So amm, what's up? How are you doing? It's too freaking hot in here to do anything at all. I have literally spent all my free time lately just laying on the floor. Of course, the living room next by would have air conditioning but then I'd have to sit. And my throat hurts a bit (not that ud care but), I guess I'll be sick next week when we have our school trip to Norikura. I feel like I am not going to make a post for that 'cause cameras and phones and basially everything is forbidden to take with you to the camp. But it'll be cool, we are going to make a camp fire, prepare curry and watch the staaars. And of course dance a super difficult overcute AKB48 dance which wouldn't be super difficult if I had taken part with the reherarsals more often. So I skipped my club only twice to practise and screwed I am. Oh and my class does also Gangnam style. No no I am not having difficulties at all remembering all the moves, thank you for asking.
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| Oh, these pics have nothing to do with the topic! Just me and Lauren and some pirates at the amm sth like the bodyshop! The shopassistants were so nice in there~ |
So about the school, starting with classes that I am taking - I feel really lucky being able to choose my own classes from Korean to Art and so on. Of course, not everything is super fun and I have to also attend periods like Old Japanese, maths and English. "But what's the matter with English? Isn't it cool to actually understand what the teachers have to say?", you ask. Oh no, I tell you. First of all, the teachers for Math for example don't really expect you to do anything in their classes. That means I can read a book, study japanese or draw, whatever I want. But with English the teachers want me to take notes of their powerponts or such. (We have smart boards by the way! It's a kind of white screen you roll to the blackboard and then put the electricity on and you can use it as a touch screen)
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| And then I just add a random picture here.. Pretty right? That's the Sun of the day in Finland! |
But as I said, they want me to take notes, which some of the times are more or less grammatically correct. And it kinda pisses me off when they ask me every time that "Venla, did you understand what this text was about?" Oh yes I did dear sensei and even though I am not a native I still feel like my English is better than yours. And I am not a teacher. I knew before coming here that their English was bad and first it was funny now it's just plain irritating. No wonder the kids don't learn anything if the teachers teach them wrong. And their methods suck too. Let me demonstrate this: they have a text. I ask them if they understand the meaning of it. They say no. Then a moment later, they have THE SAME TEXT as a test with some blanks to fill in.
Matt _____ ____ ___ yesterday.
wtf? It could as well be chinese this doesn't teach anything. And almost all of their tests are like that. No essays not even short explanatory questions. Oh and I have to tell you about their computer classes. So the first time we had this, people were pushing CTRL, ALT and DEL all separately and being like huuh, it doesnt open? Does anyone know how to use these things? so this time we got to open the computer. Ever since then we haven't even touched them. We had a keyboard memorizing test instead. Yep, you had to write all the keys to a paper in correct order. Well, I can write pretty well and been using computers all my life but failed. I couldn't remember them all, maybe only a half. Then we watch powerpoints about computers and make notes about ones and zeros instead of actually using the computers right in front of us. I think this gives a pretty good contrast of the teaching system in Japan.
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| Oh my, four scoops of ice cream 500 yen??? I took watermelon, brazil, nightmint and melon! (The cup closest to the camera) |
And the people. Well the Junior high first graders are cute, especially a girl I call Eddy, she's so into English and is just so sweet and always comes to talk to me. Grades 2 and 3 are not so. I know one cool 3 grader, but the rest of us just no. At least that goes with my clubs people. I am not too fast to learn, so they have to always show me a gazillion times how a move is done untill I get it. And even then I don't. So they just see bee as a bother I feel, so I change to art club soon after the holidays. No one has to guide me then anyways.
My classmates are nice, though they are 2 years younger than me it's fun. I also have friends who are second graders and somehow the same age as me which is cool.
Sad thing is, the other exhange student at my school left last week. I've been feeling a little lonely after that since we had so many classes together and she was like my best friend from the school. This friday though a new girl from America came for a month, but you know, it's not the same at all, obviously.
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| Ohoho look with how much love Sophia always looks at me <3 |
Before
Sophias (that's her blog if u want to see it aswell:) departure we all went to eat and see the fireflies one last time. It was the first time for me too and I was so happy to see them. The season they can be seen is only about 2 weeks so we were a bit worried that could we make it but we could and it was so great. One even landed on my hand and I freaked out cause it wouldn't come off haha. Cute little creatures they are.
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| Sophia and my hostfamily. I really like this photo. |
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| Yesss, it's a firefly |
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| Yees such skills |
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| Well this better be alright I even drew a circle that u could see |
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And at last, the fact that I go to an all girls catholic school, well, I'm already so used to it I don't even realize one sex completely missing or notify the praying 25 times a day. It's just how the school is. And yeah some nuns walking here and there it's cool.
