2007年12月10日月曜日

Christmas in the Air

After a brief hiatus, I am back on the blogging scene! I still don't have internet in my apartment and am starting to think that I never will. My punishment for being a foreigner. I called the internet place again and after a long and complicated conversation that was a 3-way talk between me and the English speaking staff who translates and speaks between me and the Japanese cable person. Only the English speaking chick clearly has been living in Japan waaay too long because it takes her forever to say anything and she is annoyingly polite while not actually accomplishing anything I need done. And I can hear her talking to the Japanese person the whole time and can tell she is using super-formal Japanese, which takes three times as long to spit out, and is eating up my phone and break time at work in the process.

All this for her to tell me that they tried to deliver the initial letter to me and it got sent back. For some official reasons the next step in my internet set-up process is getting this official letter in the mail. But I guess because I don't have a "name plate" on my mailbox that might be the problem. But I honestly think that's BS because the girl who lived here before me never had a name plate and neither do any of my neighbors because the mail goes through a slot in the door. But I went ahead and put a name plate on my door, just in case. Anything to get on the grid sometime this year. So, now if my neighbors didn't already know they were living by a gaijin, they know now whenever they walk by my door and see "Barber, Dawn (バーバー ドーン)

Work is going pretty well and I think I get more into the swing of teaching every week. My kids classes are still the most challenging, especially one that I have on Tuesdays of 11 year olds that are blatantly disrespectful, seem pissed to be there at all, and pick on this one poor Chinese girl in the class. I think she actually transferred out of my class this week because they were so mean to her. It really sucks and makes me sad because I felt so helpless. Even if I scold them, it doesn't really mean anything to them in English and they don't seem to care. But I am constantly reminded that I can't use Japanese in the classroom ESPECIALLY in kids classes (which, coincidentally, is where I need to use it the most). I'll fess up that I regularly break that rule. Better they think I can speak Japanese so they're afraid to stay bad stuff about me or the other kids while I'm around.

Outside work, things have been getting a little better as well. Last weekend I went with my friend Tessa, another Aeon teacher at a different school who I know from when I studied abroad here in 06, to a "Mexican party" a bunch of her friends from training were throwing. Let me tell ya, it was pretty nice to eat tacos and guacamole because you can't really find that stuff anywhere in Japan! I continued my consumption of delicious foreign food last weekend by going to an amazing Indian lunch buffet in Shinjuku. I almost missed it because I got super lost because Shinjuku is insane and I always get lost there. Didn't help some British dude decided I needed his help and tried to take me to the wrong restaurant. But I finally found it and it was an oasis! Later, I met up with Allen and Tessa at the Hub in Shinjuku for drinks and reminiscing.

So, interesting thing about the Japanese. They don't actually celebrate Christmas day much and none seem to know what it really means, but they have been playing Christmas music in ALL the stores here since mid-November. It's so strange. They will all be working like usual on the actual day (myself included) but they seem to hype it up with the music and advertising campaigns just as much as we do in America. A lot of my recent kids lessons have been teaching about Christmas. I don't know how many times I had to explain what eggnog is because it was one of the vocabulary words...

But I must admit that despite the music, it's kinda sad to be so far from my family at this time of year. I am so used to being home and doing family Christmas stuff around this time and planning our Christmas break and vacation, and what to buy everyone... it is just weird to not be a part of it this year and to not get to see the grandparents and eat Beth's Christmas cookies, etc... Lately I miss the family a lot.

On a big positive note, I am going to see Daft Punk in concert tonight, which may just be a turning point in my young life. I absolutely can't wait. I will robot-rock and dance my socks off. I am going alone, but I don't mind because this way I don't have to worry about anyone else and can just wander the crowd and dance or take breaks as I please. Maybe I'll even sneak backstage. :D

2 件のコメント:

Brenda Hiatt さんのコメント...

Aw, Dawnie! ::sniff:: We miss you lots, too, especially with Christmas coming! I wonder why they're so into the Christmas music there when they don't celebrate the day? Definitely interesting/strange. Have you asked any of your Japanese friends about it? I'd be interested to hear what they say.
--Love, Mom :)

Anthony さんのコメント...

haha teaching kids classes is like prison, except instead of stabbing someone with a fork the first day you need to make the biggest one cry. works like a charm!

uhh...not like i would do anything like that.