All Good Days Start With Bayern Wins October 26, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Cultural Exchange, Dance Troupe, FC Bayern Munich, Gym Adventures, Julie Gets Philosophical, quick quips, Student Moments.Tags: clemente, culture exchange, fall term, fc bayern fangirl, Halloween preparations, hermione, Schweinsteiger Awesome, The Band, the dance troupe, the gym, The Japanese Best Friend, The JTE
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I firmly believe this, and it’s an official part of the “get at least eight hours of sleep and eat a good breakfast” dogma that surrounds my evening-to-morning behavior. Granted, getting up at 3:30 in the morning to watch Bayern win games often contradicts the “eight hours of sleep” part, but inconsistency is just one of those quirks that one learns to live with.
So, first of all, a Bayern win automatically necessitates showing this video/sound file:
And then this video shows us the much-exalted second goal. This video also shows why (as I have always maintained) Basitan Schweinsteiger is a demigod who breathes in oxygen and exhales awesome. Keep in mind that he was the player that got us the first goal as well.
So, it’s been about a week since I checked in. I apologize for the delay, although I did know that my schedule was going to get pretty rough. The end of this month is an extremely busy time for my junior high school, and then I’m also trying to pull together a Halloween event for one of my elementary schools. In addition, The Dance Troupe went to a festival, The Band has been recording and practicing new songs, life has been active at The Gym, I’ve finalized everything regarding the new car, and I’m nearly done with graduate school applications.
I think that things will probably settle down by mid-November.
So, briefly and in no particular order, here are 7 memories from the past 7 days:
1) The junior high school had a massive open-school event last Wednesday where all the teachers in our town came to inspect and comment on our lessons. By and large, the English lesson I did with the JTE was one of the favorites. I credit enthusiastic students and a few moments of well-executed improvisation on the part of the English teachers.
2) Clemente is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. In the days leading up to to the open-school event, he helped me stay sane with wry and well-timed quips. He also continues to sing We Are the World at random moments, and it does my heart a world of good.
3) I’ve formed a connection with the sixth graders at Thursday’s elementary school over the system of cursive writing. For some reason, they are extremely taken with it and we’ve become Extremely Good Friends now that I’ve taught them how to use it to write their own names.
4) I met The Japanese Best Friend last Saturday and we had a long, leisurely lunch together. Plans are now in full swing for next month’s Thanksgiving shindig. Early reports suggest that The Mentor will be attending.
5) The Dance Troupe and I headed south on Sunday to attend the largest of the festivals that invite us to dance. We danced on three separate stages, with our last performance being the best. I got to enjoy The Celebrity Magic for most of the afternoon, which was mostly strange but it also had its entertaining moments.
6) Hermione and I had a conversation on Monday where she found out that I will “most likely” be leaving in March. She was not pleased, and although I want to talk about it with her on a more comprehensive level, I’m not sure that I’m allowed to do so. Japanese schools are very secretive and deliberate when it comes to teachers that are transferred at the end of the school year. Normally, this behavior doesn’t apply to ALTs, but I’ve been here so long and I’m leaving at such an unusual time, that I’ve been told by some Authoritative Powers that I need to keep my situation quiet for the time being. So, she is left with suspecting that I will leave but not knowing for certain. Either way she’s mad. -_-;;
7) I made a slideshow about Halloween to show my students. It has Disney cartoons, lots of pictures, a time-lapsed video of pumpkin carving and a section that highlights Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It’s quite spiffy, if I do say so myself.
And on that note, I better be off. I have another four days of Spectacular Spectacles ahead of me and much to do.
Wo wird lauschent Angegriffen wo wird Täglich Spioniert?
wo ist Presse wo ist Rummel wo wird immer Diskotiert?
This is the captain speaking… October 18, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Cultural Exchange, FC Bayern Munich, Gym Adventures, Just Bizarre, Student Moments.Tags: chaos, fall term, fc bayern fangirl, field trips, growth opportunities, Japan, The Band, the first years, the gym, third years, unintended lessons, we are the world
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I just want to let you know that we will be experiencing some slight turbulence this week.
Dude to a number of tricky and demanding threads that have all decided to run through my life at the same moment, each with its own emotional, temporal, financial, and occasionally verbal demands, I cannot promise that a) there will be the customary updates for this week or b) that these updates won’t be worse than no updates at all.
On my smörgåsbord of Stuff I Have to Do, we have: purchase new car because my old one is beyond repair (this story will definitely get its own post once the process is complete), assist in gigantic and fantastically demanding school-wide seminar on Wednesday, prepare significant presentation about Halloween, assist in gigantic and fantastically demanding school-wise Halloween activity next Friday, continue daily devotions and sacrifices to a multitude of spiritual entities in the hopes that Mario Gomez will keep scoring goals for Bayern and that Ribery and Klose will actually be back in action next week. Also: continue to apply to graduate school in the hopes that I will have a new Place to Go when I depart Japan in a mere 162 days.
So now, very quickly: memories.
~ Last Thursday = Survived a class with The First Years. Their home room teacher is, for some reason, on leave for an indeterminate amount of time and I missed her dearly. Although the love that these students and I have for each other is real and unshakable, they are the LOUDEST CHILDREN IN THE WORLD and trying to go and record music for The Band after a day with them is kind of like trying to milk a chicken. You could try, but there is no reason in the world that you should.
~ Last Friday = Field Trip with Friday’s Elementary School. This entire day was entertaining and enjoyable. Perhaps my favorite part was when one of my students came up to me and asked me about the difference between telling somebody to “go to heaven” or telling somebody to “go to hell”. This is not a question that I normally field at an elementary level and the answering process was both delicate and ultimately futile. This student is a very smart boy, and despite my best efforts he quickly understood that he had discovered, as it were, one of the much sought-after diamonds of English insults. So guess what I got to listen to for the rest of the day? Kids say the darnedest things.
~ Saturday and Sunday = There was The Gym. Also some progress on the car issue. Also I may or may not have forgotten that cheese nan is a dangerous thing. I have since remembered.
~ Monday = My third year students had a singing test for We Are the World and, in order to make the process less embarrassing (singing by oneself in front of a class can be kind of intimidating), I sang with them. This means that I sang the song about 20 times in a row (the kids came up and did it in pairs). Definitely not the kinds of activities I’d envisioned for myself when I decided to sign up for the JET Program back in 2005/2006.
And that’s about it for now. I hope that I can stay organized and productive so that I can keep up with the posts this week. I think we’re in for some really interesting experiences.
Then I saw his face
Now I’m a believer
So, moving is still problematic… October 13, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Just Bizarre, Student Moments.Tags: cat and mouse, clemente, fall term, german soccer team fangirl, hermione, Japan, Japanese, mr. bayblade, muscle pain, penelope, penguins, The Child, third year fun
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…thanks to Monday’s two-hour exercise extravaganza. I wish I were exaggerating, but the shooting fire-like pains that skitter down my thighs whenever I shift my weight say otherwise.
But in the true spirit of this blog, we shall not linger on unpleasant affairs.
These (adorable) penguins wish for us to look on the sunny side of life.
Wednesday was rather productive on the whole, and I had a lovely time chatting with Penelope during lunch and Hermione during the lunch recess. Mr. Bayblade made an appearance after lunch as well and we both lamented that Japan wasn’t able to beat South Korea in Tuesday night’s soccer game. I exercised restraint and did not point out that Germany (mercilessly, completely, and fantastically) schooled Kazakhstan with a final score of 0 – 3. See? I told you that that game would put me in a good mood.
The day isn’t quite over yet, I still have dance practice to go to and that may very well provide an entertaining and worthwhile memory to hold on to. Still, looking back over the day itself, I think I want to highlight the classes that I had with my third years.
There are some days when I don’t feel particularly close or of interest to these students, but today wasn’t one of those days. They had a speaking test where they had to recite the first stanza and chorus of We Are the World. Walking around and helping them was a lot of fun. Even The Child got into the activity (albeit about two weeks later than he should have…), and Clemente and I had sang the song together about five times. If I do say so myself, we make a nice duet.
I also had some free time on my hands since the kids were mostly preparing for the test. So, when I wasn’t helping students with their pronunciation or coaching them through the memorization process, I Got Up To Tricks. Specifically, I made it my mission to sneak around and steal things off of students’ desks to then hide them in ridiculous places around the room. (I should add here that I only harassed students who’d passed their test and were just sitting around.)
Today wasn’t the first time that I’ve done this and it quickly became a spectacular battle of wits. They would try to keep an eye on their notebooks/pen cases/textbooks/erasers, and I would do everything in my power to put those much needed items in locations ranging from on top of the classroom television set to on top of somebody’s head. Any and all attempts to foil me were met with devastating acts of revenge later on in the class period. That’s one way of saying that I may or may not have taken and switched the contents of at least two pencil bags.
I guess I like this memory because it’s of something that the third years and I don’t get a chance to do all that much together these days: play. I’ve known them since they were fifth graders and now that they’re about to go into high school, they seem so grown up and beyond that kind of activity. It’s nice to go back down that path on occasion, and remember how we can make each other laugh through a simple game of cat and mouse. I hope that I never grow too old to acknowledge, or rekindle, the playful and mischievous side of my personality.
Je veux ton amour
Et je veux ton revenge
I like updates and I cannot lie … October 11, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Cultural Exchange, FC Bayern Munich, Gym Adventures, Julie Gets Philosophical, Just Bizarre, Lessons Learned.Tags: car accident, fall term, fc bayern fangirl, field trips, german soccer team fangirl, gym adventures, Japan, long phone calls, new lessons and friends, TGTIDNLBIDLHE, the masked man
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So we have, as usual, a lot of content and not a lot of time for me to write about it this morning. There’s one specific incident that I want to linger on, so let’s briefly touch on the other Events of Note:
1) The Car Accident
I’d intended to write a longer post about this, but perhaps its better not to dwell on Unfortunate Events. To make a long story short, as I was waiting to merge into traffic after getting off of the expressway last Tuesday, somebody hit me from behind. Luckily, nobody was hurt. In addition, the police and insurance companies have determined that it was entirely the other person’s fault and he is supposed to pay to have my car fixed. I suspect, however, that the cost of repairing my car is going to be more than the car is actually worth, so I’ll probably just get money to buy another (not very good and slightly unsafe) automobile. I was initially emotionally distraught at the thought of losing my car (and still am to a certain degree), but things could be a lot worse and I’m willing to be flexible at this point.
2) Field Trips!
Thursday was entertaining because I got to go to a small theme park outside of Nagoya city with my first year JHS students. It’s called Little World, and it’s set up so that visitors can explore what houses, food, and clothing are like in other parts of the world. I’ve been to this theme park many times (about once a year for the last four years), so I wasn’t anticipating finding anything new to be excited about. However, on the way to the park I was perusing the map and I discovered that the area of the part of the park dedicated to Germany is actually dedicated to Bayern. This information did something strange to me, because as soon as we got to Little World I dashed to the German section (all the way at the back of the park) and made my students take an absurd number of pictures of me pointing to signs that had “Bayern” written on them. Still, I’ve never claimed to be sophisticated or not easily excited/amused.
3) Friday it Rained. I skipped the gym, came home, and had a four-hour conversation with my father.
4) Saturday it also Rained. So much that I normally would not have gone out except that The Japanese Best Friend and I had one of our International Dinner Nights planned. We had a lot of fun, and I got to watch The Haunted Mansion, which wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. OH, ALSO, GERMANY WON ITS SOCCER GAME AGAINST TURKEY.
5) Sunday morning The Super Young Guy and I drove each other to hysterics (think: mass giggle fit) while goofing off during my workout. For somebody who has been chastised for talking to me too much, he doesn’t seem to be all that fazed.
6) Monday was the Most Ridiculous Workout Ever (and the main event I want to highlight)
So, Monday was a national holiday in Japan and I had the day off. In addition, the gym organized a special series of lessons meant to tempt their customs away from revelry and games of all sorts. I was a little curious about a special event that they were holding at 7 in the evening. It was advertised as 90 minutes of the three most intense classes that the gym has to offer (one is body shape/muscle toning and the other two are combination martial arts/aerobics lessons). It sounded interesting, so after running some errands I made my way to the gym by 6:30 and got ready for the lesson.
The lesson was entertaining if only because the gym staff made a huge event of it. They had special shirts and pants, they played special music, and one of the trainers dressed up as a Power Ranger. The first lesson (one of the aerobic martial arts ones) was a little rough for me because it was conducted by none other than TGTIDNLBIDLHE who, not surprisingly, has kind of a sadistic “OF COURSE EVERYBODY CAN DO FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY TWO SQUATS IN A ROW” attitude. This was the lesson where I had to keep reasoning with myself as to why throwing up in the gym studio would be a bad idea.
The second lesson was also a little rough because it was the strength training portion and I was feeling drained. This is where things got very interesting, though, because to my utter shock TGTIDNLBIDLHE took up a position behind me and, well, became my buddy. You see, we had about seven of the gym trainers spread around the room, helping out the different participants and just generally offering encouragement. After he’d finished his class, TGTIDNLBIDLHE was free to offer support and he spent about 95% of the lesson doing that for me. He checked my posture, suggested alternatives when I found something to be a little too difficult, and offered constant encouragement and what I would guess to be about two hundred high-fives. This was all spectacularly fun during the third lesson, when my energy returned with a vengeance and we were both feeling really silly and full of endorphins:
POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWERRR!!!!!!
Still, you have to remember that TGTIDNLBIDLHE has been so aptly named because since the day I got to the gym he has been nothing but Snarky and Not Nice. On more than one occasion I’ve considered asking him to stop greeting me when I come into the gym just because he sounds so insincere when he does it and it makes me feel bad. I cannot for the life of me fathom what inspired this change in attitude, although I’m certainly happy that it’s happened. I’m not sure if it’s a change that will last outside of this class, but the genuine and not-superficial smile that he gave me after the class finished leads me to believe that some kind of truce has been called. I’m not saying that we’re going to become BFF, but at least I don’t have to worry about him hating me. So, this is a good thing.
Therefore, I do believe another name change is in order. Henceforth, TGTIDNLBIDLHE will now be known as “The Masked Man.” I say this because he was wearing a mask throughout most of yesterday’s workout (it might have been what gave him the courage to show me such kindness) and because it’s so hard for me to figure out what he’s all about. He is a mystery.
Code Monkey get up, get coffee
Code Monkey go to job
Some Technical Difficulties October 6, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Hear Ye.Tags: gemini, kittens, technical difficulties
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I apologize that the posting, which is arguably not that heavy to begin with, has been on the light side this week. I’m still fighting a cold and then I got into a car accident on Tuesday and so I’ve been dealing with those details. The accident wasn’t serious (I’m perfectly fine) and thankfully it wasn’t my fault. Still, it did some significant damage to my car and there is a lot that I’ve had to sort through. I’m going to do my best to update on Thursday with just a bit more detail and commentary.
In the meantime, please enjoy a picture of this cute kitten:
This is a cute kitten.
And (even though I am not the biggest fan of Romeo and Juliet) this song:
The vacuous night
Steps aside to give meaning
To Gemini’s dreaming
10 Observations From the Sick Couch October 4, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Dance Troupe, FC Bayern Munich, Gym Adventures, Just Bizarre, Me Time.Tags: cheese nan, deaded mukade race, fall illness, fall term, fashion issues, fc bayern fangirl, Thanksgiving prep, The Band, the dance troupe, The Japanese Best Friend, the super young guy, why yes I do enjoy crocs
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So, I’ve spent most of the last five days fighting (and to some degree succumbing) to a fantastically annoying autumn cold. It’s not serious, but it keeps fading away only to jump back at me as soon as I skimp on sleep or eat copious amounts of cheese nan.
And on the 42nd day, God said: "Let there be cheese, and nan, and let it be known as cheese nan." And He saw that this, too, was awfully good.
By the way, I’m not saying that I’m a cheese nan addict. I’m also *not* saying that I’m *not* a cheese nan addict. I am, however, blaming any potential addict-status on the influences of The Japanese Best Friend, so if a suspicious cheese nan-related incident ever occurs, you know with whom to speak.
So, because I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, I haven’t been out and about as much as usual and when I have been out and about, I’ve been slightly oblivious and addle-minded. Thus, I bring to you today 10 Observations From the Sick Couch. These are a variety of things that I’ve been thinking about over the last four days. Some are Japan-oriented, some are student-oriented, and some are focused on iTunes. Please enjoy, and I hope to be back to our regularly scheduled “memory collecting blogging” by tomorrow evening.
10) I am very glad that I am foreign and not subject to the strict trends of Japanese fashion. The two most popular forms of footwear right now are Ugg Boots and high heels, both of which cause horrible foot problems. I will keep my Purple Crocs of Love and my Pumas, thank you very much.
9) I am a little confused as to why there is a shortage of canned pumpkin this year. I had to order this year’s Thanksgiving supply over a month in advance.
8) Apparently, Jay and Silent Bob are Getting Old.
7) All of my teams failed me this weekend: The Gators, The Steelers, Hopewell High School, and Bayern Munich all got soundly thrashed in every game that they played. It was not a good weekend to be Me and a Sports Fan.
6) Rainy days at Thursday’s elementary school make for extremely hyperactive and enthusiastic children. I was mobbed by first and second years The. Entire. Day.
5) Sunny days at Friday’s elementary school make for extremely hyperactive and enthusiastic children. I was mobbed by first and second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth years The. Entire. Day.
4) I have forgiven The Super Young Guy for last week’s Event of Extreme Embarrassment. It is, as they say, water under the bridge.
3) I started a new class at the gym, this time on Saturday nights. It’s a kickboxing/aerobics kind of class and so far it’ s a lot of fun. It’s not exactly dancing, but it’ll do for now.
2) Sunday’s festival with The Band and The Dance Troupe was cancelled on account of rain. I was sad that we didn’t have a chance to put all of our hard work on display, especially since it doesn’t look like we have many festivals left in our schedule. I used the rest of the day to run errands.
1) Trying to plan lessons while simultaneously resting one’s head on a pillow and hugging a stuffed bear is not a good idea.
And now I leave you with a video of the Dreaded Centipede Race that I avoided this year. After you watch this, and truly understand the concept, perhaps you will see why even now, over a week later, the knowledge of my escape gives me strength and peace.
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy just proud
Wednesday Writeup September 29, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Student Moments.Tags: clemente, fall term, Japan, mr. bayblade, new friends, othello rap, The Child
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So, after the somewhat intense events of Tuesday I’m happy to say that Wednesday has been more positive and gratifying. Specifically, three things happened that give me reason to hope that I’m on an upswing.
1) The Child was in one of his, “Hello Julie, I love you” moods. He was affectionate and talkative before class, and went on to be both engaged and interested in the Stevie Wonder PowerPoint that I showed. After class, he took me by surprise and brought up the Othello rap that I’d tried to get him to do with me back in May. The conversation kind of went like this:
The Child: So, we’re not doing that stupid rap thing, right?
Me: No … because you said you didn’t want to do it.
The Child: Exactly. I don’t want to do it. It’s stupid and boring and embarrassing.
Me: Okay. We don’t have to do it.
The Child: Good. Because I don’t want to do it. I definitely don’t want to do it. I couldn’t do it, anyway.
Me: Yes, you could do it. I’m not sure we have enough time to prepare it for the festival, but you could definitely do the rap.
The Child: Except I don’t want to do it. … … … … But you think I could? Not that I want to.
You get the idea.
The Culture Festival is on October 30th and I really don’t know that we have enough time to put it together. Still, it sounds like he may want to give it a try, so I’m going to bring in the script next week and see if I can do a run through with him and Clemente. Who knows? My crazy idea born of Spring Fever and Big Dreams may in fact produce something interesting.
And you know, speaking of Clemente
2) I had lunch with him today. Or, rather, I had lunch at his table. This is something that I haven’t done in a while, and I guess absence makes the heart grow fonder because he was super enthusiastic about talking with me. We discussed Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, the lyrics to We Are the World and how he can go about memorizing them, the Japanese band Monkey Magic, and (of course) soccer. I think it’s probably one of the most thorough conversations I’ve ever had with him, and it was even nicer because I totally wasn’t expecting it. It reminded me why I like this kid so much.
3) We have a new character! I’m going to call him Mr. Bayblade, after his favorite comic. About a month ago, one of the first year boys did something kind of unfortunate to his leg and so he was on the sidelines a lot during all of the sports festival preparations. I took the opportunity to talk to him and get to know him better and now I have a new friend. He likes to talk to me before and after class, and he’s also started to come and talk to me during lunch time. He usually comes with his friends and they like to teach me about whatever it is that they’re obsessing over. I now know more than I ever thought I would about Bayblade, as well as the different spinning tops that each character controls within the Bayblade universe.
What’s extra nice about my new friendship with Mr. Bayblade is that he’s using the opportunity to practice his English. He tries to explain his interests to me in English, and I’ve noticed that he’s become one of the more vocal and active participants during class. This is a big surprise because he wasn’t all that interested in the subject when he was in elementary school, and he began the year … creatively.
Still, it’s nice to see him opening up to me and how, along with him, I’m getting to know a group of the first year boys that I’ve never had many opportunities to interact with. They’re good guys, and setting up this level of camaraderie with them has been a lot of fun.
O-oreo
What’s in the middle?
The white stuff
Tuesday: The Good, The Bad, The Ridiculously Funny September 28, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Lessons Learned.Tags: English nuances, fall term, humiliations galore, the good bad funny, the gym, the super young guy, the world is his oyster
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One of the things about living outside of one’s comfort zone and beginning new routines is that the added pressure of trying to do everything right heightens whatever emotions that are present. For me, this means that a state of happiness rivals the Bliss of Eden. Accomplishments aren’t just wonderful, they are superbly wonderful. Moments of insight become FULL BLOWN REVELATIONS. Slightly awkward gaffs become mind numbing moments of mortification (that replay in my mind on a convenient loop for the following week and a half).
This is more or less what Tuesday was like.
First, The Good. Although this technically took place on my Wednesday, it was Tuesday in Germany. Yes, my friends, Bayern has once again climbed out of its recent quagmire of mediocrity to WIN A GAME because they SCORED TWO GOALS. We have Schweinsteiger to thank for both of them, and for justifying my request that his name be on the Bayern Jersey that I want for Christmas. It wasn’t a pretty game and some would argue that we just got lucky. Still, a win is a win and after last weekend’s travesty I will take what I can get.
Second, The Bad. Argh. The Horribly Bad.
Actually, it’s not quite so awful but it was incredibly public and so that’s what makes it so difficult for me to deal with. So, I’ve been doing this hip hop class at The Gym for the last few months. Last night was the last class for the summer/early fall session (the class schedule and teachers will change starting October 1st) and I really wanted to be there. I ran into some time issues after work though, because I had to stop by my elementary schools and then run some errands. I got to the gym at about 6:43 (class starts at 6:45) and changed into my workout clothing as quickly as I could. When I got back down to the floor, I saw that the class had just started and the students were still standing around. Thinking that I was relatively safe (this being the last class, me only being a few minutes late, the fact that I go every week), I opened the door to the room and thus violated one of the most sacrosanct rules of The Gym:
Thou Shalt Not Enter The Studio Once A Class Has Started
(Nevermind that I’ve seen The Lady Who Will Hurt You wander in and out of the studio as she pleases.)
The Super Young Guy was the one who caught me on this and who came to tell me that I couldn’t join the class. The students and teacher just sort of looked on with helpless (yet intense) interest as I tried to quickly stifle the American Urge to say, “Are you serious? I don’t pay over $100 a month so that I can be kept from a class under ridiculous circumstances. By the way, I hate how you always catch me breaking the rules but never chastise others for doing the same.” There wasn’t much I could do when confronted with a Hard and Fast Rule That Everyone Knows and that I Guess Really Can’t Be Broken (By Me). So, I apologized for interrupting the class and then retreated to the treadmills to run out the emotion.
In this instance, I actually don’t have a problem with the part where I made a mistake. Everyone does, and now I know never, ever to try to use my “I’m just about on time” reasoning to get to a gym class. The part that makes the whole situation a mind numbing moment of mortification is that it literally stopped the gym in its tracks; everybody turned to watch the incident. This includes TGTIDNLBIDLHE, and although I love giving him more reasons to treat me like a substandard gym member, I was hoping to keep a tidbit like this out of his paws until at least the end of November. Also, I am not fond of when The Super Young Guy takes me to task for something because I’ve been going to the gym far longer than he has and it’s just not right to be schooled by the youth. He made up for it later by apologizing about forty-two times and then lavishing compliments on me during our standard LOLZing session.
Still, acute embarrassment. I hate embarrassment.
Now, The Ridiculously Funny.
So, on Tuesday I decided to sit with The World Is His Oyster during lunch. We haven’t had a chance to chat for awhile and I wanted to catch up with him and argue about international soccer. During the course of lunch, he was playing with some new English phrases and words that we’ve been studying and he came up with this gem:
“Easy! Easy! I’m easy! Hey, I’m easy!”
My response to these statements was kind of like this:
O rly?
I then decided that even though the subject matter was slightly risque, I should probably tell him the reasons that he shouldn’t wander around making those declarations in front of native English speakers. Specifically, I told him that it means that “Anybody is O.K.”
His response was a bit like this:
Ya wai!
This then prompted rollicking laughter for the remainder of the lunch period. Once the other students understood what was going on, that is.
And so, there you have it. Tuesday. Terrifically Intense. Never boring. Thankfully over and done with. ^o^
Goodbye my Coney Island
Goodbye my Coney Island
Goodbye my Coney Island Baaaaby
I think The Scorpions said it best… September 27, 2010
Posted by Earthdragonette in Cultural Exchange, Dance Troupe, Enkai Aftermath, FC Bayern Munich, Student Moments.Tags: changes, fall term, fc bayern fangirl, Japan, Japanese, kanemoto, penelope, sports festivals, The Band, The Child
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Or at least they said it well:
I follow the Moskva
Down to Gorky Park
Listening to the wind of change
An August summer night
Soldiers passing by
Listening to the wind of change
The world closing in
Did you ever think
That we could be so close,like brothers
The future’s in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
Chorus:
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
In the wind of change…
Setting aside, for the moment, references to the former Soviet Union, there is a lot about the imagery in this song that works for me during these cold, misty early days of autumn. It’s occurred to me more than once over the past week that with this changing of the seasons, it’s going to be a very long time before I again have the chance to enjoy a warm summer day in Mie, Japan.
This is going to be a shorter post than I’d originally intended. After I got home from work on Monday, I sat down at the computer with the intention of cranking out a first-class, comprehensive, previous post-referencing gem of an update for you. The next thing I knew it was 10:30 and I’d fallen asleep on my keyboard. So, you could say that things didn’t go according to plan.
Still, I’ve been quite busy since we last touched base on Wednesday. Here are the highlights:
~ Thursday: Had another draining, but productive practice with The Band. As usual, Mr. Coke was at the center of all humor and there was extensive discussion as to whether or not he would be wearing his Spiderman costume for our concert on October 3rd. (He will not.)
~ Friday: Helped the elementary school set up chairs and tables for the sports festival. I found a job for myself on the second floor of the gm, where I took chairs and tables down from high places and passed them to the children who then carried them down to the athletic field. I was amused to see that something of my work ethic has rubbed off on the girls, because they were determined to carry at least three chairs on their own because “Julie can carry six.”
Julie: Not just for English anymore.
~ Saturday: My last sports festival! My first enkai with the staff of an elementary school! If time permits, I’m going to try to write a longer, more comprehensive post about this day. (Please stop laughing, I can hear you.) I must say that I kept myself well occupied throughout the day, from baking fresh bread for the staff members, to taking pictures, to entertaining students, to interacting with the parents. What was also pleasant, and particularly memorable about this day (besides not doing the mukade race!!) was that I felt I had a chance to interact with the other teachers in a way that we hadn’t before. It felt friendlier, more relaxed, and quite welcoming.
~ Sunday: This was a pretty standard Sunday for me. I worked out in the Gym in the morning, went shopping in the afternoon, and caught up with family in the evening. FC Bayern did not play well on Saturday night, and I have to say that it left a bit of a shadow on my Sunday. Still, I don’t blame The Guys for the current state of affairs. The team’s been decimated by injuries and the manager is having some … managerial issues. We have a game mid-week and I’m hoping that things will go more smoothly.
~ Monday: Good things about this day: a letter from Kanemoto, absurd lunch conversations with Penelope, a relatively successful speaking check with the second year students, and reminders as to why I really like this first year class (even if they’re hyperactive to the point of being dangerous to themselves and others).
Not so good thing: Being the object of The Child’s emotional turbulence after school.
Monday was the day when all of the third year students officially retired from clubs and student committees and passed the reins on to the second year class. I think that The Child was feeling really sensitive about this ceremony, and the prospect of having to leave middle school. As such, when I went out to the bicycle racks to say goodbye to the third years, he used me to vent his frustrations and told me that I was a bothersome and annoying person who needed to just be seen in English class.
It’s been a long time since he’s turned on me in this way, and so I really wasn’t prepared to respond to such an aggressive tone. I knew that although he was serious, his words weren’t genuine. Still, they did kind of sting and I retreated to the second years to give him his space.
I’m certainly not upset with him for his behavior; The Child is in fact, a child, and I know that he is still learning how to control and handle his emotions. Because of his intelligence and sensitivity, this is particularly challenging for him. The only thing I can do is go back into class on Tuesday and treat him as I always have. I think that the best thing I can give him is constancy and stability, even if he is determined to lash out against it.
Ah, teaching. And people say that this is an easy job?
Walking down the street
Distant memories
Are buried in the past forever…
Where I Intended to Be 