it's not life that matters but the journey...

Just sitting here waiting for a big typhoon to come.  It poured rain all last night and this morning, and now is the calm before the storm.  Last time a typhoon was supposed to come through our area, it changed direction and never came - but today its very likely to hit Shizuoka on its way west.  So I won't be going to work tonight - even if the typhoon changes direction, the trains will probably stop running between here and Shizuoka, and I don't want to get stuck in some station somewhere!  I am actually glad for the break from teaching today.  I worked the last two nights, and tomorrow I have a very busy day tutoring and working, so today I will just read and rest.  Besides, I am feeling kind of icky anyway!

I am still laughing about Napoleon Dynamite - I watched it twice and just keep enjoying it in my head!  I wrote my favorite line on here the other day, but I realized that I wrote it wrong.  Next time anyone asks you what you are going to do today, answer like this: "Whatever I FEEL like I wanna do.  GOSH!" 

I hope the weather will improve so that we can climb Mt Fuji next week.  I have wanted to go there for awhile, and it should be a good time next week when kids go back to school. 

Yesterday I had a great time teaching, and I even enjoyed teaching the kindergarten kids - five 5-year-olds in a small classroom! Except that for the second time, one of the kids wouldn't come in the classroom because she was too scared.  She was crying so hard, and the other kids didn't understand why!   She finally came into the classroom and ended up having a good time, but then she cried again at the end because she forgot her notebook.  Honestly, I don't know why these parents insist that their kids go to English class when its so traumatic for them!  It makes me feel like a monster sometimes because the kids are afraid of anything new (and I am still substituting for the regular teacher).  But the other four kids were adorable and really had fun - one of them was helping me pick everything up after the class, and when I got hit by the little plastic ball, he asked me "Are you OK?"  they are cute!

but while I am talking about the school, I will post another gripe.  As I have said, I have been substituting for two other teachers lately, so I have been teaching students who I have not taught before.  I don't mind it, and as long as the kids don't cry, I enjoy meeting new students.  But apparently Naoko didn't tell the students that their regular teacher would be gone, so yesterday some of the students, even adults, were surprised to see a different teacher (me)..  Yesterday I got kind of mad because Naoko then felt she had to apologize to the students because Ailsa (the regular teacher) is gone.  It is almost as if I am not as good as the other teacher.  Why doesn't she apologize for the fact that she let all of her teachers take vacation at the same time, so that every class must experience a different teacher?  She should really just cancel the classes when a teacher is gone if she feels she has to apologize for using a substitute teacher.  Its humiliating!  I hate the Japanese tradition of apologizing for everything - they really do apologize for absolutely everything, even just for existing!!  Its annoying!  I want to say something to Naoko about how it makes me feel degraded, but I don't think she even knows that she is doing anything wrong.  so i will let it pass . . . 

I really love teaching, especially the students who enjoy learning, but I just don't like working with the owner of this school.  I had similar problems when I was teaching at the high school - its why Masahiko won't take a job with a company here.  Japanese are so hard to work with.  Though as students and friends, they are delightful!

anyway, enough complaining - I am off to read my difficult but interesting book on the history of philosophy, Sophie's World.  Its taking me a long time to read, but I am determined to get through it . . .