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blacklillyThe kind that also serves all of its fish pregnant.
I had my first day at GEOS Ina yesterday. I woke up at 7am and went back to sleep, then woke up at 10am. Sam, the other teacher, was going to walk to school with me at 10.30am. I was showered, made-up and dressed in 20 minutes. I think that's a personal record.
I spent the day observing Carl, the teacher who has been covering since the other teacher left. He's a very friendly, laid-back Canadian, and it was useful watching the GEOS method in action. The students I've met so far have all been really nice, so I hope the trend continues. I have a few kids classes, including an under-5s class, called Hippos. I'm aware that children under a certain age in Japan tend to be treated as "little gods" so it will interesting to see how I get on with them, as their mothers will be in the room watching intently.
After school Sam, Carl, Yasuko and I went out to a restuarant. As we walked in I had a sudden sense that Bill Murray and Scarlet Johanssen would be tucked in a corner somewhere pouting. The tables had small BBQ grills in the middle, and you were brought plates of food to cook. I explained that I was vegetarian to the chef, and said that fish would be okay. he came back with a picture of some prawns. "Okay." I said. About five minutes later two battered and fried fish arrived for me. They were whole. I could see thier eyes looking at me through the tempura. It was at this point that Carl mentioned that restuarants like to serve their fish pregnant. Still, I ate them, though I didn't enjoy them. This was followed, thankfully, by a great big bowl of salad and some potato wedges. And then two of the hugest shrimp I have ever seen. Again, their beady eyes were watching me as I cracked them open. They were probably thinking something along the lines of: " You murdering bastard, eating me AND my children". I trult ditched my vegetarian ethics last night, and all of today I've been cringing about what I did.
After the restuarant (and five pints of Sapporo) we headed over to a bar. It seemed nice and cosy, with comfy seats and Sam's specially reserved bottle of whiskey behind the bar. Then these books came out. I wondered why Carl was looking through a phone book. " It isn't" he said. " It's a karaoke book". To cut a long story short (too late), I ended up drinking more beer and siging not one, not two, but THREE songs. If my memory serves I started with Blondie's "Heart of Glass", then The Presidents "Peaches", and then Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm". I dread to think what I sounded like but everyone was clapping, and I know I wasn't the worst one - Sam has a particularly good ability to flatten every sound.
I think I got ohme about 3am. Somehow I got undressed, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and even managed to find an extra blanket before falling into a stupor. I got up about 2pm and went for a wander, and it's now 6pm and I'm back in bed, and I think I'll stay here. My apartment is really cold. I have a half-hearted heater in the main room, and an air-con thing in the bedroom which I can't persuade to warm up. I also can't get the hob in the kitchen to work so I'm without tea, or anything hot to eat. I'm going to snuggle down and watch Firefly for a few hours, it was the only DVD I brought with me.
Please send warm vibes in this direction. I promise a weekly write up (with pictures) tomorrow.
I had my first day at GEOS Ina yesterday. I woke up at 7am and went back to sleep, then woke up at 10am. Sam, the other teacher, was going to walk to school with me at 10.30am. I was showered, made-up and dressed in 20 minutes. I think that's a personal record.
I spent the day observing Carl, the teacher who has been covering since the other teacher left. He's a very friendly, laid-back Canadian, and it was useful watching the GEOS method in action. The students I've met so far have all been really nice, so I hope the trend continues. I have a few kids classes, including an under-5s class, called Hippos. I'm aware that children under a certain age in Japan tend to be treated as "little gods" so it will interesting to see how I get on with them, as their mothers will be in the room watching intently.
After school Sam, Carl, Yasuko and I went out to a restuarant. As we walked in I had a sudden sense that Bill Murray and Scarlet Johanssen would be tucked in a corner somewhere pouting. The tables had small BBQ grills in the middle, and you were brought plates of food to cook. I explained that I was vegetarian to the chef, and said that fish would be okay. he came back with a picture of some prawns. "Okay." I said. About five minutes later two battered and fried fish arrived for me. They were whole. I could see thier eyes looking at me through the tempura. It was at this point that Carl mentioned that restuarants like to serve their fish pregnant. Still, I ate them, though I didn't enjoy them. This was followed, thankfully, by a great big bowl of salad and some potato wedges. And then two of the hugest shrimp I have ever seen. Again, their beady eyes were watching me as I cracked them open. They were probably thinking something along the lines of: " You murdering bastard, eating me AND my children". I trult ditched my vegetarian ethics last night, and all of today I've been cringing about what I did.
After the restuarant (and five pints of Sapporo) we headed over to a bar. It seemed nice and cosy, with comfy seats and Sam's specially reserved bottle of whiskey behind the bar. Then these books came out. I wondered why Carl was looking through a phone book. " It isn't" he said. " It's a karaoke book". To cut a long story short (too late), I ended up drinking more beer and siging not one, not two, but THREE songs. If my memory serves I started with Blondie's "Heart of Glass", then The Presidents "Peaches", and then Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm". I dread to think what I sounded like but everyone was clapping, and I know I wasn't the worst one - Sam has a particularly good ability to flatten every sound.
I think I got ohme about 3am. Somehow I got undressed, washed my face and brushed my teeth, and even managed to find an extra blanket before falling into a stupor. I got up about 2pm and went for a wander, and it's now 6pm and I'm back in bed, and I think I'll stay here. My apartment is really cold. I have a half-hearted heater in the main room, and an air-con thing in the bedroom which I can't persuade to warm up. I also can't get the hob in the kitchen to work so I'm without tea, or anything hot to eat. I'm going to snuggle down and watch Firefly for a few hours, it was the only DVD I brought with me.
Please send warm vibes in this direction. I promise a weekly write up (with pictures) tomorrow.
