Well, yesterday was a pretty good day. I was able to leave school early, around eleven o’clock. I spent the morning at school studying Japanese and writing my next lesson about Christmas. My classroom is empty during exams, so I go up there to study. I put a CD on my player and rock out while studying Japanese. It’s a pretty good learning environment!
I did some shopping and shipping yesterday. I sent some Christmas presents home to family. It’s very expensive to ship – I was surprised how quickly it adds up. I handled the shipping all by myself, and I was proud of that. At least, I’ll be proud if everything shows up in the right place in one piece.
Near the post office I had lunch at a Japanese burger place – kind of a McDonald’s rip-off chain. I had a shrimp burger, with french fries and cheese dip. Delicious! I met some of my students there, and had a nice conversation in English with some students from another school. Every time I get a chance to speak English with a student, it kind of reinforces for them that using English is OK, and that there is nothing to be afraid of. I’m proud how far along my Japanese skills have come, but in these situations, it’s best to stick with English.
After work I spent the afternoon doing some laundry, and cleaning house a little bit. I have to start worrying about what to pack for Australia, so I’m starting to get a little organized now while I have the time.
Miss Kageyama came by to pick me up a little early, around 5 o’clock, to go catch dinner and a movie. We had tonkatsu at a small restaurant in the shopping mall next to the movie theater, and we quizzed each other on English and Japanese.
As for the movie – it was really good! I was especially impressed with the artwork – the colors were spectacular, and the different scenes were well put together. The story was great – we both enjoyed the story, and lots of people in the theater were laughing at the lines, so the translation into subtitles must have been well done, too.
After the movie Miss Kageyama dropped me off at home – she had loads of homework to do before she goes to school on Wednesday. Tomorrow we are going to Awaji Island across the Pearl Bridge, and then to an observation point that should be photogenic.
