A image and video-less post about the calm of the rural landscape

There's been a typhoon warning as bad weather spreads across Japan, starting with Shikoku in the Southewast.  Up here in Choshi, it was raining and blowing wind like the end of the world, and as I sit here typing at 11 AM on Saturday morning, it still looks rather gloomy out.  Nonetheless, perhaps the weather is giving everyone a sign that today is a good day to spend recuperating from a long, interesting week.

For many JETs, this past week marked the beginning of two terrible events:

• your self-introduction lesson.  Many JETs have never taught anyone anything beyond the ABCs, and myself included, stayed up late into the night wondering if they were really cut for teaching.  Between makeshift lesson plans, poorly constructed activities and untested, untried games and attention keepers, many JETs felt overwhelmed in the hustle and bustle of their first day or two.  Like me, other JETs were probably given only one line of information concerning their first day: "Please prepare a 50 minute self-introduction lesson."  You can imagine the horror on many of our faces, not just those without teaching experience, but surely every new ALT, at trying to figure out how to maintain the interest and attention of 20 or 30 young Japanese school students.  However, as it is now the weekend and many of this have survived relatively well the new onslaught, I want to give congratulations to all those involved, as well as countless thanks to the teachers for assisting us every step of the way. 

• The start of standard 8:00 - 3:45 PM work days, which, at this point in time, is really more of a guideline than a rule set in stone.  You see, our contracts stipulate these hours as working hours, with exactly one hour of break for lunch.  However, in practice, every situation really is different.  For example, I spent at least half of both of my first days teaching in the teachers' room, enjoying cool air-conditioning and studying kanji while I prepared for my next lesson.  So, nearly half the hours we spend "on the job" are really spent "at school, but doing whatever you want."  It's an interesting system, and I can't knock it at all, because things that need to get done actually seem to happen more efficiently when there's significant downtime for teachers.  Most strikingly, though, is that all this month, as students ramp up practice for the eventual speech contest (September 30), all ALTs are expected and graciously asked to remain after school for 2 hours every day to help with students.  For many of us, especially those who studied education in college, this is no problem.  For me as well, this presents itself as a great opportunity for further show of dedication to teachers as well as a great time to get to know students.  Couple this 2-hour-overtime rule with the fact that school "begins" at 8 AM, and you've got yourself quite a long day at school.  Some teachers arrive at 7:30 or earlier, and as I left the school last night at 6:35 PM, I realized I was one of the first to do so.  The rest were working diligently at their desks or engaging in work-related conversation.  I still can't say for sure what they all did after classes for over, but I couldn't help but remind myself of what would happen in a similar situation in an American school:  as soon as the bell rings at 3:45, all the teachers would probably funnel out of the school and welcome the weekend.  

In the end, the above blobs of text mean two things: 

1. one, first time teaching experience for ALTs, and 
2. two, going from 2 hour work days in August to 10 hours or beyond in September.  

I know that many of us have felt bored and are well settled in at this point, so I'm sure many welcome this great change in scheduling.  We are all eager to sink our teeth in to the education system by now.

Today, the weather in Choshi, as I mentioned, is roughly typhoon-like.  It's fairly windy with rain powering through every once in a while, but surely nothing compared to what those south of us must be experiencing.  And, for the first time, Choshi doesn't smell like any one of its five characteristic smells.  No, today actually smells like buttery Auntie Anne's pretzels all around -- which is making me very, very homesick for American food.  No, my refrigerator usually holds just three things: tofu, coffee, and produce.  So the smell of buttery, bready, starchy foods wafting through the air is a decadence in rural Japan.

I've been reading The Hobbit, the precursor to The Lord of the Rings.  I'm almost done with both books, but I can sum both of these books up in five words: Don't read either of them.

There's a small gathering of the local ALTs today, so we will travel to Asahi, two towns over, to enjoy some lunch and surely jabber about our first days as teachers.  Still to come on this blog are several important things:

1. A proper tour of Choshi, which will probably need to wait until next week when my internet can handle the massive amount of pictures and videos I took.
2. A full account of a typical school day, but seeing as how I've only had 2 full days so far, this one may need a few more days in the oven.
3. More about my apartment, including a full proper tour, as well as sections on cars, tight alleys, convenience stores, and more.

Very soon, my door will be open for Skyping.  Until then, I look forward to talking with everyone again after the long, long, way too long break.

Thanks for reading!