It’s been a long while since I wrote last! Whew! Lots has
happened. Where to begin?
1) We started a new semester and I got some news kids –
kids from the other teacher and new kids to the school. On the plus side I was able to get rid
of some, shall we say, spirited children :) Most of my kids this year are great! I do have some rude ones and difficult
ones and kids that are way behind the others that shouldn’t have been moved up
but did b/c of their age. That’s
kinda frustrating b/c I think they should have certain requirements to move
on. If you can’t read and handle
the current lessons why move on?
Some other kids are just getting out of mommy and me classes so they are
really difficult. Literally they
just cry and cry and cry. My first
4 classes with these couple of two years old was picking them up, hushing them,
wiping their noses, and trying to stop them from screaming bloody murder and
hitting me in frustration. After a
while one tired himself out he fell asleep on me and would cry every time I
would try and put him down.
Finally when his mom came I found nose drippings all over my
shoulder. Lovely…but so darn cute!
Other kids are just rude.
One 10 year was so rude and difficult I opened the door and told him he
could leave. He said he didn’t
want to leave but I insisted. He
kept saying no so I let him stay and after that he’s been an angel :)
I also have this class of 3 year olds that are just to cute for words. They are very high-energy, sweet, and affectionate. If I pretend to eat their toes they ALL shoe their toes in front of me to pretend to eat them too. If I tickle one they ALL want to be tickled! Besides the usual behaviour problem of not sitting down, listening, or repeating I have another problem that needs to be dealt with ASAP - touchers and biters. Like last year, these little girls are curious and like to touch their teachers b/c it's just something they feel the need the need to do. But these girls! Oh man! One little girl keeps putting her head in my lap and I always have to lift her up. But last week she did it again and then started biting my inner thighs!! Seriously? I immediately stopped her and told her not to do it again very firmly but she did it again a few minutes later. Then another little girl went said, "Boom boom" as she patted each of my boobs! I stopped and scolded her but, of course, she did it again. I know they're curious and mean no harm but this has to be nipped in the bud...before I am nipped in the bud... :)
I miss my other kids and get to hang with them between classes which is
nice but I still wanted to teach them and watch their progress b/c they were
doing so well. It’s a little sad
when you can’t teach them anymore.
Unfortunately, I lost a bunch of kids when the new semester started b/c
they have club commitments and a lot of them move to other countries. This year, one moved to Germany and
others will move to India and Europe.
It’s weird that I got so attached to my kids. This was supposed to be a “limbo” job until I decided more
about my life. It still is but now
I’m more involved with my kids. I
keep pestering my boss to get my kids to do extra lessons so they can learn to
read and gain confidence. I worry
about the little ones that cry and the others that try so hard but just can’t
hack it.
I’m also spending more time planning lessons to make them better and
more personalized. The adult
students are particularly difficult b/c they need Japanese to English
translation but the company doesn’t understand that. Kids are easier b/c they don’t have as many rules, etc.
ingrained in them. But the adults
– so hard to get through a lesson sometimes. I’m constantly using translation apps. They would be better suited with a
Japanese teacher.
I have another student who is physically disabled and so I design the
class around her limitations.
She’s super-smart and so sweet.
She painstakingly made me origami wreaths as a present. Her hands tire easily and shake
constantly. It was amazing and I
was so touched. The only word I
can use to describe her is “lovely.”
2) Sakura was AMAZING!!!! I saw the pictures and I was told
several times how beautiful it was but I still wasn’t prepared. They came early this year b/c the
weather was warmer this winter.
All of a sudden there were a couple blossoms then BAM! Blossoms
everywhere!!! Shades of pink and white,
falling down from trees and
blanketing the ground like
snow. These delicate little petals
that just made you feel so warm and happy. I was able to enjoy 3 whole weekends of them.
We went to Shinjukugoen and the grounds were magnificent. They had blossoms hanging from trees
like waterfalls. There was a huge
open space, a green house, a French garden, and an English garden. It looked like the garden from Alice in
Wonderland :) I also wanted to
keep a blossom but I wanted a whole one, not just the petals. So I picked one off the branch and my
two friends audibly gasped like I had shot someone. Then the other friend showed up, I told her what I did, and
GASP! Oops! Oh well, I asked another friend if it
was so terrible and she said it’s not really done…but she does it so it’s ok.
Hahaha!!! Good enough for me!
It was really great enjoying the sun and strolling along the river
watching the petals fall. It was
truly a Japanese experience and I’m so grateful I was in Japan for it.
3) I went to the Penis Festival in Kawasaki!!! Technically
it’s the “Fertility Festival” but everyone calls it the Penis Festival :) It’s like a rite of passage for
foreigners to attend this event. There
were SO MANY none Japanese peeps there!!! I’ve never seen so many at one place
in J-land. Seriously. It was a frightening amount of people
crushed into this small space trying to buy merchandise and take pics of the
giant pink penis, Elizabeth. He is
pink for HIV awareness. Anyway,
there was a person carving penises out of various vegetables, there were penis
pops of all colours and flavours. There
was a parade where cross dressers carried the different penis statues to the
temple. AND there were children
with penis pops!!! I tried taking
a pic of one little girl with a small blue one but there were people that kept
passing – so the dad had her pose for me! He wanted his kid to have the pic
taken. The same happened with a
little boy – he had a large, pink one.
Him and his mom said pics were ok!!!
I know, I know – this is controversial and terrible and exploitation and
blah blah blah!!!! This would never fly in North America but this was harmless
fun and everybody was enjoying themselves. Let’s leave it at that :) Needless to say, lots of fun was had when we went to Yoyogi
park after and tasted the penis pops!
Good times!
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