Long Post will be Long
Friday: FIVE classes. It certainly made the day pass quickly. But all my classes, went well. I even got to tell the teachers "hey this what we're going to do, does this sound okay?" Sixth grade went way better as we changed the lesson almost completely. I mean I had my super long tie, and then Toshi doll's itty bitty tie (they laughed over the size difference), my paper snakes (which I wrestled like a pro [thank you, Steve Irwin] which garned a lot of laughs though odd-jobs man was like "snakes are black and brown, not green and yellow." NO IMAGINATION THAT MAN.), and my paper scrolls (one short one, one really long one.) Fourth grade went pretty well too - they got into it. I'm glad I can be funny and interesting and make them want to at least play my games. Tip to all ALTs: THEY LOVE RELAY GAMES. And interview games. My kids are pros man. First grade was...a little hectic as their teacher had lost her voice but I managed to keep some form of mild control and they are all proficient at animal noises and names now. Half the staff have colds and half the kids do too.
I think things are going better at school because...I guess I'm trying harder? I'm trying to communicate more. I know it's not much but I'm hoping it helps. I might not like having to be the only one who makes an effort, but if it means I don't panic in class, and that the teachers feel a bit calmer, then so be it. I just hope the kids continue to be well behaved.
So the meeting in Hiroshima I went to was...pointless but hey, I got to see some friendly faces and hang out with Dwight, Steph, and Nina. We had a good dinner and hilarious conversations (about foreskin, of all things)and hey free ride back from Nina. I'm sad she'll leave next month. D= But I do recall that we discussed some serious things, like how Japan's gender roles are very 1950's America (girls are weak, won't fight back - and it's TRUE. they don't, for the most part), how rape is considered okay because their popular media makes it look like a woman who is being raped is enjoying it, and how overall, the Japanese lack common sense, at least when it comes to things like preventing accidental deaths. I mean, when a person is choking, they are CHOKING, not being funny, and if you are a teacher of said choking person, you should know the proper way to deal with it, not let the child die because you think they're playing around. When a woman is saying she NEEDS to be admitted to a hospital - her baby is being born and she feels horrible, like she might DIE - then you ADMIT her, not tell her to call some place else, you're closed for the night, and then go oops sorry when your NEGLIGENCE KILLS HER AND HER UNBORN CHILD. Or, children should be supervised when they play, so they don't kill a playmate by burying them up to their neck in sand and suffocating them, or so they don't strangle themselves by accident when their coat catches on a piece of playground equipment. I mean...when these things happen in the US, we CHANGE things. But here, it seems they just go oops, too bad, so sad, and will let it happen 1000 times before they DO anything about it. People would be SUED for this shit back in the States, and here, a man will raise his child alone and just take it because it's obviously his wife's fault for not finding an open hospital to have her child in and thus falling into a coma when her body can't handle the stress anymore. It pisses me off. Sometimes this country...I love it and hate it. And I hate that they treat their people this way, like they're expendable. You have a BIRTH RATE problem. Yet, here you let unborn children, young children, and mothers DIE because you have no common sense.
Today: Today I hung out with Rachel in Hiroshima. We had to fight our way through a horde at Uniqlo but clothing was obtained, I bought a book at one store (the second Yamane Ayano photobook), we split a package of canned air (two cans in one package), went to one of the Daiso's (yea more stuff for school/personal use), and played with tablets in DeoDeo (god so big and pretty and WANT.). At Sun Mall, we got tickets for this prize drawing - we won Pocky, which I wanted anyway. XD The stores gave away tickets - collect ten, get a chance at a prize. One store gave us free tickets. XD; We oggled boys, and I of course, seem unable to stop being an English teacher, as I had to interact with children that seemed willing to interact with me. I like kids. I do. I think I always have. Sometimes they test my patience, and other times they just make me smile and laugh. There was this little baby girl in the Peace Park who was wandering towards us I think, and so I had to stop and say Hello, waved, and it turned into like my morning routine at school. Get the kid to respond, praise them, high five, more praise, say goodbye. THIS WAS A BABY. She still high fived me, and she even said bai bai. Her parents seemed delighted, or at least politely happy. I just thought she was cute! But I went all teacher on her! DX GAH. I remember when I would politely look at cute kids, now it's like I have to hold myself back from saying hello to every kid I see. I'm ALWAYS smiling too. At kids. I think I've been at my job too long. X__x
Oh yes, at the Peace Park, Rachel and I were working on our coat contraption when a woman named Naoko Matsumoto approached us. This woman had decent English for someone just self-studying from books, but she also had a lot of mistakes (she has no concept of personal pronouns - she kept referring to herself as you). Anyway, she seriously had a show and tell in her book bag and she pulled it on us. We now know ALL about her. She teaches people how to wear kimono. She plays the koto. She can help the ill and blind. She has three grand daughters, a son, and a daughter. Her husband is 31 (and is named Hideo - so he is Hideo Matsumoto - SOUNDS AWFULLY FAMILIAR), she is 53? Her HUSBAND is as OLD as HER SON. She's been to Okinawa. She's traveled with her friends. She was her high school's tennis team captain and has many trophies. And so on. Her husband was embarrassed the whole time and kept trying to get her to stop. It wasn't a long conversation, and it was pretty much one-sided, but we got origami paper out of it? (Rachel has it, which is fine by me.) But it was also so RANDOM. Like...she planned to find some nice looking English speakers and practice her English and prepared it all in her book bag. Very random but memorable, and overall, very harmless. I hope she gets more practice in - I know it can be hard to practice your language skills if you're not immersed in a culture that speaks that language.
After Rachel left I ran into one of her neighbors/co-workers who was with her boyfriend, so I told them to go check out the awesome Christmas light displays on Heiwa-dori, which I have to go back to with Rachel and Tetsuya because seriously - a SHIP made out of lights, and a huge Christmas tree, and all kinds of neat things. Very romantic, very good to see with friends. I also went to the one toy store I hadn't been to. I was searching for underwear for Toshi doll as he has none but I found...more Pullip and Taeyang dolls...and...and I bought the doll that I think looks like Heath. XD; The staff were very helpful though and well, Toshi will have to steal Heath's underwear when he wears the kimono I am making him. XD Sorry Heath!
And then I came home. I am tired. And I think I have a mild cold. BLEH. But, tomorrow I will do chores and depending on my mood, may or may not venture about town to obtain shelves and a pillow I have been wanting. My Toshi stuffs (the new T-EARTH CD and I think a poster or two) will be coming tomorrow too. It came today but I wasn't home so they have to redeliver. Monday we are supposed to go to Miyajima.
So I think that covers everything. If not, too bad?
I need to:
translate Toshi's blog post
translate Yoshiki's Yoshiki Mobile post
update the Toshi community (he updated his youtube account)
uh chores (laundry, sweeping, dishes, grocery shopping, making my room more organized)
finish doll's kimono
YULETART ENTRY GAAAAAAAAAAAAH
From blue_hobbit:
DIRECTIONS:
- reply to this post and I will pick six of your icons.
- make a post (including this info) and talk about the icons I chose.
- other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
- this will create a never ending cycle of icon glee.
Sherlock Holmes icon. Use it when I am being contemplative I guess. Or Sherlocky.
TMR X Darth Vader = OTP. I don't use it much as I feel I made an ugly icon out of a lovely moment.
Ah, Yoshiki icon. XD I need to upload more icons of him...but basically it is the best Yoshiki expression ever. His "wtf are you doing?" face. He has some of the best angry faces. XD Angry Yoshiki is hilarious. And thus I use it for such moments.
Jared Leto and uh cookies? A good happy/surprised icon. I use it sometimes.
Uhhh whatshisface from Peacemaker. I use this whenever I feel that way - distressed to the point of tears. His emotion just...reflects my own when I use it.
The heroine from Busu no hitome blahblah. A Japanese drama I really like and identify with. She looks beautiful and happy here, and I guess I use it for when I feel the same way, which isn't often.
Uh comment if you want me to pick icons for you. XD
Ok this is long enough now. END.
I think things are going better at school because...I guess I'm trying harder? I'm trying to communicate more. I know it's not much but I'm hoping it helps. I might not like having to be the only one who makes an effort, but if it means I don't panic in class, and that the teachers feel a bit calmer, then so be it. I just hope the kids continue to be well behaved.
So the meeting in Hiroshima I went to was...pointless but hey, I got to see some friendly faces and hang out with Dwight, Steph, and Nina. We had a good dinner and hilarious conversations (about foreskin, of all things)and hey free ride back from Nina. I'm sad she'll leave next month. D= But I do recall that we discussed some serious things, like how Japan's gender roles are very 1950's America (girls are weak, won't fight back - and it's TRUE. they don't, for the most part), how rape is considered okay because their popular media makes it look like a woman who is being raped is enjoying it, and how overall, the Japanese lack common sense, at least when it comes to things like preventing accidental deaths. I mean, when a person is choking, they are CHOKING, not being funny, and if you are a teacher of said choking person, you should know the proper way to deal with it, not let the child die because you think they're playing around. When a woman is saying she NEEDS to be admitted to a hospital - her baby is being born and she feels horrible, like she might DIE - then you ADMIT her, not tell her to call some place else, you're closed for the night, and then go oops sorry when your NEGLIGENCE KILLS HER AND HER UNBORN CHILD. Or, children should be supervised when they play, so they don't kill a playmate by burying them up to their neck in sand and suffocating them, or so they don't strangle themselves by accident when their coat catches on a piece of playground equipment. I mean...when these things happen in the US, we CHANGE things. But here, it seems they just go oops, too bad, so sad, and will let it happen 1000 times before they DO anything about it. People would be SUED for this shit back in the States, and here, a man will raise his child alone and just take it because it's obviously his wife's fault for not finding an open hospital to have her child in and thus falling into a coma when her body can't handle the stress anymore. It pisses me off. Sometimes this country...I love it and hate it. And I hate that they treat their people this way, like they're expendable. You have a BIRTH RATE problem. Yet, here you let unborn children, young children, and mothers DIE because you have no common sense.
Today: Today I hung out with Rachel in Hiroshima. We had to fight our way through a horde at Uniqlo but clothing was obtained, I bought a book at one store (the second Yamane Ayano photobook), we split a package of canned air (two cans in one package), went to one of the Daiso's (yea more stuff for school/personal use), and played with tablets in DeoDeo (god so big and pretty and WANT.). At Sun Mall, we got tickets for this prize drawing - we won Pocky, which I wanted anyway. XD The stores gave away tickets - collect ten, get a chance at a prize. One store gave us free tickets. XD; We oggled boys, and I of course, seem unable to stop being an English teacher, as I had to interact with children that seemed willing to interact with me. I like kids. I do. I think I always have. Sometimes they test my patience, and other times they just make me smile and laugh. There was this little baby girl in the Peace Park who was wandering towards us I think, and so I had to stop and say Hello, waved, and it turned into like my morning routine at school. Get the kid to respond, praise them, high five, more praise, say goodbye. THIS WAS A BABY. She still high fived me, and she even said bai bai. Her parents seemed delighted, or at least politely happy. I just thought she was cute! But I went all teacher on her! DX GAH. I remember when I would politely look at cute kids, now it's like I have to hold myself back from saying hello to every kid I see. I'm ALWAYS smiling too. At kids. I think I've been at my job too long. X__x
Oh yes, at the Peace Park, Rachel and I were working on our coat contraption when a woman named Naoko Matsumoto approached us. This woman had decent English for someone just self-studying from books, but she also had a lot of mistakes (she has no concept of personal pronouns - she kept referring to herself as you). Anyway, she seriously had a show and tell in her book bag and she pulled it on us. We now know ALL about her. She teaches people how to wear kimono. She plays the koto. She can help the ill and blind. She has three grand daughters, a son, and a daughter. Her husband is 31 (and is named Hideo - so he is Hideo Matsumoto - SOUNDS AWFULLY FAMILIAR), she is 53? Her HUSBAND is as OLD as HER SON. She's been to Okinawa. She's traveled with her friends. She was her high school's tennis team captain and has many trophies. And so on. Her husband was embarrassed the whole time and kept trying to get her to stop. It wasn't a long conversation, and it was pretty much one-sided, but we got origami paper out of it? (Rachel has it, which is fine by me.) But it was also so RANDOM. Like...she planned to find some nice looking English speakers and practice her English and prepared it all in her book bag. Very random but memorable, and overall, very harmless. I hope she gets more practice in - I know it can be hard to practice your language skills if you're not immersed in a culture that speaks that language.
After Rachel left I ran into one of her neighbors/co-workers who was with her boyfriend, so I told them to go check out the awesome Christmas light displays on Heiwa-dori, which I have to go back to with Rachel and Tetsuya because seriously - a SHIP made out of lights, and a huge Christmas tree, and all kinds of neat things. Very romantic, very good to see with friends. I also went to the one toy store I hadn't been to. I was searching for underwear for Toshi doll as he has none but I found...more Pullip and Taeyang dolls...and...and I bought the doll that I think looks like Heath. XD; The staff were very helpful though and well, Toshi will have to steal Heath's underwear when he wears the kimono I am making him. XD Sorry Heath!
And then I came home. I am tired. And I think I have a mild cold. BLEH. But, tomorrow I will do chores and depending on my mood, may or may not venture about town to obtain shelves and a pillow I have been wanting. My Toshi stuffs (the new T-EARTH CD and I think a poster or two) will be coming tomorrow too. It came today but I wasn't home so they have to redeliver. Monday we are supposed to go to Miyajima.
So I think that covers everything. If not, too bad?
I need to:
translate Toshi's blog post
translate Yoshiki's Yoshiki Mobile post
update the Toshi community (he updated his youtube account)
uh chores (laundry, sweeping, dishes, grocery shopping, making my room more organized)
finish doll's kimono
YULETART ENTRY GAAAAAAAAAAAAH
From blue_hobbit:
DIRECTIONS:
- reply to this post and I will pick six of your icons.
- make a post (including this info) and talk about the icons I chose.
- other people can then comment to you and make their own posts.
- this will create a never ending cycle of icon glee.
Sherlock Holmes icon. Use it when I am being contemplative I guess. Or Sherlocky.
TMR X Darth Vader = OTP. I don't use it much as I feel I made an ugly icon out of a lovely moment.
Ah, Yoshiki icon. XD I need to upload more icons of him...but basically it is the best Yoshiki expression ever. His "wtf are you doing?" face. He has some of the best angry faces. XD Angry Yoshiki is hilarious. And thus I use it for such moments.
Jared Leto and uh cookies? A good happy/surprised icon. I use it sometimes.
Uhhh whatshisface from Peacemaker. I use this whenever I feel that way - distressed to the point of tears. His emotion just...reflects my own when I use it.
The heroine from Busu no hitome blahblah. A Japanese drama I really like and identify with. She looks beautiful and happy here, and I guess I use it for when I feel the same way, which isn't often.
Uh comment if you want me to pick icons for you. XD
Ok this is long enough now. END.