Double post

“The spring is sprung, the grass is ris’, now I wonder where the Robin is?”

Cherry blossoms outside my place

I don’t know where that came from.  When I was a child, my family would always go on a long trip by car, up to a 25 hour drive at one point, to my grandparent’s house.  There was this one sign with that odd little poem that was never taken down and it became a landmark of sorts for us.

That’s beside the point.  It is mid-spring in Tokyo now, and the cherry blossoms came and went in its usual, glorious fanfare.  The weather is slowly warming up to a very comfortable level now, but for some odd reason, I already miss the cold.  Don’t get me wrong, the cold this winter in this apartment was unbelievable.  It was almost like being outside.  There were plenty of mornings when the olive oil looked like orange juice concentrate because it had gelled up in the cold.

Asakusa

Lately it is still a struggle to survive on this income coupled with my wife’s.  Things are finally starting to look like home here and thank goodness we have an air conditioner now.  Last summer was god awful miserable with the humidity and heat.  Things we need to get still are a sofa, a microwave/toaster stand, a book shelf and a TV.  I have been without TV for almost a solid year, and I honestly don’t miss it that much.  I just want one to watch the movies.  Programming in the US was so horrible, that the commercials were often better than the show.  I got tired of paying to watch advertisement as well.

Work is going well, but the paycheck is irregular because of the long holidays.  The good news is, I got a promotion to be head teacher, and that pads my wallet a little bit, and I will be moonlighting soon with my first private student through a company that I had forgotten about applying with.

I would have to say.. all in all… that I am optimistic lately.

As for sight seeing, I went to Asakusa and inadvertently saw the new Skytree tower.  Its big, but honestly, I don't like the location being so close to the only traditional area in Tokyo.  To me it's like a giant middle finger to the area.

 

Skytree

 

2 months later….

Ok, I completely forgot to post that, so this is a double post.  Since its past memorial day (no such creature exists in Japan) I suppose it’s now summer.  So far the temperature is pleasant, being in the mid 70 range.  If its anything like my previous experience in Japan though, the weather will just get unbearably hot one day, and stay that way for a while.  Like someone hit a switch or something. 

Anyhow, I have just started taking Japanese lessons.  My Japanese ability is really strange, and on average, I think I am better than most in the class.  There are enough holes in my ability that it is still worth taking the lessons though.  The class is an interesting, and chaotic mix of people.

Student A:  Loves to talk and not really listen.  That’s my impression anyways.  Getting into a conversation is like a verbal arm wrestling match.  Individually has been in the class a long time, so has a standardized progression of ability.  Loves to boast!

Student B: A citizen of Costa Rica.  Good Japanese skill, but likes to monopolize teacher time by asking strange questions and occasionally venting his frustration on certain words.  Can’t stand that the USA is commonly referred to as アメリカ rather than the less used米国, being from Central America.  Can be inconsiderate to other students, but I get the feeling it’s not intentional.

Student C: Quiet American, who is pretty tight with A.  Her Japanese is pretty bad, and her pronunciation makes me cringe.  I guess we all have to start somewhere.

Student D: Very strange American.  Seems to have an inability to carry a conversation in English even. He is quite happy to ignore that other people exist.  Seems to have a hard time with directions as well.  Loves apple products though, and loves to show them to everyone.  He shows up with his Mac, Ipad, and I phone so everyone can look at it.  Impeccably dressed.

Student E: Usually late Jamaican.  Japanese is pretty bad, but not as bad as C.

Student F: Phillipino whose Japanese seems to be very similar to mine.  Some good fluency points, but with a ton of holes in it.  Generally inquisitive, well mannered and a good classmate. 

Student G: Phillipino whose Japanese is a little below mine but, like F, is inquisitive, polite and well mannered. 

Student H: Australian whose Japanese seems to rival C, but has a brilliant dry sense of humor and is considerate of others.

Student I: Angry Jamaican, that’s how it comes off anyways.  Actually nice, but seems to have a hard time with a group dynamic.  Good sense of humor though, which always is a plus.

There aren’t any people that I don’t like here, but the personalities clash, and definitely take away from the lesson.  A lot of time is just spent bickering.  There are only 2 or 3 in this class I would actually enjoy hanging out with though.  Its a touch of a pain to get to, being all the way in Yokohama, and the travel fee is a little steep because of Sotetsu line.  The class starts at 6pm and finishes at 7:30pm.  Then its Negishi line to Higashi-Kanagawa station, transfer to Yokohama line and ride it all the way home, where I take the bus.  I could walk, but I am so damn tired and it would actually take longer and leave me a sweaty mess.  I usually get home around 9:30pm if I don't goof off.

On a totally different note, I got another private student interview this Saturday.  If they accept it will mean another 3,000 yen an hour,  bringing me up to 24,000 yen a month extra.  Works for me.

View of Yokohama from my classroom.