Making Progress

So today was probably the first time since I got here that I really felt like I was making some progress..with my junior highers! Gone (mostly) are the days where they wouldn`t even say konnichiwa to me when they walked by; some are even saying Hello to me first now! And they no longer run away from me! Am I really that scary?! hahaha Sure, I`m monsterously tall, but still.

But I really started to feel good about my being here this morning during a 3rd year class. As soon as I walked in a few of the guys were all like `Sensei, sensei..which is colder, Canada or Japan?`...an actual question! And of course I said Canada, but holy frig! I may start to rethink my answer if it continues being this freaking cold! Really wish I could get my heaters going at home...it was a very cold night last night.... Anyways, we continued to have a lovely half English conversation about how cold we all were. Later on during the class, the Japanese English Teacher asked me to walk around and ask questions using the day`s new grammar, and I was surprised that they all actually answered me in pretty flawless English. Wait...I`m not sure if I`m properly getting across how exciting this is to me. Until now when I tried this in any class the kids would just look around like they were in pain `What the heck is she saying to me?!` so needless to say I feel good that the kids are beginning to be more comfortable speaking to me in what English they do know.

Then, as usual before lunch, we were all milling around waiting for the food to be laid out, when a few of my 2nd year girls started asking me questions. Again, mostly focused on how cold it is, and why I was wearing a suit (I have no other warm clothing! My mom didn`t send my winter stuff to me until a few weeks ago, so there`s at least a few more weeks of suffering through the cold), but again! They spoke to me first! Usually I`m the one to ask them questions and try to get them to talk to me. Unfortunately I could never really make any progress with them, causing a crippling downward spiral of `Why don`t they like me? What the heck am I doing here?` that usually ends in a deep depression of staring blankly at my computer screen for the rest of the afternoon...or in tears in the bathroom. (This has only happened a twice, I swear!)  Then in the lunch room some other 2nd years invited me to sit with them instead of my usual `Hey, can I sit here?` followed by frantic looking at each other to confer if I they should let me or not., which of course they would say yes cause it`s rude not too, but then I`d feel like I was encroaching for the rest of lunch. (Off topic: many of the older community ladies tell me I have a Japanese heart..not sure how I feel about this... :/ )  But what made me the happiest of all was the same 2nd years telling me that most of the students` favourite subject was English, and how sad they were that we didn`t have class this morning due to the other English teacher being sick.

Overall, a very good day with some definite progress. Nowhere to go but up now, right?!