One fine day

Well. Haven't been updating for a long time and I think I know why.

Things have been going so good lately, and I'm really settling in well. Today was a great day. In the morning, I met Kazuyo's mother, Aoyama-san, who gave me a present!

Traditional Iga area biscuit. See the ninja (symbol of Iga) on the label?? Haha

So, the biscuits are really hard, and they even give you this small wooden hammer to break the biscuit into pieces before you open the packet so that it's easier for you to eat it. Like in the picture below.

There. All broken and ready to eat. 

So anyway, Aoyama-san has a very strong and persevering interest in English. In our hour-long conversation, she told me how she started learning English using the NHK English radio programme, and how she views English as a doorway to new experiences. NHK should use her to promote their programme, cos she is one of the best Japanese speakers of English I've come across so far! She even has an American accent sometimes!

After speaking to Aoyama-san, I went back to my desk to mark my paltry stack of English essays (more on that later), and along came Tony-sensei who started talking to me about differences in English teaching in Japan and Singapore. Which progressed to reasons why Singapore's standard of English is one of the highest in Asia, and why actually, the Japanese don't really need to learn English.

Then, Naka-sensei of the Nabari High's night school programme came along for me. Some night school teachers were going out for a nice lunch, and the kyoto-sensei (vice-principal) of the night school had invited me along. I'm learning Aikido from him, by the way. I get bruises on my forearms after every training session. Ack. It hurts. But if you dare attack me, even in a mock-angry manner, YOU will hurt. Promise. Hi-ah! Back to lunch. So we went to this sukiyaki/sushi restaurant which was SO NICE cos I had been dreaming about eating sukiyaki for the past two weeks after Utaka decided on Sukiyaki as her International Culture class presentation. And there it was! 

Happiness (after knowing your Saviour) can come in different forms. And one of it is grilled Matsutake mushrooms:

Or in sushi form:

Ubiquitous Japanese photo-taking pose.

See how happy I am? Of course I'm happy! Didn't have to pay a single cent for that meal cos the kyoto-sensei treated me to lunch!! Love Japan and all it's generous customs. They are SO NICE to foreigners sometimes!! Do you know how much those mushrooms cost? I saw them. There were ten of them in a basket, and that basket of mushrooms cost 3 man. That's 30,000 yen, which roughly translates to a little less than $500 SGD. I kid you not. 

So, after that lovely lovely meal, I went back to school, and started marking. I was about to finish aforementioned paltry stack of papers when one of the JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) offered some test papers to me to mark. I had begged him for work previously, and he was only kindly offering me something to ease my boredom. Really, truly, madly and deeply. I joke not. 

I know these things now:

1) Singaporeans can work. 

2) Singaporeans must work, or else they will be bored. 

3) I am quite the epitome of a Singaporean. 

Suffice to say, I have been bored to tears these 2 months at work. 

On my schedule, I have slightly more than 10 hours of classes every week. This is already a sharp drop in working hours from what I was used to in an MOE school. Back then, I worked from 7 am to 7 pm. 

Here, I work from 8.30 am to 4.15 pm. Out of the 10 teaching hours allotted to me, I am only required to attend about 7 hours of class per week. 

I go to work for about 7 hours a day. That's 7 x 5 = 35 hours a week. 

Lesson planning and marking takes maybe 5 - 6 hours a week. So, my grand total of actual working hours is..... 13 hours a week. At most. And I get paid more than I was in MOE. What a happy situation, you might say! What a wonderful life, you might think!

What a boring and useless life, I say. Yes, kick me or yell at me or flame me on facebook however much you want, I still maintain my stand. 

I am a trained MOE teacher. While that's not saying much, it means much more. MOE trains teachers WELL. MOE teachers are by default, multi-taskers, hard workers and good teachers. Yes, we might complain a tad much, but that doesn't detract from our record as dedicated educators. 

I came to Japan to teach English, to help open doors for people to experience different cultures, but I am only doing so much. So little much. USE ME!! I want to yell everyday in the staffroom. I know how to teach!! Let me observe! Let me be your tape recorder! Give me some weaker or stronger students so that I can help them! Please, just make use of me!!! 

After a near breakdown last week when I was suddenly told I won't have to go to class again, I begged the JTE to let me just sit in. He couldn't, he said. Could I go ask another JTE if she needed help? God answered my prayers. She had lost her voice that day so I would be of some help, at least. 

After that lesson, the first JTE asked me very seriously, "You don't like not having anything to do?" I very nearly burst out, "YOU CAN TELL?!! YOU UNDERSTAND!! NOW GIVE ME MORE WORK OR ELSE!!" 

Of course I didn't. I just very calmly replied that I had been used to doing so much more in Singapore and didn't want to get used to not doing much here in Japan. 

And that's how I was able to mark test papers today. Otherwise.... this is what would have happened:

So, after that lovely meal, I went back to school and finished marking that paltry stack of papers. Then I went online and checked my email, went on facebook, looked at English websites, chatted a little, then at 4.15 pm, I packed up and went home. What a happy day!

It was actually worse, 3 weeks ago. Then I hit upon the idea of joining the clubs in the afternoon after school, so my work life was less of a bore. I join the softball girls for training on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and join the English Speaking Club on Thursdays. On Mondays, because I have night class and can't train with the softball girls, I use the school's very well-maintained gym in the afternoons. Suffice to say, I'm fitter now than I ever was after university. 

Next week, I shall ask to join the cooking classes, sewing classes and pottery class. If I can't teach as much as I want to, I shall learn as much as I can. Perhaps, after joining those classes, I might be able to build better rapport with the students, which will help in their learning of English, I hope. 

Being on the JET programme, you really learn that ESID - every situation is different. I know of JETs who are four times as busy as I am, and there are a few JETs who teach even less than I do. 

Don't get me wrong. I think the JET programme rocks. I love my school, I love Nabari, I really like my life now. I just wish I could be of more use here in Japan. 

Will talk about my previous trips in the next post!