The Rat Race

The Rat Race
6/5

Alack, the tedium of daily life has finally overtaken me.  Today I took the train without once being confused.  It wasn't as monumental a milestone as I expected; rather it was almost mundane.  Past moments of confusion include: taking the express instead of the local, taking the local instead of the express, not having enough fare, and expecting a ten-minute train ride to take an hour.*  Today's Friday, and I'm finishing up my first work week in Japan.  I'll mention that although I've been here a full work week, I didn't work the entire time.  So, what did I do?

Introductions  

There were many people to meet.  I know I won't remember names, but I'm trying my best to memorize as many as possible.  I met what feels like the entire administration of Toshidai with Koitabashi-san, and many members of the academic departments, including the president of the university, with Sugimoto-sensei.  I'm pretty sure I made terrible first impressions; the basic format of a Japanese introduction includes "hajimemashite" (nice to meet you), a brief self-introduction, and "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" (general one-size-fits-all phrase, used when asking for a favor, meeting someone, and probably many other social situations).  It took me awhile, however, to realize that while English-language introductions are often conversational, with the introducer introducing himself and then answering polite questions about him/herself, the Japanese style is much more formal, in which the introducer presents all of this information without much prompting in a short speech while their audience listens.  Sugimoto-sensei chalked it down to nervousness (kinchou), but the awkwardness of future introductions noticeably decreased when I realized that everyone was waiting for me to say more about myself.

A view of my lodgings from the street.  My window is in the upper right corner, partially cut out of the frame.  I particularly like that it's a block from the convenience store and only three blocks from the main market street, which makes shopping for supplies unbelievably easy.  The Japanese are far less dependent on cars than the States, and one can generally walk and take the train to anywhere one wishes to go.

In which I write Victorian-style chapter headings.

I won't regale you all with all of my thrilling exploits this week at work, but the general idea of my duties here seems to be acting as a teaching assistant for English and Early Child Education classes.  I will be holding lunchtime conversation meetings in English, preparing lesson materials, grading tests, and possibly leading a class or two.  In addition, it appears that my work will often incorporate elements from both departments.  For example, yesterday I wrote a pair of short essays in English about my early childhood for use as reading material.  The reading level was a little advanced, and I think I will work with Sugimoto-sensei over the next few days on editing them to make them easier to read.  One essay was about my avid pursuit of things Harry Potter in elementary school, while the other recalled my club soccer days at Tallahassee United FC.  That I was obsessed with Harry Potter was subsequently added to each of my introductions, so that now everyone I've met at Toshidai must think I'm a fanatic for Harry Potter, Pokemon, and the manga I read in middle school...
I've included an excerpt below.

An ancient burial mound (古墳, kofun) named Kitsunedzuka kofun (狐塚) in Setagaya.  I took a picture of the accompanying sign, but haven't had a chance to read it.

In which I kicked a ball many times on grass fields.

I will preface this anecdote by noting that I grew up in Tallahassee, a sweaty college town in the panhandle swamp home to Florida State University, the state capitol, and a very good youth development soccer club called TUFC.  A brief internet search tells me that the club has flourished since (perhaps because) I left, and now boasts three programs of different skill levels and a partnership with Tottenham Hotspur.  I began kicking balls when I was around five or six under the tutelage of a fantastic woman named Coach Bev.  It never even crossed my mind that I might play another sport; my older brother played soccer, and so of course I must as well...  At eight, I began playing with a proper club team in eight-a-side matches against other towns in northern Florida, Georgia and Alabama.  I was never very good as a child, but the team was, and my haul of silverware from my glory days still decorates the mantelpiece in my house...

*NB on the Tokyo metro: for those readers who haven't experienced the beautiful Tokyo metro system, many lines have three different speed options available: express (急行, kyuukou), semi-express (忘れちゃった、I forgot the kanji for these ones), and local (各駅, kakueki). The express train gets you to the major stations much faster than the local, but skips the minor stations on the way.  The local, of course, visits every station and the semi-express skips a few.