Moved again - Hello Aichi!
Saturday, May 01, 2021In Japan, everything starts in April: the new school year, new jobs. This makes late March - April moving season for many people.
일본에는 4월에 모들 것이 시작돼요. 새 학기, 취직 등등. 그래서 많은 사람들한테는 3-4월이 이사가는 시즌이에요.
Including me. I had to say goodbye to the small town I called home for two years, to the region I came to love for the past three years. As of the end of March, Christiiney is in Aichi♡
올해는 저도 이사가게 되었어요. 2년동안 산 동네, 3년동안 산 지역이랑 작별하게 됐고, 3월 말부터 크리는 아이치현에 살게 되었어요~
Similar to why I moved to Shiga, I had to move to Aichi. My company lost the contract in my town, which was honestly a shock for everyone. Not to brag, but our group was pretty good in terms of English teaching as well as other support. The schools and teachers weren't happy to hear that we were leaving...which makes me feel good. It's really nice to know that the schools didn't want us to leave, just as much as we didn't want to go.
제가 효고에서 시가롱 간 것 처럼, 아이치로 왔어요. 시가에 있는 교육청이 우리 회사랑 재계약 안 하기로 했어요. 진짜 모든 사람이 놀랐어요. 우리 자랑하기는 좀 그런데, 거기 있었던 영어 교사 5명이 제법 잘 했거든요. 학교랑 다른 교사분들이 다 너무 실망했는데...기분이 좋더라고요 ㅋㅋ 우리가 가기 싫었던 만큼, 학교들도 우리가 안 갔으면 했어요 ㅋ
I worked at the same schools for two years. We went through a lot of things together!
제가 2년동안 학교 3군데에서 일 했는데, 진짜 좋은 사간이었어요!
School A
This was my smallest school. There was only one class per grade and the class sizes were really small. The biggest class was 25 kids! So I was able to make a really connection with these kids. I especially bonded with the 6th graders last year. The 2020-21 school year was very interesting with the pandemic and all, but also we kinda went through a traumatic experience in English class. There was a new Japanese teacher of English (JTE) who really didn't match this school. There was no structure to her classes and the kids were just sitting through lectures. Their "tests" were just to see how well they memorized the text, rather than seeing how much they learned. I watched as the interest level as well as the English skills of my 5th and 6th graders plummet. By the time we got a new teacher, it was too late. They practically lost all the English they had studied up until this point and there just wasn't enough time to go back and build up the skills again. But it was through this that I just got to have a good time with the kids. I was on their side. I wasn't enjoying English class and so I could only imaging how boring it was for them.
학교 A는 제일 작을 학교였어요. 학년마다 반이 1개밖에 없었고, 인수가 제일 많았던 반이 25명 밖에 없을 정도고 작았어요. 그래서 여기 있는 아이들이랑 진짜 친해졌어요. 특히 6학년 애들이랑 엄청 친해졌어요. 코로나도 있었는데, 영어 수업이 너무 안 좋아졌어요. 새로운 일본인 영어교사가 왔는데, 이 학교랑 너무 안 맞았어요. 뭘 배우기는 커녕, 애들한테 암기를 시기는 거에요. 그냥 어떻게 잘 외우는지를 테스트하는 거에요. 그 교사는 5, 6학년 담당했는데, 아이들이 그냥 너무 지루하고 영어를 싫어하게 된거에요. 결국에는 새로운 분이 오셨는데...그때는 너무 늦었어요. 근데 이 경험통해서 애들이랑 엄청 친해졌어요 ㅋㅋ 아니, 나도 지루한데, 애들이 얼마나 지루했겠어요~
For 3rd and 4th grade, last year I got to participate in a mentorship with the homeroom teachers, where I was the mentor. It was my first time guiding anyone how to teach, but thankfully the teachers were wonderful~ They really listened to what I had to say! I think because we had a good relationship, it made it easier to get closer to the kids.
3, 4학년은 단임 선생님들과 멘토십했어요. 제가 처음으로 멘토를 했어요~ 제가 이분들한테 영어 수업이 어떻게 할지 가르치고 지도를 했어요. 선생님이랑 친하니깐 애들이랑도 친해졌어요~
Unfortunately, this school decided not to inform the homeroom teachers that I was not returning next year. So, none of the kids knew that I wasn't going to be there after spring breakㅠㅠ There's this rule where I can't be the one to announce my departure. The Board of Education has to give the OK, and then the Principal has to tell the teachers, who tell the kids. I don't know what happened here, but the principal decided not tell the teachers...so I didn't get to say goodbyeㅠㅠ
아쉽게도, 이 학교는 제가 떠난다는 것을 선생님한테 얘기안했어요. 애들이 내가 붐방학때 없을 거라는 거를 몰랐어요 ㅠㅠ 그것을 알게되는 순서는 교육청 > 교장 선생님 > 교사 > 아이들. 어떻게 되는지 모르는데, 교장 선생님이 말 안해서 재대로 작별 인사 못 했어요 ㅠㅠ
School B
This was my closest school, distance wise. I lived like 5 minutes away by foot, so I'd walk to school. There were many days that I walked halfway home with a bunch of my students.
학교 B는 집에서 제일 가까운 학교였어요. 걸어서 5분 정도여서, 걸어서 출근했어요. 아이들이랑 같이 집에 가는 날이 많았어요 ㅋㅋ
I'll be completely honest, this was my least favorite school. I just didn't seem to be able to connect with the students or the teachers here. Maybe it's because it was a bigger school? That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it...I just didn't have as good of a time as I did at my other schools. But fun fact, this was the only school where some of my kids called me Chris sensei instead of Christine xD
솔직히 말하면, 제일 안 친했던 학교였어요. 그냥 잘 안 맞았어요ㅠㅠ 다른 학교보다 좀 커서 그랬나? 막 나쁘지는 않았는데, 다른데에 비해 그냥 그랬어요. 근데 재밌었던게 여기만 나를 크리스 쌤이라고 부르는 애들이 있었어요 ㅋㅋ
School C
This was my favorite school! I was close with both the kids and the teachers~
학교 C는 제일 친한 학교였어요! 애들이란 다른 선생님들이랑 친했어요~
The 5th and 6th graders were wonderful. My 5th graders were such a bright bunch of kids, the next ALT that gets to work with them will be so blessed. My 6th graders were super sweet. It was really amazing to see their growth from 5th to 6th grade.
5, 6학년 너무 좋았어요. 진짜 몇번 얘기하는데 5학년 애들이 그냥 너무 똑똑했어요. 다음 영어 교사는 진짜 행운일 거에요. 6학년은 그냥 너무 이뻤어요~ 5학년때 보다 6학년때 너무 성장했는데 진짜 착한 아이들이었어요.
The 4th graders at this school were a big reason I wanted to stay. I had the opportunity to start their English education with them, and it would have been so fun to have been able to finish all four years with them. The 3rd graders were also super cute.
이 학교 4학년 때문에 시가에 더 있고 싶었어요. 3학년때 첫 영어 공부를 같이했는데, 끝까지 갔으면 얼마나 좋았을까. 그리고 3학년 애들은 너무 사랑스러웠어요~
This school even had a going away party for the teachers leaving! It happened to fall on my last day of work, so I got to participate. It was a really fun time~
이 학교에 송별회까지 했어요~ 진짜 재밌었어요~
I really wanted to stay in Kansai. It was where I started my Japan life and I have come to really enjoy it. Unfortunately, the only place offered to me in Kansai was a town called Fukuchiyama in Kyoto. Fukuchiyama is a town near the Hyogo-Kyoto border, and it is pretty inaka. My first location in Hyogo was not to far from there...and I just didn't want to go back to the mountains and rice paddies life. I made a little upgrade when I moved to Shiga, it wouldn't make sense for me to downgrade and go back to the country life xD
저는 간사이에 계속 있고 싶었어요. 간사이에서 시작했고 그냥 너무 좋아요 ㅋㅋ 근데 갈 수 있는 곳이 너무 시골이어서 포기했어요 ㅋㅋ 처음 왔을때 살았던 곳이라 가까웠는데...다시는 가고 싶지 않은 곳이에요 ㅋㅋ
So I decided on Aichi. I already knew a few people here, so instead of going somewhere and starting completely anew, I figured coming here was better.
그래서 아이치를 선택했어요. 여기 친구 몇 명있어서, 그냥 아무도 모르는 곳 가는 것보다 났다고 생각했어요.
I made the drive midday, March 30. It was during this 3 hour drive that I've come to realize just how much I've come to enjoy driving~ I first started driving at 17, but I hated it so much I didn't get my license until I was like 20. Even after that I avoided driving when I could.
3월 30일에 왔어요~ 3시간 운전하면서, 제가 운전을 얼많아 좋아해졌는지 알게됐어요 ㅋㅋ 저는 17살에 처음 운전했는데 너무 싫어서 먼허를 20살에 땄어요. 그 뒤로도 운전하는 것을 엄청 피했어요 ㅋㅋ
I managed to get to Aichi with no big problems~
아무튼, 무사히 아치로 왔어요~
I genuinely enjoyed my time in Shiga. I learned so much. I am so thankful that I got to live and work is a place that was so welcoming and with people that I could really get along with.
저는 시가에서 진짜로 좋은 시간을 보냈어요. 많이 배우기도 했고~ 그렇게 좋은 곳, 나랑 잘 맞는 사람이랑 일할 수 있었던 것이 너무 감사해요.
But I am super excited to be in Aichi! I am sure that there will be many interesting adventures to come~
근데, 아이치 삶도 너무 기대돼요~
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