Today we had a mandatory meeting at work at 10 a.m., and most people showed up at 9:50 or so. Everyone went into the meeting, we chatted for about 20 minutes, and then we left. People started drifting out of the staffroom for “lunch”. I stuck around to have lunch with the gang, and then I was out of there by 2 p.m. Now I’m gearing up for a three day weekend. I’m starting to feel guilty about taking a paycheck.<\/p>\n
Talking to other ALTs it becomes pretty apparent that I have one of the most casual schools out there. Not only is it laid back and relaxed, but the staffroom environment seems a lot different from other stories that I’ve heard. In our staffroom you’ll often find people speaking English to each other, not because I’m around, or because they have to, but because they like to do it. It’s a big contrast from some of the other schools where the ALT has to learn Japanese or starve to death. <\/p>\n
I’m really comfortable in my staffroom, and I have all the teachers to thank. The ALT that takes over for me will be one lucky person. I hope they realize how lucky they are. <\/p>\n
This evening I began organizing my closets. I’m a little shocked right now that I’m sitting here in Japan writing in my journal about how I organized my closet on a Friday night. I’d like to make up stories and say that I went rollerskating with a cheerleading squad in Himeji, but really… who rollerskates in Himeji?<\/p>\n
Kuniko did give me a call which was a nice treat – I’m hoping to go visit her tomorrow evening. It’ll be a good closet-organizing break for me. <\/p>\n
Finally, I saw this website this evening and thought I’d recommend it to you. It’s a musician’s site, and I had lots of fun playing around with it. <\/p>\n