Before going into the details of what I have been doing for the last few days, I wanted to send a "Congratulations!" to the New York Tau chapter of the Tau Beta Pi Professional Engineering Honor Society for achieving one of the most prestigious awards at this year's convention in Detroit, Michigan: The R.H. Nagel Most Improved Chapter Award. This nation-wide award is bestowed each year to a select chapter. By clicking here, you can see the official press release from the 2008 Convention; we are mentioned in paragraph six. I was reminded of my chapter's accomplishment when I saw the most recent President's picture in the quarterly magazine that my mother sent me a few days ago.
This past week I have been spending five to ten minutes of each of my lessons discussing the American version of Valentine's Day and how it compares to the holiday in Japan. Here in Japan Valentine's Day is the one day of the year where girls are encouraged to give gifts to the one they love/like/have a squish on. One of my older male students explained that Japanese women are are/were traditionally taught to be very reserved when it comes to relationships involving the opposite sex. Besides Valentine's Day, there is another day in March called White Day. On White Day a guy who received a valentine on Valentine's Day will return his gift times three to the girl he loves/likes/has a squish on.
Whenever I told my students that both American boys and girls give each other valentines, they looked up at me with faces of complete and utter surprise. In addition to telling them about the different practices, I taught them all how to make a heart by folding a piece of paper in half. The all enjoyed decorating their own Valentine's Day cards.
I was meant to have an 8pm lesson tonight; however, it was canceled at the last minute because my student wasn't feeling well. I was disappointed that I couldn't teach but after what happened next I was relieved for the extra hour of time to correct the problem.
Earlier that day, I met Lauren at the Starbuck's near the station so we could do some of our work while enjoying the warmth of the cafe. Little did I know that I would leave my wallet on the bench when I got up to return to work. Because my student didn't show up at 8pm, I had the opportunity to run to Starbuck's to ask if my wallet was still there. If I had my lesson, the cafe would have been closed by the time I would've realized my wallet was gone; shops usually close around 9pm. I ran all the way there and just as I was about to ask for help, one of the baristas who had just finished her shift recognized me. She asked me about my missing wallet and went into the back room to retrieve it. I bowed very low (I told Lauren about this later and she laughed at me for bowing so low) and said thank you in Japanese. On my way back to school I checked my wallet to make sure everything was there. To my relief, nothing was missing. I have a feeling that would rarely happen in America, but I could be wrong.
If I ever get a dog, it might have to be a Shiba Inu (the name means "small dog" in Japanese ). I always see them prancing around school and the park with their owners. One of Lauren's older students has one and he is so cute.
2.16.08
Today was the first day I helped Sally with her pronunciation. I was rather nervous considering I have no background in speech pathology but the lesson went really well. As long as she practices every day her pronunciation will get better. If I could get her to pronounce her K's and G's correctly before I leave to go back home. Wouldn't that be a dream come true for her as well as her teacher (me)!?
I went on a field trip by myself today to Kasairinkaikoen. I rode the giant ferris wheel and then spent quite a while walking around the park near the station. The whole experience was really peaceful and relaxing after a hectic, but enjoyable, week at work. I saw some of the first plum blossoms of the season!
I stopped for a few minutes to walk along the beach overlooking Tokyo Bay. The sound of the salty Pacific waves beating upon the shore was accompanied by both the shouts of children playing and the faint beat of reggae music--a DJ was playing for a group of people in the park.
1 comment:
Shiba Inu dog
Sheila, I think that I have seen a dog like that, a few streets away from our house. They are beautiful dogs, unusual and just the right size. But it would be good to get information on their temperament, maybe you can ask the owners. It is good to match your pet to your own personality.
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