New Kid

I am so excited! I am so excited! I am so excited! Ok, are you sick of the exclamation marks yet? SO, this kid from Korea came to my school. And, why should I be excited you ask? Well, he only speaks Korean and English. So I GET TO BE his translator. I get to use the Japanese I have been studying so hard for, for real. Whoo hoo! I escorted him to class, and I am in charge of him. I can't believe this....I am in charge of a child's every communication. And they want me to teach him Japanese as quickly as I learned it (not so quickly actually).  Of course, I do have my English classes and stuff that I do, but I am ecstatic to be in charge of making sure this kid goes through everything I went through over the past year starting with the 2 ABC's of Japanese, hiragana and katakana. Talk about deja vu, this is a great experience and reinforces everything I learned. I will test him by the end of the week, because I know what he should be capable of. He he he, and so it begins...I may be his worst nightmare, but he will be my greatest accomplishment.

My students won だいいち (dai ichi)！

So, every year there is an English speech contest in my gun (county), represented by some 12 odd schools. Us native English speakers prepare these kids to compete against each other, so it is a bit of a source of pride for all of us to see how they do, because, in a way, we compete against each other (of course, it depends on how involved the actual English teacher, school, etc etc is). At the speech contest, it doesn't matter; what matters is that your students sound as native as possible! Last year my school didn't place, and apparently, we haven't placed in a looong time. Anyhow, so the 3rd year student didn't place (big surprise, she only met with me once), the 1st year students were replacements for the chosen students (who got quarantined for influenza the day before the contest) had ONE DAY to practice, and therefore didn't place. BUT alas, my 2nd years stuck with me til the end and they got FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!! I was so proud of them. But now we go to the "state" competition! The principal couldn't stop talking about it, took our pictures, posted it on the front board, made an announcement to the whole school as soon as we got back, etc etc. It was pretty interesting to see their surprise when they found out how awesome I am...ahem.... I mean....the students are of course. Lol, jk, but really I am so proud of them. Their speech is from their textbook, about Americans and how we say nice things to each other as a greeting, like "if you have a new bag, I can say 'I like your bag'." It's actually a pretty funny speech, very entertaining. I didn't even realize that Americans did that, but yes, we do compliment each other ALOT.

Typhoon 18

Dear Typhoon 18 (aka Typhoon Melor),

I am so mad at you that I am going to call you Drizzle 18 (aka Typhoon Mellow). My work gave me the afternoon off to prepare for you and I was so excited to meet you. I got out my video camera, tested it, unblocked my view, took things off my balcony that might fly. I made sure I knew locations of dry food, flashlights, got water, etc. I did all this, and even considered filling my bathtub with water. And yet, you declined my careful preparation and decided not to come. Why don't you like Kumamoto? We tried to welcome you with open arms. Every news channel had reports about you. People were buying tape and canceling work, after-school activities, etc because of you. Numerous charts of your journey were being googled, printed and shown. Yet, you declined to turn up and go east instead. The only indication of your presence was slightly more wind. Not even rain. For this, I hope you pitter out soon, and thanks to you,  I will welcome your successor with much less fervor. I hope you're happy.

Forever disappointed,

Cassandra

Old-Guy-Who-Stares

So the rule intensive trash procedures have changed recently, as announced by signs that I couldn’t read. Apparently, the bags that used to be provided for me by the apartment building are no longer sufficient, but I must buy specific trash bags at the store from now on. Why this change? Who knows, but I am glad that Kate informed me of the change. Anyhow, someone I call Old-Guy-Who-Stares tried to inform me of the change and handed me a detailed paper explaining the new trash procedures. I took it as I walked by, saying I understood, refusing to be detained or risk being late to work by trying to communicate. Why do I call him Old-Guy-Who-Stares? Well, let me tell you. Old-Guy practices swinging a baseball bat outside every morning before I go to school. As if that isn’t reason enough to be anxious around him, as I drive out of the parking lot in the mornings, he stops swinging his bat and stares at me as I drive by. I can’t stand it. I feel like I’m in a fishbowl and it makes me squirm. Kate thinks I’m paranoid, but I hate him staring at me. I will not change my driving patterns either to go out the other way, just so he doesn’t stare. I just try to completely ignore him. Over the past year, we have exchanged awkward conversation in the elevator, when I happen to get stuck with him. Anyhow, so yesterday as we got stuck together again, he said, “How long will you be in Japan? It’s already been 2 years right?” (in Japanese of course) Haha! I answered that I didn’t know and it’s only been one year. Then, awkward silence commences until we arrive at our final destinations. I must have made him mad. But for some reason this makes me feel happy. Maybe he won’t stare at me anymore and now I can smile at him. I must be crazy.