Japan Entry Updates
A few changes will be made to the existing entires on the blog that regard my teaching experience. I got a request from my training coordinator (after another teacher showed him my blog) to remove staff and student names. Any privacy issues hadn’t even crossed my mind while writing the entires, and I certainly understand the concern.
So if you suddenly check on the entries and wonder why things look just a bit different, that would be why.
On a related note, go teach in Japan! Or anywhere abroad. I think living and working in another country is a truly life changing experience that will force you to confront many of those “taken for granted” assumptions we have.
I know the experience was positive for me. Not to say it wasn’t hard. It was one of the most challenging experiences in my life. But that is what made the experience worthwhile. It was not easy, and the beginning of it was not fun. But almost every experience that nearly destroyed me is now one I treasure. The old saying No pain, No gain is true. Learning can be hard, becoming more flexible or stronger can hurt, and learning to read and speak all over and trying to work while being abroad for the first time in your life is a trial in endurance. But if you’re up for the challenge you will never regret taking it!
I passed along your comments in the last two paragraphs to a girl scout troup that is studying Japan. Also passed along the Finding Rice story and your pictures from Japan. I think that all of it together will give them some appreciation of Japan and what it is like to take on an “adventure”.