Culture Shock at its Finest: Silver Week

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Silver Week (Sunday)

Since I am shutup in my apartment due to a typhoon, I have had unexpected free time. YAY. So this means I can do more uploading of pictures.

Wow... my English has gotten so bad.

Please follow this link to see pictures from Silver Week (Sunday)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2108524&id=71004761&l=27f8af4901

You're welcome.

So more people check my Facebook photos than my blog so my photos will more than likely be posted on Facebook and a link will be posted here.

Please follow this link to see the first two days of my 5-day vacation in Tokyo with my Mom and sister, Andrea.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2107887&id=71004761&l=f50af60c83

I am currently busy preparing mid-term exams and I have 2 business trips coming up. October is gonna be CRAZY! AND there's the Sports Festival later this month. I hope...

Here is a preview of the pictures.

Festival in Meguro with my host family, the Sasahiras.

Going shopping for teapots

At the conbini (convenience store). So many drinks to choose from...

People and Places

The Sasahiras - The summer before my senior year of HS, I did a 6-week homestay in Tokyo with this family. We have kept a great relationship over the years and now that I am back in Japan, I have enjoyed going "home" on long weekends.

Kiyomi - Music Teacher at Nishiko. She comes to my place on Wednesday nights for Conversation Lessons.

The Hidakas - my Aunt Keiko's family: Uncle Nobi and cousins Hiro and Seiko. They live in Kamakura, Kanagawa-ken.

The Islands - Japan has 4 islands: Hokkaido, Honshu (main), Shikoku, and Kyushu. These are listed from north to south.

Shizuoka - the prefecture (state equivalent) where I live.

Shimizu - the town where I live (approximately 68,000 people)

Nishiko - West High School, where I work. WESTSIDE!

JUSCO - Think 2 floor Target with a bowling alley on the 3rd.

U-Mart - Supermarket near my apartment.

Pion - This is Japan's Pier One and just as expensive. It is a tempting 2 minute walk from my apartment.

100 yen shop - This is Japan's dollar store only the quality of the products are worthy of Wal-Mart. There is one even closer to my house than Pion.

Helpful Acronyms and Abbreviations

JET Programme - Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme. This is the organization through which I got my job in Japan.

CLAIR - Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. Another JET organization that publishes a lot of stuff that comes to my desk.

ALT - Assistant Language Teacher. This is my official job title but it is certainly a misnomer. I am not the assistant... I am THE teacher: I plan the lessons, I create the worksheets, I make the copies, I make the midterm and the final exam, and I do this for 17 classes which = 640 students a week.

OC - Oral Communication

JTE - Japanese Teacher of English.

Culture Shock at its Finest

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Silver Week (Sunday)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Silver Week (Friday and Saturday)

Cambodia 2011

Things that do not exist in Japan.

People and Places

Helpful Acronyms and Abbreviations

Blogs I Read... A LOT

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