I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and are getting ready for a lovely New Year as well! The past weeks leading up to winter break were a blur of activity mainly due to winter seminars. These are like private lessons, but you have them all day, all week. It's nice in terms of classroom management (only having one child at a time to deal with is a lot less hectic), but also very busy since you have to plan lessons individually. I was really worried at first that I would be swamped with work, but as it turns out only a little planning and preparation was actually necessary.
Most of the kids wanted Christmas-themed lessons, with vocab words like "Christmas tree" and "gingerbread man." It was actually pretty fun. :) We even did crafts with the younger students, mine being a paper cube (like the ones you make in geometry class) that the kids got to color and decorate before folding them up into "Christmas presents" which we tied with a bow for good measure. :)
After work on Christmas Eve, we had a holiday party before heading home for the night. It was SO much fun! We had Christmas cake, sparkly wine, and a mixed secret santa/ white elephant gift exchange. Allison made latkes, adding a Hannukah flair to our festivities. I love that our office is so friendly and fun. Even though I've only been in Japan for a month, I felt really close to everyone that night. All 7 of us were nestled together in one of the small classrooms, shoulder to shoulder, laughing and talking and sharing someof the purest "Christmas spirit" that I've seen in a long time. :)
My Christmas day was relaxing and uneventful. I spent it cleaning my apartment and watching movies. :) As it began to get into the early evening I started feeling really homesick. I guess that won't ever go away, will it? I miss you guys at home. I think about home all the time and sometimes I cry. But I also love Japan with all my heart and am so happy to be here. I think the biggest thing I wish is that I could have someone around to show all the wonderful things I'm seeing and doing on my exploration. You all definitely need to come visit me!
Ok, no more depressing stuff!
Yesterday marked the first day of winter break at school, and I have no idea how to go about spending my time. Everyone from training and from work are busy, so it looks like it's just me and myself with a whole week-or-so to explore! Yesterday I spent the entire day lazing around my house, so today I determined to run all over downtown exploring. Basically I spent the whole afternoon wandering around, popping in stores and getting lost. I found a small park (will post pics asap) which had the weirdest jungle-gym thing I've ever seen! It was a HUGE structure of interwoven rungs, and since it was in the middle of a playground it definitely was for climbing. I wanted to climb it so badly, but there were kids and stuff around so I didn't. Ugh, I'm so self-concious... I will climb to the top one day! ^_^
I saw so many cool things on my tromp across downtown. In front of the city building there was an illusionist performing on the street, which was awesome. I have no idea what he was saying (apart from when he asked the crowd to donate if they thought his act was good), but you don't really need to know Japanese to understand an illusionary show. He ahd those cool glass balls that look like they're floating when you hold them, and did a very intricate routine with a set of 4 flat plastic rings. I should have taken video but I wasn't sure if it was allowed. Nearby I found a lovely little craft store where I can indulge my artistic side with yarn, wool, and dangly jewels. :)
Ok, I'm going to end the writing part here and just post some photos from my winter break excursions. :) A picture says a thousand words, right? Please know that I love and miss all of you! <3 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Dear Family and Friends,
Hello from Japan! It’s been almost a month since I arrived,
and I’ve been trying to write a new post for weeks but never found the time. My
new life and job here in Shizuoka have been SO busy! I’ve never had a job
before where I worked so hard, but even so I am extremely happy. I have so much
to share with you all, so bear with me. :)
Shinkansen (www.japaneselifestyle.com)
After arriving at Shizuoka city by shinkansen (the super-fast
bullet train!), I was met by my wonderful manager and Allison, my co-NET
(native English teacher). I was super nervous on the train ride over, and as we
pulled into my station I straightened my suit jacket and took a deep breath,
ready to greet my new workmates with calm, friendly professionalism. I stepped
off the platform and looked around, trying to spot anyone who seemed to be
looking for me—and then I saw them. Manager and Allison scurried across the
platform, big grins on their faces which made me smile in return. They were
bouncy happy balls of welcoming joy and for a little while after handshakes,
bows, hugs, and introductions we jumped up and down in a little excited circle
like we were 10 year olds. :D
Any worries I had had on the train ride over dissipated.
I saw a little bit of the station as we walked through to
find a bus. Manager and Allison took me to see the apartment, and on the way we
met Travis, the teacher I would be replacing at Ekinan Amity. Here was yet
another smiling, friendly person! He brought me an umbrella and went with us to
the apartment.
The apartment is HUGE in comparison to what the Amity
recruiters told us to expect. Three rooms, probably 200-300 square feet total,
which doesn’t seem that big, but some NETs at other schools only have apartments that are 100 sqft so I was
extremely lucky! Even better, Travis left me a couch, tv, bookshelves, desk,
and (best of all) a kotatsu! This was the piece of furniture that I wanted more
than anything else. It’s a low table that has a small heater built right under
it and when it’s cold, you throw a blanket over it and turn on the heater and
PRESTO, a snuggly warm tent for your legs and feet while you sit. :) I am super happy with
the apartment, and have loved living in it since. I have a new futon (already
provided), washing machine, TWO burners on my stove (believe it or not, this is
another luxury item), and a balcony with a wonderful view. Here’s a video I
made of the apartment for you guys! I sound really goofy so please don’t
laugh too hard. :P
The week that followed my arrival was a blur of activity. I
followed Travis to all of his classes, watched him teach, participated in the
lessons, and eventually taught my own. It was a bit overwhelming, especially
the lesson planning part, but Travis was full of good advice and gave feedback
that really helped me to improve throughout the week. I also got to meet the
kids gradually, in a way that was less threatening toward them, which I think
helped the shy ones adjust better to the presence of a new teacher. The kids are extremely cute!!! I especially
love baby classes because they are absolutely adorable, but they don’t run
around the classroom just yet. :P The parents were all very nice, and my coworkers
are phenomenal. I have only had a few opportunities to work with such friendly,
fun people (Panera was one of these—hey guys!), and the teachers at Shizuoka
Ekinan are some of the best. I love each of them dearly even after just a few
weeks.
(From Left) Fumika-san, Allison, Marie-san, Mai-san and ME!
Having survived my in-school training week, it was time to
say goodbye to Travis. All week he had taken photos with the kids, and given out
cute souvenir pencils as goodbye gifts, but on Saturday the last class was over
and that was it. They were my classes now, my kids, and the responsibility
weighed heavily on me. But before I had a chance to get stressed out, we had a
small office party with cake and coffee, and then on Sunday we all went out to
dinner and karaoke to celebrate! It was SO MUCH FUN! I don’t know how anyone
could hate karaoke, it was one of the best times I’ve ever had! I sang Britney
Spears, lol. Plus, it was a great way to get to know my new coworkers in a
relaxed environment. :)
We all cried at the end because Travis was leaving, and even though I hadn’t known
him for as long as everyone else I felt really sad and cried too. He had been
my mentor for the whole week and I still miss him. After karaoke we went to
this tiny hole-in-the-wall bar… but it was full of toys and games! There were
darts, UNO, drinking games, and cards. I taught Fumika-san, Mai-san, and
Marie-san how to play “Egyptian Rat Screw” and we all got really into it. :P We
stayed up all night, playing games and talking, and then took a cab home. It
was so much fun!
This is how tired I was... :(
After the awesome weekend, it was time for my first week on
my own! And actually, it wasn’t too bad. :)
The kids are a lot of fun, and even though some classes are harder to manage
than others or are difficult to plan for, overall I really enjoy teaching. The
hardest part is the late hours. Anyone who thinks that being an English teacher
in Japan is easy work is either a liar or has a skewed sense of reality. The
truth is that we work VERY hard! Most days this past week I came in to work
between 9 and 11am and don’t go home until 10 or 11pm. Then, once I got home, I
spent at least an hour or two working on my lesson plans for the next day. Then
up in the morning to do it all over again.
I think time management is something that will be well worth
my while to learn quickly. It’s tough because we use a loop calendar and the
new loop starts on Thursday, so even though I have all my tues/weds classes
planned and ready to go, I have a whole new set that need to be made up for Thurs-Wed,
with new material to be taught, props to be made, etc. This past week I got
trapped on Wednesday night needing to plan 8 lessons for the next day, and that
was a killer. So, this weekend I’m going to try to get ahead on the planning for
the upcoming loop in order to lighten my workload during the week. We’ll see how
it goes. :)
Even with all of the work, I am still having a great time. I
got my bank account, cell phone, internet access plan, and even my health
insurance card! Manager, Allison, and Hiro-sensei (one of the other teachers at
Ekinan) all helped me out tremendously. They went with me to the stores and
bank and helped me fill out the paper work and talk to the employees. I have
come to realize that my paltry understanding of Japanese is not adequate to
conduct daily business affairs. I will definitely have to practice more if I
want to be able to do anything on my own without a translator. Maybe I can take
a class on the weekend or something…. My schedule during the week is so busy I
don’t really have time to study, but Allison has promised to study with me when
we can, so phew! :) I’m
so lucky to have such great friends!
One of the things I love here in Shizuoka is the environment
itself. It’s beautiful and the weather is phenomenal! During the day if I wear
long sleeves I don’t have to wear a coat. It’s like Ohio’s September right now,
and it’s December! At night it gets pretty chilly, which is awkward because I
have to carry a coat around during the day even when it’s not cold just in case
it gets dark. And it gets dark SO FAST here! The sun comes up around 4am, so at
2pm it already looks like late afternoon! But the nights are so pretty,
especially with the Christmas lights up everywhere! I’ll have to take some
photos for you guys. :)
Oh, and I saw Orion the other night. It’s weird that I can see the same stars
here that you can at home! If you look up into the sky at night and see Orion,
think of me, ok?
All right, that’s all I have for right now. I’ll try to
update more regularly, at least once a week on the weekend. But for now please
know that I’m happy, healthy (if thinner; none of my clothes fit now!!!), and
loving the Land of the Rising Sun!
Survived my first week by myself! I’m officially a teacher!
Green leaves on the trees, even though it’s December. :)
Hot drinks out of vending machines to keep my hands warm on
the walk home from work.
I'm on the Shizuoka Ekinan website! Check out here for 日本語!
My heater doesn’t send heat
into the kitchen, so in the morning even though my bedroom is toasty it’s
freezing in there! Space heater!!!
Forgot to bring in my laundry from the balcony, so it’s
damp and I can’t wear my nightgown. :/
Having no idea what anyone is saying to me at stores. Time
to break out the textbooks!
Going to Tokyo next weekend with Allison and her friends! :D
Today was our last “free” day before training, so we decided
to see the other side of the train station that we hadn’t been able to explore
yesterday. Plus, there was a castle and a famous park nearby too, which, though
a little tourist-y, was supposed to be really famous and beautiful.
So, after getting hot tea at a vending machine (which is
still the coolest thing ever), we headed off across the station and ended up
walking through this covered street marketplace, like those outdoor malls in
England where they have stores on either side, but there is a roof covering
everything. We went to a hyaku-en
(100 yen) store, which is like a dollar store here, and bought gloves and
looked at all the other weird things. :)
Then we found a yarn/knitting shop and Chelsea, Rosie and I went in to look at
it. There was a really cute kid, a man, and I think his mother who owned the
shop. We saw a beautiful scarf and the lady showed us the yarn it was made
with. I decided to get some, because it was really reasonably priced and looked
amazing! The best part was that the lady then proceeded to show me how to make the scarf we were looking at
(which was surprisingly easy), and even gave me a free pattern! It just blew my
mind how nice she was! Even though my Japanese wasn’t very good, she just
smiled and was super helpful and friendly. If I lived in this area I would buy yarn from
her all the time!
The "Sky Mall" :)
Chelsea, Niki, Dane, Cat, Rosie, Ayumi, and Chris
It took a while to get to the castle, but we finally did. It
was located in a gorgeous park with a river next to it. The castle is called Okayama-jō(here, “jō” means castle).
It was built in 1597 and is called “crow castle” sometimes because the outside
is black, and it had beautiful white and gold edging, which really made it
stand out. In World War II it was destroyed in air raids, but then they made a
perfect reconstructed it in the 1960s. There was an area before you actually
got to the castle where there were outlines on the ground where there used to
be buildings before they were destroyed, and they had reconstructed the foundation
stones as well. The castle was beautiful from the outside, but we didn’t go in
because it was a little bit expensive. Instead, we went to the Korakuen garden, which was located right
next to Okayama-jo. (Shift+ Left Click the picture to bigger original size)
Me! At Okayama Castle
The park was absolutely stunning. Words can’t really
describe it, so here are some photos, and I’ll try to put up a ton more soon (I
took like 70 photos today!).
There was a wooded part of the park as well, and although it
was beautiful as well, it was also a little creepy… The bamboo and trees
everywhere made it very dark in comparison with the rest of the park. And then
there were… the creepy things. So, we were walking through the woods and
suddenly we come upon this:
Ok, so obviously it’s some kind of art sculpture. A little ominous
but, ok cool. But then when you get close to it you see:
A Brain!!!!! :O
No, not a real brain, but that is a rather realistic
depiction of one. It was really weird and a little creepy. But we kept going,
and found a little building… with tall metal spikes on the ground outside.
Again, obviously artistic but a bit un-nerving.
Rosie was the bravest among us, and went first. :)
But not as unnerving as what was inside of the building.
There was a lattice on the front and a mirror behind it, but the mirror was
angled so that if you stood on the left side of the building you saw your
reflection only on the right hand side. Plus, when you looked at the floor:
WHAT ARE THESE???
They were really creepy, but also kind of cool. The woods
started to give us the creeps so we headed back toward the sunny fielded area,
and passed by another house exhibit. You could only go up to see it 3 at a time
and there were, of all things, playing cards lodged in the wooden slats of the
porch. We asked the staff lady who was there what the significance of the cards
was, but actually she said they had no meaning originally but that for some
reason, now, people come and put them there as a kind of good-luck thing. It
was really interesting, but I was a little disappointed that there was no other
explanation for it or a clue as to the other art exhibits we had seen.
Also, as we headed out of the woods, we found a small lake
full of dead lilies… eek! Scary!
Everyone was super tired after our excursion, so we headed
back toward the training center, and stopped for ramen on the way. Yay! My
first Japanese restaurant! :)
You had to order pay for the food at a machine, then give the ticket to a
waitress inside. Unfortunately, everyone who knew Japanese ordered first and
went to sit down, but I was one of the last ones and I was like, “Hey! Come
back, I can’t read!” Sigh, I definitely need to improve on my Japanese. After
eating we went to an electronics store and I bought a stylus for my tablet,
then we headed home.
After all the walking yesterday and today I was SO tired
when we got back. I fell asleep at 5pm and didn’t wake up until 11! Training
starts tomorrow, though, so hopefully the extra sleep will help. :) I had an amazing time
exploring Okayama today, and hopefully tomorrow will be an adventure too!
We have 2 days off before training starts, so we were free to wander around the city, and today I had one of the best days of my entire life!
After staying up until 2-3am talking with Chelsea (my awesome roomie), I woke up at 8am and couldn’t go back to sleep. It was my first day in a brand new country and I was WIRED to go exploring. A small group of us (5 total) gathered in the common room and we decided to go wander around the area around the school. There’s a vending machine with hot and cold drinks right outside of the dorm building next to a tabako (tobacco) shop. We got hot coffee in a can, which is the best drink in the whole world on a cool autumn morning, and just started off on the main sidewalk leading away from the school.
We went really far, just on that same street , and read funny store names, bought kare-pan (curry buns), and almost got run over by sidewalk bikers. Then, we came upon a purse lying in the middle of the sidewalk. We kinda stood there looking at it and trying to figure out if we should pick it up and where to take it. No one else really stopped to look at it, so Rose finally grabbed it and we went into a small bakery nearby to ask if someone had lost it. The manager only spoke Japanese, and for a few minutes Rose and I (the others waited outside) were at a loss for how to explain the situation. Finally, Rose was able to get across what had happened, her Japanese is much better than mine, and the guy told us to take it to the kouban (police box) nearby. He was really helpful and even drew us a map, which was awesome!
I didn't take this photo, but it's just to show you.
So, we left the bakery and went off in search of the kouban, but got a little lost on the way and had to stop random passers-by for directions. We found a huge park with both a baseball and a soccer stadium. There were games going on in both, and also some kind of event going on outside with food and tents for something called “The Dream to Children.” I think it was a charity event going on during the soccer game. We didn’t stop right away since we still hadn’t found the police box yet, but after maybe 10 more minutes we finally arrived.
Rose, Chelsea, and I went inside with the purse and encountered 5 police officers who did not speak any English (I see this becoming a pattern in the future-more reason to brush up on my Japanese). Thank goodness Rose was able to communicate a bit more fluidly, and we were able to tell them where we had found it and what had happened. My contributions were random outbursts of “keiki no mise!” (“cake store” grammatically, but it made them all laugh), and “koko, koko,naka!” (“here, here, middle,” trying to explain that it was laying in the middle of the road). The best one though was, when trying to locate the Amity dorms on a map for our contact address, I pointed to the map and said “TABAKO!!!” (because of the shop right across the street), but unfortunately said it rather loud and intensely. I definitely need to work on my Japanese… Everyone got a good laugh out of it, and we did eventually locate the building. :) The police people were super nice and took their time to help us out. There were tons of credit cards and almost ¥70,000 (over $700 cash) in there, so it’s a good thing we found it. If it was my purse I would have been freaking out! They found the girl’s id card and called her on the phone, but we left before she got there.
Afterward we went to the “Dream to the Children” and ate chicken on a stick (sorry, I forget what it’s called) and blueberry cheesecake ice cream. :)Then we wandered away down the road and turned right over a looong bridge. We found a book store, and then a department/grocery store called “Happy Town” which was HUGE! We bought food for dinner and I bought a bag to use in place of my purse which I unfortunately packed in my big suitcase that was forwarded to my school. My bag is super awesome because it is ENGRISH!
The transcript reads:
Dear My Friend, Hello. How are you? I m very very fine! About five years pass since you return to the hometown. I am glad to be gone of you. [Something] it s very lonely if it happily spends it. I looks forward to meeting you some time. I [something] your nappiness. Thank. TO JAPAN
My favorite part is that this is supposed to be a letter to a friend, but apparently the writer is happy to be away from them. I don’t think their friendship is very strong, probably because of the reciever's "nappiness." Taking care of your hair is important in Japan I guess. :P
At the top of the store (it had 3 stories) we did puri-kura which is like a photo booth where you can edit the photos afterward with sparkles, stamps, and doodles and it prints you tiny, tiny photo stickers that you can put on things! :) I will see if I can take a good photo of our photo so you guys can see it!
Afterward it was getting late (like 4-5 hours since we had left the dorms), and we decided to head back. It took FOREVER to walk back and it got really cold and started to rain too. Most of us didn’t have jackets or umbrellas, so by the time we got back we were super happy to be inside where it was warm and dry. We ate our food, played uno and Egyptian rat screw, and then made Popin’ Cookin’ sushi-candy! It’s basically a kit where you use powdered gels and water to make realistic looking food items… but out of candy! There will be photos as soon as the girls upload it to Facebook for me. The reviews were correct about it, though. It doesn’t really taste bad, but it has a weird texture. Kind of wet and mealy. But making it was FUN!
I finally got to talk to my family for like 5 minutes over skype, but our internet connection was so bad (we officially don’t have any in the dorm, so we’re sneaking an unprotected one) that we all had trouble hearing one another and eventually it just cut off. This was the first time since leaving Columbus that I really broke down. I felt super homesick and I just missed my family so much. I know that this is a natural part of “growing up,” but it doesn’t have to hurt so much, does it? I wanted to tell them that I was fine and all about what had happened today, but mostly we said “I can’t hear you.” I did get to tell them that I love and miss them, and the best part was hearing them tell me that they loved me too. <3
Overall, we had an amazing day today. I didn’t expect to have this much to write on the first day, but hopefully the adventures will continue!
Oyasumi nasai! (goodnight)
Shawna
P.S. I promise to take more photos... I forgot... :/ In an epic rpg adventure party, you never have "knight, wizard, rogue, photographer." :P
Here's my first journal entry from last night (Friday)! I don't know how often I'll be able to post, since we have very limited access, so enjoy! I'm sorry for any sleepiness-induced spelling/grammar errors. :P
Nov. 18, 2011
I am here. I have finally arrived in Japan! Right now I'm snuggled under the covers of my room at the Training Facility dorms, and though I am much too tired to be writing anything, I'll try to give an update.
The plane ride was super long, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy it. Actually, I think I am officially over my fear of flying. :) The takeoff wasn't nearly as scary by my third flight. My favorite part is right when the plane's about to land and you anticipate the wheels touching down with a bump, but then they don't and your heart leaps, and then the plane wobbles, glides a little further... and fakes you out again before startling you when it actually does touch down. I barely made my last flight and had to run to the boarding station, but I made it and flew into Osaka at around 5pm. Afterward my training group and I had to take an almost 2 hour local train + shinkansen (bullet train) combo trip before we finally could consider ourselves "arrived."
I haven't been able to call my family yet to let them know that I've arrived, which makes me a little sad. When we were at the airport I was going to use the international pay phones, until I realized that it was 4am in America. Then, after we got to the training facility we couldn't find an international pay phone to use. :( My awesome roomie, Chelsea let me use her skype to call home, but I had to leave a message. We have been stealing a scant 1-2 bars of unlocked wireless here, but other than that I'm in a technological wasteland until I can get a phone plan. Hopefully I can call them back tomorrow.
Dude, I just got a spark of internet. Google is in Japanese on my screen. :P
---------------------------
For the record, Chelsea and I stayed up all night talking. :) But this moring I don't have a headache or anything despite waking up at 8am! I think I may have avoided jet lag all together!
With only 22 days left until I leave, I am starting to feel a cloud of nervousness beginning to hang over my head. I know I'm excited to go, but part of me wants to curl up in my safe, familiar bed and never come out. Every morning I wake up and think "only __ days to go," which sends a shiver of fear and anticipation over me. I find myself unpacking and repacking my suitcase, making lists that I just lose or tear up, or just googling "living in japan" over and over again. I'm restless, excited, frustrated, and an emotional mess. BUT, despite all that there still remains the fact that there are only 22 days left.
Over the past month, I've:
Gotten my passport and visa stamp
Sent an introduction letter and photos to my school
Stalked my Japan neighborhood via Google Maps, to find out where all the stores, train stations, and post offices are in that area
Still packing/getting rid of stuff I'm not taking
Bought an AWESOME Asus Transformer tablet to take with me (Thanks for the help mom and dad! ^_^)
Work, work, work.... still saving up cash
Today I had a pre-departure phone interview with my recruiter to make sure that I have everything arranged and to answer any questions I might have for them. We talked about my visa and passport, what I had already packed, and procedures for when I arrive at Kansai International Airport. She is the nicest person ever, and super helpful in answering my questions (I've asked her enough of them, haha)! I probably have sent them 1 email a week ever since March... :P She reminded me to not stress out, especially when I first get to Japan and everything is new. "If you panic, the school panics, and the students panic," she said. Well, I definitely don't want to cause a riot, so I will have to work on my breathing exercises and meditation. ;)
Work has been a little frustrating lately.
One of the best things to happen to me this week was the arrival of a wonderful envelope containing a letter of sorts from my new school in Shizuoka. :) The teachers had put together a flyer with "Welcome to Shizuoka Ekinan!" printed on it, with a photograph and a small note from each of them. It was so thoughtful and wonderful, I almost cried when I opened it! I put it in a picture frame and hung it next to my front door so that every day when I go out I can be reminded of my new goal. :)
Ugh, this post is a little melancholy, but since I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months, I thought it was about time for me to make an update. I still have a lot to do, like finalizing my suitcases, moving out of my apartment, finding a home for the kitties, buying my omiyage (chocolate buckeyes!), and getting my first-week money exchanged for Yen. I'm hoping I don't get overwhelmed.
Thanks for all the help and support so far everyone!
After worrying about it for weeks, I got a phone call today from the Los Angeles office and they informed me that (should I choose to accept this mission), they want to send me to the Shizuoka-Ekinan Amity branch this November!
Shizuoka in red, a little south of Tokyo.
Shizuoka (静岡，しずおか）is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture in the Chubu region of Japan. It's 1.5 hours from Tokyo, and 1.25 hours from Nagoya, plus it's located next to Mt. Fuji, the Japanese Alps, and the Pacific coast, so in the summer there will be beaches nearby! :)
There are festivals and events throughout the year, although my arrival time and subsequent training will make me a few weeks late for the Daidogei World Cup (Nov. 3-6) and the Shizuoka Street Festival (Nov. 19-20). Sadness... but there's always next year! Plus there's supposed to be a lot of festivals and events in the spring coming up, and I'll be in time for Japanese New Years!
From Amity's website (the star is where the school is)
According to the info that Amity sent me, the climate is "Comparatively mild. Rarely snow during the winter, although it can get very cold." I'm glad I'm bringing my coat, but it looks like my snowboots will be mostly unnecessary. :/ Not sure how I feel about a snow-free winter, but I figure if I miss the white stuff I can take a train North. :) I don't know where the apartment is yet, bbut it's supposed to be within 5-10 minutes from my school (my school, hee hee!), so I won't have to worry about having to travel too far to get to work every day. It will be hard not to let that become a reason to sleep in daily.
I tried to be a total creeper and "google street-view" the area, but unfortunately it's not one of the places marked out for that super awesome feature. I'll just have to sit here and imagine it for a few more months. ^_^ As soon as Amity sends me the hire-packet with all my forms and stuff in it, I can get my plane ticket and seriously pack my stuff! The information they've sent me by email has been so helpful, as well as the stuff I've researched online over the past few hours! I found a weekly video-news in English for the area, a city guide for foreigners with information about local hospitals and trash pick-up, and a little guide book that you can print out and take with you to doctors or post offices and point at if you need help and don't know all the words (like "I need stamps" or something). I'm going to try really hard to learn as much Japanese as possible so that I can do that on my own, but it looks like it would be a lot of help!
Anyway, it's official: I'm going to Japan! Please continue to read and support my blog as I keep you updated on all my adventures!
So, I've been putting off updating this blog while I wait for SOMETHING to happen in regard to my Amity job, but since it's been several weeks, I thought I'd just do an update anyway.
First off: my classes are over, I passed everything, and I have my graduation ceremony in one week from today. YAY! I'm done with college! :D
I've been a bit stressed out recently... In June/July, Amity announced that they had positions available to start in September, October, and November...and then burned through the first two in under one month, leaving nothing but the November spots open. Since my graduation is at the tail-end of August, I sent Amity a letter from my academic adviser and my transcript so that they would be able to possibly hold a November position for me until I can get them my diploma next week. It's been over a week and they still haven't contacted me. I don't know if that means that there are no spots, or that they forgot about me, or that they just haven't had the time to contact me yet. But it's driving me insane... Every day I check my emails hourly, hoping that they will email me, and my phone is never far from hand's reach. I don't want to call them or email again, because I don't want to pester them any more, but I also want to make sure that they remember me. *SIGH* It will be fun to look back on this when I do get my placement and laugh at how unnecessarily anxious I was.... I hope... :P
On the sunny side (lol), I did get to take my photographs for my graduation announcements yesterday with my mom. Here are just a few of the ones we took (they look better at the regular size, but for space-sake I made them a bit smaller):
Pretty cool, huh?
I'm actually kinda excited about graduation, even though I originally didn't want to go to the ceremony. I can't believe that after all this time I'm finally finished! :D It took me 6 years to complete college, and here I am finally done. It's weird to be at home with nothing to do other than work. No homework or papers to write, even though I'm still practicing Japanese on my own. Now if my job would just come through, everything would be perfect!
Short post today I guess, like I said I just wanted to do a small update. I'm spending my Sunday playing Minecraft and watching Supernatural. ^_^ So, to sum up all that's been happening lately:
Sunnyside Up:
- Taking photos with Mom and Krys - NO MORE CLASSES! :D - Interview at Panera tomorrow - Tried my first durian... not really a pleasant experience, but fun!
Sunnyside Down:
- No word from Amity yet.... - My stupid job doesn't give me enough hours... - Mosquito bites... :(
Looking Ahead:
- Getting my diploma! - Going to Japan! - My birthday in November!
So, my final quarter of college has only 2 weeks left to go! It seems unreal, especially after the 6 years it took to get to this point. :-/ But I'm so excited about finally finishing! Midterms went really well, I passed them both with A's (98 and 90), so I'm not too worried about passing at this point. I have one quiz in each class this week, and then finals next week, and then all done. Well, almost... I also have 5 sessions of Japanese to finish up before the end of August, but that's not going to be a problem, so for all intents and purposes I'm ALMOST THERE!
The Amity Interview
There are several blogs and forums online that discuss the Amity interview process, such as how to prepare and what to expect when you're on the chopping block yourself. I wanted to take some time to share what I did in my own interview that resulted in me getting offered a position.
The interview process itself is pretty simple. You fill out the form on their website, detailing any teaching experience you have had in the past, and ending with a 500 word minimum essay entitled "Why I Want to Teach English to Children in Japan." I heard back from Amity within a few days of submitting my application. If they accept you, you'll get invited to attend a group interview. Be prepared to travel if you are not in Los Angeles or Toronto; my interview was in Atlanta, GA which is a 10 hour drive from where I currently live. Thankfully I had my awesome mom to drive with me, which made the trip a lot more bearable. :)
To prepare for the group interview they have you fill out another application, gather any reference letters you might have, and then ask you to prepare a sample English lesson for "beginning students." If you've never taught before, this can be really kowai (scary)! Even though I've tutored in the past, I don't have any experience teaching English, so I didn't really know where to start. This is where researchcomes in handy.
On Amity's website it states "In an effort to utilize the most comprehensive methodology for second language acquisition for children, Amity adopted theModel Action Talkmethod, better known by the acronymMAT.MATis a dynamic method developed by Ritsuko Nakata, a noted author and EFL children's teacher." Bingo! A little more research led me to some Nakata-san's website which had more explanation about how the MAT method works, and even provided some sample lessons. Basically, the MAT method involves teaching children vocabulary, then a sentence that uses that vocabulary, then a question that prompts that sentence. Repetition is key, as well as games/songs, and speaking at a natural speed. Here are some awesome video clips I found online of Nakata-san teaching her method at a seminar:
Using this method as a guide, I created my own sample lesson. My vocabulary was about colors, my sentence was "It is [color]," and my question was "What color is it?" You can do this lesson any way you want to, using any vocabulary. I liked my question and sentence because even though it was really simple, in later lessons the students could substitute different vocabulary or more complex sentence structure (e.g. "What day is it?", "It is Tuesday" or "Do you know what time it is?" "It is 4:30pm."). Try to associate a hand-gesture with each vocab word, even if it doesn't really fit (how do you gesture "red"?), you'll need this later!
I made color flash cards to practice the vocabulary, and created a race game, inspired by a few of the sample lessons on Nakata-san's website, in which the students had to say the sentence that corresponded with the right color card, and then ring a bell. Competition and points are always fun in a classroom! No matter what lesson you create, make it FUN! During the group interview, people sang songs, did activities, and played games. The more interactive you make it, the better. Also, you have to create a whole lesson which should be the equivalent of a half-hour's worth of material. You only have to present 5 minutes of it, but you have to turn in the entire lesson plan with your application. If you only submit 5 minutes worth of material, you probably won't get a call-back.
The group interview began with an information session about Amity, what was expected of teachers, and what a typical day would be like. They also had a question-answer session. Afterward, there was a break, and we divided into groups for the sample lesson. Each person got 5 minutes to present part of their lesson, and the other interviewees acted like the students. Help eachother during the sample lessons, especially since you'll want the help of the others when it's your turn to present! After the lessons were all presented, we went back to our hotels. The recruiters called back people they wanted to see again for a personal interview the next day (I was one of them! ^_^)
The personal interview is loooooong, and rather nerve-wracking since now you're one-on-one with a recruiter. They ask you to self-rate your lesson performance from the day before, and tell you where they felt you did well or lost points. They go over more details about the job, ask for your location preferences, or if you have any complications that would keep you from being able to go overseas or completing a contract (pets, illness, family members close to death), etc, etc, etc. They show you a sample of clothing that is "work appropriate" and ask you to rate your current clothing. TIP: Wear a suit! I brought 2 suits to Atlanta, but my day-2 suit's hem came out as I was getting ready that morning so I had to switch to a black skirt (knee-length) and collared blouse, which looked pretty awesome and very professional... but after looking at the "business wear" sample sheet I felt under-dressed. Best to wear a full business suit to both days of the interview.
Then comes the scary part...the surprise lesson! You have 10 minutes to come up with another sample lesson on the spot (again totaling 30 minutes, 10 minutes presented) to go along with the vocabulary and sentence the recruiter gives you. They leave the room and you get to work. Of course if your original lesson was modeled after the MAT method, all you need to do here is substitute vocab and sentence, and do the same lesson over again! Teach vocabulary (gestures!), then sentence, then question. Ta-da! The recruiter pretends to be the student, and may act shy or try to speak in Japanese. Just smile, be enthusiastic and encouraging, and go with the lesson's flow! You don't have to teach all 30 minutes in that first 10, so be careful not to rush. If you spend the whole 10 teaching vocabulary and working on pronunciation and gestures, that's fine, but it will probably go faster than that. :) After the sample lesson, you're basically all done!
If you make it through the personal interview, you'll be contacted within a few weeks (in my case a little over a month) with an offer of employment! If you have your college diploma, you'll send it in and get a placement, if you're still in school, you'll get placed after you receive and send them your diploma. That's it! Omedetou (congratulations)! You're going to Japan!
SO in summary, my tips are:
Do some research before your interview. Learn about the company and what they expect you to do and understand by reading online.
Use the MAT method as a guide for creating your lesson plans. Not only will it show them that you took the time to study researched their company, but it will show that it won't take as much to train you if you're already on board with their methods! Plus it's a pretty solid system.
Make your lesson FUN! I guarantee you, if you have a boring lesson where students must sit quietly and raise their hand all the time, you won't get the job. Amity is really into teachers being active and enthusiastic, so be prepared to expend lots of sweat and energy!
Make sure you create and ENTIRE lesson, not just the 5 minute presentation. 30 minutes is a good goal.
Help other people during their presentations. Not only will it insure that they will help you on your turn, but you're also getting noticed more by the recruiters. Make them remember your name and face.
Wear a suit! Look nice, neat, and clean during both interview days. Pack an extra set of clothing in case of wardrobe malfunctions
Don't rush your lesson. Even though it's only a 5 or 10 minute presentation, take your time. You'll appear calmer and more professional.
SMILE!!!!!
Some other people who have written about the interview process are HERE and HERE. Enjoy! :) Hope this helps!
Getting my Shopping Done
I spent this past weekend shopping with my mom and sister for my "Japan stuff." Even though I don't have a more specific departure date than "this fall," I like to have things in order and getting some of my supplies has been a huge stress relief! The best thing out of everything that I got are my suits! Four lovely wonderful suits, both pants and skirts, and a whole ton of silk scarves to accessorize them. :) I probably should have waited to get the official "Amity Employee Handbook" along with my placement information, but I have pretty good taste when it comes to business wear (and my mom was there to help me!) so I'm not too worried. All my suits are in demure colors (black, brown, navy, and grey), the skirts are knee-length, and they have no "revealing" necklines. Even so, I feel pretty swanky wearing them! :P
I also got some vitamins, handkerchiefs, extra makeup, new socks and undies, and all the little bits and pieces that I will need for the six weeks prior to my first paycheck. I had to cut down my book collection to 6 titles, which hurt a lot (I'm really attached to my books...), but they were too heavy otherwise. I've packed away anything that I am not currently using in my GIANT suitcase. I'm hoping that it won't weigh too much for the airplane, since anything over 50lbs is $60 extra, and anything over 70lbs is $200! :( But, we'll see. If it's too heavy, I'll donate some of it to the person in line behind me, lol...
Something weird that I've been told to pack is mac and cheese! Apparently it's difficult to get in Japan. I'm wondering if it's just that whole packages are hard to find, or if the actual macaroni noodles are the difficulty. I can make pretty good mac n cheese from scratch if they have macaroni shaped noodles, but I'll probably pack one or two boxes just in case. :)
