Advertisement
Published: June 23rd 2008
Edit Blog Post
Hitomi again!
I took this photo on a different tuesday but I love it so I'm adding it here! 7:00am - Wake up. Reset my alarm for 7.30
7:30am - Again with the bloody alarm, hit the snooze button
7:35am - Hit snooze button again
7:40am - ... and again
7:45am - Oh god I'm going to be late! Run to the shower
8:00am - Leave the house and run to the station
8:10am - Train arrives and is completely packed without a spare inch to move. I turn my back on the full carriage and force my way in moments before another ten people turn their backs on me and push me backwards into the sea of breathing suits behind me. It's very hot and everyone is sweating on everyone else. Gross.
8.23am - Ha! My station! I love living so close to work. I shove my way through the masses and get violently pushed over by little old ladies jostling for the escalator. I'm no longer worried about harming these vicious old women. I push back.
8:25am - In the door at work and getting supplies for the day ahead
8:35am - Out of the office and settled in the car with Hitomi (my japanese assistant), Eva and Haroumi (Evas japanese assistant). Eva and I begin our
Hitomi
The best part of the day! weekly gossip. Todays subject is one of my favourites - ugly gaijin losers who come to japan to score with beautiful women cause they can't get any at home.
9:12am - Eva's now grooving along to her I-pod and I'm fast asleep.
9:45am - Yawning I open my eyes, we're almost at the kindergarten.
10.00am - First class: Youngest (aka the 3 year olds)
I burst into the class shouting hello at the top of my lungs. A few shout hello back, some others look at me with disdain and one bursts into tears. Tough crowd.
10:10am - The kids are into it now were running to different colours around the room and we're dancing along to the alphabet song. The kids are bouncing happily and I'm bobbing along with them trying to forget that my breasts are flying around wildly like mosquitoes on speed.
10:20am - Next class: Oldest (aka the 5 year olds)
Shouty, Bouncy, Loud and lots of fun. I run in shouting they all shout back joyfully and start zooming around the room. In five minutes time well be crawling around the floor pretending to be ants and buzzing around the chairs as bees.
10:40am - Another youngest class.
No one cries and they now can say strawberry. Veeeery Successful.
11:00am - Oldest again.
More insects and the spider song. I keep saying Incy Wincy instead of Itsiby Bitsy and I'm confusing Hitomi. Oops.
11:20am - Last Oldest class for the day.
Same deal as the others, with the uncomfortable addition of being covered in sweat and borderline dehydrated.
11:40: Last class: Middle (My 4 year olds)
I don't know what is wrong with these kids. They're so lazy. I'm trying to teach them the words throw and catch with a game but they won't lift their arms to catch the soft toy so it hits them all in the face and they look at me with lazy surprise. Every week its the same. I don't get it.
12:10pm - As we're leaving one of the teachers runs out and gives us each 2 kilos of potatoes from their potato field. We bow a lot and thank the teacher profusely then pick our way through the rice fields (tuesdays morning class is way country) back to the car.
12:13pm - We flop in the car, guzzle water and start comparing lessons.
12:25pm - We have dropped Haroumi and Eva safely at the station and Hitomi and I speed off to our next destination.
1:10pm - Yay! We're here! It's the best part of the day. I started pestering Hitomi a few weeks ago to find a park for our extended lunch break to save us from the mind numbing boredom of the food court. She did it once to please me, fell in love with the great outdoors and weve been picnicing ever since (weather permitting).
1:15pm - The blanket is down and conversation has stopped as we devour our lunch.
1:22pm - I'm stuffed. Sooooooo full, I lay down on the blanket for a little post lunch nap
1:30pm - I sit up to keep Hitomi company and we start our weekly lunchtime lessons - Hitomi is giving me an education in japanse music (My favourite so far is greeeen) and I'm teaching Hitomi how to swear in English - she catches on fast. I'm very proud of her.
2:00pm - I ust don't understand why every week there's someone new here with a video recorder filming the turtles for hours on end. They don't move, they just sit there on the rock in the middle of the lake not moving. I find it odd.
2:15pm - Time to leave the park - we pack away the tarot cards, books, I pods any other lunchtime paraphanalia and head to the school for afternoon lessons
2:40pm - Lesson begins. My afternoon class used to have 2 incredibly smart 6 year olds who have been speaking english for 3 years in it, but has now changed to a class of six. The problem is the new students are 3 years old so don't speak any english and use a different text book to the 6 year olds, as you can imagine this makes teaching quite difficult. Either the 6 year olds are bored or the 3 year olds are confused. I really wish they would separate the class, but the boss doesn't want to, because then she would have to pay us for an extra class. Ridiculous. It makes me so mad.
3:30pm - Class is finished, my 6 year olds race outside to play and the 3 year olds hang around watching me and fighting over who gets to hold my hand, they really are so so cute.
3:35pm - Tables are packed up and we wander outside with the three year olds.
3:40pm - Hotomi's still chatting to the parents about todays lesson, I don't understand a word and am standing there politely with my hands behing my back, smiling and occasionally nodding. Kind of like a puppet.
3:43pm - Back in the car and zooming towards the office, we're free!!! Hitomi is furthering my music education by making me attempt to sing along to Greeeen in the car.
3:42pm - Traffic jam.... Hitomi and I roll our eyes and say at the same time "Oh fuuuuuu*k" I'm so proud of Hitomi. She's really taken to swearing lessons like a duck to water.
5:35pm - Back to the office, run inside, quickly put my stuff away and race out the door, I'm going to have dinner with my gaijin friend in Shinjuku before dancing tonight
6:00pm - Across from me on the train a young man is asleep, emblazoned across the front of his shirt is the empassioned declaration that he cant surpress his emotion. Where do they get these ridiculous slogans? I re-affirm to myself I will never buy a shirt with kanji on it.
6:20pm - Yay! Dinner with the gaijin! I'm complaining about work and she's bitching about class. Sugoy.
7:30pm - I may my way up to the dance school, I'm a bit nervous because I'm trialling a new class today - Jazz Hip Hop, I don't think I'm going to know anyone in the class so I hope I don't make a total ass of myself.
8:00pm - Decked out in trackies and my ultra cool hip hop shoes class begins - Yay, my korean friend from my monday class comes in, I do know someone after all!
10:00pm - Class ends. I'm BUGGERED but I lurve Jazz Hip hip, It's like Hip Hop only a bit more elegant.
10:50pm - I'm home. Sanaes ultra sick and staying with her parents at the moment - we email each other again to wish each other sweet dreams, I peel off my sweaty clothes and fall into the shower.
11:45pm - Oyasumi... zzzzzz
Advertisement
Tot: 0.043s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 26; dbt: 0.0231s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb