April: April 15 - April 30

April 15, 2017

            Welp, like I said last night, sleeping troubles.  I was basically home bound most of today because I had to wait for the delivery men to bring my TV.  You buy something at a store and you can basically pay them to deliver it straight to your door, which is…awesome, for people like me without a car.  I had some trouble assembling the TV at first, but got it working fine and now I’m afraid to change it since all the options are in Japanese.  However, most importantly, I got it to connect to my PS4, set my PS4 to English and got to play DOOM!  It really is an awesome shooter and I was having a ton of fun.  Got a bit tired of sitting around though and went out to a used game store to check on their famicom stuffs.  Didn’t buy any famicom stuff, but I did buy something I can’t wait to show my best friend.  I also bought Nioh, which should work in English too.  Testing it out today or tomorrow.  So, PS4, TV, I feel better about life.  I am worried a bit about my spending.  I’ve spent about half my funds so far, but since I have a bank card ready and no more major purchases aside from a bicycle, I should be fine for another month or two at least.  Plus, I get paid at the end of April.  As you might expect, spending a lot on drinks.  Love Calpis, Lemon tea, and I found a place which sells Dr. Pepper.  So…games or drinks, what’s going to break the bank for me?  Place your bets now!!!

            Tested Nioh tonight.  ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!! ITWORKS!!!

            This adventure is actually going how I’d planned for once…kinda…Japanese PS4, Japanese games, English language support XD

April 18 2017

            Oh god…so tired.  I still don’t have internet, but at the very least, the contract is out of the way.  Weird thing is that if I get quarter of max speed, I can get internet in a week or so or a month for max speed and the permission of my land lord.  Which might not work.  So, I chose the easy plug option rather than waiting for them to construct and drill a hole into my apartment.  It was a weird day, with me trying to choose a phone I could use stateside and which I could pay for.  They wanted me to pay with a credit card…ugh…thankfully, after my first payment, I can pay from bank draft.  Progress being made.  However, due to the length of the contract process, I had lunch at 9am…and then dinner tonight at 10pm.  I am thrashed, man.  Hoping to have internet sooner rather than later, though.

            PS4 is going well, but it’s getting warmer here, so…now, I’m gonna have to start using my AC more.  Classes are going well, I’m starting to get a feel for my students’ levels and I’m planning some new activities once in a while that are getting decent results.  I still have a few who are just sleepy or loopy, but…it’s becoming easier.  I feel like I wanted to say more.  I’ve had more stress dreams and I need to get a proper cleaning schedule going.  I miss my family, but I’m…okay.  Really tired right now, so…gonna go to bed in a bit.  Relishing the minor internet that my phone gives me as I lay down.  Email is still awkward, so no go, but I have youtube…Team Four Star, how I’ve missed you.

            Actually, before I go to sleep, I need comment on today.  It felt like some of my most exhausting days in China, where I was up from about 8am until midnight.  I just want to be lazy and to complain and yet I KNOW the Japanese teachers who work at my school do this every day.  I mean…I am just amazed by them.  They teach, they clean, they act as receptionists and help dumb foreigners like me with ridiculous contracts and have got to work between 10-12 hour days…and they can still smile and be lovely people.  I don’t know where they get their energy, but whatever they’re on, I want some.  Seriously, they are amazing. I cannot complain…okay, well, I can, but it is a bit petty considering how much more they go through daily. One last piece of advice for foreign teachers.  Be humble.  You might think you’re hot shit, but chances are your co-workers do twice as much as you do without complaint and without any glory.  Appreciate them.

April 19, 2017

            Well, I am tired.  I managed to get into my writing a bit, but it’s not my best.  I can tell just from looking at the dialogue.  I need to review that.  Today, the wind was scary.  Like super duper scary.  I felt my home shaking.  It was like I was in an earthquake.  The whole day was like that and I can hear it howling now, as I type this. I was invited to an Izakaya, which is a place where you can get small, delicious bits of food, but it is mostly for drinking.  Still, it’s good to visit with my new team and I’m looking forward to it next week.

            Constantly amazed by how things are changing for me.  Classes that were hard last week are easier due to changes I’m making, but classes that were easy are harder now for…reasons?  Like I’ve had a pretty good week for elementary students, but not so hot for junior high and above.  Finding my stern voice again after so long without needing it and it is helping, but I need to amp it up again.  Once again, I am amazed at the energy of the Japanese teachers.  Though I will say the schedule is a bit tighter here than in my previous job.  Just looking at the schedule, there are times when I have some good down time, but when the day is going full on, I can be in class for almost three hours, then have 30 minutes to plan or get food, probably not both, and then have another three hours waiting.  It’s nothing I can’t handle and it does make the day go faster, thank god for regularity.  Let me tell you though, waking up at 5 am to hear and feel my apartment shaking from the wind and wondering if it’s time to pass on to the next life…bit stressful, hehe.  Things are going well.  I’m worrying less and less.  I just hope my performance matches up with my boss.  I like living here, so far.  I don’t want to lose this great opportunity.

            I also want to comment on a true Japanese ambassador experience I had.  There’s a great bento place I get lunch at 2-3 times a week and since I had time in between my afternoon and night classes, I headed down there.  My student and her dad were getting food to, so while I was waiting, I talked with them for about 4-5 minutes in Japanese.  While I know my language skills are still very lacking, being able to make yourself understood feels good and I imagine this is a feeling of pride similar to what my students have.  I admit to being a bit embarrassed, as I chose the wrong word and said my student was a bit clumsy, when she is actually really skilled.  I corrected myself and both father and daughter got a good laugh out of the dumb foreigner.  I’m glad they were good sports about it because I never like selling my students short.  Most of them are super hard workers and deserve praise for coming so far.

April 20, 2017

            Pretty sure at this point that I’m not going to be able to relax until I have like 6-8 months behind me.  I’m hitting my stride with teaching in this different format well, but my neuroses will follow me for a while yet.  I sent some letters home today and I hope they reach the US.  I also should comment that while some days are pretty chill, some days can be very hectic at the school as well.  I am guaranteed a 30 minute break in between classes as a minimum for food or what not, but today I had one class run a tad long, so I basically ran to the nearby bakery, had dinner there, which was…baked goods so carbs...good though…and ran back in about 15 minutes.  While the class load is pretty comparable to my other jobs, the amount of downtime once things ramp up and get started is much lower, so you need time management.  I’m doing well with it, but…it can be a bit stressful. 

Also, am I losing weight?  I never like to shoot myself in the foot with pre-emptive accusations and it has only been about a month, but…I am having to tighten my belt a bit.  Bad belt?  We’ll see.  Sadly, the mad wind from last night may have dashed my chances of seeing cherry blossoms, but I’ll check Sendai and see if any are there.

April 21, 2017

Well, right before I headed off to work I got a package delivered to me that basically contained a router that didn’t need to be plugged into the wall because of a new delivery system for wifi. It…works.  And it was hard not to binge internet and actually get ready for work.  But, of course, I did because that’s what a man of responsibility does.  Unlike some, I can’t just call out of work for my leisure, because that would really put undue burden on my co-workers and that’s…just dishonest.

Today was fine.  I am getting into the swing of things, I have a few students whose names I have down, but teaching is always a bit stressful, no matter how used to it you get.  Anyone who says its easy, no matter how skilled they are, is just being dishonest.

Once I got home, I let people know I had internet online and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family.  Binged on some videos I’d been missing out on and played some Gwent and Overwatch.  A part of me is sad, actually because while I know it’s not like camping, being without makes you both appreciate and adapt.  I am glad to have my videos and my friends and my online connections, but I doubt I’d appreciate it as much without the time in between.  That said, now I have to worry about staying up too late, as it’s very early in the morning as I write this, on the 22^nd.  I had a lot to catch up on and people to catch up with.

April 22, 2017

Ugh.  Tired.  I went to bed too late and I woke up late as a result.  I had a few things I needed to do in Sendai, so I headed out late and got back around six hours later, with no bike, all walking…so….yeah.  I headed in to Sendai to pick up a spare set of sheets and pillows, so I have something to use while the others are washing, I checked out some hobby shops…you know, I feel significantly less into all the pop culture stuff lately for some reason.  I still like anime and Japanese culture and gaming, but I just feel…a bit less connected to it compared to when I was in college.  Also, I bought a bunch of stickers because we use those as prizes for students in class, so periodically, if we’re out shopping, teachers will look for some.  Any who, I got some Chashu Ramen, which is ramen broth so milky white with pork bone marrow and fat that it is amazing…but probably also fattening.  Not sure.  I ate it and then headed to an Ikea to pick up a lower table for my computer, which works well, save that it doesn’t like my mouse and traction is an issue.  Going to buy a mousepad tomorrow.  Ridiculous as it sounds, I hope the only ones I can find are not the breast mouse pads…because yes, those are pretty popular in the game stores near my home.  I probably can though, so no worries.  I also bought some Dr. Pepper at a Maruya, and some takoyaki.  Also, a four foot tall lamp.  I was carrying most of this in my backpack, but the table and the lamp, as well as my takoyaki were in my hands.  I must have looked quite a sight, heading down the road. I got lost once or twice and my body is aching now for almost four hours of walking today, but lots of things are coming together here, so I can be glad to get some things out of the way. 

April 25, 2017

So, I’ve been updating my blog and trying to contact family for a face to face meeting.  I’ve had more than a few hurdles which have been annoying to deal with, however that does make me realize I haven’t really been complaining enough, since…apparently, that’s what I do.  Let me give a brief rundown of some surprising shortcomings of my home.  Not sure if they can be addressed, but…we’ll see.  First off, it is very small.  The arched ceiling does give my main room some vertical space, but I am stacking things on top of the toaster oven which is on top of the microwave for lack of space in my kitchen.  My fridge holds a few fruits/vegetables and my drinks.  That’s all.  The bathroom is a weird one, guys.  Yes, it’s really small, but it has a drain in the floor and the shower hose is connected to the sink. This means water can and will spill onto the floor and it’s also got the side effect of making it hard to nigh impossible to actually get water at a decent temperature.  It’s either close to boiling or close to freezing.  It takes really fine tuning because you don’t have one knob to go hot or cold, you have to balance two knobs.  Also, my facets drip.  All of them.  The walls here are thin, so that means I can hear the street and the street can probably hear me.  The wind is crazy and since the buildings are built to be flexible, they rock and shake when it gets strong. The main room has climate control, but this means expect the bathroom and the kitchen to be either freezing or boiling due to the thin walls and lack of insulation.  Finally, the gas worries me.  The gas I used for cooking always creates a small gout of flame when I turn it on and I’ve never been wild about fire I can’t control, so…yeah, maybe I won’t do much cooking this year.  Not sure.

Alright, alright, complaints aside, I do still like the place.  I’ve made it much homier and gotten the furniture and setup I need to be pretty happy.  And I am.  Natori has a lot of conveniences that I appreciate, such as game and hardware stores for my computing and gaming needs as well as some good grocery stores, second hand shops, and restaurants.  It’s nice riding my bike and walking places.  At times exhausting because if it’s a long trip, I can be lost, sweating, and tired, but I make do.  It’s…a nice place to be. The important thing is that we can find issues with anything, but if you’re still happy, they’re less important.  And for the most part I am.  School can be stressful, but I make do and I’m getting better(I think), so it’s easier to manage.  Also, we have a big holiday coming up, so I have time to sort things out, like getting a bike, heading to the local public baths, and just relaxing and getting my writing back on track.  Probably won’t travel outside of Sendai though.  Some people made suggestions, like Mount Zao or Mutsushima, but I checked the costs of Ryokans and…maybe when I have guests.  Ryokan rooms are usually for four people at a time and pretty expensive.  After an expensive trip and me buying stuff and going through my savings, I’d rather not compound the issue with an expensive trip to an inn for a night or two.  Maybe when I’m leaving or have more money.

April 27, 2017

So…that happened.  I overslept today.  Don’t worry, I wasn’t late for work, however it’s weird, I’ve had to live by such a regimented schedule for so long…I must have needed the sleep.  For those who don’t know, genuinely, I tend to oversleep 1-3 days a year, however it’s unclear when those days will be.  My alarm went off at 9 and I woke up at 11:30. So, needless to say, no writing or editing today, I had time to get myself ready for work and to get food.  Sadly, Thursdays are my longest, hardest days.  So, bit tired.  Still, not the worst thing to happen. Holiday in a few days, so I can get rest, get a new bike, and get some different kinds of food.

April 28, 2017

I had another weird dream last night.  They’ve been getting less common, but I still have stress dreams from time to time and…it’s annoying.

I’m getting new ideas for teaching and getting more comfortable with my role to a degree, however one of the biggest problems is knowing what the students know, especially since documentation doesn’t always carry over from one level of training to another.  So, sometimes my students know things I already want to teach them and…sometimes they don’t.  I’m hoping to find some fun little games for the older students like taboo or apples to apples during the holiday, since I’ve been told that a book store is in Sendai where I can find stuff like that.

Either way, since this is my last work day before a long holiday, I feel I should give my initial impressions of Sendai and Natori, which I hesitated to do after getting off the plane.  It’s…different from what I was expecting. The wind here is quite strong and can shake my apartment like it’s an earthquake.  The coolness of the weather agrees with me so far. Natori seems to be a place of mild coolness as it’s been very cool, even into the end of April and I like the location, as I’m in a convenient place for shopping and food.  I’ve even found favorites of mine like takoyaki and ramen.  It’s a nice place to live, despite the complaints and minor inconveniences I’ve endured. I really like biking and walking.  Despite it being a bit inconvenient to get to certain places without a car, I like biking, it’s very fulfilling and good exercise.  There’s a good second hand store and tons of game stores near my home, so I always have something I can buy, do, or whatever.  I still need to buy a bike and set up a budget for myself to make sure I know how much I spend monthly.  I like the trains and I don’t miss driving a car.  I don’t miss a lot of things really, well, save for burgers.  The convenience stores have great sausages and hot dogs, but…not so great burgers.  Need to find me a Mcdonalds, because Japanese Mcdonalds are great. My coworkers are quite nice and have been a great help to me.  I feel nervous, still, but they have been very polite and helped me to adjust to the curve, though I need to stop comparing myself to teachers past and present, as it’s not healthy for me. I am doing my own thing as a teacher, after all.

The only thing stopping me from saying Natori is the best place I’ve lived is probably nostalgia, as I really do miss Osaka and the location of Hirakata shi(old memories, dude,) and because the people I love aren’t here.  If my best friend moved here as my roommate or neighbor, hands down this would be the best place I’ve ever been and I’d never want to leave.  So far, I’m hoping I can make this last at least two years, but hopefully more.  The school work is exhausting, but the food is good, the location is convenient, I feel good about getting around, and for once the weather suits me.  Now…if I can just contact my friends and family back home…hmmmmmm…stay tuned.

April 29, 2017

Welp, I talked with my parents today.  It was nice, but I feel that given the length of time I was gone, it was…a bit short.  I expected more questions, I guess or more something.  We did talk for an hour, yet still…either way, I had to get a nap after because my sleep schedule is starting to go off the rails.  I need to rein it in.  I played games until it was time to meet my fellow teachers for an izakaya trip to get to know each other better.  Izakayas are places where you can drink and get lots of cheap finger food to help with the drinking.  Not all of us drank, but those who did were surprising in their skill.  We shared a lot during the evening, but the last 10 minutes is what I remember most.  We ended up swapping stories about teaching, but I was taking mental notes on how to improve my classes.  Things like back to the class where the whole class can see a word, but one student can’t and the other students need to show what it is or they need to explain without saying the word.  Yes/No games that involve running to another side of the class.  Using realia to help with the class in choosing a destination or an activity.  It’s stuff that I knew about from my training in China and stuff I did use at times with my students in China, however…I’m a bit rusty.  So, it’s like a part of my memory was jogged and I hope to be able to use it to improve my classes.  I need to cut down on my TTT, teacher talking time, which I got down pretty low in China, but have since let rise a bit more than I want.  It’s stuff worth remembering.  I won’t share any other details about the izakaya journey however.  Remember, no personal details, no hurt feelings, nothing of the sort.  It was an interesting night and I was able to cut lose for a bit, sharing ideas about anime, travel, and other such things.

April 30, 2017

Today…was an odd day in some aspects.  I made a trip down to the Aeon mall to buy a bike.  I finally found one I wanted at a nearby Asahi store and paid about 150 dollars for it.  It’s got all the stuff my work bike had and yet I was told to not listen to music on it.  Yet, I’ve seen dozens of other people doing just that.  I also, fun fact, read that you’re not supposed to ride your bikes on the sidewalk.  I was like whaaaaaaaaaaat?  Also, everyone does that too.  Either way, I got a bike.  I was planning to get sandals and some Mcdonalds at the Aeon mall because Japanese Mcdonalds is pretty awesome.  However, the lines were crazy.  Just like with China, I’m amazed at how long the lines can get for simple restaurants.  I didn’t buy anything because I found I really didn’t need anything at the mall. I was also getting a bit antsy due to the crowds, so I headed to the Yamaya, picked up some American sodas and Cheetos, and got some KFC on the way home, which is still pretty good. I spent the rest of my day playing games, which was a nice relaxing day.  I saw Samurai Jack and some Berserk, which made me feel good about life, and then we move onto the main feature of my night.  I got to skype with my best friend. No personal details, but I will say, a part of me felt like a grinning jackass for the hour we talked.  It was really good to see her again and I was having a fun time talking with her…admittedly, I also felt like it was word vomit because I wanted to tell her all of the things.  I wonder if I said the right things though.  We both miss each other, but…felt really good to see her.  Now, if I can just get the Overwatch team together for some weekend play, things will just be wonderful.