The great thing about apartment hunting with Sean is that we can discuss our thoughts in the relative privacy of the Japanese language. For obvious reasons, this wouldn’t have worked in Japan. And, sure, it could drastically backfire against us. 例えば： Realtor: And here you have the kitchen. Mind you, it’s part of the living […]
“Teaching” English
The 英語の先生’s Top Ten List
If you teach English at an eikaiwa, the higher ups will probably prefer that you arrive in Japan with little to no Japanese ability. This, they believe, improves the chance that you’ll comply with their “English Immersion” policy – i.e., the idea that one hour of exposure to English without translation per week can teach […]
School’s Out, Let’s Shout …
… and so ends my teaching career. I have waited for this day since January of 2007. A year. It was just supposed to be for a year. Just a year and then I’d get back to real life, back to the career I hoped would come clear during my self-imposed exile from the New […]
Demonstrative Demonstrations
Every once in a while – amid my weekly passion plays for the students’ attention – a teensy bit of English gets taught. Just a bit. A very little bit. Today was my last day teaching my Thursday maniacs and in the last minutes of that last class, I witnessed the best use of demonstrative […]
Sticky Mess
I came to Japan with just two suitcases. Over the past two years, my belongings have multiplied like wet Mogwai. Isn’t that just the way? It’s time to start finding new homes for the things I’ve accumulated in my time here. While I was smart enough not to go hog wild and buy each and […]
The Lion in Winter
It’s never difficult to tell when Nakata-san has arrived; his “Konnichiwa!” is loud, authoritative, and sends the staff into a tizzy of keigo and bowing. I am usually in the 2 foot-square break area when he descends upon us, at the ready with my single piece of paper and a sheet of news topics to […]
Super Funny
I will now report my precious 3 year olds’ joke of the day: “Super + ______ = UNBRIDLED HILARITY!!!” Super police car. Super chicken! Super baby. Super hospital! Super apple! Super Masa! Super Mia! Super Kazuya! Super Minna! Super Ribu-sensei! Admit it. You’re dying out there.
Your 358-Word Mini Japanese Culture Lesson
Unlike English, Japanese isn’t a language that puts emphasis on using pronouns. For example, an English-speaker would find it imperative to denote whose sweater they were using or that they themselves like cheese but a Japanese speaker would simply say: “using sweater” or “like cheese” because the “who” in both cases is, somehow, implied. Nonetheless, […]
Energetic
The school year is drawing to a close and we are given certificates to fill out for the students. Our school has made it as safe for business easy on us as possible – all we must do is sign our names and circle one from a choice of encouraging remarks. Takuya receives special recognition […]
Not Milk
… so today, in my class of 2 year-olds, Masa was captivated by my purple nail polish, 1 and a half year-old Minna led me by the hand to the classroom, and Mia kicked off everyone’s new favorite game: “Stand Behind Liv.” Somehow, though, the January 23, 2009 moment I will remember most vividly is […]