Not much new, but here you go.

Hi friends.  It’s been a couple weeks and I really don’t have anything new to share but I thought I would check in to give you your much deserved peace of mind.  The rainy season is here in Japan, although it seems to have started a couple of weeks later than usual.  I’m not sure if that means it will end later or not.  Work is about the same.   They continue to throw new classes at me every week which continues to piss me off.  I have realized that for almost all of my students, my class is their first English speaking class ever.  This Thursday in one of my elementary classes, one boy started shouting all the answers.  With him being the largest student in the class, all of the other children naturally followed.  Now I have 11 fifth and sixth graders bellowing in unison at my command.  Not sure where to direct this energy.

Outside of work, I’ve been running a few times a week, reading some Japanese on the internet and trying to figure out ways to meet more people.  I’m slowly getting to know the Japanese people at work, but they all seem sort of stressed out and don’t chat much before or after class in any language.  I’ll continue working on this, and hopefully find an alcohol based solution soon.

Well this morning I was shaken awake by a 5.2 earthquake in Nagano, a couple hundred miles away.  It was the first one I’ve felt since I’ve been here.  I think my room being one floor higher than last time makes them seem stronger.  It’s either that or my reoccurring nightmare of being stuck on a malfunctioning mechanical bull.  Okay, I will check back in in a while.  Have a super night!