どうぞ!

I'm extremely tired, so I will make this short. I just wanted to share a cute story that happened today at Higashi Junior High.

I was heading downstairs after eating lunch with one the classes and this boy Yuuta (the grade 9 who likes Blink 182 I mentioned before) sees me and shouts, "Hello!" So I of course say "Hello" back. But then he runs after me saying, "hello, hello!" and follows me down the stairs. He says "I'm Yuuta!" and I told him that I of course remembered him. So he follows me to the staff room where I was headed, then gestures towards the door, and says "Douzo" which basically means, "Please, go ahead" and then as I walk through the door, he bows really deep, and then says "Bye!" and goes back up the stairs!

So cute!

All The Small Things

Today was a really fun day! I did my self introduction classes to the grade 9 students at Higashi Junior High. They were so much fun! The grade 9 students are quite rowdy, and sometimes difficult to control, but it made for very interesting classes. During the question period, they don't really hold back at all. One question I didn't understand, and the teacher wouldn't even translate it for me because it was too rude... I'm still dying to know what he said, although it's probably better that I don't. I was asked how much I weigh, how tall I am, if I would be their boyfriend... One boy felt the need to tell me that I looked better with my hair down, and not in a headband like how I was wearing it. Thanks? And one girl even said she wanted to marry my dad...

The best part of my day today, was when a grade 9 boy asked me to have lunch with him. He found out I like Blink 182 and he wanted to talk about music. So I sat at a desk by him and his friends, and I talked to them about what bands they liked, what bands I like, and things like that. Him and his friends are actually in a band, I really want to hear them now! Maybe someday... It was nice to have so many students who were willing to try and speak in English, and listen to my awful Japanese.

At least I'm getting used to something...

So, this is just a short, random little blog entry...

I get home from a long day, and I had rented some sex and the city to unwind...

I'm watching an episode, and it zooms out on a road in LA with all of these cars...

And for a split second, my brain thinks "Why are they driving on the wrong side of the road??"

Wow.

The incredibly genki kids of Higashi Junior High

Today I did my self introduction for the 3 different grade 8 classes at Higashi Junior High in Nayoro. It was a blast!! The classes each had about 27 kids in it, so it was VERY different from Chiebun! They were all excited to see me, and love to say hello, and good morning, and other random stuff in the hallways. One guy even said, "yo," which I was quite impressed with! Many, many students commented on how large my nose is, which I am used to now, but the first time someone told me I had a large nose I was a little offended... I don't really like how large my nose is, and it's so odd hearing a bunch of people comment on how large it is. It's also weird to know that they mean it as a compliment, not as an insult...

In my first class today, I got asked the inevitable question, "Do you have a boyfriend?" I decided to have some fun, and told them that I was dating the members of Rip Slyme, my favorite Japanese band. The funny thing is that one of the boys could not let it go, it seemed like he actually believed me... He asked me for their autographs, but I said that Rip Slyme is just too busy to give out autographs. Then he told his friends outside of the class, so everyone in the hall started asking me about Rip Slyme. It was really funny, but I don't know if I will give that answer again, it caused too much craziness!

The aspect of my life the students are most surprised about is the fact that I own a donkey. Some of them don't even know what a donkey is!

Tomorrow I have classes with all of the grade 9 students... I'm sure I will have something to say about that tomorrow!

Kussharo and Kawaii

So I went on my first big road trip in my own car this weekend, and it was a blast! I left saturday morning at around 8am , drove to Asahikawa to pick up my friends Parker and Laura, and from there continued on to Lake Kussharo. We got there around 4:30 I think... It was a beautiful drive, Hokkaido is so lush and green, and we drove through lots of mountains. I love mountains! It was so nice to see more of Hokkaido, I can't get over how beautiful it is. We camped on the edge of Lake Kussharo for 2 nights, and it was really fun. It was nice to hang out with other JETS for a few days! We also went to an onsen in one of the towns close by. This particular town has a bunch of onsens made from natural hot springs in the area. I love onsens! How onsens usually work is that men and women are split up, you go into a room, take off your clothes, enter the onsen area, wash yourself thoroughly, and then enter the pools they have. There is usually a few different pools of varying heat, some are so hot I can't imagine how anyone could ever possibly get in at all. I actually love the system of onsens, because you know that the water is clean. Its much more relaxing being in clean water than in water where there might be band-aids or other random stuff floating around in it...



Today I started at a brand new school, it's a junior high school with about 200 kids. Which is significantly larger than any other schools I have been to so far! The kids are so curious about me, it's very strange. They come up to me, and most just say hello, but a lot of the girls just go crazy! Once girl came into the office, saw me at my desk, and then exclaimed "KAWAIIIIIIIII" about 20 times! Kawaii means cute in Japanese. Anything I did, caused her to say it. I say "hello", she says "KAWAII!!" I say konnichiwa, she yells "KAWAIIII!!" I sit there and do nothing, "KAWAAAAIIIII!!!!!!" It was a little embarrassing...

Well that's all for today, I hope everything is going well back in Canada!

Bad, bad, blogger...

Alright...


So I admit, I have not been so good at the blogging... I will continue to try my best to keep it updated, for those of you who read it, and I'm so sorry I take so long to put new ones up! If anyone has anything they would like me to write about, please let me know! If I have a topic, it may make it easier for me to think about things to write about!



So I am officially an assistant language teacher, and have started teaching! So far I have taught at 3 out of the 5 schools I will be teaching in. The first school I taught in was Chiebun Junior High school, a small country school with 9 students in grade 9, 1 student in grade 8, 4 students in grade 7, and 2 special needs students. My Japanese-English teacher is a 25 year old guy, who is so nice, and always tells me what I need to do. I basically read the text, do repeat after me activities, and other random stuff. For example, he had me write a haiku to show the grade 9 class. Here it is:


The food of Japan

Soba, Sushi, Tempura

Oh, so delicious



And that is why I took math in university.



Anyway, regardless of the fact that it is probably the worst Haiku ever written, my teacher was quite impressed by it. Why? I have no idea...



This week I had my first lessons in elementary schools, which is completely different, because I have to create lessons and run them myself. The first lessons were at Nakanayoro elementary school, a small country school with about 12 students in total. The lessons were ok, however the kids were way smarter than expected... So my lesson ended up being a little boring, but for it being my first lesson and all, it went alright. The kids seem to like me no matter what I do, they grab your hand, give you hugs, and they are soooo cute.

This morning I am heading off to a big party for other JETs in Hokkaido, and I am really looking forward to seeing my friends again! Next post I will talk about the many reasons why Japanese schools are different than Canadian schools. And perhaps if there are good stories from the party this weekend, I will talk about them!

Love from Japan!