weather changes so much here. i really am a spoiled california girl. i like the sunshine, humidity free weather... that being said, i am glad the weather is starting to get warmer now. its much better than before... but the humidity is coming. my hair is already starting to show the warning signs. you know, those curls that wont go away no matter how long you leave the straightener on your hair... sah. but the last few days have been in the low 80's with manageable humidity, so ive been wearing my hair down and enjoying what i can of this nagoya summer.
observations were just over two weeks ago now. my observations went well. to be honest, i am quite happy with a lot of my classes and my kids are pretty good overall, so i wasnt too too worried, though i was worried about the classes my observer chose. the class she came to watch was the class that was giving me the hardest time... and of couse, in the back of my head i was thinking that thats actually the best class for her to observe because she can give me feedback, etc., but the illogical (stresscase) side of me was freaking out that they were my worst and most challenging classes, and that i would fail miserably and theyd send me on the next flight back to l.a. with a big rejected stamp on my forehead. but again, thankfully it all went well. i did get some really good feedback and ive been implementing it in my classes and its been great! my trouble classes are going much better now. ^_^ overall i'd call it a win. look! im on the school's homepage. --> i'm famous in japan.
the last weekend in may i went to see a nagoya dragons game. it was pretty freaking fantastic actually. the japanese are really really really crazy about baseball. each team has their own chants and amusing behavior. for example, our team, the chunichi dragons has a doala as a mascot. nagoya has a very famous koala exhibit at the zoo and the doala is a koala. ive mentioned this before but nagoya is sister cities with los angeles and sydney (australia), so the dragons have l.a. dodger writing on the uniforms/logos... and im thinking the doala has something to do with sydney, but i dont know for sure. one of the best parts about the game was the big ol bats people hit together when singing the various songs and chants. if you are ever in japan, id highly recommend seeing a baseball game at least once. it was mosts def an awesome experience.
observations were just over two weeks ago now. my observations went well. to be honest, i am quite happy with a lot of my classes and my kids are pretty good overall, so i wasnt too too worried, though i was worried about the classes my observer chose. the class she came to watch was the class that was giving me the hardest time... and of couse, in the back of my head i was thinking that thats actually the best class for her to observe because she can give me feedback, etc., but the illogical (stresscase) side of me was freaking out that they were my worst and most challenging classes, and that i would fail miserably and theyd send me on the next flight back to l.a. with a big rejected stamp on my forehead. but again, thankfully it all went well. i did get some really good feedback and ive been implementing it in my classes and its been great! my trouble classes are going much better now. ^_^ overall i'd call it a win. look! im on the school's homepage. --> i'm famous in japan.
the last weekend in may i went to see a nagoya dragons game. it was pretty freaking fantastic actually. the japanese are really really really crazy about baseball. each team has their own chants and amusing behavior. for example, our team, the chunichi dragons has a doala as a mascot. nagoya has a very famous koala exhibit at the zoo and the doala is a koala. ive mentioned this before but nagoya is sister cities with los angeles and sydney (australia), so the dragons have l.a. dodger writing on the uniforms/logos... and im thinking the doala has something to do with sydney, but i dont know for sure. one of the best parts about the game was the big ol bats people hit together when singing the various songs and chants. if you are ever in japan, id highly recommend seeing a baseball game at least once. it was mosts def an awesome experience.
picture of doala and bats
for more details on the game and baseball in general, my friend sean actually wrote a blog on the game we went to. you can read that here. its a really good read. ^_^ there were 9 of us total. it was really fun....
last week i celebrated my 6 month japaniversary. i cant believe its been 6 months already! ack! it doesnt feel like it. the time is going by so quickly... i can hardly believe it myself actually. i wonder a lot about the future and what it brings... lately ive been feeling this sense of urgency that ive never felt before... but i dont know what exactly i am feeling urgent for... lol. ive been studying a lot and trying to stay focused on all the different things i want to do... but really, there just arent enough hours in the day or days in a week or weeks in a month... year... lifetime to do what i want to do... sah. so instead i am going to just keep plowing forward and see where life takes me.
to be honest, i do miss california. i miss california weather the most. i miss my niece and my dog. i miss them more than anyone/anything else because it is the hardest to keep in contact with them. being unable to be with my chibi aches more than i can explain... or more than is reasonable, considering he is my pet. and my niece is growing up so quickly. shes such a beautiful, smart, wonderful child, i miss being able to pick her up or have slumber parties with her. of course i miss my sister and my mom, etc., but because i can communicate with them as necessary, the distance doesnt seem so far.
random japan things i thought i would share in this blog:
*** toilets in womens restrooms have the option of having the sound of running water so people dont hear you poop. hehehe. not all of them, but many of them do. especially in malls, department stores, etc.
*** they still sell zima here
*** parents often ride bike with children in bike-seats riding on the back. im talking newborn age. its not entirely uncommon to see a family of four on two bikes- dad and mom riding with children strapped on to the back. i wonder how often they fall....
*** sidewalks have yellow strips with bumps on them for blind people and bird chirping sounds in subways to help guide them. as far as physical disability goes, japan really helps out the young, really old, or physically handicapped. unfortunately, they do not really believe in mental health... so if you have one of those issues, you're outta luck.
*** there are these guys who hang out outside of coffee shops and outside subway exits looking for girls... but like in really obvious ways... for example, a girl will walk out of a coffee shop and the guy will follow her trying to talk to her for about 50 ft until she walks out of range and then he will go back to his spot and wait for another *victim* to walk by and do the same thing until he finds on (desperate) enough to go on a date with him... its a very interesting thing to watch. people watching in cafes here is endlessly entertaining for me... ^_^
*** kissing in public is rude. people dont show affection in public really. sometimes a hug... but never a kiss. once in a while youll see a couple kissing and its almost 100% a foreigner couple or foreigner guy with a japanese girl. when i see it now i am also slightly bothered by it. lol. maybe not bothered but shocked. last week i saw a japanese guy AND japanese girl kissing in the subway- high school age-ish (wearing school uniforms), and i was so shocked i think i stared, but i wasnt the only one. everyone seemed to notice and turn away disapprovingly. lol.
what else... i went to a couple of doctors here in japan. it actually wasnt as difficult as i thought. the main doctor speaks english and japanese fluently, so i didnt have any problems. the neurologist only spoke japanese, so it was a bit daunting having to explain to him my problems but i managed and now i am feeling much better. life overall is so much nicer when youre healthy.
OH! i also met mandys husband!!! hes soooo tall!!! lol. hes a very nice guy though (not that being tall implies in anyway the lack of niceness...). it was great to see mandy so happy. you can just tell by the way they look at each other that they love each other very much. i think its sooo very cool that hes supportive of her living her dream out here in japan. i cant think of many husbands who would be that encouraging of this kind of life goal.
yohsukes company finally moved so i got to see him for lunch twice this week. ^_^ it was nice. hes been so busy with work lately... i wonder how people can work soooo much, but then many of my friends think i am also a workaholic. lol
anyway, thats all for now. i am pooped and i have a big day tomorrow! wish me luck peeps! ill explain in my next blog! ^_*
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