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Okay, I have been neglecting you….I’m sorry. Things have been ridiculously busy here. At school (where I usually do this and where I am now) I have been doing a short conversation test with all of the grade eights. (5 classes of about 35 kids) It’s cutting into my computer time! It’s nice to get to talk to the kids on an individual basis, though. A lot of them surprise me and end up talking really well.
The other day (okay 2 or 3 weeks ago or more??) I finished my (stupid) speech thing I had to do. I am so glad that I went first as the other teachers still have to do theirs and I was sooooooo happy to be finished. I think that it went well. When I was talking to one of the other teachers about my topic-political correct language – he said something to the effect of how I’m going to be able to have a little rant at all of the things people say and do here (especially towards foreigners)….and to an extent he was right. So I was careful about my actual lecture, I didn’t really want to sound like I was complaining about Japanese people. I tried to be very lighthearted and I think that no one felt offended by anything. I was surprised by the level of English of the people who came to it, actually. Many of them spoke quite well. A lot of them got my jokes, too, which was cool. I didn’t really talk about a couple of things that do bother me-like the word foreigner and half. Coming from a different country I am a foreigner, I guess, but seeing as we don’t really use that word any more (at least in my experience) where I am from, I don’t like it very much. I think it’s different because we can’t tell by looking at someone who is from Canada and who isn’t. Also the half thing bothers me a bit, too. My son is half Japanese and half Caucasian, but it just sounds so weird as half (I used to always think of the King Solomon story when I heard that.)
I also didn’t mention the stupid questions we get asked a lot. The latest winner for me was something to the effect that I must see things differently because of the colour of my eyes being different. I was telling my MIL about this and she said something about kids not really knowing much and I told her that this came from a teacher. Hee hee. She was disgusted as I was. She was also disgusted by the teacher who was stating his disbelief a that white person could like mochi, or sticky rice cakes. He used an old fashioned word to express ‘white people’ and my MIL said something like she doesn’t know how some people become teachers.
ANYWAY!
I don’t want this to be an all negative post, so I’m going to stop with that talk. What else has been keeping me busy? I have been at elementary schools a lot lately, too, another thing that cuts into my computer time. Sometimes if I get a free period at the junior high I end up reading the internet instead of doing this blog as I just don’t have much energy. I shouldn’t read stuff on the internet because a lot of it is very negative.
The boy is good. Well, he is mostly good. He has been a little trying lately as he has very strong opinions as to what he wants to do (even when I don’t want him to) which makes for a lot of crying and screaming. (Mostly on his part;P) Lately this has manifested itself while he is sleeping as well. For the last couple of nights he has woken up screaming and crying that he wants something or that he wants to do it or that he wants to do it from the beginning. It’s very difficult to convince him that he is dreaming and it’s not happening now. (I tried the other night-It’s okay, Hiroki, you’re dreaming. Him yelling back-I’m not dreaming! So I tried again-look we’re sleeping, it’s dark. Him-I don’t like the dark! Put on a light! So I turn on a light and he screams –It’s too bright! It took a while to calm him down….)

I think I have to go get ready for class.