This post has been suffering from extreme tardiness for a great number of weeks, which has been found to be caused by extreme drowsiness, severe lack of free time and acute lazinessitis. Please note that an extensive list of additional side effects may affect the quality of this post. As a cure has yet to be discovered, the symptoms may continue to occur for an unknown period of time. Much caution should be exercised while handling this post. Its author cannot be held responsible for a sudden decrease in intellectual performance and any incident that this may result into.
ばかやろう！！！ (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
In any case, now that you are all aware of the dangers to which you may be exposed should you choose to disregard my warnings, here is an attempt at summarizing the past two months in a more or less coherent way. (^^)
Not too long after the last of my updates, I attended the world-famous Tokyo Games Show with a dear friend and one of his buddies. It's one of those times when I think: "Oh, hey, how about that. It seems like I live in Japan now!" without truly realizing it. I mean, I don't think it will ever sink in. No matter what it is I'm doing, be it the trivial everyday activities like grocery-shopping or going to work, or spending the day at what is possibly one of the most renown gathering of the big names of the gaming industry... It still doesn't seem real. And so I went with the ever-present feeling of floating through a suspended reality (I know you're all thinking what the fuck did she put in her cereal this morning). Since I hadn't known about the convention before accepting the invitation, I didn't have any expectations, which is good. Although I might have expected something more like the anime conventions I'd seen to date, because there wasn't much besides information/merchandise booths and a few presentations. But about the latter, I will say that they were quite interesting (says the girl who barely understood a word). I mean, it was exciting just knowing that I was there and this was actually the guy who had drawn the characters or put together the story of this Square-Enix hit. I thoroughly enjoyed the Final Fantasy Go There! presentation even though I've never played XIII and have not only heard good things about it, because let's face it, it was still Final Fantasy. They also showed some footage from the good old classics and played the heartwarming music that we all know like Prelude, which never fails to bring a tear to my eye. If I can make one complaint, it would be about the goddamned merchandise. Considering the size and reputation of the event, you would think they would have enough... but they ran out so quickly! There was always a lineup at the Square-Enix booth and despite that, many people - like me - had to go back empty-handed or unsatisfied. It was really frustrating that after waiting between 45 to 60 minutes (twice) I could not buy what I wanted. I was told to come back the following day: why the fuck did they not have the goods on hand just in case (I don't know, by some miracle) they ran out of them. (.__.) I was really pissed.
Near the end of September, I checked out an event that was taking place very close to where I live: the Nakanojo biennale. It ran over a few weeks, I think. It's basically a kind of artistic rally where you can observe the works of art of the local artists, which really varies in form and content, going from colorful abstract paintings to a structure made out of scrap metal to a creepy room with a bed surrounded by curtains of cotton wool hanging from the ceiling to... a disco-lights Daruma show. (That was pretty hilarious!) There were around thirty-something "main" attractions where you could get a stamp as a souvenir and if you managed to get a certain amount, you could receive a so-called special prize. My friends and I never managed to make it in one day and we didn't go back after that to complete the course as we were quite busy. But it was a great way to visit the small neighbouring towns and I quite enjoyed it. However, while some works allowed one to get a deeper understanding of the artist and their creative process, there were some that left me completely clueless, and one could say that for that reason, it wasn't worth their time. I wouldn't say that: it gave me a nice excuse to go sight-seeing locally and to hang out with my friends. The area is really beautiful! But it's true that I took more pictures of the scenery than the art XD
Something really good that I wish could have lasted longer: I had the chance to attend an English camp with the students of a high-academic junior high school. We spent two days together, including the bus rides, the meals, the games and other organised events. At the time, I wasn't a pro at teaching (not that I am now XD), so it wasn't easy to be handed a plan and teach it alone or in teams right away, but I learned from it a lot. Besides, the kids were so adorable. I was positively swept off my feet by their friendliness and motivation, as well as English ability. If I am to recontract next year - I still have absolutely no idea how that will go or what I will choose to do -, I will be looking forward to go back to English camp. What a great time I had. :)
As far as teaching is concerned, I have been making progress. I've gotten past the point where standing in front of the class used to terrify me, which I consider to be quite the achievement already. I can now somewhat/somehow "lead" the class, though I still lack a lot of confidence and technique. I can be terribly unclear, where I confuse even myself. I also lack the energy and creativity that seems to gush out of some teachers' every pores and my activities are not fascinating nor unique, But I've put together quite a few lessons and am getting the hang of preparing activities, explaining them and conducting them. Teaching grammar still proves to be a challenge, but I don't think it will ever stop being that way. It's just not easy, neither for you nor for your students, especially if the explaining is done in the target language that the students are struggling to learn. I am far from being comfortable yet in what I do and I still have atrocious lessons from time to time, but the number of decent-to-good lessons is steadily increasing.
My students are precious. While a great number of my girls have been showering me with love and attention ever since I came here, more and more are talking to me outside of class. As for my other two schools, the students have warmed up to me, including many of the boys. Even they now greet me whenever they run into me somewhere. I guess the fact that I have played Pokemon on my 3DS after class did help break the ice with quite a few of them and earn me a few buddies. (^^) Often times, I am faced with some behavior problems and "attitudes", but I will try to work my way into the hearts of those kids however I can. It's really hard to control them in the classroom, however. Well, you gotta do what you gotta do and there's only so many things that are within my power. I should probably stop being so hard on myself, and notice the good things that I do instead of being so fixated on the things that I fail at accomplishing. Well, that's a lifelong goal for me.
My adventures include the discovery of kotatsu and our love affair, a sad attempt at setting up my Internet and wireless router on my own, which has a happy ending, a story of honour and courage where I face my demons and go to a hair salon, only to leave (a few hours later) with non-catastrophic results A.K.A a god-awful haircut, and much more... but that's for another time. I will be writing about the two concerts I attended later, in separate posts, as well as my two times in Tokyo Disneyland (which is really in Chiba).
それじゃ、またね。
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