This past weekend and last minuet changes

So this weekend started out with a baseball game Friday night. It was a great baseball game. It was the Tokyo Giants vs. The Hiroshima Carp. The Carp should have won but there was some horrible defensive plays and also one atrocious reffing. I found it interesting how at the baseball game there were three different beer companies, with a total of 5 beers to choose from, also lemon sours and whiskeys. All of this was in the stands vending. The beer girls (all women) carry on their backs a mini keg and run up and down the stairs. It is crazy. After that we got some drinks with some friends and about a few drinks in I had to try and explain the history of the Christian church and the reason for the split. Ya that was interesting.

Saturday was spent hiking up in the mountains. I was supposed to meet a large group of friends, but they all canceled and I did not have a cell phone to find out, but at least two of them still showed up. The mountain was pretty touristy, but once I found a good trail we could at least walk on dirt instead of pavement. After a extremely long day hiking we had dinner at the beer garden on the top of the mountain.

Sunday started with gong to church. I went to the Catholic church in Menguro that St.Johns built, but latter they gave it to the dioceses and moved to the mountains. The church is defiantly a catholic (universal) church, there were people from Africa, Korea, China, England, Philippines and more. The priest was one of the youngest I have seen, I would say late 20's. After mass I went and purchased a cell phone, which has already helped a lot.

Today was the interesting day. I showed up to work, just in time to have one of my co-workers wave me to her phone and tell me the head of the English department was on the phone. Sandra informed me that Bryan and I would be teaching two classes this week, Monday and Thursday as they had not been able to find a new English teacher. Bryan and I thought we had to make a lesson plan so we thought that we would just ask the students about their summer vacations and what not. We also assigned some homework. They have to read 10 poems and for each poem write one sentence explaining the purpose and then two sentences of reaction. We figure this will be hard but they should be up to the challenge.

What I did what I did

So this past weekend was Silver Week. It is basically a goverment holiday Monday-Wednesday. After trying to plan a few things out and the costs not working out, I finally said forget about it and did nothing this weekend and it was beautiful. I watched about two seasons of The West Wing and caught up on all of the american tv shows that have recently started back up. I also finally got the 10 necklaces untangled. That took about 5 hours with a sharp dental tool while watching tv. I also finished a necklace that need the bezel reduced and the stones set. I am still looking for a place to have some pieces cast. I how to have this accomplished before the show in late October.

Yesterday Bryan and I had a meeting with Sandra (an English professor). Sandra asked our help in ordering sample books from publishers and reviewing them to figure out which would best suit the first year students. This is in an effort to unify the curiulum to help students. As of right now each English class they take as a different set of vocab and style of learning. While in America this would be a norm, the issue is that students do not have the chance to re use the vocab and commit it to memory. From talking with her, it seems that some profs are against this and others are for it. Also I learned a little more about the Japanese education system while talking with her. First off it is encouraged that you child be in a school or at least private lesson by the age of 3. Second it is encouraged by the teachers in elementry through high school that your child attened after school private lessons. I already knew about the cram schools and the after school programs. What surprised me this time around is that the teachers are the ones saying that the parents should do this. Now I know at least one mother in America that would take issue with this and ask the question : So why are you not doing your job and teaching them?　 This is all in hopes of them doing well on the entrance exams for elementry school to get in to a good elementry school, which will get you in to a good junior high, which will lead to a good high school, which of course will lead to going to Todai (Tokyo University). Now the way this affect the students at the Univsity that I work at is the interesting part.

The students at my university are not the top level students. The univeristy I work at is just your middle of the road school. Now at least in the English major there are tests to graduate. A student has to score at least a 500 on the national English apptitude test. Now accomidations on any tests are made for people that have issues taking tests. Most of the majors do not take an english class after thier second year as they have other requirements and they have to start job hunting. The professors almost never fail students, instead they feel bad for the students and make the work easier. A good example of this is how they now offer two other tests that a student can take to graduate, one of which is much easier than the standard one. For most students college is the first time when they can get a part time job and most of them would rather focus on that then study. Also many of them consider having the book open while playing video games or watching TV studying. They want to make money to buy things or travel, and some acctually need the money to go to school. They just need the college degree to get a job, if not they are basically going to be working at a McDonalds or 7-11.

The other major issue is that most companies only want fresh just graduated students to hire, so there is no oppertunity to voulnteer or take a break, as this is seen as a poor quality in an employee. This is all based on the old system where once you started with a company, you would be there for the rest of your life and they would take care of you. Sadly this is no longer true, but yet many of the comapnies still act like it is. So for example a student graduated and started working at a company. Two months in the company folds and he is out of work, but he cant get another job as he is no longer that fresh shiny graduate. His only real option is grad school or 7-11.

Of course I had a whole debate in my head with in the time span of ten minuets going from being angery about how the students are being wronged as they dont work for thier degree and there is nothign really to be proud of when graduating ( heck most students miss the first day of class because they would rather work). To thining that damn it there needs to be reform. a revolution
. This sytem is not helping anyone. But then it came to me that it would have to come from the students and that wasnt about to happen. And finally I came to the conclusion I always come to when debating issues in Japan. To them I am just a forigner and what the hell do I know. They have been doing it this way for the longest time and it is tradition and since they have been doing it, it must be right. Now obviously with this thinking we would still have slaves, women would not be able to vote, and catholics and irish would still be opressed.

Most japanese people look at america and ask why are there so many issues and why are so many people racist. What they fail to see, is that the Japanese are just as racist, but to them there is Japanese and everyone else and if you are not Japanese then that is that.

Ok back on track.
Today school started, so there is noise and high pitched screaming as friends see each other once again after a long break. I will have a staff meeting tongiht to introduce myself to the faculty, so they know who to come to for help with things. I then am going to a baseball game with the international students, Giants vs. the Carp. And next week I will start working in the chat lounge.

Next issues to figure out:
How to transfer money to my bank in America
Is there a lacrosse team I can join
Find a hockey game to go to.

What to do what to do

So this past weekend was interesting, fun and relaxing. The students were on their home stays so the dorm as nice and quite. I spent Saturday meeting up with some old friends and catching up over lunch and dinner, as well as a little bowling (I won the first game by 1 point and broke 100, but lost the second game). I am now trying to figure out what to do this weekend. next Monday-Wednesday is what is called silver week. It is three holidays in a row, and I can make it four if I take a day off that I have waiting for me from overtime. The big issue is I have no idea what to do. Most japanese people, most of my friends are traveling. I am thinking about just packing a small backpack with some socks and underwear and starting to walk in a direction and see where I end up two days later then turn around and come back.

This past weekend was nice, we left saturday for Karuizawa, which is a mountain resort town where the school has a seminar house. They have real beds so that was nice, as was having a single room with my own bathroom. The students seemed to have a good time and I also got to catch up with some old friends that were on the trip as well. Sunday was nice as we visited an onsen (hot spring that is segregated by sex and nude) so that was nice and relaxing.

Having arrived back in Tokyo late Monday afternoon, today (Tuesday) was my first day at the office this week. I spent the day reading the works that I will be giving the students tomorrow and working on my lesson plan till noon, at which time Bryan was done teaching for the day and we took lunch and headed off to the immigrations office. We spent about an hour waiting in basically a DMV and finally received our visa's. Tomorrow after teaching we will go down to the Ward office and apply for Alien registration.


Bed time.

Well this week was mostly spent on not falling a sleep in the office. Although I did find out that Bryan and I will be tag teaming a class next week. There are three students that are going to Boston to study for 4 months and we are giving them a crash course on American culture. We will be teaching them for four days and two hours a day, so I will take two days and he will take two. I am working on Etequette, food, holidays, and something else I have written down. I am going to give them three short stories to read: The Legend of Sleep Hollow, Gift of the Magi, and Two Thanksgiving Gentlemen. I think they are simple stories that deal with three holidays they will have to deal with. This weekend we are taking a large group of all the exchange students and 17 Bunkyo students to the seminar house in Karuizawa. It should be fun. Although the group of students seems to be shy I was surprised how many men signed up to wear a japanese loin cloth for the shrine carrying next week. My year had the record at 8 I think, but it looks like they might beat it.

I also found out today that the gallery I was planning on renting does not have any sort for insurance and claims no responsibility for peoples work, so I would have to be there the whole time. Time to figure out a plan B.