Japan_Bound
Friday, May 28, 2004
A mixed bag of updates . . .
So much to say, no idea where to begin!
The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm really missing you and wishing I had had more time to spend with you. When I came here the first time everything was new and exciting, but now it's sort of routine so I'm missing you and home alot more. No major "Ican'ttakeitanymoreI'mcominghome" type homesickness, just miss you!
I mentioned before that I've been studying alot for the new job, which starts June 1st. Well, no matter how much time I spend studying it still feels like I'll never have time to learn everything before Tuesday. Which is fine - I learn more through hands-on activities anyway, but I just want to know as much as possible in preparation. My trainer spent hours helping me learn stuff the other day which made me feel SO much better. When I asked him to sum up my main role as AT in one sentence he said, "You know Meegan, you'll be expected to be the best, most knowledgeable teacher at your new school." Um, no pressure. (I say while changing my diaper!) I'm actually really excited and looking forward to showing them what I'm made of. Whenever I get overwhelmed I try to remember that they promoted me for a reason and that I deserved it.
Hmmm...what else can I tell you. Oh yeah, I exchanged Sean's MP3 player today and had to exhibit some self control when the store staff bowed like 3 million times and apologized profusely for selling me faulty merchandise. I really really wanted to burst out laughing because it reminded me so much of "Lost in Translation" (by the way, everything in that movie is a completely true representation of what it's like here and I think you should all see it!), but I behaved myself and acted as graciously as possible.
Tonight I'm going out with Ali and some of my Japanese friends for Mexican food and a few pitchers of margueritas. I mean one glass if you're reading this mom. Yeah, that's it. One marguerita. ;) Anyway, these friends of mine have NEVER tried Mexican food (I know, I was shocked too) and are really looking forward to trying it. So that's where I'll be tonight. And crap on a cracker, I have an early shift tomorrow.
We're still waiting patiently for the house to sell so that Jesse can finally get here - OK, maybe the kind of waiting I'm doing can't necessarily be classified as patient per se, but I'm doing my best! Geesh!
When a friend told me how horrendously expensive it is to develop pictures here (about $40 for 24 pictures and they're not even very big!) I decided not to bother having them developed at a print shop. So I bought myself a photo-quality printer. This way (and I caculated according to ink and photo paper costs) it's about $70 for 120 pictures which is obviously much more reasonable. Plus I've been wanting a printer for ages. I constantly find great material on ESL websites that I'd like to use in my classes, but can't be bothered to sit and write it all down verbatim. Now I'm happy! Since dad gave me some money for my birthday AND the printer was 50% off, I felt justified. Thanks for the printer dad-love you!
Am still waiting patiently (another lie) for the ring mom bought me for my birthday. It had to be sized so I had to wait for it to be sent. I wish you'd seen it before I left - it's silver and has a 2 carat princess cut stone - looks exactly like the engagement ring Jesse had better get around to buying me one of these days (ahem, did I say that out loud?). Anyway, I've had my eye on it for years and now thanks to my mommy it will finally be mine. I love love love it. Plus she bought one to wear on the same finger, so we'll have mom/daughter rings. Yay!! Love my mommy.
Finally, as if this place weren't already kickass enough, they're calling for thunderstorms on 7 out of the next 10 days. I think someone should pinch me to remind me that I'm not dreaming all of this!
CIAO for now!!
PS: I know I owe all of you emails and I promise I'll get around to it, er, one of these days. Don't hate me because I'm busy and promoted! HA HA! ;)
So much to say, no idea where to begin!
The first thing I'd like to say is that I'm really missing you and wishing I had had more time to spend with you. When I came here the first time everything was new and exciting, but now it's sort of routine so I'm missing you and home alot more. No major "Ican'ttakeitanymoreI'mcominghome" type homesickness, just miss you!
I mentioned before that I've been studying alot for the new job, which starts June 1st. Well, no matter how much time I spend studying it still feels like I'll never have time to learn everything before Tuesday. Which is fine - I learn more through hands-on activities anyway, but I just want to know as much as possible in preparation. My trainer spent hours helping me learn stuff the other day which made me feel SO much better. When I asked him to sum up my main role as AT in one sentence he said, "You know Meegan, you'll be expected to be the best, most knowledgeable teacher at your new school." Um, no pressure. (I say while changing my diaper!) I'm actually really excited and looking forward to showing them what I'm made of. Whenever I get overwhelmed I try to remember that they promoted me for a reason and that I deserved it.
Hmmm...what else can I tell you. Oh yeah, I exchanged Sean's MP3 player today and had to exhibit some self control when the store staff bowed like 3 million times and apologized profusely for selling me faulty merchandise. I really really wanted to burst out laughing because it reminded me so much of "Lost in Translation" (by the way, everything in that movie is a completely true representation of what it's like here and I think you should all see it!), but I behaved myself and acted as graciously as possible.
Tonight I'm going out with Ali and some of my Japanese friends for Mexican food and a few pitchers of margueritas. I mean one glass if you're reading this mom. Yeah, that's it. One marguerita. ;) Anyway, these friends of mine have NEVER tried Mexican food (I know, I was shocked too) and are really looking forward to trying it. So that's where I'll be tonight. And crap on a cracker, I have an early shift tomorrow.
We're still waiting patiently for the house to sell so that Jesse can finally get here - OK, maybe the kind of waiting I'm doing can't necessarily be classified as patient per se, but I'm doing my best! Geesh!
When a friend told me how horrendously expensive it is to develop pictures here (about $40 for 24 pictures and they're not even very big!) I decided not to bother having them developed at a print shop. So I bought myself a photo-quality printer. This way (and I caculated according to ink and photo paper costs) it's about $70 for 120 pictures which is obviously much more reasonable. Plus I've been wanting a printer for ages. I constantly find great material on ESL websites that I'd like to use in my classes, but can't be bothered to sit and write it all down verbatim. Now I'm happy! Since dad gave me some money for my birthday AND the printer was 50% off, I felt justified. Thanks for the printer dad-love you!
Am still waiting patiently (another lie) for the ring mom bought me for my birthday. It had to be sized so I had to wait for it to be sent. I wish you'd seen it before I left - it's silver and has a 2 carat princess cut stone - looks exactly like the engagement ring Jesse had better get around to buying me one of these days (ahem, did I say that out loud?). Anyway, I've had my eye on it for years and now thanks to my mommy it will finally be mine. I love love love it. Plus she bought one to wear on the same finger, so we'll have mom/daughter rings. Yay!! Love my mommy.
Finally, as if this place weren't already kickass enough, they're calling for thunderstorms on 7 out of the next 10 days. I think someone should pinch me to remind me that I'm not dreaming all of this!
CIAO for now!!
PS: I know I owe all of you emails and I promise I'll get around to it, er, one of these days. Don't hate me because I'm busy and promoted! HA HA! ;)
Thursday, May 20, 2004
The Joys of Being Promoted . . .
Yesterday I had my first AT training seminar in Kyoto. I was really excited about it because Ali and I were scheduled to have it together, but it turns out that Ali and I having anything together is a bad idea. Because she found out about her promotion while I was away, she's been shown the ropes for the past month and knows all about being an AT; as I don't it was a perfect example for her to one-up me at every turn. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I really don't believe friends should belittle one another; every time I opened my mouth she corrected me in front of everyone there and talked over me like I was a complete idiot. Now I know Ali is competitive; it's one of the reasons I stopped taking Japanese lessons with her and stopped spending much time with her in general, but it's not a healthy competitiveness and I disagree with treating a friend the way she treated me. I'm going to talk to her about it before next week's training session and see how she treats me then; if she can't treat me with respect and not try to make me look like an idiot I just can't be friends with her. The old Meegan wouldn't have mentioned it at all and would have put up with it; that Meegan is no more! And the old Meegan would have curled up into a ball and quit; I've decided not to do that either. I've spent the whole day studying the 60 pages of handouts we were given, I plan to study them all week, and tomorrow I'm going to stay late after work and have my Head Teacher show me the ropes. I've decided not to roll over and allow Ali to use me to feel superior, and I've decided not to give up and decide I'll never know enough just because I wasn't here to learn and only found out about the promotion two days ago. I'm really bummed to find that my closest friend here could treat me that way, but I won't let it bring me down. Instead it's motivated me to know my stuff next week. So that's something to feel good about. It's strange, but I've found a way to turn every experience here into an opportunity to learn and grow - even the negative experiences. Yay for me!! More later!
PS: It turns out that this new position entails alot of work; more work than is worth my $100 a month pay raise, but I'm still going to take the position. It'll look good on my resume!
Yesterday I had my first AT training seminar in Kyoto. I was really excited about it because Ali and I were scheduled to have it together, but it turns out that Ali and I having anything together is a bad idea. Because she found out about her promotion while I was away, she's been shown the ropes for the past month and knows all about being an AT; as I don't it was a perfect example for her to one-up me at every turn. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I really don't believe friends should belittle one another; every time I opened my mouth she corrected me in front of everyone there and talked over me like I was a complete idiot. Now I know Ali is competitive; it's one of the reasons I stopped taking Japanese lessons with her and stopped spending much time with her in general, but it's not a healthy competitiveness and I disagree with treating a friend the way she treated me. I'm going to talk to her about it before next week's training session and see how she treats me then; if she can't treat me with respect and not try to make me look like an idiot I just can't be friends with her. The old Meegan wouldn't have mentioned it at all and would have put up with it; that Meegan is no more! And the old Meegan would have curled up into a ball and quit; I've decided not to do that either. I've spent the whole day studying the 60 pages of handouts we were given, I plan to study them all week, and tomorrow I'm going to stay late after work and have my Head Teacher show me the ropes. I've decided not to roll over and allow Ali to use me to feel superior, and I've decided not to give up and decide I'll never know enough just because I wasn't here to learn and only found out about the promotion two days ago. I'm really bummed to find that my closest friend here could treat me that way, but I won't let it bring me down. Instead it's motivated me to know my stuff next week. So that's something to feel good about. It's strange, but I've found a way to turn every experience here into an opportunity to learn and grow - even the negative experiences. Yay for me!! More later!
PS: It turns out that this new position entails alot of work; more work than is worth my $100 a month pay raise, but I'm still going to take the position. It'll look good on my resume!
Monday, May 17, 2004
Yippee Skippee!!! . . .
I more than survived my first day back at work because I got the best news when I arrived. My AAM called me in to his office and offered me the promotion I've been waiting ever so patiently for! We had a half hour meeting, I signed a bunch of paperwork, and I start training for the job on Wednesday! Woo hoo! My new school will be about 15 mins. by train away from my current schools AND it has Nova kids - I've been signed up to do Kids training later this summer! Woo hoo again! I've been wanting to teach kids since I started with Nova, but since my current branch doesn't have kids I've never had the chance. But now I do! I'm so excited. I don't really have any more info for you at the moment, but I will keep you informed about it as things progress. Oh, and by the way, Ali was promoted to AT as well, so we'll be doing our training together. What the heck could be better?
Now when I start looking for an apartment for Jesse and I, I'll know exactly what area to look in - possibly closer to the new branch so I don't have an hour commute each way every day. We'll see. I don't even care how long it takes to get there. I'm just so happy. And tired, as I woke up at 5 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. As for my actual work day, it was pretty uneventful (apart from the good news). When I first arrived this morning I thought, "oh crap. Do I even remember how to do this?" But fortunately it's like riding a bike and after a few minutes I fell right back into the swing of things. All the Japanese staff thanked me profusely for the maple candies I brought back for them.
I'm such a star. Ha ha. Will keep you posted!
I more than survived my first day back at work because I got the best news when I arrived. My AAM called me in to his office and offered me the promotion I've been waiting ever so patiently for! We had a half hour meeting, I signed a bunch of paperwork, and I start training for the job on Wednesday! Woo hoo! My new school will be about 15 mins. by train away from my current schools AND it has Nova kids - I've been signed up to do Kids training later this summer! Woo hoo again! I've been wanting to teach kids since I started with Nova, but since my current branch doesn't have kids I've never had the chance. But now I do! I'm so excited. I don't really have any more info for you at the moment, but I will keep you informed about it as things progress. Oh, and by the way, Ali was promoted to AT as well, so we'll be doing our training together. What the heck could be better?
Now when I start looking for an apartment for Jesse and I, I'll know exactly what area to look in - possibly closer to the new branch so I don't have an hour commute each way every day. We'll see. I don't even care how long it takes to get there. I'm just so happy. And tired, as I woke up at 5 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. As for my actual work day, it was pretty uneventful (apart from the good news). When I first arrived this morning I thought, "oh crap. Do I even remember how to do this?" But fortunately it's like riding a bike and after a few minutes I fell right back into the swing of things. All the Japanese staff thanked me profusely for the maple candies I brought back for them.
I'm such a star. Ha ha. Will keep you posted!
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Reality Check . . .
Well I made it back to Osaka safe and sound, and am relishing my last few hours of freedom before heading back to work tomorrow (wahhhh...). Thanks to all of you for making my trip home such a wonderful experience; I miss you like crazy already. The trip back was long and fairly uneventful (apart from being told my luggage had been lost, which it hadn't). Upon opening one of the suitcases I quickly discovered that an entire bottle of nail polish remover had delightfully spilled itself all over the entire contents of said suitcase; contents included ALL the new work clothes I bought. Am now soaking most items with Shout as a receipt bled black ink all over the clothes. Exciting times! Well, unpacking and worrying about the clothes certainly kept me occupied, which was probably better than sitting down on my futon and feeling sorry for myself (as I said, I really really miss you already). Will let you know how the first day back goes when I get home from work tomorrow. I love you!! PS: They're calling for severe thunderstorms for today and tomorrow. Have I mentioned how much I love this place?! :)
Well I made it back to Osaka safe and sound, and am relishing my last few hours of freedom before heading back to work tomorrow (wahhhh...). Thanks to all of you for making my trip home such a wonderful experience; I miss you like crazy already. The trip back was long and fairly uneventful (apart from being told my luggage had been lost, which it hadn't). Upon opening one of the suitcases I quickly discovered that an entire bottle of nail polish remover had delightfully spilled itself all over the entire contents of said suitcase; contents included ALL the new work clothes I bought. Am now soaking most items with Shout as a receipt bled black ink all over the clothes. Exciting times! Well, unpacking and worrying about the clothes certainly kept me occupied, which was probably better than sitting down on my futon and feeling sorry for myself (as I said, I really really miss you already). Will let you know how the first day back goes when I get home from work tomorrow. I love you!! PS: They're calling for severe thunderstorms for today and tomorrow. Have I mentioned how much I love this place?! :)
