October 2009
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A one-yen coin for my thoughts...
I’m always amused by how popular President Obama is here in Japan. Even in this little country town, I get homework handed into me with doodles of his face in the margins. I was teaching the word ‘can’ (as in ”anything you can do I can do better”) to my first-year junior high students today when they suddenly and without warning began chanting, “Yes we can! ...
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In which the Swine Flu attacks Kurobe
So the swine flu is now taking over this town. It seems like everywhere you go, everybody is wearing surgical masks to protect themselves and schools are starting to be temporarily shut down. Last Friday was the first day off I had due to the Swine Flu. At my friday school over 60 students had caught the virus. Now it’s starting to get the kids at my Monday/Tuesday/Thursday school (13...
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Typhoon fever
Typhoon Melor made its way to my region today. I woke up at about 5am to the sound of a siren coming from a van that passed outside my window, and then woke up again every 10 minutes as it circled back around and passed several more times. All the locals are shocked because the surrounding mountains here have always protected the area from typhoons, so it’s impressive that this one has...
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Things that have been occupying my mind lately, in...
The Cardinals going into the NLDS this Wednesday!
This week, my junior high school students are doing a work-experience study where they go to various jobs for the whole week instead of coming to school. Which means no classes for me at Junior High this week.
Wednesday, however, I will be working my butt off because it’s open house at my elementary school, so I will have back to back...