No video games

One of my major thoughts of late has been that video games are really a poison of time. I haven’t played anything in about two weeks, and it feels like I have tons of time. I don’t resent daily tasks for taking so long and cheerfully do them. I feel more social, and I’m more motivated overall (even though I’ve still been having trouble motivating myself to read Steins;Gate or Harry Potter in Japanese lately). Also, I’m happy to work, and indeed I would like to work longer. In fact, on Friday I even stayed later than I had to in order to finish my decoration of the English board at school.

Also Friday I went to the gym and worked really hard on a horizontal problem. I didn’t progress very far, and I was really sore afterwards. However, two friendly guys who speak a bit of English showed up, and I ended up exchanging LINE information with them. So that was productive. Also, this allowed me to get their names. They introduced themselves to me (I think), but that was at least 6 months ago and I didn’t remember and felt bad about asking again.

I woke up early on Saturday, and even though I didn’t want to I made myself get out of bed to go to tennis class. I had to pay for the whole year, which isn’t so cheap in a lump sum, so hopefully that will motivate me to get my money’s worth and go every week. At the end of class I felt strong and motivated. In addition to a good violin practice session, I also worked out what I want to do over Golden Week, the ten days of holiday starting this Saturday. If I can get everything together, I want to experience farming in a nearby prefecture.

That afternoon I agreed to meet Davide at the library, and my motivation even managed to sustain my reading of Alice in Wonderland in Japanese for almost 20 minutes. It was surprisingly easy and fun to read. Davide and I went to the dango place because he wanted to introduce me to dango, but apparently they had sold out and closed by the time we got there. Instead we went to Sukiya, which is like Japanese fast food (not burgers but rice bowls). After that we went back to my apartment and I gave Davide my guitar.

On Easter I went to church, but the pastor was sick with a cold and so he wasn’t there. An older man (70+ years), a former pastor, gave the message, but it was really difficult to understand him. He only read two verses, and I think he was mostly telling stories about his life. We did sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” (in Japanese of course), so it did feel like Easter in that way, but otherwise there was little to distinguish it from a normal Sunday. I wasn’t hungry and my allergies were still quite bad, so I didn’t stay for lunch.

After church I went to Uniqlo because I wanted to buy something, and when I want to buy something there’s really only food and clothes. I wanted a new set of workout clothes because I only have two sets right now and they’re all gray and black. The pants weren’t on sale, but I did get a nice long sleeve t-shirt. I think it’s actually too thick to be good for working out, but it looks quite nice for a t-shirt. I really wanted to buy something else, like a sweater, so I ended up buying a navy cardigan. When I first came to Japan, I thought cardigans were rather goofy, so it’s funny that I bought one myself. But it’s an extra layer, and this one is supposed to be very cool, temperature-wise. Trying it on, I decided that it did look better than a shirt alone.

In the evening I went to the gym again even though I was still rather sore. I finally completed a blue problem (A-3) that I had been working on for a long time. As far as what was different, I would just say that I had more motivation and a bit more confidence that I could do it. I also completed the second half of another blue problem that had been baffling me for about the same amount of time (A-2). Putting the first half and the second half together took a little more strength than I could manage, but I feel confident that I can do it soon. I almost completed the horizontal problem from Friday, H-red-19, but it’s really rough on my skin and though I got to the second-to-last hold, my fingers felt fiery so I just dropped. Once again, I think I can do it soon.

I had hoped to talk to my parents at the same time as usual in the evening, but it seems that they are still in Europe and probably too busy to talk to me. Instead I chatted with Jared about his job, dating, and religion. It was a good talk and inspired me to finally do what I’ve been planning to do—read the Bible and pray in the morning. So this morning I did that. Usually I feel a bit rushed in the morning if I do it, or maybe that’s just a fear in the back of my mind, but this morning I had plenty of time. Another good habit that I think I should pick up is taking a shower in the evening. I think doing so will keep evening activities tame and reduce my morning prep time.

Elementary School

I had a strange dream, I think it was on Sunday night, in which my dad died. For some reason, this dream continues to echo in my subconscious even three days later so that whenever I think of my dad, I have to remind myself that he’s not actually dead.

My first elementary school classes happened yesterday. In general I was quite excited about it. When I visited the school two weeks ago, the principal was very nice, there was a teacher there that I had met previously who waved excitedly at me, and the English specialist of that school was young and cute and seemed happy I was there. On my first day there, I had four classes—two with fifth graders, one with sixth graders and one with third graders. The two fifth grade classes went very well. The first class’s teacher seems like fun but also well-disciplined, and the students seem interested in English. The second class, which was the English specialist’s class, also went well but the students were shy.

I ate lunch with a very quiet fourth grade class. I really enjoyed the fourth graders in Kikyo, so I’m hoping that this class will warm up to me quickly. After lunch I taught a sixth grade class. The teacher was very good, but I felt like I didn’t do things exactly the way he had planned and it ended up being a bit problematic for him. So next time I’ll try harder to do exactly what he tells me. The sixth graders were very nice, but there’s only one class in the whole school so it is the largest. After the sixth graders I taught a class of third graders. I had been given a lesson plan, but it was sparse, and I didn’t get a chance to meet with the homeroom teacher, so I was kind of flying in the dark. She asked me to read a picture book that I had never seen, and I felt like I didn’t do a great job. But the children were very cute and energetic (maybe even more so than at Kikyo) and the teacher was very nice but also managed to keep order.

I cycled both to and from this elementary school. Distance-wise it’s the same as going to the junior high school. However, there is a valley in between the school and the main highway, so I have to go down and back up. Also, there is a length of road without a sidewalk. In the end it takes close to 25 minutes to make the full trip, as opposed to 15 minutes for the junior high school, and I’m much more tired. So, I may end up taking the car most of the time when I go to Seba, especially in the summer.

After school I went climbing. I completed a cool red-level problem (red triangle on the Alps wall) on the second time I tried it. It felt really good.

Cycling to Matsumoto

On Saturday I did lots of cleaning and laundry, and then I cycled to Matsumoto castle with Davide. On the way I picked up a music stand which I’ve been trying to do for quite a while now. I also helped Davide out with getting a hat and fixing his bicycle’s chain. It is about 15 km from Shiojiri to Matsumoto castle, so we got some good exercise. There were loads of people at the castle, as this is supposed to be the peak of cherry blossom season and Matsumoto castle is supposed to be one of the best places to see cherry blossoms. This year, however, it has been cold later than usual, so the blossoms were still in their early stage, and none were falling yet. Davide took lots of pictures so that he could make paintings, and then we rode home. Davide was planning to go back to Matsumoto, but I was tired so I picked up a delicious dinner of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki from the supermarket and more or less went to bed after that.

On Sunday I gave a lesson at church about Daniel in the lions’ den. I really didn’t want to do it because my seasonal allergies were terrible, and I was coughing a lot, but when I finally got up to do it I had almost no trouble whatsoever. The story part went very well, and the song was okay. As usual I didn’t feel great about the game. First I did a kind of mimicking game, just for on, in, and under. Next I asked everyone to stand on a circle (of ropes), in the circle, or get under the circle. Finally, we had a race where one representative from two teams had to put a ball on, in, or under a basket. I wasn’t very clear on how to do any of the activities, and the kids didn’t learn the target language, I don’t think, despite my consistent usage of hand gestures. But I told myself that I wasn’t going to beat myself up over this, because it’s certainly not a waste of their time, and even if it was, I am doing it for free. So I want to do it well, but there’s essentially no pressure.

I wanted to go climbing after church, but the weather was a bit rainy and I was tired and my meal time didn’t fit well with a climbing time. Plus, I was still a bit sore from the previous day’s excursion. So in the end I stayed home. I did manage to practice violin and watch a bit of My Hero Academia, as well as cooking a delicious dinner of gyuudon (beef with rice, and in this case also broccoli and carrots). I almost fell asleep at 7:30, but managed to fend off sleep until about 8:30.

Today I had my first English classes with normal classes. I was really nervous in the first class. Embarrassingly, I didn’t bring the computer with me as I should have, and I mixed up the English teacher’s name. The students seemed to enjoy the class for the most part, though. My second class went better I think, partially because this teacher was very clear in her goals and time usage, so I know we accomplished everything she wanted to do. I was worried about using up too much time, but at the end she allowed plenty of time for questions.

First classes

Today I taught my first classes at the junior high school. It went pretty well, I suppose. None of the English teachers were at school, so I taught it with a teacher who didn't really speak English, and she was mainly just there to help the students feel better. The first class, with the students with learning difficulties, had only one student. She was shy and not confident in her English, but she managed to say a few words and I think that she had fun. The second class was with students who were socially challenged (maybe?) and there were two of them. That class was much more fun, even though one of the students was a bit of a pain. He would take a long time while we waited for him and only come up with obscure and contrary answers. I can't really fault him--I know that I've acted the same way.

For both classes I did my self-introduction, the students did theirs, and then we played a vocabulary listing game with a sticky ball. It wasn't too exciting, but the students were definitely engaged. I also had a battleship game planned, but in both cases I judged that there wasn't quite enough time left. Also, I think it might be a bit too difficult for the first class.

Yesterday was my first day to come to school by bicycle, and it was great. It takes almost the same amount of time as biking to work, picking up the car, and driving the rest of the way. Today I did it again, but the temperature was close to freezing so my fingers and toes were hurting the whole way.

My right middle finger has hurt for at least a week now. If I make a fist, it really hurts. Surprisingly it doesn't bother me when I'm climbing. I'm also still struggling with allergies and a cough. Today my voice has been strange and weak, which is frustrating when I'm trying to teach a class. I really hope everything will be better by Monday.

April Snow

Work has been boring because I have no classes yet. Outside of a quiet lunch and a conversation with the person whose desk faces mine, I have no social interaction at work. But I did make what I think will be a great introduction powerpoint, so I am excited about that. It’s unusual in style so I am also a bit worried about it, but I think my first two classes (with special education students) will be a good gauge and it won’t matter much if it goes badly.

I started watching My Hero Academia, an anime that I’ve been hearing about for at least a year. It might be the first shounen (boy audience targeted) anime that I’ve actually enjoyed. However, it has the downside of taking me away from my reading practice, as I’m a bit too tired to do both after work. I really should prioritize the reading though.

My climbing session yesterday was unusual because I spent about half an hour climbing with a girl there. She had made several problems herself and showed me what they were so that I could try them. I didn’t feel like they were particularly interesting problems, but it was a kind of new experience to climb like that. Before going climbing I ate dinner at the supermarket across the street. Some 5-year-old (or so) girl walked up to me while I was eating and asked (in Japanese) “Whatcha eating?” I had just eaten the last bite and my mouth was full so all I could do was shake my head. Anyway, she was cute and I felt happy that a girl her age was comfortable enough to start talking to a foreigner (note that her mother was just a few feet away).

Today it is snowing, despite having been 17 degrees two days ago. There is a city ALT meeting and then my evening classes. I’m still struggling against a cough and allergies, though neither are as bad today.

Birthday

Even though I had a full week of work last week, it still felt very random because every day was completely different. On Monday I visited schools to learn their location and greet my future co-workers. On Tuesday and Wednesday I went to job training, and on Wednesday night I taught conversation classes. On Thursday I went to opening ceremonies for one of the elementary schools and my junior high school. I was very tired after that and fell asleep at 6:30. On Friday I had a normal day of work with no classes—basically I just stared at the computer most of the day.

That night I went out with Davide and Corali to the bar. We didn’t stay out too late or drink too much, but the next day we were supposed to start playing tennis at 6:20 AM, and in the end it didn’t happen. Later on Saturday I took Davide climbing at the climbing gym. They didn’t have shoes near the right size for him to rent, so he used his running shoes, which was far from ideal. We ended up leaving half an hour early. I managed to do a difficult mostly horizontal problem with relative ease.

Sunday was mostly normal, but in the evening I went to Matsumoto with Davide, Sayantani, and Corali. First we went to the Irish pub, then we found an interesting small-ish pub with no English menu at all. They had Nagano specialties like horse meat and bee larvae. It was the first time I had seen bee larvae on a menu. I didn’t try it this time though. I ended up missing my talk with Mom and Dad.

Today I feel lethargic. I have a cough, but I’m pretty sure it started on Friday so I can’t blame it on the alcohol and late nights (although I’m sure they didn’t help me recover). I haven’t studied Japanese today aside from listening to a lecture on road safety and general teacher’s room chat, so I’m planning to go home, read Steins;Gate, watch a bit of anime, and maybe go to sleep early.