I rarely listen to music these days because music is for happy times but this morning I put my headphones in on the way to school and wound up arriving 5 minutes sooner.
I dropped in on the ladies at the convenience store to wish them a Happy New Year.
They were all a-fluster about the guy they've put me in touch with regarding him wanting English lessons, who I have replied to, but who seems so absolutely lame at English, even in writing (so he quickly moves into Japanese) that per chance, what with him already being of salaryman years, he's a lost cause.
Or per chance, I can't be fcked to teach part-time again.
I think it's more of the latte, which I am going to have right now - an Espresso Latte - than the former.
This year was totally lame on the private teaching level.
Remember that chick I used to teach, who used to travel hundreds of miles to reach my house, well, she disappeared, not a word from her.
Bitch.
Then nothing came of my ad in the usual Find-A-Teacher online rag.
It's the recession, I tell ya.
Still, I don't go out, so I save money that I otherwise would have made teaching privately.
A lot of my 'empire' was built upon such private classes - I'd have 3 or 4 hours worth of them a week - because the money I earned from them kept me from dipping into my main salary.
So for those of you who still think I built my empire from inheritance, think again.
I'm pretty sure that my grandfather would be very proud of me.
It's a shame my father doesn't give a toss but hey ho, it's been nearly 44 years now without a father figure in my life, so I'm used to it.
Shame though because he's an intelligent, kind and extremely empathetic man.
Blimey. My co-teachers look exhausted, especially the poor guy who runs the baseball club as well as being a regular teacher.
I used to teach him when he was a university student. Might as well slit my wrists now. How old am I!!
Being the baseball coach, he has to go to baseball games on Sundays, too.
In a nutshell, given that this school still has Saturday school twice a month, he gets two days off a month - and it shows.
I get the feeling that if I stayed at this school for much longer, I wouldn't receive the good conditions I've managed to retain for myself over the years.
I think the good old days of teaching English in Japan - wi' all the holidays - are coming to an end.
It's the recession.
Smaller bonuses for the real teachers kind of brings home to them just how hard they have to work, and for so little.
In Japan, you are paid according to your age.
So if you start teaching at 22, you will get 220,000 a month. (About $2500)
If you are 50, you will get 500,000 a month.
And so on.
My salary was a steady 350,000 for years.
It has dropped to 300,000 this year.
It's the recession.
When the teacher who sits next to me, comes into the room and announces, 'Zero Bento Desu', I chirp, 'It's the recession.'
It's all I'm good for.
I was just at the Morning Meeting and I realised that I've been at this school so long now that I've witnessed teachers turn grey.
Gonna slit my wrists now.
Things aren't that bad.
I have my health.
Indeed, after reading that parenting site, it feels like I'm the only British woman on the planet without health problems (touch wood).
I do enjoy cycling to school.
Kind of, sort of.
I guess I force myself to enjoy it because it's my only social event each day.
I'm using my new 'tool bag' today.
It's a fake light brown leather bag that I got for $1.
It has 'easy to grab a tool from' stamped all over it.
Not literally.
It's actually called Blue Moon Blue.
Kind of fitting for the year, me thinks.
Yesterday I also bought a thermometer for fridges.
I intend to use it in the reefer on my boat.
I also bought some wax stuff (all from the 100 Yen Shop) that I can rub on the companionway rails, so that the hatch opens smoothly.
I am thinking like I am single, even though I am not single, because living in two worlds for so fcking long truly turned me baypolar, and I've had enough of feeling fcked up, so I've decided to focus on me me me me me this next two months, pretending that it's all about me, planning things that are dead certs, reinventing myself again, becoming that super cool and happy chick who rocked up to the boat yard in 2007 with huge dreams in her eyes.
If there's any silver lining to this year - all of which I knew would turn out to be crap, even during the vacation time, given the amount of stress that I was under - it's that I will never compromise my happiness again, I will never 'wait and see', I will never keep my fingers crossed again. Instead I will take my life back and stuff it to the hilt with confidence and happiness.
Watch me soar.
Time to teach.
I do hope I don't have seaweed between my teefs.
I just pray that I don't get sick or something and die young.
I dropped in on the ladies at the convenience store to wish them a Happy New Year.
They were all a-fluster about the guy they've put me in touch with regarding him wanting English lessons, who I have replied to, but who seems so absolutely lame at English, even in writing (so he quickly moves into Japanese) that per chance, what with him already being of salaryman years, he's a lost cause.
Or per chance, I can't be fcked to teach part-time again.
I think it's more of the latte, which I am going to have right now - an Espresso Latte - than the former.
 |
| The best score of 2011. |
This year was totally lame on the private teaching level.
Remember that chick I used to teach, who used to travel hundreds of miles to reach my house, well, she disappeared, not a word from her.
Bitch.
Then nothing came of my ad in the usual Find-A-Teacher online rag.
It's the recession, I tell ya.
Still, I don't go out, so I save money that I otherwise would have made teaching privately.
A lot of my 'empire' was built upon such private classes - I'd have 3 or 4 hours worth of them a week - because the money I earned from them kept me from dipping into my main salary.
So for those of you who still think I built my empire from inheritance, think again.
I'm pretty sure that my grandfather would be very proud of me.
It's a shame my father doesn't give a toss but hey ho, it's been nearly 44 years now without a father figure in my life, so I'm used to it.
Shame though because he's an intelligent, kind and extremely empathetic man.
Blimey. My co-teachers look exhausted, especially the poor guy who runs the baseball club as well as being a regular teacher.
I used to teach him when he was a university student. Might as well slit my wrists now. How old am I!!
Being the baseball coach, he has to go to baseball games on Sundays, too.
In a nutshell, given that this school still has Saturday school twice a month, he gets two days off a month - and it shows.
I get the feeling that if I stayed at this school for much longer, I wouldn't receive the good conditions I've managed to retain for myself over the years.
I think the good old days of teaching English in Japan - wi' all the holidays - are coming to an end.
It's the recession.
Smaller bonuses for the real teachers kind of brings home to them just how hard they have to work, and for so little.
In Japan, you are paid according to your age.
So if you start teaching at 22, you will get 220,000 a month. (About $2500)
If you are 50, you will get 500,000 a month.
And so on.
My salary was a steady 350,000 for years.
It has dropped to 300,000 this year.
It's the recession.
When the teacher who sits next to me, comes into the room and announces, 'Zero Bento Desu', I chirp, 'It's the recession.'
It's all I'm good for.
I was just at the Morning Meeting and I realised that I've been at this school so long now that I've witnessed teachers turn grey.
Gonna slit my wrists now.
Things aren't that bad.
I have my health.
Indeed, after reading that parenting site, it feels like I'm the only British woman on the planet without health problems (touch wood).
I do enjoy cycling to school.
Kind of, sort of.
I guess I force myself to enjoy it because it's my only social event each day.
I'm using my new 'tool bag' today.
It's a fake light brown leather bag that I got for $1.
It has 'easy to grab a tool from' stamped all over it.
Not literally.
It's actually called Blue Moon Blue.
Kind of fitting for the year, me thinks.
Yesterday I also bought a thermometer for fridges.
I intend to use it in the reefer on my boat.
I also bought some wax stuff (all from the 100 Yen Shop) that I can rub on the companionway rails, so that the hatch opens smoothly.
I am thinking like I am single, even though I am not single, because living in two worlds for so fcking long truly turned me baypolar, and I've had enough of feeling fcked up, so I've decided to focus on me me me me me this next two months, pretending that it's all about me, planning things that are dead certs, reinventing myself again, becoming that super cool and happy chick who rocked up to the boat yard in 2007 with huge dreams in her eyes.
If there's any silver lining to this year - all of which I knew would turn out to be crap, even during the vacation time, given the amount of stress that I was under - it's that I will never compromise my happiness again, I will never 'wait and see', I will never keep my fingers crossed again. Instead I will take my life back and stuff it to the hilt with confidence and happiness.
Watch me soar.
Time to teach.
I do hope I don't have seaweed between my teefs.
I just pray that I don't get sick or something and die young.
No comments:
Post a Comment