December 13, 2005 – The Office UK Christmas Special
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on December 13, 2015
I have been feeling a little depressed lately, mainly due to the fact that I am stuck in Japan for Christmas instead of spending time at home with my family.
To cheer myself up, I have been watching The Office (the UK version), which is one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen. I recently learned that there was a Christmas special set one year after the show ended.
The Office is known for its awkward, uncomfortable humour that usually promises no happy endings at all (like real life). The Christmas special actually finished with a happy ending that had me smiling from ear to ear. I didn’t realize how much I needed something to make me smile.
December 12, 2005 – Best class ever!
Posted by Barniferous in Teaching English on December 12, 2015
Today I was working at my old branch in Mishima as part of a shift swap. I has a kids class that was scheduled for 5 young kids (3-6 years old). However, NOVA has been running a promotion where your child can bring a friend to a NOVA kids lesson for free. In addition to the 5 paying children, I had 3 visitors. This should have been a recipe for total disaster, but I somehow managed to give the BEST kids class I have ever taught in my entire time being an English teacher. I have no idea why things went so well, but the whole experience was fantastic.
There was no crying, no throwing stuff, no attempts to kancho the teacher, and no fighting. The regular kids all tried to help the visitors by showing them everything from what to say when they entered the classroom to helping them write their names in English on the workbook pages.
I will never have a better kids class than this one. The bar has been raised. And for all the complaining I do about NOVA kids, this was one of the few very pleasant surprises.
December 11, 2005 – New monitor
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan on December 11, 2015
Today I went to Hard Off (giggle) and bought a HUGE computer monitor to upgrade my in room entertainment system. My new monitor is 20 inches and replaces my 14 inch monitor. It only cost 13,000 yen (about $130) and comes with a 3 month warranty. The warranty may come in handy as the monitor appears like it is ready to self destruct.
For those interested, my entertainment system consists of:
- A VCR (bought from another teacher in Hello House super cheap)
- Playstation 2 (purchased new in Kawasaki)
- My computer (purchased used in central Tokyo)
- The aforementioned 20″ computer monitor
- An upscan converter allowing me to connect all of those devices to my monitor
- A small stereo to handle all of the audio (my first major purchase in Japan)
Being able to stay at home with movies or games is a great way for me to save money and keep sane.
(2015 note) Flat screen monitors were still not common in 2005. My 20″ monitor was a big, heavy CRT model, and was large for a computer monitor at the time. Carrying it back from the store sucked.
December 9, 2005 – Christmas party aftermath
Posted by Barniferous in Drinking, Life in Japan on December 9, 2015
Everyone was hungover.
December 8, 2005 – NOVA Christmas party
Posted by Barniferous in Friends and coworkers, Life in Japan on December 8, 2015
Tonight was the Numazu Nova Christmas staff party!
Over the past few months there have been a lot of parties involving some combination of teachers, staff, or students. In almost every single one there has been some argument, complaint about work, complaint about other coworkers, or someone overindulging. Tonight was different – everyone went out and had a great time. It was one of the most fun and most positive outings in a long time.
Like every other party, we started out in an izakaya and ended up at karaoke. People left through the evening, but I am proud to say that I closed out the evening singing Christmas songs (poorly) with Vivian.
A great time was had by all!
December 3, 2005 – Vitamin drinks
Posted by Barniferous in Teaching English on December 3, 2015
My voice recovered enough from yesterday to the point where I could make enough intelligible sounds to teach English. To ensure I made it through the day, I drank nothing but hot tea and vitamin loaded energy drinks. Fortunately in Japan both of these are very easy to come by.
December 2, 2005 – Dolphin squeaks
Posted by Barniferous in Teaching English on December 2, 2015
I had absolutely no voice today, so couldn’t go to work. The only sounds that I could make sounded like weak dolphin squeaks, and there is not much demand for squeaking English to dolphins.
I did feel pretty good otherwise.
December 1, 2005 – December already!?
Posted by Barniferous in Teaching English on December 1, 2015
How is it December already??
I have been fighting a cold lately, which seems to be a common ailment for English teachers. I was starting to lose my voice at the start of the shift, and the 3 kids classes on my schedule pretty much finished me off.
November 25, 2005 – Expert bicycle repair
Posted by Barniferous in Life in Japan, The Penpal on November 25, 2015
Since I have been living in Numazu, the bicycle that I have been borrowing from The Penpal has become an important way for me to get around town. As with any form of transportation, bicycles need occasional maintenance. In the past week I have been battling with one leaky tire, and in the past few days my other tire went flat. It was time to get some help.
I didn’t know where to begin, so I called The Penpal. She did some research for me, and found a small bike repair shop within about a 15 minute walk from my apartment. She also helped me practice the Japanese I would need to ask for bicycle repair.
I carefully walked my bike with its two flat tires to a small store named Adachi. If I didn’t know what I was looking for, I could have easily passed right by. Adachi is run by a very friendly looking older man. I greeted him in Japanese and told him that both of my tires were flat, and asked if he could please fix them. He brought over a small wooden stool so I could sit, and then he went to work on my bicycle.
Watching him work was a treat. This was someone who had obviously spent many years working on bicycles and motorcycles. Every movement was careful and deliberate, with the expertise that only years of experience can bring. I was reminded of the scene in Toy Story 2 where the expert is called in to fix Woody.
It turns out that there was a problem with a seal and / or the valve core (my language ability didn’t allow me to fully understand). After carefully replacing a few parts and inflating my tires everything looked as good as new. Not knowing what to expect for the repairs I had taken out quite a bit of cash, just to be safe. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the repair cost was only 500 yen (about $5). I thanked the man as politely as I could, and rode away smiling. It’s great to be back on my wheels again!
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