Not much today. English Club was fun, because today's class only has 3 kids, two "big kids" and one "little kid", Mei, who's in first grade and very shy. I worked with her one-on-one. She's very cute, but very shy, so it's hard to get her to speak or reveal what's in her head. Hopefully she will open up to me more.
Had fun recording another DVD tonight. We are teaching the first-graders at school the alphabet and the "16" English vowel sounds. (It's a little arbitrary, really. I've heard a lot of different numbers, depending on whether you count similar sounds as the same or different, but our particular program works with 16.I always visualize them in IPA which helps me a lot, but I wish I could share the IPA with everyone.)
I've been missing people, but it's not crippling at all. I know I'll return to Irvine soon enough--too soon. :P I think I change states every week or so--or maybe faster. Where I just feel different. The place feels different. The future seems different. It's so unpredictable how I'm going to feel a week from now. Or even a few days. Because being here is so new. But it's all part of getting used to it and developing.
I really wanna go to Karaoke!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Day 12
Womp womp. I didn't leave my neighborhood the whole day. I went to church in the morning and after that I spent my day studying Japanese, doing planning/random stuff on the internet, and napping. I didn't take a single picture, so there will be a hole in my chronological collection. But that's okay. I had a pretty eventful prior two days, so one day of rest is fine!
(Note: see my previous entry [day 5] on my non-religious regions for why I'm going to church in Japan.)
The best thing that happened today was that I chose to stay behind and buy the lunch that the church offers (Y150 for kitsune udon and green tea.) I was a little disarmed because Mai hadn't gone to church and Carley decided to leave right after the service. The Kenyan boys who speak English left as well, so I was literally on my own. I didn't think I could do it, but I pretty much did. I ate lunch with Akiko and Taka, two young people who attend the church (Mai's friends who she introduced me to.) And well, our conversation was ENTIRELY in Japanese. To look at it from one way, you could say I failed pretty hard. I made mistakes, I didn't know some words and probably came out very confusing-sounding, and there were large breaks in the conversation when I wanted desperately to say something in English but I couldn't. But in another way, I think it was the first real-life conversation I've ever had that was entirely in Japanese. Usually in JSA I speak random short sentences in Japanese but with English peppered in. This time I didn't have that option.(They know a little English from school but I don't believe in forcing someone to speak the non-host language when you're in THEIR country...unless they want it/they're your student of course.) We talked about our hometowns, the food we like and the food we miss from home, our majors and our classes. I even tried to explain why I'm a vegetarian, which was hard. I'm not sure they really understand that concept, or what they think of me. But they are nice and they keep they listen and treat me well so that's all I can ask for. :)
Also, tonight Mai Zia braided my hair into French braids so tomorrow it's gonna be all braid-wavy. Excited :) (My hair is wavy naturally, but curly-wavy, so it's different.)
Tomorrow the work week starts again. Teaching still feels like a lot of work, because it's not my comfort zone yet. I'm excited for it to become easier and more natural for me as I gain experience.
(Note: see my previous entry [day 5] on my non-religious regions for why I'm going to church in Japan.)
The best thing that happened today was that I chose to stay behind and buy the lunch that the church offers (Y150 for kitsune udon and green tea.) I was a little disarmed because Mai hadn't gone to church and Carley decided to leave right after the service. The Kenyan boys who speak English left as well, so I was literally on my own. I didn't think I could do it, but I pretty much did. I ate lunch with Akiko and Taka, two young people who attend the church (Mai's friends who she introduced me to.) And well, our conversation was ENTIRELY in Japanese. To look at it from one way, you could say I failed pretty hard. I made mistakes, I didn't know some words and probably came out very confusing-sounding, and there were large breaks in the conversation when I wanted desperately to say something in English but I couldn't. But in another way, I think it was the first real-life conversation I've ever had that was entirely in Japanese. Usually in JSA I speak random short sentences in Japanese but with English peppered in. This time I didn't have that option.(They know a little English from school but I don't believe in forcing someone to speak the non-host language when you're in THEIR country...unless they want it/they're your student of course.) We talked about our hometowns, the food we like and the food we miss from home, our majors and our classes. I even tried to explain why I'm a vegetarian, which was hard. I'm not sure they really understand that concept, or what they think of me. But they are nice and they keep they listen and treat me well so that's all I can ask for. :)
Also, tonight Mai Zia braided my hair into French braids so tomorrow it's gonna be all braid-wavy. Excited :) (My hair is wavy naturally, but curly-wavy, so it's different.)
Tomorrow the work week starts again. Teaching still feels like a lot of work, because it's not my comfort zone yet. I'm excited for it to become easier and more natural for me as I gain experience.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Bucket List in Japan
-Relax in an onsen
-Hike a mountain
-Go to a beach
-Try Japanese gelato
-Try sara udon andchampon noodles (Nagasaki specialties)
-Visit at least two other prefectures
-See Liz (somewhere, somehow)
-See Alex (somewhere, somehow)
-Attend at least one matsuri (town festival)
-Have "a moment" with my students (where I know they're loving learning, having a good time learning English, because of me.)
-Add at least three people on Facebook who I met in Japan. (Other interns not included)
To be refined and updated.
-Hike a mountain
-Go to a beach
-Try Japanese gelato
-Try sara udon and
-Visit at least two other prefectures
-See Liz (somewhere, somehow)
-See Alex (somewhere, somehow)
-Attend at least one matsuri (town festival)
-
-
To be refined and updated.
Day 11
My first day to sleep in since I've been here! So I woke up around 10:30, excited to adventure with my friends. I wanted to go out right away, but I had to wait for Mai to wake up. When Mai still wasn't awake at noon, I begrudgingly decided to leave without her. However, when I came back up to check one last time, she was awake and Carley was there too, so after they got ready we left the house at around 1:00, two hours later than I was gonna leave, but all together. :) All we did was walk to Yume Saito (the mall)(so Carley could get her blessed Starbucks) again, walk around Dejima wharf area again (same thing I did yesterday), and then we walked to Amu Plaza (another mall near the train station.) I am very pleased that we did this whole journey without using the tram at all. We got exercise and didn't spend any money. In fact, I didn't spend any money all day (as is the norm for me here.)
See that misshapen blob in the middle? That's a jellyfish! クラゲ (Kurage) in Japanese. Mai showed me that dozens of jellyfish were floating in the waters of the dock. But they were hard to take pictures of >:[
No pictures from Amu plaza because I feel weird randomly whipping out my camera and taking pictures inside a mall with all the personnel within eye- and ear-shot. (My camera goes "KCHHHIK!" annoucing how happy it is to take a picture, remember?!)
There were a lot of things I wanted today. =_= Baggy tweed pants with thin suspenders. Cropped tops over tank dresses. Sling bags made in Peru. (I'm already getting influenced by Japanese fashion--I like it! It's a bit more conservative, but more imaginative and creative than US fashion--rather than follow a particular style, you create your own style from many many different influences.) There was this cool store called "Malaika" that had "international-y" items, such as the aforementioned bags, different types of hippie-ish bracelets, necklaces, coin purses/rucksacks, clothing, incense, tribal-looking cutlery and house things, etc. It was better than Cost Plus World Market! I LOVE that kinda stuff but I know I could get it for cheaper anywhere else. I didn't spend any money today, even when I was hungry and very tempted by udon and gelato, we walked home to eat. And that's kinda my goal. Don't spend on the small stuff and stuff I don't need, and save my money for travel, where it matters way more. Every yen I don't spend here in Nagasaki is yen I can be using to buy my tickets to other cities, WHICH is, in my opinion, the best way I can spend my money to maximize my experience here in JP. My expenditures right now consist of: GROCERIES. Souvenirs and other stuff will come later. And I'll get gelato and eat out later, just not every time. :)
SO.
I happen to live in VOCAL CAT CENTRAL of the world.
Or it sure seems like it.
EVERY night there are cats HOWLING and screeching and meowing. I can't go a day without hearing a cat from out of my window. Why they are so vocal compared to the silent felines of the states, I do not know. It's not annoying; I kinda like it because I love cats and their idiosyncrasies (CAT PERSON RIGHT HERE.) I just think it's kinda funny. I wonder why there are so many strays. However, since I'm not out at night that much, I don't see very many traipsing around the streets. They must save their crazy adventures for the nighttime.
Tonight I showed Mai, who has never been to Disney/DCA, a video of World of Color and I definitely got serious Disneyland withdrawals. We were watching it in HD, volume up, fullscreen on the big monitor downstairs, and Mai was oo-ing and aw-ing, and I just missed it so much. WORLD OF COLOR. Disneyland. California Adventure. Joys of my life. I WILL COME BACK TO YOU, SOME DAY. <3 I don't think people can possibly understand how much joy having a pass can bring until they experience it themselves. GOD I love it, and I'm glad I got to share my love with Mai.
On the docket for later this week is the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium and an onsen called Fuku No Yu. Hooray :)
See that misshapen blob in the middle? That's a jellyfish! クラゲ (Kurage) in Japanese. Mai showed me that dozens of jellyfish were floating in the waters of the dock. But they were hard to take pictures of >:[
No pictures from Amu plaza because I feel weird randomly whipping out my camera and taking pictures inside a mall with all the personnel within eye- and ear-shot. (My camera goes "KCHHHIK!" annoucing how happy it is to take a picture, remember?!)
There were a lot of things I wanted today. =_= Baggy tweed pants with thin suspenders. Cropped tops over tank dresses. Sling bags made in Peru. (I'm already getting influenced by Japanese fashion--I like it! It's a bit more conservative, but more imaginative and creative than US fashion--rather than follow a particular style, you create your own style from many many different influences.) There was this cool store called "Malaika" that had "international-y" items, such as the aforementioned bags, different types of hippie-ish bracelets, necklaces, coin purses/rucksacks, clothing, incense, tribal-looking cutlery and house things, etc. It was better than Cost Plus World Market! I LOVE that kinda stuff but I know I could get it for cheaper anywhere else. I didn't spend any money today, even when I was hungry and very tempted by udon and gelato, we walked home to eat. And that's kinda my goal. Don't spend on the small stuff and stuff I don't need, and save my money for travel, where it matters way more. Every yen I don't spend here in Nagasaki is yen I can be using to buy my tickets to other cities, WHICH is, in my opinion, the best way I can spend my money to maximize my experience here in JP. My expenditures right now consist of: GROCERIES. Souvenirs and other stuff will come later. And I'll get gelato and eat out later, just not every time. :)
SO.
I happen to live in VOCAL CAT CENTRAL of the world.
Or it sure seems like it.
EVERY night there are cats HOWLING and screeching and meowing. I can't go a day without hearing a cat from out of my window. Why they are so vocal compared to the silent felines of the states, I do not know. It's not annoying; I kinda like it because I love cats and their idiosyncrasies (CAT PERSON RIGHT HERE.) I just think it's kinda funny. I wonder why there are so many strays. However, since I'm not out at night that much, I don't see very many traipsing around the streets. They must save their crazy adventures for the nighttime.
Tonight I showed Mai, who has never been to Disney/DCA, a video of World of Color and I definitely got serious Disneyland withdrawals. We were watching it in HD, volume up, fullscreen on the big monitor downstairs, and Mai was oo-ing and aw-ing, and I just missed it so much. WORLD OF COLOR. Disneyland. California Adventure. Joys of my life. I WILL COME BACK TO YOU, SOME DAY. <3 I don't think people can possibly understand how much joy having a pass can bring until they experience it themselves. GOD I love it, and I'm glad I got to share my love with Mai.
On the docket for later this week is the Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium and an onsen called Fuku No Yu. Hooray :)
Friday, June 3, 2011
Day 10
I'm in Guy's office right now because our wireless internet isn't working, so we're all confined to one ethernet cable--oh First World problems! It's freaking messy...there's a few half-drunk coffee cups, papers on the floor, papers all over the desk, a few half-used notebooks with big scrawly messy writing. And yet this man is so successful and has a quite a formidable "empire" all over Japan. I can't comprehend how people can be so successful when they aren't organized! It's as if the clarity of their internal thoughts is not affected by the organization of their surroundings.
Class today--Guy wasn't there so we ran it ourselves. It's funny when you're teaching English, because my original notions of classroom management and motivation kind of go out the window when the kids can't understand you. The kids are already really good and polite, so there were no problems, but they didn't seem to respond to me as well as they do when Guy is there. I think they're just more comfortable with Guy and Mai because they've known them for much longer than they've known me. At least I hope that's it. Afterwords since Guy wasn't there we had to take the city bus back and it was really fun :) (You know you're a tourist in a new place when taking the bus is an exciting adventure...)
It looks like a charter bus but it's a regular bus! So clean! I was able to get better views of the hillside than I am from Guy's car.
Afterwards I took the tram--by myself--to Ohato where I was gonna check out Yume Saito, one of the big local malls. Except right when I got the first station, I searched in my purse for my route map and found I had left it had home. And couldn't see any route map on the walls of the station. Luckily, at that very moment, two female 大学生 (college students) passed by me--my peer group! Perfect. If it had been a man or older women, there's no way I could have asked for help. But Japanese college students are just like the students in JSA. I know how they're going to talk and react. So they guided me to the right line number/direction and we chatted a little bit before they got on their bus. I liked getting the chance to speak Japanese, and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone alone (probably.)
Yume Saito showed me how consumerist and materialistic Japan is--just like America. First world countries. So while their mall set-up is different (they basically get the same job done in much less space), their items are can be just as unnecessarily expensive or frivolous as Americans'. And they set up the same dichotomies and pressures as America too--an add for Baskin-Robbins and an add for a weight-loss pill in the same commercial break, for example. The pressure to look good is even stronger here, more worth-defining than in comparatively "tolerant" America. Maybe not true, but just my observation. In any case, I didn't get to spend too much time in other sections of the mall because I spent all my time in the book store. さすが。 I would. I spent a long time reading books for Japanese speakers who are trying to learn French. Amusing :)
Afterwards I went to the Nagasaki Wharf area which is so cute and reminded me of Pier 39 in San Fransisco! I sat by the water for a long time.
I was right near Dejima, the place I ran into before when I was walking, so I knew I could walk home, at which point I got mad at myself for taking the tram in the first place (wasting Y120) because I totally could have walked there. But then I wouldn't have got to meet those Japanese girls :) I walked home and totally made it in under 20 minutes. I feel like it takes just as long to take the tram with all the wait time included. So silly!
Hopefully the other interns will be down for doing something fun tomorrow! WEEKEND! (again, already!)
Class today--Guy wasn't there so we ran it ourselves. It's funny when you're teaching English, because my original notions of classroom management and motivation kind of go out the window when the kids can't understand you. The kids are already really good and polite, so there were no problems, but they didn't seem to respond to me as well as they do when Guy is there. I think they're just more comfortable with Guy and Mai because they've known them for much longer than they've known me. At least I hope that's it. Afterwords since Guy wasn't there we had to take the city bus back and it was really fun :) (You know you're a tourist in a new place when taking the bus is an exciting adventure...)
It looks like a charter bus but it's a regular bus! So clean! I was able to get better views of the hillside than I am from Guy's car.
Afterwards I took the tram--by myself--to Ohato where I was gonna check out Yume Saito, one of the big local malls. Except right when I got the first station, I searched in my purse for my route map and found I had left it had home. And couldn't see any route map on the walls of the station. Luckily, at that very moment, two female 大学生 (college students) passed by me--my peer group! Perfect. If it had been a man or older women, there's no way I could have asked for help. But Japanese college students are just like the students in JSA. I know how they're going to talk and react. So they guided me to the right line number/direction and we chatted a little bit before they got on their bus. I liked getting the chance to speak Japanese, and that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone alone (probably.)
Yume Saito showed me how consumerist and materialistic Japan is--just like America. First world countries. So while their mall set-up is different (they basically get the same job done in much less space), their items are can be just as unnecessarily expensive or frivolous as Americans'. And they set up the same dichotomies and pressures as America too--an add for Baskin-Robbins and an add for a weight-loss pill in the same commercial break, for example. The pressure to look good is even stronger here, more worth-defining than in comparatively "tolerant" America. Maybe not true, but just my observation. In any case, I didn't get to spend too much time in other sections of the mall because I spent all my time in the book store. さすが。 I would. I spent a long time reading books for Japanese speakers who are trying to learn French. Amusing :)
Afterwards I went to the Nagasaki Wharf area which is so cute and reminded me of Pier 39 in San Fransisco! I sat by the water for a long time.
I was right near Dejima, the place I ran into before when I was walking, so I knew I could walk home, at which point I got mad at myself for taking the tram in the first place (wasting Y120) because I totally could have walked there. But then I wouldn't have got to meet those Japanese girls :) I walked home and totally made it in under 20 minutes. I feel like it takes just as long to take the tram with all the wait time included. So silly!
Hopefully the other interns will be down for doing something fun tomorrow! WEEKEND! (again, already!)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Day 9--A-Bomb Museum & One-legged Torii
Alright, so. My throat hurts. The good news there's no other symptoms other than a scratchy dry painful throat. The bad news is that it feels exactly the same as when I got pharyngitis last Thanksgiving, and that got bad REAL fast. Let's hope it's just a cold or goes away.
Today at work we taught the 7th and 8th graders for the first time. It's fun because we get to use more English with them but I like working with the younger grades better because I am just naturally better able to control/teach/inspire them better. I think it's because I'm so energetic and silly, so it's easy to motivate young children whereas older children don't buy it. The first and second graders are SO cute. When you say "now we're gonna play a GAME!" they literally jump out of their seats and start jumping up and down and screaming "yayyyyyy!!"
Oh, that's another thing. Girls are kept young here. Everyone seems younger than they are. Even high school students--they don't seem to own their sexuality yet the way some American high-schoolers do. I think it's partially because pre-university Japanese student life is very strict and conservative (all schools have very conservative uniforms and many are gender-separate), and partially because the infantilization of women is a big thing here. Not a big fan of Japan's gender roles, but I'll save that rant for another day.
Then Carley and I went to the atom bomb museum. What a sobering and emotional experience, if it weren't for the hordes of elementary school students screaming and clamoring and in general not-appreciating (not that I blame them.) But in spite of that it was so eye-opening and definitely worth the ~$2.00 admission.(!) I love that I'm getting to the age where I can genuinely appreciate things. All the history and work involved in anything touristy: a building, an art museum, a natural wonder. I love learning about it. The survivors' stories made me cry, the glasses bottles melted into flat and contorted shapes by the heat of the blast made me gasp in awe, the pictures of keloid scars and other injury made me cringe. And maybe the most amazing part is ALL of the crane-chains/crane pictures/crane sculptures made by Japanese children. I can't fathom how much effort went into folding that many cranes. They take their crane-wishing seriously here.
Carley and I wanted to go to the Heiwa Kouen (Peace Park) but there were no signs to it (fail) so we ended up finding the Sanno Shrine and the one-legged torii that was near it. Just being in that area close to the hypocenter of the explosion is interesting in itself. 99% of what you see is rebuilt, because everything pre-1945 was absolutely obliterated in the explosion...except for a few things, such as the one leg of the Sanno torii which still stands.
We took the streetcar there and back. I'm not really scared to use it anymore, just hesitant to pay the 120-yen fee every time. How is there no monthly pass?! >:( I'm walking wherever I can because of that. 120 is a lot for one-way. That can buy me a lot at S-mart! :P
It's already the weekend! What a quick week. I hope they're not all this quick...or time will go here REALLY quickly. I have until July 24, and from July 24-August 15th I'll be traveling around Japan with Guy and Yoko! I'm excited for that. :)
Today at work we taught the 7th and 8th graders for the first time. It's fun because we get to use more English with them but I like working with the younger grades better because I am just naturally better able to control/teach/inspire them better. I think it's because I'm so energetic and silly, so it's easy to motivate young children whereas older children don't buy it. The first and second graders are SO cute. When you say "now we're gonna play a GAME!" they literally jump out of their seats and start jumping up and down and screaming "yayyyyyy!!"
Oh, that's another thing. Girls are kept young here. Everyone seems younger than they are. Even high school students--they don't seem to own their sexuality yet the way some American high-schoolers do. I think it's partially because pre-university Japanese student life is very strict and conservative (all schools have very conservative uniforms and many are gender-separate), and partially because the infantilization of women is a big thing here. Not a big fan of Japan's gender roles, but I'll save that rant for another day.
Then Carley and I went to the atom bomb museum. What a sobering and emotional experience, if it weren't for the hordes of elementary school students screaming and clamoring and in general not-appreciating (not that I blame them.) But in spite of that it was so eye-opening and definitely worth the ~$2.00 admission.(!) I love that I'm getting to the age where I can genuinely appreciate things. All the history and work involved in anything touristy: a building, an art museum, a natural wonder. I love learning about it. The survivors' stories made me cry, the glasses bottles melted into flat and contorted shapes by the heat of the blast made me gasp in awe, the pictures of keloid scars and other injury made me cringe. And maybe the most amazing part is ALL of the crane-chains/crane pictures/crane sculptures made by Japanese children. I can't fathom how much effort went into folding that many cranes. They take their crane-wishing seriously here.
Carley and I wanted to go to the Heiwa Kouen (Peace Park) but there were no signs to it (fail) so we ended up finding the Sanno Shrine and the one-legged torii that was near it. Just being in that area close to the hypocenter of the explosion is interesting in itself. 99% of what you see is rebuilt, because everything pre-1945 was absolutely obliterated in the explosion...except for a few things, such as the one leg of the Sanno torii which still stands.
We took the streetcar there and back. I'm not really scared to use it anymore, just hesitant to pay the 120-yen fee every time. How is there no monthly pass?! >:( I'm walking wherever I can because of that. 120 is a lot for one-way. That can buy me a lot at S-mart! :P
It's already the weekend! What a quick week. I hope they're not all this quick...or time will go here REALLY quickly. I have until July 24, and from July 24-August 15th I'll be traveling around Japan with Guy and Yoko! I'm excited for that. :)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day 8--６月の始まり
Happy June! I've officially been in Japan a week. In some ways it feels very short and in some ways very long. I have to face the fact that I haven't "just gotten here" any more. Regular life will start forming its way soon.
[It JUST started raining right now. It was silent and now I hear the heavy drops pouring out into the street. Weird.]
Tonight I made fried tofu for the first time. I kinda burnt a few pieces but on the whole it wasn't too bad. I also made soba. I feel like people my age and younger are already such good cooks, because they either learned how to cook growing up or have had an interest in it for a while. I want to try and learn how to be a better cook, to save money, and for my future family. (That sounds awfully housewife-ish. Not saying my husband isn't going to cook, but of course it's an important and useful skill to have since children can't cook for themselves.)
The kids that come to our house for English Club are awfully cute. Our lead teacher, Atsuko (who is supremely pretty and fit after having two children), has a 2-year-old boy Kaname and a baby boy Narumi. Narumi is probably the cutest and happiest baby I can remember having seen. He just lays there on the ground with another mother during our classes but he doesn't cry; in fact, he smiles at anything and everything you do. You can just look at him or touch his cheek and he will smile. I'll definitely get pictures soon. :)
English Club is wild and crazy compared to Seido but still fun. It's more what I'm used to working at Music School--a non-classroom setting. It's more comfortable and fun, but with less structure and a lower English level, it's more tempting for me to use Japanese with them. It just kinda breaks my heart when I obviously know how to give them directions in Japanese and they can't understand the same command in English, but I still have to use English. But I keep telling myself it's for their own good, and using Japanese isn't teaching them anything, it's just playing.
Tomorrow after school I'm going to the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park. I was figuring out logistics on the city webpage and I ended up reading 3 survivors' stories which are written in translated English on the webpage. They are so immediately heart-wrenching and horrible. I teared up. You say the word "A-Bomb" throughout your life, without really thinking of the severity of what happened and what it meant to those who experienced it. No one should ever go through any disaster of this magnitude, and to think that it was intentional and not natural is just scary to comprehend.
Sakue's Story
Yoshiro's Story
Koichi's Story
See for yourself if you want.
On another slightly downer note, I think I'm getting sick. It hurts to swallow. The silver lining is that I don't have to sing for a while (the school assembly was yesterday, and other than that I have no pressure to perform/sing.) Back at home when I got sick it would mean days of not being able to contribute in choir and while teaching. But here it should be okay given I don't lose my voice completely. :)
It's almost the weekend again! Time flies. By next weekend I might have travel planned. :O
[It JUST started raining right now. It was silent and now I hear the heavy drops pouring out into the street. Weird.]
Tonight I made fried tofu for the first time. I kinda burnt a few pieces but on the whole it wasn't too bad. I also made soba. I feel like people my age and younger are already such good cooks, because they either learned how to cook growing up or have had an interest in it for a while. I want to try and learn how to be a better cook, to save money, and for my future family. (That sounds awfully housewife-ish. Not saying my husband isn't going to cook, but of course it's an important and useful skill to have since children can't cook for themselves.)
The kids that come to our house for English Club are awfully cute. Our lead teacher, Atsuko (who is supremely pretty and fit after having two children), has a 2-year-old boy Kaname and a baby boy Narumi. Narumi is probably the cutest and happiest baby I can remember having seen. He just lays there on the ground with another mother during our classes but he doesn't cry; in fact, he smiles at anything and everything you do. You can just look at him or touch his cheek and he will smile. I'll definitely get pictures soon. :)
English Club is wild and crazy compared to Seido but still fun. It's more what I'm used to working at Music School--a non-classroom setting. It's more comfortable and fun, but with less structure and a lower English level, it's more tempting for me to use Japanese with them. It just kinda breaks my heart when I obviously know how to give them directions in Japanese and they can't understand the same command in English, but I still have to use English. But I keep telling myself it's for their own good, and using Japanese isn't teaching them anything, it's just playing.
Tomorrow after school I'm going to the Atomic Bomb Museum and Peace Park. I was figuring out logistics on the city webpage and I ended up reading 3 survivors' stories which are written in translated English on the webpage. They are so immediately heart-wrenching and horrible. I teared up. You say the word "A-Bomb" throughout your life, without really thinking of the severity of what happened and what it meant to those who experienced it. No one should ever go through any disaster of this magnitude, and to think that it was intentional and not natural is just scary to comprehend.
Sakue's Story
Yoshiro's Story
Koichi's Story
See for yourself if you want.
On another slightly downer note, I think I'm getting sick. It hurts to swallow. The silver lining is that I don't have to sing for a while (the school assembly was yesterday, and other than that I have no pressure to perform/sing.) Back at home when I got sick it would mean days of not being able to contribute in choir and while teaching. But here it should be okay given I don't lose my voice completely. :)
It's almost the weekend again! Time flies. By next weekend I might have travel planned. :O
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