ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Before I moved to Japan I had a huge vinyl record collection! I absolutely loved listening to jazz, noise, classical, various forms of rock, which brings me to the point of this blog!

I’ve gotten back into the genre called “krautrock” which is just really to denote west German experimental rock music that was being made! A lot of it is very avant-grade/experimental in nature and I absolutely love it for being that!

Maybe if you like experimental music give this genre a look see!


  

Good afternoon! How are you? I’m great. I have so many cool moments to share with you all. Let’s start with last weekend. My family and I were invited on a road trip with our friend Hide. Hide is a Japanese native with a good heart. He really likes the history of Japan and sharing it with others. Hide and I have lots of adventures together; I would like to share this particular moment we had. The day started when Hide came to pick up my family and I in his car. We all rode together, conversing about interest and hobbies. Though the ride was long, we found it very short because we were having so much fun. Our first destination was to see The Zenigata Sand Sculpture. This sculpture was made in the 10th year of the Kan’ei period (1633) by the local people. The Zenigata sculpture was a gift to welcome Daimyo Lord Ikoma Takatoshi during his Tour of the area. It is said, anyone who views the Zenigata sculpture will live a long healthy life and not be troubled with worries about money. (Citing: (Kagawa Prefecture. The Zenigata Sand Sculpture.))
After we viewed the sculpture, we walked the path. We went through a flower garden and up to a display of native housing. The house was so detailed. The sound structure made me think of the precision Japanese ancestors went through to build shelter. Surprisingly, it was very cool inside because it was built into the ground. Here is a picture of the exterior and interior...


At the end of the day, we journeyed to the beach. I helped my daughter build a sandcastle and basked in the sun with my wife. We all played in the water, including Hide. A fantastic day from the beginning to the end. Did you take a trip last weekend? How was your trip? Thanks for reading my blogs.




  

Last Sunday we had a farewell picnic at Hiuchi park. It was a lot of fun. The food was delicious, slightly Italian inspired. But there were gyoza... I love gyoza! We also had some really good garlic bread. Oh, and Premium Leaf Pie! Nothing to do with actual leaves, just a very flakey and crispy treats.

It was hosted by some of the students parents, so I got the chance to bother children on their day off. They really wanted to play 'Freeze Tag', which they called 'Frozen Tag'. Everything was going well until the kids figured out I wouldn't follow them into the women's restroom! It was a great day anyway.  

So as you can see, there were some pretty neat birthday presents from my Mom. She got me a clock that turns into bats. I can't wait to put it up!

I have a hard time finding things I can eat for breakfast, so I was very happy to receive some kid's cereal! The one called Lucky Charms has cute, sugary marshmallows in colorful shapes! It's not healthy at all. The other is called Captain Crunch and I can't explain the flavor of that one. I've eaten a lot of it already.

I laughed really hard at the Batman lunch bag, it even has a detachable cape! It was from Batman vs Superman, which I've never seen, but she knew I would like the shiny bat. It will be easy for me to find my lunchbag at the Gem BBQ!

Not to be outdone, my sister sent some presents to me after. It was so nice! She heard about me complaining about my towels (they're always so small and hard, I don't know how else to wash them better) and sent me a VERY big towel with a gorgeous jellyfish on it. I really like jellyfish, I just find them so pretty.


  

After the skirt was cut free Fran and I continued to pick at the pieces of the skirt that were still stuck in the bicycle chain. We pulled at it for about 5 minutes when a group of 6 people on their way to dinner walked by. They asked Fran what was going on and she explained my sad situation. Two of the men in the group took on our cause and pulled and picked at the remnants of the skirt. One of them had the bright idea that maybe burning the pieces of the skirt that were left would free the chain. Since no one had a lighter he volunteered to walk home and bring his own lighter. People in Japan are so nice! While he walked home the other two men and two women worked on my bicycle. When he returned with his bicycle and lighter the men alternated between setting the tattered skirt pieces on fire, pulling out the burnt skirt, and moving the pedals of the bicycle back and forth until.... TO BE CONTINUED!  

Hello All! Are you excited for summer as much as I am? I'm going to melt HAHA! The mosquitoes have already greeted me with kisses. The flowers are in full bloom for my wife's impending return. Summer's beginning is pleasant so far. Far from the scorching June temperatures back home in Florida in my opinion. Before the season's over, I would like to visit a beach. Maybe Osaka is the next vacation destination for us, but I'm open for suggestions. A lot of people say summer is their favorite season. Winter is still mines, but I appreciate living somewhere that has all four different seasons.  

I love spring, mostly. Summer is ok. Fall is nice. But these seasons all have one thing I hate. Tiny, bloodsucking monsters. Mosquitos. To defend against them, I take two showers in the morning. One with water, to get clean. The other with mosquito spray. So, I smell like a chemical experiment gone wrong. Everyone gives me plenty of space on the train. Except the mosquitos. Even after the chemical bath, there are always some brave ones that attack anyway.

The alternative is to wear extra clothing. But then I just get too hot and somehow, I still end up with bites.

Finally, I sometimes forget my mosquito spray bath and extra clothes. Then I can play the fun game of counting itchy bumps. Every hour I count again because I may discover more.

I forgot my mosquito spray this weekend. I am very itchy now. I hate mosquitos.  

Butcher or barber? Having a sense of humor is a nice touch for a hair cut, but maybe risky?

I thought it was absolutely hilarious, though. I've been trying a few places sense I got here. I think I've only ever had one bad haircut though which is pretty great ratio for a year in Japan. I love how they shave the neck with a razor. I never got that in America but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

  

Hello my name is Mrs. Lanee. I am a new teacher at Gem School. My husband, Mr. Wayne, brought our family to Japan to experience life in a new country. It has always been my husbands dream to teach in Japan. For my first blog, I want to dedicate it to my husband and his hard work. Mr. Wayne is a very caring man. He's very stern and believes that anything can happen if you apply yourself. He pushes our family to be the best we can be. "Life is short", He says. You have to utilize the abilities you have and put your hands to the plow. When we first arrived, he was very excited to start a new adventure. He and our family got an awesome greeting from Mrs. Miyuki and Gem School. With such a great beginning, he became driven to explore. He then planned our first trip to Marugame Castle for the festival.
I was elated at the thought to explore more of Japan. Finally, the day of the trip came. I woke up early to get a start on packing and preparing breakfast. We ate pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Then, got on the train headed to Marugame. The train sped past many tall buildings and beautiful houses. Abruptly, it stopped. The conductor called "This stop is in Marugame!". We pressed the button, opened the door, and walked out. A cool walk from the station led us to the next destination. The castle grounds. Yay! We made it! (^w^)
We walked the grounds exploring new food, crafts, and other booths. Our daughter, then, stopped and exclaimed how much she wanted to play a game. My husband bought her three rings and she tossed them. The first two tosses, she did not win anything. She looked down and her Dad said, "You still have one more ring in your hand". Her face brightened and she threw the last one. She won! She got a new fidget spinner. She happily hugged her Dad saying, "You were right Dad". This was my favorite moment. I thought, How lucky am I? Each person is handcrafted and unique. There's only one of that person. So, I will cherish the ones I love. <3

C'est Bon

  

Hello, My name is Mr. Wayne. With this being my first blog, I wanted to talk about my warm welcome from Gem School. My family and I are from New Orleans, Louisiana located in the United States. My dream has always been to teach in Japan since my freshman year of college. After long days and nights of searching for a job as an English Teacher, I finally got a breakthrough with an offer from Gem school. I was then added to the Gem Team by Mrs. Miyuki. This was one of the most exciting moments in my life. To start a new chapter with my family and I in a new country. My dream came true! We flew by airplane to Osaka, Japan. Then, we caught a bus to Takamatsu, Japan. Getting off the bus we were greeted by two wonderful Gem School staff members, Sam and Cristina. Who then took us to have dinner with them at a recommended family restaurant. My family and I were so hungry. We ate so much! Arriving to our new home was the best of all. Mrs. Miyuki made sure everything was comfortable and even hand picked our apartment. With so much thought put into our arrival, it brought me to tears. A big thanks to Gem School for welcoming us with open arms.
Gem's Team members are just AWESOME! After settling in, we were given an invite to a picnic hosted by a Gem School Team member at Mineyama Park. My family and I were so eager to meet others on the same journey. Sam and Cristina picked us up and drove us to the picnic. Along the ride, they showed us so many great places in Kagawa Prefecture. Finally we arrived at the park. After unpacking some of the picnic necessities, we walked up the mountain. The path was decorated with flowers of all kinds, trees, and playgrounds for the children. My favorite moment was when we passed some bamboo and cherry blossoms. The petals fell down as we were walking up the path. It was like a fairy tale or a scene from your favorite movie.
We passed a big playground and then walked up to the main picnic area. We were so surprise by seeing so many Gem Team members attending. This was our first time meeting other members besides Sam and Cristina. Everyone welcomed each other, talked, and ate together. It was a peaceful day. We played in the park while daylight slowly faded. At the end of the day, we all picked up the remains. We then journeyed back down the mountain and took a group picture. Everyone said their "Goodbyes" and left for home. Such a great ending to a warm welcoming.



  

I don’t have much hobbies that force me to leave my apartment! I however have been thinking about fishing!

Do you fish? Why did you start doing it if you do? I might give a shot sometime! Yeeepee!

Looks like fun!


  

Well, I'm embarrassed. I thought the lovable mascot of Ehime, Mikyan, was a bear. Not sure why I never noticed the leaves look like floppy dog ears. While this is the most famous mascot in the area, there are more!



This is Stopy, the global warming prevention mascot. Yes, you read that correctly.


Rounding out my group of local mascots, representing the city of Saijo...Kabu-chan! Actually, I had never seen our mascot. Not in person. Not in a picture. Not even a single piece of merchandise. It is too bad.
  

I will have to keep you all in I suspense over what my Mother sent me, because I've been traveling and my things are all over the place!

I was in Akihabara over the weekend, in Tokyo! I went there while feeling very tired, and I was in search of coffee, when I passed a guy with distinct blond and brown hair. We were both walking fast, but I stopped in my tracks and whirled around.

It was a guy named Aaron, one of the guys from several popular video game Let's Plays on youtube. I have only regularly watched a few different series over the years, and I almost always watch one video from his company every morning! I have been watching for about 5 years! I enjoy the dynamic between his best friend Danny, who is also bad at video games but plays on the show.

I've only seen a few celebrities not at a convention, and I am always starstruck. When I noticed it was Aaron, I held up my phone to grab video because we live in a "pics or it didn't happen" culture. He was on the escalator already, chuckling at my shocked face. I wanted to talk to him but I would have had to run and that would have looked silly. I had already embarrassed myself by trying to take a candid video. I've often heard that celebrities just want to be left alone.

Have you ever seen someone famous?

  

“I can try,” I said and I managed to wriggle out of my skirt. Never have I ever been so happy to have worn tights. Fran and I pulled at the skirt but it barely budged. We spun the tires back and forth but the skirt would barely move. “Deborah” Fran said with a frown. “I think we’ll have to cut it out.” It made me sad to think that my long and beautiful skirt would now have to be cut from my bicycle, but I need my bicycle to get around and we had no other options. “Do it.” I said. And Fran went to her car, got the scissors, and cut the majority of my skirt away from my bicycle. TO BE CONTINUED!  

You’ve might’ve seen this girl before. She has been here before, and she is still here at Gem school. I had the wonderful pleasure of getting to teach her and her group again. She still remains the goofy natural learner that I remember from months ago. I haven’t seen her in months, so I was so surprised to have seen how much she’s changed from before. Since it has been so long I also got to experience a shock when I discovered that I could talk to her more naturally myself, since her English has developed quit a bit since the last time. I hope that she continues to study and do all of the activities that she is currently doing. I can’t believe how talented this little one is. She does ballet and practices the piano in addition to learning English! And she retains a sense of humor and a good amount of energy too! What a kid!  

Hello All, Happy belated Father's Day! When I first started teaching here I would introduce myself to the older students with my full name, Gary Barrett Jr. Some would ask me what the "Jr." in my name meant and I told them that I was named after my father. I've been incorperating the "Jr." in my name recently since living back in the states to tell my father and I apart. I used to think my father and I were two completely different people. Now as I grow older, I realize we are more alike then I could've imaged. I realized it in teaching children and general communication with other people. My father is a naturally charming, happy, encouraging, fun loving, humorious, wise man. I've noticed though teaching and living abroad how similar we actually are. My father has always been good with kids. I remember spending summers with him having the time of my life as a kid. My father is truly my hero and I hope I have and will continue to bring honor to my name.
  

I had a fun outing this weekend. The weather was very hot so I went to the beach and sat in the shade of a small tree. I listened to some podcasts and relaxed. The waves went in and out and in and out and in and out again as I ate my lunch. I listened to a bell being rung by some children, over and over and over again. And then some new children came by to ring it again. And again. And again. It was quite a nice afternoon! But I didn’t pack enough food. Somehow, I never pack enough food. So, I left. Well, I walked very slowly through town and sat at the station for a very long time.

Because I was hungry, I bought a soda from the vending machine. It was peach Coke though, so I figure it was the closest thing to fruit I could get. Peaches and coke. Together. I’m not sure who thought these flavors should be in the same bottle. Obviously, Coke decided they could sell this thing. I guess they were right. I bought it. And I drank it. And it was actually good! I also wasn’t hungry anymore. So that was good too. But that was just a sugar rush because I got hungry again. So then I had some chocolate to keep me full until dinner. I’m just kidding, I didn’t do that. But I thought about it. It was a good day!  

May sound weird but I'm pretty happy to be getting a drugstore in our town (Kokubunji). Getting sick can be pretty nerve-racking. I really don't like missing classes. Being open so late will really help me. I can come back from work and still have a few hours to find medicine to help me sleep, or fix something. There's quite a few teachers in this area too. Hopefully (no, wait....ummm) they will use it :V


o/  

I’m one to introspect about his life, but I tend to do it by means of keeping it in my head.

I would like to say that now I have been not doing that! But I have been writing them in journals! I however don’t want people to know what the actual journals say if they get to them! So I encrypt my English into a series of numbers that can’t only be read by knowing a cipher! I used to do cryptography in high school and it’s coming in use!


  

Despite having my US driver's license for twenty years, and driving in Japan for a year, I have to use these on my car. The dreaded 'new driver' charms!

Actually they aren't so bad. I like the idea of marking cars for certain reasons. I wasn't sure which one to get, so I bought one magnetic and one suction cup. Even though the suction cup one is supposed to be for the back window, I like it in front.

Well, for the next year, I will be branded. Look out world, there is a new driver on the road!