Hi everyone, today I'm teaching at elementary school. I teach about 4 classes in the day. The kids are so cute, they're like little pixies and they speak a cute secret language! They make me laugh and its a lot of fun. Most of the time we play games together. The whole aim is to make learning english fun. So, it is also fun to teach! Did you know that the whole elementary school can ride unicycles? Its amazing, the kids whizz around on unicycles at lunchtime on the school field.
I wrote a short passage 'my childhood in New Zealand' which has appeared in the school newspaper and maybe the Okawachi-cho newspaper. Previously I wrote a greeting/introduction which appeared in the Okawachi-cho newspaper. Its quite fun. The kids have been asking me lots of questions like "what's your favourite fruit?" and "what food do you cook at home?" and "what did you eat for breakfast?" etc.. They ask me what I like about Japan and about my favourite colour etc.. They call me David-sensei. I'm going on a elementary school trip to Nara toward the end of October which should be fun. The board of education is very supportive in giving me plenty of extra spending money. They say in Nara there is a huge statue of the Bhudda. Maybe 50 metres tall, made of bronze. It will be a highlight. Apparently you can fit an entire person inside one of his nostrils!
I've got one more class today sometime. At the moment, the kids are whizzing around cleaning with cloths and brooms. The are very industrious. At the junior high school I clean too but at elementary school its not neccessary. Tomorrow I finish early at 10am so I get the whole day free, I might go and explore. There is a forested mountain behind my house they say you can climb to the top of. I'm interested. I just have to watch out for snakes! there's quite a few of them here. I see them basking in the sun but they slither away quickly like lizards when I get closed. They're definately more scared of me then I am of them! Most of them are harmless anyway.
Autumn is so beautiful here. The summer was really hot and humid and the sky was hazy from the heat. Now it is crisp and clear and I can clearly see the mountains in the distance. The mornings are evenings are cool though the days are quite warm and usually sunny. When I open my curtains in the morning I see the sun shining across Okawachi-cho valley and the beautiful forested mountains. The mountains are covered in Japanese cedar trees with patches of maples. The maples are starting to change colour as autumn approaches.
Every season has its on special something. I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of snow in the winter!