Training

I have finished my my training and now have one day left off before I start officially teaching.  I started on the 23rd and it lasted for four days.  The first day I took a quick three stop train ride to the area.  I ended up walking past where I was supposed to turn because I didn't notice a building/shop that I was supposed to turn at.  When I did get to my building I was looking for how to get in (the door to get in is on the side but there are doors in the front) and I met another person who I would be training with.  We got into the building and found where we would be training the first day (it was just as hot inside as it was outside lucky for us the one room with A/C on was our training room).  I met two others that were already waiting when we entered the room.  A fifth would soon enter.  We introduced ourselves and waited.  Our training the first day was conducted over the tv even though there were two other senior staff in the room.  We went over the basics of how to teach a lesson from the company's book.

The next three days were held at a second location.  We reviewed how to go about teaching a lesson and then watched a lesson being taught.  Later we all taught 1/3 of a lesson, then 2/3 of a lesson, and then two whole lessons.  Everyone that I taught was a least in their 20s and they all seemed upbeat with a good sense of humor.  Teaching got easier as I did more and familiarized myself with the program.  The classes with more people and higher levels were easier to teach because there is more to the higher lessons and more people means a longer time so the whole period is filled out nicely (there are only so many times you can repeat a part of a lesson when a student seems to be grasping the material and saying everything correctly).  My favorite part of teach so far (which isn't much) is clarifying or explaining points.  These parts aren't structured or planned and actually has something to do with me answering instead of using the book.  I don't know if I could plan a lesson myself to last for the whole class, but I at least like a less structured and less formal atmosphere.

The third day was a little more teaching but mostly training.  The five of us training went to a chain (Yoshinoya) and most of us got gyudon.  It's a great price because it's cheap (only 280 yen for the small) and filling and the service is very fast.  Some of us hadn't even ordered by the time someone received their food.

The last day was us learning how to teach the children's classes, but without children.  We were really just told and shown and then practiced with one another.  Teaching a children's class sounds like it could be interesting.  And unlike with adult classes, you are guaranteed to have the same kids for a year so you really get to know them.  On the last day or second to last day we received schedules for the remainder of the month before we were to go to our regular schedules.  I got lucky and had three days off before working two to finish out the month.  One of those days I am to go to a location only one time and the other I will be going to one of my two regular branches.  In addition to getting schedules for the remainder of the month, some of us were also given changes in our normal work schedules.  I was one of those people.  Already one of my locations is i nice 35-40 minute commute and my other location was to be a nice 10 minute commute (actually to where I was training), but I had that location changed and now I have two locations that are over 30 minutes away from where I am living.  I am not happy about this.  I rented an apartment in a location so that I could be close to at least one location, and if I had known that both of my locations would end up being on the Osaka/Hyogo border I might have moved to Kobe instead as to not spend over an hour each day traveling (even the location that I will be at for only one day is in Hyogo).  I am going to try and change one of my locations to a closer location.

After the last day of training ended we said by to each other since we wont be working with one another and exchanged numbers to keep in contact.

I had wanted to go to the Sakai City Museum during my free time but the past two days I decided to stay up late (and now tonight is a third) and ended up being lazy in the day.  I have managed to walk around my area each day and get a better feel for where I'm living, though.  I also had to go back to Yodobashi-Umeda to have Softbak look at my phone yesterday since it kept resetting after only a week of having it.  I did take time to get some takoyaki (pretty much octopus in a ball of batter).  It wasn't amazing but I want to try it again with maybe some added flavor. During one of my late night walks I stopped by another Yoshinoya and got what I believe was Japanese curry.  I really enjoyed it and have convinced (without much effort) myself to go try other cheap 24 hour places that are right by my apartment.  Earlier that day I took a walk north by the rivers that the Keihan City Mall is by.  By chance I ended up walking down to Nakanoshima Park which is really beautiful.  As of now it's probably my favorite place in Osaka.  There is a bar and grill in the park which made the park smell of steak and other foods which didn't hurt.

Now tomorrow (today) I get to pick up a free rice cooker and wait for some mystery mail to arrive while figuring out how to fill out my National Health Insurance forms.