I have been having an amazing time in Japan! For those who don’t know, I am located on the island of Ojika, which is about a 3 hour ferry ride from the Kyushu mainland. The island currently has a population of around 3,000 people. They have been incredibly welcoming and kind to me and it has been relatively easy for me to settle in to life here. I’m trying to practice my Japanese everyday, and it is definitely improving little by little. It seems, however, that the better my Japanese gets the worse my English becomes!
I’m teaching at 4 schools. An elementary, a junior high, and a senior high on my island. I also teach at another elementary school on Ooshima island maybe 3 times a month. It is quite interesting that the students over here seem to get increasingly shy the older they get.
The elementary students are always busting with energy and are eager to try using English. The junior high students are quite a bit more reserved, and with the high school students I often feel as though I am pulling teeth to get them to say anything. It is a much different school system over here, and it has been interesting learning to deal with it. I am also teaching two community English conversation classes, one basic and one advanced. Those are some of the most fun for me because it is a much less formal atmosphere and we are able to talk about much more interesting topics. Starting this weekend, I’ll also be reading children’s books to
Kindergarteners at the town library. I am looking forward to that, even though I know they will have no idea what I am saying!
Keeping in shape here on the island is more of a challenge than back in Duluth. It takes me perhaps 50 minutes to run around the island on the main road. As you can imagine, that doesn’t give me much variety.
There are lots of small roads and paths through the fields, but it doesn’t take long to run or bike them all. Luckily, the scenery is very beautiful and often I am treated to an amazing sunset as I run along the ocean.
One thing I won’t be able to do, however, is ski. It will be difficult to get by without it! I know practice has started for you already, and DJ tells me that you’ve got another big team. That’s great to hear! I hope that winter cooperates and brings snow early and heavy.
In the mean time, keep at it with the rollerskating and running that I am sure you are doing. Working on your base while everyone else is slacking gives a great head start on the season once the snow finally comes. Oh, and absolutely DO NOT FORGET the planks, wall sits, pushups, etc!
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on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 at 6:57 pm and is filed under Team Communication.
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