Today I went into work and got my first crack at teaching a class. We’re starting off with some students working through the summer session, so I spent about half an hour with them and Mr. Hayashi, going through some questions and introductions. I was most amazed with how fast the time goes. I will be team teaching with another teacher for about 50 minutes at a time. Their class is considered to be one of the best English classes, and as Mr. Hayashi warned me, I wasn’t too impressed. They are so shy when you talk to them. We (I) spoke mainly in English, but Mr. Hayashi kept things going in Japanese to make sure they were getting it. It was a great warm up, and I’m putting together my first lesson for next week.
Once I got home I started up my routine – laundry, water filtration, eating two bowls of shaved ice, and trying to sort out the mail. The mail is the most difficult – it can take 20 minutes just to figure out what is important and what is just junk. Usually you can tell pretty easily, but sometimes they are tricky and I have to call in Miss Kageyama or Mr. Hayashi.
While sorting out my mail on the couch in my living room, a truck starting driving through the neighborhood, and some guy was singing big time through a microphone and a giant speaker mounted on the top. I’m not sure what he was singing, but he covered my neighborhood thoroughly. His singing wasn’t particularly good, and after my karaoke experience I feel uniquely qualified to judge this kind of thing. It was an odd moment that reminds you that you are in a strange country and it will take a while to get used to things.
I found some sausages at the supermarket last week on sale and I cooked one up last night. I’m not sure what’s in there, but it tasted great. Tonight I’m going to cook two more and go for broke. The contents of sausages are uncertain enough in the USA – I’m really taking a chance here. Best not to think about it…
On Wednesday I’m going to a BBQ hosted by a couple of Japanese guys for JETs. I’m not sure why they are throwing it, it’s just something that I heard about through Nyasha, one of the JETs that we met up with in Akashi. Thursday Mr. Hayashi is taking us out to lunch in Kobe – there is a great Indian food place that he wants me to try. He says that it is “Japanized” Indian food, so it should be an interesting culinary experiement.
