Schools out for summer

Near my school - 5 storeys

So, my first term as an ALT is over I've still popped into school to do some odd bits of work with the kids. They say when you love something you'd do it for free and that I am. I'll still go to school tomorrow at 9 am to do some stuff with the kids.

I have a lot of time to myself and I need to use it to work on a plan and things I'd like to achieve make short term goals to meet long term ones. I know I always said the goal is to be in Japan but now that has accomplished I NEED to work on the next step.

I've managed to get in some dancing been to Tokyo a couple of times and will possibly be getting in some club time Kizomba on Tuesday.(good news) It has been hot insects have been flying. I have received a bike which I have to pay for at the end of the month. The guy just said take the bike and pay when you have the money cool stuff. Working on a little Vblog venture so you can see what is going on so stay tuned for that. I think I'll try and link it all together and add Instagram as well. Triple threat son WHAT!!

little and often

Meet the little ones

This was my year 1and 2 intro lesson,
the numbers are them guessing my age

So yeah it has been a while- sorry.

Anyway enough of the apologies (imagine me bowing really low, like I'm going into flat back (insanity joke) )  Hmm can you put brackets in brackets when it's not math?  Well , I can


Anyway for the second time a couple of weeks ago on the 6th I had to teach the 1st and 2nd graders at my elementary school. Most times I teach the 5th grades and they are energetic enough BUT the 1st graders and 2nd graders are like little Ninja duracell bunnies and they don't understand more than a couple words of English but they are the most enthusiastic classes I have taught.

The way they got excited when I turned up you would have though I was a power ranger or something they went crazy and I went crazy and it was just a crazy day. Like working with kids puts a lot of people off having kids but this was the opposite. I gave out high fives and the kids literally mobbed me at one point. They see me as a  high five giving BFG climbing frame from a mysterious land. I remember having kids n my legs climbing them like trees and a couple kids swinging from my bicep and this was before I even stepped into the class.

And  playtime I'll go into that in another post but  I really enjoyed that day and yeah I got paid for it. :D Good times  Shame is I don''t have the 1st and 2nd years in my regular schedule so who knows when the next time will be.

What is funny is that the little kids who you think would be scared and apprehensive when meeting a giant foreigner are the most welcoming and friendly and then it's the adults who are the fraidy cats. I think it's great to get foreign people into Japan so these kids will understand and grow up knowing foreigners and not having some of the fears that their elders have.  I'm just glad that for the students I have had the pleasure of teaching, I'm glad that I can dispel many of the negative stereotypes they may have otherwise received about my demographic and to realise that personality has no real relation with race or background.

that internet racism

So I was looking up success stories about other Gaijin in Japan well more specifically about how black people have found it. I stumbled across a forum on a website that I frequent and one  guy was saying black people shouldn't come to Japan  that we're not wanted here and how we can never get a decent job  or a woman if you're black or bla bla bla and that we should stick to our own kind etc and I was fuming especially because this was written by a black dude.

I just got given a lift home from the vice principal of my school who is such a welcoming figure. Also received lifts home several times  I have received meals , a (big) sack of rice, free trouser repair endless amounts of Japanese snacks , free Japanese lessons so far drinks (real drinks) and been offered 2 bicycles and more so far all from the Japanese people who I've met in the last month. If they don't want me hear then they have a funny way of showing it.

Nobody gave me a bike in London. The kids all say Hello on the street and are just sweet as can be.

It's a shame that some punk probably put someone off coming to this wonderful country.

Everybody has generally been welcoming yeah people are like Oh there's a big black guy not seen one of those before let me stare at him, but nobody has thrown eggs at me- like they did in London back in the day.

Just be aware that a lot of people only know what MTV and the media has told them about black people but once they realise there is much more to you than meets the stereotype then you're all cool and if they don't wanna be open then don't bother yourself. Really ain't nobody got time for that

The group I hang out with is varied from Italian American, American Chinese ,Japanese American, Black british straight American, Japanese British, NewZ, Ozzie, and we're all having a great time we are seen different ways from afar but would be that way anywhere.

But there is a lot of racism on the internet and it's really sad man, like jokes are jokes but some of this stuff makes me worry.

28

I'm 28 but what does that mean, it means I've been here for a while and I thank God for that. Fullstop aye

Just flicking through my Iphone pictures shows
me how eventful my birthday and start to the golden week weekend was. I am still trying to claw back sleep that I missed out on thanks to the nightlife of Mito, Osaka and Kyoto respectively. My actual birthday was spent with new friends starting of in an Izakaya Japanese style and ending in a bar which I'm sure is a great live music venue. This was via late night karaoke , intoxicated skateboarding tricks by the Tanda and posing for pics with the BMX crew. The night ended with a really tasty burger which left me as quickly as it entered me, some of the guys getting down with the guitars and drums and me starting my journey to Kyoto.Shinkansen baby

The weekend was ridiculously good. Met with my boy  Kwaps who features in this blog from my last time in Japan. I won't go into details now but 4 all nighters in a row fun times.
It is funny though the reaction we get walking around people gawking oh and if the arms are out then it's a wrap lol. Sugoi-Yabai-Kakkoi lol Pictures, pointing, greetings etc.

Saturday morning killed it with some stair training with Kwaps which almost finished me, my legs are still hurting. There is a picturesque stairways leading to a temple/shrine  surrounded by trees in what seems like the middle of nowhere but this was not a serene scenario just the two of us running full pace up steps and descending when tired , which was much earlier for me, and repeating the process. Killer. the ultimate test was having to stand on the shinkansen on the way back and the next day having my elementary school class but that went well as always.

Ended the weekend knowing that I need to get myself a permanent residence Kansai sides man.

Cash down

So after the 3 way money transfer drama of trying to provide myself with enough money to eat, I'm in a good place and am due to hit up my home away from home in Kansai, Kyoto for the tail end of golden week. Bus is fully booked so I have to go by Shinkansen 'poor me'. Literally poor me as it isn't cheap but since I wont have another chance to go till late summer sacrifices have to be made.

Also confirmed it that Hitachi is not the place to do an all nighter, it's not that kind of town don't get me wrong Hitachi has so many bars but unfortunately 95% of these are Snack bars- google it.
Hitachi does have many nice little spots , karaoke places restaurants of a variety , had a nice Italian last night which fits the budget, and cool bars western and Japanese. This however means that if you go out you should make sure you get the last train or you will have a long wait with little or no stimulation. There will be exceptional nights but unless you have your own party going on, you will not find one in Hitachi. MY OPINION. We will be moving the party to Mito and hit up bubble as Mito has a bit more to offer and that may be worth an all nighter.

On another note , I gots me my Sofa bed and a nice low Japanese style table delivered to me yesterday in the early hours of the A.M yesterday which was straight after the all nighter that led me to my earlier drawn conclusion. So as I have furniture I can not just move so I'm grounded in Hitachi for a bit
.
Last thing I need some hair clippers my transformer is not working and the razors are giving the me those ugly uncle bumps at the back of my head and they take like a week to go. Hitachi is so lacking that I haven't found any yet but I'll get some if not now then when I get my self to Kansai.

say this in a japanese accent please

BURAKU----SANDA -- 

Thanks

Child's pose

So the Elementary school that I teach at is the challenge for me, In this school I am the English teacher the class is run by me but I follow a plan that I receive from somewhere after it has been translated losing all its flavour.

 Problem is, when the plan has holes in it I do not have opportunity to discuss any ambiguities. So today I could only fill in the gaps in the plan during the class, so I was a s nervous as can be in the build up.

So low and behold when I am taking off my onesie before I get in the shower I pull something . This is my first onesie related injury but something tells me it wont be the last. I have to get into child's pose  ( i learnt this from INSANITY which allows you to recover when you are mash up).

Anyway this injury just made things worse. Not only was I not clear on how to run the class but now I couldn't defend against Kanchos and other child like attacks. woe, woe, woe.

Well getting to school all the kids were excited and remembered my name and I did manage to defend against reverse Kanchos deliver 3 kick ass lessons and end my string of lessons by dunking on them 10 year olds in the playground. They just wanted dunks and yeah my back hurt but the kids cheers acted as a kind of painkiller which wore off as soon as I got back to the teachers room.

(Funny though this kid asked me why I was so sun tanned all over, the same kid that invited me to play Basketball  and I know he wasn't trying to make a joke he had just never seen a Black person in his life)

Also got to have lunch with the kids which was cute as you can imagine and a lot of the kids were really charming and helped me clean the board and with my stuff and seemed genuinely happy to see me, which is worth the stress of not knowing what is going on. This will get better I had words which I'll probably get in trouble for but I apologised enough that I hope it doesn't happen

Anyway back to child's pose

BOB SAPP,I AM NOT

I'll say Thank God it's Friday not because I hate work because the opposite is true and more because I am tired. I've greeted more people than the pope walked like an hour each day as my commute and climbed that hill that my school is on top off which will get me fit. Plan is to get the quiet cheap drink in with a few friends and just relax.I say the as it is going to be one lol. I'm looking forward to some Umeshu plum wine which I'll eventually learn to make.

Like it's Friday end of the working week and, I had a busy day, there were only 5 school periods in the day and I was  only meant to work 3 but I ended up doing all 5. So extra work but this is more of me putting my hand up saying I'm free let me take part in these lessons.


I think I'll benefit from writing little and often as everyday there is something to say. I wish I could have videoed my introduction lesson because I think its cool. I confronted  the Bob Sapp comparatives I knew I would definitely receive head on by pulling out a Bob Sapp flashcard to introduce the concept of name.. A few kids try call me Bob Sapp but since I brought it up first it is more like a laugh together than at me and they can't take credit aye.

SO I attend a Japanese class once a week on Thursday and it's in a community centre so I showed a few members the basics of Salsa and a bit of Kizomba on the Thursday , I mean being a teacher helps now as showing and demonstrating becomes part of your life which is always fun so I look forward to working on that part of my life (the dancing)here. Also I received a generous amount of rice from one of the teachers who happens to come from an area where rice is in abundance and this came about from me complaining that the price of rice is too damn high. I think i have enough to last me the year and It was necessary as times are hard, month in lieu pa and all that means pay  arrives end of May now considering I moved here end of March and I travelled 6000 miles and rent a modern apartment it is a hard life. Top it off I met somebody else who has invited me to a vibrant international church in the closest big city Mito so everything is falling into place. Earthquake count for me now is 3 now so I'm getting used to it.

PEACE

Day 1 x 2

So, I came to Japan for many reasons but my vehicle here was and is teaching the English and it's something I had thought about since I was 19 when I read the blog Gaijin Smash you can find here http://gaijinchronicles.com/ . I actually just got sidetracked reading it for like half an hour.


Anyway I'm here now and I had my first day at my Junior High School yesterday and my first day at my Elementary School today. I've never taught a real class of school kids, only fake ones with  my peers pretending to be Japanese kids. There is a big difference, sometimes you get that kind of silence that comedians get when their joke doesn't fly or the silence you get when you ask a girl her name and she blanks you ( Neither of these have happened to me by the way).  Doing the same class a few times allowed me to fine tune my class and it went done quite well, it was aimed as an introduction and they got to know my name with thanks to Super Mario as a lot of times I introduce myself as Mario without an M. It helps trust me.

The Elementary school now was like the best fun I've had in a long time, and it helps that I understand a fair bit of Japanese because although I only teach one year in the school, everybody is running up to me and asking questions and they don't even think about talking to me in English, I'll just have a kid asking me if they can jump on my shoulders or, how tall i am?where I am from`? Can I dunk? How strong am I? what's my favourite song? my favourite animal? The only thing everyone can say in English is 'HELLO'

Like I could go into detail but I mean being able to laugh and smile and make people do the same at work is amazing. I mean there are man things I could do better but it is just the start I think I'll learn a little each day and eventually I'll be that guy.

Oh and the teachers act like I'm some wonder child and they love that I brought Earl Grey Tea in a little souvenir box.

Never be late in the land of the rising sun

So in Japan you can't be late, being late  is a big problem. Common practise is to arrive earlier than expected, ten minutes early is on time 20 minutes early is early and if you really want to impress just be there from birth, just be there. Ask your Mum to give birth to you there

So my first appointment was at 5:19, I know very exact but these were the instructions. I'm not talking PM either this is AM.  To be first in line is a big deal and I didn't want to wait till midday because everybody would want a piece of the action and I think getting some one on one time is important. Anyway I couldn't sleep properly I had 3 dreams about being late and even woke up before my 4:30 alarm.

So I wake up but because my appointment is within walking distance I  faff about and end up leaving minutes late, throwing a sandwich in my mouth knowing that I have to move down the road in some semi-run looking marathon walk type movement down the quiet streets at dawn. Feeling like a fool.So meeting place is the beach I think it's the best place for a first meeting and I get there early - Brilliant.

I wait around for a minute and then I see what I've been waiting for the rising sun.
I've seen the sun rising before but I have never gone to see the sunrise it was something else. I could see the inspiration for the flag and for the name of my city and the alias for the country. My eyes were a better lens than the one mounted to my camera and the image in my mind is more vivid than any of the pictures I took.

Worth the wake up and worth the dash but I'm not doing it tomorrow.

It's really happening

Just running a bath so I can only take a few minutes here, usually at home I have showers or bucket baths in the morn but now I'm here I'm doing the whole Japanese shower and soak in the evening.

It's crazy how things change, I took a run to the Ocean today it's only 20 minutes away, I  used to only see the Ocean when I was on holiday but now it is in my own back garden.

I've dreamt and dreamt and hoped and prayed for years that I would be here in Japan and finally after so long it's true, I'm yet to start teaching here but that will soon come and the nervousness I have now will soon hopefully die away. Right now is the hard stage the lonely stage I have few new friends and the only close friend I have in the country is too far away to even try and reach. This freedom across the seas ironically is its own prison, it's along time till payday and the costs of moving abroad  and the lack of local knowledge confine me to the only place I can say is mine and mine alone, no communal kitchens or showers, it's all me.

Being alone you start to worry there are an unlimited amount of scenarios you can run through but I guess that's natural for anyone living on their own without another family member in the whole continent.

Checked the bath it's hot but not full yet.

I plan to explore the area I live in and then the capital city of the prefecture possibly on the weekend with the new friends I met who are all in the same boat. As I do have some shy Japanese ability I am in someways better equipped  than others the dark skin does make me stand out no matter how much Japanese I can deliver and it's a fact that I will always and forever be an outsider and you can feel that, funny  enough it is part of the charm.  I am an exotic creature in this land and I choose to enjoy the fact that I am being watched, pretend to not see the obvious photo takers the pointers and pretend to not understand the little kids who say "Look Daddy there is a Black man".

Baths full now so :D I'll be back soon