pick me up

The past few work days for me have been exceptionally busy. Aside from the normal work I do at my company, I've been waking up at 4:00 am to catch the 5:40 am  train to Honatsugi where I've been teaching a bunch of new grads a six-hour 'Business English' course. Now, I really don't mind standing in front of a classroom of students with the white board, and marker in hand. Being that students, classrooms, whiteboards and whiteboard markers are all a part of my job as an English teacher, it would actually be a big problem if I did mind those things. What I do mind, though, is the 4:00 am part! Early mornings and I don't mix well at all, just like oil and water don't. Put us in the same container, shake us up all you want, but we'll always be enemies! I'm sure you can picture it: me, grasping at a train strap, head  hung  low, yawns followed by more yawns, eyes barely half-open, dropping my suica everywhere, squinting at the morning sunlight, bumping into things and people (due to my eyes being, well, only half open), and scowling at all the people on the train that bump into me.

Leading a group of 20+ youngsters fresh out of uni in a group course can be great fun. They're all in their early 20's, energetic, and have a healthy sense of humor, and given that the English course we follow is loaded with lively activities and discussions, the six hours are anything but boring. This, however, doesn't change the fact that it's indeed six hours long, which naturally means a tortuous six hours in heels, and it also doesn't change the fact that I had a 4:00 am start to my day. All this, plus my usual classes back in Kinshicho does tend to tire one out By the weekend, I was exhausted!

Which is why the little present (little?) from one of my students-an old man with the creepy laugh- was such a pick-me-up!

"Do you know about 'Ochugen'?" My student asked me as we sat down for our lesson. "It's a custom we have in Japan where we give small gifts to those who have been a help to us in the past year." He explained to me and paused, as he pulled out an envelope from his bag and handed it over to me with a, "So this is for you! Thank you for being my teacher these past few months!" My eyes popped open with glee, and I asked him if I could open it there, which he said yes to. To my pure delight, there were a nice stack of beer coupons in the envelope--just what one wants around this time when the summer is around the corner! Sweeeet! What a considerate man!

Sometimes, I love my job!

Sometimes, I love my students!