routine + lunch

12:40 usually can't come soon enough. i am so hungry by then after having breakfast at 7 am. the kids either bring home lunches or buy lunch at school. i buy lunch for 280 yen (about $2.80). i always like to check out the little lunches the moms make their kids, packed in compact little bento boxes. usually it is a two tray stackable container, often one is filled with rice, sometimes with flavorings on top, the other tray is a conglomerate of little bits of stuff, pieces of fish or meat, maybe a little cupcake tray divider of veggies or noodles. they eat very different than in the US.

there is a cafeteria (with a/c, yay) at our school (on the third floor, which i find strange) but it's small so each grade level takes a turn each week. this week it's the 2nd graders turn. the kids not in the cafeteria get bento boxes they pick up from a serving station and eat in their classrooms. they have two choices for bento boxes and there are two choices in the cafeteria. usually the boxes and cafeteria offerings are very similar or the exact same. we pre-order our lunches in advance and choose which one we'd like. everything is rationed out, nothing is wasted and they only prepare lunches that are ordered. if you miss an order, you miss your lunch. they run a tight system here! everyday i eat in the cafeteria so i pick choice A or B. the teacher next to me helps me read the menu and pick which one sounds best. thank goodness for her!

the lunches are usually pretty nice. a few times i have gotten a less than desirable choice but usually it is pretty good. the lunches usually have rice or noodles, a kind of meat, and a couple little veggies or fruits. the veggies are very different. usually little pickled, shredded type stuff. i usually don't mind it. sometimes there are weird jelly pieces that i usually pass on. overall, the food is mild on flavors and pretty easy to eat. it's always a bummer when i walk in and get the lunch that now see/know i don't want. that's no fun. ramen day and curry day are always good! i am a happy camper! ive had spaghetti, too and that was ok. it's always a little mystery for what's to eat because i have pre-selected but i can't re-read the menu so everyday it's a surprise. i've stray away from fish orders and usually from what i see, it's the right move. the worst thing i tried were these whole bodied little fish, about five inches long, breaded with the skin on and everything. everyone was just gobbling the little suckers up, so i tried it too. first bite wasn't too terrible, second bite, my teeth went through the fish belly and i felt fish tummy goo in my mouth. it was simply disgusting. my stomach is turning just thinking about it. i will never eat those again. ever.' 

i sit at a teachers table at the front of the cafeteria. sometimes another teacher or two will sit at the same table but sometimes i am alone. the kids will say hello when they walk by and i do a lot of waving and saying hi to whoever gets up enough courage to call my name. often times, a kid will say my name, i will say hi back and then the whole group of kids start to laugh. i don't know what they are laughing about, i hope its just nervous laughter. 

they recycle everything here. there are bins for plastics, tin foil, paper and the glass bottles of the milk. when i am finished eating and the trash crowds have started to dissipate, i'll get up and drop any recyclables where they belong and take my tray to the dishwashers. lunch is done in about 25-30 minutes. afterwards, i head back to the teachers room...

afternoon, to be continued... 

routine + average lessons

i am usually scheduled for two or three lessons in the morning. a few minutes before class is supposed to start i will head to the classroom. often times i will walk with the JTE to class through the halls. the third graders are on the first and second floors, the second graders are on the third floor and the little first graders are way up on the fourth floor. i will sometimes have little conversations with students and i say hello, hi, how are you to many kids as i make my way through students. 

a usual lesson begins with saying "good morning everyone" they reply "good morning noelle and ms. ...". i ask, "how are you today?" they respond, "i'm fine, thank you, and you?". i always say everything but "fine" usually i am sleepy, hungry and/or hot. sometimes if i have prepared a game or activity, i will explain it with help of the teacher and then usually i would get about 20-30 minutes for my stuff. afterwards, pretty much no fail i will do some human tape recorder where i read from the textbook and they repeat. sometimes it's small paragraphs about the most random stuff like braille, e-pals, shamisen concerts (traditional japanese instruments) so it can be somewhat weird, in my opinion what they read and what vocabulary is chosen. but they do it! it is strange though, because sometimes the book gets fairly advanced with different tenses, vocabulary, etc. but when you ask a simple question, often times there is no answer. i guess this is mostly due to shyness though but still! 

if the teacher has prepared an activity or game i will assist and play if they need one more person. sometimes they pass out worksheets and the kids all put their heads down and furiously bust them out, many students work quite fast. very little goofing off happens. during worksheet time, it is often silent, or very near silent for the duration. it is kind of amazing, very different that my middle school experience, that's for sure! the students all seem to be very serious and good. i hardly ever have any goof offs and if there are, they are more like class clowns types cracking jokes or just talking a bit. there aren't really any little brats causing trouble. in fact,  i haven't really even seen anyone get in trouble yet but maybe it would be very hush, hush and i wouldn't know anyhow. when the kids do worksheets, i will walk around and try and help the best i can without being able to speak or explain in japanese. sometimes i just point if an answer is wrong and let the kid figure it out. i will give a simple hint if i can. 9.5 times out of 10, the kid will correct it on the first try. they are all very smart! if there are extra minutes at the end of a lesson, sometimes i will do hangman or simple games. the kids usually like that and it's really fun for me too. 

fourth period ends at 12:40 pm, i am ravenous and it's lunch time. to be continued...

routine + morning

i thought i would write about my average daily routine over here 4900 miles away.

firstly, i am paranoid of being late because late doesn't exist over here. it simply is not allowed. even if there is a problem on the train, whatever you gotta get to where you gotta be on time. (mom, be proud, i haven't been even close to being late!) this is one reason i have my clocks set 10 minutes fast, a little buffer time. so my alarm goes off at 6:45 am (really 6:35), i usually do a few (or several, depending on the day) 5 minute snoozes. once i wake up, i get out my computer and check email, the weather (to check for rain and bike to work conditions) and facebook (yes, i'm addicted and i'll admit it). then i proceed to do average morning routines. have a little something to eat, usually cereal or pbj maybe some fruit. i get dressed, pretty much skip makeup all together (i sweat it off anyways in about 5 minutes), fix my hair which consists of pretty much one style over here, pony tail/bun with bangs swept to the side with a bobby pin. this is due to the massive amount of sweat i create getting to work. i need to leave my apartment at 7:40-45.

then i get on my bike. if its rainy or i am tired i bike about 7 minutes to the station and catch the 7:58 train which arrives in my school neighborhood about 8:04, ten min walk to school and i am at my desk at 8:15. i am supposed to show up early but my official paid time starts at 8:30. if i decide to bike to school, it takes about 35 minutes so i arrive at school about the same time either way. if i bike, i have a cool down routine first thing. i walk into the school and open my cubby in the lobby to get out my school shoes and put in outdoor shoes. then i walk into the teachers room. (in japan the students are in classes like 1-1 (first year, first class), 2-3 (second year, third class), etc. the students stay in the same class room all day while the teachers come and go. so all the teachers desks are in the teachers room. it is a pretty active place, everyone buzzing around.) so i go in to the T.R. and say "ooo-hi-yo  goo-zai-mas" or good morning and whoever is near says the same back to me. this is custom and all you hear in the morning are multiple voices saying mostly "masssss". they kinda mumble the first part of the phrase and really like to drag out the masssssss. seriously for like 3 seconds. it was weird at first, now i am used to it. 

after the hellos, sit down at my desk and immediately fan myself for a while and begin my cool down routine. others are doing this too so its not weird or rude or anything. i usually am sweating tons at this time, so i am also swabbing my face with a mini towel, also standard. then i usually pass on the hot morning tea and pound some cold water to try and regulate my elevated body temperature. i'm maybe also doing a little prep if i have any, making copies, cutting worksheets but its mostly just cooling off. sometimes one of the japanese teacher of english (JTE) will come have a quick convo about the lessons we have together so i will have a heads up, sometimes we have chatted the day prior in the afternoon though).

at 8:30 the teachers have their morning meeting. a bell rings and the principal comes in, everyone stands and says "ohiyo goziamus", bows and sits to listen to whoever talks. (the principals office is attached to the TR at the front, the VP and head teachers desks are adjacent to the door of the principal but are in the main TR. my desk is two desks from the back, fine with me!) the meeting is all in japanese so i of couse dont catch a thing. at 8:50 classes begin. i usually am not scheduled for 1st period, so its more "preparation time" but usually i am already prepared so it has turned into an extended cool down time or reading a book at my desk time, doodling at my desk time, studying japanese at my desk time, writing letters or postcards at my desk time, you get the drift. 

the classes are 50 minutes each. with 10 minutes between lessons, so the 4 morning lessons being at 8, 9, 10, 11 on the fifty. 

to be continued...

likes + dislikes

things i am liking in japan:

• living alone. it's kinda nice. i think i would prefer to have my awesome roommates from past times of course, but my little apartment and i get along quite well. i like leaving a mess around if i want, i know its mine. if it's a trashy, it's my trash. when i want it clean, i clean it. i keep it at the temperature i want. i can do whatever i want, fill the whole fridge with my crap, granted my fridge is super tiny but you get the idea. so living alone, i like it.
  
• my toilet paper dispenser is plastic with two little pegs to hold the roll up. to remove the empty roll, you just pull the roll up and the pegs swivel up and allow you to just pull it out with out removing that dumb little spring loaded dealy. to put a new roll in, you just do the reverse - push the roll up under the pegs from the bottom swing up and then come down and catch it. okay, hard to explain but trust me, its awesome and i wonder why this little, simple invention is not in america yet. it's so cool.
• also in the bathroom, the sink on top of the tank of the toilet that runs water after a flush to refill the toilet bowl. genius. 
• mister donut. sugar, glaze, strawberry, angel creme. oh yeah, very nice.
• in the schools, everyone has a role, a responsibility. kids are assigned little jobs. they erase and clean the chalk boards after each lesson, one kid brings their class or table a crate of milk and another kid takes a kettle of tea. its just nice, everyone is part of the daily routine for the greater good.
• riding my bike.
• living close to the city center.
• riding the subway.
• onigiri. a lot. such a great snack.
• my bank book. i insert it into an ATM and it can access my account without a card. it then prints your transactions in the book. so i don't use online banking but this little book with all my account action on it is so cool. and if you take money out or activity happens on your account not using the book, the next time you use the book, all transactions get printed in date order. very nice.
• everyone is so genuine and caring here. if you have a problem, the japanese people at school will do anything to help. it's really nice and means a lot to me being here so far from home and my comfort zone.
• the dehumidify option on my a/c unit. a godsend. and thanks to my fellow portlander neighbor for showing me it!
• the store LOFT. i've said it before but it's truly amazing.
• all the rad japanese stationary, art supplies, gadgets, etc. love it.
• my job. i like it. the kids are mostly awesome and i am enjoying it. 
• my favorite students. i know you're not supposed choose favs but i can't help it. sometimes they're the cute ones, or the littlest ones, the friendliest ones, one kid i love cause he has a huge smile and the biggest head of fluffy, spiky hair i've ever seen, sometimes i like the dopey ones, the smart ones i can always count on to answer questions for me, the super genki (excited, energetic) ones, the kids who try hard, the ones who have a little trouble, the sleepers (sometimes i wish i was doing the same), the ones with sweet faces and of course sometimes i like the little brats, too.

a few things i could do without:

• the humidity. it's outrageous. this morning it was 91%. big uggg.
• the loud noise at my apartment from the highways and most recently the hordes of gigantic black crows at night. they congregate on the power lines of my block. lots of them, like 150 of the nasty things each night. its very eerie. and i really hate birds, crows especially. the make the ugliest squawk sounds. 
• sometimes i get a little bored and isolated feeling being the only non-japanese person i see most days.
• some of the school lunch choices are to be desired.
• the two bridges i have to cross on the way to work on my bike i kinda dread everyday. the first one is worse, it gets me every time, it's nearly impossible on the cruiser but i manage it most days. on tired days, i walk her.
• did i mention the heat. today we recorded an oral section for an exam in a teeny, tiny recording room, must have been 95 in there. it was like a little sauna.
• sweat. lately it's pretty much all day, everyday. annoying.
• the lack of certain foods i really miss. i really want a turkey sandwich, a real piece of pizza, a fat chipotle burrito, red robin, thai pod, etc. (of course, i miss the fam's home cooking too).
• my futon "bed". it's starting to become less and less comfortable. a real bed is gonna be so nice. oh, so nice!
• the 16 hour time difference between japan and home, it can make talking to home hard. 
• the lack of friends and family. they're all are so far away. i miss all of you!
• the inability to use plastic in japan. i cannot remember a time not using a credit or debit card for so long. i only use it on the rare occasion to get cash since i only have an ATM card anyway but the majority of the time i use my rad little bank book.

birkies + nachos

this week at school was pretty good. i taught a lesson with new responses to the question "how are you?" to 1st graders 6th grade in the states). i made cute flash cards with a little cartoon guy. they learned i'm good/o.k./terrific/sick/sleepy/hot/cold/tired/hungry/thirsty. i first went through the cards and had the kids repeat and translate into japanese so they knew what the words meant. then we played a game with the flash cards lined up on the board and the kids divided into two teams on each end of the line of flash cards. when it was their turn, each kid had to read the cards out loud working their way down from their side, when the players from met in the middle (or wherever they happened to make it to) they rock-paper-scissor and winner continues, losers teams sends out another player to challenge the remaing player as they are still working their way down the kind. once a student reached the final card on their opposite side a point was scored and a new round began. the kids got so into it. they were yelling and routing each other on. we played about 10 rounds in each game and the kids seemed to really like it. i had fun. and my japanese english teacher said that i was popular with the kids. (yay! i so wanted to be popular!) i was so happy when she told me that. next week i teach the 3rd graders (like 8th graders).

friday night i went out for dinner with some friends from training to celebrate a girls birthday. we went to this italian place on an outdoor patio on the 13th floor of nagoya station. there were great view and good company. the plan was to go out after for drinks and karaoke but we ended up just calling it a night about 11:30 and catching one of the last trains back. my friend meaghan from canada stayed over. saturday morning we walked down the street for dennys breakfast. we actually ate a club sandwich thing (they don't have the same items that you would expect in an american dennys) and it was pretty good. after, we headed to town and shopped. meaghan lives about 30 min commute outside of nagoya so she likes to shop whenever she's in town. we bought weekend eco train passes so we took 3 subway rides to different stores. we went to my favorite LOFT, uniclo, an outdoor store, a bookshop, a department store called tokyu hands, a few random shoe stores (of course). i found some super discounted birkenstocks for about 50 dollars so i picked up a pair of those. i hope i like them as they break in. i have thought about getting them before but just haven't. i think they may be perfect for this summers travels. 

the most exciting part of the day (after having a mr. donut snack in the afternoon, yum) was returning to an import grocery store. i had been once before the 2nd day i was in nagoya and briefly had a look around, i knew there was imported stuff but today i realized how special this place is! it makes me feel like home a bit. i splurged on some items including real cheddar cheese, black beans in a can, a small bag of tortilla chips (i'm making nachos for dinner in a bit), philly cream cheese, 2 bagels, half of a rustic bread loaf, and salad dressing called california creamy (hoping it was ranch-like, and it was) all for about 2300 yen (23 dollars). yes it pricey but i felt i really needed all of these items in my life right now.

fixin's for nachos =D

omg, i need mexican food way more than i get it.

philly and carbsss! bagles are good, so good.

its no hidden valley but...

 

yummm, that california creamy isn't too bad...

kakegawa + photos (finally)

i visited a friend i met during training this weekend. she lives in kakegawa, a small city (100,000 people) in the next prefecture over. she is really funny and we got to hang out and catch up. we drove around the city, went out to the coast and drove around. it was fun, nice and easy. i stayed the night saturday and headed home sunday afternoon after a delicious ramen lunch. it was good to see a new area and get out of nagoya for a bit. 

also! taa daa! i have photos again. i was having major major tech difficulties but 2 memory card readers and 2 corrupted memory cards later i think i am back in business so here are a few recent pics.

reflection of me on my bike.

my new "trunk"

nagoya

donuts from mister donut, maybe one of my top 5 favorite things in japan!

sarah and i at the beach near kakegawa

awesome weekend + plans

i am really settling into nagoya quite nicely. i am in my third week of teaching and it is going pretty well. i am still gaging how much english comprehension the kids have and seeing what works well and what doesn't work so well. i have done a few activities that have worked, some that have just been okay and a few that have fell a bit short. i'm not sure if it is the game itself, how complicated it is or if its just plain dumb. i hope to learn more as time goes on what will really be fun and educational for them and i am sure i will. 

i had a great couple days last weekend. on friday night a friend suggested we try and find a mexican restaurant. of course, i was into that! we walked in and it was filled with other foreigners! kind of funny, all of us feigning for our mexican food fix! it took forever, but the food was pretty tasty. i had a bean and rice burrito and split a quesadilla. yum yum! we started talking with some other people in the restaurant and ended up going to another bar with them.  some of them had been in nagoya/japan for 3-5 years, mostly teaching english at various companies. 

saturday a friend who lives in a nearby suburb came to town and we spent the day hanging out. we had mcdonalds lunch. then shopped for english books. they had american magazines. cosmo was like $22! ridiculous! then we headed to a big mall because my friend was searching for running shoes. the mall had a big sports store. also a huge department store called jusco. it has stuff for cheap so i picked up two pillows. then we navigated our way to a thai resutrarnt we found in a brochure. it was pretty tasty! then we decided to visit a "canadian" bar because my friend is from canada. well... we found it but nothing about it was canadian. kind of funny.

sunday i wanted to shop at LOFT, my favorite store in japan thus far. i decided to bike over there. it was a little bit of an adventure but i didn't get too lost. i did have to check my map about 12 times but i made it. the ride was about an hour so not too bad and all flat. this was a great discovery because now i have so much freedom on the bike. it was great! the weather was lovely and biking around was so fun. i got to see some of downtown that i hadn't yet seen and it was very nice! nagoya is lovely. new, clean and modern. 

today was my first day biking to school and it was nice and quick. work was boring but oh well. gives me time to write letters! charles is visiting me in 5 weeks and we are talking about visiting the philippines. i found super cheap airfare online so we are looking into it. from what i have seen, it looks beautiful and is very cheap. score, score! our initial plan was to ferry into china because it's very cheap, too but it requires a visa and a two day ferry trip which could be awesome or maybe kinda lame. we'll see what works out, either way this summer is going to sure be some fun! i can't wait! hope everyone at home is doing well! i miss it.