I Spy

    Looking back on this after a few months have passed allow for a little more clarity to the mess confusion that enshrouded my first few weeks. Even now I have to deal with the repercussions of that fateful day... Geos Training in Kameari.

   I had arrived home from that last day of training in Shinjuku; this time it was finally my home. Only, it didn't feel like home. It was an empty shell other than the heap of luggage adding a "personal touch" to the corner of this new apartment. I set to work on making the apartment livable; first up would be the bed. Surprisingly the apartment came with a bed frame, Japaneseified of course, basically broad wooden slats hoisted up about 6inchess off the floor.

   After much persistence I had acquired permission to borrow a thin futon (bound for the trash) from my previous host. As I set it up on the frame I tried not to think about the suspected bug infestation that it was surmised to home. I had also managed to borrow a blanket, but due to the reticence which all of my requests were met with I decided not to push my luck any further by asking for anything so inconvenient as a pillow. I bundled some sweaters together as a make-shift pillow and surveyed the room.... "This is it..... This is my life..."

   I didn't feel like unpacking, but perhaps the fact that almost all of my luggage was clothes and I didn't have and hangers or a dresser was more of the reason that nothing got unpacked. >.<; So instead, I set up the internet and started researching directions for the next day of Training.

[   Looking back I kinda feel like I'm playing one of those "spot the differences" picture games in the newspaper or Highlights. First difference: Goes didn't expect us to find the school, they set a time for everyone to meet at the station exit. ]

Why always pink!?

    So that morning, bright and early I set out from my apartment.  The train ride passed by without too much trouble (asked for help once or twice). I had arrived first, i.e. I didn't see any other foreign looking people standing about. Then came .... well I forget his name, but a spirited Aussie that I had trained under in the Shinjuku branch. (November, the month I arrived, was the first month of the merger.  The company was going through some turbulent changes, so even some veteran Nova teachers were getting Geos Kids Training.) After about ten minutes or so all but two of the trainees had arrived. Another ten minutes past the meeting time and two lunky foreign-ish looking brothers, ("Hafu's" half-Japanese, half-foreign) who had been on the same train as me, came up and introduced themselves as the last two trainees. They had apparently forgotten that we were to meet at the station. We were definitely an odd looking group but, none the less we were off!

The first week or two I didn't take pictures so I use the online stock photos. But since my training they have remodeled it into a NOVA school so the online photos of the inside are not accurate to my memories there =(

   Along the way our trainer, a hefty American girl, thanked us profusely for volunteering to help Geos....  there was a long moment of silence.... everyone stole a glance at each other. "I didn't wanna come! I hate kids!" stated the larger of the brothers. The rest of us acented to the fact that we had been ordered to come, not asked. The trainer was shocked-- "But the Nova manager said!..."

That was was the first of many instances which has taught me a valuable lesson about my job:

 Always assume you're never getting the whole truth.

  Training was.... more like an overview, I actually could have mistaken it for a sales pitch to be honest. "Here's our curriculum. This book/CD is for __ grade. First we sing the alphabet song, then a monthly song, do our lesson and sing goodbye! Would you like to sit in on a class?" Aaaaand that was the extent of my training. It's actually kind of amazing to see how she managed to teach us practically nothing for an entire day of training. Although I won't say it was all worthless prattle. Once she found out most of us were fresh off the plane, she spent time on asking if we had registered our address, started a bank account, along with other pertinent information. She gave us her contact info and insisted we call/email if we had any problems or questions.

Spot the difference! Goes seems to actually care about their teachers, how they're doing and what issues they face in everyday life.

   The rest of the time was spent chatting with the other trainees. (As for some reason we were only allowed to sit in a class one-by-one) I was fairly happy to be working with kids, however, everyone else seemed to be annoyed with the prospect. (Although it shouldn't have been a surprise-- it's in the job description, guys!) Besides complaining about how bad the training was and discussing our new living costs, there always seemed to be someone who would interject, "Man I hate kids!" The larger of the two brothers must have thought we weren't listening to him because be repeated the sentiment every half hour. Finally the uneventful day came to a close.

   Before we left, we were given our "orders:"  school placement, directions, and contact information. I was told that I would go to Soga and be picked up by car <3 at the station... and btw I'd be the only trainee to not have another teacher help me on my first day. O.O|| say wha!???

Spot the difference! In Nova training we role-played teaching a class, then have several stages of  watched classes. After every stage we were given an evaluation of how well we were doing... and now here with Geos. I hardly knew what a class was supposed to look like, much less how to run one!!! Freak Out: Begin!

Next Up: The nightmare known as childcare