Monday 10 September 2007
Catching up
I've been contemplating going to bed the last few minutes but I've forced myself through the sleepiness to update my neglected blog. So count yourself damn lucky!
I'm trying to remember what I've done since my last big entry a few weeks ago...
It's actually quite difficult... ALRIGHT! I mentioned about indoor football last time and I can honestly say I've never come close to sweating as much as I did that night. It wasn't even proper 5-a-side either, it was some crazy game where they play on a small pitch with no walls and a flat ball (deed baw).
The next day (Friday 31st woo) saw another big welcoming party for Noah and I. There are five districts on the east side of Kochi that have some connection between them and so all the important education people from all five came. Only the Tano people were new this time but they hosted it regardless. It was held up in the mountains in what reminded me of a Cub Scout dormitory and we had barbeques/beer/musical shenanigans. It was another good night and I have another spider story to tell. We were all heading off to bed when I was looking at all the children's stuff on a bookcase and noticed something on the wall. "Heeeey look how real that spider loo... ARRRRRRGGGGGHHH". This one actually was the size of your head. It was terrible but the alcohol softened the shock.
Saturday 1st - All I can remember was the football guys in Tano were meant to be playing in Kochi City but it called off due to rain. What followed was the most impressive short notice barbeque set-up I've ever seen. I've not seen many before but I'm sure this would have been the quickest. Some bloke drove up in a truck with tables, chairs, beer kegs, meat and an oil drum to cook it in. All the guys have young families even though they aren't that much older than me which was quite scary. Yeah so me and Noah spent most of the night being portable climbing frames for all the young kids and just generally being the centre of curiousity.
Sunday 2nd - Did something... went out for dinner in Nahari.
Monday 3rd - Prepared for lessons and went to all the opening ceremonies at the schools.
Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th - Tuesday was the day of my first lesson. Even though I've been here a month the kids have all been on holiday so I wasn't really teaching. This was actually a bad thing because I arrived all motivated and then spent 8:15-5:45pm every day sitting in an office with only Japanese books and teaching manuals to amuse me. My first class were 4th grade at elementary school (about 9) and it went pretty well. I wasn't that nervous to begin but the teacher decided to alter the agreed lesson plan and he doesn't know any English so for a minute I was just thinking "argh argh argh what what what". It went well in the end though.
One class that did not go well was the 6th grade at elementary. The class is bad enough because they're all old enough to have adopted a 'too cool for school' attitude and so they just stare at your with vacant eyes. So I had agreed a lesson plan with the teacher for a 15-20 minutes introduction and then she had other games and stuff planned. Hence my surprise when she turned a 15 minute game into 30 seconds at the start of the lesson and then naffed off out the room. Somehow I managed to teach this lethargic excuse for a class by myself for 45 minutes whilst knowing very, very little Japanese.
The following class was the complete opposite and only a year below. The teacher was brilliant and we team taught like we're meant to bloody do. My presentation went really well and they liked all my pictures and items. Everyone finds my picture of a Highland cow very interesting as well as the picture of my house - a few kids thought my 1980s semi-detached in East Kilbride was "luxurious" . Also, whoever mocked me for buying a 'see you Jimmy' bunnet is a damn fool. I ended my introduction by wearing it and then coaxing some of the students to try it on which was then followed by lots of laughter.
Right, I'm getting really tired now. You might understand why when I continue my blog update tomorrow. There's still loads to write about argh.
I will leave you with some new pictures.
Tano coast
A lone wave/typhoon wall thing
Me posing with the sun
Me being snapped whilst trying to set up a pose
I'm trying to remember what I've done since my last big entry a few weeks ago...
It's actually quite difficult... ALRIGHT! I mentioned about indoor football last time and I can honestly say I've never come close to sweating as much as I did that night. It wasn't even proper 5-a-side either, it was some crazy game where they play on a small pitch with no walls and a flat ball (deed baw).
The next day (Friday 31st woo) saw another big welcoming party for Noah and I. There are five districts on the east side of Kochi that have some connection between them and so all the important education people from all five came. Only the Tano people were new this time but they hosted it regardless. It was held up in the mountains in what reminded me of a Cub Scout dormitory and we had barbeques/beer/musical shenanigans. It was another good night and I have another spider story to tell. We were all heading off to bed when I was looking at all the children's stuff on a bookcase and noticed something on the wall. "Heeeey look how real that spider loo... ARRRRRRGGGGGHHH". This one actually was the size of your head. It was terrible but the alcohol softened the shock.
Saturday 1st - All I can remember was the football guys in Tano were meant to be playing in Kochi City but it called off due to rain. What followed was the most impressive short notice barbeque set-up I've ever seen. I've not seen many before but I'm sure this would have been the quickest. Some bloke drove up in a truck with tables, chairs, beer kegs, meat and an oil drum to cook it in. All the guys have young families even though they aren't that much older than me which was quite scary. Yeah so me and Noah spent most of the night being portable climbing frames for all the young kids and just generally being the centre of curiousity.
Sunday 2nd - Did something... went out for dinner in Nahari.
Monday 3rd - Prepared for lessons and went to all the opening ceremonies at the schools.
Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th - Tuesday was the day of my first lesson. Even though I've been here a month the kids have all been on holiday so I wasn't really teaching. This was actually a bad thing because I arrived all motivated and then spent 8:15-5:45pm every day sitting in an office with only Japanese books and teaching manuals to amuse me. My first class were 4th grade at elementary school (about 9) and it went pretty well. I wasn't that nervous to begin but the teacher decided to alter the agreed lesson plan and he doesn't know any English so for a minute I was just thinking "argh argh argh what what what". It went well in the end though.
One class that did not go well was the 6th grade at elementary. The class is bad enough because they're all old enough to have adopted a 'too cool for school' attitude and so they just stare at your with vacant eyes. So I had agreed a lesson plan with the teacher for a 15-20 minutes introduction and then she had other games and stuff planned. Hence my surprise when she turned a 15 minute game into 30 seconds at the start of the lesson and then naffed off out the room. Somehow I managed to teach this lethargic excuse for a class by myself for 45 minutes whilst knowing very, very little Japanese.
The following class was the complete opposite and only a year below. The teacher was brilliant and we team taught like we're meant to bloody do. My presentation went really well and they liked all my pictures and items. Everyone finds my picture of a Highland cow very interesting as well as the picture of my house - a few kids thought my 1980s semi-detached in East Kilbride was "luxurious" . Also, whoever mocked me for buying a 'see you Jimmy' bunnet is a damn fool. I ended my introduction by wearing it and then coaxing some of the students to try it on which was then followed by lots of laughter.
Right, I'm getting really tired now. You might understand why when I continue my blog update tomorrow. There's still loads to write about argh.
I will leave you with some new pictures.
Tano coast
A lone wave/typhoon wall thing
Me posing with the sun
Me being snapped whilst trying to set up a pose
Noah, Andrew and I. Where we are will be explained in the next update dun dun dun
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