ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Lately I've had to call many places back in America for various reasons. But because of the time difference I always have to double check the time in America. A good example of this is when I had to call my bank. Not a major problem, just letting them know that my Japan purchases are definitely from me. But sometimes they ask questions that aren't easy to answer, "In case of fraud, when would be the best time to call you?"

I have a feeling that telling them 12am their time won't go over well...   

A lot has been lost over the past month, because of COVID-19. My favorite Gem School event was called off. The Saijo Culture/Food festival was cancelled, which was one of the first things I ever went to after arriving in Saijo.

But the one that hurts the most is missing out on pre-school graduation. I was already going to miss one due to the schedule conflict, but, because of the virus, the other has been limited to essential participants only (crazy English teacher not included) to. It feels like I lost an entire generation of kids.

I hope they all have bright futures and know I will miss them.  

Everything kinda feels like the end of the world nowadays. It's funny because war-laden countries deal with life like this all the time. Did you see that self appointed Arab leader (his name slips my mind)? I think it was his inauguration speech where a full-on bomb went off behind him and he did not stop his speech!!! Just a part of everyday life. But with us and our pampered Western - particularly North American - lives, we don't have bombs, disasters, wars, Olympic games postponements, COVIDs etc.

It's not everyday life.

We're not ready, right?

This is our new normal.   

Last week, my mother sent me a very big package from America! I asked her for a few things, like new socks, some Easter candy, and some stomach medicine. She told me to add more. So I asked her for some cookies and a small bottle of hair stuff.

On Friday, the doorbell...didn't ring. The delivery man was holding such a big box, that he couldn't ring it! I saw him on the doorbell screen. I couldn't believe what a big box Mom had sent! It was half as tall as me, and full of SO many things! She sent me flour for baking, 2 full boxes of cereal, several pairs of socks, coffee creamer, a BIG bottle of hair stuff...SO Many things!

I am so grateful to have such an amazing Mom. I feel bad that she went so overboard though!


  

I have been constantly driving past this adorable McDonald's with two stories and an exterior that looks like an American house. I have never seen a McDonald's that looked like that before! I finally made time to visit it after work and because it was my first time at a Japanese McDonald's, I pushed myself to order items that would not ordinarily be available to me in a North American McDonald's. After much contemplation, I ended up ordering a Gohan Bacon Lettuce Rice Burger, a Shaka Shaka Potato (french fries with a chicken-flavored seasoning packet), a melon Fanta, and a strawberry pie. Suffice it to say, everything tasted amazing!

I love sweets and in America, McDonald's only sells apple pies, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the strawberry pie featured on the menu, which tasted great but wasn't very sweet. The rice burger tasted good and was nice to try, but it is smaller than a traditional burger and as far as taste is concerned I think the traditional bun tastes a little bit better. Even though I ordered a lot of food and finished it all, it felt as if I only had a small snack when I left. Despite that one drawback, I definitely enjoyed my meal and it was nice to experience Japanese alternatives to some familiar treats I enjoyed back home in America.  

The Cherry Blossoms and Spring arrived this week at the same time! I took this picture of an orchard in Takamatsu City. The cherry trees along the main drive from the airport to the Sun Port are in bloom. Remembering from last year, they are the earliest to bloom and herald in the others to bloom! Therefore, this weekend should be a great weekend for my annual cherry blossom explore and adventure- and picnic! Hopefully the weather cooperates! To everyone- have a FUN and Happy Spring!!  

Recently, Mercari has been promoting their cashless payment app by providing 50% points back for shopping at certain shops. I've taken advantage of this and have been able to eat at a few different restauraunts at half the price! If you haven't already, check it out!  

I really love to eat Taiyaki. It's the perfect snack for when you want to be warm on chilly days. In the US, taiyaki is kind of hard to find and pretty expensive. My best friend lives in a big American city and even he can barely find any taiyaki. I always buy fresh taiyaki when I see it on a shopping street!
  

They have conscripted the children. Their drawings keep polluters and lazy people at bay. The next time you think "I can just toss here", STOP! Think of the children. Think of their drawing. Their blood, sweat, and tears as they drew this. Please, mister. Don't throw your trash on the ground.

How do you use your children?   

Last week i wrote about my first dog. This week I'm writing about my second dog. Her name was China. We got her from a pound. She was half shepard half husky, and she loved freedom. She made dusty's escapes look boring. She could escape from chains and even steel kennels. When we had her, we lived in a duplex. A duplex is like an apartment but with just two apartments. We had to get rid of her after an incident. One day while I was at school she climbed out of her kennel and tunneled through our wall into the neighbors apartment so she could play with their dog. I dont know how she did it but it was a shock!


(Not her but she looked like this)
  

Regular Ramen Review

This week's ramen may or may not be sponsored by Yahoo! Japan, depending on the emblem on the cover (also pretty neat is the cup has a picture of a ramen shop!). The lid sports a red and tan theme, with glowing yellow kanji and cherry blossoms in the middle. With a standard assortment of seasonings and sauces, the cup ramen itself is tasty and filling. The combination is not spicy nor bland, but a decent neutral flavoring.

Thank you very much!  

Me and a friend decided to go to McDonald's before I went to work one day, and I experienced a bit of culture shock. I wasn't super hungry so I decided to get a small fry and a small drink. They asked me what I would like to drink, which I thought odd since I would fill my own drink anyway, but I asked for a sprite. After a short time we both got our orders and sat down. I finished my drink rather quickly and started to look for the soda fountain for a refill, but I couldn't find it. So I asked my friend, "Hey, where's the soda fountain at?"

He looked at me and explained, "Oh you haven't experienced this yet? Free refills aren't as common in Japan." I couldn't believe it. I was in a McDonald's where I had to pay for a refill. In America I was so used to getting any size cup for a dollar. This is not America.  

I ate Indian curry for the first time last weekend. Actually it was my first time eating any kind of curry in a restaurant. Because Indian food has a reputation for being pretty spicy I wasn't sure what level of heat to go for, so I played it safe and went with the three.

It was really good. And I would probably go with the four next time. But the surprising star of the show was the naan bread. I do enjoy bread.. I didn't expect to like it that much. A delicious time to be sure.  

Thing about me is that I am a natural stocker, meaning more directly, I am kind of a hoarder. Not in that TLC-TV-show- disgusting-way, no, far from it. However I'm a huge believer in the "just in case." Even in my teaching, most people (read: sane people) have a plan B, I usually have plans B through F. I might be a lil out of the ordinary, but I'm never panicking as I'm prepared - overly so - and ready for anything.

So, while the rest of the world is hoarding toilet paper, I'm gonna sit this one out. I had that Nepia 24-pack 6 months ago