Two of the new teachers here – fresh out of uni – are standing in the middle of the staffroom, comparing whose fingers can reach the highest. They’re both extremely tall for Japanese men, so there is actually a sense of competition.
There you go, kids…the stuff what teachers get up to when not teaching classes!
Thankfully, I brought my laptop today so have been puttering around, setting up a photo journal. It’s semi-successful…I would call it successful if I actually knew how to use the program properly! Am now sorting through wedding photos and trying to decide whether to try a new challenge and make my first digital album or get them printed out and stick with a flesh-and-blood (so to speak) album. I’m intrigued as to what I could do on my laptop, and it would save yet more books for me. But I’m not terribly easy with the idea that layouts could change according to machine, or even according to computer whim.
Many teachers have been curious about the photos and walk away perplexed if I have my journal up – how exciting can numerous photos of same subject be, especially when subject is an alleyway, or electrical cable box! The wedding photos have incited questions such as ‘oh, is that a dance party?’ Then the observations that at most Japanese weddings, the bride wears white. I wasn’t awake enough so just said this was not a normal aussie wedding either. But the fun I could have!!! “oh, yes..it is normal to have sword fights with alfoil and wear forrest green at aussie weddings. then the bride and groom must hop on a kangaroo, carry a koala and skip around the park five times”
Of course the next question to follow, by the new teachers at least, is “So, you are getting married soon” Ha! I know you tried with giving me the horseshoe, Fi, but that’s not the bouquet!
huh. Whilst sitting here, Ogami sensei came up and gave me a present from Tsuzuki san – a student who graduated last term. Eep. Wish I knew who that was! It’s probably the girl who came to me for extra english lessons…didn’t think that was her name though. Gee, it would be nice to know my students by name. Don’t get me wrong though…the occasional wish to know their names is not the incentive needed for me to learn 2000+ names this year. I’ll just settle for the occassional wishful thinking.
*chuckles*
Maybe the new teachers are hinting at something.
Wait, wait, back up. Two tall, fresh-out-of-uni teachers? Who are fun enough to goof off at work during their first days?
Are they hot (OK, at this point I’ll take “passable”)? Single? Open to foreign women? Hook me up, baby!
It’s amazing what different cultures will accept if you tell it with conviction. For a while I had several American e-friends convinced that in Australia we called Halloween ‘Spooky-ooky day’ and we would paint our faces with vegemite and chase all the kangaroos that live in suburbia and stuff their pouches with beer for others to find.
So, could you have deflated both these teachers’ egos by over-reaching them?
What was the present? It’s so nice when you make such an impression on a student that they give you stuff 🙂
they’ve known me for two half days, besides, it’s the female teachers in their 40’s who are so eager for me to get married.
umm.. well haven’t gotten around to names yet, so ow idea if they’re single or open to foreign women. However I do know that the one next to me is a PE teacher, and has these crazy amber-brown eyes, and the other one is a science teacher. if I find out more, they’re all yours, hon. Oh, and yeah, definitely passable.
what are you using for your album? is it online?
& your hair looks great in your new icon!! did you do it in gaikoku?
*sputters into lunch, narrowly misses spraying computer with various salad pieces*
Spooky-ooky day?!? Omigosh! That’s a classic.
Unfortunately no, I could not do any reaching up over them as they are both taller than me, considerably. Like I said, extremely tall for Japanese men. One of them is the same height as the doorways, I think.
The present was a pendent and two pairs of japanese hair clips. And definitely not from the girl I taught extra english to (which would’ve been a real surprise as she struck me as a very spoiled child who would not have thought of such a thing). The name is tugging at my memory, but a face is not joining it.
I’m playing around wtih One Note – it’s a program designed for students to organise lecture notes etc. (incld in pc package). Online I have photobucket but haven’t done anything recently with it. Not entirely happy with its ease of use for viewers so am holding off for now.
Thanks! Yes, second day back home got it done. It feels great being back to normal (for me) and I’m determined not to let any principal intimidate me over it this time – oh, and I’m wearing headscarves to school 🙂
Hey, are you doing the Kyoto Lock-Up thing this weekend with Mike and Brett?
oh crap I forgot about that… I don’t think so. My friend in shizuoka is moving and I told her I’d go help. I have to count my yens though and if I don’t make it all the way to shiz maybe kyoto will do!
well, a friend put me onto this place:
http://www.gojo-guest-house.com/gojo-guest-house/gojo-e.html
which is where I’ll be staying. Mike said there was room in their hotel, but staying somewhere for 2500 instead of 9000 is just so much more appealing!!
oh yeah, actually I’ve stayed there! it was very nice. close to the subway and no curfew, too.
sweet. the PE teacher is probably in good shape, and the science teacher… well, brainy boys drive me wild. I’ll take both, please. Swap you for any of our fresh new employees over here. Some are cute, but I have a no-fucking-coworkers policy.
You can have them, no swap required! I have the same policy, and having just returned from spending time with people who love me as I am, they would have to be a damn sight more than just cute for me to be interested.
Only two years til my next trip home *starts counting the days*
yeah, the no curfew thing, and location was very good.
Turns out Mike et al are staying in a hotel on Gojo dori too so shouldn’t even be too far apart.