Japanese: Progress!!

I realized recently that I am no longer starting out my conversations with Japanese people with, “Sorry, I’m a foreigner, so I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
Instead, I have been simply uttering whatever I can in very broken Japanese and wrong vocabulary. More and more, I am understanding the conversations that are going on around me. Although I still cannot carry a conversation to save my life, I feel that by understanding the gist of what’s going on, something has changed.
This past weekend, I took part in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). But because I filled out an entire section incorrectly and not knowing the answers to many problems, I know that my chances of passing are on the slim side.
Aside from losing face (which is essential in this country) factor, I was really glad that I took part in the grueling 4 hour exam. It sorta reminded me of taking the SATs again.
This test and its results serve no purpose for me. While many international students take it to qualify for Japanese universities or jobs, most of the JETs take it to get a gauge of where they are in their Japanese language progress.
Anyway, I guess my point is to say that it helps me feel like I had accomplished a goal during my stay in Japan.
But maybe the test is not the only indication of it.
Before I left work today, I realized that I understood what was going on between the teachers in the staffroom.
3rd grade science teacher: Mr. Tsuda, you look really cool in one of the pictures for the yearbook!
Mr. Tsuda: Really? Which one? Which one?
3rd grade Japanese teacher: Really? You’re lying!
3rd grade science teacher: Here, this one!
3rd grade Japanese teacher: Oh, right, it’s true.
3rd grade math teacher: Where, where? I want to see. [Before he sees the picture] It must be the one where Mr. Tsuda is wearing sunglasses and a cap. It’s what you can’t see that’s cool.
It’s a normal silly conversation that goes on in the staffroom filled with lame jokes, but understanding most of it made me feel giddy inside.

Japanese Drinking Parties

Last Friday, I went to a work party for our school's handyman's 60th birthday celebration. I was told that typically, it's a celebration that should done amongst family and close friends, but because our handyman is single, our staff decided to throw him a big bash.

Aside from doing silly things like under-dressing for the occasion (I wore jeans! I didn't know it was supposed to be fancy!) a rather embarrassing thing happened to me during the party. As it is with Japanese custom, people will go around the room pouring drinks for one another and working the room and the higher-ups will praise the underlings.

When the principal arrived at my table, he said a few brief and perfunctory words with me before looking at the young social studies teacher and said, "Louise is a good girl. Don't let her go to waste..."

Wow! I didn't know matchmaking was part of a Japanese principals job duties! I also didn't know I was going to be wasted...

A celebrity of sorts

On Wednesday, I team taught with an elementary school homeroom teacher. It was supposed to be a class opened for observation. When I was first asked to do this, I thought it would be like other classes opened for observation, meaning that there would be about 10-20 teachers from other schools watching.

I was really happy to see that the homeroom teacher made a lot of effort into planning the whole lesson himself. In his lesson plan, there were many parts where he included duties and speaking roles for me, so I felt that it was an actual partnership.

I also saw that he put in a lot of preparation for that one lesson with all the props used for the class. In the back of my mind, I was thinking "you know...in reality, it's hard to have that kind of prep time for all lessons."

Then, about three days before the actual lesson, I realized why. Instead of the usual 10-20 teachers observing our class, there would be 300. Because there is a teacher there who formerly taught English at the junior high level to lead the team, our elementary was chosen as the "model school" for the new initiative to teach English. This was supposed to be an "example" of sorts for other schools.

So, on the day of the lesson, aside from having packs of people in the gym where we taught, there were also cameras about 10 inches from my face while I was teaching. Not cool.

Apparently, it was on the news and a bunch of the students at my junior high saw it. Super not cool.

It's been two days and they're still talking about it.

For some reason, people keep praising me as though I had a big part in it. Weird.

This Week

This week has been very interesting. It was full of the extreme ups and downs that comes with being a teacher, I think.

I went to class late...three times this week!!
I don't think it's ever excusable to go to a class late (for me) unless I'm dealing with a life and death situation...which doesn't happen much as a JET. But it was the same old thing. I started the week having to teach a class that I never quite feel prepared for. The teacher always "gives" me the latter 30 minutes to do an "ALT activity." He doesn't care about what it is just as long as I occupy the students' time. Nor does he ever help out.

So, frantically, I had to prepare for the second period class in the morning and since I didn't have enough time, I quickly rushed back between to break trying to come up with sometime. One thing led to another, and I was still in the staff room 15mins past the starting time. The teacher actually had to come down and said, "Can you come to class, please?" in a panicked voice because he didn't have anything else prepared himself. Hahahahaha....

Man, I'm just really disappointed at my own lack of professionalism. Although I should, I feel no sense of responsibility to the teacher though. He obviously saw me as a time filler and someone who can make his job slightly easier.

I just feel like I'm letting the students down.

Workings of my mind

As I was walking home today, I touched my cheeks and felt a thumbnail-size lump on my cheekbone. It kinda hurts. I wonder if it's a sprouting pimple or the result of a vicious attack by a bug.
Considering how cold it is, shouldn't the bugs all be dead?
Just a random thought.

Burrr, it's cold

How the heck did it get so cold in just one day?

October 1st is the official day when the every Japanese person at a school knows that they are supposed to change their attire. No more summer wear, no more short sleeves, no mwinterore "warm weather clothing."

Last week, because it was hot and sunny, I wore a short sleeved shirt to work. The moment I opened the staffroom door in the morning, I knew I had made a mistake. All the teachers looked at me funny and many asked me, "Aren't you cold?"with a tone that made me feel like I had worn a too-short-skirt to a "respectable" office.

It was another one of those things about Japanese culture that I just didn't understand. People were wearing clothes based on the date, not the actual weather or temperature.

But today, I understand. Overnight, the cold arrived. I can just sense that today maybe the start of winter. It will be the last day I have my windows opened for fresh air until March. It would probably be soon when I have my heater on full blast. Yikes. Not looking forward to it.

Next Year

It's only the beginning of October, but I'm already thinking about next year.
In the last English teachers' meeting, we were given our re-contracting papers. A few minutes ago, I checked the "I have decided NOT to re-contract for the 2009-2010 JET program" box and signed it even though the form is not due till early February.
It's scary, I feel like I'm about to graduate from college again and I have little idea what immediately lies ahead of me. The fact that the US economy is in a state of chaos doesn't help things either.
What's going to happen next? I guess only time will tell.
For the time being, I think I really need to set some goals as well as cherish the time I have left here.