2019年02月16日
Small Acts of Kindness
Ever since arriving to the city of Niihama, I have been continuously blown away by the patience, kindness and consideration shown by the local residents whom I have come into contact with around town.
One specific example of how considerate one local was to me, was when I went grocery shopping and bought a few bags of groceries that I had to lug back to my apartment on my bike. In my hurry to get back home, I accidentally left one of my shopping bags, filled with items, at the store. I did not realize that I had left the bag at the store until I was at home and unpacking everything. I kicked myself for forgetting a full bag of items and lamented about how I would have to purchase all of those items again on my next trip to the store.
The following weekend I returned to the same store to re-purchase all of the items that I had left there by accident, only to be greeted by the same cashier, whom upon seeing me told me "chotto" (to wait) and ran to the back of the store to grab my bag of items that I had left the previous weekend! I was astonished that the cashier remembered me and even more surprised that she had held my bag of items for a whole week!
There have been many small acts of kindness that have happened since Rolando and I have arrived in Japan; all of which have continued to positively impact our overall experience here.
~ Lizzy
One specific example of how considerate one local was to me, was when I went grocery shopping and bought a few bags of groceries that I had to lug back to my apartment on my bike. In my hurry to get back home, I accidentally left one of my shopping bags, filled with items, at the store. I did not realize that I had left the bag at the store until I was at home and unpacking everything. I kicked myself for forgetting a full bag of items and lamented about how I would have to purchase all of those items again on my next trip to the store.
The following weekend I returned to the same store to re-purchase all of the items that I had left there by accident, only to be greeted by the same cashier, whom upon seeing me told me "chotto" (to wait) and ran to the back of the store to grab my bag of items that I had left the previous weekend! I was astonished that the cashier remembered me and even more surprised that she had held my bag of items for a whole week!
There have been many small acts of kindness that have happened since Rolando and I have arrived in Japan; all of which have continued to positively impact our overall experience here.
~ Lizzy
2019年02月16日
My first Eigo No Demae
This month I had an Eigo no Demae at a school in Shikokuchuo. At first, I was dreading waking up earlier and having to drive from Niihama to Shikokuchuo. Also, I had to cancel my Korean lesson that day. However, when I arrived and started talking with fellow coworkers, it no longer felt like work at all but more of a social gathering.
We had a lot of fun socializing with each other and with the children. I was personally blown away by how strict the school was while bringing the kids into the gym to sit down. They lined them up and then the kids held their arms out towards the person in front of them to ensure they were the correct distance away from them, then they sat down in silence. It made me smile when we made them laugh because I knew that we were giving the kids a nice break from the strict routine they had at school. When it was time to break the kids up into groups with different teachers, the kids went crazy and were jumping for joy. It was a wonderful experience knowing we probably made their days.
We had a lot of fun socializing with each other and with the children. I was personally blown away by how strict the school was while bringing the kids into the gym to sit down. They lined them up and then the kids held their arms out towards the person in front of them to ensure they were the correct distance away from them, then they sat down in silence. It made me smile when we made them laugh because I knew that we were giving the kids a nice break from the strict routine they had at school. When it was time to break the kids up into groups with different teachers, the kids went crazy and were jumping for joy. It was a wonderful experience knowing we probably made their days.
