A really long post about some things

My mother pointed out in an e-mail this morning that since my post about the approaching typhoon the blog has fallen silent. However, the typhoon merely brushed across the Ise-Shima peninsula on its way to Tokyo. On its course it left at least one dead, another missing and several others injured.

All is well in Ise, then, although it has been raining off an on in the last few days making bicycle travel an uncomfortable affair.

As of Monday of this week my marathon run of self-introduction lessons is over. I teach with eight classes this term, so that means I introduce myself eight times. Most teachers wanted me to use the full period for this task, so some creativity is required.

After some trial and error, I have settled on what I plan to use in the future. First, I hand out a sheet with questions about me and make a quick introduction speech covering only the basics. The students mark the answers they hear and/or slip into a boredom coma. Then I announce that the students will have a chance to ask me any question they would like.

The students then work in pairs to generate ideas for questions. After a few minutes of this, the press conference begins. They ask about hobbies (photography), whether or not I have a girlfriend (nope), what kind of Japanese food I like (just about all of it), whether I know about famous American track and field stars (nope), or what kind of music a like (Jazz?).

If there is more time, I usually try to engage some of the students in conversation about themselves, perhaps based on their own self-introduction sheet that they are asked to fill out.

This works much better than me talking for a long time and expecting them to follow along. Getting the students involved somehow -- forcing them to think of a question -- makes for a dynamic atmosphere and keeps everyone but the super-slacker crowd interested until the bell rings.

Although it can be good for the ego to be the center of attention for 50 minutes, I am glad to be done with self intros for now. In the spring when the new first-year students come in, I will get to try it again a few times, perhaps with a new spin. I would like to somehow incorporate more photos, but only one classroom I work in has the ability to display photos in a way that students will all be able to see them.

The commercial track and computer track classes each have 40 students, while the the international track classes are split into 20-student groups. Naturally the smaller classes are easier to work with, and it helps that the international track students are generally more enthusiastic about learning in general and learning English specifically.

The commercial and computer classes are more difficult both because of the class size and because many students do not seem to be interested at all in English. Whether or not these classes feel like a success depends heavily on the classroom atmosphere, which depends heavily on the Japanese teacher of English, because the classes have already been meeting together for a term before I arrived (this is the middle of the school year). But once I get more of a feel for what I am doing here I am sure I can play a larger role in the classroom atmosphere, hopefully figuring out ways to engage more of the students (some students I am sure are never going to change their attitude, but others probably could if prompted somehow).

Outside of work things are also fine. It is still humid and hot, but not as hot as when we first arrived. As September fades we should see a shift into more comfortable temperatures and therefore a shift into a more comfortable everything.

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And now, partially to organize my own thoughts and partially in response to feedback from my parents, I will attempt to outline the pros and cons of car-buying.

THE MAIN CON IS ...

The cost, obviously. First, you must buy said car. You must may insurance every year. You must pay a vehicle inspection fee. You must buy gas. While I do not have a good estimate for how much this would be, it definitely falls within an average JET budget. Of course not spending any money on a car would mean available funds for other things, like traveling (by train!) or going out on the town (karaoke nights build up).

A SORT-OF CON IS ...

The rules, and things. First, in Japan, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is also flopped. Also, phantom one-way streets that Japanese drivers seem to know about tend to surprise some foreign motorists. Also, while in the states you can go out for a beer and be OK to drive, the legal blood alcohol limit in Japan is zero, meaning that if you are driving you not drinking at all -- not even a sip would be wise. But these are small concerns, in that after I while I would get used to driving here, and not driving to bar excursions is a good habit anyway. At other times I could be the responsible designated driver and save money by having an iced coffee instead of a beer.

ANOTHER SORT-OF CON IS ...

The laziness factor. The fact is without a car I do a lot of walking and cycling. This is surely good for my health. If I had a car, would I use it for a lot of the small to medium trips even though a bike would be fine? Would I completely stop using the bike or walking? Hard to say exactly how I would use the car or how I would balance the car-bike situation, but it is certainly a concern.

SOME PROS ARE ...

Commuting! I live pretty close to school ... about a 10-minute bike ride. But sometimes it is either really really really hot and humid or pouring down rain. Rain is more survivable because I can wear a rain jacket or walk with an umbrella, but the summer heat is brutal. On the worst days you pretty much have to expect to be drenched in sweat by the time you get to school and then you hopefully brought some extra clothes or you will be dreadfully uncomfortable all day.

The staff room may be air-conditioned, but most classrooms are not. So the bottom line is I could drive to school when the conditions make driving to school the best option.

Getting around. This is obvious. With a car you can drive places. My mom asked if the public transport is insufficient. Well, sort-of. I am about a 15-minute bike ride from the two train stations in town (I do not know why they are so close to each other ... literally a four minute walk from each other). The train grid in Mie is great for getting around Mie or getting out of Mie, but it does not get you all around Ise. The key here -- and perhaps broadly this is the overall pro -- is freedom and flexibility to go where I want when I want, a luxury I enjoyed in the US. The question is do I really want to pay for it?

I can survive without a car, no question about it. But it would make things easier.

At this point I am not pushing for buying a car, I am simply outlining some factors. Most of the advice I have received on the subject suggests waiting it out for a bit, which I think is a good idea. But I would want to figure it out before the year is up because by then I would have to get a Japanese licence, which allegedly can be difficult.

Longest post ever. It is over. Carry on.