Welcome to Rat Camp

Howdy Y'all!

I hope this can be a place for us all to share our ramblings. The curse of 'Giddiyup!' (and the modern lifestyle) has placed us all far from the old ranch house (aka. Rat Camp), but if you're like me your heart still resides there.
Com'on y'all, show us what you're made of!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A New Position in Japan

Hey, y'all. For those of you who follow the drama of our lives in Japan, the coming new school year (it starts in April) has left me wondering what I might be doing for work. For the last 12 years I've been contracted to work in this same town, Fujikawa, but in November last year our town merged with the neighboring city, Fuji. Sooooo, we've been waiting for Fuji to make up their mind about what they're going to do for foreign English teachers in the new school year.
There were so many (in Japanese, of course) 'pleases' and 'welcomes' and 'give it your best in the new year' at the board of education yesterday, with uncommonly deep bows thrown in, that it seems the board of education has chosen my company to provide foreign teachers for the city. It's not exactly clear what added work I'll have, if any, or in what other ways my work life may change (though I've been assured my salary, and beau coup vacation time, won't change). For now, I'm happy just to know this much.
That said, we're very happy that we don't have to move away from the little hamlet we have called home for 12 years now, though we'll be changing lodgings to a house about a mile from where we are now. I've heard so many stories of what troublemakers the kids can be in schools in other towns, but there is none (right, very little) of that here. It has made teaching fun, but for Louis' sake I'm very happy we can get him into schools with kids who know how to behave themselves (so it's not a 'control the animals' free-for-all for much of the class).
I've posted satellite pics of our area at http://eltonersch.blogspot.com.
I've got a little site up and running so Louis can have one-click access to the net, too, at http://louispaulersch.blogspot.com.

best wishes,

elton, kumiko and louis!

1 comment:

Jed said...

Reading this I have to wonder what sort of troublemakers you are in for. I have students now with restraining orders against them! Shall we swap stories?