February
15, 2005 - Teaching
Yuriko on our tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Yodoko Guest House
Teaching English has allowed me to travel many places within an hour radius of Kobe. I have become familiar with many of the intricacies of the three train lines that run through Kobe, Osaka, and beyond. For example, I now know which stops to transfer at so I can hop an Express or Special Rapid train. I can make a platform change in under 1 minute. I also know which stations have vending machines where I can find Royal Milk Tea in a hot bottle with a lid. This is very important, because when it is really cold out, I want to shove that bottle into my coat pocket, warm my hands, and then take a few sips before putting it back into my pocket.
The best thing about teaching is meeting all sorts of people who open their homes and their personal stories to me during the course of a lesson. I met Yuriko while waiting for a train. She came straight up to me as told me she wanted to improve her English. That little voice in the back of my head said, “tell her you are an English teacher Diana!” So I did, and she and I have been meeting for tea or lunch along the JR line every Thursday. Since she has an unlimited JR pass and I travel an hour from my house later in the day, we meet at a number of places along the line. It’s a great way to get to know the area and to get to know each other.
The Sanda gang (clockwise from lower left): Yuhki, Honoka, Mizuki, Misato, me and Ayano
After I leave Yuriko, I head out towards the mountains of Sanda. I love going to Sanda. At the station, I am picked up by one of the mothers and driven through a small town to an apartment in the middle of a bunch of rice fields. I have come to know Mrs. Shitabo the best as she picks me up most often. The five girls I teach live in the same apartment building and are all good friends. When I arrive, they are often hiding behind a sliding door, or underneath a heated kotatsu table. I scratch my head and wonder aloud where they are. They tumble out into the room laughing and screaming. It’s a great time. I have a lot of fun teaching them, and it’s been great to see them advance and learn. Their mothers are very interested in the class and in practicing their English, so it makes for a lively time in a really cozy environment.
I recently took on a full-time job teaching for Berlitz Language School in Ashiya (11 minutes from my house.) I will start on April 11th after I return from a much-anticipated trip to Australia and New Zealand. While I am very excited to have a simplified schedule and to almost triple my earning capacity, it is heart-breaking to leave my students. I will miss seeing them all on a regular basis, but I am hoping to meet with them in the future for more adventures and friendly visits. To ease the heartache, I am looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends.
