April 30

-Male Airport Thursday night-

JAPAN

Did I announce to everyone how many great friends I had in Japan?!?

Last night I saw my old Japanese student / friend and her husband at the airport. I am so thankful for those 15 minutes or so that we had! I don’t know why it meant so much to me, but it was the highlight of my week for sure! I would have cried when their speed boat pulled out if I had been alone. I missed them immediately.

And, I used to think the Japanese gift giving was too much and a waste of paper since they wrap things a hundred times and a waste of money to just buy gifts, but I am SO grateful for the Sakura (cherry blossom) castella (sponge) cake she brought me! It is wrapped one hundred times, but she got it to me without a wrinkle despite all their luggage and bags! Amazing! I would have had the bag torn and crushed had I been carrying it! I will completely delight in eating it and think about the spring I missed in Japan.

Again, I am grateful for the good friends and great students/friends I had in Japan. I had many great evenings at KWYC, many wonderful talks with some of them, and everyone was always so helpful and kind to me. I miss it so much right now.

I know I have the opportunity to make new friends here, but I am not interested for some reason… strange since many of the people I meet speak some English as opposed to most people I met in Japan! I know a part of me just doesn’t know their feelings about Americans, so I am unsure of their preconceived ideas. In Japan, I knew that Americans were generally liked. Here when I asked some students if they had been to America, they just laughed at such a question. I am not sure if it is because they wouldn’t dream of going to such a country because they think we are terrible, or if they are just so poor that to travel anywhere outside of Maldives is unimaginable. I didn’t think to ask that since I was shocked by their laughs. In Japan, people travel a lot and many have been to America and thus they want to improve their English due to their trips. But it is different here…

About speaking English, even my next door neighbor tried to talk to me today and her English was perfect, but I was feeling down, so I gave short responses to her questions. Later I regretted not following her lead and making conversation. I can’t blame the other foreigners here, but with some of them I tried to make conversation and it felt like they were bored and annoyed by my attempts. So, I had decided not to talk to people much and keep to myself more…but, maybe I should just stop talking to most foreigners! And, I should be my usual self with the locals…? Yes, maybe that is what I should try. But I wish I knew their preconceived ideas so I know how to approach them. Let’s see how I feel later though. Right now, I am just thankful I could see the Satos and wonder whether or not we have time to meet again; they are out on island I might not be able to get to since I am not a guest there.

TEACHING & ME

I think it is becoming more apparent that I am best suited for small group classes or individual adults that are self-motivated to learn. The level doesn’t matter to me but I prefer not to have mixed levels. And, I need lots of one-on-one time with them so I can give them individual service in their writing and speaking practice. It is not easy to find customers that can support my living that way, but that is what I prefer and I think those that like me appreciate that about me too. I am more the “let’s be friends and let me correct and introduce things to you” type… So, I don’t fit the mold of maybe what is needed in the majority of teaching situations, but that is me. I have been around some other teacher types here in Maldives (and on occasion in America and Japan) and they are just so self-assured and “in charge”. That is not my personality at all, but if you are in charge of large groups or of children, that seems to be the personality needed. So, I am a little worried about my applications to any jobs that won’t allow me time to work one-on-one or in a very small group. I wonder where this will put me… I do want to try proofreading more too. Yosuke asked me to help with his next TOEIC book on several levels, so I am excited to work on that too! I may need to drop by Japan this summer to work on things with him and just to be there once more…I was ready to leave there in March, but I feel I just need to know I can go back anytime. It is like weaning myself into my home culture again!

Sigh…but maybe I should move back to Japan…I just can’t do JHS again or the weekend language schools…there must be something better for me…no, I need to go try America for awhile since I do miss the conveniences and abundance there and because the other international applications I put out have not responded yet…Let’s see.