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My life on the island. Part XXXIV
You know, I didn't think I'd be updating my blurty for a few more months at least, but the whim has come upon me. I don't even remember what I last wrote about. Probably New Years and not knowing if I wanted to stay at my school with my teacher. But soon after that time (before the recontracting deadline in early February), I weighed the pros and cons of transferring to the city (where I would have been in line for a senior high school once the guy who was there made up his mind about leaving or not) and staying where I was on the island. The goods of staying more than outweighed the bads. Let me try to remember and further elaborate.
Pros of Staying
- Nice townspeople
- Exercise every day by riding my bike to and from school
- Already know the kids and they know me
- Cheap rent
- Eikaiwa (English Conversation Class)
- Less temptation to spend money--save for groceries and internet shopping
- Kyuushoku (school lunch)
- Taiko (drum group)
- Close but not too close to my host family in Hiroshima City
- Can ignore the BOE and talk directly with my schools about switching dates and such
Cons of Staying
- My teacher and her lackadaisical approach to teaching
- Easier for Mr. Sakata to brush off my comments since I can't come into the BOE and see him during the week like other JETs can
- ???
Pros of Leaving
- Can wear skirts to work if I want since I'd probably be taking the bus
- Possibly more control of lesson in classroom
- Closer to my host family
- Possibility of better English teachers to work with
- Easier to travel places on the mainland
Cons of Leaving
- No kyuushoku
- Have to learn everyone's names all over again
- More kids to deal with
- More rules and protocol to follow
- Won't see my kids anymore
- No bonds with neighbors/townspeople
- Less motivation to exercise
- More temptation to eat out and spend, spend, spend
- Higher rent (but still reasonable, probably)
- Have to find another taiko group to join
- No more elementary school visits as a SHS JET (probably)
- Have to see more of Sakata-sensei even if I don't want to
Anyway, to make a long story even longer, I decided to stay. I gave my supervisor Mr. Sakata the ultimatum that I'd only transfer schools if I got to have the SHS. (That JET was still wishy washy about whether he wanted to stay another year--he finally decided near the middle of June--a good five months after he was supposed to let Mr. Sakata and the BOE know. Needless to say, I declined stepping up to the position. I'd already told every on the island who'd asked that I was staying. I'd already told my kids. It was just too late, and I wasn't all the gung-ho about leaving to just leave anymore.) And it's not like I wanted to leave my school or island because I didn't like them. I just didn't like how lazy and unmotivated my teacher was. Other Kure JETs assumed that it was inconvenient on the island, and while that may be true to an extent, I like the peacefulness and relative safety of this place. Hiroshima is probably as big a city as I'd like to visit. I once went to Osaka for eight hours with my friend Vanessa to see a traditional puppet show called bunraku, but in the little time that I was there, I got a bad headache. I think it was from the pollution. lol So, I'm really glad that I don't live in a place like that. And the big cities are soo dirty. Nothing like the green of the islands. Sure, there are fewer young people to interact with, but maybe that's for the best for now. I'm safe from most advances, save for the drunken Ojiisan
Today, my BOE supervisor is coming to watch a class at my JHS. Good to see him keep his promise to come and see a class ten months after I first asked him. Ugh. I used to be more passionate about this job and helping the students and wanting everyone to be here for the kids and not for the paycheck...but I've since been educated by society. I'm sure it's the same everywhere, though I have no real experience working outside of MSU. ::sigh:: When I get back from Japan, I'll have to enter a dirty work world like the one I'm in, without the cushioning touch of the JET Program. I'm dreading it. I don't know what I want to do with my life after JET. I know I'll need more education if I'm going to do something with this Professional Writing/Document Design bit.
Blah. What was I saying? I don't really remember. I'll just stop here.
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