School is in Session

Sorry it has been so long since we last blogged.  Unfortunately our 3 month vacation had to come to an end and we actually had to work so we are not quite sure what to do with ourselves!  That being said we were excited to get started and find out what we got ourselves into.

My school started with opening ceremonies where the students lined up in the gym and listened to the principal and vice principal talk for about an hour and a half.  After that there were no classes so I sat in the teachers room and started planning lessons with my fellow Japanese English teachers.  My desk is right next to Mr. Ayukawa's.  He is the head English teacher at Himeji High School and one of the funniest men I have ever met.  He always has jokes for me and Audrey.  He only met Audrey once but he is completely infatuated with her so every time he tells me a joke he says, "Now go home and try it on your wife, then report back to me with what she says."  Then the next day like clock work... before he even sits down he says, "You tell Audrey?  What did she say?"  Yesterday's joke was, "What kind of animal do you have to keep an eye on during an exam?"  After he asks me he then makes me say "UNCLE" in order for him to tell me the answer.  So I say uncle and he says, " a Cheetah"  and with his thick Japanese accent I can tell it kind of sounds like "Cheater" so I get a pretty good laugh out of it. So most of my day was filled with meeting the other staff members and some students in the hallways.  Meeting these students for the first time is quite an experience.  Most of the time they walk by and say "Hello" and then I would respond with "Hi" or "Hello, how are you?" and they would start giggling and run away.  It is the strangest thing!  So Mr. Ayukawa and I just laugh and continue walking only for it to happen about 20 more times before we get back to the teachers area.  In the Japanese culture they are very bit on being present whether you have classes to teach or not.  So even though I may only teach two 45 minute classes a day it is important for me to be at school from 8:20 to 4:15 everyday.  This is a far cry from school at home where we would get to school 30 minutes before school started (on a good day) and leave 30 minutes after it ended and take work home with us.  Instead teachers here usually get to school at 8:15 and leave anywhere between 5 and 7 that night, even though school got out at 3:20.  Audrey's school is very similar in many ways.  While her days are much like mine she had a little bit more excitement on Monday during opening ceremonies.  Her school asked her to give a speech in front of the whole school, teachers and students alike.  Just as she introduced herself the students thought that what she was saying was pretty funny and started giggling, which was not exactly what she wanted to hear at that moment.  After her speech one of her fellow Japanese English teachers announces to the entire school that she is only 24 years old and the youngest teacher at the school.  Then he proceeded to try and get the students to repeat after him and say "Hi, Audrey Sensei" but only a handful of students actually followed along and then their was an awkward silence.  

After school we have been enjoying the cooler weather and taking bike rides around town.  The castle is only about a 10 minute bike ride away so we ride over there as much as possible and enjoy the scenery.  Last night we had game night at the Shirasagi Residence and we played Scrabble.  Sophie, one of the other teachers daughter and two women from the university (where we teach on Wednesdays) were there along with their children.  It was nice to spend time with them outside of class and see them put their English skills to the test in Scrabble.  Each of us native speakers teamed up with a local woman and had a great time.  We are truly enjoying our time here and love building relationships with those around us.  The rest of this week  will probably be pretty slow as we are getting into the swing of things at school but we look forward to sharing our upcoming adventures with you!

Ummm.... Okay..... I was a little hesitant but if you say so

The leaves of the trees are already changing... we are about to experience our first real Autumn!

Pictures just dont do this castle justice... it is breath taking.

Here it is all lit up at night... I love it!