台風! Typhoon alert!
It's quite a mess outside, right now, but luckily, there doesn't seem to have been any damage (yet) where I live. It's just raining very heavily. The wind has risen a little more beyond a pleasant breeze, too. If you're in Japan right now, by all means, take care of yourself! I'm lucky enough to be located in a land-locked area and there are no large water bodies nearby, so the risks of a flood aren't so big. I'm not really worried about myself, but more about the people in the south (among which I have friends) and about the neighboring prefecture Fukushima and its Daiichi nuclear reactor, which some feared might be hit by the typhoon. The situation isn't yet under control there after the Great Touhoku Earthquake ravaged the reactor in March 2011, so more damage is the last thing Japan needs.
On a more insignificant note, this blog update is long overdue, I'm afraid. Overall, I've been doing pretty good. The staff at school is very sweet. For instance, when I expressed interest in learning tea ceremony, my vice-principal made some matcha for me to try (it was so delicious! kind of sweet, not at all bitter like many claim it to be). This was in some of the highest temperatures we got this summer. Granted, it really wasn't the best weather for this kind of drink, but I really appreciated the gesture! Not to mention that I was given the chance to make some right after and that my vice-principal actually drank it despite the heat. A student from the tea ceremony class also took me through the basics for a school project (and I was more than happy to oblige!). Also, I lost count of the number of times someone brought me vegetables from their garden (field?). To this day, I've been given tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, corn, cabbage... This is one of the many upsides to living the inaka life. I could get used to this... (^~^)
That being said, I've explored a few villages and cities in my area: Nakanojo, Naganohara, Tsumagoi, Maebashi (Sweet Mother of the Holy Peanut Butter, thank you for existing, COSTCO), Takasaki... (A hiking excursion to Reizan Takeyama confirmed what I suspected: I really need to get into shape!) Festival season was going strong when I first came to Gunma, so I had the chance to try the matsuri experience twice (that isn't a lot: there are dozens if not hundreds of festivals to attend in Japan, many of which take place in the summer). I definitely enjoyed myself and ate more than my fair share of festival food: takoyaki (たこ焼き、octopus balls), karaage (空揚げ、fried chicken), shaved ice, manjuu (饅頭、sweet buns). Once, I was given a bonus dish as "service" (サービス - for being a foreigner, I guess?). I was so happy! (^__^) And at my town's o-bon matsuri (festival for the celebration of the dead), I watched the お婆さん (grannies) move in a circle to the old dances of yore.
My only regret (other than the scandalous amount of calories I ingested) is that I did not join in. Next year, for sure...
I will shed my pride and dance through the night! (^_-)-☆
School started about two weeks ago. Thankfully, I hadn't wasted time during summer vacation developing some kind of system for myself thanks to my mad organisational skillzz (so much hair was lost due to insane pulling before I reached something decent though!). Having different schools and so many classes (that are sometimes further divided, to make things easier for me - AHEM), it's really hard to keep track of what I've done and what I need to do next... Let's just say I tend to slightly lose my mind in that kind of situation. It's a miracle that I've managed not to go completely bat-shit. I'm given a lot of freedom (pretty much carte blanche) for my lessons. This is great, because unlike some JET's who are hired to be nothing more than human tape recorders, I have the opportunity to learn and develop myself a lot. My job is nowhere near as boring as it could be! This is a great chance for me. At the same time, I have no prior teaching experience (actual "class time"), so I have a long way to go before I can do an acceptable job. So far, I've had good and not so good lessons. I really want to do this right and seriously, so I'd rather focus on my job for now. I still think it's pretty amazing that I manage to stand in front of a class without wanting to disappear into the floor.
In accordance with what I'd read (and contrary to popular belief), Japanese students are not all overly studious, perfectly behaved kids. This might be another bad case of JET Programme syndrome (acute ESID-initis), but as far as MY situation is concerned, well, there are many different types of kids. Among those are super-cute, motivated sweethearts, of course, but in general, it's fairly common for students to fall asleep on their desk, talk to each other from across the room (in Japanese) and not lift a finger to take part in AWESOME Canadian games and activities of doom (...*crickets*...). It definitely could be worse, though. In the end, teens will be teens and I can understand where they come from and what they are going through (I was a teenager myself not that long ago), so I really can't blame them. When I was in high school, I loved English, but not every subject was my forté, and as a chronic perfectionist, I hated anything that was hard and that I wasn't good at. I can totally relate.
Besides, when we're not in class (and even more so outside of school), many of those students frequently greet me and try to talk to me. If I can, I want to become friends with them (I love teenagers, we have so much in common lol). I've already grown quite attached to some of them and made a few buddies during souji (そうじ、cleaning time). Some of my fondest memories include a time when I offered to help and a girl grabbed my hand and dragged me up countless flights of stairs to the third floor where her class was. Once, also, two boys came to sit next to me in turn on the train to play with my tablet. We made small talk in broken Japanese and English, and we had a great laugh together.
Well, that was long. Guess I'll stop here, eh! (This trip is making me too Canadian for comfort. Sigh.)
Oh, before I forget! I've started taking taiko drum lessons with two English teachers. I'm not very good just yet, but I've made a lot of progress quickly! Reading Japanese music sheets is not easy, let me tell you... I can read katakana, but not so fast, and it takes an extra effort for me to translate what I read into what it actually means, music-wise. It's like an extreme version of rock band. I really hope I can become better... I'm really enjoying it and it's just so irresistibly bad-ass and empowering.
By the way, I just received a package delivery. To think that they are working on a public holiday (Respect for the Aged Day), and in this weather, too! Those Japanese sure are hard-working...
