Hi!!!!
I:ve been in Japan for about 3 weeks now and I:m having a pretty good time. (no, I haven:t confused an apostrophe with a colon...the keyboard is layed out different here and I:m too lazy to learn where the right keys are haha)
Anyway, things are pretty good. The place where I live is out in the middle of nowhere and the place where I work is even smaller. My apartment is the smallest yet. But, it is really cute and is fine for one person. I will post pictures of everything soon.
I love my school and my students. I only have about 25 students and most of them are young children or their parents.
Outside of school, I have managed to make a few friends and have begun to get situated. I finally have a cell phone and a bank account. This week, I hope to get internet set up at home and satellite tv.
My free time is spent exploring the area (I bought a used bike), going out to eat and to parties with my new friends, and trying to sleep. (my futon is the least comfortable thing ever!) Thankfully, a friend of a friend has leant me a bed to use for while I am in Japan.
Well, I realize that this blog is super random and not organized at all. But, I just wanted to post something to let everyone know that I:m doing okay here and to keep y:all updated.
I hope that all is well with everyone. And please keep sending me lots of messages...I:m a little homesick now, and without internet or English tv, feeling pretty disconnected from the outside world, so they really help.
Cheers!
Chris
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Japanese Job Interviews are Crizazy yo!
So, I've been working hard trying to find a new and non-sucky job for when my current job ends in January. I've had 2.1 interviews so far, and they are all really strange! I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing, or if I just have bad luck.
Phone Interview 1: (language school in Toyohashi) The man called me almost 10 minutes after the interview was supposed to start with no apology. The interview was conducted by a Japanese man and he seemed to be making up the questions as he went along. He asked completely irrelevant questions, such as what type of foods I like, but NEVER once asked me anything remotedly related to teaching, my education background, or my previous experience. It was as if he just wanted to chat and make 45 minutes of small talk with someone in English. (I removed myself from consideration for that position)
Interview 2: (public high school in Nagoya) The interview was going great, but about half-way through, the man started asking me questions in the third person. (ie, What does Chris think about that? How would Chris feel about that? etc...) I wasn't sure if he was doing it to see if I would correct him as part of the interview or if he is just strange. All I knew was that Chris felt uncomfortable. (despite the strange interview, it is a really good job and they said they would let me know at the end of the month. It's already the 29th, and no call so far, so it isn't looking good ...I guess I was supposed to correct him haha)
Interview 2.1: (American non-profit organization in Yokosuka) Last Friday morning, a man from the organization called me to offer me an interview for Monday, the 30th at their office. I gladly accepted, and he said that he would send me an email in a few minutes with the time, directions, etc... The email never came. So, the following Monday, I called their office to "confirm" the interview, but the man was out of the office, and the secretary said he would call me or email me in the morning with the details, but nothing. I called again on Thursday, and spoke to a different secretary this time who promised the same thing. Still, nothing. So, now it is Sunday night here. He called 2 times this EVENING but didn't even leave a message. I figure either he is calling to cancel or to finally give the info. But, it takes about 5 hours to get to Yokosuka from here and costs about $200 roundtrip, so either way, I'm not going. If they can't even schedule an interview properly without problems, it doesn't speak well of how well their organization is run and its leadership.
I really hope that future interviews go a little better than these. My experiences so far aren't exactly encouraging.
Phone Interview 1: (language school in Toyohashi) The man called me almost 10 minutes after the interview was supposed to start with no apology. The interview was conducted by a Japanese man and he seemed to be making up the questions as he went along. He asked completely irrelevant questions, such as what type of foods I like, but NEVER once asked me anything remotedly related to teaching, my education background, or my previous experience. It was as if he just wanted to chat and make 45 minutes of small talk with someone in English. (I removed myself from consideration for that position)
Interview 2: (public high school in Nagoya) The interview was going great, but about half-way through, the man started asking me questions in the third person. (ie, What does Chris think about that? How would Chris feel about that? etc...) I wasn't sure if he was doing it to see if I would correct him as part of the interview or if he is just strange. All I knew was that Chris felt uncomfortable. (despite the strange interview, it is a really good job and they said they would let me know at the end of the month. It's already the 29th, and no call so far, so it isn't looking good ...I guess I was supposed to correct him haha)
Interview 2.1: (American non-profit organization in Yokosuka) Last Friday morning, a man from the organization called me to offer me an interview for Monday, the 30th at their office. I gladly accepted, and he said that he would send me an email in a few minutes with the time, directions, etc... The email never came. So, the following Monday, I called their office to "confirm" the interview, but the man was out of the office, and the secretary said he would call me or email me in the morning with the details, but nothing. I called again on Thursday, and spoke to a different secretary this time who promised the same thing. Still, nothing. So, now it is Sunday night here. He called 2 times this EVENING but didn't even leave a message. I figure either he is calling to cancel or to finally give the info. But, it takes about 5 hours to get to Yokosuka from here and costs about $200 roundtrip, so either way, I'm not going. If they can't even schedule an interview properly without problems, it doesn't speak well of how well their organization is run and its leadership.
I really hope that future interviews go a little better than these. My experiences so far aren't exactly encouraging.
Friday, June 9, 2006
Vancouver!
I finished my training in Vancouver today...finally! I'm pretty tired from it, but I learned a lot. And most importantly, I am really excited about going to Japan and teaching. I even got to teach a few practice lessons, which was very beneficial, and made me realize that I can actually teach English and not suck too bad at it.
My very first student told me that I look like a famous American movie star haha.
I found out that I will be teaching lots of kids' classes, which is awesome. They also showed me a diagram of my apartment and it looks like it is going to be super small. It says I have a balcony, but we'll see. It basically looks like it will just be one room with a bathroom, kitchenette, and washing machine. That is definately going to take a lot of getting used to.
I leave for Japan tomorrow morning and although I am dreading the long flight, I am really excited. Wish me luck!
My very first student told me that I look like a famous American movie star haha.
I found out that I will be teaching lots of kids' classes, which is awesome. They also showed me a diagram of my apartment and it looks like it is going to be super small. It says I have a balcony, but we'll see. It basically looks like it will just be one room with a bathroom, kitchenette, and washing machine. That is definately going to take a lot of getting used to.
I leave for Japan tomorrow morning and although I am dreading the long flight, I am really excited. Wish me luck!
Friday, June 2, 2006
Japan, here I come!
Japan, here I come!
I finally found out my address in Japan! I will be living in an area called Minokamo Shi. Don't know where it is? I didn't either...but there's a map below. =) Minokamo Shi: picture the night life of Las Vegas combined with the culture of New York City. Okay...so probably not. But as long as there is a Jimmy Johns Sandwich Shop and a gay bar, I'll be fine haha. j/k
I'm finally all packed, and I leave for my training in Canada on Sunday afternoon. This week has been really hard as I continue to say goodbye to those I am close to, and I'm sure that these last few days will be the worst. But, by this point, my excitement is building and I have largely made my peace with it.
I have the best friends in the world, and I know that no matter where I am, y'all will always remain my friends and be there for me. =)
I'll be adding stories and photos to my blog frequently while I am in Japan, so check back often. Who knows...there may even be a few stories about a gaysian or two (wink wink) haha.
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