Uh oh

The 'ss' on the Nagasaki seaside liner looks very much like the 'ss'
for schutzstaffel and thus also the one tatooed on nearly every aryan
brotherhood member.

To answerJackie's question.

Weather is nice.

Q&A Time

What was my last picture?

Earlier this month Nagasaki celebrated Kunchi.  It is a 400+ year old festival celebrated farming and fishing harvests.  Nagasaki is divided into 50 or so districts, and every year 7 districts are chosen by rotation to perform a dance representing their area of the city.  So for these 3 days, you are able to catch performances as you are walking around, and I snapped that photo outside my apartment.  Unfortunately for me, this year the dates for Kunchi (always the 7-9th) were on a weekday, so I could only catch shows that occurred after work.

What is/are your major frustration(s), in regards to your job specifically, or in general after 2.5 months in Japan? What is most rewarding/exciting?

I suppose one of my bigger frustrations is that my home school doesn't have a conversation class, so one of the main outlets that other JETs use to interact with the students isn`t available at my school.  I also am relatively uninformed about events occurring at school, part of that is a language barrier, part of it is that I spend far less time at the school than other teachers, and the other part is that the schedule at West High School is simply too complicated and dynamic for even most teachers to keep up with.  But honestly, I don`t have any huge gripes. In response to things I learned last time I studied abroad, I`ve made a determined effort to flow with adversity rather than dwell or challenge it directly.  What is most rewarding is that nearly 3 months into being in Japan, I`m in far better shape mentally than I was two years ago.

What do you do in your spare time/after hours/weekends?

After school, I either go to the gym or running.  Then I eat dinner and relax in my apartment.  On Saturday and Sunday, I spend my mornings talking with friends over Skype and catching up on sports highlights.  In the afternoon I try to walk to some event/location that I had read about during the week and hopefully catch another ALT for dinner on one of those days.  Hardly the most interesting day, but I`m trying to develop a good daily rhythm and save a few dollars.

What are some places you most enjoy going to in your neighborhood - a particular restaurant, or store, museum, park?

Restaurants:

Maruyoshi - I go here on Tuesdays after my 40 minutes busride back from my secondary school.  I walk in the door, my favorite Ramen style is immediately ordered in the large-size and all I need to do is wait.

Kaitenzushi - There is a 110￥ a plate conveyor belt sushi restaurant a few minutes from my apartment.  I go here 1-2 times a week and eat 8-9 plates a visit.  1/3 of that consists of salmon hit with a blowtorch and topped with Japanese Mayonaise.

Ramen guy outside my apartment - An older man and his wife set-up a ramen stall about 50ft outside my building.  I went there on my 2nd night in Nagasaki and have tried to go back once every two weeks or so.  Its just a cart, but the atmosphere is great and most of the customers just came out of bars so they are quite talkative.  I`m there for the conversation far more than the ramen, but always say hello on my back from sushi or Maruyoshi.

Park - Mizube no Mori!  Is the park where I go running.  It is located right next to the water and features a great night-time view of the previously mentioned suspension bridge with its rainbow lights and moored sailboats.  During the day the park is filled with kids, dogs, sunshine and palm trees, and at night it is all fishermen, couples, and joggers.

What do you find yourself spending the most money on?

I guess food?  I don't really spend all that much right now.  Probably 200$ on Utilities (Cell, Home Phone, Electric, Gas, Water, Internet).  About 12$ a week on public transportation and then 12$ or so a day on food.  Unless it is a night where other teachers are going out, I'm not really spending much money each month.
How is your Japanese language skill progressing?

I just started a correspondence course actually.  Since it is part of my job, I'm allowed to study at work, which is definitely nice.  I think my listening has gotten really good again, and I'm starting to recognize more and more characters.   Aside from the English teacher sitting next to me in the office, I don't really have anyone to speak English to, and even my conversations with the English teachers tend to be a mix of the two languages.

When are you returning to the US?

I just got my recontracting paperwork last week.  I have until February to complete it, and if I do, then my contract will go through August 2011.  I'd like to get in at least one full year without going home, just for the experience.  It's possible that I make a trip back after that.

How's the phone service there?

My phone is great.  I have an iphone with unlimited internet, which keeps me entertained on the bus/tram, provides me with directions when I'm lost, and allows me to keep in contact with everyone through e-mail and phone.

Do you not miss the life in your native land?

After having studied here once before, this time I was more prepared in terms of knowing what thinks I'd miss and understanding how to cope without them.  Certainly I miss the US, but I know that living there now, I would probably have even more things to worry about than I do in Japan.  For example, I'd have to purchase healthcare, find a job, and maintain a car just for traveling to and from work.  Besides, by living abroad I can better appreciate the things about life in the US that I enjoyed most.

 

[Here are some pictures of the teacher’s office.  Starting with my desk. I without a doubt have one of the cleanest desks in the room. ]

CHARGE!!

What am I doing in Japan?

Now that I've been in Japan for 2 months, it seems as good a time as any to let you know what I'm doing here.  Last year I applied and was accepted to the JET Programme.  The Programme, started in the late 80's, is sponsored by a number of Japanese ministries (Education, Foreign Affairs, two others) and seeks english-speaking college graduates with the goal of placing them in Japanese schools to serve as teachers, mentors, and foster cultural exchange through ties with the local community.  My personal motivations were my interest in spending time in Japan and joining the program dating back to 2003, the short work hours offered by the program that affords me time for some personal endeavors, and as a chance to gain foreign work experience and hopefully improve my Japanese speaking ability (and have fun).

Objective Benefits:

- A job during a time of economic uncertainty

- Entry into the Japanese Public Healthcare system

- No income tax with earnings in the 35,000-40,000$ range

- 35 hour work-week + Lots of Holidays

- Pre-arranged housing

- Yearly option to re-contract 4 additional times for a total of 5 years

Every JET is given a different situation.  Some people teach at up to 15 schools while others teach at one, municipalities vary from the center of a big city to a town of 700 people, and locations vary from the tropical islands of Okinawa to the frozen-half-a-year island of Hokkaido.  So really it is the luck-of-the-draw and in my placement I have been very lucky.  I was hired by the Nagasaki Prefectural Board of Education and placed in the center of Nagasaki City.  There are a total of 154 JETS in Nagasaki which ranks as the 3rd most JETs despite the prefecture being only the 37th largest in Japan.  The reason is that many Nagasaki JETs are living on various islands off the coast of the prefecture, some of them (such a Tsushima) being closer to Korea than to Japan.  I was assigned two schools: Nagasaki West High School and Kakunan Special Education School.

Nagasaki West is the top prefectural school in Nagasaki.  It ranks in the top 15 of public high schools in Japan and focus on science education.  There are 960 students and a staff of about 80 teachers and administrators.  The students are smart, hard-working, and sleep about half the number of hours that I sleep everyday.  They come to school early, stick around late, spend their nights at cram school and their weekends in school.  West is unique among most Japanese high schools because it doesn't offer conversation classes.  Instead students main focus is on science and passing their college entrance examinations.  This is unfortunate because the exam doesn't include an oral portion, thus my actual classroom instruction is sparse and limited mostly to grammar, translations, and posing corrections.  During exams (which has been often so far) I grade 600 or so short essays, which keeps me busy for the better part of 3 days.  I have 10 other Japanese teachers working in the English department with me and together we cover 3 grade-levels with 24 classes of 40 students.  Aside from myself, there is also a basketball coach from the United States, because somehow these kids have enough time to also have the best basketball team in the prefecture.

Kakunan Special School is located about 30 minutes outside of Nagasaki City by bus.  Its on the top of a mountain (a fact I soon discovered the first time I went there and got off at the wrong stop with the next bus 45 minutes away.   Needless to say, I showed up late, sweaty, and looking exhausted) and offers great views and starkly different environment from West High School.  There is an elementary school of 90 students and a high school of about 50.  The students who attend have Autism, Asperger's and other disabilities ranging from mild to severe in nature.  The staff numbers around 80 personnel and the typical classrooms functions at a 7:2 student:teacher ratio.  I attend Kakunan once a week and it is easily my favorite day.   Dress consists of sweat pants and a t-shirt, the staff is young, energetic and non-english speaking, and the students are always engaging and active.  My first day I was admittedly  anxious,  but that faded by lunch-time.  As there is no formal English education at Kakunan, I am currently teaching the 'culture' class during high school students' 'Kakunan time' (an extra curricular period where students can opt for gym, art, music, or culture class).  My lessons are taught almost entirely in Japanese and aim to be fun.  I covered my personal self-introduction with information about places I've lived, my family, Virginia, etc.  I taught about American children's games such as Duck Duck goose, how to do an English introduction, Heads-Shoulders-Knees-and-Toes, and English numbers/colors.  I know those students even more than my West High School students simply because I'm spending much more time in the classroom interacting, so I definitely enjoy it.

Anyway that is it for today.  Leave any questions you'd like.  In the next few days I'll try and round up questions in the past two months of comments and answer them.

Also Happy Birthday to Jen!

Pictures from my Phone

Hello Everyone,

We just had exams last week so I’m in the middle of grading hundreds of essays.  Once I finish that and return to a normal schedule you can expect to see a more substantive post.  In the meantime, check out these pictures from my phone!

[Decorations Outside of Chinatown to Celebrate the Full Moon]

 

[Bentou Box from a Local Restaurant.  I’ve never really been a fan of Bentou’s because they don’t fill me up as much as I’d like]

 

[A Few Weeks Ago I went on a boat and to and nearby island with two friends.  When we came back my friends dad treated me to dinner.]

 

[School Cleaning Day, School Ceremony]

 

[View from my Second School… which I’ve yet to mention in this blog…]