i have been going to the board of education every work day since i got here. theres a spot that i can usually use as a desk (unless some random more-important person shows up) and sometimes i even have access to a computer which i can use to practice my kanji. since no one i work with understands much english - including my supervisor - and my level of japanese understanding is somewhere between a newborn and a retarded child, communication is very limited for me at work. this leads to the problem of not knowing what is planned for me that day until it is already happening.
every time i go to work, i have no idea what i am supposed to do that day. some days, i have nothing to do for 6 hours straight and then all of a sudden i have to travel to a bunch of schools to stumble through my japanese self introduction and learn a bunch of teachers' names which i quickly forget by the time i leave. other days, i am driven to various bus stops to practice taking certain buses to my schools. and sometimes i have to go to the town hall or the tax office to fill out forms i dont even knew existed and of which i still dont know what they're for.
one day, i showed up to work in my usual khakis and polo shirt to find that my supervisor signed me up to be in a volleyball club at one of my middle schools. at least thats what i think he said. so i went to school and found myself playing on a team of teachers vs. the middle school girls' volleyball team in a non-air-conditioned gymnasium for three long, grueling, embarrassing games. luckily, one teacher let me borrow some of his workout clothes so i wouldnt absolutely ruin my work clothes with my profuse sweating. this was also the day that i found out that i suck at volleyball. and i was fortunate enough to find this out in front of a bunch of my soon-to-be students and coworkers.
all of these random tasks have driven me to be prepared for anything at anytime. now i show up to work with a spare change of sports clothes, enough japanese study materials to keep myself occupied for hours at a time, and all of my official documentation, including passport, alien card, pension booklet, and various receipts, to work every single freaking day.
every time i go to work, i have no idea what i am supposed to do that day. some days, i have nothing to do for 6 hours straight and then all of a sudden i have to travel to a bunch of schools to stumble through my japanese self introduction and learn a bunch of teachers' names which i quickly forget by the time i leave. other days, i am driven to various bus stops to practice taking certain buses to my schools. and sometimes i have to go to the town hall or the tax office to fill out forms i dont even knew existed and of which i still dont know what they're for.
one day, i showed up to work in my usual khakis and polo shirt to find that my supervisor signed me up to be in a volleyball club at one of my middle schools. at least thats what i think he said. so i went to school and found myself playing on a team of teachers vs. the middle school girls' volleyball team in a non-air-conditioned gymnasium for three long, grueling, embarrassing games. luckily, one teacher let me borrow some of his workout clothes so i wouldnt absolutely ruin my work clothes with my profuse sweating. this was also the day that i found out that i suck at volleyball. and i was fortunate enough to find this out in front of a bunch of my soon-to-be students and coworkers.
all of these random tasks have driven me to be prepared for anything at anytime. now i show up to work with a spare change of sports clothes, enough japanese study materials to keep myself occupied for hours at a time, and all of my official documentation, including passport, alien card, pension booklet, and various receipts, to work every single freaking day.
Monday, August 30, 2010 |
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I love the visuals of your experiences. Especially you sweating and playing volleyball in someone else's clothing. Hopefully the clothing was tight and didn't fit.
I've got all the help in the world with me here and I still find myself unprepared in a myriad of situations.
I now carry a man bag with me everywhere I go with many of the items you detail. An extra set of clothes is always a good idea, at least an extra shirt. I still don't understand how these people look so clean all the time when it is 95 degrees outside at 90% humidity.