World Traveler: My first day

First things first: Happy Birthday Aiden!!! :D

Also, hello to my reader(s) in Russia!

Before I get into my first day, I forgot a funny moment from yesterday. After we watched the first session and ate, the second session started. Suddenly the branch president was running in and said something rapidly to the zone leaders and they got up and followed him. Ya, something happened with the satellite and suddenly the audio was in Chinese instead of Japanese! Really I had listened to the first session in English through headphones, still it was funny and awesome because for the first time since getting here, I was on equal ground, language-wise, as the Japanese! We were all shrugging our shoulders and laughing about it. (The resolution was to send me to another room - alone :/ - and they put in the DVD of the Japanese. So I had to watch the second session in a cold room by myself. But it was funny how I got there!)

(Funny moments included:) Today started with me falling asleep after midnight. Luckily my mom got up early and skyped me. (I had thought she had school and just forgot that everyone over there is BEHIND me rather than in front. :/ Sorry mom!) I was up late last night panicking about today. And my worst case scenario I imagined: the kids booing me out of the room, didn't happen! (I know, I dream big.) My mom's: missing the bus: didn't happen *huge sigh of relief.* So I got up this morning - I actually woke up 15 or so minutes before my alarm went off. It was annoying but I'm very grateful it wasn't 16 or more. I just need all the sleep I can get! The past 3 days have shorted me! Anyway, I got up and I got ready.

After that, I walked to the bus stop. I was 7-8 minutes early (I was not about to miss my bus) and I got to see and talk to Bruce for a minute. That was nice for me. He speaks Japanese pretty well (he's been here for 4 years) and so I was quizzing him about buses. In any case, his bus came before mine so he had to jet. I saw mine coming (by number), and I saw 2 boys in uniform getting on, but I still turned to one of them and said, "Morioka Minami ni?" He nodded and on I got. Everyone was making the little machine beep so I sheepishly set down my bag and grabbed out my bus card. I was told you pay when you get off, and that's true, however for the bus card, it needs to know how many stops you've been riding so it can charge your card correctly. Because I had heard beeping, I pressed the barcode against the machine and sat down. Luckily I managed to get on the bus that went straight to the school. (Hashimoto-sensei told me last week that there was one that did and to ride that one. Uh... ok. As if I know where to find it, how to get on it, etc. Sheesh!) But as luck would have it (truly mmm), I was on that bus. It saved me a 10 minute walk up to the school and dropped me off right at the door. So I approached the driver and I had seen people run their cards through this machine but I was sitting too far to see the details. So I held my card as I thought it should go and made a noise like, "Hmm?" To show I was asking if I was doing it correctly. He pointed to the right slot (I think I had been hovering over the bill feeder, oops) and I sent my card through. BEEEEP! So he asked me a question in which I didn't understand a word but I assumed it was, "At what stop did you get on?" So I said, "Basu Sentaa." (Bus Center) That was the right answer and he programmed it in and asked me to send my card through again. I apologized profusely and he politely waved it off.

I walked into the front doors (for the teachers - the students can go in that way, but then they can't go anywhere as their shoe changing stations are through another doorway) and found my locker and changed shoes. I went up to the teacher's room to find it.. locked. Doh! I waited and after a few minutes 2 Japanese women showed up and started talking at me. I just pointed to the teacher's room and one of them tried to let me in when she found it locked as well. However, someone unlocked the door to the copy room that is off the teacher's room. It was the morning meeting. Hashimoto-sensei told me that it was ok if I got to the school between 8h30-8h45 because I'm taking the bus and so I'm at the mercy of the city's bus schedule (originally he asked me to be there in my seat, ready by 8h20 - I got there, at the front door, at 8h22). So I sort of sneaked by hoping no one thought I was rude (I'd been told I could come at that time!) and sat down. I have NO IDEA what was going on. Then Oikawa-sensei (one of the 8 English teachers) crept over to my seat and asked if I would be able to give a self-introduction. I was completely surprised (as I assumed they would have me do it at this lunch party Hasimoto-sensei said they were throwing for me), but agreed. I, literally, turned back to face the front and there was a mic in my face. Daaaah! I started to walk to the wrong side and they ushered me the other way (doh!) and all the while I murmured, "Sumimasen!" (Excuse me!) This is what I said in my introduction (it was all in Japanese): Good morning! (They all saluted me back) I am called Ann Carlisle. My family is big (don't ask, I had no idea what to tell them, lol). I want to learn Japanese, but I understand a little. Happy (then in English I added: I am happy to be here, in Japan). I respect Japan and Japanese people (then I said that again in English just in case I had said it wrong). Please accept me. --- In retrospect I'm not sure why I said the things I did and I hope that they weren't like, "Suuuure you respect us, you showed up late!" I didn't! I came as soon as the bus brought me! And it's the earliest bus too. :/ Anyway...

They kept having announcements and then split into 2 groups. Oikawa-sensei motioned that I could stay at my desk and so I did. I didn't feel badly in fact I was a little relieved. Then Fujieda-sensei, oh btw Hashimoto and Oikawa are men and Fujieda is a woman, asked me if I needed help with anything, "Yes, I need to make copies!" So she showed me how to use the copier. I was with her the first class period so I'm glad she helped me. She showed me where the count of students in each class is and I made copies for the following 2 classes as well. Oikawa-sensei said he was going to take me around the school so he gave me a quick tour. He showed me the bathrooms (another woman had shown me the girl's locker room), and he pointed out the girl's locker room and was like, "I can't take you in there! I don't know what it's like!" lol He showed me where the classes were and the signs that showed what number they were and then took me back to the teacher's room. (Side note: in Japanese high school, they start the numbering over again. So the "first graders" are sophomores. Second graders are juniors and the third graders are seniors. It was nuts because everything they told me wouldn't happen at a school did. That is, we were told, "You won't get third graders as new teachers." "They may not let you use the copy machine." "No computers or internet!" - Hashimoto had already said I could bring my computer so I did so. "You can't print at the school!" - I was offered a printer. I said that was ok as I am being given a small "copy allowance" by Interac so I will buy a printer and then print my masters here and do the copies at school. They're also going to lend me a computer so I can use the internet. I'm not allowed to connect mine to their internet (well their lan) and no USBs because of proprietary information, however, yay! They were SO nice to me. Many teachers talked at me today and I felt badly that I had to say so many times, "Wakarimasen." I don't understand. Anyway, there are 6 first grade classes, 6 second grade classes, and 7 third grade classes. I checked my schedule and I have ALL the third graders, all of the first graders (though one of the classes is scheduled next week) and only one of the second grade classes. Hmmm Oh also - the kids stay in the same room all day. Well, until gym or maybe a music class. I guess that's another thing they have in common with elementary schools in the US, other than their grades.)

So I started out early but was called back and asked to walk with Fujieda-sensei. Oops! I just was going early so I wouldn't be late! In any case, I was SUPER nervous and forgot one of the papers I needed. *facepalm* I punted and it wasn't GREAT, but I did the best I could. I could tell that a few students really warmed up to me, the rest were pretty stone-faced and not energetic. However, I made up for them with extra enthusiasm and energy. I'm pretty sure a few of those students think I'm insane. *shrug* What can I say? When they're right, they're right. :D (Those were 3rd graders)

Then I went back and had a prep period in the teacher's room. I tried to be and look busy, but I had my self-introduction already ready and was just killing time. Then off I went to see my first group of 1st graders. Oh man! THEY WERE AWESOME! They all were like, "Eeeeeeehhh!?" When I walked in so I made the same sound back and they reacted in shock and I laughed, and then they all laughed. They were SO much fun. When I yelled, "GAME TIME!" They all cheered loudly. - I forced the third graders to cheer, hahaha! - They were so energetic it was invigorating. They made it so easy for me to be myself. I changed my self-introduction a little for the different levels - really I think the only difference is that for the 3rd graders I played "Au Parc Monceau" and asked them what language it was. Then I talked a little bit about French and English, France and the US. In all the classes I gave them a one page sheet that asked 1. What is a popular and unusual animal in my country? (a skunk, a bald eagle, a raccoon, a bear, a whale --> I chose raccoon as they have an animal called "Tanuki" that looks like a red raccoon and I talked about rabies (not by name) and how they eat trash.) Then 2. What is my favorite food? (vegetables, cheeseburger, sushi, crêpes, popcorn -->popcorn) Then 3. It gave them lines to write a question to ask me. Some of the questions were yes/no - which is fine, but sort of unproductive. I was asked, "Do you like food?" Hmm, yes. :) They asked me some great questions though: What's your favorite kind of music (I like everything, but what do I like the most? Hard rock and punk), how old are you (secret! Come ask me at lunch and I will tell you - I would have too but no one came by - well 4-5 girls came by to say hi to me but no one asked my age), what's your favorite color (black), what's your favorite dessert (she had asked food, but I answered that so I said, "Let's do dessert." I hope she didn't feel badly - I tried to be really positive about it - "crêpes"), etc. I wish I had been more encouraging like they taught us in training (Good English! Great job! Etc) But I'm a smiler and a nodder, so I hope they knew that my beaming face meant I thought they were doing great!) No one would volunteer (and we were warned about that), so I called out pairs of numbers (row and then seat) and then I found dice in my desk and used those. Bwahahaha. After the food question I put them in partners and had them ask each other, in English, their favorite foods. Then after I got 3 volunteers to the front, I would tell them, "Ask me a question." After they did, I would repeat it to the class and say, "Class, please ask me 'What is your favorite color?'" And then they would ask, I would answer and after all 3 kids were done (I didn't want anyone to have to stand alone at the front), I would write the key words on the board and then had them again practice with their partners. --Because MM is well known for their sports, they all asked me if I liked sports and what were my favorites.

So, right after that class, I had my third and final class for the day (right before lunch) and oh man I was starving! And in the second class two boys kept saying to me, "I'm hungry!" And all I could say back was, "Me too!" The third class was also third graders and I was with Oikawa-sensei. (My second class was with a male teacher named Hosokawa-sensei.) Oikawa only wrote me in for the first 15 minutes. It was both nice and not nice. The burden of time wasn't on me, however 15 minutes!? So I did a short introduction and at the end of 15 minutes, I'd just gotten to the question section. I asked Oikawa-sensei if he wanted the class but he said I could finish. So I ran through 3 questions with them (and having them practice with partners) and then turned the class over to him. To me that means I won points. Although he kept translating what I was saying into Japanese. I learned today that I need to be more visual and give more examples. I thought I had chosen fairly easy English, nope. In any case, I observed the rest of the class and then left with him. After that I wolfed down my lunch. I was SO hungry. I didn't even eat everything I brought though! And it wasn't much. And 2 pairs of my pants are already falling off me. My watch barely stays on, and none of my rings fit anymore! I'm packing a little less for tomorrow.

So after lunch I was BUSHED. It was TORTURE to try and stay awake. I did everything I could to look busy and to actually be busy. I made notes about the temperaments of the classes I met, I made notes on what I had learned today, I organized and reorganized my stuff. I discreetly wrote a grocery list (as I had already planned on going grocery shopping and do laundry after work today) - and I felt really guilty about that but I was doing ANYTHING to stay awake. At one point, I felt I needed to go to the bathroom so I went to the ladies room. Yaaaa, they only had the Japanese squat toilets. Well, I had told myself I would try one. So I TRIED. I pulled my pants half down, then all the way down, pulled them forward out of the way, back out of the way... I had no idea what to do with them to not pee on them. In the meantime my bladder said, "Just kidding! I don't have to pee! Run, run, run!!!" So I didn't end up going there (I went as soon as I got home!). So I went back to my desk and went back to trying to stay awake. I even started to write some poetry. Luckily either Oikawa and Fujieda-sensei are psychic, prepared, or saw me struggling but they came over and talked to me about lessons for the coming week. They asked if I could make true-false questions for reading comprehension (I did and we're going to play the alligator/crocodile game), and if I would make a "fill in the blank" for listening comprehension. - I didn't type that up yet as I didn't have internet access so making a google doc for it was sort of out of the question. I was so grateful to them (mmm) for giving me something to do. Although after all the warnings we got during training when they asked me to do these things, I said, "Great I will! Please make sure it's in the lesson plan (SLP - Scheduled Lesson Plan that they send to Interac and then Interac sends to me). So what they did was print out the schedule they had so far for me for next week (it was blank for all the teachers but the two of them) and they gave it to me. Technically I'm not supposed to have it - because of proper channels and all that, but I was grateful for something to do, and I was grateful to be able to plan ahead. So thanks to them I have my schedule for next week (and I am teaching 14 lessons to this week's 13 - 16 total including the Deaf school)! (mmm) - So I am now prepared for 8 of my 14 lessons next week. Take that! Feels great to be able to get ahead. Scratch that - I have one more self-intro for next week so make that 9 lessons for which I am already (ABW - all but worksheet) ready! :D I'll say it for my mom since she'll be reading this rather than hearing it right from my mouth and saying it.. "I am a star!" :D

After all my planning and putting the schedule in my book, I had about 20 minutes until school ended. So I puttered around a little until the bell rang. Everyday the students are responsible for cleaning the school. I had heard about teachers helping with this (English teachers - ALTs and NSs - ALT is elem, NS is jhs/hs) and I wanted to do the same. I wandered a bit (because I thought for sure the students would show up at the teacher's room and I would help them) but after 5 minutes no one was there. So I approached Fuijieda-sensei and said, "I would like to help clean. What can I do?" She seemed surprised and said I could help with cleaning the teacher's room when the students came. She then went over to a vice-principal and I'm assuming told him what I had said as she had this shocked voice and they both laughed. I'd like to think it was a joyous laugh and not a "Sucker! She doesn't know it's only the students!" LOL So I was able to help empty trashes eventually with some girls. Hashimoto-sensei wasn't in today at all but he had told me last week I was off at 16h00 so after cleaning it was around 16h10 and I got my stuff together and asked Oikawa-sensei if there was anything I could do to help him. I explained what I had been told but also that my bus didn't come until 16h45. Well I was instructed to go ahead and leave and to tell the vice-principal I was going (ya he doesn't speak any English, I don't speak much Japanese - it was a crap shoot! And I couldn't tell him that I had been instructed I could leave and that I wasn't just taking off early... *sigh* Anyway) On my way out, I ran into Oikawa-sensei and he said he was going to cheerleading practice. I asked if I could come and went around the main building to the courtyard to see all the students lined up with their classes. In Japan, only the boys are cheerleaders. And not only that, they are literally "cheer leaders." They would yell something in Japanese and then the student body would respond. They sang the school song, they chanted, they yelled what sounded like battle cries... it was SO cool to watch! I wish I could have taken pictures! At 16h30 I bowed out (literally) to make sure I got to the bus stop on time. I took 2 pictures of the school (they're below) and waited freezing as the bus was a little late. In any case, I got home, I did laundry, I shopped (I bought grapefruit! And get this, they made Aloe flavored yogurt! I wasn't daring enough to buy it.. well at least not 4 cups worth. If I find a single I'll grab one and taste it. Aloe is really good for you ... topically. lol) and I read a book to destress and ate some popcorn for dinner (I had the remainder of my lunch when I first got home). Now here I am writing. Hope you all had a great day like I did. I feel nervous about tomorrow, and truth be told I felt nervous about teaching at Walden for about a month, sheesh, but I'm excited and much less intimidated. :) YAY! Tomorrow will be as good or better than today. :)

XOXO, A