What happened this past month when I disappeared from the world??
I have spent the first month here just settling in and getting to know the area and some of my coworkers. everyone has been really kind to me and i feel i am really lucky with my situation and placement! so far i am really happy! Actually there was a really big earthquake here in Miyagi prefecture but lucky it didn't do much damage (none in my apartment) and I was actually in Tokyo at the time using some vacation days that the school asked me to take before school started this past week.
i just finished my first week of teaching! it was pretty easy bc i did all the same lesson plan (just a self introduction) for all 14 of my classes (that is how many i teach a week). I talked about some different places in the USA and then about myself and family. it is really interesting how different the two schools are. I am like a local celebrity at the all girls school and in all my classes they are really interested in me and not shy at all... in the boys school however, for the most part they are really shy! I was totally surprised! i thought for sure the girls would be more shy than the boys. there are some boys of course who aren't but in general the boys are more shy. I enjoy my time at the girls school more bc the staff is so really nice and helpful to me (not that the staff isn't at the all boys school, but the girls staff just goes above and beyond) and the girls are a lot better students than the guys!!! no surprise that girls are better students thinking back to my high school days!
i have joined the basketball team at both schools a couple times and when i have class with some of the boys on the basketball team, the class goes a lot smoother... not sure if it is bc they know me already and respect me or of it is just that they know they will see me later at basketball practice and that i am becoming pretty good friends with the coach! :-) but in all, everyone seems to like me, just they are not always interested in learning english. which i can understand. especially since only about 33% will go onto college! at least that was what i was told.
as far as my apartment goes, it is pretty convenient. close to everything i need (train station, supermarket--not that i go often :-)--, post office, bank, even a mcdonalds!!) and i can walk anywhere. sendai (a city of about 1 million) is only about 18 mins by train so i have been going there a lot. sendai reminds me of tokyo except it obviously isn't as big and has more trees and nature. up until now the biggest complaint i had was that i didn't have internet or AC...but now i have internet and it is starting to cool off a little (maybe like 80 in the day and 70 at night). So i really cannot complain much at all!
i just finished my first week of teaching! it was pretty easy bc i did all the same lesson plan (just a self introduction) for all 14 of my classes (that is how many i teach a week). I talked about some different places in the USA and then about myself and family. it is really interesting how different the two schools are. I am like a local celebrity at the all girls school and in all my classes they are really interested in me and not shy at all... in the boys school however, for the most part they are really shy! I was totally surprised! i thought for sure the girls would be more shy than the boys. there are some boys of course who aren't but in general the boys are more shy. I enjoy my time at the girls school more bc the staff is so really nice and helpful to me (not that the staff isn't at the all boys school, but the girls staff just goes above and beyond) and the girls are a lot better students than the guys!!! no surprise that girls are better students thinking back to my high school days!
i have joined the basketball team at both schools a couple times and when i have class with some of the boys on the basketball team, the class goes a lot smoother... not sure if it is bc they know me already and respect me or of it is just that they know they will see me later at basketball practice and that i am becoming pretty good friends with the coach! :-) but in all, everyone seems to like me, just they are not always interested in learning english. which i can understand. especially since only about 33% will go onto college! at least that was what i was told.
as far as my apartment goes, it is pretty convenient. close to everything i need (train station, supermarket--not that i go often :-)--, post office, bank, even a mcdonalds!!) and i can walk anywhere. sendai (a city of about 1 million) is only about 18 mins by train so i have been going there a lot. sendai reminds me of tokyo except it obviously isn't as big and has more trees and nature. up until now the biggest complaint i had was that i didn't have internet or AC...but now i have internet and it is starting to cool off a little (maybe like 80 in the day and 70 at night). So i really cannot complain much at all!
posted by Evan at 8:11 PM
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