Ashiya,
Japan
Saturday, October 26, 2002
Day 11 - 10.26.02 (Sat) First Day/Observations - A few observations: One: Japanese people are amazing, I guess growing up in what is deemed the "greatest transportation system" in the world, perhaps it's second nature, but they can sleep anywhere. They sleep on the subways and have some sixth sense about where their stop is. They can sleep standing up (maintaining balance) and they sleep through all the starts and stops of the subway and awake only at their designated stop...they instinctively know where there stop is without even looking - the subway stops, they wake up and get off without even looking at the sign...they just know!! So strange! Two: I haven't watched one minute of television since I've been here and I haven't missed it one bit. You have no idea how much time we Americans waste on that damn thing. I will admit that I do miss football and would love to be able to watch a game, but nothing else really. Sure, a Seinfeld or Simpsons episode would be nice, but I think we use TV as a reason to be lazy and we miss out on wonderful sites in our surrounding areas...the museums, the parks, the nature, they're all taken for granted by us. It's just so easy to see how I was swallowed up in that and what a mistake it was and what a waste of time and life and energy it was...a shame really. Anyway, enough preaching...first day of teaching was fun and tiring. The students were great and I feel I did a really good job...I just want to increase the fun of the whole situation. I really enjoy the teaching and feel very helpful and appreciated. Strange how the day seems long but the time goes by fast. I hope to start working with the kids soon. At my branch they only offer one-on-one teaching for kids, and although I would prefer a group, I'll start there and maybe try to move on to group teaching later if I really enjoy the children. Teaching seems to have brought out or enhanced an inner patience that probably would seem foreign to most people who know me. Patience is not my strongest suit, but just comes out when I'm teaching.
People here make their dogs wear diapers! I have nothing else to say. (I really wish I had a picture to share!)
