I was back at work for the second to last week of summer vacation. I ended up studying a lot more than I expected to. Things went well though, and I worked with little interruption throughout the day. The history teacher came by two or three times to ask me questions about CNN news, and the background and history of some English words like “angel” and “pull out”.
After I finished all my grammar, kanji, and vocabulary study Yamamoto sensei caught me reading “Holes” in Japanese and made a big production about how great that was. He’s got a really loud voice, and as he heaped praise on me all the other teachers on this side of the staffroom looked on smiling. He exclaimed that every time he comes in I’m at my desk studying, and it seems like I’m learning a lot. I appreciated the compliment, but not the attention. I’d rather study quietly and modestly.
One thing that struck me today while I was studying was how rarely I’m used by other teachers. Today I was watching Oshita sensei listening to English conversation on CD, and thinking how rarely he actually talks to me. I represent a very rare commodity in Japan – a native English speaker on call. In a country where it can cost up to $50/hour just to talk toa native speaker of English, it seems strange for him to just ignore the opportunity. Obviously he has an interest in studying – he just doesn’t want to speak English. I try my hardest to find people in Japan to speak Japanese with – it’s harder than you think!
I left work around 2:30 and headed home. I cleaned house just a little bit before Kuniko came home. She is gearing up for her big interview on Wednesday, so we’re going to work on studying for it tonight.
We went over to Ito Yokado and bought some groceries for dinner, and bumped into Ishii sensei and his wife. He used to be the computer teacher at Takasago Minami, but he was transferred. He knew both Kuniko and I before we told everyone our big secret, so when I told him several months ago he was really surprised. Today I met his baby for the first time, and his wife for the second time. His wife is really beautiful – she’s much younger than him, and I found out earlier from Komori sensei that she used to be his student. Wow!
Kuniko cooked up a great dinner of nikujaga and soumen noodles. We drank the rest of the pinot noir and practiced Japanese and English as she cooked. The meal turned out really well.
This week should be pretty crazy for Kuniko. She’s going to a work party tomorrow night, the interview on Wednesday, we’re going to the wedding place on Thursday night, Friday night she’s got another work party, Saturday is a business trip for her school. Very, very busy. Comparatively, I have tons of free time. I’ll try to enjoy it while it’s around.
