I walked to the train station today with the wind blowing snow all over the place. The blizzard seemed to be confined to my part of town, because when I got on the train and started west, there wasn’t any snow blowing. When I arrived in Takasago, there was a bit of snow on the ground, and it was a first for me to walk to school in the snow. <\/p>\n
My entire morning was spent studying and doing lesson preparation. I talked with Mr. Hayashi about world peace, and with the history teacher about hybrid oranges. <\/p>\n
As for classes, I had a couple in the afternoon, and they went pretty well. The students were full of energy, and the classes always seem to go better when they are wired. I really enjoy teaching my students. Even though their level of English is not high compared to other schools, they will usually listen when I am talking, even if they can’t understand. They will struggle to figure things out, and when the light dawns in their eyes – it’s a great feeling. <\/p>\n
After school we had a lecture from a visiting counselor who was advising us on how we can best counsel students that need extra help. They have a counselor that comes to our school once a month to deal with any issues that students want to address. It seems like a good idea to me, especially with the suicide rates in this country being so high. Mr. Hayashi considers it a waste of time and money – he says they need security guards more than counselors. <\/p>\n
I went over to Azusa’s place for her English lesson, and her mother made me a nice big cup of coffee when we were finished. That hot coffee kept me going on the walk home – that and the gloves, scarf, giant jacket, and four layers of clothing underneath. <\/p>\n
I caught dinner at Ito Yokado – some Korean food that I am hoping to cook myself someday. My research method is to eat it, ask the cashier what some of the vegetables are, and then try to source the veggies for myself. <\/p>\n
Back home I had a package waiting for me. The music teacher, who had been laid up in the hospital for more than a month with heart problems, came back to school several months ago. He sent me a package of household cleaning supplies as a thank you for the small cash donation I gave him, and as kind of an announcement that he is officially back on his feet. It was a nice gesture – he probably spent all the money that we gave him on gifts for us. <\/p>\n
Tomorrow is the last day of winter according to the calendar, and there are some interesting ceremonies that occur in Japanese families. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow as I eat sushi without talking, facing the lucky direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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