First 2 Weeks: Nov. 23-Dec. 7

Most of last Monday and Tuesday were spent observing the FT I'd be replacing. It was good to get to see the students before I was to teach them. I found out I work less hours than I originally thought, because I work 11-8 on Mondays and Tuesdays, instead of 10-8. All in all, I only work 34 hours a week (excluding lunch breaks). Not a bad deal! Especially when I get 3 days off every week!

Let's see...On Wednesday, the latter FT showed me around town a little and took me to the mall (in Kurashiki). The mall is special, 'cause it's the only real mall in this part of Japan. The next closest one is probably in Kobe. Anyway, it's a great mall, with two major department stores, a fancy-looking movie theater, Toys R Us, Sports Authority, and a food court, among other things.

A friend of mine from Fukuoka came up on Friday; it was the first time I'd met him. We went to a Sega game center first. They have some cool games there, but the stupidest one would have to be the "Dog Walk." Basically, you're on a treadmill holding a fake leash and trying to keep your digital dog happy while you walk him. There's really no point at all. So after that, he took me to an izakaya (Japanese bar) and a snack bar. The difference, as far as I know, is that you can order more kinds of food at an izakaya and that snack bars have karaoke. Both were quite interesting. I ate a lot of weird foods at the izakaya (if you consider dried fish bones "food") and had fun singing a Japanese song at the snack bar.

Saturday I just observed again, then I taught 5 classes on Sunday with the FT watching me. It went very well and all the kids behaved and responded to me, which was good. Finally, I taught by myself on Monday and Tuesday (yesterday). It was the first time I'd taught with no one observing me, and a couple times while I was at the board, I thought "wow, I'm actually teaching!" LOL Except for a class of 5 wild 3-year-olds, all the classes went just as well or better than I'd hoped. They seemed to like my games, too. I spent quite a bit of time preparing for those 7 lessons, but preparation time will surely shorten as the weeks go by and I get used to the books and the routine.

The other big news this week is that I'm in my apartment now - yay! I've lucked out, because it's quite large and very nice. There's a kitchen (with some shelves, a fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster oven, rice cooker, sink, and one electric burner), a toilet room, a shower/bath tub room, a room with a sink/vanity and washing machine, a huge living/bed room, and an enormous closet in which I can probably fit 20-25 large suitcases (really!). I have a bilingual TV, a TV stand, a simple desk and chair, a chest of 5 drawers, a clothes rack, a low table, a CD/tape player, a futon set, and cable radio (40 channels, about half in English!). The only big/expensive things I'll need to buy are a VCR and another table or chest of drawers. Today, I went shopping for a lot of little things, like towels, tape, a rug, a picture frame, and of course food. I also got a nice fleece jacket for around the house or skating for less than $5.00! Mom would be proud. :-) Tomorrow, I'll go back to the mall, and hopefully on Friday, I'll meet my friend in Okayama and go keitai (cell phone) shopping. I'll also need to get gloves very quickly, 'cause I've somehow managed to lose the right glove of both pairs I brought. Hmph.

Oh, here's a funny story before I sign off. I haven't ridden a bike in several years. So my 15-minute bike ride to work yesterday was quite amusing. I couldn't balance at all! I literally ran into a wall, LOL! Today I did much better and even carried a bag in one hand 'cause I had too much stuff.

Jaa, mata ne!
Kelly

Saturday, December 7, 2002
Ate a lot of weird stuff last night...more details to come!

Friday, December 6, 2002
Hello again! I think I`ve finally figured out how to update the site from a public computer!
(I won`t have Internet at my apartment for a few weeks, probably.) So look for a big update
either later today or this weekend...For now, I`ll stick the Dec. 3 email below so it
looks like I`ve done something with this page. :-)

Tuesday, December 3, 2002
I arrived in Kurashiki on Sunday morning. Training in Okayama was hectic but fun, too. On Wednesday and Friday, we visited some Amity schools in the area to observe classes, and on Thursday and Saturday, some students came to the training center and we taught some practice lessons. Friday was SO funny! First, we got on the wrong train. Then we got off at the wrong station. On the way back, our trainer accidentally put both her tickets into the machine, instead of one, and they jammed the machine, so we had to call someone over to help. Then, I opened a bag of popcorn on the train, and it flew all over the place! It was a very interesting day. :-)

Our training group became like a family, so I will miss them a lot. We are scattered all over Japan now. Hopefully, we can visit each other. I am lucky, because Kurashiki is only 12 minutes from Okayama. So I can still see the trainers sometimes. They are all only 24-27 years old and they`re all fun. Last Saturday, when training week was over, they took us out to dinner and then to karaoke. It was really fun to see the trainers get funky! LOL We were out until about 3:30!

So now I`m in Kurashiki. I have to stay at this hotel until next Monday, but that`s okay, `cause I get free Internet here. :-) Also, the toilet in the room is ultra-modern. The seat is heated, and there is a device that will spray water on your ass, if you so desire. LOL!

Yesterday and today, I just observed classes. I don`t think I will actually teach until Sunday. All the kids so far have been pretty good, except this one boy, Toshi. He is a wild child and will probably whip a ball at my face next week. One girl today gave me a big hug when she saw me and also drew me a picture. Very cute! She should be fun.

Now I have 3 days off. I`m going to the mall tomorrow with Ian, the guy I`m replacing. Apparently, the mall is really good here. Hopefully, I can develop my film from training week. On friday, one of my penpals is coming to Kurashiki and we will go out to dinner, I think.

That`s all for now...Minna, ki o tsukete kudasai! (Everyone, please take care!) ~Kelly