Blah Blah Blah

Why do some teachers who sit near me have to suck air through their teeth several times a minute? Are they trying to drive me crazy? (If so, it's working!)

Why is it that so many parents who drive around here don't have their children in safety seats or even buckled up? Do they want to see for themselves what happens to a child who flies through a windshield?

Why do a couple teachers at my school still have electric blankets wrapped around their bodies when it's really not that cold any more (at least not today -- it was freezing yesterday)? Let me guess: The official day when you put your blanket away until next winter must not have arrived yet.

What am I and the other teachers going to be doing for the next two weeks that is so important that we have to come to school as usual? The junior-high-school kids went home yesterday and the high-schoolers go home tomorrow. The students will be on vacation until April 8, but we teachers have to continue to come here and pretend to do work.

Why do some teachers insist on dragging their feet or taking those choppy-choppy steps whenever they walk around the building? Are they that starved for attention? Or are they just trying to annoy me?

Why does one teacher, who just so happens to be a foot-dragging, blanket-wearer, not know how to blow her nose? Does she think it's cool to sniffle, sniffle, sniffle all day long?

Why do some people I work with not think I understand any Japanese, even after I have a simple conversation with them and I'm the one asking some of the questions?

By the way, despite these rants, I really love my job and am having the time of my life on this adventure. I just think it's important to show you that there are also some really annoying things that I have to deal with on a daily basis. Just like everyone else in the world, right? And a lot of the issues have nothing to do with understanding a different culture.

Oh, and now for some words of wisdom:

When you are one of eleven speakers, try to limit your speech to about three minutes. If you talk for ten minutes, no one is going to be listening to you. Instead, they will just be dreading the fact that 10 x 11 = Two hours of boring speeches.

And when writing a message on a baseball, make sure you leave room for everyone else. Thanks.