What do you eat everyday?
It depends on the day! For breakfast, I'm usually only awake enough to make some cereal. For lunch, I either make a sandwitch and bring it, or bring chicken noodle soup, or order a bento (a box lunch which contains rice, meat, and veggies). There happens to be a McDonalds two-minutes drive from my school, so if I somehow forget about lunch, I just drive on down to get some Shakka Shakka chicken (my favorite, but not sold in the US!) For dinner, I have many options. Eating out costs almost the same as eating in, and there are many delicious restaurants nearby. Of course there are sushi and Japanese restaurants aplenty, but when I'm in the mood for something different, there are numerous burger joints, Indian, Thai, Mexican, etc restaurants. I think the best meal I have had in Japan came from a tofu restaurant of all places. When I cook, I usually make curry and rice, stir-fry chicken, spaghetti, or gyoza (potstickers).
What is your routine?
On school days, I wake up around 7, and leave my apartment by 8. Officially, my school day is from 8:15 to 4. I have 8 classes a week, 5 first year classes (sophomores) with 40 students each, and one second year class (juniors) three times a week with 4 students. I plan each lesson, and I am responsible for leading the class. Officially, I am not allowed to teach without a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) present, but on a few occasions, I have taught by myself. I don't use any Japanese in class, however sometimes my JTE will have to translate. I am at a lower level academic school, but the kids still understand a good deal when they try. After school, I have Japanese classes two times a week, and the other days I spend with other ALTs nearby, or just catching up with friends back home. On weekends, I do a fair amount of traveling. There's always something to do because everyone here is very social and organizes some sort of event or get together. Hardly ever am I bored, in fact, sometimes I need to schedule some "alone time" to chill for a little.
Are the children well-behaved?
Ha. My school is just like high school back in America. I've heard from other ALTs that have visited my school that they are surprised by how relaxed the atmosphere is. Their schools are much more strict. Because Tosho is a lower level academic school, there's not as much pressure on the kids to get into a good college, or get good grades. So there is the usual talking and sleeping in class. Once a week, I go to a kindergarten. They are harder on the kids there, because those kids are aiming for a high academic track. So even though I am volunteering to teach there, my teaching is under more scrutiny, and I receive LOTS of feedback (you should control the class, you should do this differently, etc). Students in Japan tend to be VERY shy, so when I first got here, getting them to answer was like pulling teeth. Kids in Japan also do not want to stand out, so answering questions in front of the entire class is something they dread. All that aside, most kids try to say hi to me whenever they see me, and are always excited for my class (which is probably the only casual class they have).
How often do you interact with the Japanese teachers at your school? What is your relationship with them like?
Like I said, I teach each class with a JTE. So I work closely with three teachers. They have been very helpful, and one always invites me to events outside of school. It's nice to have those teachers when I don't know what the buttons on the copy machine say. I sit in the last row of the staff room, next to one of my JTEs. We get along just fine there. Nobody can see us, so he plays solitare and dozes off while I catch up with my friends on facebook (after my work is done of course ;-). I don't interact as much with the other teachers, but they have been nothing but helpful to me. Every teacher knows at least a few words in English, but most are afraid to talk to me. The Japanese always strive for perfection, and they hate making mistakes, so they would just rather not try to talk to me using English. We have work drinking parties (enkais) every so often, which is where everyone loosens up. That's when I can talk to most of the other teachers. Their English vastly improves when they are drunk. Well, their confidence at least. ;-)
