Thursday, July 26, 2007

Good Morning...

It's packing break time again.

I realized something today at work. That's what I am going to write about today. I guess this blog is turning from Japanese culture enlightenment to personal thoughts but it's also refreshing to know that people are reading my thoughts. I mean it doesn't seem that important to most people, I bet, but when I can't reflect back on my thoughts cause I don't have the language capabilities, it's nice to know someone somewhere is listening via my sentences.

Some of you might already be aware of this, but I am presenting quite a few presentations in August to the new teachers arriving to my prefecture. I signed up not really know that I would have to be responsible for 4 different topics, I figured 2 maybe 3 at most. It's 4. Anyways, now that it's been summer break for the past week I have been busily working on these responsibilities. For the past month and a half, I have been gathering information from other people, the internet, my own experiences, brochures, etc. I have been slowly working on each handout I will be giving out. I have 3 out of 4 handouts nearly done. I can never really finish the handouts. As soon as I decide it's finished, I think of something new I want to add and go on the hunt to find out that information to pass on. I work, work, work and then it's lunchtime and it feels like I have only been there for an hour. I enjoy the research and creating the documents. I turned my "area guidline" from one page into twelve. I turned things to see and do in Miyagi from about 6 pages to 12.

Then, there's my real job of teaching. When I work for 8 hours a day to teach, the day couldn't go any slower. At the end of the day, I don't feel accomplished and the day takes forever to end. Even the mornings are different. When I woke up this past week, I didn't mind it because I knew my time was going to be useful. Normally, when I wake up for work I struggle to get out of bed and don't want to go to work.

All of this makes me realize that maybe my future real job should include some form of research or creativity. I really enjoy working on these things. The four things I am presenting on are:
1. The Ishinomaki Area guideline
2. How to make Elementary School Curriculum
3. Things to See and Do in Miyagi
4. Self Introduction Classes

This morning I went to my local convenient store, FamilyMart. I go there just about daily, it's probably where a good portion of my paycheck ends up. I was purchasing my breakfast and lunch- a cold coffee, a gatorade, salad and some breakfast cracker things. I go up to the counter, still half asleep and put everything up. The cashier says to me, in English - Good Morning. I look at him, not quite sure I was actually hearing him speak English to me cause that neeeevverrr happens. Then he smiles at me and I realize, yea he just said Good Morning to me in English! I smiled, about to respond back in English that no one speaks to me in English and I wasn't quite sure I heard him right and then realized he wouldnt' understand that...then I didn't feel like trying to explain all that in Japanese because I was half sleeping. Instead of saying Good Morning back to him in English, I said it in Japanese because I was just a bit dumbfounded by it. Seems so stupid, I know, but then driving back to school, I was thinking wow, my life is wierd, that when someone speaks to me in English on an average morning I get speechless. Life will be wierd when I go back to America next year.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

ohh i miss familyMart!!! anyways that sounds like a good idea (the job part). I also realized that i enjoy doing things like that as well. My favorite part of my job is when i get to put together presentations for the sales reps. i love planning things out even if its just vacations with my friends. i love you and miss you!!
ps. i'm also glad that you're blogging a bit more again.. i was going through denial!!

Anonymous said...

glad to see your blog , its my only contact with you to let me know all is well. dad