I had my first Kids lesson today. I was reasonably terrified; we only got a single day's Kids training and no practice. Things went very smoothly, though. All you need to survive is a vague idea of what the lesson's about and a good imagination. Oh, and energy. Some of the older kids can be a bit shy, and we have to get them up and rocking with all manner of games. This lot thought my dancing across the room was reasonably hilarious; they gave me that small allowance.
On my way back to the staffroom I was assailed by a jazzed-up two-year-old who mimed fangs and went "Raaaaargh!" at me. Of course I grinned and went "Raargh!" back at her. It was incredibly cute. Poor Natalie had that child in her next class...she came back drenched in sweat. Such is the crucible that is the Chibiko course.
The best kind of classes so far are the 2-student ones where they both tear the lesson to shreds and stand dominant atop its ruined corpse. A lesson like that can turn a lacklustre day into a really good time.
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If you plan on being in Japan for any length of time, be prepared for one terribly important thing: SMALL. All the little things in life are exactly that, little. Doorways, rooms and most significantly: food. Oh. My. God.
I go through a box of cereal in three days with modest portions. The bread comes in 8-slice bags (and it's all white...bowel cancer ahoy!). Want some fast food? You get maybe 10 chips in a pack. Delicious liquids in containers larger than one litre are unheard-of. Cheese is both rare and only 500g tops.
There is one saving grace in all of this (besides the really cool noodle packs): a place called Jupiter. It sells foreign foods. As soon as I get paid I am going in there to buy a packet of Tim-Tams and a big jar of Vegemite. I may eat it, or I may just smear it all over my body. I've yet to decide.
I had a really smart segue into another discussion, lined up and ready to go. Blowed if I can remember what it is, though.
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