Today was another day that did not go as I expected. I should be getting used to those, since they seem to be very common occurrences here in Japan, but they still catch me by surprise. This morning I got up unnecessarily early to be sure I wouldn't miss my bus. Since it was raining when I first got up, I decided to take the tram to the bus stop rather than riding my bike and potentially getting soaked. It turned out not to be an issue, but I ended up at the bus stop about a half hour before the bus was scheduled to come. I waited and sure enough, the bus came at the predicted time. The kanji on the bus's sign matched up with what my supervisor had written down for me, but I asked the driver about it just to be sure. When he confirmed that it was the right bus, I hopped on and rode to school.
I had been worried about getting off at the right stop, but this also turned out not to be an issue. The bus followed the same route I had taken on my previous two visits to the school and it was easy to recognize the name of the stop when it was announced. I walked up the hill and reached the school in plenty of time for the teachers' daily meeting. Before classes start, the teachers review any changes to the schedule and make announcements. I can't actually understand what's being said, but it's important that I be there. On this occasion, the vice principal (or maybe it was the principal, I forget) mentioned that I was there and asked me to introduce myself to everyone. I gave the usual few lines (My name is Andrea. I'm from Idaho in the United States. I can speak a little Japanese, but I'm still not very good at it.) and that was that.
It was soon after the meeting that I realized I had not understood the day's plans. I believed that I was going to be meeting three classes of third year students that day, but in fact, all of the students were taking tests. It turned out that the schedule I had been looking at started in September, not today. So I was left without a whole lot to do. I helped one teacher with laminating and cutting out materials, managing to cut myself (again) in the process. This is the second time in about two weeks that I've cut myself with scissors. After that, I mostly sat around studying Japanese or trying to look busy. On the plus side, I was able to discuss the upcoming lesson plans with two of the three English teachers, and I now have an idea of what I'm supposed to do during the first two weeks of September.
The school day ended early and I was given the option of staying at school or finishing up the day at the Board of Education. I opted to go to the BOE since there would be other ALTs to waste time with. When I got to the bus stop for the return trip, it occurred to me that I did not know when the next bus back into town would be coming. I looked at the schedule and saw that a bus was coming in about 15 minutes, and that there wouldn't be another bus until about 2 hours later. I didn't recognize the name of the destination, so I had no idea where the bus would be going, but I didn't like the idea of going back to school and waiting at least 2 hours for another bus. So I decided to get on the bus and see where I ended up. To my delight, the bus turned and headed back into town. It followed the same route as I had come by and I was able to get back to where I had started the day. From there I bought some pastries (always have to make a detour to Bergen, the bakery) and headed back to the BOE.
When I arrived, the other ALTs were crammed in the back room on the fourth floor. The fourth floor is nice because there we can get a wi-fi signal, but it's inconveniently small. Earlier in the afternoon, I had gotten a call from my supervisor saying that the enkai had been postponed due to a funeral. At the BOE, we found out that a junior high school student had drowned in the river. Based on the student's age and the school they went to, it's likely that two of the current ALTs had taught them. I know that at least some areas of the river are safe to swim in, but I don't know which ones. It made me think of the public service announcements back home about children and irrigation canals. Anyhow, it was disturbing news for everyone, and a very unfortunate beginning for the new semester. I'm sure it will be very difficult for the students and staff at that junior high school.
I won't be working with any students this week, but I will return to TJHS on Thursday to meet with the English teacher and prepare for the next lessons. The rest of the week will be spent in the office. I'm guessing this will be the last of my lazy days for some time, since next week I will be teaching at my regular schools and visiting an elementary school, as well. It should be an interesting change of pace, and will give me a better idea of what this job is actually like.
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