So much to learn

     I've learned a lot since coming here, but I still have a long way to go....

    One of the best ways to learn is to experience things for yourself, right? So here I am, on this crazy journey of living by myself in a foreign country. Sometimes, I think I'm insane to have come here, out of my comfort zone and into the unknown. There are also times that I think applying for JET was the best decision I've ever made.

     I was hired as an assistant English teacher -- the native English speaker in the classroom. While I've been able to answer some grammatical questions my coworkers and students have asked, I don't feel like I've been very helpful in my position yet. I often feel as if I'm just in everybody's way, bumbling around aimlessly. This job is kind of a strange one, if you think about it. Here I am, trying to master a new language, adjust to a new culture, making my apartment feel like home, being away from friends and family, having a job completely different from my previous one, and learning the way each of the 14 teachers I work with want me to teach, despite having no real prior teaching experience and not being able to understand 95% of what people are trying to say to me.....

       I feel a lot more like a student than a teacher.

       There are a decent number of foreign students at my current school who have recently moved here to Japan with their families from countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, etc. Most of them can't speak Japanese very well, so they meet up every day with part-time teachers/city hall workers that can speak enough of their fluent language to answer questions they have about their homework assignments, as the instructions are usually all in Japanese. Tuesday, I talked with a few girls, in English, about effective ways to study Japanese and laughed about awkward experiences we've had adjusting to the culture. Thursday, I got to meet with a few students who were going over some Japanese grammar. I went through and did some of the Japanese study worksheets they had been doing, and they laughed as I struggled through it, not because of the questions, but because of misunderstanding the instructions.

     I feel like I bonded with those foreign students and, now they wave to me as I walk past them, with smiles on their faces because they know that, even though I'm technically a teacher, we have a lot in common. We're fighting to understand this wild, new world around us and find our places in it.

     Speaking of having a lot to learn.....here are some things I've learned so far:

               1) In the summer (and even into the fall), you must wear a tank top or some sort of layer underneath your shirt to soak up/mask sweat. Otherwise, you will get sweat stains. I didn't know it was possible to sweat this much. Don't think you are exempt from this. I thought I'd be ok, since I hardly ever sweated back home. I was wrong. It was embarrassing.
               2) Carrying around a small hand towel or some Kleenex/napkins in your pocket, purse, or backpack is always a good idea. Many public restrooms don't have paper towels and you may want to dry your hands. Some restrooms don't have toilet paper (I haven't run into that problem yet, thankfully). In the summer, you may want to wipe off some of that sweat. Some restaurants give you little to no napkins with your meal. The benefits of having a towel/napkins are endless. It is very common in the summer to see Japanese people walk around town with a towel around their neck.
              3) When you go to the grocery store, the cashiers will usually not give you any sort of bag for your groceries. At my local grocery store, you may purchase a plastic bag for 5 yen. This is obviously not something you want to have to do every single time, so investing in a reusable shopping tote, preferably something insulated, is a good idea. I usually just load up my backpack.
              4) If you leave any sort of food scraps around, especially anything with sugar or grease, there is a good chance you will visited by a cockroach. The chance is greater if you are on the ground floor of your apartment complex or if you're in a rural area.
              5) Be extremely careful when walking and/or riding your bike in Japan. Roads can be very narrow and drivers don't always look both ways. By the way, that sidewalk you're riding on is actually a road.....surprise!
             6) You can pay your bills at your local convenience store, which is very....convenient!
             7) If you are like me, and prefer white meat chicken over dark, karaage is probably not for you. Instead, go for chikin katsu (chicken cutlet). Also, KFC's crispy chicken strips are white meat. Yay!
             8) In Japan, it isn't dangerous to eat raw eggs. Japanese people do this quite often, actually. Apparently, the eggs here are good quality and are kept clean, so it's not a big deal.... I'm personally still weirded out by this, though.
              9) Ramen itself is considered a Chinese food, not a Japanese food. However, there are flavors and types of ramen that were created in Japan, such as miso ramen (and cup ramen :-P).
            10) If you put in sugar in your tea, especially green tea, you'll probably get some weird looks.
             
I'm sure there are even more things on top of this that I just can't remember right now.
Oh, Japan... <3

  I hope everyone is doing well! :) See you later.  

   

   

   

   

Busy busy

     Hey, everyone! It has been a while since I last posted and a lot has happened since then.

     I started teaching and have now finished all my self introduction lessons. I'm getting to know my fellow teachers and students and I feel like I'm starting to get used to this whole ALT thing. There are times it can be hectic, but most of the time, the job is "ok students, repeat after kayla sensei", and I read passages from the text book. I have gotten to play games with some of my classes, which have been really fun, but there are a lot of required monotonous tasks I must help with in order to prepare students for tests. I understand that this is necessary; learning a new language requires some repetition. However, fun activities are really what help keep students' attention and allow them to really connect and relate with the subject. I'm hoping that, once the JTEs (Japanese teachers of English) and I get used to working with one another, I can be given some freedom to do activities every now and then.

     I have gotten to do a good amount of traveling recently, too! Since my last entry in mid-August, I have been to Shima, Ise, Tsu, and Kuwana in the Mie prefecture, as well as Osaka (Universal Studios and shopping/exploring in the Shinsaibashi and Namba areas). When we went to Osaka, we stayed in a Capsule Hotel, which was a rather interesting experience. I always imagined that sleeping in a 'capsule' would make me feel a little claustrophobic, but it was actually kind of comfortable :)  It was also very cheap to stay there (about 2300yen!) Osaka was amazing, and I hope to go back very soon. It only took about 1 1/2 hours to get there by a limited express train, so taking weekend trips there is very feasible. The next place I'm hoping to check out is Nagoya, as it is only about an hour away by the express train.

Entrance of Universal Studios Japan!!!

    Tomorrow and Friday, I don't have any classes, because they are doing midterm exams. I think I'll be using that time to study Japanese and do some research on games I can play with the students. Also, I really need to clean up my apartment and buy some shelves! I'm getting pretty close to making this place feel like home, but it's still a little too cluttered. I'm starting to get used to what shops I can go to to buy certain things and where they are located in relation to my apartment. When I'm at the City Hall and look out the window, it makes me realize that Suzuka isn't really that big. However, when you travel by walking, biking, and train only, it can make a small city seem like a never-ending maze.

   

      Hope everyone is having a good day! I'll see you guys again soon.