So I'm writing a manual for the next teacher that gets my job. No, my job did not come with any kind of instruction at all. I was just thrown in with out any floaties. I like to think that after being here three years, I know how to do my job well enough to be able to pass on the things I've learned. I'm a little nervous about passing it on in writing though. What if I make some kind of horrid grammatical mistake shaming the title of Assistant English Teacher? I'll be around, so it's possible that I'll run in to my successors and they could frown upon me in person. Anyway, I hope they all have common sense and don't follow everything I write to the letter. I'm just trying to write a general guide to surviving with dignity at a Japanese Junior High. I think my job would be hard and a little lonely if I couldn't speak Japanese at all. Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of laughing children and teachers all day everyday, and only being able to speak to 3 or 4 of them fluently. The rest of the conversations would start and end with "Hello." I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. I like talking too much. I never really thought of myself as someone who likes talking until I came here and I couldn't. Well, not to most people. I have now learned for deep inner searching, that I can't live happily with out communication of some kind.

I realized that it was Friday the 13th today, and it got me remembering high school. I was in the drama club. I did tech with a little sprinkling of acting on the side (mostly musical). One of my techie friends decided that on Friday the 13th you should wear all black. Not hard for techs since we had to wear all black back stage and for run crew. And anyone who was wearing all black on Friday the 13th would receive a stamp of an green pine tree on their hand with, I assumed, her color approval. It became a little tradition amongst us, so every Friday the 13th reminds me of Shelly.