Back at Takanan - Yay!

It’s Tuesday morning and the first day of school back at my normal workplace. This might sound bad, but it feels so good to be here again. I know and like the students, they are beyond well-behaved, I feel so comfortable with the staff and environment. I guess this really has been a homebase to me in this country and I’m learning to appreciate it more.

Yesterday was my first “real” day at the new school. My coworker (and friend) was really helpful and the speeches I had to give (one to a staff of about 60 and another on stage to about 1,000 students... both in 日本語) went smoothly, but it's definitely different from what I'm used to. Not a bad thing... I'm still just adjusting.

I have three classes today, so I'm not totally free, but not really busy yet. I am planning to show Whale Rider in one class (part of a series on New Zealand if it goes well) and am crossing my fingers that the slow pace of the film isn't too boring. I read the book when I was little, but the movie made me cry when I watched it last night, so hopefully the class will enjoy it, too. Other than that, though, I have a fun speech lesson with my International Studies Course kids and a history class (sitting in on the Japanese one) so I'm just looking forward to seeing my students again, especially the third years.