I haven't been riding my bicycle much lately. I rode it to the junior high school (23 km away) one day a few weeks ago. It was a really nice ride, and I got to see some of the elementary school students that I also teach on my way. They were all shocked to see me. I also rode the bicycle to church and then downtown Matsumoto one day. I should ride more, but June is the rainy season in Japan so I expect my riding days will be more limited. I do ride the bicycle short distances any day that it isn't supposed to rain, but that's probably worse for exercise than walking.
The temperature has reached 90F only a couple of times so far, but the classrooms are hot and a little stuffy, with one side of the classroom mostly tall windows and lacking AC. I'm not looking forward to the next 6 weeks, but after that school will be out for summer vacation. Speaking of vacation, today I have no work because there was a sports tournament Saturday and Sunday. On the previous weekend there was a field day at the big elementary school where I work. I attended for about 90 minutes and it was interesting, but I don't think there's much I could write about it.
On Saturday I did something that I've been wanting to try for a while--a co-worker and I went to the rock climbing gym. It's located about a half-hour walk from my house, and my bicycle can cut that time in half, but my coworker doesn't have one. The gym is not very large, and none of the walls are tall enough to require a harness, but the walls are very rigorous. Almost every hold has a designated path (often multiple) so that for a given path you are restricted to the holds you can use. They have 8 (or 10?) levels of climbing paths, with the lowest two levels only restricting hand placement, while the others restrict foot placement as well. It's kind of a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge to figure out how to go from the start to the finish of a path. Anyway, it was a great workout and fun as well. My co-worker and I were keen on going regularly, but unfortunately our work schedules are opposite on weekdays, so we'll have to figure out something else.
I feel more a part of the community now. I've attended two parties with my junior high co-workers, who are very friendly and fun. I've got an open offer to attend PE in my free periods at the junior high school, and have done so two or three times and learned how to play handball. I was advised by the director of the English program in my city to attend Japanese class with the students, so I'll be asking the teacher for permission on Wednesday.
At this point I've been in Japan about 9.5 months, and I'll be here for at least nine more months. Six months ago my plan was to build up a programming portfolio and try to find a job in that field here in Japan. I haven't written off that idea, but I've seen almost no programming jobs outside of the three biggest cities (where I'd prefer not to live), most of these jobs are in game development (which I'd rather avoid), and the pay is not significantly better than what I earn now. Furthermore, I'm frequently reminded of how much I like teaching children, especially middle schoolers. If I could choose any job right now, I think I would like to be the English teacher at the middle school where I work. With that in mind, I'm going to take the highest level of the Japanese test in December, and if I pass I should be able to study at a university. I'm not going to worry about the details for a while, because the Japanese test will be useful no matter what, but I know it's possible because I met someone who has done it.
The temperature has reached 90F only a couple of times so far, but the classrooms are hot and a little stuffy, with one side of the classroom mostly tall windows and lacking AC. I'm not looking forward to the next 6 weeks, but after that school will be out for summer vacation. Speaking of vacation, today I have no work because there was a sports tournament Saturday and Sunday. On the previous weekend there was a field day at the big elementary school where I work. I attended for about 90 minutes and it was interesting, but I don't think there's much I could write about it.
On Saturday I did something that I've been wanting to try for a while--a co-worker and I went to the rock climbing gym. It's located about a half-hour walk from my house, and my bicycle can cut that time in half, but my coworker doesn't have one. The gym is not very large, and none of the walls are tall enough to require a harness, but the walls are very rigorous. Almost every hold has a designated path (often multiple) so that for a given path you are restricted to the holds you can use. They have 8 (or 10?) levels of climbing paths, with the lowest two levels only restricting hand placement, while the others restrict foot placement as well. It's kind of a mental challenge as well as a physical challenge to figure out how to go from the start to the finish of a path. Anyway, it was a great workout and fun as well. My co-worker and I were keen on going regularly, but unfortunately our work schedules are opposite on weekdays, so we'll have to figure out something else.
I feel more a part of the community now. I've attended two parties with my junior high co-workers, who are very friendly and fun. I've got an open offer to attend PE in my free periods at the junior high school, and have done so two or three times and learned how to play handball. I was advised by the director of the English program in my city to attend Japanese class with the students, so I'll be asking the teacher for permission on Wednesday.
At this point I've been in Japan about 9.5 months, and I'll be here for at least nine more months. Six months ago my plan was to build up a programming portfolio and try to find a job in that field here in Japan. I haven't written off that idea, but I've seen almost no programming jobs outside of the three biggest cities (where I'd prefer not to live), most of these jobs are in game development (which I'd rather avoid), and the pay is not significantly better than what I earn now. Furthermore, I'm frequently reminded of how much I like teaching children, especially middle schoolers. If I could choose any job right now, I think I would like to be the English teacher at the middle school where I work. With that in mind, I'm going to take the highest level of the Japanese test in December, and if I pass I should be able to study at a university. I'm not going to worry about the details for a while, because the Japanese test will be useful no matter what, but I know it's possible because I met someone who has done it.
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