Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

So yesterday was our first day of teaching. We had to ride the tram to Hiroshima station, which took about 20 minutes once we finally caught it, and then we had to get on the correct train to go about 20 minutes outside of the city to get to the kindergarten and branch school.

Our first class was in a Kindergarten. I had a class of three and four year olds, Mark had four and five year olds, and then I taught a class of five and six year olds. So, we made the train and
tram ok and got off at the correct stop. Our map said that the kindergarten was on the hill, which wasn't pictured on the map, and that someone would pick us up at the station. So, when someone says "hill" I think you know, a hill you can possibly walk up. This wasn't the case.

This older lady picks us up in her SUV and I swear it was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. You know, that crappy, jerky ride at Disney World? Yeah, like that except I expected to die or have my body parts mangled. She was going super fast and not even stopping for pedestrians! I really thought she was going to hit someone! Then we start going up this "hill" which let me tell you was more like a mountain to scale. It was crazy steep and windy. I thought it was a one way road but it was two! She didn't want to move over for other cars and was taking the curves at like the same speed as everything else! It was really scary! Nice lady, but crazy, crazy driver. I liked the kids, but I'm hoping I don't end up with that school because I don't know if I can handle that all the time.

The children at the Kindergarten were SOOOOO cute!!! Basically they have set activities and they know exactly what to do. I was going to play this game with them where you put four cards on the carpet, and then I say, "Go to the bear." or whatever the card is and they run to it, but don't touch. I lay two cards down on the carpet and the kids start screaming, "No touch!!!, No touch!!!" haha They can count really fast and high too. They all wanted to show me their bags decorated with their favorite cartoon. The lessons are 30 minutes a piece and are all back to back. I liked it, but I can see how it would get old after a while, as you really don't mix things up for them. Apparently kids like predictability. I just didn't feel like they were learning as much as they could by always doing the same activities and using the same cards.

So after the Kindergarten lessons we got back on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and went over to the lady's house which is basically in this building connected to a temple. That's what her and her husband do. Her husband is a monk or temple priest and they own the temple and keep up the grounds. They live in the buildings around it and hold English classes and piano lessons. It was pretty neat. That's the temple pictures you see there. The other picture is of the classroom Mark had to teach in there.

Obviously, we survived as I'm here to tell the story, but it was a crazy day. Traveling makes the day seem SO much longer too and we were starving and really really glad to see a bathroom when we got back. Oh, and I ate pizza!!! PIZZA!!! Oh, I had forgotten how good food tastes! It was cheap, at least I thought, about 504 for a personal cheese pizza and tipping is not customary there. It wasn't good as some stuff I've had in the states, but wow it was so good cause I've missed hot food. Hot food I know I can eat. Just thinking about it makes me get my appetite back.