cherry blossoms and changes

a good friend of mine from michigan once told me that the first time he visited portland (which was during spring preview week at reed college) he felt like he'd stepped into a doctor seuss book -- there were fluffy pink trees everywhere! apparently they don't have those in michigan. anyhow, now i know how he felt, because there are cherry blossoms everywhere you look! if only they'd stick around a little longer -- but i suppose some of the magic would be lost if it weren't so short-lived. thankfully the warmer temperatures are here to stay for awhile. i've had enough of wearing long johns, thick socks, and four shirts every day.

in addition to the weather, there are a few other changes underfoot:

the board of education announced what school i am going to next. as i expected, they are sending me to the school that is farthest away. i'm a little disappointed that biking to school is not really going to be an option for me anymore, because i enjoy (and, er, need) the exercise. still, i understand this placement is best for everyone -- the other ALTs don't have cars, and would either have to bike an unreasonably long distance (about 10 km each way on dangerous roads) to and from work or spend a lot of time (about an hour a day) walking to and from train stations.

the closing ceremony at my old school was on march 23rd. i gave a speech in english and japanese, but i was crying so much by the end of it that i'm a little unsure how coherent the japanese was. the most intense part of the speech for me was telling everyone that i never planned to be a teacher, and i was really pretty petrified when i started this job. thanks to the teachers i worked with, i became a lot more comfortable with teaching and essentially was able to do something i wasn't sure i could do. one teacher in particular was incredibly helpful and inspiring. goodbyes are tough.

i'm starting classes at the new school on thursday. i'm a little worried out about the stress of beginning all over again, but ultimately i think a fresh start will be nice -- and this time i'll have a much better idea of what i'm doing.

another change this semester involves the adult english class i teach at the community center. instead of teaching half of the beginner classes, i will be teaching all of the intermediate classes. on the plus side: i should be able to have some pretty interesting conversations with this class, and going every week means i'll get to know them pretty well. on the minus side: my schedule is getting increasingly busier and busier, and i'm going to miss my old students.


i went to the driver's license center today. i'm going back tomorrow. i'll tell you more about the process when it's finished. also stayed tuned for school photos and a spring break recap!