Cultural Extravaganza

Last weekend, West met East met West. Culture within culture. It was fantastic…

My day began with meeting Ellen (who’s from New Zealand and is an experienced world traveler and ESL teacher) at the Tokyo National Museum. Ellen and I were on the same plane from Los Angeles to Tokyo, but didn’t meet until we were checking in with the Westgate staff at the airport. We chatted again at the orientation and agreed we should try to get together. Soon a date was set.

We met outside the museum, which took me just over an hour to reach, via two trains and 25 minutes of walking to and from the stations.

Field trip!

It was a beautiful spring day, so we decided to take a walk around a nearby lake that is part of the spacious Ueno Park. The park also encompasses several shrines and temples, five museums, a zoo, several restaurants and a Starbucks. After our walk, we indulged in this comforting dose of familiarity.

Different language, same java.

Our priorities addressed, we headed back to the museum. The museum’s brochure says, “It’s the oldest and largest in Japan, and preserves the nation’s most outstanding collection of cultural properties in terms of both quality and number.” There were artifacts dating back to the 400s and many were from other parts of Asia. Photos of some of the exhibits were allowed.

There was a display of ancient armor and weaponry dating from the 500s, excavated from an area in northern China, thoroughly rusted after being encased in earth for hundreds of years. What wars had their bearers been engaged in and with whom? What was their knowledge of other peoples? How was it that I was looking at that battle gear 1500 years later?

Museums enchant me. That so much history, spanning millennia and cultures can be collected in one place astounds me. And to consider all of the museums around the world that house untold variety and numbers of items is astounding.

After a few hours of viewing, Ellen and I were museum fatigued. And I needed to switch cultural gears and get ready for a concert being held in another part of Tokyo that night…

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Earlier in the week, the Dokkyo English teachers had been invited by some of our students to attend their Spring orchestra concert. One of my students, Nanako, had given me a ticket after class the week before. She was one of a few other orchestra members greeting guests at the concert hall doors, and seemed so happy to see me. It was wonderful to support her and make this connection with her, outside of our usual class.

The concert was beyond my expectations. The orchestra played “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” Overture, by Rossini, “L’Arlésienne”, by Bizet and Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 “The Great.” I was so impressed by the professionalism and quality of the orchestra and their performance. I felt immensely proud of my students and was very happy to see another aspect of their lives.

The teachers and one of our EC students, whose friend was the student-conductor for the first half of the concert.

Dokkyo University Orchestra

After the concert, we went to a restaurant where we took our shoes off and sat on low benches in a long, dark, cozy booth. It was the perfect conclusion to an evening of listening to a Japanese orchestra play Western, classical music. As I rode the train home that night, I enjoyed the new layer of richness that had been added to my life.

I Love My Job

Finally, the good stuff – a post about teaching in Japan!

This is my third week at Dokkyo University and it’s been great. I can tell this term is going to fly! I only have seven weeks to go, which seems unbelievable since I feel like I just got here.

The schedule is a bit crazy: I leave my apartment at 8:45 a.m. and don’t get home until almost 8:00 p.m.; later if I need to stop by the grocery store. Fortunately, we don’t have any classes on the weekends.

Taking the train is easy – just read this schedule! (The station where my day begins.)

My morning train – the 9:04.

Exiting the train station for Dokkyo. (The mascot welcomes you!)

The classes are extra-curricular and the students are highly motivated to do well. I teach a “Pre-Intermediate” level and most students are fairly advanced in their English ability. (The instructors at Dokkyo teach three levels: Basic, Pre-Intermediate and Advanced.) We teach eight, 40-minute classes (including “English Challenge” classes, described later), and have three breaks during the day, which includes lunch. There is a ten-minute gap between classes. We teach the same lesson all day (depending on the level) but a new lesson every day.

It’s a lovely walk to the school grounds from the train station.

It takes about ten minutes to get to my building.

School grounds.

Tree-lined path next to the soccer fields.

The campus is sprawling, accommodating over 9000 students.

The building where I teach.

The cafeteria. The food is good with standard Japanese selections – rice, noodles, chicken, soup, vegetables and curry. There is also a bakery, a convenience store and a cafe on campus.

No more than 12 students are assigned to each class (a Westgate policy), and I usually have about seven or eight. Each class size varies, as students can come to another class time during the day if they can’t make the one to which they’ve been assigned. This course is moderately intensive in that the students are scheduled to come to class every day of the week for the full 40 minutes.

My classroom is very small, but we make it work and the students don’t seem uncomfortable with the close quarters.

My teeny tiny classroom. (The other classrooms are not this small.)

Westgate has a very specific and detailed curriculum for each level, and a method in which they want us to teach the material. We all took an online training course to learn this method, and also received more training at our orientation. But we’re also encouraged to use our own ideas and creativity within the structure of the lesson. Teaching in China during the 2010-2011 school year, taking the TEFL course in Boulder last fall, and volunteering in an ESL program in Denver, provided a great foundation for this work. I’ve also learned so much through the Westgate program, and it has helped me continue to develop my teaching style.

Classes usually range in size from just a few students…

…to eight or so. 12 students have crammed into this room, but that has only happened once. Practicing conversation skills – the focus of the class.

These students have had six years of English instruction in junior and senior high school (a standard requirement in Japanese schools), but have received little, if any, conversational English instruction from a native English teacher. Westgate contracts with Japanese universities to provide them with those teachers who will offer that conversational opportunity.

The students are freshmen, sophomores and juniors, many majoring in English or Economics. Some are pursuing travel, tourism and international degrees. Many are also taking other language classes, such as Spanish, German, French and Chinese. Most of them have dreams of working abroad, and some already have plans to study in the U.S. later this year. There are several who have lived or traveled in the U.S. and other countries.

Wonderful students.

In addition to these classes, we also lead one or two (depending on the day) “English Challenge” classes a day. These classes are more informal and allow for extra practice time. There are several non-traditional students, retirees and working adults who come. Our regular students are not required to attend these, but some do anyway. EC is enjoyable because I get to know another group of Japanese students and it provides a change of pace during the day.

An English Challenge class.

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My students are absolutely delightful. They are charming, shy, sweet, gentle, funny, smart, talented and motivated. The weekdays are very busy, but for me it’s a good busy. Although I feel tired from being “on” all day, I also feel energized by the positive interactions that occur with my students on a regular basis. I’m so fortunate to have this opportunity to be a welcomed guest in another fascinating culture, working with another group of amazing, beautiful people.

My Neighborhood in Kasukabe

My sweet little apartment is situated in a compact area, within easy distance to everything I need. The train station is a leisurely ten-minute walk, the grocery store a bit longer. There is a 7-11 convenience store nearby, and my running route starts right outside my door and leads to a path by a river.

I love living here and feel very content. The area is quiet and it feels good to return to my nook at the end of the day.

My apartment building. The front area is for recycling and garbage pick-up.

The city I live in is called Kasukabe (pronounced “kaskabee“) and the train station is Takesato Station.

Small, two-story houses line the narrow streets.

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Most of the homes are well-kept, with plants and trees decorating the front.

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Some houses are built in traditional Japanese style, with walls in front and peaked roofs.

Some are more modern and colorful.

There are several businesses within the neighborhood and close to the train station.

Restaurants, cleaners and convenience stores are nearby.

The road that leads to the train station.

Businesses near the station; a few taxis are often lined up in this area.

Takesato Station.

My “to” and “from” point.

I’m now in a happy routine. I leave my apartment about 8:45 to catch the train. The 25-minute ride to Dokkyo University is a good time to relax, listen to my mp3 player and people-watch – always entertaining and interesting.

I’ll give more details about the school, students and teaching in my next post!

Apartment Living in Japan

 “Home is like a shadow, it will always follow me. And so it is, after I move, home is where I’ll be.”

~Nicole L.V. Jaeger

I’ve laid my head in many places: In my tent and a few shelters along my beloved A.T.; tea houses in Nepal; fancy hotels in India, China and New York City; a not-so-fancy apartment in Shijiazhuang, where I taught last year; a university dorm in London; U.S. Forest Service housing in Alaska, and a campground near Denali; under the stars in the Colorado backcountry; teepees and rustic bunkhouses during summers working at a backpacking ranch; many hostels and inns; numerous apartments and a condo; friends’ guest rooms, and my parents’ basement bedroom.

And in all of these places, I’ve settled in and taken ownership, if even for one night. Dark, quiet, flat and warm seem to be all I require to feel at home.

And now I sleep on a futon in an apartment in a city north of Tokyo I never heard of before I came to Japan. Have jammies, will travel.

During my interview with Hikaru, she mentioned that “everything is small” in Japan, when we were talking about the living arrangements. I knew she wasn’t joking but I didn’t exactly know what she meant. Small compared to what? To what people in the U.S. would consider small? But I wasn’t scared! Ha. I’m the master of small living. No phone, no pool, no pets (apologies to Roger Miller). I’d often felt that my 650-square foot condo was bigger than my needs required. I’ve slept in a one-person tent for months at a time, but that was just for sleeping and trail living.

When I walked into my new apartment here in Kasukabe, I understood better what Hikaru meant. I felt as if the small-living gods had thrown down the gauntlet. OK, you want a small space? Here you are. But we’ll toss in a loft just in case you start to get a little twitchy and need some extra “space.”

Welcome to my latest abode:

My hallway.

A Japanese custom.

The tiny shoe closet is right next to the front door.

The washing machine. Clothes are hung to dry.

My kind of kitchen. :)

The perfect fridge.

The bathroom is to the right; Western toilet and small tub (can’t stretch my legs out) with shower.

I sleep on the futon – another Japanese custom – and I sleep great.

The ladder leads to the loft.

The loft is high enough for me to sit up, but I prefer staying below.

I love living here. I’m very comfortable and so appreciate the spareness and simplicity of this lifestyle. Soon, I’ll show some photos of my neighborhood…

Orientation

On Saturday, Westgate held an orientation for all of the 2012 Spring term teachers. I continue to be impressed by the efficiency and organization of this company. They’ve been so appreciative of the teachers who are here. “Welcome and welcome back!” they told us several times. We had assigned seats and new teachers were paired with returning teachers. This was especially helpful during our discussions. We were able to talk with the veterans about what to expect, discuss lesson planning, class dynamics, and anything else related to teaching and living in Japan. Chris, the teacher I sat next to, was back for his fourth term. (There is a spring and a fall term each year.) I met another man who’s been teaching for nine years – 18 terms! Almost half of the teachers present were returning instructors. The ones I spoke with all raved about the program and based on my experience so far, I understand why. The Westgate staff are extremely helpful and nice. Everyone seems to be on the same page and there is a sense of camaraderie among the leaders.

Teacher orientation in Tokyo.

The teaching materials are detailed, with many resources available on our instructor website. In addition to this, we were given a thick binder with more materials. We have to teach specific topics already established, but we can use the materials provided to structure those lessons.

All of the teachers I’ve met are quite experienced, many having taught in other countries before coming to Japan. A few have degrees in TESOL (Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages) and some will soon be going back to school for masters degrees. Some have degrees in other disciplines but have made the transition to teaching ESL.

There are four other teachers who will be at Dokkyo University where I’ve been assigned: Alex, is from England, has a master’s degree in history and taught English in Germany for four years. Peter is also from England and has been teaching ESL for about 20 years in other locations. This is his second term with Westgate. Jaime is from Michigan and is planning on getting an advanced degree related to genetics. She has taught in Spain for several years. Colm is our go-to guy. He is from Ireland and has taught with Westgate for four terms. He has been incredibly helpful in guiding us through the chaotic web of the train system in Tokyo. I’d still be wandering below the city if Colm had decided to abandon us on our first few trips.

The English teachers of Dokkyo University for the 2012 Spring term: Peter, Alex, Jaime, me & Colm.

During the break at the orientation, a group of us went to a small, local restaurant for lunch. It was nice to visit with a few teachers and learn about the schools they’d been assigned to.

Marie is from San Diego and is finishing her masters degree in TESOL, Literacy and Culture. She has great energy and I know her students will love her.

Noodles, bean sprouts, onion and a bit of meat. The food was so good!

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I had my first class on Tuesday and it went really well. It was great to meet my students – they are all so kind and polite. It’s nice to have jumped that hurdle. I’ll give an update on the this first completed week soon!