Gone to Naha to pick up Natalie. *SQWEE!!!*
Will be back on Sunday. Have phone, no internet. Again, if you need to get in touch with me, and it's an emergency (or you just want to be nice during normal I'm awake hours) you can email me at cailement at ezweb dot ne dot jp. But as this will go directly to my cell phone, which I leave on even at night, please use it sparingly and carefully. I am 14 hours ahead.
To leave you with Kim-Happiness as I go, this week I uploaded a metric ton of pictures from my Osaka trip. Enjoy.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Today I had interesting experiances
1) I had a kid throw up in my class while the teacher was MIA.
2) A student grabbed my breasts.
More exposition:
1) I have no idea why the kid was sick, and apparently the Japanese response is to have everyone rush up and comfort him. I was worried that the attention would a) make him feel worse, and b) make other kids throw up so I told one kid to find the teacher and continued the class. Maybe they:ll think me heartless now, but I hope not.
2) At least she was a 1st grader and was probably just curious that they are so much bigger than everyone elses here. I told her *dame* (bad) and then just moved on like nothing had happened. So long as it doesn:t happen again all good.
I really don:t like putting on my monsterface.
2) A student grabbed my breasts.
More exposition:
1) I have no idea why the kid was sick, and apparently the Japanese response is to have everyone rush up and comfort him. I was worried that the attention would a) make him feel worse, and b) make other kids throw up so I told one kid to find the teacher and continued the class. Maybe they:ll think me heartless now, but I hope not.
2) At least she was a 1st grader and was probably just curious that they are so much bigger than everyone elses here. I told her *dame* (bad) and then just moved on like nothing had happened. So long as it doesn:t happen again all good.
I really don:t like putting on my monsterface.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
クリスマスだよ！
Okay, so I plan excellent starting points for a Christmas lesson for next week, and I:m all prepared to finish out this week with regular lessons and go pick up Natalie in Okinawa Honto. So I clean a bit last night (okay, my dishes are still unwashed and I have to bleach the bathroom, and vacuum, but I got everything else put away or in nice orderly piles) and then sat down (or I started to while I was cleaning and then ran out of steam) and watched the first two parts of that SciFi special Tin Man. So I go to bed at a (somewhat) reasonable hours and have a horrible night's sleep (I:ve been sleeping badly lately, I:m wondering if it:s the heat, because while I was shivering under my 4 layers of blankets, I actually would pass out for hours as uppose to tossing and turning all night).
So, my alarm goes off and I go, oh yay, another day at Seijo and I won:t get to see them next week, which is too bad because it:s one of my favorite schools and Natalie won:t get to--wait, I won:t get to see them next week. That means They:ll MISS CHRISTMAS!!!!
This was no good. No good at all. So, in the 15 minutes that I had to leave the house after getting decent and all, and during the 30 minute ride to work, I make a Christmas lesson. Woot. It went like this:
1) Introduce Christmasy vocabulary while telling (what I know) of the story of the Original Nicholas. Vocabulary includes: Santa Claus, presents, toys, sled (I guess I could use sleigh, but sled is more universally useful and they mean the same thing, right? Sleigh is just fancier?) reindeer, elves, Christmas tree, snowman, bells.
2) We make dorum bells. Those origami bells that I learned how to make in the 4th grade (thank you Ms. Aubrecht). This went rather well, up until the 6th grade, who found it too hard and too easy all at the same time. It was rather difficult, and I think from now on I:ll use tape instead of glue (the kids just couldn:t get the hang of being gentle with them).
3) We play reindeer games. Not really. We do a huge vocabulary review. I devided the class into two teams and had each team pick one of the living things from today:s vocabulary. (Santa, snowman, reindeer, and elves in order of preference) Then they have to race to say the answer to my english question, who ever answers correctly first their person moves one step closer to the christmas tree I drew in chalk at the end of the classroom. Depending on how much time we had left after the bells, I:d make 5-7 lines on the board for steps, crossing sweeping hills of snow (two large squiggly lines) that the game piece (my flashcard with magnets on the back) will travel down. Then, as I asked the questions *who:s this? What is it? Etc* I:d show them the flashcard. It went well. Again, until 6th grade. But whatever. I had about 15 min to plan the lesson, what do you want from me?
So yeah, that went well. Now, I:m sitting here chatting to my parents who are up waaaay too late helping Natalie last minute pack and get everything together because she:ll be flighing out in about 10 hours. I:ll be flighing out to meet her in 28 hours.
In other, less happy news, the 5th grade teacher at Seijo (who has somewhat adopted me :D ) just invited me to Seijo:s New Year Party. It:s tomorrow night. So yeah, I:ll be in Naha. 残念, but what can you do? She said that she:ll definatly invite me to the next party though.
Speaking of Seijo and school. I realized that I haven:t given you all the culture lessons like I should be (or I have, and in my sleep deprived stupor (I did say I didn:t really sleep last night) I:ve just forgotten). Let:s talk about lunch.
I mean school lunch, or 給食 and how different kyuushoku is from american school lunch.
In America, everyone has their set time to show up at the lunch room (or shokudou 食堂) and then the lunch ladies serve you while you scream loudly to your neighbor, and when your class:s lunch time is done, then you go to whatever you have next, usually Teacher Supervised Outdoor Activity (ie: recess, although I loved the way that Mrs. Marsili put it). All good.
In Japan, everyone shows up to the shokudou after 4th period (unless they:re like Heiichi, where they don:t have a lunchroom right now due to renevations and they all eat in their classrooms). At the shokudou, today:s lunches have already been placed, sorted by grade, in large metal bins that the students take from the storage rooms and bring to the tables. There is a serving table, where the students line up and the students dish out the appropriet serving sizes into the appropriet bowls or dishes for everyone in the class. Then the students sit down at their tables and wait. Two students, usually 6th years, will come on the microphone at one end of the shokudou. They will say *静かにしてください* until everyone is silent. Then they will read off what is for lunch (which might be very specific, like curry rice, or very vauge, like today:s fruit, which turned out to be a fourth of an orange), say something that I can never understand, then tell everyone to put their hands together (a loud clap is heard), and then they tell us to enjoy the *delicious* kyushoku, which everyone then repeats *いただきます！* (itadakimasu, which litterally translates I accept or something like that, but it means thank you for the meal). Then everyone, at the same time, begins to eat.
After a set period of time, the same student will go back to the mic and ask everyone to raise their hand if they:re done eating (it doesn:t matter weither you:re done or not because time is up at that point), then they say for this delicious (although Sunagawa says interesting) lunch *ごちそうさまでした* (gochisousama deshita, litterally it was a feast), the last of which is repeated by Everyone, and then nothing is heard under the malestrom of chairs being put away (they actually have an extra shelf so that the stools can be slid under the table off of the floor to make sweeping easier) and kids talking as they take their dishes back to the surving tables, clean their plates, sort their garbage, and then head back to their classrooms for *cleaning time* (but I don:t think everyone does the cleaning, they rotate between jobs and days off).
I would also like to take this time to say that the kids clean the school. There is no janitor. This means that the bathrooms don:t get cleaned with anything stronger than soap, because the kids can:t be responsible for chemicals.
Cleaning time lasts as long as the kids take to do their job, then they have hiruyasumi 昼休み or afternoon break. Starting from the end of kyushoku, this can last for up to an hour and a half. Yeah, yay vacations.
Okay, I:m done for now. Until next time.
So, my alarm goes off and I go, oh yay, another day at Seijo and I won:t get to see them next week, which is too bad because it:s one of my favorite schools and Natalie won:t get to--wait, I won:t get to see them next week. That means They:ll MISS CHRISTMAS!!!!
This was no good. No good at all. So, in the 15 minutes that I had to leave the house after getting decent and all, and during the 30 minute ride to work, I make a Christmas lesson. Woot. It went like this:
1) Introduce Christmasy vocabulary while telling (what I know) of the story of the Original Nicholas. Vocabulary includes: Santa Claus, presents, toys, sled (I guess I could use sleigh, but sled is more universally useful and they mean the same thing, right? Sleigh is just fancier?) reindeer, elves, Christmas tree, snowman, bells.
2) We make dorum bells. Those origami bells that I learned how to make in the 4th grade (thank you Ms. Aubrecht). This went rather well, up until the 6th grade, who found it too hard and too easy all at the same time. It was rather difficult, and I think from now on I:ll use tape instead of glue (the kids just couldn:t get the hang of being gentle with them).
3) We play reindeer games. Not really. We do a huge vocabulary review. I devided the class into two teams and had each team pick one of the living things from today:s vocabulary. (Santa, snowman, reindeer, and elves in order of preference) Then they have to race to say the answer to my english question, who ever answers correctly first their person moves one step closer to the christmas tree I drew in chalk at the end of the classroom. Depending on how much time we had left after the bells, I:d make 5-7 lines on the board for steps, crossing sweeping hills of snow (two large squiggly lines) that the game piece (my flashcard with magnets on the back) will travel down. Then, as I asked the questions *who:s this? What is it? Etc* I:d show them the flashcard. It went well. Again, until 6th grade. But whatever. I had about 15 min to plan the lesson, what do you want from me?
So yeah, that went well. Now, I:m sitting here chatting to my parents who are up waaaay too late helping Natalie last minute pack and get everything together because she:ll be flighing out in about 10 hours. I:ll be flighing out to meet her in 28 hours.
In other, less happy news, the 5th grade teacher at Seijo (who has somewhat adopted me :D ) just invited me to Seijo:s New Year Party. It:s tomorrow night. So yeah, I:ll be in Naha. 残念, but what can you do? She said that she:ll definatly invite me to the next party though.
Speaking of Seijo and school. I realized that I haven:t given you all the culture lessons like I should be (or I have, and in my sleep deprived stupor (I did say I didn:t really sleep last night) I:ve just forgotten). Let:s talk about lunch.
I mean school lunch, or 給食 and how different kyuushoku is from american school lunch.
In America, everyone has their set time to show up at the lunch room (or shokudou 食堂) and then the lunch ladies serve you while you scream loudly to your neighbor, and when your class:s lunch time is done, then you go to whatever you have next, usually Teacher Supervised Outdoor Activity (ie: recess, although I loved the way that Mrs. Marsili put it). All good.
In Japan, everyone shows up to the shokudou after 4th period (unless they:re like Heiichi, where they don:t have a lunchroom right now due to renevations and they all eat in their classrooms). At the shokudou, today:s lunches have already been placed, sorted by grade, in large metal bins that the students take from the storage rooms and bring to the tables. There is a serving table, where the students line up and the students dish out the appropriet serving sizes into the appropriet bowls or dishes for everyone in the class. Then the students sit down at their tables and wait. Two students, usually 6th years, will come on the microphone at one end of the shokudou. They will say *静かにしてください* until everyone is silent. Then they will read off what is for lunch (which might be very specific, like curry rice, or very vauge, like today:s fruit, which turned out to be a fourth of an orange), say something that I can never understand, then tell everyone to put their hands together (a loud clap is heard), and then they tell us to enjoy the *delicious* kyushoku, which everyone then repeats *いただきます！* (itadakimasu, which litterally translates I accept or something like that, but it means thank you for the meal). Then everyone, at the same time, begins to eat.
After a set period of time, the same student will go back to the mic and ask everyone to raise their hand if they:re done eating (it doesn:t matter weither you:re done or not because time is up at that point), then they say for this delicious (although Sunagawa says interesting) lunch *ごちそうさまでした* (gochisousama deshita, litterally it was a feast), the last of which is repeated by Everyone, and then nothing is heard under the malestrom of chairs being put away (they actually have an extra shelf so that the stools can be slid under the table off of the floor to make sweeping easier) and kids talking as they take their dishes back to the surving tables, clean their plates, sort their garbage, and then head back to their classrooms for *cleaning time* (but I don:t think everyone does the cleaning, they rotate between jobs and days off).
I would also like to take this time to say that the kids clean the school. There is no janitor. This means that the bathrooms don:t get cleaned with anything stronger than soap, because the kids can:t be responsible for chemicals.
Cleaning time lasts as long as the kids take to do their job, then they have hiruyasumi 昼休み or afternoon break. Starting from the end of kyushoku, this can last for up to an hour and a half. Yeah, yay vacations.
Okay, I:m done for now. Until next time.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Okay, let's put off cleaning for just a few more minutes.
I fly to meet Natalie on Friday in Naha (yay!!!), so I have to pack on Thursday, which means cleaning must be done by today (buuu).
I was very happy went I came home today to Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas Card in my mailbox. I love getting letters from home, thank you.
I'll post a better update as soon as I figure out what I'm doing next week with my Christmas lessons. My big down times happen at school and today (and this week, really) they were taken up by "What the heck am I doing tomorrow?" (that was today's lesson, it went really well. They all got to be cockroaches :) ) and now it's turned into "What the heck am I doing next week for Christmas and with Natalie there?"
So far I've done (I hope) everything that I need to in advance for half of the schools for next week to work correctly.
I've asked if Natalie can come. 3 of 4.
I've asked if Natalie can eat the school lunch. 2 of 4.
I've asked if I can gank the computer lab and made sure the speakers work. 1 of 4.
Tomorrow I have to stop by Miyahara on the way home and ask about all three of those.
Okay, Kim, clean like a mad woman. Come on now, you can do it!
I was very happy went I came home today to Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas Card in my mailbox. I love getting letters from home, thank you.
I'll post a better update as soon as I figure out what I'm doing next week with my Christmas lessons. My big down times happen at school and today (and this week, really) they were taken up by "What the heck am I doing tomorrow?" (that was today's lesson, it went really well. They all got to be cockroaches :) ) and now it's turned into "What the heck am I doing next week for Christmas and with Natalie there?"
So far I've done (I hope) everything that I need to in advance for half of the schools for next week to work correctly.
I've asked if Natalie can come. 3 of 4.
I've asked if Natalie can eat the school lunch. 2 of 4.
I've asked if I can gank the computer lab and made sure the speakers work. 1 of 4.
Tomorrow I have to stop by Miyahara on the way home and ask about all three of those.
Okay, Kim, clean like a mad woman. Come on now, you can do it!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I've been boring lately
And I appologize for it. I've been writing some very impersonal and not very important stuff. I'll try to do better.
Today, you wouldn't believe how many times I was asked *Is he your boyfriend?*
David came over from Ueno to have my students make lanterns for his German Illumination Festival that he's having on the 23rd (Natalie, you do realize where you'll be on that day and yes we're going). So, that's what I did all day. He came out, and brought so much stuff from the Ueno Kanjikanjikanji (wherever he works, I can never remember the name and can't read the Japanese) and all of my kids 3-6th year made lanterns out of milk cartons (they sell the 1 liter variety here) and glass containers. They look sooooo pretty. It turns out that the kids need about 2 class periods to make them though, so he's coming again next Tuesday (Natalie, note where you'll be, again). It should be even more fun.
I need to come up with some good Christmas lesson ideas . . .
Today, you wouldn't believe how many times I was asked *Is he your boyfriend?*
David came over from Ueno to have my students make lanterns for his German Illumination Festival that he's having on the 23rd (Natalie, you do realize where you'll be on that day and yes we're going). So, that's what I did all day. He came out, and brought so much stuff from the Ueno Kanjikanjikanji (wherever he works, I can never remember the name and can't read the Japanese) and all of my kids 3-6th year made lanterns out of milk cartons (they sell the 1 liter variety here) and glass containers. They look sooooo pretty. It turns out that the kids need about 2 class periods to make them though, so he's coming again next Tuesday (Natalie, note where you'll be, again). It should be even more fun.
I need to come up with some good Christmas lesson ideas . . .
Monday, December 10, 2007
I would like to give a shout out to Milton, who just saved me money.
Now, I'm used to having Bundschu raise a few eyebrows, but this is the first time that I've ever been told that Kimberly is a weird name. This coming from the NHK guy who came by to collect my "I have a TV" money. Now, I told him that I didn't have a TV, because apparently having a TV means that you must watch NHK, and there for own them money for the privilege. Now, I don't watch TV on my TV. There is no reception in my apartment, and I haven't even turned it on since Veronica came by a few months ago and then we watched a movie on my Playstation. If I had said yes I own a TV, they would have kept coming and asking for (I believe) 2000yen every month or so. So I told them no. I don't have a TV. Thank you Milton for that handy dandy knowledge.
On an unrelated note. I haven't actually watched any television today. This is highly rare because I follow that with I didn't read a book today either. I just sat down and wrote from the time I got home (about 4:30) until around now. Yay for me. Too bad I didn't get more written, but at least I've written most of what I had plans for. Now for the trying to fit the Everything Else into the story. That should be interesting.
Other things of note. I didn't get invited to the end of year party for my main school. I think there are several things that attributed to this. 1) I didn't go to the Monday morning meeting where it is assumed I might have been informed of this party (I had to make copies instead, and I wouldn't have understood it anyway), 2) I'm situated in the 3-4th grade teacher's room this month. If I had been in the 5-6th grade teacher room, I think they might have made the effort to invite me, because they're a little more friendly with me (not nicer, more friendly, difference) and I think they would have thought about it on Friday. And 3) I'm in a different teacher's room every month, so just when I'm starting to get really friendly with a group of teachers, I'm moved to a different group of teachers where I have to start all over again becoming friendly to them. I'm not really upset. I just feel a bit left out. At least next month we get our brand new school and one giant teachers room, which may or may not be a good thing.
And now I'm going to bed, because I missed all of after lunch break due to a massive case of the passed out and I apparently need the more sleep.
However, just so that all of you know exactly how much of a geek I am.
And now I'm so happy. I'm waiting with eagerness for that Christmas episode.
On an unrelated note. I haven't actually watched any television today. This is highly rare because I follow that with I didn't read a book today either. I just sat down and wrote from the time I got home (about 4:30) until around now. Yay for me. Too bad I didn't get more written, but at least I've written most of what I had plans for. Now for the trying to fit the Everything Else into the story. That should be interesting.
Other things of note. I didn't get invited to the end of year party for my main school. I think there are several things that attributed to this. 1) I didn't go to the Monday morning meeting where it is assumed I might have been informed of this party (I had to make copies instead, and I wouldn't have understood it anyway), 2) I'm situated in the 3-4th grade teacher's room this month. If I had been in the 5-6th grade teacher room, I think they might have made the effort to invite me, because they're a little more friendly with me (not nicer, more friendly, difference) and I think they would have thought about it on Friday. And 3) I'm in a different teacher's room every month, so just when I'm starting to get really friendly with a group of teachers, I'm moved to a different group of teachers where I have to start all over again becoming friendly to them. I'm not really upset. I just feel a bit left out. At least next month we get our brand new school and one giant teachers room, which may or may not be a good thing.
And now I'm going to bed, because I missed all of after lunch break due to a massive case of the passed out and I apparently need the more sleep.
However, just so that all of you know exactly how much of a geek I am.
And now I'm so happy. I'm waiting with eagerness for that Christmas episode.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Two things.
1) Went for an hour long walk today. It rocked. Found Painagama Beach. Sunayama is still a mystery, that might be for next week. Apparently we're all doing a group "run" this Saturday, and y'all know my ideas about giving my muscles recovery time.
2) From wolven
I love it when people have a good sense of humor.
Now, off to soak that hour long walk away :) Need to remember bath supplies next time I'm at the store.
2) From wolven
I love it when people have a good sense of humor.
Now, off to soak that hour long walk away :) Need to remember bath supplies next time I'm at the store.
Yesterday I . . .
Had four classes where I didn't fully know what I was doing with the first one until I walked in the door, and have since not written down so I can't quite remember what I did do.
Didn't use the restroom all day even though I REALLY needed to for the last hour or so because that school does not have teacher restrooms and for some reason I'm just not comfortable with using the kid's restrooms.
Drove my scooter all the way to Shimoji to try to get signed up for karate classes. I found the dojo, but it was empty. I'm going to try again on Friday.
Figured since I was out, should try to find speakers so that I can play my IPOD as a music player in class. Found some at Best Denki for 20 bucks. They looked cheap so I'm planning to continue my search. Not that there are many places I CAN search. I did find some nice looking ones for 40 bucks, but that's a bit nicer than I wanted to spend.
Tried to change the broken lightbulb over the toilet. This is just a day after the one over my shower went out. Unfortunatly, the one over the toilet seemed to have been cemented into the ceiling and it took me putting a chair above the toilet to get me high enough to have the leverage needed to unscrew the dang thing. I had to pretend I was trying to break someone's neck, it was so tight. And when I finally got it off, I didn't have the right watt bulb for it. *Sigh*
Cleaned out my showerhead. I've mentioned how the water here is so hard and full of minerals that you can't drink it, right? Or you can if you don't mind the kidney stones. So yeah, my shower head has been spraying me in the face lately, no matter where I was standing, so I took it off and took it apart and used a needle to punch through the junk in all of the . . . probably 200 or so holes. Took about 15 minutes and hurt my fingers. My shower was lovely last night.
Watched the 2 most recent episodes of America's Next Top Model. Wow, is it fluff, but good growth and emotional betterment. And really pretty images. I'm get to download the season finalie tonight (I've decided against downloading the old episodes that I've missed because it is such fluff, but I think I'll continue watching the show in the future. I love how Tyra views the world). I cried.
Had another night where I was dead tired all day (I mean you should SEE the bags under my eyes) and I just ended up tossing and turning all night. Stupid.
So yeah, stuff happend, but it all seems kinda boring to reflect on. And that was an exciting day for me. Hmmmm, I think my problem with living here is not my job (which I love and could easily do forever), but is with what my afternoons and evenings entail. I miss y'all.
Didn't use the restroom all day even though I REALLY needed to for the last hour or so because that school does not have teacher restrooms and for some reason I'm just not comfortable with using the kid's restrooms.
Drove my scooter all the way to Shimoji to try to get signed up for karate classes. I found the dojo, but it was empty. I'm going to try again on Friday.
Figured since I was out, should try to find speakers so that I can play my IPOD as a music player in class. Found some at Best Denki for 20 bucks. They looked cheap so I'm planning to continue my search. Not that there are many places I CAN search. I did find some nice looking ones for 40 bucks, but that's a bit nicer than I wanted to spend.
Tried to change the broken lightbulb over the toilet. This is just a day after the one over my shower went out. Unfortunatly, the one over the toilet seemed to have been cemented into the ceiling and it took me putting a chair above the toilet to get me high enough to have the leverage needed to unscrew the dang thing. I had to pretend I was trying to break someone's neck, it was so tight. And when I finally got it off, I didn't have the right watt bulb for it. *Sigh*
Cleaned out my showerhead. I've mentioned how the water here is so hard and full of minerals that you can't drink it, right? Or you can if you don't mind the kidney stones. So yeah, my shower head has been spraying me in the face lately, no matter where I was standing, so I took it off and took it apart and used a needle to punch through the junk in all of the . . . probably 200 or so holes. Took about 15 minutes and hurt my fingers. My shower was lovely last night.
Watched the 2 most recent episodes of America's Next Top Model. Wow, is it fluff, but good growth and emotional betterment. And really pretty images. I'm get to download the season finalie tonight (I've decided against downloading the old episodes that I've missed because it is such fluff, but I think I'll continue watching the show in the future. I love how Tyra views the world). I cried.
Had another night where I was dead tired all day (I mean you should SEE the bags under my eyes) and I just ended up tossing and turning all night. Stupid.
So yeah, stuff happend, but it all seems kinda boring to reflect on. And that was an exciting day for me. Hmmmm, I think my problem with living here is not my job (which I love and could easily do forever), but is with what my afternoons and evenings entail. I miss y'all.
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