm new, and just do what you need to do.
I've met most of the teachers, but it seems either you teach mostly at the school or your sent out everywhere. Oh, yeah, they also do ALT work for some of the schools here too. Unfortunately it seems mostly the new teacher adopts the old teacher's schedule, with very little changes. Hence why I'm running around to all these different companies.
So far I've only been able to go out to lunch with Mami, it seems she mostly teaches children classes, she's really nice and I really, really hope I can get to know her better, as I know I need to make friends here. Also, she might be closest in age to me. I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest teacher here. There's also Yuko, who is actually in one, soon to be two, of my classes, though she's a bit older than me, she's a SMAP, and Shingo, fan and really funny.
Matusmoto itself is slowly opening up to me, it's been hard with the suck ass weather for me to go out and explore, and the fact that I'm on the edge of the main part of town, and most of the stores closest to me are more car owner oriented. But I love, love, love the area around the school. We're really close to Yohashira shrine, it's gorgeous and as a part of it, is Nawate dori, right by a big river that cuts across Matsumoto. There's a lot of cute stores, and the area has a small shrine that is devoted to frogs. Also, a crap loud of restaraunts and the two movie theaters are close to the school. Though I have yet to go to any of these restaraunts.
Across the river is Naka-michi, an area with a lot of older shops that is really popular. Close by is Daimyo-dori and the more high end area of Matsumoto with Parco as the main shopping area. Daimyo-dori ends at the castle and then Matsumoto spreads out to the north. Then there's Eki-mae/Agata Forest/Chuo-dori which is the main street going east-west that ends at Matsumoto station, it's partly nicer stores closer to the station and more, not run down, but more normal stores until it ends at Agata forest.
If I stay here long enough and decide to move, I'll definately see if I could get a place closer to the center of town, if not I'll just get a newer place.
Basically the main drawback of my apartment might be it's age, but mostly it's the lack of storage space. The place is actually quite big, but I have no where to but anything. Heck the cabnits above my "stove" are too high up, so stuff I don't need go up there. I mean, I'm not asking for much, but I don't even have an air condintioner. Though I'm just going to ask for the fan that's been offered me, and I already have heaters. And I don't have a real desk, it's a table from the school that has a rack underneath. I'm thinking of ask if I can borrow the car during my vacation so I can either drive to the huge Daiso, or to Jusco, or Parco and buy the large things I want. Like, baskets, or what not. I might even pick up a toaster oven, since I have a normal toaster and the closet thing to an oven is something built into my gas stove. I feel really weird trying to bake or cook something in that.
Also, I want either just nice butt cushions or maybe a kind of like cushion sofa thing, but the thing I have now, totally makes the butt numb. From what I've gathered the other teacher was pretty spartan in terms of living. Which totally isn't me.
I really need to look up tips on keeping tatami clean, as I need to do some cleaning soon. I just need to hold out onto my first paycheck before getting anything big, I'm kind of worried since I went kind of crazy today buying stuff at the small Daiso in Jusco. I'm down to my last 10,000 yen and I have a week and a half until my paycheck. Though I shouldn't need to buy anything except for food.
Pic spam later, because they've started a sports/news thing now, and I'm definately going to go make food. Even Shingo can't make me sit through that.
P.S. If anyone can guess why the 27 hour t.v. shirts say 5927, I'll give you a prize. It even took me the fangirl a bit to figure it out. Hint: It's part of it is a pun. And there's another hint within my post.