I woke up at 5:45 a.m. and started my day by hitting the snooze button twice, but when I really woke up, I ate mochi (sticky rice cake) toasted in my toaster oven and a kiwi (not toasted in my toaster oven).
I will teach my first class of the day 3rd period, on time expressions: “minutes after,” “minutes to,” “quarter to,” etc.
When it’s time to head to school, I’ll walk down the alley and watch the sun rise.
The weather this time of year is cold and dry, so I’ll wear a winter jacket and fleece hoodie.
Photo Credit Yoshikazu Takada - http://dld.bz/aPgAz
Living in this country could best be described as living in an interesting blend of Eastern and Western cultures, a country that has adopted much from abroad, but also retains and continues to create much of its own. Japanese wear business suits and drink coffee like Westerners, but they also still eat obento (traditional lunch boxes) and continue to sleep on futons (roll out mattresses on the floor).
No matter how many times I see hair salons called “Oops” and “Arise Pure Hairs,” I still chuckle to myself.
The students, overall, are curious, fun, interesting and similar to kids everywhere– they like to giggle, fight, fool around, and express what they’re really feeling.
The worst part of my day today, though, will be being cold, because there is no central heating. It’s also my bike being confiscated because I can’t read the no-parking signs.
If I could wave a magic wand and change one thing about teaching or living here, it would be central heating, mayonnaise and seaweed-free pizza, and the disappearance of squat toilets.
I’ll get home from work at 5:45 p.m. and by that time I’m ready for dinner, but it takes me another two hours to make it, by which time I have snacked on various naughty foods such as daifuku (sticky doughy rice cake snack with sweet bean or ice cream filling) or cream-filled melon pan (sweet pastry shaped like a melon).
About the Author
Jennifer Collis
Jennifer is from Tampa and graduated from the University of South Florida with bachelor’s degrees in English and psychology. After some time working in the field of social work, she gave in to wanderlust and became TEFL certified, going on to teach in Costa Rica and Morocco. She also enjoys volunteering, and has worked with high school students in San Francisco, foster kids in Costa Rica, and rescue donkeys in Spain. She is now a program advisor at Bridge TEFL.3 Responses to “Teach in Japan: English Teacher Chelsea Dunlap Craves Seaweed-free Pizza in Osaka”
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February 8th, 2012 at 5:50 pm
Hi Jennifer! i came across this article and am interested in teaching English in Japan next year. I will be a college graduate in December of this year with a major in Child Development. I was wondering how your experience for this program went? There are a ton of TEFL courses offered and i am just so overwhelmed with which would be the best match for me.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:48 am
Hello this is Ferdous from Afghanistan currently living in Pakistan. I hold MA degree in English Language & Literature, as well as B.A (Honors) Persian from International Islamic University Islamabad in Pakistan. I’m fresh and completed my degree recently and I don’t have experience in this field but I have experience in teaching computer programs. Beside these degrees I have ESL/EFL English certificates of (New Pre-Intermediate up to New Upper Intermediate) and I was taught English for 7 years at ESL/EFL Center which was in Pakistan but their teachers were from Britain, Australia, New Zealand America and Canada. I have passed my NTS or GRE General Test.Therefore, I hope I can get a chance to be one of your team and have experience in South America. . Can you help me? Thanks a lot.
March 15th, 2012 at 7:36 pm
Hi Samantha,
To qualify for teaching jobs in Japan, I would usually recommend completing an onsite TEFL course– those are intensive, 4-week courses in the classroom that include teaching practice. However, in your case, since you are a Child Development major, you probably have some teaching experience already, so a TEFLOnline.com course of 100 or 120 hours would work well for you. Feel free to call BridgeTEFL and speak to me directly if you would like to discuss your options!