Sayonara Summer
As usual it's been an eventful past few weeks. I attended meetings, planned lessons, went out with friends, gorged on delicious foreign foods, and planted a vegetable garden. All the sudden the first month of school is almost over and my jacket-free days are numbered.
Last night I got a small taste of what to look forward to this winter. I added an extra blanket to my bed and I was still shivering under my covers! I'm already missing the 'mushi atsui' days of Japanese summers.
Teaching is starting to come more naturally now that I have a feel for what the students already know and what's effective. I still don't consider myself much of an authority figure- the JTE (japanese teacher of english) usually takes care of that part of the job. I'm still "Diana Sensei" but I'm less scary and foreign when I can talk to them like they would their peers.
Last Monday was national "Repect for the Aged Day" so we got a three-day weekend. Ivy and I got bus tickets down to Nagoya and spent the weekend visiting friends and blowing money on food and drink. Found Mexican, Indian, Thai and kinda-sorta Italian (does Saizeria count?) In any case real foreign food is hard to come by in the inaka, or Japan in general. Foreign cuisine is usually Japanesified- you order "American Hamburger" and it ends up being smothered in mayonaise on top of rice.
big nan
didn't do too much touristy stuff while there, other than visit Nagoya castle and the Nagoya Museum of Modern Art. The castle's cool-looking exterior is deceiving. The inside has been completely renovated into a museum with modern bathrooms, elevators, and neon exit signs. Disappointing :(
those golden fish things at the top have become icons for Nagoya's tourist industry. And naturally, for 400 yen you can buy a hello kitty keitai strap encased in one of the famous golden fish.
The museum was pretty interesting though. In the main lobby there's a mini-version of the sculpture in front of the Seattle Art Museum.
SAM in Nagoya?
viewing downtown Nagoya from the top of the Hilton Hotel sky lounge, sipping delicious all-you-can-drink cocktails :)
I also got to visit with Sayo, a friend I met several years back while roadtripping with my sister and her friend Livi. She says 'hi'.
Last weekend was the AJET Welcome weekend for all the JETs in Toyama Prefecture. This year it was held out in the mountains at the base of Mt. Tate (the one we climbed last month). They rented out ten cabins at this campground which reminded me a lot of some of Southview's school retreats except the cabins were ten times nicer and we didn't have to play any games promoting teamwork and friendship. Apparently a few people saw a bunch of Japanese wild monkeys but I missed them. There were a lot of Taunki running around though:
I was unexpectedly reunited with some old UPS classmates from my Japanese class at the party. Of all the places to see someone I know i wouldn't have guessed it'd be in the mountains of rural Japan. I've actually been experiencing a lot of odd run-ins with friends and friends of friends. I would say 'small world' but amongst the recent graduates affiliated with Japan, I guess it's not that big of a coincidence...
day 2 of welcome weekend.
that's all folks.
Last night I got a small taste of what to look forward to this winter. I added an extra blanket to my bed and I was still shivering under my covers! I'm already missing the 'mushi atsui' days of Japanese summers.
Teaching is starting to come more naturally now that I have a feel for what the students already know and what's effective. I still don't consider myself much of an authority figure- the JTE (japanese teacher of english) usually takes care of that part of the job. I'm still "Diana Sensei" but I'm less scary and foreign when I can talk to them like they would their peers.
Last Monday was national "Repect for the Aged Day" so we got a three-day weekend. Ivy and I got bus tickets down to Nagoya and spent the weekend visiting friends and blowing money on food and drink. Found Mexican, Indian, Thai and kinda-sorta Italian (does Saizeria count?) In any case real foreign food is hard to come by in the inaka, or Japan in general. Foreign cuisine is usually Japanesified- you order "American Hamburger" and it ends up being smothered in mayonaise on top of rice.
big nan
didn't do too much touristy stuff while there, other than visit Nagoya castle and the Nagoya Museum of Modern Art. The castle's cool-looking exterior is deceiving. The inside has been completely renovated into a museum with modern bathrooms, elevators, and neon exit signs. Disappointing :(
those golden fish things at the top have become icons for Nagoya's tourist industry. And naturally, for 400 yen you can buy a hello kitty keitai strap encased in one of the famous golden fish.
The museum was pretty interesting though. In the main lobby there's a mini-version of the sculpture in front of the Seattle Art Museum.
SAM in Nagoya?
viewing downtown Nagoya from the top of the Hilton Hotel sky lounge, sipping delicious all-you-can-drink cocktails :)
I also got to visit with Sayo, a friend I met several years back while roadtripping with my sister and her friend Livi. She says 'hi'.
Last weekend was the AJET Welcome weekend for all the JETs in Toyama Prefecture. This year it was held out in the mountains at the base of Mt. Tate (the one we climbed last month). They rented out ten cabins at this campground which reminded me a lot of some of Southview's school retreats except the cabins were ten times nicer and we didn't have to play any games promoting teamwork and friendship. Apparently a few people saw a bunch of Japanese wild monkeys but I missed them. There were a lot of Taunki running around though:
I was unexpectedly reunited with some old UPS classmates from my Japanese class at the party. Of all the places to see someone I know i wouldn't have guessed it'd be in the mountains of rural Japan. I've actually been experiencing a lot of odd run-ins with friends and friends of friends. I would say 'small world' but amongst the recent graduates affiliated with Japan, I guess it's not that big of a coincidence...
day 2 of welcome weekend.
that's all folks.
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Got 'cher blog.
have fun in Tonami Sat night?
--Max