After i got my tires today i was planning on going to go grocery shopping in Kutchan. However, the music teacher called me as soon as i got home. Apparently the tuba player in the brass band had fallen ill, and they are playing some songs for tomorrow for the "life practice festival" i guess is what it would be called. So i was just a minute from the public gym so i went there to practice with them. It was really good timing. I will play with them tomorrow in the morning. I guess it is part of the culture day festival stuff. After practice, the people there had a large bunch of red and yellow peppers, so they let me take 6 of them. I only wanted 4 but they told me to take some more. I will use them in the sweet and sour pork i can make. Then after that i went to the local grocery to do my shopping. This week seems to be the week when everyone takes their produce and sells it because winter is coming soon. All the fields have been razed and the crops are drying. Chicken has been cheap for a little while now. For the past three or four days, it has been less than a dollar a pound about. I bought 8 breasts to stock up for the week. I went home and got ready to go to the party. I don't like wearing costumes, so i did not dress up. Good thing too, it was just raining when i left from Rankoshi, but then as i went north it turned into sleet and snow. By the time i was in Kutchan, the plants and ground were covered in it. I didn't want to risk anything, so i turned back and went home. I was just going to be curry for dinner at the party, and i didn't want to drive two hours, be there for two hours, then drive home for two hours in what would probably be worse conditions. The weather here seems to last for like an entire day. The rain lasts and lasts, and i am assuming the snow does too. I guess the next time i go up there will be by train. I am kind of glad i did turn back, because now i wont be tired and i can get a good night's rest for the thing tomorrow with the band.

Yesterday was pretty good. I had elective English with the third years and they did chain stories. They were pretty good and funny, but not too good on the grammar. It was okay. After that i went to Onari, and i was able to teach them about Halloween a little bit. I had them all (12) in the gym and i taught them Halloween, Trick or Treat, and Jack O' Lantern. Then i was able to hand out candy to them. It was pretty good. I just hope none of them get hurt on the suckers. Most of the first graders were the only ones that got a sucker. Class was good and they are very smart. I taught the 2nd, 3rd, and 4h graders. We did the numbers from 1-50. They were very good. But just in general with any ESL class, they had difficulty with the difference between the 'teens and the 'tys. For example fifteen, and fifty. It's only separated by the n sound at the end, so it is understandable. After that i went back tot he middle school for some paper work for work. Then i went to the BOE for a meeting. I had a meeting for next week, pretty simple. He gave me a sheet for the culture festival. Then i received a book on the history and explanation of Jodoshinshu. It should be very good. Then i got a picture from the last party. Today i have to get my tires changed, then i have a Halloween party at the church in Otaru tonight. Should be fun.

Today was a pretty good day. I had classes for five periods and they went okay. some kids just totally shut down in class and do nothing when ti comes to English. I try and help some of them by taking them through the questions, but sometimes, that doesn't help because they just don't want to or think they can't. I have seen a little improvement in some of them, but i just keep finding more of the ones that just refuse. I played in the brass band today after school. The teacher wanted me to join them on the culture day activity where i think they will be playing at the train station for something. I did have a chance to talk to the students. I have really tried to use more English in the classes and outside of classes this week and i think i has been helping a little bit. Another thing i have been doing is learning their names. I know a majority of their names, but some of their names are hard to read the characters for them, but today i think i memorized at least how to read all of their names. Now putting faces with names is next, and then maybe their entire name. But in the brass band, i was talking to them in Japanese- most of them are third years and they are all girls- and i asked them about some things like ho they think of the English teachers as teachers. They said that the third years classes were a little boring, and the second and first year classes were difficult. I guess i should take note of that and use it. Then i asked them who their favorite teacher was, and they said it was the home ec and Japanese teacher- one person, she just does a lot of classes- and that was a little surprising. Tomorrow i am bringing a big bag of candy to the schools. I have the middle school in the morning and a small elementary in the afternoon. I didn't ask if i could because i didn't know how to work it in. But i think i might do it after the weekend for the middle school. The elementary shouldn't be too big of a problem with only 12 kids. I know the schools are against candy but this is for a holiday and should be okay. Otherwise i will give some out at the church party. The thing is that most American candy is too sweet, and guys in general do not like to eat sweet things. Overall, a pretty good day.

Today was okay. I got feedback form the schools via the company and it was mostly positive. I just need to use less Japanese in the middle school. I had elective English with the second years. Then i went to Mitsuwa elementary for one hour of class. Everybody in elementary schools can seemingly ride a unicycle. I do not know how that is useful, but almost every Japanese kid can do it. Then i went to Onari for lunch and class after that. I spent the rest of the day at onari and had a pretty good time there. There was badminton practice after classes then the kids went home. It is kind of nice to see how close all the kids and teachers are in the schools of only like 15 people in the whole school including teachers for six grades. oh well, another day another dollar, and i get paid on Friday.

Today was a pretty good day. I had classes for four periods. It was really hot in the classrooms. I just hope that when winter hits, i won't be sweating from the heat inside the classrooms. The third years seemed to be entertained enough by me doing a conversation and trying to get them to have eye contact with each other. Japanese will not look at you in the eye for long periods unless they are angry at you. It is kind of scary for them to have people look them in the eyes for long periods. After school, i played with the music club. The teacher is really nice and is the music and art teacher. I do think i got roped into playing with them for culture day at the train station though. I guess i will be careful next time is go into a club. I played the tuba today, and i realized that i have lost my chops. My lips were hurting from the buzzing and i think the metal too. I wish i could remember some of the stuff i did in band. Good times.

Ramen flavored candy drops????

"Cool guy on board"

"Dirty old man"

Mt Yotei

Yesterday was another regular day at the high school. Though i didn't get observed thankfully. I made some more worksheets and i am ahead for next week. I did elective English with the third years and they seemed to like it okay. It was pronunciation and listening games where i would say love or rub and see if they could tell the difference. i also did fourteen and thirteen, and see and she. They did okay, and for love and rub some of them had a real hard time. Today i went shopping for groceries and things for around the house. It was pretty good, i got a windshield cover for my car to put it on at night so i can get the snow off. I also bought some stuff for Christmas presents. Mainly Japanese candy for the family. But i need to go shopping in Otaru and get some other stuff like key chains or some glassware. I need to send it soon, so it can get there by boat on time. After groceries, i had lunch at this Chinese restaurant. Personally, i like Chinese food a whole lot better than Japanese food. Most of the stuff i like to eat in Japan is Chinese derived. Nikuman, gyoza, egg rolls, sweet and sour pork, they are all Chinese derived. I had the set menu and had this great peppered egg drop soup, rice, pickled, almond tofu, pork and green pepper stir fry, and chili shrimp. I wonder if they have a different menu for dinner like some places do. It was really good, so i will have to go there again.

today i had to go to Onari elementary in the morning and i did the months and animal sounds with the two classes. I had to moo and oink with the children. Then for the middle school, it was another observed class. I seem to be having a lot of these types of classes lately. I had to go to the middle school early this morning in order to have a preliminary meeting with the teacher in order to go over the stuff for the observed class. it went well. It was doing reading for one section of the textbook. I had to wear a wig for when we did the readings as a model for the class to read them in groups. The kids seemed to get a kick out of it. I was a girl named Yuki for it so i wore a big blond wig. I didn't know i was going to wear it until about a few seconds before. I guess you just always have to be on the ball and go with the flow. I didn't know what i was doing at the elementary today either, so i just had to go with the flow. Afterwords, there was the meeting for all the teachers that observed to give their input. It was okay, but like a lot of the stuff just went over my head. I still need to pay my internet and housing, but the post office stops at 4 o clock so i am too late. I hope i can do it tomorrow, or at the latest by Saturday for sure. It's due at the beginning of next month, so i am good.

Yesterday was regular classes so nothing worth to note. The 3A class was okay, but i suddenly got this real teaching boost in the 2B class. The flu is still hitting people. though some people that were gone are back at school. I hope it doesn't get too bad. I do not know what would happen if the middle school shut down for a while. Today was good. I taught the second years and 1A class. It was okay. I was just the human recorder today, but that is okay. After a quick lunch, i had to go attend the teaching seminar for JTE's at the town center. IT was three hours, but it was okay. They went over games for classes and then the teachers had to come up with their own lesson plan in groups. After that i went to the post office to pick up a package and pay my electric bill at the convenience store. The package was good. It had some good magazines that i have to find a way to give out. The pokemon posters would likely be liked by the kids. I could just give them to the teachers in the class and they could handle them from there. It's so hard to do something like give out treats or incentives to one kid. You have to give them all something so as to not damage their psyches. Japanese kids' psyches seem a lot more sensitive than American kids'. They will just shut down in class over the littlest things. I got some cake mix, which i will have to try to make in my toaster once i find a pan small enough to fit into it. I don't bale that much anymore because i don't have the space, the desire for sweet things because Japanese meat dishes use sugar sometimes, and i don't have the appliances. Also, Japanese breads and grocery items are a little better. I love Japanese bakeries. Japanese also do not like candy that much anyways, so i guess it is good for me. I do not like candy that much besides some really dark chocolate. The package was awesome. Thanks mom.

Zoo pics

Kannon at Jozankei

Kids land at the zoo

komodo dragon

Hokkaido Shrine

It's not a zoo without a seven eleven

japanese baboons

tapir

autumn leaves

 

The blind one

The one going around in circles

wolf skin

twins

The Malaysian Sun bear- The Pooh Bears. I loved these guys, they were so cute, yet so sad. The other one was eating away at the log in the cage. They both looked at me and it was so sad and cute.