first day of school

Today marks the first full day at one of my schools. So far, things have been going smoothly. I got here around 7:45am with my suit and messenger bag...right away the principal came outside when he saw pull into the school's driveway on my bike. I went and changed into my nice clothes (even though I was told that I didn't need to) and had a second to catch my breath before introducing myself to the staff. This was only a short speech so I gave it in Japanese. The teachers seemed to appreciate the effort. Then, I was escorted into the gym where all of the students (around 350) were lined up in rows facing the main stage. After a brief song, everyone stood up and the principal addressed them. I was told that a student was going to introduce me but I think the gym teacher ended up doing it. I gave my speech to the students and was surprised by how easy it was to do...not that I'm unfamiliar with public speaking, but this was my first time doing it in Japan. I did, however, forget to bow after both of my speeches. I actually apologized to the principal after coming back into the staff room but I'm sure I really didn't need to. The rest of my time here today will be spent eating lunch with the students, 'settling in' a bit, and then coaching a student in a speech contest after school. Tonight I think I'm going to ride my bike to a food co-op that Jill and I went to last night and then get another pair of school/work pants at a nearby store. Today is also my first payday so I'm feeling very good about that. Oh, one other thing to mention is that while one of my supervisors (Miyamoto-san) and I were talking we discovered a shared love of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young...I think he wants to hang out this weekend and watch a Neil Young DVD. I guess you never know what people are into unless you ask.

yep, still unbearably hot here

Last night it was so hot in my apartment that I couldn't fall asleep. I've never experienced humidity like this and from what the locals tell me this year is especially bad. I have a small air conditioner in one room but I'm not using it because not only is it expensive to run but if I turn it on it'll just make it that much harder to deal with the heat when I leave my place. Well, that logic makes sense to me at least. Went running for the first time here last night. Couldn't really find a nice route but I'll try again tonight. Spent the rest of the evening reading a Henry Miller book. I got through a decent portion of it because I knew that sleeping would take a good amount of effort. Anyway, on Friday I've got my first actual work day at one of my schools. It should be interesting because I'm not really sure what I'll be doing that day but as long as I dress up and have some speeches handy I'll be fine.

(above- the view from my apartment building...i'm lucky to have a nice sunset in the evenings.)

school visits...four out of four completed.

Over the past week I've been making appearances at the schools where I will be teaching. Every meeting has been different, ranging from a quick run around the staff room to a more formal sit-down type affair. This morning I visited the last school where I'll be teaching- Naruto Technical High School. The teachers were very amiable and the principal told me that I had "a warm personality that will fit well with the students." They were all happy to hear that I played sports when I was younger and assured me that the students will want to know more about my sport-playing past, especially baseball. As I knew before going into this school, Naruto Tech is home to the top baseball team in the prefecture of Tokushima. I watched them practice for a little bit and could see the professional attitude of the players...it was quite impressive. Naruto Tech will be an interesting situation for teaching because English education is not a priority for the majority of the students. In fact, some of them literally have no practical reason to learn the language due to their selected trade or skill. The teachers were not shy about telling me this either. I told them about my previous teaching experience at City Charter High School and how the students were very "energetic" much like I expect the Naruto Tech kids to be. However, because I don't know the language it will be very different when I try to connect with the students here. My City High job was so fulfilling because of the personal relationships that evolved with the students over the course of the year and, though the schools are not analogous, I feel like there will be a potential to connect with a few students on a common level- even if it doesn't come about through language.

So now I am beginning to prepare my self-introduction for the students and staff at my four schools. I am going to try to give my staff introduction speech in Japanese. Even if it's not perfect I think they'll appreciate the effort. Most of the schools are having an assembly specifically to introduce me to the student body. I'll have to wear a suit that day and bike a few miles beforehand...I'm hoping that it doesn't rain on the days that I'm doing this. I'm really looking forward to my time in the classroom and I felt a good rapport with the majority of the teachers that I've met during my visits. I'm still without a mode of transportation at the moment so I've been catching rides to work in Jill's (neighbor/fellow ALT) car or borrowing a bike for my morning commute to the Board of Education office. It's going to be nice to have my own bike. And the internet. But I'm not holding my breath on the latter- it's looking like I've got about a month to wait. But I've got enough to keep me occupied in the meantime so it's no big deal...

why i love japan

So I spent yesterday hanging out with a bunch of JETs who were visiting Naruto for the weekend. I got to see the infamous whirlpools for the first time, eat at a Mexican Restaurant(!), go to the beach twice (see above), and just enjoy the beautiful scenery with some great people. BUT, the reason for the title of this blog is due to something that just happened on the way to my friend Sarah's house. Last night I left my bookbag at a bar and just realized this afternoon that it wasn't with me. I had some important stuff in there so I was a little worried about it but I knew that I shouldn't stress out too much because it would probably still be there. Earlier this evening I walked in and right away the bartender recognized me as the owner of the bookbag and says, "Ahh, bookbag!" Before I could even say "Eigo wakarimaska", he handed it to me and it was obvious that he was sincerely happy that I got it back. I thanked him of course and said that I'd see him again soon. It's nice to know that little things like that will make me appreciate being here.

the past three weeks (in pictures)

My room the night before I left for DC. Really cut it down to the wire with packing...I think I was done about an hour before leaving Greensburg.



Weary but ready to make the long trek out of the USA...all of that packing and I only took these two bags and a laptop case.



Post-DC orientation shot...with Jessica Kling- another JET who grew up three streets down from me.



In Tokyo (Shinjuku district) looking for a place to eat with some DC folks.



The Keio Plaza Hotel where Tokyo orientation was held. Didn't mind spending a few nights here.



Hanging out at an izakaya with some new Tokushima JETs (Caitlin, Maya, & Becky).



Maya, Remco, and Quadro. Couldn't pass up this one up.



First view of Tokushima.



Awa Odori Dance time in Naruto. The ALTs were a featured part of the celebration.



Theo (next door neighbor and fellow ALT) and me.



Awa Odori!



Hour number three of dancing...



At a Buddhist temple where English camp was held.



Some of my students eating lunch.



Naruto.



The view on my way to the grocery store.



My apartment.



Hanging out at the beach.



An awesome park in Naruto...bordering the Inland Sea.



Sato-sensei (my supervisor) at the Naruto Board of Education office.



Miyamoto-san, fellow BOE coworker, cooling off in his car.



My desk at the BOE w/ Theo in the background.



Sato-sensei and me at a welcoming party.

i'm here.

Alright, so I'm in Japan. Been living here for about two and a half weeks now and I think that I'm beginning to feel settled in my small city of Naruto. I've been exploring a lot and (obviously) meeting new people everywhere I go. Living here will take considerable adjustment but, as I expected, that comes with the territory when one takes part in the JET Program.

I don't have the internet in my apartment right now and I won't have it for another month (hence the lack of posts on here). I've got a lot of pictures that I'll be posting that will show what I've been up to over the past few weeks so hopefully I will be able to put them online soon. I don't know how sporadic my internet time will be in the future but I think I'll be able to use my fellow ALT's(Assistant Language Teacher's) internet hookup in order to publish some photos.

Every day here has been very different so far. I can say that it feels like I've been here a lot longer than two and a half weeks because of the amount of things that I've already done. After pre-departure orientation in Washington DC (on 8/4), I took the 14 hour flight to Tokyo with about 100 other teachers. Spent three days attending orientation seminars while trying to get rid of some nagging jet lag. After Tokyo, I was flown to Tokushima (the state that I live in) on the island of Shikoku (the smallest of the main four islands of Japan). Here, I met up with my new supervisors and co-workers. Quite a surreal experience. I had only about a day to catch my breath in my new apartment when we were all shipped out to a Buddhist temple south of Naruto to take part in English camp for junior high students. Spent three days here and got a good taste for what teaching over here will be like. After, I took part in the Awa Odori dance...the world's second biggest dance festival. This was held in Tokushima City and was one of the best times I can remember without a doubt. Came back to Naruto, met the mayor...he quizzed me about Pittsburgh. The only thing that I wasn't sure of was the name of our mayor 30 years ago (but I remembered later!). This past week I've been busy trying to set up the internet in my apartment, getting my keitai (cell phone), and meeting fellow teachers that I'll be team-teaching with. I'm looking to buy a sturdy bike for my commute to work and a guitar so that I don't forget how to play. Other than that, no other big purchases are on my mind...besides plane tickets in the near future.

Well, that was a very short summary of my time here so far. Hopefully my next post will contain pictures of all of this stuff. Stay tuned.