Today was about as easy for me as it’s going to get.
I arrived after the English class and lunch and took the students to the nearby shopping mall. They were buying whatever they needed for their weekend homestays. Each student is going to spend the weekend with some volunteer and stay in their homes and go places and do things with that volunteer. Some are people who have been to Japan in the past, and most of them are faculty or people related to faculty, so they are familiar with the program. The bottom line is that all the homestay volunteers were a good match for the individual student that they were assigned. It’s a Japanese tradition that they must buy a gift for their hosts, so it was an absolute necessity that we go shopping before they left.
After the mall, the students returned to their apartment to pack up whatever they would need for the weekend, and at 6pm, everyone got to meet their homestay people for the first time. In most cases, the students had not previously met the person they would be staying with, so they had to be a little nervous. It all seemed to go very smoothly, and I really think they’ll all be happy with their matches. Day Ten and Eleven will happen with their host families, so I won’t be reporting on those.
So what about me? I get the weekend off…sorta. I still have to clean up and finish my Master’s paper this weekend, as well as prepare my classroom lesson for next Tuesday. It’s nothing especially difficult, but I find that I’m procrastinating more than I should. I still have some shopping to do for my own upcoming trip, and need to fit in some family time as well before things get too much crazier. From Monday till early Friday, I’ll be doing the Japanese students again just like last week, so it really cuts down on my preparation time.
No related posts.
Entries (RSS)
August 18th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
You have entered the real world with a vengence.
Most people finish school, breathe a bit, and then get to it!
Nope, not you!
You did it the hard way!
I doubt there is much you have not addressed already re
your trip to Japan.
Things will fall into place, just do not get excited about things
you have no control over.
And do not worry about things unnessarily!
These last six weeks have been a definate eye-opener for you.
You did well, and the students are benefitting from your tuleage as well.
What…no more pictures?
We like pictures!!!!
~~P’tuny
August 18th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
I have to admit, the past nine weeks (it really is more than only six) have brought about major changes for me, and things show no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
You want more pictures? Did you miss out on “Day 8″?