Now THAT's what I'm talking about!
I know I have many posts to get caught up on here. And at this point, I am finally looking forward to it. They will be coming in slowly throughout the next week. Tomorrow, the company is finally releasing us, and I will be able to apply for unemployment insurance, which will hopefully be enough and in time to pay rent.
Today was a beautiful day for me. I got up, talked to Randy, sent emails, and then went to work. I taught two private lessons and then was picked up to go to another small English school for the first time. It is run out of someone's home.
I taught three lessons there, where I was greeted by 3 elementary school girls in the first lesson, 6 fifth graders in the second, and 4 junior high school kids in the third. They were all so inquisitive and cute and shy and smart. They had each prepared a small information sheet with their photos and decorated with their interests. I really enjoyed the experience. After the kids left, an adult student showed up and we had a nice dinner, where they introduced me to many different Japanese foods I hadn't tried before. The woman who runs the school and the student then each took turns telling stories in English to practice. After a tea ceremony, I was given a tour of a traditional home as well as their Buddhist shrine. Then I was given a bag of oranges and driven home.
This was a great experience for me. I got to see a slice of traditional life, interact with Japanese people from the ages of 8 to 70, participate in a cultural exchange, learn a few new Japanese words, try new foods and learn about their origins/cultural significance, and was then given a parting gift. The funny thing is that I felt I should have paid something for this experience, and instead, I was paid 10,000 yen (approx. $85-90).
I realized that I am not done with my time in this wacky, beautiful country. I have a lot more to learn and contribute here. I feel recommitted and will do what it takes to be here until next summer.
Thank you to each of you who reached out to me after reading the last posting. I really appreciated it and am glad to say that I'm coming out the other side.
Today was a beautiful day for me. I got up, talked to Randy, sent emails, and then went to work. I taught two private lessons and then was picked up to go to another small English school for the first time. It is run out of someone's home.
I taught three lessons there, where I was greeted by 3 elementary school girls in the first lesson, 6 fifth graders in the second, and 4 junior high school kids in the third. They were all so inquisitive and cute and shy and smart. They had each prepared a small information sheet with their photos and decorated with their interests. I really enjoyed the experience. After the kids left, an adult student showed up and we had a nice dinner, where they introduced me to many different Japanese foods I hadn't tried before. The woman who runs the school and the student then each took turns telling stories in English to practice. After a tea ceremony, I was given a tour of a traditional home as well as their Buddhist shrine. Then I was given a bag of oranges and driven home.
This was a great experience for me. I got to see a slice of traditional life, interact with Japanese people from the ages of 8 to 70, participate in a cultural exchange, learn a few new Japanese words, try new foods and learn about their origins/cultural significance, and was then given a parting gift. The funny thing is that I felt I should have paid something for this experience, and instead, I was paid 10,000 yen (approx. $85-90).
I realized that I am not done with my time in this wacky, beautiful country. I have a lot more to learn and contribute here. I feel recommitted and will do what it takes to be here until next summer.
Thank you to each of you who reached out to me after reading the last posting. I really appreciated it and am glad to say that I'm coming out the other side.
posted by Spencer Douglas at
9:55 PM
2 Comments
