Last weekend I decided to mix it up by going to another city for the weekend. This plan turned out to be very convenient because I had to fill in for someone at work and needed to be in that same city on Sunday. Bret picked me up from work and dropped me off at the train station at around 9:45. After texting furiously to coordinate with everyone, we all met up and had a good night. Matsuyama currently has a great number of people from England, which I LOVE, so it was fun.
The trouble came when I had to wake up at 9 am the next day to go to work. Sundays there are irregular classes, sort of like special training seminars for kids about to take a standardized English test. My company faxed (yes, faxed) me all of the teaching materials, which amounted to three 20 page scrolls that I rolled up like a wizard. I was soooo tired, and I don't think my coworkers found my lack of preparation or my scrolls amusing, but it was all really straightforward and everything went fine. I did abandon the scrolls, as there were back-up copies of the materials at the center.
The classes were held in a convention center-like building that had big auditorium rooms. I really enjoyed the acoustics in some of the rooms. My voice became louder and echo-y. The room format also made me feel all professional and proffessory. I usually teach sitting on the floor with my students at a low table, so it was a nice change of pace to be in a big room with regular chairs and tables, and me standing at a podium with a big whiteboard.
The students were great too. They were all about 16-18, and a lot of them could communicate in good sentences and had a lot of interesting things to say, especially at the end of the lesson when the content was specifically aimed at encouraging the students to express their own opinions, something that is really really really difficult for ESL students. I can usually never manage it in my normal lessons, I just get startled/alarmed/confused looks when I stray from the sentence patterns of the lessons. It was great to hear the thoughts and opinions of regular high school kids.
One of the lesson sections about opinions had questions like, "Some say that the trend in Japan is going towards western style and culture and that Japanese culture is becoming less popular. Do you agree or disagree and why?" It was interesting hearing what they thought about this. I would say that the trend is definitely this way where I live, as popular consumer goods are almost always western. From housing trends to clothing. Whereas Bret and I love antique shops and living in a samurai house, most people regard antiques as junk and old houses as undesirable. Anyways, the students said no, citing popular places like Kyoto as evidence that Japanese culture is still valued. I do agree, but I think a lot of aspects of Japanese culture are being lost. I wish they would re-embrace the old architecture style in particular. It's so much more interesting to see the traditional style rather than masses of concrete, rectangular buildings. But, I was talking to kids with limited English and limited time, so it was better to not launch into that spiel.
About my love of taxis...
I have decided, that hypothetically if I were ever to become rich, a personal driver would be the best luxury service to have in my current living situation. During my time in Matsuyama this weekend, I admit I indulged a bit on taxis. This was in part because it was very cold, and also because I didn't know where I was going for work. A 10 minute taxi ride is approx 10 dollars and is the equivalent of a 30 minute walk, but without the possibility of maybe getting lost. For me, it's always worth it. Also, taxis in Japan are pretty much everywhere, especially when you're in the city. If you're wandering around, attempting to figure out which way the trams are going and if you have the precise amount of change to ride them, the lure of a warm taxi to casually climb into and go exactly where you need in half the time is too strong. Additionally, out of the three taxis I took last weekend, I got presents from two of them. It was awesome. They were small presents, an orange and a chocolate bar, but when else is this going to happen to me? I love taxis and wish I could take them everywhere all the time.
The trouble came when I had to wake up at 9 am the next day to go to work. Sundays there are irregular classes, sort of like special training seminars for kids about to take a standardized English test. My company faxed (yes, faxed) me all of the teaching materials, which amounted to three 20 page scrolls that I rolled up like a wizard. I was soooo tired, and I don't think my coworkers found my lack of preparation or my scrolls amusing, but it was all really straightforward and everything went fine. I did abandon the scrolls, as there were back-up copies of the materials at the center.
The classes were held in a convention center-like building that had big auditorium rooms. I really enjoyed the acoustics in some of the rooms. My voice became louder and echo-y. The room format also made me feel all professional and proffessory. I usually teach sitting on the floor with my students at a low table, so it was a nice change of pace to be in a big room with regular chairs and tables, and me standing at a podium with a big whiteboard.
The students were great too. They were all about 16-18, and a lot of them could communicate in good sentences and had a lot of interesting things to say, especially at the end of the lesson when the content was specifically aimed at encouraging the students to express their own opinions, something that is really really really difficult for ESL students. I can usually never manage it in my normal lessons, I just get startled/alarmed/confused looks when I stray from the sentence patterns of the lessons. It was great to hear the thoughts and opinions of regular high school kids.
One of the lesson sections about opinions had questions like, "Some say that the trend in Japan is going towards western style and culture and that Japanese culture is becoming less popular. Do you agree or disagree and why?" It was interesting hearing what they thought about this. I would say that the trend is definitely this way where I live, as popular consumer goods are almost always western. From housing trends to clothing. Whereas Bret and I love antique shops and living in a samurai house, most people regard antiques as junk and old houses as undesirable. Anyways, the students said no, citing popular places like Kyoto as evidence that Japanese culture is still valued. I do agree, but I think a lot of aspects of Japanese culture are being lost. I wish they would re-embrace the old architecture style in particular. It's so much more interesting to see the traditional style rather than masses of concrete, rectangular buildings. But, I was talking to kids with limited English and limited time, so it was better to not launch into that spiel.
About my love of taxis...
I have decided, that hypothetically if I were ever to become rich, a personal driver would be the best luxury service to have in my current living situation. During my time in Matsuyama this weekend, I admit I indulged a bit on taxis. This was in part because it was very cold, and also because I didn't know where I was going for work. A 10 minute taxi ride is approx 10 dollars and is the equivalent of a 30 minute walk, but without the possibility of maybe getting lost. For me, it's always worth it. Also, taxis in Japan are pretty much everywhere, especially when you're in the city. If you're wandering around, attempting to figure out which way the trams are going and if you have the precise amount of change to ride them, the lure of a warm taxi to casually climb into and go exactly where you need in half the time is too strong. Additionally, out of the three taxis I took last weekend, I got presents from two of them. It was awesome. They were small presents, an orange and a chocolate bar, but when else is this going to happen to me? I love taxis and wish I could take them everywhere all the time.
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