Bad boys!

Yesterday I was at my school that has....how shall i put this...the toughest kids!! Tough in that they roll one trouser leg up to look cool (!), have crazy hair, wear lots of jewellery, and strut round with their mp3 players on, and their shirts wide open! There is one particular class that embodies this look entirely, and has the cheeky, dontlikeenglishbutlikelauren attitude to go with it! Now, I'm used to this class...the boys are a bit naughty, they dont listen, and they do everything they can to avoid doing a scrap of work in class, but they're harmless, and i always manage to have a laugh and joke with them and in return they at least try to have a go at the lesson's role play. But yesterday, they were in particularly high and crazy spirits, and straight away i could see that we weren't going to get a lot out of them. They walked into the classroom 5 minutes late, munching chocolate-bread, and trying their best to put off the beginning of the lesson by shouting 'hi lauren hi lauren' as much as they could! My teacher and I began the 'fast-food restaurant model dialogue', and within seconds the boys were starting to fidget. Before I even realised what was happening, my teacher marched over to one of the boys (Mr Miyazaki), and just started screeching at him. She screamed something else, pointed towards the door, and he left, still munching the bread, but now looking more surprised and ashamed than tough and cool. It was the first time in my year and a bit in Japan, that I have actually seen a student 'properly' shouted at, and told to leave the classroom, and I really didn't know where to look or how to react. After Mr Miyazaki had left the other boys, looking quite shell-shocked, sat a little more quietly, and even attempted to look like they were listening! Later on my teacher apologised to me for shouting! I said 'no, good on you...teachers do it all the time in England!!' I asked her what she had screamed at him. She replied that she had told him he shouldnt eat in class, it was bad manners!! Somehow, I think she said more than that!...but thanks for the paraphrasing!

Use me!

Yippeeeee! At last my 'textbook is the bible' base school, has asked me to write the test for the upcoming midterms! I have offered to help over the last year til im blue in the face, but was always met with a 'hmmmm...its ok'! But this morning, my JTE (and supervisor) asked me to write the test! Now, I realise that it's because she's busy, and always looks a bit frazzled, and therefore wants any kind of help she can get...but I'm just chuffed to be put to some actual use outside of the classroom!

Grrrrrr...computers!

Just wrote a lovely long post about last weekend...relaxing, karaoke, and then a wonderful day in Tsuwano on Monday. Uploaded my lovely photos from Tsuwano..went to 'preview'...and my beautifully written blog disappeared, never to be seen again! Not quite sure what I did wrong, but hey ho, such is life! I don't really feel like trying to write the whole thing again though, as it will never live up to the memory of the first!!!!! So, will just post my pictures, and let you write your own eloquent commentary! Basically...went to Tsuwano...saw the shrine and pathway of toriis again (but without the rain!)...wandered round cute shops...ate yakisoba...and MADE PAPER! Yey, something to cross off my list! Enjoy!

..and I'm Lin!

You are Lin! You seem level-headed and cool, but
you harbor a dream in your heart to get away.
You are steady and dependable, even if you are
a bit blunt.


Which Spirited Away character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Blunt? Hmmmmm...not sure bout that one!

I'm Ron!

Which HP Kid Are You?

The flood is over!

Lots of water, 5 bewildered girls in pjs, early sunday morning visitors, many many many apologies (all week!), 4000 yen on im sorry / thank you for helping me presents, a teachers room of knowing looks, a landlord who says everything's fine (and even offered to get me new tatami!), and it's now done and dusted!

What I want to do / achieve before I leave Japan!

I'm a planner through and through! What can I say! With just over ten months before I leave this weird but wonderful place, I thought I would jot down what is (so far) on my 'to do' list :

- Go to Tokyo again
- Play pachinko
- Watch Kabuki
- Watch sumo
- Go to Nagasaki
- Get to the point where I have no PET bottles lying around my apartment!
- Do a karaoke marathon - 4+ hours
- Learn all of the level 3 & 4 Kanji
- Do 'Hello Kitty' purikura
- Cook yakisoba
- Go to Akiyoshidai & Nagato
- Wear yukata next summer
- Read some stuff on TEFL theory, ready for my CELTA after JET
- Finish all of my posters / redecorating of the language lab
- Go to Shimonoseki and try fugu
- Try out a couple of new lunch places in Hiroshima, and see if Andersons really is the best place for your midday scoff!
- Go to and take photos at tea ceremony (I hate tea, but i want photos!)
- Paint my own Yanai Goldfish lantern
- Go to conveyor belt sushi
- Succeed in avoiding the NHK man for the full 2 years
- Read at least 3 Japanese novels (English translations of course!)
- Make my own paper
- Go back to Kobe (and purse dependent, try kobe beef)
- Write a few decent haiku
- Visit Thailand (easy peasy...flight is booked!)
- Visit one other Asian country (hmmmm..what to do in Golden Week!)

No doubt I'll add to this and tick things off in the near future. Wish me luck!

School Dayz

Just for once, I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves, and keep my commentary to an absolute minimum. The School Dayz party in Yanai was great fun last night. Great 'pub quiz', great DJ-ing (nice one Kat and Neal), fab dancing (as well as the occasional breakdance performance), and all in all, a really fun night!

Japanese food anyone?

Have just finished my lessons for today, and so now have time to reflect on my planning, my teaching, and how little Japanese kids seem to know about anything!!! The classes were based on the 'food' section of the textbook, and as an additional activity I asked the students to recommend a Japanese food to me (i.e what Japanese food should I eat during my time here in Japan?) I thought this would be a nice easy activity, and the chance for the students to feel like they are teaching me something (a strategy that I've found works really well in motivating my senior high kids). I gave them ideas for what their reasons could be (e.g You should try sushi because it's healthy...that kinda thing), and I let them work together. I quickly realised that they weren't being very quick at choosing their Japanese dish, and I soon recognised the problem...they have no idea what food is Japanese, and what isn't...!!!! One boy reeled off a list including 'mozzarella cheese', 'spaghetti', 'hamburger', 'steak"....to which I said, no, no, no, no! Japanese!!!! He looked really surprised when I said that spaghetti was Italian not Japanese! So it actually ended up with me recommending Japanese foods and dishes to the students, that they could then re-recommend (!!) to me!! Gaaaaaa! No, yakiniku is Korean....No, pizza is Italian.....Okonomiyaki...yes, Japanese, yes yes yes!!!!

Typhoon update

Typhoon Nabi has now left Yamaguchi-ken. I spent the whole of yesterday at Kat's place, as my apartment always shakes and wobbles quite violently in typhoons. Kat and I spent a very lazy day watching DVDs (including Lion King, Pretty Woman, and Labyrinth), playing cards (which brings out my angry and cursing streak), eating, and lounging in Pjs. In the end, the typhoon was not as scary as I had anticipated, and definitely did not look/feel as strong as last year's. I stayed over, and was awoken this morning by my teacher at today's school calling to tell me that as the trains were still not running this morning, school was cancelled...again! Yipppeeee! I have now had a 5 day weekend, and have spent today back in my own apartment, trying to be productive by tidying my spare room!! Back to school tomorrow! Booooooooooo!

Typhoon Nabi is on its way!

It's been raining all day..the wind is getting stronger and noisier...and Typhoon Nabi is due tomorrow! The only plus point of typhoons, is having the day off school! My classes tomorrow have been cancelled, and so I will spend my day in the dry of my apartment, attempting to ignore the fact that a tropical storm is raging outside. Eek! Hate typhoons! Just need to get my torch and candles out ready (in case my power goes) and then I'm all set for the next day or 2. I even have the pringles (mild salt flavour) and Meji chocolate on standby, in case I need junk food to lift my mood!

Aaaaarrgggh!! Overslept!

Last night I had Japanese class, had a lovely dinner round at Ellen's, went home and watched a bit of telly, read a bit of Bill Bryson, and then went to sleep without a care in the world. Was a little 'nervous' about the prospect of my first 2 classes of the term this morning, but certainly was not anxious enough to keep me awake with worry. The night was quite humid and warm, and so I allowed myself the luxury of keeping my fan on me all night, in order to assist a lovely deep slumber. Peace, quiet, dreams, sleep, cozy, relax, snooze.....................Fast forward to this morning.....aaaaaaaaarrggggghhhh!.....panic, running, hot, sweaty, cursing, rushing, apologising, unprepared, unsettled, and LATE! I overslept!

My alarms went off...I remember the 'Neverending Story' tune coming from my keitai (well, what else would I wake up to!!!???)...I remember turning it off....turning off the snooze....and i think turning off the phone!!! The next thing I knew I could hear my phone ringing! What? Who could be ringing at this time? Hang on, what time is it? (glances at clock)...Oh my god! It's 8.30! Im supposed to be in school at 8.15 for the teacher's meeting! I have a class (not normally, but just today...it's a conspiracy!) in 1st period! I answered the phone and it was the head of English from my school (really sweet teddy bear beardy guy who i sit next to and keeps me up to date with the schedule).

"Lauren-sensei, are you ok?"
"Erm... yes, Im sorry, Im sorry, im sorry...jetlag...overslept....Im leaving my apartment now! I will be at school soon."
"Ok. Well, as you know you have a class in the 1st period...so please hurry...but be safe!"
"Ok. Im sorry. See you soon. Im sorry...."

I have never dressed, brushed my hair, washed, and packed my bag so quickly in my life (around the 4 minute mark!!)...I then almost 'ran' to school (almost...but not quite!). I arrived in the staffroom at about 8.50, and was met by chuckles, smiles, and comments of 'don't worry you're only human' from the other English teachers! I felt so bad though, as the Japanese hate lateness, and I am someone who is normally always on time, if not early, for things. I sloped into my first class which had started at 8.45, and sheepishly apologised to my teacher. It was all fine though as the kids were just in the middle of singing 'Hey Jude', and so the actual 'teaching' had not begun yet. My teacher looked extremely relieved to see me, as she kind of goes to pieces a little if she has to teach alone in an Oral Communication class.

I had lessons in first and second period, and spent the whole time trying to be genki (first lesson back and all that), whilst also still waking up, craving some breakfast (or at least an OJ), and sweating buckets from my jog to school! Not a great start to the new term, and to my thursday, but at least things can't get much worse! I've finally now eaten some breaky, done my makeup for the rest of the day, and now feel human again! Early night for me tonight I think!