In my previous post I made a statement that I really had a disdain for the town of Matsuyama where I did my training. Well in all fairness I think I was a little overly harsh on the small island town. I actually found it quite hard to leave Matsuyama behind, partially due to the fact that I had actually gotten quite used to the weird little town.
Training day (without the having to puff the coke) movie reference:
by the time you read this I will be starting my 3rd day of actual work, but before I got to this glorious stage of effective teaching, I had to complete some very rigorous training. My menu consisted of sitting in a small (and sometimes cold) room, with no shoes on and listening to the instructor talk about how to follow the proper method of teaching students and how to properly engage them (as though they are objectives that need to be achieved on the battlefield). I basically had to had to follow the verbage in the book to a T while at the same time be interesting and "fun" for the students benefit, in other words have the straightedge nature of a hardboiled teacher with a sense of humor. Somehow I kinda managed to make it without much trouble although I fell prey to the fact that most simulated models are never really like the real thing, but in the end I managed to keep my students engaged for about 40 minutes (might be due the fact that half of my family are or once were in the field of education and I picked up a few genes that give an ability of saintlike patience). My last day of training (on my birthday no doubt) was essentially understanding the basics of teaching kids, which is essencially designed for you to have a theoretical (and I mean theoretical) blueprint of trying to teach hellified hellions how to teach English, lets just say I am not versed as well in children warfare on the actual battlefield. Maybe one day I will.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Ehime Matsuyama: Can I leave yet?
Well Since my last post I have successfully arrived at my temporary city of Ehime Matsuyama. Lets just say that this city is definitely a new experience for me.
A day early or Thrown off the space time continuum
I actually barely made my train departure time (even though I was at the station an hour before I was supposed to be) 15 minutes before I was supposed to depart I decided to go to the platform, only to be rejected by the ticket machine. The attendant immediately rushed over to me with a look in her eye of "please don't have me have to speak English",(still it amazes me how surprised some people look when I speak Japanese) I soon found out that the date on my ticket was for the 6th of September which was in direct contrast to the e-mail that nova gave me which said with an hard emphasis of Be there at the main office on the 5th and proceed to your destination. So here I am with 12 minutes to get my ticket changed and get back to the platform so that I can get on to my destination. Well to cut it short I managed to get my times changed and make it to the platform with some time to spare, although the mad dash to get my drink from the drink machine and make it back to the train was cutting it close a little.
Small town mentality or theres a first for everything
So I arrive at Matsuyama Ehime Station, with the intent of finding my place of shelter for the duration of my time here for the sake of training. The only hold up was the simple fact that the map provided for me by the Nova Osaka office, was...well lets just say I was waaaaay off the mark and I reeeeallly didnt have an idea of how to reach my destination. I went to a police box which so plainly put it showed me that the station I needed to be at in order follow the directions on the map was a pretty long trek. So I decided to do the next logical thing and simply just take a taxi to the destination. Now ladies and gentlemen who read this blog I would simply like to say that I am not a big fan of labeling situations but I can find no positive manner in which place this. I simply asked the driver how much it would cost to take a taxi to the area I wanted to go, and he in turn replied 1,500 yen I figured that it was reasonable and proceeded to ask him if he could take me over there....only to be told that he didn't need a 1,500 yen fair. Now I don't know if this was a case of racism or just the fact that the cabbie thought a $15 was not worth his time, none the less I was reeeeeeelly pissed. So I turned and started walking. I was really heated to the point that I didn't want to talk or think in Japanese. Although I eventually cooled off and walked to the location that I needed to to get to the temp app. I was pretty hurt
next time
Hell March
A day early or Thrown off the space time continuum
I actually barely made my train departure time (even though I was at the station an hour before I was supposed to be) 15 minutes before I was supposed to depart I decided to go to the platform, only to be rejected by the ticket machine. The attendant immediately rushed over to me with a look in her eye of "please don't have me have to speak English",(still it amazes me how surprised some people look when I speak Japanese) I soon found out that the date on my ticket was for the 6th of September which was in direct contrast to the e-mail that nova gave me which said with an hard emphasis of Be there at the main office on the 5th and proceed to your destination. So here I am with 12 minutes to get my ticket changed and get back to the platform so that I can get on to my destination. Well to cut it short I managed to get my times changed and make it to the platform with some time to spare, although the mad dash to get my drink from the drink machine and make it back to the train was cutting it close a little.
Small town mentality or theres a first for everything
So I arrive at Matsuyama Ehime Station, with the intent of finding my place of shelter for the duration of my time here for the sake of training. The only hold up was the simple fact that the map provided for me by the Nova Osaka office, was...well lets just say I was waaaaay off the mark and I reeeeallly didnt have an idea of how to reach my destination. I went to a police box which so plainly put it showed me that the station I needed to be at in order follow the directions on the map was a pretty long trek. So I decided to do the next logical thing and simply just take a taxi to the destination. Now ladies and gentlemen who read this blog I would simply like to say that I am not a big fan of labeling situations but I can find no positive manner in which place this. I simply asked the driver how much it would cost to take a taxi to the area I wanted to go, and he in turn replied 1,500 yen I figured that it was reasonable and proceeded to ask him if he could take me over there....only to be told that he didn't need a 1,500 yen fair. Now I don't know if this was a case of racism or just the fact that the cabbie thought a $15 was not worth his time, none the less I was reeeeeeelly pissed. So I turned and started walking. I was really heated to the point that I didn't want to talk or think in Japanese. Although I eventually cooled off and walked to the location that I needed to to get to the temp app. I was pretty hurt
next time
Hell March
Saturday, September 1, 2007
So it begins Again or (Kore kara Jyuu ni natta)
Well who would have thought that I would end up back in Japan again, except this time its for an undetermined amount of time. Well to all who read this little set up of memoirs for my Journey through the land of the rising sun
WELCOME TO ZA ANOBASHO 2 The Endless Adventure of Sai
Hajime no Ippo or I hate Shinjuku Station
To start off, I had a pretty uneventfull flight here to Tokyo in fact everything was smooth ranging from going through immigration, getting my luggage and even getting through customs. I even followed the directions to a T of leaving the airport and heading towards the station in which I could get in contact with the family I am staying with for a few days. My problem occured when I realized to late that its almost impossible to manuver in Shinjuku Station at 7`oclock pm with it crowded with over a million Tokyo-nites with 3 heavy bags of luggage and a back pack topped with a hot parker jacket, stupidly left on from a mildly chilled plain ride. Still in retrospect the biggest problem was the fact that I had forgotten my sence of how to get around a Japanese subway because I ended up hauling 3 lead heavy like trunks all over the d^^n station only to find out that the path to the train I needed was right next to the area that I had disembarked from. Oh well great work out and spectalcle for the Japanese who saw my struggle.
Were my humble start begins or Ore no Tomodachi no Kazoku ga daisuki
Well I arived safely and am currently staying with a friend of mines family in Tokyo, they live far enough away from the main city, but I realize how close together things are in Tokyo. Although a funny thing is when I was waiting at the stop waiting for my friends family to pick me up I noticed that there was a nova office right next to the station, which got me wondering why a company with so many officies all over Japan placed me in an Island far away from the 3 initial choices I picked. Now don`t get me wrong I am not ungrateful that I am going to Kochi Japan to work ( in fact im glad that I am going somewhere that is generally warm year round and is reeeeeeeallly close to the beach), still its one of those things that kinda make you go hmmmm. Still I was picked up without incident and proceded to talk and dine with my 3 day host family(man that reminds me of study abroad to hokkaido all over again). I even had the opportunity to meet my friends brother again and managed to get into bed and beat the jetlag a little.
The next day or should`ve could`ve but l had to put this off the things to do before I die list
I woke up on the first of September around 8am to find out two interesting facts, first off my host brother is a certified Buddist Monk as well as the house I am staying in is right next to a grave yard (like you walk out the front door and make a left and your facing some families tomb marker) also there is a Buddist Temple connected to the graveyard. So right now I am in a location that has a poetic balance of life and death right next to each other with the temple being the middle ground or mediating force...go figure (dont read to much into it) speaking of Buddist temples I got the privilege to hear the 108 rings of the shrine bell which is supposed to break man from the 108 vices that are prevalent in life. I had plans to go and just buy my ticket to Osaka and hang out with my host sister for the rest of the day buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut fate had another path for me to decide to take. Earlier that morning my host brother told me he had to go to work which entailed going to a live show of a band he works with, what I didnt know is it was one of my favorite bands of all time a Japanese band by the name of Sambomaster (its a russian martial arts so dont read to much into it) and he happened upon an extra ticket (which he graciously obtained while I was on the way to buy my ticket) needless to say I had an opportunity to get something check off my list of things to do before I die (ill post this list at a later date probably on a slow news day) and I jumped on it. I arrived at the concert a little late, not that it really mattered because the concert was roughly 5 hours in which I had the privilige to watch my favorite band perform all 55 of their relesed songs, and I loved every second of it.(chalk one up to God and good timing) Still I quicky realized I was the only forigner in the whole stadium, but it didnt matter i was living it up in front of my favorite band BANZI SAMBOMASTER
WELCOME TO ZA ANOBASHO 2 The Endless Adventure of Sai
Hajime no Ippo or I hate Shinjuku Station
To start off, I had a pretty uneventfull flight here to Tokyo in fact everything was smooth ranging from going through immigration, getting my luggage and even getting through customs. I even followed the directions to a T of leaving the airport and heading towards the station in which I could get in contact with the family I am staying with for a few days. My problem occured when I realized to late that its almost impossible to manuver in Shinjuku Station at 7`oclock pm with it crowded with over a million Tokyo-nites with 3 heavy bags of luggage and a back pack topped with a hot parker jacket, stupidly left on from a mildly chilled plain ride. Still in retrospect the biggest problem was the fact that I had forgotten my sence of how to get around a Japanese subway because I ended up hauling 3 lead heavy like trunks all over the d^^n station only to find out that the path to the train I needed was right next to the area that I had disembarked from. Oh well great work out and spectalcle for the Japanese who saw my struggle.
Were my humble start begins or Ore no Tomodachi no Kazoku ga daisuki
Well I arived safely and am currently staying with a friend of mines family in Tokyo, they live far enough away from the main city, but I realize how close together things are in Tokyo. Although a funny thing is when I was waiting at the stop waiting for my friends family to pick me up I noticed that there was a nova office right next to the station, which got me wondering why a company with so many officies all over Japan placed me in an Island far away from the 3 initial choices I picked. Now don`t get me wrong I am not ungrateful that I am going to Kochi Japan to work ( in fact im glad that I am going somewhere that is generally warm year round and is reeeeeeeallly close to the beach), still its one of those things that kinda make you go hmmmm. Still I was picked up without incident and proceded to talk and dine with my 3 day host family(man that reminds me of study abroad to hokkaido all over again). I even had the opportunity to meet my friends brother again and managed to get into bed and beat the jetlag a little.
The next day or should`ve could`ve but l had to put this off the things to do before I die list
I woke up on the first of September around 8am to find out two interesting facts, first off my host brother is a certified Buddist Monk as well as the house I am staying in is right next to a grave yard (like you walk out the front door and make a left and your facing some families tomb marker) also there is a Buddist Temple connected to the graveyard. So right now I am in a location that has a poetic balance of life and death right next to each other with the temple being the middle ground or mediating force...go figure (dont read to much into it) speaking of Buddist temples I got the privilege to hear the 108 rings of the shrine bell which is supposed to break man from the 108 vices that are prevalent in life. I had plans to go and just buy my ticket to Osaka and hang out with my host sister for the rest of the day buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut fate had another path for me to decide to take. Earlier that morning my host brother told me he had to go to work which entailed going to a live show of a band he works with, what I didnt know is it was one of my favorite bands of all time a Japanese band by the name of Sambomaster (its a russian martial arts so dont read to much into it) and he happened upon an extra ticket (which he graciously obtained while I was on the way to buy my ticket) needless to say I had an opportunity to get something check off my list of things to do before I die (ill post this list at a later date probably on a slow news day) and I jumped on it. I arrived at the concert a little late, not that it really mattered because the concert was roughly 5 hours in which I had the privilige to watch my favorite band perform all 55 of their relesed songs, and I loved every second of it.(chalk one up to God and good timing) Still I quicky realized I was the only forigner in the whole stadium, but it didnt matter i was living it up in front of my favorite band BANZI SAMBOMASTER
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