Updates and GOBEL

First, let me announce the formation of my latest group. It's not only a group, it's a cause. This is a cause promoting international socialization...well, face to face socialization between Americans in another country. Everyone knows that the key to a successful organization is a wonderful acronym - (see USA, NASA, NAABP). I have charged myself with the responsibility of finding a dynamic and catchy acronym to gain supporters. Before I unveil my group name (note, at this point I really have nothing in mind), I must explain our mission statement and background.

Aside from being one of my best friends, Eric Gobel serves the world in many different capacities - including but not limited to: friend, son, surrogate son, caveman, neuroscientist, unrelenting sports fan and player, guy who has his shirt off too much, straight man that drinks with his pinky waving proudly, Backer's native son and brother to Monterrey Ralph. For all of his accomplishments and enviable traits, Northwestern University has decided that his work researching whatever he researches isn't worth enough to able to afford trips to see friends in far off lands. I am not sure I know anyone that would be here faster if he could than Gobel and it's because of that, I want to utilize all my possible avenues to have him accompany Andy, Aubrey, Dave and Scott on their journey to the Land of the Rising Sun in May.

Please stay tuned for updates of the recently created group - GOBEL (Give One Blogger Eric's Love)

In visitation news- Gino will be here in 22 days!! First and foremost, I have to think of creature comforts I miss from America that he can randomly bring to Japan. I was gonna say "smuggle" but I don't know who's reading - but now I just said it so I'll likely be writing my next entry from white collar Japanese prison. Did R-Blag just get arrested? Cool, scandal. We don't have that in Japan. You crazy fraudulent Americans. Anyways, if it's possible to bring Qdoba to Japan, I'll look forward to that almost as much as seeing Gino. Becky visits in 89 days! We are planning a trip to Okinawa - I am not sure how aware she is that I will look to entirely reenact Karate Kid 3 and spend no time doing anything else. One of the reasons I bring this up is because I took two days off and attached them to a weekend to make the trip possible. We are encouraged to take our days off during 'working days'. 'Working days' are days where no group lessons are scheduled and, thus, make shuffling lessons around much easier. Well, Becky is not coming during 'working days', so I must do additional work. After writing two letters requesting my two days to my manager and her boss, I was finally sent along to my training staff and they gave me the ok. From there, I've had to both tell and write a formal letter (of apology actually) to students - asking if it's possible to change our lesson dates. First, this has occurred four months before the days I want off. While I understand from the students' points of view, the whole rescheduling process seems needlessly complicated. But I am not here to rock the boat so I did what was asked - just quite the process.

Let's see- how about a teaching update. For the most part, things just carry right along and I can't even explain how quickly weeks go for me. But two weeks ago was Sankanbi or parent observations. People freaked out about these things. I suppose I can sympathize but the way I looked at it - the parents didn't really know what I was teaching anyways so they were learning alongside their children. My kids learn in class and that's what parents want to see - in some cases, the students learn better than their parents and that makes moms happy. More than anything, I learned that is much more critical to show you care about the kids than plan the perfect lesson. I'll be the first person to tell you that I don't always get through what I want in every class but I feel like my purpose here to give the kids exposure to American pronunciation. So I spend more time focusing on that than I've seen other teachers do - right or wrong. Parents were happy with this - at least according to my feedback, so those weeks weren't too bad. Crazy kids calmed down with parents in the room. Calm kids got really nervous and weird kids either became normal or a bit - or their weirdness was explained after seeing where they've come from.

I guess I missed Thanksgiving. Well I was aware it was existing halfway around the world but I trudged through another workday and barely thought about it. If it wasn't for Becky's gobbling turkey card, I would've not even acknowledged the day. Over the weekend after Thanksgiving, Mike planned a potluck of sorts dinner at his place. Most everyone made something for the dinner. Those who didn't, bought some food. In the same way I opted for the only non-dancing part of my 8th grade class's production of "West Side Story" - I decided to be the only person to contribute equally but by doing what I wanted. In this case, I supplied dishes and plasticware. Although Mike made a mockery of cranberry sauce (by using the wonderful canned sauce and mixing it with other crap - thereby creating something that did not resemble an aluminum can at all), everything was great. There was meat (not turkey), mashed potatoes, pasta, vegetables and a few Japanese dishes. Knowing my extreme distaste for natto (fermented soy beans, I think...they smell terrible and taste like slime and mini edamame) - Ai brought some to make me eat. I am apparently powerless against 4'9" constantly happy Japanese girls. Much in the same way I reacted after first trying natto (thanks to David for making me suffer before I came to Japan), I gagged three times and had to swallow hard to avoid vomiting with tears welling up.

What else? Oh, I went to Hiroshima this weekend. I didn't go to any of the historical sites - although I suppose it would've been the best time to not feel guilty - right during the Pearl Harbor anniversary. What I saw of the city was pretty standard - big, lots of lights, lots of Japanese people. They do have a really nice river running through the city center. But it was Susan's birthday. I met a few friends there and we gathered for a night of "Mexican" food and karaoke. I remarked during this weekend that I found it really strange that I've met so many people in Japan but my best friends remain the ones I met within my first 12 hours. I'm sure part of it was that we have a big life changing situation in common but they are all awesome and fun people so I am glad for that. Well, I need to get some sleep because a two hour Japanese lesson is not easy in the morning on little sleep. Pictures next time because the site isn't uploading today I guess.