14th August 2010
Hello everyone. Well, it’s a Saturday night and I’m sat in with a green tea peel-off face mask on (I pray that it won’t stain my face green. That would certainly give the kids something to talk about!) So whilst it’s drying into a peel-able form I thought I would write and summarise the past week. That is to say my first full week at work.
It’s going to be a bit difficult for you all to work out what point I’m at, which is purely because without the internet I can’t upload these posts as I write them. So if you find yourself getting a bit lost, please refer to the diagram:
Clever isn’t it? I didn’t even realise I had Microsoft paint on this netbook. How handy.
In the time that I wasted making that little doodle my face mask dried, by the way. My face wasn’t stained green, although I did nearly lose half an eyebrow to the peeling process. What a moron.
Anyway! So I’ve been organising various things, such as signing up for my alien registration card, internet, phone etc.. you get the idea. Japanese bureaucracy, aside from the obvious fact that it is all conducted in Japanese, is a lot less frustrating than that of the Italians or the French. That is except for one small thing. Dates. In Japan the date is written year-month-day, which isn’t such an issue as I guess it’s just as logical as writing it day-month-year. But their years are different!
On all official documentation they don’t write 2010, they write 22. Every time a new Emperor takes over they start from the year zero - this is such a pain in the backside when you’re trying to backdate things and especially when you have a deadline to meet! But I guess it’s culturally quirky, one of the whole reasons I set off on this adventure.
The parts of my week that weren’t taken up with trudging around shops and offices have been spent planning lessons and reading books on team teaching. In Japan, when you start a new job (and I am told this is standard) no one talks you through what you’re meant to be doing - they just sit you at your desk and expect you to pick it up from watching other people. It’s quite unsettling really, but I like that I don’t get watched all the time. I like that I’ve had the time and opportunity to read through the materials that are available, even if it has led me to realise that I am way in over my head here (seriously - how am I going to teach English to these kids? How?)
On the Monday I was summoned into the principal’s office and given an insight into what was appropriate attire for a public servant. Earrings - ok. Make up - ok. Nose piercing - no way José. So here is a picture of my beloved nose piercing as I beheld it one last time:
I took it out that same night (reluctantly) and within an hour it was but a mere dimple. Of course, I knew there was a possibility of this happening, but I was still really upset about it. Still. Them’s the rules.
So aside from these little discrepancies, things are going alright for the moment. The Hyogo Jets have been summoned to prefectural orientation next week so I’ll have to go away to Yashiro institute for a few days. According to previous JETs it is much like a prison… I remain optimistic. As long as it has Western toilets, I will handle it. I think.
Hello everyone. Well, it’s a Saturday night and I’m sat in with a green tea peel-off face mask on (I pray that it won’t stain my face green. That would certainly give the kids something to talk about!) So whilst it’s drying into a peel-able form I thought I would write and summarise the past week. That is to say my first full week at work.
It’s going to be a bit difficult for you all to work out what point I’m at, which is purely because without the internet I can’t upload these posts as I write them. So if you find yourself getting a bit lost, please refer to the diagram:
Clever isn’t it? I didn’t even realise I had Microsoft paint on this netbook. How handy.
In the time that I wasted making that little doodle my face mask dried, by the way. My face wasn’t stained green, although I did nearly lose half an eyebrow to the peeling process. What a moron.
Anyway! So I’ve been organising various things, such as signing up for my alien registration card, internet, phone etc.. you get the idea. Japanese bureaucracy, aside from the obvious fact that it is all conducted in Japanese, is a lot less frustrating than that of the Italians or the French. That is except for one small thing. Dates. In Japan the date is written year-month-day, which isn’t such an issue as I guess it’s just as logical as writing it day-month-year. But their years are different!
On all official documentation they don’t write 2010, they write 22. Every time a new Emperor takes over they start from the year zero - this is such a pain in the backside when you’re trying to backdate things and especially when you have a deadline to meet! But I guess it’s culturally quirky, one of the whole reasons I set off on this adventure.
The parts of my week that weren’t taken up with trudging around shops and offices have been spent planning lessons and reading books on team teaching. In Japan, when you start a new job (and I am told this is standard) no one talks you through what you’re meant to be doing - they just sit you at your desk and expect you to pick it up from watching other people. It’s quite unsettling really, but I like that I don’t get watched all the time. I like that I’ve had the time and opportunity to read through the materials that are available, even if it has led me to realise that I am way in over my head here (seriously - how am I going to teach English to these kids? How?)
On the Monday I was summoned into the principal’s office and given an insight into what was appropriate attire for a public servant. Earrings - ok. Make up - ok. Nose piercing - no way José. So here is a picture of my beloved nose piercing as I beheld it one last time:
I took it out that same night (reluctantly) and within an hour it was but a mere dimple. Of course, I knew there was a possibility of this happening, but I was still really upset about it. Still. Them’s the rules.
So aside from these little discrepancies, things are going alright for the moment. The Hyogo Jets have been summoned to prefectural orientation next week so I’ll have to go away to Yashiro institute for a few days. According to previous JETs it is much like a prison… I remain optimistic. As long as it has Western toilets, I will handle it. I think.
