Friday I had no official classes, but we did take time during second period to do an oral reading exam for the sports course students. So I sat and listened to 41 students read the same sentences over and over and over again. Thrilling. Most of them did alright, but it`s a little jarring when they keep reading the word "feature" and "future." For instance, I kept hearing, "Baby pandas have the all of these cute futures." Uh, what now? The first couple times it happened, I had to glance over at the text to clarify for myself what the text was actually saying. During first period, I finished two weeks of lesson plans for my first years, and finished any remaining materials I had to make for next week`s third year class.
[Friday Lunchtime: Oh my god, they just played "Dragostea Din Tei". I`ve officially been transported back to high school.]
I dislike exam time for another reason: students are asked to translate phrases from Japanese into English on their exams, and the JTEs keep coming to me to ask whether certain variations on the answer are correct or not. I can give them the answer, but sometimes I can`t explain why beyond, "Because English makes no sense, and that`s just the way it is."
A third year student in the sports course came into the teachers` room the other day and asked about setting up some after-school conversation lessons with me because he wants to be an English teacher. We had our first one on Friday for a half-hour, just basic get-to-know-you type conversation, until we can decide where his weaknesses are and what needs to be worked on. Morita-sensei says that his vocabulary and comprehension are very high, but his speaking and listening skills are really low. Based on our conversation, it mostly seems to be a confidence thing. He hesitates so much because he`s afraid he`s going to be wrong. But we talked about music (why is everyone always so surprised when I say I listen to metal?!), and how his brother plays guitar and might get a record deal, and working at Disney World (the university he`s going to attend is one that apparently does the College Program, which is all kinds of awesome). He did very well, and we`re going to make this a regular Friday thing. Since he`s so into music I think we might talk more about that next week. I`ll prep some materials to bring in, maybe we`ll listen to some English songs. It`ll be awesome.
I didn`t do a lot with my weekend. After school on Friday I stopped by the mall to pick up a sketchbook, and I took it to Akame 48 Falls on Saturday to do some drawing and hiking. I now remember why I`m not an artist. The sketches I did turned out pretty horribly, but I don`t care because I was happy doing it. I didn`t stay too long, and I didn`t do the full falls hike, but I walked to the station and back, so I probably did about 9 or 10 km rather than the complete 18km we did last time. On Sunday, I did laundry and groceries and read all day. It was fabulous.
Monday morning saw the return of my canine walking partner and her human. I was a bit closer to home this time, so we got more time to chat. I saw them as I was turning a corner, but I wasn`t sure, and then as soon as I started walking on that street, I saw that the dog had stopped and was staring back at me, so I knew it was Rizu. The owner introduced herself as Nakamura, and we had a good chat about her daugher`s desire to study abroad in Canada or Australia. ...I think. That`s what I got out of the conversation anyway.
Music teacher went to Hokkaido and brought back chocolate. Music teacher is my new best friend.
I had a couple of great lessons with my first year Monday classes. Not necessarily great in the sense of "they all participated and understood everything," but in the way of "it was a difficult lesson and they tried their best". We`re doing basic directions this week, which is never an easy thing to explain. I sort of pared down the third year lesson I did a couple weeks ago to a simpler form as an introduction. They gave it their all, and I helped where I could. I also had a conversation with one of my JTEs after about the frustration of getting directions from people sometimes. Like when someone tells you, "Go (insert compass direction here)." Great. Which way is that?! My roommate in university was bad for that when I was lost in Toronto (Yes, Ros, I`m talking about you). I`d call her, and say something like, "I`m at the AGO. How do I get back to Union?"
And her response would be, "Go Southeast."
..."What?"
Insert long-suffering sigh from Ros. "Is your back to the AGO? Go right. Now go towards the water."
"I can`t see the water."
"Go right again."
The JTE said when she asks for directions, she gets a lot of responses like, "Oh, it`s next to/near (insert other landmark here)." Awesome. That would be helpful if I knew where that was. I impress upon everyone the importance of using "left" and "right" in your direction-giving.
Tuesday was my first (and only, according to my schedule from now until March) day with the Yamabato students at my special needs school. These are the students with severe disabilities. They`re in a hospital ward, either bedridden or wheelchair-bound, with feeding tubes, breathing tubes, or other apparatus, most are incapable of moving on their own, and they`re almost entirely non-verbal. Some of them could make noise, though, and it seemed to be positive noise, so I`m taking it as a sign that they enjoyed being with me. It was a little scary, since I`m not used to being in situations like that, but the teachers/caretakers were great. I was asked next time (whenever that happens to be) to tell some Canadian folk/fairy tales. I`m going to have to do some research on that one, because right now the only one I can think of is the one with the guys in the flying canoe and the devil trapped in a church. I only had the one class all day, so I brought my marking from my direction-giving classes to get through. And let me tell you, I barely got through it. It was painful. Despite all the practice we had with the textbook dialogues, they seem to have a problem with full sentences. I saw so many work sheets with "Turn right straight turn right turn left." ...Thanks, guys. Remember that whole discussion we had about blocks and corners and telling people about landmarks? That`s still a thing. I had to keep taking breaks because my brain was going to explode. And you know it`s bad when I want to read The Maze Runner more than doing something else, because this book is almost as bad as Twilight (and taking me four times as long to get through).
Wednesday morning, someone must have picked up on my frustration at the lack of communication between the teachers and me. There`s been a schedule change for the end of this week, and no less than three teachers came over to make sure I knew about it. I will never not know about anything ever again!
The science teacher, Sugiura, came over to talk to me, took one look at my arm (I was wearing my new nerdly hallows t-shirt), and says, "It`s because you`re from Canada, isn`t it? This weather isn`t cold to you?" Nope! It`s a fabulous 19 degrees Celsius right now. That`s early summer in Canada. I looked it up, and it`s 7 back home right now, and only going to get colder. I told him that, and he told me that in winter here, it gets to be about -1. I laughed. "I don`t even need a coat for that!" (I will, however, get great use out of my "May the Norse be With You" sweater.)
My supervisor is freaking out because the principal is sitting in on the first half of our conversation class tomorrow to evaluate her. Calm yourself. Besides, I do most of the work in that class. What I`m nervous about is the mystery game afterwards. I really, really, REALLY hope it goes well! And that everyone is there. Because if one of our main characters is sick and doesn`t make it in, we`re kinda screwed. But mostly I`m worried about them getting it. Not the thief, necessarily. I`ve laid enough red herrings that we could have a good game without anyone getting it right. But I want them to actually understand the game and what they`re supposed to do. When we did the telephone memo roleplay, they seemed to have some trouble understanding that when the slip of paper tells them "you are" that they should use those words to say "I am." It`s instructions, not a script. Also apparently my supervisor didn`t know I had actually created all of this until today when she asked about something odd I wrote, and I was like, "It`s not important. I was just making things up as I went along." And then she was like, "You mean you made all of this yourself?!" Uh, yeah? Everything online is murder, and usually themed to things they won`t understand (like the 1920s, or a ranch). And they`re complicated. As it is, I think this might end up being too complicated.
I`m really hoping the next few weeks go by fast. Not that I`m not enjoying my daily routine, but I have a Tokyo Disneyland trip planned for the long weekend at the end of November, so that needs to get here ASAP.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Exercising My Rights
Warning: the following is a socio-political soapbox post. If you`re not interested in what I have to say on political, social, economic, and religious points as they pertain to Canada and the world at large, I`d advise you to skip this post and wait until my next post. There`s nothing to report about my life right now, which gives me some freedom to write down my thoughts and opinions. And I think they`re needed right now. This is likely to be a really long post. And may not keep to my self-imposted PG-13 rating, simply due to the nature of some of the issues discussed.
Disclaimer: I`m not a politician. I`m not an economist. I`m not an ecologist, climatologist, or anything of the like. I`m not a lesbian. I`m what I refer to as a "religious cherry-picker," not subscribing to one particular organized religion over another, but rather defining my own spiritual/moral path by adopting aspects of various world religions that make me a better person. I`m white. I`m single. I`m lower-middle class. I`m a woman. I`m an English teacher. I`m Canadian.
As most of you are aware, Canada had its federal election on Monday, resulting in a landslide victory for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party. Since then, my Facebook has been inundated with posts on both sides of the spectrum. I don`t necessarily agree with Trudeaumania 2.0, because there are some ways in which I`m not sure Trudeau has a strong enough vision to lead Canada, but we won`t know until he tries. But there are also railing against Trudeau and the Liberal party because the Liberal agenda goes against their religious beliefs, and therefore Canada is being run by evil incarnate. I`d like to examine some of the points in the articles being posted online that I`ve seen, and work through the issues in a level-headed, rational manner. The religion-based issues will be at the forefront because that`s who`s making the loudest noise, but we`ll cover as many big issues as we can. Let`s begin.
1. He Supports Gay "Marriage"
Okay, first of all, let`s lose the quotes. And really, we should be losing the gay part, too. The Liberals support loving, legally binding commitments between two people, end of sentence. This almost needs to be its own post, because there are so many points to consider here. However, I`ll try to keep this as succinct as I can, because everything I have to say has been said before. You`re just not listening.
The main argument seems to be that The Bible says it`s wrong, so we can`t do it. This reminds me of when I used to get North American Free Trade Agreement certificates for goods of Chinese origin in my old job. Just as I must have missed the day that China floated across the ocean to become part of North America, I must have missed the day Canada was air-lifted and plopped down in Italy to become part of Vatican City. I can think of no other reason why one religion should be the basis for the government of a diverse group of people, some of whom (like me) have no particular religious affiliation at all.
Going hand-in-hand with that is the argument that it hurts the definition and integrity of traditional marriage. I love the phrase "traditional marriage." Why is it that the "one man and one woman" part should be held to so tightly, when we`ve abandoned the tradition of dowry? That used to be an integral part of "traditional marriage," until someone finally discovered that a woman is a person and not a costly lump of flesh useful only as a human broodmare and worth whatever her father is willing to pay a man to take her off his hands. We also seem to have given up the law laid down in Deuteronomy that states if a woman becomes a widow and has no sons, she should be married to her husband`s unmarried brother. Also, how does it possibly hurt the integrity of a "traditional" marriage? If you and your spouse love each other less because the two guys down the street also love each other, I think that`s something you need to be working out with a counsellor, not the government.
Consider if you will the time period in which all of these laws were laid, as well. Wars broke out everywhere, disease ran rampant, and people were dropping like flies. It was in the interests of the parties in power to grow their populations as much and as quickly as they could. Of course marriage was about procreation! Adoption wasn`t much of a thing, due to large, close-knit family units who could raise orphaned children, and they didn`t have the scientific resources we have today to produce offspring through alternative methods.
If you don`t agree with marriage between people of the same sex, don`t enter into one. Simple as that. "But I don`t want my children to be gay!" you exclaim. I`m sorry, but you don`t really have a choice, and neither to they. If your child turns out to be of the LGBTQ persuasion, it`s just who they are. "I don`t want to see them all over each other out in the streets!" you cry. Alright, neither do I. But I don`t want to see heterosexual couples all over each other out in the streets either. Beyond a certain point, PDA is gross no matter who it is. But why should you dictate how people can act in their homes, as long as it`s in a consenting way like any other relationship?
Let`s put it another way: You and your friend are sitting at a table, working on two different jigsaw puzzles. You`re fairly certain that the picture on your friend`s jigsaw puzzle is the ugliest thing you`ve ever seen in your life. You would never, ever have bought that puzzle for yourself. Your friend thinks it`s awesome, though. As you`re working, you notice that a piece of your friend`s puzzle has accidentally made its way into one of your piles. The normal, human thing to do would be to say to your friend. "Oh hey, I found a piece that belongs to you," hand it back to them, and continue on with your own puzzle. Instead, what you`re doing is allowing your dislike of your friend`s puzzle pattern to bother you so much that you take that puzzle piece, put it through the garbage disposal, and burn the chewed-up remains so that your friend has no hope of ever completing their puzzle. Absolutely ridiculous? Good. You see my point.
2. He`s Pro-Abortion and Won`t Allow Pro-Life Persons to Join the Party
Let`s address the second part of that point first. Why would you want to join a political party whose stances you don`t support in the first place? A political party is a group of like-minded individuals vying for power to put their ideas into practice. Key word: like-minded. Is his exclusion of people who won`t support his view on this specific issue wrong? Frankly, yes, because it goes against everything I`m talking about here regarding accepting other points of view. It`s concerning that he would expressly turn away individuals who have a certain point of view on one issue, even if they agree with the party platform on every other issue and would otherwise be a strong ally. Trudeau seems to be avoiding shooting himself in the foot by cutting off his hands.
As for the abortion part itself... Well, a lot of it is the same as my message in Point 1: If you don`t like it, don`t do it. Abortion being legal doesn`t make it mandatory.
I consider myself pro-choice because there are far too many factors to consider to possibly have any other position. I`d like to think that I, personally, would never have an abortion, but I would never inflict my own choices on anyone else.
I`ve been reading on the Campaign Life Coalition website while researching my opinions, and I came across a very interesting sentence. "We pro-lifers are really the ones who are increasing the freedom of women when we give them the many alternatives to abortion: the support ministries offered in the church, through pregnancy centres, etc." I can agree with this. Making an informed decision is important. A woman should thoroughly consider all of her options before deciding on an abortion, because it has been proven to have many negative effects, and we should know about these beforehand. However, it has to be understood that her choice may still ultimately be abortion.
I also disagree with words found elsewhere on their website, when they talk about publicly funded abortions: "Everyone knows that abortion is not a medically necessary procedure. Pregnant women do not have a disease, nor are they sick or dying." That is a gross generalization. Do many women treat abortion as an alternative method of contraception? Yes. But is that true of all of them? No. Sometimes pregnancy physically endangers the life of a woman due to other complications. If women choose to use abortion as a means of contraception, then I believe it should be treated as any other form of contraception - not publicly funded. (That being said, I think we also need to look at the costs and availability of contraception to women in lower-income situations, but that`s not the current point of discussion.) However, if carrying a child to term is deemed unsafe for the mother by a doctor (medical or psychological), abortion should be publicly insured by the same funds we use to keep any other Canadian citizen alive and well.
Legally speaking, this is a case of a woman`s right to "life, liberty, and security of person," versus a fetus`s own right to the same. This is the biggest factor in the abortion debate - the nature of the fetus. If the fetus is legally a person, abortion is murder. If the fetus is not a person, there is nothing wrong with abortion. My argument, "One religion should not influence our laws," is answered on the Campaign Life Coalition`s website with, "Laws against murder and stealing are based on the 10 Commandments." Two things: A) The 10 Commandments belong to the Jews as much as the Christians, if not more so; B) Other religions came up with the same law. The First Precept of Buddhism requires abstinence from injuring or killing any living creature. The Muslim holy book, the Qur`an, implies that killing another soul is equal to killing all of humanity. So killing is a bad idea all around. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that a person is a person from the moment of conception, but medically, philosophically, or even theologically, there isn`t one correct answer to this question to be agreed upon. Until we have one, I don`t think we can legally take one opinion over another, and therefore the decision must be left to choice and personal morals.
3. Legalizing Marijuana
I think I`ll start typing "If you don`t like it, don`t do it" in other languages just to keep myself interested, because otherwise I`m going to get bored of my own message very, very quickly.
I have never in my life used marijuana, and I have no desire to. I was taught not to smoke, not to do drugs, not to abuse alcohol, and all of those lessons have stuck with me through to my adult life. Besides, I don`t like not being in control of myself, and the potential health risks aren`t worth it.
The first line of the relevant section in the officially Liberal party platform states, "Canada`s current system of marijuana prohibition does not work." This is irrefutable fact. "Oh no!" shout parents everywhere, "If he legalizes marijuana, my child can buy it at the corner store when they stop for bubblegum or ice cream!" You mean exactly the same way they can with cigarettes and cigars? No. That`s not how this works. My understanding from the literature is that marijuana will be legalized and regulated in the same way, if not stricter, that cigarettes and alcohol are (ignoring for the moment that alcohol regulations falls within provincial jurisdiction, not federal). It`s also very likely that the "regulations" mentioned by the party will include where and when marijuana can be consumed; the likelihood that it will be legal to consume marijuana outside McDonald`s or at your child`s softball game are pretty much non-existent.
Don`t get me wrong, marijuana is not "harmless." To me, it`s basically like drinking and smoking at the same time. There are adverse effects on the body, some of which last beyond the actual period of usage. But, as the party points out, legalizing and regulating a lesser drug of such common occurrence allows the government to crack down harder on a) organized crime, b) hard drug users and dealers, and c) those who supply substances to minors. Also, Trudeau has stated that he doesn`t think corner stores are secure enough in their ID-checking practices to be a venue for marijuana sales. In a CTV interview, a Conservative party member was quoted as saying, "If you think about ...big tobacco, it has taken us 50 years and billions and billions of dollars to get kids to stop smoking." ...I`m pretty sure you haven`t actually done that. I`m pretty sure there are still kids who smoke.
Make sure you educate your children. Alcohol and smoking are not illegal, but we are taught in school (and hopefully at home as well) about what these substances can do to our bodies. Marijuana will be treated the exact same way. If you and your kids know your facts, you have nothing more to worry about than you do now.
4. He`s Pro-Islam
This one is a very fresh issue, with the conversations between Trudeau and Obama already taking place. The party`s official platform is that they would "refocus Canada`s military contribution in the region on the training of local forces, while providing more humanitarian support and immediately welcoming 25,000 more refugees from Syria." So... You don`t want him to allow women to kill unborn babies, but you want him to order our military to kill hundreds or thousands of people halfway around the world? You`re a confusing lot, I`ll give you that much.
Trudeau`s military stance seems to embody the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." He has also stated that Canada will remain a strong member of the coalition against ISIS. Essentially, Trudeau (as well as the NDP) wish Canada to have the same stance in Iraq and Syria as they do in the Ukraine. That makes sense.
Back in 2012, Trudeau attended an Islamic conference that was reported to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In response, Trudeau is quoted as saying, "Most of the organizers are young Muslims who are looking at trying to bridge the gap between the reality for Muslim Canadians and mainstream Canada and I`m very proud to be able to contribute." What does this mean? It means that his mind and heart are in the right place, but he and his government will have to be much more discerning in the specific organizations they choose to promote or endorse. This was some poor judgement on his part. Working to take down ISIS doesn`t work as well when you accidentally sit down for coffee and a chat with its supporters.
5. He Admires China`s Dictatorship
This stems from an interview in 2013. When asked what nation he admired the most, Trudeau responded with, "There`s a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime." After coming under fire for the remark, Trudeau clarified in a press conference that it was a reflection on a growing economy. Should he have thought a bit more about the wording of his statement? Yes. Is the comment upsetting to all of the Chinese people who are persecuted, tortured, and imprisoned at the hands of the Chinese government? You bet. Should he have someone else write his PM speeches for him based on what he means to say? Probably. Is the man making plans to turn Canada into a dictatorship? I very strongly doubt it.
6. Cancelling Income-Splitting
If you`re benefitting from this, I can certainly understand why it would be upsetting to have it cancelled. It can make a big difference for you, financially. But what about all the people who don`t benefit? What about single-parent families? What about families with comparative or low incomes? If you benefit from income splitting, congratulations! You`re one of only a quarter of Canadians who do. Studies have shown that the tax break doesn`t actually benefit the upper tax brackets that much (because those families are likely to have spouses earning equally high pay), but it`s not benefitting as much of the middle class as it should, nor is it beneficial to low-income families. Cancelling the tax relief and instead putting that money into Canada Child Benefits, based on number of children and income, seems like it would be of greater benefit to a larger number of families. Even former Conservative finance minister Jim Flaherty was unsure if the income-splitting plan benefitted enough of our society to be implemented. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
7. Environmental Issues
The Liberal government doesn`t have a solid plan for Canada`s environment. They support the Keystone XL pipeline, but think the review process on pipelines needs to be stricter. How can you approve of something that you think needs to be reviewed again? Their promises to protect Canada`s water resources sound good, but they need to actually be acted upon, and quickly.
I`m afraid that`s all I`m going to address for now. There`s way too much research to be done, and I would never get around to actually posting this if I got into that spiral. It`s also mentally and emotionally draining to think critically about my views on some of these subjects, and put these views into words without being rude or convoluted. I`ll be honest, I`m not sure I succeeded on those points, and I`ve probably offended a number of people. But maybe that`s a good thing? If I`ve offended you, I`d like you think about why. Not just emotionally, but critically. Look at exactly what I`ve said that offends you, take a step back, and really, really think about why that is. And then research it. Research until you can`t possibly research anymore! You might change your mind, or you might not. No matter what your opinions are at the other end of that research tunnel, you`ll have more than just a leg to stand on.
Disclaimer: I`m not a politician. I`m not an economist. I`m not an ecologist, climatologist, or anything of the like. I`m not a lesbian. I`m what I refer to as a "religious cherry-picker," not subscribing to one particular organized religion over another, but rather defining my own spiritual/moral path by adopting aspects of various world religions that make me a better person. I`m white. I`m single. I`m lower-middle class. I`m a woman. I`m an English teacher. I`m Canadian.
As most of you are aware, Canada had its federal election on Monday, resulting in a landslide victory for Justin Trudeau and his Liberal party. Since then, my Facebook has been inundated with posts on both sides of the spectrum. I don`t necessarily agree with Trudeaumania 2.0, because there are some ways in which I`m not sure Trudeau has a strong enough vision to lead Canada, but we won`t know until he tries. But there are also railing against Trudeau and the Liberal party because the Liberal agenda goes against their religious beliefs, and therefore Canada is being run by evil incarnate. I`d like to examine some of the points in the articles being posted online that I`ve seen, and work through the issues in a level-headed, rational manner. The religion-based issues will be at the forefront because that`s who`s making the loudest noise, but we`ll cover as many big issues as we can. Let`s begin.
1. He Supports Gay "Marriage"
Okay, first of all, let`s lose the quotes. And really, we should be losing the gay part, too. The Liberals support loving, legally binding commitments between two people, end of sentence. This almost needs to be its own post, because there are so many points to consider here. However, I`ll try to keep this as succinct as I can, because everything I have to say has been said before. You`re just not listening.
The main argument seems to be that The Bible says it`s wrong, so we can`t do it. This reminds me of when I used to get North American Free Trade Agreement certificates for goods of Chinese origin in my old job. Just as I must have missed the day that China floated across the ocean to become part of North America, I must have missed the day Canada was air-lifted and plopped down in Italy to become part of Vatican City. I can think of no other reason why one religion should be the basis for the government of a diverse group of people, some of whom (like me) have no particular religious affiliation at all.
Going hand-in-hand with that is the argument that it hurts the definition and integrity of traditional marriage. I love the phrase "traditional marriage." Why is it that the "one man and one woman" part should be held to so tightly, when we`ve abandoned the tradition of dowry? That used to be an integral part of "traditional marriage," until someone finally discovered that a woman is a person and not a costly lump of flesh useful only as a human broodmare and worth whatever her father is willing to pay a man to take her off his hands. We also seem to have given up the law laid down in Deuteronomy that states if a woman becomes a widow and has no sons, she should be married to her husband`s unmarried brother. Also, how does it possibly hurt the integrity of a "traditional" marriage? If you and your spouse love each other less because the two guys down the street also love each other, I think that`s something you need to be working out with a counsellor, not the government.
Consider if you will the time period in which all of these laws were laid, as well. Wars broke out everywhere, disease ran rampant, and people were dropping like flies. It was in the interests of the parties in power to grow their populations as much and as quickly as they could. Of course marriage was about procreation! Adoption wasn`t much of a thing, due to large, close-knit family units who could raise orphaned children, and they didn`t have the scientific resources we have today to produce offspring through alternative methods.
If you don`t agree with marriage between people of the same sex, don`t enter into one. Simple as that. "But I don`t want my children to be gay!" you exclaim. I`m sorry, but you don`t really have a choice, and neither to they. If your child turns out to be of the LGBTQ persuasion, it`s just who they are. "I don`t want to see them all over each other out in the streets!" you cry. Alright, neither do I. But I don`t want to see heterosexual couples all over each other out in the streets either. Beyond a certain point, PDA is gross no matter who it is. But why should you dictate how people can act in their homes, as long as it`s in a consenting way like any other relationship?
Let`s put it another way: You and your friend are sitting at a table, working on two different jigsaw puzzles. You`re fairly certain that the picture on your friend`s jigsaw puzzle is the ugliest thing you`ve ever seen in your life. You would never, ever have bought that puzzle for yourself. Your friend thinks it`s awesome, though. As you`re working, you notice that a piece of your friend`s puzzle has accidentally made its way into one of your piles. The normal, human thing to do would be to say to your friend. "Oh hey, I found a piece that belongs to you," hand it back to them, and continue on with your own puzzle. Instead, what you`re doing is allowing your dislike of your friend`s puzzle pattern to bother you so much that you take that puzzle piece, put it through the garbage disposal, and burn the chewed-up remains so that your friend has no hope of ever completing their puzzle. Absolutely ridiculous? Good. You see my point.
2. He`s Pro-Abortion and Won`t Allow Pro-Life Persons to Join the Party
Let`s address the second part of that point first. Why would you want to join a political party whose stances you don`t support in the first place? A political party is a group of like-minded individuals vying for power to put their ideas into practice. Key word: like-minded. Is his exclusion of people who won`t support his view on this specific issue wrong? Frankly, yes, because it goes against everything I`m talking about here regarding accepting other points of view. It`s concerning that he would expressly turn away individuals who have a certain point of view on one issue, even if they agree with the party platform on every other issue and would otherwise be a strong ally. Trudeau seems to be avoiding shooting himself in the foot by cutting off his hands.
As for the abortion part itself... Well, a lot of it is the same as my message in Point 1: If you don`t like it, don`t do it. Abortion being legal doesn`t make it mandatory.
I consider myself pro-choice because there are far too many factors to consider to possibly have any other position. I`d like to think that I, personally, would never have an abortion, but I would never inflict my own choices on anyone else.
I`ve been reading on the Campaign Life Coalition website while researching my opinions, and I came across a very interesting sentence. "We pro-lifers are really the ones who are increasing the freedom of women when we give them the many alternatives to abortion: the support ministries offered in the church, through pregnancy centres, etc." I can agree with this. Making an informed decision is important. A woman should thoroughly consider all of her options before deciding on an abortion, because it has been proven to have many negative effects, and we should know about these beforehand. However, it has to be understood that her choice may still ultimately be abortion.
I also disagree with words found elsewhere on their website, when they talk about publicly funded abortions: "Everyone knows that abortion is not a medically necessary procedure. Pregnant women do not have a disease, nor are they sick or dying." That is a gross generalization. Do many women treat abortion as an alternative method of contraception? Yes. But is that true of all of them? No. Sometimes pregnancy physically endangers the life of a woman due to other complications. If women choose to use abortion as a means of contraception, then I believe it should be treated as any other form of contraception - not publicly funded. (That being said, I think we also need to look at the costs and availability of contraception to women in lower-income situations, but that`s not the current point of discussion.) However, if carrying a child to term is deemed unsafe for the mother by a doctor (medical or psychological), abortion should be publicly insured by the same funds we use to keep any other Canadian citizen alive and well.
Legally speaking, this is a case of a woman`s right to "life, liberty, and security of person," versus a fetus`s own right to the same. This is the biggest factor in the abortion debate - the nature of the fetus. If the fetus is legally a person, abortion is murder. If the fetus is not a person, there is nothing wrong with abortion. My argument, "One religion should not influence our laws," is answered on the Campaign Life Coalition`s website with, "Laws against murder and stealing are based on the 10 Commandments." Two things: A) The 10 Commandments belong to the Jews as much as the Christians, if not more so; B) Other religions came up with the same law. The First Precept of Buddhism requires abstinence from injuring or killing any living creature. The Muslim holy book, the Qur`an, implies that killing another soul is equal to killing all of humanity. So killing is a bad idea all around. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that a person is a person from the moment of conception, but medically, philosophically, or even theologically, there isn`t one correct answer to this question to be agreed upon. Until we have one, I don`t think we can legally take one opinion over another, and therefore the decision must be left to choice and personal morals.
3. Legalizing Marijuana
I think I`ll start typing "If you don`t like it, don`t do it" in other languages just to keep myself interested, because otherwise I`m going to get bored of my own message very, very quickly.
I have never in my life used marijuana, and I have no desire to. I was taught not to smoke, not to do drugs, not to abuse alcohol, and all of those lessons have stuck with me through to my adult life. Besides, I don`t like not being in control of myself, and the potential health risks aren`t worth it.
The first line of the relevant section in the officially Liberal party platform states, "Canada`s current system of marijuana prohibition does not work." This is irrefutable fact. "Oh no!" shout parents everywhere, "If he legalizes marijuana, my child can buy it at the corner store when they stop for bubblegum or ice cream!" You mean exactly the same way they can with cigarettes and cigars? No. That`s not how this works. My understanding from the literature is that marijuana will be legalized and regulated in the same way, if not stricter, that cigarettes and alcohol are (ignoring for the moment that alcohol regulations falls within provincial jurisdiction, not federal). It`s also very likely that the "regulations" mentioned by the party will include where and when marijuana can be consumed; the likelihood that it will be legal to consume marijuana outside McDonald`s or at your child`s softball game are pretty much non-existent.
Don`t get me wrong, marijuana is not "harmless." To me, it`s basically like drinking and smoking at the same time. There are adverse effects on the body, some of which last beyond the actual period of usage. But, as the party points out, legalizing and regulating a lesser drug of such common occurrence allows the government to crack down harder on a) organized crime, b) hard drug users and dealers, and c) those who supply substances to minors. Also, Trudeau has stated that he doesn`t think corner stores are secure enough in their ID-checking practices to be a venue for marijuana sales. In a CTV interview, a Conservative party member was quoted as saying, "If you think about ...big tobacco, it has taken us 50 years and billions and billions of dollars to get kids to stop smoking." ...I`m pretty sure you haven`t actually done that. I`m pretty sure there are still kids who smoke.
Make sure you educate your children. Alcohol and smoking are not illegal, but we are taught in school (and hopefully at home as well) about what these substances can do to our bodies. Marijuana will be treated the exact same way. If you and your kids know your facts, you have nothing more to worry about than you do now.
4. He`s Pro-Islam
This one is a very fresh issue, with the conversations between Trudeau and Obama already taking place. The party`s official platform is that they would "refocus Canada`s military contribution in the region on the training of local forces, while providing more humanitarian support and immediately welcoming 25,000 more refugees from Syria." So... You don`t want him to allow women to kill unborn babies, but you want him to order our military to kill hundreds or thousands of people halfway around the world? You`re a confusing lot, I`ll give you that much.
Trudeau`s military stance seems to embody the Chinese proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." He has also stated that Canada will remain a strong member of the coalition against ISIS. Essentially, Trudeau (as well as the NDP) wish Canada to have the same stance in Iraq and Syria as they do in the Ukraine. That makes sense.
Back in 2012, Trudeau attended an Islamic conference that was reported to have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. In response, Trudeau is quoted as saying, "Most of the organizers are young Muslims who are looking at trying to bridge the gap between the reality for Muslim Canadians and mainstream Canada and I`m very proud to be able to contribute." What does this mean? It means that his mind and heart are in the right place, but he and his government will have to be much more discerning in the specific organizations they choose to promote or endorse. This was some poor judgement on his part. Working to take down ISIS doesn`t work as well when you accidentally sit down for coffee and a chat with its supporters.
5. He Admires China`s Dictatorship
This stems from an interview in 2013. When asked what nation he admired the most, Trudeau responded with, "There`s a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime." After coming under fire for the remark, Trudeau clarified in a press conference that it was a reflection on a growing economy. Should he have thought a bit more about the wording of his statement? Yes. Is the comment upsetting to all of the Chinese people who are persecuted, tortured, and imprisoned at the hands of the Chinese government? You bet. Should he have someone else write his PM speeches for him based on what he means to say? Probably. Is the man making plans to turn Canada into a dictatorship? I very strongly doubt it.
6. Cancelling Income-Splitting
If you`re benefitting from this, I can certainly understand why it would be upsetting to have it cancelled. It can make a big difference for you, financially. But what about all the people who don`t benefit? What about single-parent families? What about families with comparative or low incomes? If you benefit from income splitting, congratulations! You`re one of only a quarter of Canadians who do. Studies have shown that the tax break doesn`t actually benefit the upper tax brackets that much (because those families are likely to have spouses earning equally high pay), but it`s not benefitting as much of the middle class as it should, nor is it beneficial to low-income families. Cancelling the tax relief and instead putting that money into Canada Child Benefits, based on number of children and income, seems like it would be of greater benefit to a larger number of families. Even former Conservative finance minister Jim Flaherty was unsure if the income-splitting plan benefitted enough of our society to be implemented. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
7. Environmental Issues
The Liberal government doesn`t have a solid plan for Canada`s environment. They support the Keystone XL pipeline, but think the review process on pipelines needs to be stricter. How can you approve of something that you think needs to be reviewed again? Their promises to protect Canada`s water resources sound good, but they need to actually be acted upon, and quickly.
I`m afraid that`s all I`m going to address for now. There`s way too much research to be done, and I would never get around to actually posting this if I got into that spiral. It`s also mentally and emotionally draining to think critically about my views on some of these subjects, and put these views into words without being rude or convoluted. I`ll be honest, I`m not sure I succeeded on those points, and I`ve probably offended a number of people. But maybe that`s a good thing? If I`ve offended you, I`d like you think about why. Not just emotionally, but critically. Look at exactly what I`ve said that offends you, take a step back, and really, really think about why that is. And then research it. Research until you can`t possibly research anymore! You might change your mind, or you might not. No matter what your opinions are at the other end of that research tunnel, you`ll have more than just a leg to stand on.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Experimental Post
Today we`re going to do something different. Why? Because I`m likely to be bored all damn day. Besides, Wednesday is "Anything Can Happen Day." True story. The Mickey Mouse Club told me so. What are we doing? Something along the lines of a stream-of-consciousness blog. I`m aware that I already subject you to some of my strange thoughts and ramblings, but this is going to be totally live, as-I-think-them kind of thoughts throughout the workday. Minimal censoring (I`d like to keep this PG-13 at the most, but I tend to curse a lot in my head when I`m frustrated, so it won`t be true stream-of-consciousness). From 8:30-4:15 I will track as many of the thoughts, feelings, and happenings in my head and around me as I can. Lucky you!
8:32 - "I Put a Spell on You" is stuck in my head. The version from Hallowishes at WDW.
8:33 - Huh. I guess we don`t have a morning meeting during exams. I`d be worried that I won`t know what`s going on at the school today, except that meetings are in Japanese so I never know what`s going on anyway.
8:35 - Alright, now it`s "I Put a Spell on You" spliced with "Teddy Bear Picnic." No idea where that one came from.
8:36 - Going to have to explain to my students the rule for consonant + y plurals. I`m sick of seeing "puppys."
8:39 - I don`t understand how students still manage to make mistakes when they`re copying the example directly from the textbook.
8:41 - Seriously. "Teddy Bear Picnic." Where did that even come from?!
8:44 - "I think roses are beautiful. First, they have wang colors." I...really don`t know what they`re trying to say here. Thanks, student, for utterly confusing me.
8:48 - It`s right there in your book, kids. It`s "believe," not "belive." Stop copying each other and try copying the textbook instead.
8:51 - "Spraises." The kid`s talking about roses. I`ve got nothing. I have no idea what they`re trying to tell me or how to correct that. Giant question mark.
8:57 - Dear Kids, If you only do half the homework, you`re only going to get half the marks. The fact that you handed me your notebook does not automatically count as handing in the homework. Love, Mel
9:02 - Ew. Katy Perry. I have some very strongly worded complaints against the DJ in my head right now.
9:07 - "Teddy Bear Picnic" is back. Head DJ, you suck.
9:18 - Why did no one in this class do the first part of the homework?
9:18 - I want to watch Lilo & Stitch.
9:27 - Maybe it was how the teacher translated my homework assignment? Because seriously, NO ONE in this class did Part A of the assignment.
9:28 - I really wish the metal window frames weren`t quite so shiny.
9:29 - Pens are sharp. Remember that. Can`t tell if this is red ink or blood. OW. Also remember that just because you THINK that you`re touching the clicky end of the pen, doesn`t mean you are. Always check first by actually looking.
9:31 - Is my subconscious trying to tell me to go for a walk in the woods or something? Because there are snakes and mukade in the woods around here, so that seems like a really, really bad idea. And bears. There are bears. Who would probably have a lovely picnic of honey and Mel salad on bread if I went out in the woods.
9:40 - I really need to cut down on my pen-clicking. I`m pretty sure it disturbs my coworkers. But it helps me think! Or, at least, it helps me stay awake. There`s not much thinking going on right now.
9:42 - There`s some crazy conglomeration of teachers happening behind me. Like, right behind me. It makes me nervous. Not that I`m doing anything wrong. Well, okay, I`m reading fan fiction at work to supplement my marking because I have nothing else to do all day, but 99% of them wouldn`t be able to tell anyway. I just don`t like having a group of people at my back. It freaks me out. I`m a back-to-the-wall kind of person.
9:47 - As much as I love being comfortable, someday I would like a job where I have to dress up every day, complete with fancy coffees and meeting rooms, and maybe an office with a door and a plaque? Yeah, that would be cool. I don`t feel particularly career-oriented in jeans an a t-shirt, but I also like to fit in with my surroundings, so dressing up when the other teachers dress casually would feel ridiculous, and make me more uncomfortable than the dress clothes themselves.
9:51 - Headbands are a ridiculous invention, and I don`t know why I elected to wear one. Either they`re plastic and not formed properly for my head and give me a headache and cut into the skin behind my ears, or they`re the full-band fabric ones that just keep slowly slipping back and have to be readjusted constantly.
9:57 - I want strawberries.
10:05 - These kids make no sense. They can spell "whimper," but they can`t spell "cute."
10:14 - I`m walled in by all the notebooks I`ve marked, and I kinda really want to build a fort.
10:15 - I miss being able to actually understand the conversations happening around me. And workplace gossip. Which is what I usually got from the conversations around me. Now I get random words that make no sense outside of the context that I don`t have.
10:22 - I both want and don`t want to go to the Halloween party this weekend. On one hand, I know I need to get out and do things. On the other hand, I kind of really don`t like parties. Or any other gathering of more than about 6-8 people I`m meant to socialize with.
10:25 - "So Close" from the Enchanted soundtrack. Go home, Head DJ. You`re drunk. And the worst DJ ever.
10:38 - On my way to the washroom I heard the dial-up noise. Never has a noise been so simultaneously nostalgic and grating.
10:41 - I really need to get some better indoor shoes for school. Something that`s actually meant to be a slip-on, rather than my Disney sneakers that the laces keep flopping out of, and then I get the aglet in the wrong place and step on it with an unpadded section of foot.
11:02 - Yep. I`m officially work-brain-dead. I haven`t had a thought that wasn`t an immediate right/wrong response to the homework I`m marking in 20 minutes. I have six notebooks left, and it`s not even noon.
11:11 - I made a wish. Did you?
11:15 - I sincerely hope I brought The Princess Bride with me. The movie, not the book. I know the book didn`t come with me. But now I really want to watch the movie. More than Lilo & Stitch. By the time I get home, I won`t want to watch either one. I know how this works.
11:25 - New song - He Mele No Lilo. I don`t even speak Hawai`ian and I don`t know 99.9% of the lyrics to this song.
11:27 - Why is Hawai`i so far away from the rest of the States? And why is Alaska? Honestly. Britain is like, "Nah, we don`t want that bit of land up there in the cold." So America`s like, "Oh, yes! We will buy it! It makes perfect sense to have a piece of land belonging to us that`s separated from us by an entire other country."
11:30 - Now researching the Alaska purchase. Pretty sure it`s a good thing that Wikipedia is blocked on the school`s network. I don`t even want to consider the Wikipedia spirals I would get myself into on days like this.
11:32 - Why did Russia own Alaska? Imperialism is weird. Your country is your country. Make nice with the other countries. Don`t make them your country. That`s stupid.
11:35 - I`m aware that my country only exists today because of Imperialism.
11:38 - I`m also aware of what "filthy lucre" actually means, but it sounds like a Shakespearian insult.
11:48 - And I`m done marking. Hopefully my CCS quiz will make me look busy for the rest of the day. Time to get my Google on, as slowly as possible!
11:53 - I can hear a bunch of teachers starting to unpack their lunches. Lunch is normally from 12:45-1:20. Bets that these teachers are just as bored as I am? Because I`ve been thinking about lunch for the past hour, and I`m not even really all that hungry.
12:01 - Forgot to put salt in my chicken salad. And garlic.
12:02 - Russia has a lot of uninhabited land.
12:09 - My saltines taste oddly like goldfish.
12:09 - What do actual goldfish taste like?
12:14 - Why are liquors referred to as "spirits?"
12:16 - Really wish I had access to Wikipedia without using my phone. It`s just so much more awkward to research random things on there when it looks like you`re texting at work. Not that I`m working either way, but if I`m researching random things on the computer, then at least it LOOKS like I`m working.
12:24 - Stupid Christmas fan fiction. Now I have Christmas songs running through my head. Mostly "Baby, It`s Cold Outside." As much as I love that song, it`s October, and 21 degrees Celsius.
12:27 - Looked up the nomenclature of Celsius versus centigrade. This is what I got:
The temperature scale used by scientists in America has been called centigrade, while in many countries it was called Celsius for its inventor. In 1948 the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures, representing 33 nations that subscribed to the Treaty of the Meter, adopted the name Celsius. This name, however, did not come into general use by scientists in America, partly because they were unaware of the official action of the conference and partly because some preferred the old name. At the 11th General Conference in 1960 the scale was defined in a way that makes the adjective centigrade inexact. The name Celsius is correct and its use by American scientists would help make the nomenclature of temperature uniform in all countries.
Oh, `Murica.
12:33 - I love being right.
12:38 - I`d love to start a game of "floor is lava" in here. Good times.
12:40 - Also really want to have a nap. Naps are good. Or just be lazy in my living room, on the floor, in the sun.
12:53 - Werewolf puns are way more amusing than they should be.
1:01 - It smells like nachos in here. I want nachos. Nachos from The Ab. The Ab had the best nachos.
1:05 - Life was easier in university. Adulting sucks. Can we go back to the time wherein I was able to vote and drink, but didn`t have to be so responsible?
1:07 - I hate to be a hipster, but I listened to Dragonforce before Guitar Hero made them cool.
1:11 - I shouldn`t read funny things at work. Hard to keep the snickering to myself. Again: more obviously not working.
1:12 - Things I shouldn`t be allowed to know: Cake Wrecks is not blocked my my school`s network.
1:13 - Why is Wikipedia blocked, but not my favourite blog, devoted to horribly decorated cakes?
1:23 - Japanese teacher across from me just burst into laughter, presumably in relation to something she was marking. So I guess it`s not totally crazy if I start to laugh? I just have no one to explain to like she does about why I`m laughing. Not sure if that makes it better or worse.
1:26 - Heh. One of the teachers just did that thing where you go to pick up your stuff on the printer and realize that you forgot to actually hit the Print button.
1:40 - Japanese teacher just came over to tell me that the hospital called yesterday after I left and said how awesome I was and how much they enjoyed having me. I`m awesome.
1:49 - Things I don`t really understand: Duty Free Shops. I just... don`t get it.
1:53 - Am I the only one who frequently reads CITES as "cities" when glancing at the CSCB quiz?
1:54 - Oh man, I`m on the last page of the quiz and it`s not quite two o`clock. I`m gonna die of boredom. I can tell.
2:07 - A baby rabbit is called a kit, which is short for kitten. A male rabbit is called a buck, and a female rabbit is called a doe. I think rabbits have identity crises.
2:10 - A baby ant is called an `antling`. Google spirals, man. They`re as bad as Wikipedia spirals.
2:12 - A baby platypus is called a `puggle`. Is it legal to own a platypus in Australia? That must be so confusing in pet-owner conversations.
2:13 - It is illegal to own a platypus in Australia. But if you get it as a baby, and state for records that you own a `puggle`, and no one ever questions you about it later....
2:15 - Not a male platypus, though. They have venomous spurs.
2:20 - My spirit animal is a badger. Kinda vicious and grumpy as hell, but also cute and cuddly.
2:21 - A baby badger is called a cub, the male is a boar, and the female is a sow. Badgers must also suffer identity crises.
2:22 - Badgers eat elder berries. Now I have John Cleese`s voice shouting with a bad French accent in my head. That scene had to be filmed in two parts, one with long shots of the castle, and close-ups of John Cleese, taken from close to the ground on a slightly-built-up set piece because Cleese is afraid of heights.
2:25 - If you give a mouse a cookie, he`ll probably want a glass of milk to go with it.
2:34 - So the characters on Teen Wolf should just become the supernatural X-Men of their universe. Derek could buy back his family`s land and rebuild the house, but bigger, and they could use it as a boarding school for supernatural teens.
2:35 - I own way too many pink things for someone who kind of despises that colour.
2:36 - It took me three tries to type `colour.` Japan uses American spelling, and I think it`s starting to get to me.
2:42 - Head DJ is back to "I Put a Spell on You."
2:48 - I really hope one of my teachers tells me what they discussed (if they discussed anything) for my first year lessons soon. I just realized that I will, in fact, be back to teaching them on Monday, first period, and I have no lesson. None.
2:49 - Except I actually do. I`m just not sure how many parts of the lesson (Lesson 6 is in 4 parts) I need to fit into one day.
2:52 - I still want that nap.
2:53 - And nachos. I want the nachos too.
3:01 - We get a nice breeze most days in the office, but I really wish it would stop blowing my papers around.
3:09 - Reindeer are better than people.
3:11 - A reindeer is a caribou. In Europe they`re always called caribou. In America, they`re called caribou when they`re wild, and reindeer when they`re domesticated.
3:12 - Reindeer milk has more fat than cow milk.
3:12 - I want a milkshake.
3:13 - I want a chocolate peanut butter milkshake.
3:22 - I think someone stopped the clocks and that it`s actually time for me to go home.
3:33 - Need a good stretch. Still hate yoga.
3:36 - Looks like we`re expecting rain again. Sky`s getting kind of grey.
3:43 - Might make nachos tonight. I have chili in the freezer. Just have to get chips and cheese.
3:44 - But I do have to run tonight, as well. What are the chances that I eat an appropriate portion of nachos and then digest them in a timely manner so as to go out for a proper run?
3:50 - Chips and cheese. Now "Cabin in the Woods" from Evil Dead: The Musical is in my head.
3:53 - I need to learn about baseball. It`s such a big thing here, and I`d like to understand it better.
3:57 - Want eggs. Can`t have eggs. Sensitivities are stupid.
4:00 - 15 minutes!!!!!
4:05 - Why do I put things in such backwards places? I leave the papers I want to bring home with me out on my desk, and put the ones I need to stay here in the drawer with my backpack.
4:15 - FREEDOM!!!!!! Thanks for reading through my rambles. Hope you had fun in my head!
8:32 - "I Put a Spell on You" is stuck in my head. The version from Hallowishes at WDW.
8:33 - Huh. I guess we don`t have a morning meeting during exams. I`d be worried that I won`t know what`s going on at the school today, except that meetings are in Japanese so I never know what`s going on anyway.
8:35 - Alright, now it`s "I Put a Spell on You" spliced with "Teddy Bear Picnic." No idea where that one came from.
8:36 - Going to have to explain to my students the rule for consonant + y plurals. I`m sick of seeing "puppys."
8:39 - I don`t understand how students still manage to make mistakes when they`re copying the example directly from the textbook.
8:41 - Seriously. "Teddy Bear Picnic." Where did that even come from?!
8:44 - "I think roses are beautiful. First, they have wang colors." I...really don`t know what they`re trying to say here. Thanks, student, for utterly confusing me.
8:48 - It`s right there in your book, kids. It`s "believe," not "belive." Stop copying each other and try copying the textbook instead.
8:51 - "Spraises." The kid`s talking about roses. I`ve got nothing. I have no idea what they`re trying to tell me or how to correct that. Giant question mark.
8:57 - Dear Kids, If you only do half the homework, you`re only going to get half the marks. The fact that you handed me your notebook does not automatically count as handing in the homework. Love, Mel
9:02 - Ew. Katy Perry. I have some very strongly worded complaints against the DJ in my head right now.
9:07 - "Teddy Bear Picnic" is back. Head DJ, you suck.
9:18 - Why did no one in this class do the first part of the homework?
9:18 - I want to watch Lilo & Stitch.
9:27 - Maybe it was how the teacher translated my homework assignment? Because seriously, NO ONE in this class did Part A of the assignment.
9:28 - I really wish the metal window frames weren`t quite so shiny.
9:29 - Pens are sharp. Remember that. Can`t tell if this is red ink or blood. OW. Also remember that just because you THINK that you`re touching the clicky end of the pen, doesn`t mean you are. Always check first by actually looking.
9:31 - Is my subconscious trying to tell me to go for a walk in the woods or something? Because there are snakes and mukade in the woods around here, so that seems like a really, really bad idea. And bears. There are bears. Who would probably have a lovely picnic of honey and Mel salad on bread if I went out in the woods.
9:40 - I really need to cut down on my pen-clicking. I`m pretty sure it disturbs my coworkers. But it helps me think! Or, at least, it helps me stay awake. There`s not much thinking going on right now.
9:42 - There`s some crazy conglomeration of teachers happening behind me. Like, right behind me. It makes me nervous. Not that I`m doing anything wrong. Well, okay, I`m reading fan fiction at work to supplement my marking because I have nothing else to do all day, but 99% of them wouldn`t be able to tell anyway. I just don`t like having a group of people at my back. It freaks me out. I`m a back-to-the-wall kind of person.
9:47 - As much as I love being comfortable, someday I would like a job where I have to dress up every day, complete with fancy coffees and meeting rooms, and maybe an office with a door and a plaque? Yeah, that would be cool. I don`t feel particularly career-oriented in jeans an a t-shirt, but I also like to fit in with my surroundings, so dressing up when the other teachers dress casually would feel ridiculous, and make me more uncomfortable than the dress clothes themselves.
9:51 - Headbands are a ridiculous invention, and I don`t know why I elected to wear one. Either they`re plastic and not formed properly for my head and give me a headache and cut into the skin behind my ears, or they`re the full-band fabric ones that just keep slowly slipping back and have to be readjusted constantly.
9:57 - I want strawberries.
10:05 - These kids make no sense. They can spell "whimper," but they can`t spell "cute."
10:14 - I`m walled in by all the notebooks I`ve marked, and I kinda really want to build a fort.
10:15 - I miss being able to actually understand the conversations happening around me. And workplace gossip. Which is what I usually got from the conversations around me. Now I get random words that make no sense outside of the context that I don`t have.
10:22 - I both want and don`t want to go to the Halloween party this weekend. On one hand, I know I need to get out and do things. On the other hand, I kind of really don`t like parties. Or any other gathering of more than about 6-8 people I`m meant to socialize with.
10:25 - "So Close" from the Enchanted soundtrack. Go home, Head DJ. You`re drunk. And the worst DJ ever.
10:38 - On my way to the washroom I heard the dial-up noise. Never has a noise been so simultaneously nostalgic and grating.
10:41 - I really need to get some better indoor shoes for school. Something that`s actually meant to be a slip-on, rather than my Disney sneakers that the laces keep flopping out of, and then I get the aglet in the wrong place and step on it with an unpadded section of foot.
11:02 - Yep. I`m officially work-brain-dead. I haven`t had a thought that wasn`t an immediate right/wrong response to the homework I`m marking in 20 minutes. I have six notebooks left, and it`s not even noon.
11:11 - I made a wish. Did you?
11:15 - I sincerely hope I brought The Princess Bride with me. The movie, not the book. I know the book didn`t come with me. But now I really want to watch the movie. More than Lilo & Stitch. By the time I get home, I won`t want to watch either one. I know how this works.
11:25 - New song - He Mele No Lilo. I don`t even speak Hawai`ian and I don`t know 99.9% of the lyrics to this song.
11:27 - Why is Hawai`i so far away from the rest of the States? And why is Alaska? Honestly. Britain is like, "Nah, we don`t want that bit of land up there in the cold." So America`s like, "Oh, yes! We will buy it! It makes perfect sense to have a piece of land belonging to us that`s separated from us by an entire other country."
11:30 - Now researching the Alaska purchase. Pretty sure it`s a good thing that Wikipedia is blocked on the school`s network. I don`t even want to consider the Wikipedia spirals I would get myself into on days like this.
11:32 - Why did Russia own Alaska? Imperialism is weird. Your country is your country. Make nice with the other countries. Don`t make them your country. That`s stupid.
11:35 - I`m aware that my country only exists today because of Imperialism.
11:38 - I`m also aware of what "filthy lucre" actually means, but it sounds like a Shakespearian insult.
11:48 - And I`m done marking. Hopefully my CCS quiz will make me look busy for the rest of the day. Time to get my Google on, as slowly as possible!
11:53 - I can hear a bunch of teachers starting to unpack their lunches. Lunch is normally from 12:45-1:20. Bets that these teachers are just as bored as I am? Because I`ve been thinking about lunch for the past hour, and I`m not even really all that hungry.
12:01 - Forgot to put salt in my chicken salad. And garlic.
12:02 - Russia has a lot of uninhabited land.
12:09 - My saltines taste oddly like goldfish.
12:09 - What do actual goldfish taste like?
12:14 - Why are liquors referred to as "spirits?"
12:16 - Really wish I had access to Wikipedia without using my phone. It`s just so much more awkward to research random things on there when it looks like you`re texting at work. Not that I`m working either way, but if I`m researching random things on the computer, then at least it LOOKS like I`m working.
12:24 - Stupid Christmas fan fiction. Now I have Christmas songs running through my head. Mostly "Baby, It`s Cold Outside." As much as I love that song, it`s October, and 21 degrees Celsius.
12:27 - Looked up the nomenclature of Celsius versus centigrade. This is what I got:
The temperature scale used by scientists in America has been called centigrade, while in many countries it was called Celsius for its inventor. In 1948 the 9th General Conference on Weights and Measures, representing 33 nations that subscribed to the Treaty of the Meter, adopted the name Celsius. This name, however, did not come into general use by scientists in America, partly because they were unaware of the official action of the conference and partly because some preferred the old name. At the 11th General Conference in 1960 the scale was defined in a way that makes the adjective centigrade inexact. The name Celsius is correct and its use by American scientists would help make the nomenclature of temperature uniform in all countries.
Oh, `Murica.
12:33 - I love being right.
12:38 - I`d love to start a game of "floor is lava" in here. Good times.
12:40 - Also really want to have a nap. Naps are good. Or just be lazy in my living room, on the floor, in the sun.
12:53 - Werewolf puns are way more amusing than they should be.
1:01 - It smells like nachos in here. I want nachos. Nachos from The Ab. The Ab had the best nachos.
1:05 - Life was easier in university. Adulting sucks. Can we go back to the time wherein I was able to vote and drink, but didn`t have to be so responsible?
1:07 - I hate to be a hipster, but I listened to Dragonforce before Guitar Hero made them cool.
1:11 - I shouldn`t read funny things at work. Hard to keep the snickering to myself. Again: more obviously not working.
1:12 - Things I shouldn`t be allowed to know: Cake Wrecks is not blocked my my school`s network.
1:13 - Why is Wikipedia blocked, but not my favourite blog, devoted to horribly decorated cakes?
1:23 - Japanese teacher across from me just burst into laughter, presumably in relation to something she was marking. So I guess it`s not totally crazy if I start to laugh? I just have no one to explain to like she does about why I`m laughing. Not sure if that makes it better or worse.
1:26 - Heh. One of the teachers just did that thing where you go to pick up your stuff on the printer and realize that you forgot to actually hit the Print button.
1:40 - Japanese teacher just came over to tell me that the hospital called yesterday after I left and said how awesome I was and how much they enjoyed having me. I`m awesome.
1:49 - Things I don`t really understand: Duty Free Shops. I just... don`t get it.
1:53 - Am I the only one who frequently reads CITES as "cities" when glancing at the CSCB quiz?
1:54 - Oh man, I`m on the last page of the quiz and it`s not quite two o`clock. I`m gonna die of boredom. I can tell.
2:07 - A baby rabbit is called a kit, which is short for kitten. A male rabbit is called a buck, and a female rabbit is called a doe. I think rabbits have identity crises.
2:10 - A baby ant is called an `antling`. Google spirals, man. They`re as bad as Wikipedia spirals.
2:12 - A baby platypus is called a `puggle`. Is it legal to own a platypus in Australia? That must be so confusing in pet-owner conversations.
2:13 - It is illegal to own a platypus in Australia. But if you get it as a baby, and state for records that you own a `puggle`, and no one ever questions you about it later....
2:15 - Not a male platypus, though. They have venomous spurs.
2:20 - My spirit animal is a badger. Kinda vicious and grumpy as hell, but also cute and cuddly.
2:21 - A baby badger is called a cub, the male is a boar, and the female is a sow. Badgers must also suffer identity crises.
2:22 - Badgers eat elder berries. Now I have John Cleese`s voice shouting with a bad French accent in my head. That scene had to be filmed in two parts, one with long shots of the castle, and close-ups of John Cleese, taken from close to the ground on a slightly-built-up set piece because Cleese is afraid of heights.
2:25 - If you give a mouse a cookie, he`ll probably want a glass of milk to go with it.
2:34 - So the characters on Teen Wolf should just become the supernatural X-Men of their universe. Derek could buy back his family`s land and rebuild the house, but bigger, and they could use it as a boarding school for supernatural teens.
2:35 - I own way too many pink things for someone who kind of despises that colour.
2:36 - It took me three tries to type `colour.` Japan uses American spelling, and I think it`s starting to get to me.
2:42 - Head DJ is back to "I Put a Spell on You."
2:48 - I really hope one of my teachers tells me what they discussed (if they discussed anything) for my first year lessons soon. I just realized that I will, in fact, be back to teaching them on Monday, first period, and I have no lesson. None.
2:49 - Except I actually do. I`m just not sure how many parts of the lesson (Lesson 6 is in 4 parts) I need to fit into one day.
2:52 - I still want that nap.
2:53 - And nachos. I want the nachos too.
3:01 - We get a nice breeze most days in the office, but I really wish it would stop blowing my papers around.
3:09 - Reindeer are better than people.
3:11 - A reindeer is a caribou. In Europe they`re always called caribou. In America, they`re called caribou when they`re wild, and reindeer when they`re domesticated.
3:12 - Reindeer milk has more fat than cow milk.
3:12 - I want a milkshake.
3:13 - I want a chocolate peanut butter milkshake.
3:22 - I think someone stopped the clocks and that it`s actually time for me to go home.
3:33 - Need a good stretch. Still hate yoga.
3:36 - Looks like we`re expecting rain again. Sky`s getting kind of grey.
3:43 - Might make nachos tonight. I have chili in the freezer. Just have to get chips and cheese.
3:44 - But I do have to run tonight, as well. What are the chances that I eat an appropriate portion of nachos and then digest them in a timely manner so as to go out for a proper run?
3:50 - Chips and cheese. Now "Cabin in the Woods" from Evil Dead: The Musical is in my head.
3:53 - I need to learn about baseball. It`s such a big thing here, and I`d like to understand it better.
3:57 - Want eggs. Can`t have eggs. Sensitivities are stupid.
4:00 - 15 minutes!!!!!
4:05 - Why do I put things in such backwards places? I leave the papers I want to bring home with me out on my desk, and put the ones I need to stay here in the drawer with my backpack.
4:15 - FREEDOM!!!!!! Thanks for reading through my rambles. Hope you had fun in my head!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
A Week at a Glance
Wednesday morning started out in an exceptionally awesome and totally unexpected way. I woke up feeling well-rested (unexpected, yes, but not what I`m talking about), got ready, and headed out the door at my usual time to walk to school (still hate biking). When I turned on the road that takes me through the rice fields, there was a lady a few metres ahead walking in the same direction with her poodle. I see people around here walking their dogs all the time. The dogs are invariably adorable, and if they`re walking towards me, I`m usually grinning stupidly at the fluffy creatures, which gets a smile and a greeting out of the owners (Japanese custom is normally not to speak to strangers, even just basic greetings). For some reason, though, this poodle turned around, stopped walking, and refused to continue until I had caught up to them. So I had a (stilted and slightly confusing) conversation with a random lady of the neighbourhood! I felt so local! Her daughter is apparently studying English somewhere near the mall, and I explained that I was an ALT at the high school. It was just so incredibly out-of-the-blue! Rizu (or Risu, or something like that. The dog, anyway) was just like, "No, Mom. Stop. We must speak with this person," or something. But it was great.
I thought I had class second period, like I normally do, but apparently there was a change in schedule for reasons I don`t know and I didn`t even find out that there was no class until I got to the language lab and no one showed up, so I spent all day at my desk working on something for my hospital class next week. I`m excited. The first part of my classes will be self-introduction (again. I think I`ve introduced myself to more people in the last two months than I have in the rest of my life put together), and then the teacher has some activity sheets, but she also wanted me to bring something Halloween-y. Having the steel trap memory that I do, I immediately recalled the Five Little Pumpkins rhyme. And drew pictures. Because reasons.
On Thursday my first year class had been cancelled (This one I knew about in advance; the teacher talked to me about it weeks ago) so that their JTE could make sure they had all the grammar they needed for the midterm next week. Third year class was their in-class midterm exam, and then handing out the envelopes for the mystery party at the end of the month.
Friday was Review Day with my first year classes for their exam. So we played a game of Tsunami (originally Typhoon, but I like Tsunami better, so we changed disasters). I had a list of words for the different point values, and then they had thirty seconds to use that word in a sentence (aka, find the sentence that uses that word in the textbook). After that we did the spelling race. They loved it! (Except my last class. They`re a little... well. They`ll only be my favourite class if I ever come to work with a giant headache and need absolute silence and blank stares.)
Things teachers at this school need to work on: communication. I was in my last class on Friday, and the teacher says to me, "So you know that we don`t have class with you next Friday?" Uh... no. No, I did not know that. But at least they`re telling me now, rather than when I go looking for them like what happened on Wednesday. And then she says, "And we have a meeting to discuss the lesson plans on Monday." Yeah, also a thing that no one told me. I submitted a request to have Monday off when I came in on Wednesday!
I spent my entire (long) weekend doing absolutely nothing of import, and it was glorious. On Monday, I even took a NAP. This is a big deal, since I don't usually take naps unless I'm a) sick, or b) running on less than three hours of sleep. But no, I napped, I read, I binge-watched half a season of Scorpion... It was great.
Today was my first day at the hospital school, and I absolutely loved it. The kids and the teachers there are all great, and I wish I was there more often than once a month. My last student of the day was a bed-side visit to a junior high school girl. We introduced ourselves, I did my usual photos and talk about Canada thing, and then we got into different interests. She asked if I liked Harry Potter, and I think we talked for about 10 minutes without needing help from the JTE. Her mom was in the room as well, and she was ecstatic. It was great! (Because if there are two things you can mention that will get me talking for hours, it's Disney and Harry Potter. She was wearing a Disney t-shirt, so we did get into that one, too.)
Not looking forward to the rest of my week. By mid-Thursday, I'm going to want to gouge my eyes out.from sheer boredom.
I thought I had class second period, like I normally do, but apparently there was a change in schedule for reasons I don`t know and I didn`t even find out that there was no class until I got to the language lab and no one showed up, so I spent all day at my desk working on something for my hospital class next week. I`m excited. The first part of my classes will be self-introduction (again. I think I`ve introduced myself to more people in the last two months than I have in the rest of my life put together), and then the teacher has some activity sheets, but she also wanted me to bring something Halloween-y. Having the steel trap memory that I do, I immediately recalled the Five Little Pumpkins rhyme. And drew pictures. Because reasons.
On Thursday my first year class had been cancelled (This one I knew about in advance; the teacher talked to me about it weeks ago) so that their JTE could make sure they had all the grammar they needed for the midterm next week. Third year class was their in-class midterm exam, and then handing out the envelopes for the mystery party at the end of the month.
Friday was Review Day with my first year classes for their exam. So we played a game of Tsunami (originally Typhoon, but I like Tsunami better, so we changed disasters). I had a list of words for the different point values, and then they had thirty seconds to use that word in a sentence (aka, find the sentence that uses that word in the textbook). After that we did the spelling race. They loved it! (Except my last class. They`re a little... well. They`ll only be my favourite class if I ever come to work with a giant headache and need absolute silence and blank stares.)
Things teachers at this school need to work on: communication. I was in my last class on Friday, and the teacher says to me, "So you know that we don`t have class with you next Friday?" Uh... no. No, I did not know that. But at least they`re telling me now, rather than when I go looking for them like what happened on Wednesday. And then she says, "And we have a meeting to discuss the lesson plans on Monday." Yeah, also a thing that no one told me. I submitted a request to have Monday off when I came in on Wednesday!
I spent my entire (long) weekend doing absolutely nothing of import, and it was glorious. On Monday, I even took a NAP. This is a big deal, since I don't usually take naps unless I'm a) sick, or b) running on less than three hours of sleep. But no, I napped, I read, I binge-watched half a season of Scorpion... It was great.
Today was my first day at the hospital school, and I absolutely loved it. The kids and the teachers there are all great, and I wish I was there more often than once a month. My last student of the day was a bed-side visit to a junior high school girl. We introduced ourselves, I did my usual photos and talk about Canada thing, and then we got into different interests. She asked if I liked Harry Potter, and I think we talked for about 10 minutes without needing help from the JTE. Her mom was in the room as well, and she was ecstatic. It was great! (Because if there are two things you can mention that will get me talking for hours, it's Disney and Harry Potter. She was wearing a Disney t-shirt, so we did get into that one, too.)
Not looking forward to the rest of my week. By mid-Thursday, I'm going to want to gouge my eyes out.from sheer boredom.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Game-Changer
I had an okay first year lesson on Thursday. The JTE wanted me to do one of the random "extra" lessons from the back of the textbook. It was about planning and schedules. I wasn`t sure what kind of activity to do for this lesson, so I looked online and found a premade worksheet with activities. My plan was to have the kids fill out the schedule portion, and then work on the wordsearch for the rest of class (we had some textbook dialogues to go through first). But I forgot that if you give kids a word search, they`re going to ignore everything else. So I had to set a time limit and make them hand them in just so they would finish the damn things. Then I had ten minutes I didn`t know what to do with, so we had a spelling race. I split the class into three teams, had one person from each team come up to the board, and they had to write the word I gave them a) correctly, and b) as fast as they could. They loved it.
So, my school plays music in the halls at lunch for whatever reason and THEY`RE PLAYING THE FIRST FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST THEME SONG AND I`M IN HERE SINGING AND BOBBING ALONG AND MY SUPERVISOR THINKS I`M NUTS. Given that it`s usually One Direction, Taylor Swift, or some J-Pop I`ve never heard of, this is kind of a big deal and I`m well within my rights to fangirl a little bit. Take your judgement elsewhere, thank you.
My mystery game was almost done. After almost three solid days of working on it, I had enough of it figured out that I knew what few pieces I had left. I made sure that everyone either talked to or asked about the villain, but not in an obvious way, every came in contact with at least one red herring, it was great. Then we announced in class that that`s what we were doing at the end of the month. Two of the students approached us at break with concerns about our Halloween mystery party. They`re Jehovah`s Witnesses. They can`t participate in anything Halloween or anything with monsters because it`s against their religion. I have to change everything. It`s fine, it`s cool. It`s not like I felt a little part of me die or anything (I totally did). It`s not like I have to scrap pretty much everything I worked on for the past three days (I do). I don`t mean to sound.... whatever the word is when you`re against someone else`s religion. And really, I`m not. I get it. I don`t necessarily agree with it (probably because I have about the same level of religious affiliation as my kitchen chair), but I get it. I am all about the tolerance and harmony; really, I`m going to break into song about it any second now. And they were sweet about it, too. They said if it was too much trouble that they could just not participate in that portion of the class. I`m so not going to do that. I want to include everyone. Plus, even if it`s fun, they`re still learning and practicing English. I just might go home and cry while eating a bar of chocolate first. This also means I can stop thinking about Christmas activities before I even start.
Friday was thoroughly uneventful. I did a metric tonne of marking, taught the same lesson three times over, and sat at my desk resoloutely avoiding replanning my mystery game.
My plans to go to see monkeys in Nagano fell through, so on Saturday I took myself on a day trip to Osaka. Partly this was because I found a bilingual day spa, which was all kinds of awesome, and partly because I actually wanted to see things in Osaka (not just the shopping district). It takes about two hours to get there by train from where I'm at, so it's not a bad day trip, but not something I'd do regularly. Plus, if I want to be cheap (which I am) and take normal trains rather than the faster, pricier trains with the reserved seats, I'm a lot more limited in my travel time. Anyway. So my appointment was at 2PM, and once it was done I decided to walk myself over to Osaka Castle. I didn't go up in the tower, but I still saw some pretty cool stuff. The park around the castle is a very popular running spot!
While wandering through the castle grounds, I came across a random large group of small dogs, milling about leashless, with their owners. A pile of them were even in a giant stroller! Must have been 'Take Your Small Dog to Osaka Castle Day.' I wanted to take pictures, but did not. Once I was finished with the castle and wandering through the surrounding park area, I stumbled across 'Take Your Trained Hunting Bird to Osaka Castle Day.' I took pictures this time.
Since Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, I decided to host a small dinner party (thank you, family, for genetically predisposing me with a need to feed people). I spent Sunday grocery shopping and baking my rolls and pie, after Skyping with my family. And cleaning. We're not talking about the state my apartment was in at that point. Monday was a relaxing morning (after more Skype time), followed by some cooking. Turkeys aren't exactly easy to come by here unless you special order them in advance, probably online, so I was doing a pork roast. I've done pulled pork before, and beef pot roast, but never a roasted pork, so this was new for me. I decided to do an herb rub on it as well, so I was really just making things up as I went along and hoping for the best (as I usually do). It turned out fantastic, we had way too much food, and it was so much fun!
Today I was at my special needs school for another lesson with my elementary kids. We did more head and shoulders, some sports vocabulary, and connect-the-dots with alphabet and number grids (I called out the number or letter to connect to the previous dot, and it made a picture in the end). Two different teachers who sort of live in my area gave me suggestions for pasta restaurants (seriously, what is with my teachers and pasta?!). I was also approached by the middle school English teacher about joining a teachers' team for a relay race happening somewhere around here at the end of November. Of course I said yes! Running and being part of a group?! Sure! It's not a standard relay, though. It's kind of a distance relay? She said that each runner goes about 700m. Should be interesting. I definitely have to make sure to keep my running up!
So, my school plays music in the halls at lunch for whatever reason and THEY`RE PLAYING THE FIRST FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST THEME SONG AND I`M IN HERE SINGING AND BOBBING ALONG AND MY SUPERVISOR THINKS I`M NUTS. Given that it`s usually One Direction, Taylor Swift, or some J-Pop I`ve never heard of, this is kind of a big deal and I`m well within my rights to fangirl a little bit. Take your judgement elsewhere, thank you.
My mystery game was almost done. After almost three solid days of working on it, I had enough of it figured out that I knew what few pieces I had left. I made sure that everyone either talked to or asked about the villain, but not in an obvious way, every came in contact with at least one red herring, it was great. Then we announced in class that that`s what we were doing at the end of the month. Two of the students approached us at break with concerns about our Halloween mystery party. They`re Jehovah`s Witnesses. They can`t participate in anything Halloween or anything with monsters because it`s against their religion. I have to change everything. It`s fine, it`s cool. It`s not like I felt a little part of me die or anything (I totally did). It`s not like I have to scrap pretty much everything I worked on for the past three days (I do). I don`t mean to sound.... whatever the word is when you`re against someone else`s religion. And really, I`m not. I get it. I don`t necessarily agree with it (probably because I have about the same level of religious affiliation as my kitchen chair), but I get it. I am all about the tolerance and harmony; really, I`m going to break into song about it any second now. And they were sweet about it, too. They said if it was too much trouble that they could just not participate in that portion of the class. I`m so not going to do that. I want to include everyone. Plus, even if it`s fun, they`re still learning and practicing English. I just might go home and cry while eating a bar of chocolate first. This also means I can stop thinking about Christmas activities before I even start.
Friday was thoroughly uneventful. I did a metric tonne of marking, taught the same lesson three times over, and sat at my desk resoloutely avoiding replanning my mystery game.
My plans to go to see monkeys in Nagano fell through, so on Saturday I took myself on a day trip to Osaka. Partly this was because I found a bilingual day spa, which was all kinds of awesome, and partly because I actually wanted to see things in Osaka (not just the shopping district). It takes about two hours to get there by train from where I'm at, so it's not a bad day trip, but not something I'd do regularly. Plus, if I want to be cheap (which I am) and take normal trains rather than the faster, pricier trains with the reserved seats, I'm a lot more limited in my travel time. Anyway. So my appointment was at 2PM, and once it was done I decided to walk myself over to Osaka Castle. I didn't go up in the tower, but I still saw some pretty cool stuff. The park around the castle is a very popular running spot!
Dotonbori canal, along which the widely popular Dotonbori shopping district is built.
The moat around the outer castle walls.
Main tower of Osaka Castle.
Kendama
is a ball-and-cup toy that is a notoriously difficult game. This guy
is doing two ricidulously long ones simultaneously while on a ladder.
While wandering through the castle grounds, I came across a random large group of small dogs, milling about leashless, with their owners. A pile of them were even in a giant stroller! Must have been 'Take Your Small Dog to Osaka Castle Day.' I wanted to take pictures, but did not. Once I was finished with the castle and wandering through the surrounding park area, I stumbled across 'Take Your Trained Hunting Bird to Osaka Castle Day.' I took pictures this time.
Since Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving, I decided to host a small dinner party (thank you, family, for genetically predisposing me with a need to feed people). I spent Sunday grocery shopping and baking my rolls and pie, after Skyping with my family. And cleaning. We're not talking about the state my apartment was in at that point. Monday was a relaxing morning (after more Skype time), followed by some cooking. Turkeys aren't exactly easy to come by here unless you special order them in advance, probably online, so I was doing a pork roast. I've done pulled pork before, and beef pot roast, but never a roasted pork, so this was new for me. I decided to do an herb rub on it as well, so I was really just making things up as I went along and hoping for the best (as I usually do). It turned out fantastic, we had way too much food, and it was so much fun!
Today I was at my special needs school for another lesson with my elementary kids. We did more head and shoulders, some sports vocabulary, and connect-the-dots with alphabet and number grids (I called out the number or letter to connect to the previous dot, and it made a picture in the end). Two different teachers who sort of live in my area gave me suggestions for pasta restaurants (seriously, what is with my teachers and pasta?!). I was also approached by the middle school English teacher about joining a teachers' team for a relay race happening somewhere around here at the end of November. Of course I said yes! Running and being part of a group?! Sure! It's not a standard relay, though. It's kind of a distance relay? She said that each runner goes about 700m. Should be interesting. I definitely have to make sure to keep my running up!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
This Week, I Join Mystery Inc
In retrospect, the grocery list activity was perhaps not my best idea. Or, at least, collecting the completed lists for marking was not a good idea. I now feel like a cashier whose customers all want to price match, and didn`t bring marked flyers with them. It`s funny going through some of these, though, because I gave some of them them shopping lists for things like lasagna or apple pie. They went through the list and tried to find the items just like they were supposed to, but then they also found the premade variety and added it to the bottom. I`m so proud of my smart alecks!
I didn`t end up watching dodgeball. I decided that I was going to start drawing my maps for next week`s conversation class activity first thing in the morning (we`re going to be learning about giving directions), before things got started up, and I got really into it. Like, I started working when I got here before 8:30 (when morning meeting starts), and while I realized that there were about a grand total of three teachers in the office, I didn`t even know what time it was or realize that the morning chime hadn`t sounded until I looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:06. I spent pretty much all day drawing maps (I`m only doing five of them, but they`re detailed, and I`m having fun with it), until about 2PM when the day felt like it should totally be over by that point and I so just didn`t care anymore. Fridays without class are like that.
I made poutine for Friday Night Dinner, because I am Canadian. And desperate. Desperate enough to actually consider what I made "poutine". Fries, yes. They were frozen, but they were actually fries. The "cheese curds" were a combination of bits of white cheddar (broken-up snack blocks) and pizza-grade mozzarella. And I didn`t even know where to begin for gravy, outside of buying a roast and cooking it, so I bought a can of beef stew liquid (it`s not beef stock, because it`s thickened - the instructions are "cook beef and veggies and add to liquid", so it`s literally beef stew without the beef). What I forgot is that beef stew is a base of beef juices and tomato, so there was less of a beef taste than what I expected. It was still food, and it was still kind of poutine, but in the same way that Americans can buy that stuff that comes in a spray can and still call it "pancakes" (pancakes in a spray can exists. I had to talk my roommate out of buying it in Florida). I need to scour the foreign food store next time I go to see if I can get packet or canned gravy there.
Saturday morning was spent doing laundry. Nothing particularly fascinating. In the afternoon, I met up with another ALT in Tsu. We went to Tsukannonji temple, which was incredibly underwhelming, and then had pizza. Actual, honest-to-god pizza. None of this grocery store nonsense with the broccoli and the shrimp and the mayo. I love pizza. Pizza and I are good friends. I would probably write odes to pizza, or haikus if I wanted to bother counting syllables (which I don't). As good as it was, though, I'm still hitting up a Domino's the next time I'm in a city that has one.
Sunday was kind of a lazy day. I had to walk to the mall for a couple of things, cook up what I needed for lunches this week, and do some cleaning. I also made a decent amount of headway on the JET Japanese course I registered for, which just opened up on Thursday. I`m really excited about this, because it`s a regimented self-study course. We got the self-study books at orientation before we left, but with my (lack of) work ethic, there`s a huge difference between, "Here`s a textbook, study some stuff," and, "Here`s a course, each section has a test that has to be completed by a certain time." I do much better with deadlines set by other people.
Monday was back to regular routine. Nothing particularly exciting to report. The only thing of note is that the second year teachers returned from the class trip to Nagasaki. And they all brought omiyage.
I did have an interesting conversation with my supervisor as well. I don`t even know how we got on the topic, because it started with my cancelled plans to go to Nagano over the long weekend, but we ended up talking about murder mystery dinners and escape rooms. She was very excited about both concepts (I found a site for a Japanese one in Tokyo, which she got really excited about because she had never heard of these things before, let alone knew they existed in Japan), and now I`m organizing a mystery party for my conversation class for our lesson before Halloween. Not murder, though, because that`s inappropriate in a Japanese school. I`m thinking a monster-themed robbery. So I`m going to do some searching, see what I can find in free PDF versions of murder mystery kits, change the crime, and then see if I can`t dumb it down for non-English speakers. This is either going to be Hell on Earth, or the greatest thing ever. I`m not sure which yet.
Tuesday was my high school day at my special needs school. They had a new student enter in the past week, so my class had two students!
It was yet another self-introduction lesson. Also, the fact that they were in the same class still means that I only had one class all day. I spent my morning on Pinterest on my phone (until it died because I forgot to charge it), trying to find some DIY murder mystery kits that I could adapt, and my afternoon alternating between staring blankly at my murder mystery plans and staring blankly at The Monuments Men without actually reading anything. This was my first day in the high school staff room (elementary and junior high share a staff room in another building), so I was something new and exciting for the teachers there. One of the Japanese teachers (whose name I forgot about three minutes after she said it, but it starts with `A`) started to come over in the morning, and then stopped partway, and the following conversation took place (roughly):
Japanese teacher: Ah, the new ALT! Does she speak Japanese?
Other teacher: I`m not sure, but I don`t think so.
JT: Oh. I haven`t met her yet. I was going to introduce myself.
OT: I haven`t really met her either.
JT: Screw it! I`m going to introduce myself anyway!
And she did. As I sit there, trying not to giggle because I may not speak much Japanese, but I definitely got the gist of that conversation! Later in the afternoon, the same teacher stopped by my desk and asked if she could take me on a tour of the school. I`d already been on a tour in the summer before classes started, but at this point I was debating the merits of stabbing myself in the eye with my pen just because I was that bored (exaggeration, obviously), so while I said, "Yeah, sure," all casual-like, inside I was going, "Ohdeargodyes."
Today I only had one class as well, but at least it was at my base school, so I have all of my materials and computer to actually do work. And there is a LOT of work. We`re heading into midterm exams in a couple weeks, so we`re wrapping up the lesson we`re on now, and then not starting the new one until after the exams. The problem is that, due to holidays, some classes have more time with me before the exam while others don`t, so the teachers don`t consistently want the same things for each of their classes. I mean, it`ll be more interesting for me than teaching the same lesson eight times in a week, but it also means I have three different lesson plans on the go for the same grade level. So my morning was prepping all of those lessons for next week. The entire afternoon was taken up with more plans for my mystery game. I`ll probably have a post entirely devoted to that once it`s done, because there is WAY too much for me to tack it on to one of these rambles.
I didn`t end up watching dodgeball. I decided that I was going to start drawing my maps for next week`s conversation class activity first thing in the morning (we`re going to be learning about giving directions), before things got started up, and I got really into it. Like, I started working when I got here before 8:30 (when morning meeting starts), and while I realized that there were about a grand total of three teachers in the office, I didn`t even know what time it was or realize that the morning chime hadn`t sounded until I looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:06. I spent pretty much all day drawing maps (I`m only doing five of them, but they`re detailed, and I`m having fun with it), until about 2PM when the day felt like it should totally be over by that point and I so just didn`t care anymore. Fridays without class are like that.
I made poutine for Friday Night Dinner, because I am Canadian. And desperate. Desperate enough to actually consider what I made "poutine". Fries, yes. They were frozen, but they were actually fries. The "cheese curds" were a combination of bits of white cheddar (broken-up snack blocks) and pizza-grade mozzarella. And I didn`t even know where to begin for gravy, outside of buying a roast and cooking it, so I bought a can of beef stew liquid (it`s not beef stock, because it`s thickened - the instructions are "cook beef and veggies and add to liquid", so it`s literally beef stew without the beef). What I forgot is that beef stew is a base of beef juices and tomato, so there was less of a beef taste than what I expected. It was still food, and it was still kind of poutine, but in the same way that Americans can buy that stuff that comes in a spray can and still call it "pancakes" (pancakes in a spray can exists. I had to talk my roommate out of buying it in Florida). I need to scour the foreign food store next time I go to see if I can get packet or canned gravy there.
Saturday morning was spent doing laundry. Nothing particularly fascinating. In the afternoon, I met up with another ALT in Tsu. We went to Tsukannonji temple, which was incredibly underwhelming, and then had pizza. Actual, honest-to-god pizza. None of this grocery store nonsense with the broccoli and the shrimp and the mayo. I love pizza. Pizza and I are good friends. I would probably write odes to pizza, or haikus if I wanted to bother counting syllables (which I don't). As good as it was, though, I'm still hitting up a Domino's the next time I'm in a city that has one.
Sunday was kind of a lazy day. I had to walk to the mall for a couple of things, cook up what I needed for lunches this week, and do some cleaning. I also made a decent amount of headway on the JET Japanese course I registered for, which just opened up on Thursday. I`m really excited about this, because it`s a regimented self-study course. We got the self-study books at orientation before we left, but with my (lack of) work ethic, there`s a huge difference between, "Here`s a textbook, study some stuff," and, "Here`s a course, each section has a test that has to be completed by a certain time." I do much better with deadlines set by other people.
Monday was back to regular routine. Nothing particularly exciting to report. The only thing of note is that the second year teachers returned from the class trip to Nagasaki. And they all brought omiyage.
Tuesday was my high school day at my special needs school. They had a new student enter in the past week, so my class had two students!
Japanese teacher: Ah, the new ALT! Does she speak Japanese?
Other teacher: I`m not sure, but I don`t think so.
JT: Oh. I haven`t met her yet. I was going to introduce myself.
OT: I haven`t really met her either.
JT: Screw it! I`m going to introduce myself anyway!
And she did. As I sit there, trying not to giggle because I may not speak much Japanese, but I definitely got the gist of that conversation! Later in the afternoon, the same teacher stopped by my desk and asked if she could take me on a tour of the school. I`d already been on a tour in the summer before classes started, but at this point I was debating the merits of stabbing myself in the eye with my pen just because I was that bored (exaggeration, obviously), so while I said, "Yeah, sure," all casual-like, inside I was going, "Ohdeargodyes."
Today I only had one class as well, but at least it was at my base school, so I have all of my materials and computer to actually do work. And there is a LOT of work. We`re heading into midterm exams in a couple weeks, so we`re wrapping up the lesson we`re on now, and then not starting the new one until after the exams. The problem is that, due to holidays, some classes have more time with me before the exam while others don`t, so the teachers don`t consistently want the same things for each of their classes. I mean, it`ll be more interesting for me than teaching the same lesson eight times in a week, but it also means I have three different lesson plans on the go for the same grade level. So my morning was prepping all of those lessons for next week. The entire afternoon was taken up with more plans for my mystery game. I`ll probably have a post entirely devoted to that once it`s done, because there is WAY too much for me to tack it on to one of these rambles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)