Tome

Travel Blogs from Tome, Japan

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Girls night out, Tome, Japan travel blog

Girls night out

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

6

The paperwork has been submitted, and the agony is over.  Although I am surprised that my decision wasn't questioned, maybe my procrastination gave kyoutou-sensei a clue. I am sure I made the right choice.  Next time I go abroad, it's gonna ...

Golden Week Part 2, Tome, Japan travel blog

Golden Week Part 2

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

9

... be a problem then.  Ironically, I felt like there was enough distance between me and them in Houston, but not in Japan.  I would move away from home if I didn't have the aforementioned problems that need to be dealt with.  I think ...

Yosakoi!, Tome, Japan travel blog

Yosakoi!

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

9

... I can find a group that can teach me here.   On a completely irrelevant note that's only semi-related to Japan, I was watching Saiyuki: Requiem with the voice actor and director commentary.  Since the production company, ADV, is located in ...

Tome Orientation, Tome, Japan travel blog

Tome Orientation

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

5

... I hadn't had the chance to do that at school.   Today, our senpai gave more advice on teaching and life in Japan.  I got to meet the other Michael (a.k.a. Michael E./ "Michael X"/ "American Michael") whom I've been hearing a lot about.  ...

Letter to my 3rd year students, Tome, Japan travel blog

Letter to my 3rd year students

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

8

... so much that we lose sight of our own dream.             I came to Japan partly to figure out more of my future.  The same questions people have been asking you were asked of me but ...

Japanese Culture and Comm 2: School Life, Tome, Japan travel blog

Japanese Culture and Comm 2: School Life

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

6

I've definitely reached a low point in the culture shock cycle.  The sudden drop in temperature, rainy gray skies, and frustrations at school have gotten to me.  My savior has been Rookies, a Japanese drama about delinquent baseball ...

Gripe time, Tome, Japan travel blog

Gripe time

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

... ; Not cool, man.   A couple days later, at a party with lots of booze (a given if you're in Japan ), a man was getting uncomfortably close.  It's like once Japanese people are drunk, any rules of propriety and respect for personal ...

my mean mother, Tome, Japan travel blog

my mean mother

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

... say, "Next question, please!" which is kind of a legitimate response.   Okay maybe not.  Another boy said, " Japan " when asked what country he wants to visit.  I also got to check their worksheets and was entertained by ...

Japanese Culture and Comm 4: Honorifics, Tome, Japan travel blog

Japanese Culture and Comm 4: Honorifics

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

9

A rather amusing thing happened in the staff room yesterday.  I know I shouldn't make fun of a student's blunder, but all the other teachers were laughing.  As I mentioned before, there's a specific protocol students must follow upon entering ...

I don't wanna go to school, Tome, Japan travel blog

I don't wanna go to school

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

I've never liked the first day of school, and even as a teacher now, it's true.  Things are so relaxed in the holiday.  The teachers come and go whenever, and everybody's not wrapped up in their own business.  For example, one of the ...

Christmas and my birthday, Tome, Japan travel blog

Christmas and my birthday

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

19

... to do something with the cosplay party so far away.   Christmas is definitely in the air.  A few houses in Tome have impressive Christmas lights and decorations.  I'm sad to be missing the Starlight Pageant in Sendai .  The lessons ...

Hospital and shopping adventure, Tome, Japan travel blog

Hospital and shopping adventure

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

9

Gomen ne for the lack of updates.  I caught a really bad cold, which was probably combined with a sinus infection.  Not much has been going on anyway.  Friday was the North Miyagi JET meeting.  I got some advice from my sempai and ...

The good, the bad, and the Wii, Tome, Japan travel blog

The good, the bad, and the Wii

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

... was a lot more lesson planning that I needed to do because I would only be there for half a day next week due to the Tome Block Meeting.  I have to give mad props to one of the 2nd grade teachers for already coming up with a lesson plan-- one that I ...

Eeeee, yuki?!, Tome, Japan travel blog

Eeeee, yuki?!

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

4

... ; Tonight, I went to Anna's shamisen class.  I'm playing taiko to back her, Rachelle, and Michael X up at the Tome International Friendship Association's Christmas party.  It's hard for me to keep rhythm, but I'm going to practice really ...

Yay work (and cell phones)!, Tome, Japan travel blog

Yay work (and cell phones)!

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

I'm finally doing real work at school-that is, what I'm paid to do: help teach English.  Next month, there's a speech and recitation contest, and I've been helping the students out.  While checking the grammar of the speeches, I've come to ...

Weekend sports and recess fun, Tome, Japan travel blog

Weekend sports and recess fun

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

15

... age.  It must be exhilarating.  At the same time, however, it's a ton of hard work, especially here in Japan . Losing is unacceptable.  The girls get yelled at by their coach even when they are winning.  The cheering is left to ...

Too much fun, Tome, Japan travel blog

Too much fun

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

24

The recontracting deadline is creeping up on me, and I am more unsure than ever.  This whole week, I was almost ready to go home.  I am starting to realize that I am not cut out for teaching.  The people make me want to stay, and it's the ...

Showa Day update, Tome, Japan travel blog

Showa Day update

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

4

The week has been so weird.  Of course, it doesn't help that I've been in visual kei land.  I had Monday off in exchange for last week's PTA Day and today because it's Showa Day.  At the same time, I had to get up early Sunday morning ...

Kodomo-tachi, Tome, Japan travel blog

Kodomo-tachi

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2
6

I feel bad for whining so I am following up with an unexpectedly good post.  I say unexpectedly since I am not the biggest fan of kids.  Lately, they've been making my day though.   It's going to be so sad when my 3rd years ...

Junior high self-introductions, Tome, Japan travel blog

Junior high self-introductions

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

3

Japan really is the country of natural disasters.  A few days ago, there was a heavy thunderstorm and an earthquake.  It was the first I felt.  I woke up to shaking but was too sleepy to do anything.  My sense of self-preservation ...

Observations of gender dynamics in the 5th grade, Tome, Japan travel blog

Observations of gender dynamics in the 5th grade

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

But first, a correction on my alice nine. live report.  I got the trial version of Babylon, which is extremely useful in interpreting blog posts and live reports in Japanese.  The downside is that it's time consuming, and I maxed out on how ...

Practicing taiko and making paper sakura, Tome, Japan travel blog

Practicing taiko and making paper sakura

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

3

This week, I started going to taiko practice and paper sakura making for the Toyoma Fall Festival.  Every night, I get mobbed by my elementary school girls; they're excited about having me as part of their group.  While we waited for our turn ...

Japanese Culture and Comm 6: Counting, Tome, Japan travel blog

Japanese Culture and Comm 6: Counting

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

Japanese can be a really precise language, and I don't think anything exemplifies that more than the counting terminology.  The different terms used drives me insane when I am studying.  There's even more than one word for numbers (though I ...

Goodbyes and Hellos, Tome, Japan travel blog

Goodbyes and Hellos

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

On Monday, the students came back to school to bid the departing teachers farewell.  So more speeches and tears.  The kids gave their favorite teachers presents, and I gave them photos I had collected.  Everyone liked the silly ones from ...

Cold feet - literally and figuratively, Tome, Japan travel blog

Cold feet - literally and figuratively

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

3

... so sure that I would re-contract until about a week ago.  Maybe I got too comfortable at home, but being away from Japan has allowed me to look at things differently.  I could be going through a phase of cultural shock or the wintertime ...

Japanese Culture and Comm 3: Describing People, Tome, Japan travel blog

Japanese Culture and Comm 3: Describing People

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

18

Last week, I taught my junior high school students how to describe people in slang terms.  They learned words like cute, sketchy, jerk, airhead, and (a favorite among the guys) kinky.  I had fun doing this so I thought y'all might enjoy ...

Self-intros, finished!  Welcomes, maybe done., Tome, Japan travel blog

Self-intros, finished! Welcomes, maybe done.

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

4

... ; I finished up my self-intro with the ginormous 3rd grade class and the 5th graders.  It appears that everybody in Japan knows Fullmetal Alchemist because the teachers recognize it too.  Of course they all know Hayao Miyazaki, and I get ...

Nothing but the rain, sir, Tome, Japan travel blog

Nothing but the rain, sir

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

2

Guess what I did on my 3 day weekend?  Absolutely nothing (besides watch the amazing finale of Battlestar Galactica, the source of the title).  I even had an extra day off, but that was why I did nothing.  It sucks being sick when the ...

No 2nd year for me, Tome, Japan travel blog

No 2nd year for me

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

3

... because I'm too absorbed in my own world.  I still need to work on self-confidence and assertiveness. Unfortunately, being in Japan hasn't led to improvements, and I may have slid backwards because of the non-confrontational, shy people I'm around. I ...

Tome Recitation and English Competition, Tome, Japan travel blog

Tome Recitation and English Competition

A travel blog entry by maverickranger

1

... drives me crazy; it's harder than Chinese characters because of the multiple ways you can read it.  For instance, the kanji for Tome is the exact same as the kanji for Toyoma.  Japanese is also extremely specific.  On the other hand, it's ...

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