Japanese Overdrive

I skipped running this morning and did some stretches and exercises at home instead. My legs are feeling better, but why push it?

Only one class today, so I spent lots of time studying. I recruited a few Japanese teachers to teach me Japanese, and talked to a few teachers that I don’t normally chat with. I’m trying to use Japanese in the staffroom a little more. It worked really well. Some of the teachers were surprised that I spoke well. I’m not really that good, it’s just that they never hear me speak. Anyway, it felt good to get some feedback.

The history teacher came by several times to chat. He was really excited about how much his English has improved since he has been talking to me. I’ve seen a little improvement, but he tends to make the same mistakes, over and over again. He’s not interested in why he should say things, he just wants to know what to say.

He was saying how great that he was getting this all for free, while the other teachers end up going to private schools and paying for lessons. I thought that was a good time to drop a hint. I told him that I had heard other teachers wanted to speak with me, but they were too nervous when he was around. This is true, and I hope it will give him pause and think about how much time he actually spends chatting with me every day. He estimates 15 minutes a day, my guess is about 45 minutes on average.

I also had a good ESS club meeting. There were only three students today, and we had a really cold classroom to work in, but it was fun. I played a couple of games with them, and helped them with their homework. Ikuko, one of the members, was in my class earlier today and she looked sick or nervous. She wasn’t doing so well. I didn’t think she would make it to ESS but when she got there she was smiling and happy.

Tonight I had sushi, kimchee, and miso soup for dinner. It was quick and easy. Now I’m cleaning up around the house and trying to stay warm. Tomorrow is Friday already!


Leave a Reply