 letters from japan by michelle I teach English at Izumi Minami Junior highschool in Kumamoto City, Japan. Teaching English in Japan is fun, but the kids are no different than anywhere else. Some see school as a chore. Some kids have less interest than a box of lettuce. But there are a few great kids who love English, and aspire to be Ambassador's of their nations someday. Or at least be able to watch Dark Angel in English. There are about 500 kids in my school, and only a few are really insane. But even though they may not like English, they are fascinated with me. They will follow me around and wave to me in the hallways. They ask me questions like, do I have a boyfriend and how big are my breasts (in elementary school, the kids like to poke you in the butt and scream "Enema!" over and over again in Japanese - I'm lucky to be at a middle school). Some students even ask to carry my materials to class for me. My own personal pack animals. I feel like such a rockstar. School lunch is always an experiment. First, they always serve little bottles of whole milk (which i don't touch) and sometimes, something like a whole fish will land on my plate. The teachers very politly try explain in broken English what the fish is, but the chances are good that I won't know it anyway. I poke at it with a chopstick a few times, then let the beast lie. It's a losing battle, and the fish and I both know it, so I give up early on. It seems to be the days when I'm most hungry that they decide to serve something wacky like basashi (raw horse meat), the local delicacy in Kumamoto. Actually, basashi is probably too good for school lunch. After school today, I am starting the English Club, for any student or teacher who wants to learn more conversational English. The most that the any student knows is "Hallo, how are you?". The response is always the same, "I am fine, sank you. And you?". They are like little robots. Because I am a native English speaker, it's in my nature to say, hey how are you, when I see a familiar face. But when I say that to students, they first get a bewildered look, as if first they must compute English, then, "I am fine, sank you. And you?". It's the same every time. Today they will learn the response, I'm pretty good. Maybe next week, we'll do, what's shakin', bacon?. |
Mysteries of Japan Part Two: Climate Control (The Absence of) Mysteries of Japan Part One: Obaachans Godzilla Was a Misunderstood Foreigner School Lunch, or, Why I Carry Candy and Gum in My Handbag What's in a name? The Shochu Monster Airmail! Intro Find out more about the JET Programme
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