Anniversary

Today marks the almost 1 month anniversary since moving to Yokohama and starting life in Japanese elementary schools. I still can't believe i'm doing this. If you know me, than you know that I never ever ever ever considered doing this.  Of course, life happens and decisions must be made. Aside from all the lesson planning and feeling like I don't know what I'm doing, every day is filled with interesting experiences.

Whether it's the kid's reactions to games in the classroom or walking down the hall and never failing to hear "omg Michael Jackson Sensei!!" one thing is for sure, when I'm not "teaching" I feel like im getting a second chance at reliving my childhood. Living my childhood again through a Japanese lens.  Its a delicate mix of knowing what I am doing and not knowing what I am doing. 

As a kid I was never really aware of what I was doing in the class room, mainly just messing around and not caring about grades or whatever. And now, when ive finally gotten kids to understand a game iv'e introduced, it may only be 15 min, but sometimes I just jump in and participate in the game too.  In a way its reliving being a kid, but its hard to know exactly whats goin on cuz the kids are speaking a different language. I'm not talking about Japanese or English, but when I was a kid the adults were speaking a different language.

I realized that my main function is not to "teach" these kids English. It's to make sure they have fun and keep an interest in English that will prepare them for the all the technical baggage to come when the hit JHS. At any rate, I know I still have a damn long way to go as far as teaching and figuring out what I really want in this life. For now, the highlights are keeping me interested this job.

I do like watching kids come up with their own creative ways of dealing with a "shopping game".  Ive had kids who for some reason decided they wanted to buy up all the bananas in class, name their own store... or even start haggling other students.  You could even tell which kids were greedy with money.

Sitting in and participating in club activities is a blast too. Last week in one of the schools science clubs, they made some sort of sweet and salty candy in one of the lab rooms. I don't think my elementary school had a science room!  Yesterday I played cops and robbers in the schoolyard with the "survival" club. 

Anywhoo.. thats my update for the week.

Ps. Japanese Coke sucks.  I don't even know why I bought some. I never drink that stuff...  Somehow I always convince myself to make poor decisions with food.