This is Halloween

Skills Development conference 24^th and 25^th October

Having sat through I can’t-even-remember-how-many conferences and seminars this year, I was overly ecstatic about yet another ‘formal business attire’ event, however it did present a chance to catch up with the ALTs that live further afield in Akita so we can’ complain too much I suppose.

Little surprises at Sushi train restaurant

I was volunteered to play taxi for the Nikaho ALTs so we all bundled into pommy and trekked up to Akita city.

The conference was a good chance to bounce ideas off each other, reassure one another that you weren’t the only person struggling with certain issues, and get some fresh ideas for grammar and vocab activities.

And of course it meant that we could go out for dinner in the city afterwards – Pizza made a nice change to my average home cooking.

On the second day we were separated into our blocks for discussions. Ours consisted mainly of tips on how not to die during winter. Apparently it’s perfectly normal to stick bubble wrap to your windows in a desperate attempt to keep the heat in. We were also informed that every year a few people die from being dumped on by snow that slips off of roofs. Another caution from our senpais was regarding ‘gaijin traps’ the treacherous gutters in Japan are easy enough to see in the warmer months, but when they are covered with half a metre of snow, gaijin tend to get their tyres stuck in them.

Oh the fun we shall have….

Thursday 27^th October

School Lunch

I arrived back at the JHS after nearly a week away to find a mountain of newletters and papers on my desk and the realisation that we had a staff dinner for a visiting teacher from Osaka (I’m still not sure why he’s here…I may have to suck it up and translate the newletter…) that’s my dinner sorted for tonight.

For their English lesson, the third graders made presentations on various Japanese festivals to teach me about Japanese culture. I was quite chuffed when all of them managed to make eye contact and didn’t hide behind their pieces of paper when talking. There was also the entertainment when Dain had to have both hands restrained to prevent him from volunteering their group to go first, followed by dorm grabbing him by the blazer in an attempt to stop his advance to the front of the class.

It’s always refreshing when kids actually have a go at answering questions instead of mumbling to their mates in Japanese before admitting defeat, even if it does result in cases such as my asking who carries the lanterns at the Kanto festival and Shore responding with a confident and smiley ‘yes’.

Friday 28^th

As a reward for how well they did in the speaking test that the kids had to suffer through the other week, a few of them now have to do another one. Which means a couple of lucky teachers get to practice after school with them.

Fortunately for one said lucky teacher, she also got invited to drinks in Honjo. So after making an appearance and catching up with some people at a kids Halloween party in Kisakata – it was in the car and through the rain to Yurihonjo.

What happens to your entrance way
when you have guests

I have come to the realisation that where ALTs are involved, there is no such thing as ‘quiet drinks’. ‘A couple of quiets saw myself and Liam gracing his local castaways, before popping in to Heaven’s Dragon, a bar that an ex ALT now owns.

It was promising to be a quiet night until a very chatty (very tipsy) Japanese man in a suit shouted us drinks after we answered a question that he had, so we went over for a chat. There were also 2 guys from Spain there who were in Akita as mechanical engineers (or insert correct job title here) to check out the wind turbines in the prefecture. My Spanish minor finally came in handy. Even if it was only to say ‘I studied Spanish for three years. But when I want to speak Spanish, I start thinking in Japanese’. I feel my not so sober self may have ballsed up the verb conjugations but after talking to a couple of people I have also been reassured that this isn’t an unsual issue to have when you are learning multiple languages – Liam for example can speak simple Irish but since he has been in Japan his Japanese has become more dominant.

Our new friend BT (as he introduced himself) was a good example of why it pays to live at home for as long as possible. Money to burn.

It is believed that ‘Cute’ Japan (I’m talking Hello Kitty, frilly socks, ridiculous merchandise etc) was a side effect of more young people (especially women) who would go out and get jobs but stay living at home, resulting in a lot of disposable income. )I’ve just managed to hint at my Spanish minor, linguistics major, and Asian studies paper in the space of two paragraphs, think I’ll call it a night).

Saturday 29^th October

After not hitting the hay until 4.30am, after a panicked call from a lovely friend back home in Wellington who had turned up for her shift at the bead shop at 8.30am and  had forgotten the alarm code, much R&R was required in order to recharge the batteries for the ALTs Halloween party that night. And before anyone says anything – yes, I spent my entire weekend either drunk or hungover.

The Autumn Colours Dress

Cari, Josh, Liam and I all got ready at Cari and Josh’s place – In Cari’s case this meant blasting 2 bottles of rather potent hairspray to achieve her Cruella Deville look.

Josh was her dalmation, Liam was content in freaking everyone out in his red contacts, I donned my autumn dress and Mengkin showed up and whacked on a banana costume that still had stains on it from last year’s Halloween party.

Predrinks were at Johnny’s who stepped into character for the night as Donald Trump before we headed to the main event.

I’m unsure how far it has wriggled into the west just yet but the song in everyone’s heads at the moment is ‘PPAP’ or ‘Pen Pineapple Apple Pen’ and it is just as strange as it sounds. I don’t know if it is the novelty of a Japanese comedian singing a song in English that most Japanese people would understand from their school days, or the entertaining ‘UGH’ sound that he makes when demonstrating what an ‘Apple pen’ is, but all the kids are singing it in the hall way.

Breakfast of Champs

No expected to achieve anything on Sunday – none of us envied Andrew who had to leave Cari and Josh’s at 7.15, while we mooched around feeling sorry for ourselves until the pancake shop opened at 11.

Well-fed and bodies creaking, we plonked ourselves back on the couches and watched Hocus Pocus for the afternoon.