Just another day at the office...
Since I am just getting started with this blogging business, I thought an insight into my daily life might be in order... Working in an English conversation school in Tokyo is impossible to truly describe. After four years, my students still never fail to amaze me, just when I think I really heard or seen it it all, a student says something that completely floors me; I thought you might appreciate some of the classics:
Me: (looking at an innocent picture of a cabaret bar) So, what can you tell me about this picture?
Middle aged female student: Ah, yes, they are in a bar and the waitresses are servicing the men...
That one made me laugh so hard I actually thought I would fall off my chair, the smile was wiped off my face fairly quickly when the student asked me why she couldn`t say "servicing"
Me: So, what kind of questions can we ask about a football match that we missed on TV?
30 something female student: Uhm.... Who was pointed...?
In the VOICE room which is for practicing conversation, not studying the book... "So what are we talking about this afternoon?" Middle aged female student who is hard of hearing and of questionable sanity " Jesus Christ came. Last lesson"
Me: So, what can we do to be healthier?
Retired male student: Oh, you should eat leather....
Then there was the time that I asked a student how he had been since I hadn`t seen him in a while. He told me that he had been in hospital, but not to worry it was relatively common in Japan but he didn`t know the word for it. Unfortunately he then decided to describe his condition in intimate detail, and I do mean intimate. It turned out to be hemorrhoids...
Just today, when I asked a pharmacy student what she did at university, she told me that in experiment class, she practiced making medicine to "take from hole of hip". Obviously I was absolutely baffled. It turned out that she was talking about a suppository, and it was down to me to teach her the correct anatomical vocabulary. I love my job...
It was reasonably quiet today which was a bit of a surprise for a Saturday, I really object to working on Saturdays, unfortunately though, they are the busiest day of the week so I will get Saturdays off when Hell freezes over, and possibly not even then. Usually it`s all kids in, but I think they are all on holiday because I didn`t have to teach any which was marvellous. As I write this I am watching episodes of Red Dwarf - series 1. Brings back some memories, I can tell you, unfortunately, it doesn`t bring back any memories of this morning, which seems to have been inexplicably erased from my brain. Weird that. Perhaps I need another cup of tea.
I have a lot to do this weekend, I`m singing a duet from Pergolesi`s Stabat Mater with Nancy tomorrow morning at church. I didn`t want to do it but the choir is on holiday until September and we need offertory music, Shiozawa-san the director of the choir told me I had to do a solo, and I said I`d rather not. To which he said "Ok you can do a duet with Nancy" It wasn`t quite what I had in mind but it`s too late to get out of it now... I wouldn`t mind but it`s really hard and it feels like we`ve hardly rehearsed at all. I suppose I`d better make sure I don`t go to bed at my customary 2 in the morning and get some proper sleep!
After church I have a Pastor Search Committee meeting, it`s all very secret so I can`t say anything about it. Not that you`d want to hear, I shouldn`t think, it`s all very dull really, essentially we are trying to find a new pastor for our church because the last one`s contract expired and by mutual agreement, we decided he wouldn`t renew it. When I say "we" I mean the congregation, of course. Anyway, somehow I found myself on this committee and then I found myself chairing it. Now *that* is a laugh. In the next few weeks we will have a couple of pastors over here for visits and we will interview them and see them do a worship service, then we have to choose one of them. I wish it was all over, I am seriously sick of it. There`s no real explanation for why it`s a load of old rubbish but it is. I told my house group how I was feeling because they always ask me about it, and they told me not to be a wuss! They are right, of course, I simply must see it through til the end, but honestly, it is *such* a massive chore. I had a nightmare about it last night which involved loads of chasing around after bits of paper and running for phone calls, Kana was in it too, for some reason she had turned up at church to wait for me but this meeting ran on and on and she was being a total bitch, which is funny because she is the nicest person.
After that, I am going to Tony and Guy on the second most expensive street in the world. Tokyo Union Church is on Omotesando, next door to Louis Vuitton, up the road from Dior and Emporio Armani, Chanel are there somewhere, along with Tag Heuer and Hanae Mori. Absolutely ghastly. Apparently Armani objected the queues of homeless men who come for the weekly homeless lunch on Saturdays... Sucks to be them - I suggested we ask their staff to lunch as well!! Anyway, I have an appointment to have my hair cut with the lovely Jun; very handsome, very charming and knows exactly how to get his own way with my hair! Perhaps I`ll get a photo of him tomorrow and post it for everyone, although if I do that, everyone will want to see him, and I won`t be able to get an appointment!
After that it will be an hour on the train to get home and a trip to the local laundrette... Life in Tokyo; one big old hurrah.
Today`s photo opportunity:
February 2006 - Still not really very friendly with the digital camera...
Me: (looking at an innocent picture of a cabaret bar) So, what can you tell me about this picture?
Middle aged female student: Ah, yes, they are in a bar and the waitresses are servicing the men...
That one made me laugh so hard I actually thought I would fall off my chair, the smile was wiped off my face fairly quickly when the student asked me why she couldn`t say "servicing"
Me: So, what kind of questions can we ask about a football match that we missed on TV?
30 something female student: Uhm.... Who was pointed...?
In the VOICE room which is for practicing conversation, not studying the book... "So what are we talking about this afternoon?" Middle aged female student who is hard of hearing and of questionable sanity " Jesus Christ came. Last lesson"
Me: So, what can we do to be healthier?
Retired male student: Oh, you should eat leather....
Then there was the time that I asked a student how he had been since I hadn`t seen him in a while. He told me that he had been in hospital, but not to worry it was relatively common in Japan but he didn`t know the word for it. Unfortunately he then decided to describe his condition in intimate detail, and I do mean intimate. It turned out to be hemorrhoids...
Just today, when I asked a pharmacy student what she did at university, she told me that in experiment class, she practiced making medicine to "take from hole of hip". Obviously I was absolutely baffled. It turned out that she was talking about a suppository, and it was down to me to teach her the correct anatomical vocabulary. I love my job...
It was reasonably quiet today which was a bit of a surprise for a Saturday, I really object to working on Saturdays, unfortunately though, they are the busiest day of the week so I will get Saturdays off when Hell freezes over, and possibly not even then. Usually it`s all kids in, but I think they are all on holiday because I didn`t have to teach any which was marvellous. As I write this I am watching episodes of Red Dwarf - series 1. Brings back some memories, I can tell you, unfortunately, it doesn`t bring back any memories of this morning, which seems to have been inexplicably erased from my brain. Weird that. Perhaps I need another cup of tea.
I have a lot to do this weekend, I`m singing a duet from Pergolesi`s Stabat Mater with Nancy tomorrow morning at church. I didn`t want to do it but the choir is on holiday until September and we need offertory music, Shiozawa-san the director of the choir told me I had to do a solo, and I said I`d rather not. To which he said "Ok you can do a duet with Nancy" It wasn`t quite what I had in mind but it`s too late to get out of it now... I wouldn`t mind but it`s really hard and it feels like we`ve hardly rehearsed at all. I suppose I`d better make sure I don`t go to bed at my customary 2 in the morning and get some proper sleep!
After church I have a Pastor Search Committee meeting, it`s all very secret so I can`t say anything about it. Not that you`d want to hear, I shouldn`t think, it`s all very dull really, essentially we are trying to find a new pastor for our church because the last one`s contract expired and by mutual agreement, we decided he wouldn`t renew it. When I say "we" I mean the congregation, of course. Anyway, somehow I found myself on this committee and then I found myself chairing it. Now *that* is a laugh. In the next few weeks we will have a couple of pastors over here for visits and we will interview them and see them do a worship service, then we have to choose one of them. I wish it was all over, I am seriously sick of it. There`s no real explanation for why it`s a load of old rubbish but it is. I told my house group how I was feeling because they always ask me about it, and they told me not to be a wuss! They are right, of course, I simply must see it through til the end, but honestly, it is *such* a massive chore. I had a nightmare about it last night which involved loads of chasing around after bits of paper and running for phone calls, Kana was in it too, for some reason she had turned up at church to wait for me but this meeting ran on and on and she was being a total bitch, which is funny because she is the nicest person.
After that, I am going to Tony and Guy on the second most expensive street in the world. Tokyo Union Church is on Omotesando, next door to Louis Vuitton, up the road from Dior and Emporio Armani, Chanel are there somewhere, along with Tag Heuer and Hanae Mori. Absolutely ghastly. Apparently Armani objected the queues of homeless men who come for the weekly homeless lunch on Saturdays... Sucks to be them - I suggested we ask their staff to lunch as well!! Anyway, I have an appointment to have my hair cut with the lovely Jun; very handsome, very charming and knows exactly how to get his own way with my hair! Perhaps I`ll get a photo of him tomorrow and post it for everyone, although if I do that, everyone will want to see him, and I won`t be able to get an appointment!
After that it will be an hour on the train to get home and a trip to the local laundrette... Life in Tokyo; one big old hurrah.
Today`s photo opportunity:
February 2006 - Still not really very friendly with the digital camera...
Labels: Nice Photos, TUC, Work
posted by OrientBird | 8:37 pm
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