Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Hanami and the interview


I went to the interview for the privet school first thing this morning. The other girl going for the job (also with my company) was a British girl from London and she actually lives in Richmond!!!!!! I used to live like a few street away from where she lives now!!! SMALL WOLD!! Anyway she was really nice. We will be living and working really close to each other (she is also going to be living in Toride) which is so nice because I really wanted to have a friend out here. I'm so far from all my other pals.

The interview was SO interesting. It was at this really nice all girls privet school. We got a tour of the facilities and wow, they have 2 gyms, an Olympic sized swimming pool, like 5 piano rooms, and the BEST part......a set of traditional tatame mat rooms, with traditional Japanese gardens. It was so beautiful and impressive (they also said that the teacher chosen would receive traditional Japanese training with the other students in that room, learning how to wear Kimono, tea ceremony and so on.

Our boss and another translator came with us to the interview. It was fascinating to see all the Japanese etiquette I have read so much about, actually performed. There is this thing about where you sit during meetings. You must sit in certain seats that define your place in the social hierarchy. When we all went into the room there was this uncomfortable moment where my boss had chosen the wrong place to sit and we all had to scramble around and re position ourselves. It was SO funny. Then the interviewers came in (the principle, vice principle, 2 other teachers, and the head of the English department). We did the whole exchanging business cards thing. There were a ton of people so it was a lot of bowing and arigato-gozaimashita. I collected all these cards and then did not know what to do with them. hehehehehe

They asked us all these question and then the translator conveyed them to the principal and they would all talk about us while we were sitting right there. WEIRD!!

After all those antics I went to Ueno Park for the Hanami (cherry blossom Festival) it was beautiful!!!

Here are some pics from that.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those trees are gorgeous!!! I miss you poopy, but it sounds like you are learning so much. I do hope you get that job but I think you are right that the little kids will be so cute and entertaining. I love that you are writting so much, keep it up!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

That is soooooo pretty. I want to see it too! well it is fun talkin to you so early in the morning, luckly work has been slow so I am able to talk!

Anonymous said...

LOok at you! THose pics are so pretty and u look so cute in that pic! awww