２４年４月：Hello Fukuoka!
２４年８月：Well that lasted long... Goodbye Fukuoka!... Hello Yokohama!
What can I say?? Life threw me a few surprises. Yes, curve-balls really. Some people say everything happens for a reason. I'd like to believe in some divine plan if there is one. Sometimes its difficult to know what I am doing out in this country. Yet my struggle is I tend to believe in coincidence. However, if I may say... these are damn good coincidences.
Things in Fukuoka did not work out exactly how I planned them. I intended to stay for about 3 years, yet my previous boss asked "why not 5?"
All things were good right? ... I couldn't have been more wrong!! Twas in deed a dream job or so it seemed. Importing beer from around the world, satisfying bellies, turning six-packs into kegs.. and saving Belgian Christmas for the Japanese.
While I am still praying for something ridiculous and impossible to happen, I do have to take note that not only was I blessed with a job in Fukuoka. When it was time to end it, God must have known this was going to happen.. cuz he gave me another one. Of all places... in Yokohama. The only other place in all of Japan where I know friends. My good friends Jinggo and Ken. Glad to be a part of your beautiful city.
Yes, I went from being an alcohol importer to... educating children. I have a newfound respect for teachers, good teachers. After about a week of crash course teacher training, I realized, being a good teacher who constantly keeps students engaged is hard! Even if you are an "Assistant English" teacher. Yes, I am an "Assistant" teacher, yet we are expected to plan everything for every lesson.
The irony is that I took so much pride in not being an English teacher when I first got here. After a few months of trying salaryman work at a small office and realizing how much that sucked, God must have been laughing at me as he let me find ads for all kinds of jobs on Gaijinpot, specially the English instructor ones.
Learning to communicate with kids in general is challenging. Even more so with kids that don't speak your language. Teaching them how to do things and play games without explaining, just modeling.. that is indeed challenging.
Ive spent the last few days just going out of my mind with this. Dealing with kids is an important job! Also, I get to see where all the culture learning happens. These kids are being instilled with the very essence of what people will see in years and have been seeing... oh what it is that makes Japan the way it is. Wacky Japanese culture and things we know as Japanese come from... guess what.. Japanese people! And i get to witness it right in front of my eyes.
This job is pretty exhausting so far, but its important. It is by no means boring like other jobs ive had in the past. Its pretty exciting, borderline nerve racking. But its an experience that hopefully Ill get to enjoy for more than a few months.
Anyway, its time for me to sleep! School tomorrow... As long as I have strength, Ill keep doing what I can here until I find my true purpose here. Peace!!
No comments:
Post a Comment