I started the week off with a day of doing laundry and tidying up my apartment. Monday was easy. Tueseday wasn`t to difficult either. Just watched some TV and had an office day for work. Wednesday was altogether a different story. I had to go to a classroom that is half way between Okayama and Tsuyama. Problem is I have to go almost all the way to Okayama (1.5hr train ride) before taking a bus back towards Tsuyama. Not really a big problem all by itself, just a lot of traveling.
While I was waiting at the train station to board my train to Okayama a police officer rode up on his Cub Cadet scooter. Apparently I was having a good Japanese day because I could understand most of what he said to me. He asked me a few questions which I was mostly able to answer. I often wonder if I am answering what they asked or they are just being nice and accepting my nonsense and acting like that is what they asked. The Japanese can be real polite like that. So after realizing my Japanese isn`t so good he proceeds to ask me if I have a girlfriend! Unusually personal question coming from a person I don:t know, and if you know Japanese they tend to avoid really personal questions even when they do know you. At this point he broke out his English because I don`t know what girlfriend is in Japanese Once I understood what he was asking I told him no. Now he speaks a lot more Japanese here, of which I`m not totally sure what he is saying. The bits and pieces I am able to pick up lead me to believe he is telling me to get a girlfriend, I will learn the language really fast that way. Now we are both laughing and he decides its time to move on and find someone else to talk to. A nice interesting way to start the day.
Around 2hrs later I am at my classroom preparing my lessons for the day. This is not my regular school but I have been here often enough that all the kids know me and are very comfortable with me. Having said that, the first couple times I taught at this school I taught as though I wouldn`t likely be back or at least not for a long time. When I cover at a school I usually teach a really fun and energetic lesson not worrying about how much the kids learn so much as giving them a really fun hour with the foreigner. Classroom discipline tends to go out the window in these lessons. Turns out I have been there almost as much as the regular teacher at that school. Now when I am there the kids are really excited to see me, which is great, but they tend to think its just playtime with Jason sensei. This can be very frustrating when you actually want to deliver a quality lesson. Imagine 2 days of classes where most if not all the kids think this way. Add to that fact I don:t get home till 1am and it makes for a very tiring 2 days. Good thing I don`t have to do this every day.
On the way home from Thursdays lessons I am sitting on the train waiting to leave the station and this guy walks on. He`s bent over much like the really old granny`s(obasans) often are. I figure he has the same spinal problem that the "obasans" have. Turns out he is just really drunk. I always get a kick out of watching drunk people on the train when they are tired. Usually they tend to lean to the side when they start to fall asleep but this guy, due to his bent forward position, starts falling forward. It`s kind of funny to watch because as his torso becomes horizontal his butt lifts off the seat and just as he is about to lunge forward and fall to the floor he wakes up just enough to pull himself back. Every time he does this he moves closer to the guy beside him. That guy is starting to look really uncomfortable but he is to nice to get up and move somewhere else, that would just be rude. Finally the drunk guy falls asleep and this time he makes it all the way to the floor. I think his face was the first thing to touch the floor. I`m kind of laughing inside now. It takes the guy a few seconds to realize he has fallen before he slowly drags himself back onto the seat.
Public transportation can be a form of cheap entertainment I just wish I didn`t have to ride it so long or so often.
That`s about all that happened to me this week. I hope your week was as good or better then mine was.
P.S. I would like to thank everyone who gave me feedback on my first blog. any constructive criticism is welcome. thanks
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