What E'ver Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part

Okay, I've had an epiphany.  A really, really good one.

It relates to stress, and feelings of anxiety, and just coping with life.

And it all came from this quote:

Word on the street is it came from Shakespeare.  I'm sure it's had a thousand interpretations from it, but the one that came to me recently has been really profound to me.

I've already talked about my feelings regarding morning standby.  Not so happy.  Lots of stress and feelings of anxiety, as I wait to be thrust into the unknown.  Surrounded by lots of children, usually elementary school aged.

I've had some training on this kind of stuff, but not nearly enough to make me feel comfortable or like I know what I'm doing.  I basically just try to survive the day, without losing face.

So as I was preparing for yet another morning standby a few weeks ago, I recalled the above quote from a recent evening church meeting I had been to.  “What e’er thou art, act well thy part.” 

My first question as I pondered how I could apply this advice was “What is my part?”  Not necessarily what part I felt I was expected to play, but the part I could play.  What I am.  It says “What e’er thou art,” so, what am I? “Well,” I answered, “I’m a junior high school 'hakken' (team-teaching) assistant language teacher, with very little elementary school teaching experience, who has to substitute at very short notice for 'gyomu-itaku' (you're THE teacher) ALTs.”  Essentially I identified my limitations, among my abilities and strengths.  I recognised it’s okay to not be perfect or give a flawed performance.  This realisation was rather liberating.

So, instead of feeling like I had to be an amazing gyomu-itaku elementary school teacher on these assignments, and thus feeling an immense amount of pressure and stress, I decided that it didn’t matter if I was just a substitute-junior-high-school-hakken-ALT-with-very-little-elementary-school-teaching-experience.  But I determined that I would be the best substitute-junior-high-school-hakken-ALT-with-very-little-elementary-school-teaching-experience that I could be!  I would act well my part – the part that I can play.

The next morning I went to the office (very) early feeling a little more calm than usual.  In accordance with my own psychic predictions, I was the first ALT sent out.  To a gyomu-itaku elementary school.  I still wanted to cry as I took the pile of papers handed me and headed out the door, but as I traveled to my assignment I noticed that this time feeling of anxiety was gone.  No rapid breathing or shortness of breath.  Because I knew that even if I did fail due to my limitations, it would be okay.  Because I would have acted well my part.

Can this principle apply to you?  Is there something in your life that’s stressing you out, because you don’t feel quite adequate?  What are your limitations?  Perhaps you simply can’t get the grocery shopping done in 15 mins like some people, because you’re a mother with young children who slow things down a lot.  Perhaps you’re dealing with depression and find it hard enough to get out of bed, let alone achieve the many things on your to-do list. Heck, maybe you’re missing a limb!  What ever your limitations may be, just accept them for now.  Define who you are, and what your part is.  And then play that part the best you can. 

What e’er thou art, act well thy part.

Did I pass the JLPT level 3?

You may have wondered why you didn't hear a big announcement about my Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) result.  Well, it's because I planned to announce it here on my very own blog!  And then I didn't.  Oops!   But in case you were wondering, here it is...

The actual test was sometimes easy and sometimes hard.  Especially the last listening section, yikes!  I couldn't really say whether I'd passed or failed, as my feelings were rather borderline.  

At last the time came when I could check my results on the internet.  Right before checking, I reminded myself that it's highly possible that I could have failed, and I knew that before I even took the test.

So, now the moment of truth...

Are you ready?

I PASSED!!!!!!!!

When I read the word "Passed" I did a sort of evil laugh in triumph!  Mwahahahaha!! Take that, you spooty vocab and crazy kanji!  And insane natural speed, casual-style listening section!  I won, I won!!!!!

Here is a pretty certificate proving my awesomeness:

So, will I be daring enough to attempt the level 2 JLPT in December?

Yes.  Yes I will.

Avast, mateys! It be Talk Like A Pirate Day, savvy!

Ahoy, ye landlubbers!  Today be September 19th and it be International Talk Like A Pirate Day.  I not be kiddin' yar.  If ye have not yet heard of ITLAPD, check out this link on t' Wikipedia.  As we all be knowin', if it be on Wikipedia, it be legit.  There also be an official ITLAPD website, for all yer piratey needs.

So, why should ye be talkin' like a pirate?  'Cause it be fun!!! I ain't be much good at it, arr, but I enjoy it nevertheless.

On this culturally enrichin' day, thar be a perrrfect way for ye to join in.  It be changin' yer Facebook language to "English (Pirate)".  If ye be a firrrst-timer, I'll show yar how!

First, ye be clickin' on the cog in the top right corner tharr, and click on "Account Settings".

Next, ye be clickin' on "Edit" next to "Language", and choose from th' drop-down box "English (Pirate)".  It be amazin' the many options there arr for English!

Arrrfter ye click "Save Changes", ye should be seein' results immediately:

Then ye just need ter do some explorin' and enjoy th' fine linguistic changes, which break th' monotony of th' averrrrage day!  This is what me personal page now be lookin' like:

Ye should be seein' gems, such as "Amend yer particulars" (update info), "Log o' adventures" (activity log), "Scour fer scallywags, islands or general thingies" (Search for people, places or things), "Arr!" (like), "Weigh in" (comment), "Blabber t' yer mates" (share), and "Me Hearties" (friends).

Even yer little pop-up boxes and notifications be much more interestin'!

Even th' simple things such as likin' a post be more excitin'!

If ye be worried about findin' yer way home after yer grand pirate adventure, fear not!  I be givin' ye th' treasure map now.  Click on that wee cog in th' top right corner again, and choose "Ye Ship's Rigging".

Then ye be clickin' "Mend th' sails", next to "Tongue", and choose ye yer preferrrred language, and seal th' deal with "Stow Changes".  

So, what say ye, yer scallywags!!  Will ye give it a real pirrrrate go?  Well, if ye don't at least give it a hearty try, I and th' crew be sending ye down to Davy Jones' locker!!  Arrrr!!!

If ye need some help shoutin' like a scurvy pirate, I also found 'tis great scurvy pirate translator! 

May yer day be entir'ly unmonotonous, and randomly entertainin'!  Well enough talkin' from me.....swab the deck, yar scallywags!!

My Brilliant Day

First I will need to back-track.  Last night, I woke up from a much needed nap after work, and checked my emails.  There was one from work "reminding" me about my morning standby assignment the next day.  Morning standby is where we need to be at the office by 7am and sit and wait for those dreaded footsteps of someone coming in to tell you that you need to to go out for a substitute teaching assignment.  It's basically like a long game of Russian roulette - except there's a chance all of us could end up 'dead' before 10am.

"WHAT?!"  If I wasn't awake before, I was definitely awake now.  Well, long story short, I had not been informed I was doing morning standby that day, but I got assigned.  So I went to bed early-ish in the hope I wouldn't be too tired for the 4:30am start.  I spent the next 6 hours laying in bed...not exactly sleeping.  Not only was morning standby stressing me out, but also my two Elementary School substitute assignments next week, and a lot of other things.  

Well, when the time came I got up and got ready.  About 5 minutes before I planned to head out the door I heard that familiar sound of a sudden heavy downpour of rain, which had happened several times through the night.  "Of course," I thought.  "Why wouldn't there be torrential rain and potentially life threatening bolts of lighting on this lucky morning?"  (There had been a few KER-POWs which sound more deadly than the normal low rumble of thunder.)

I made it to the office on time with very wet shoes.   Luckily (and unluckily), one of my friends was also on morning standby.  I actually met her at my first morning standby when we had a lot of fun chatting and laughing.  Until I got called out.  Of course.  As for today, we had fun time again.  And then those dreaded footsteps came, and someone walked into the room holding a bunch of papers.  

"Mari-Anna?"  I knew it, I just knew it!  Always first to get called out.  (Okay, so once I was second...still, close enough!).  Out of 5 people, it was me.  Last to be called in, first to be sent out.

But, here my luck changed.  Because instead of receiving the usual Elementary School assignment, which I have very little experience in and requires a lot more work, causing me to stress out immensely, I was given a Junior High School assignment.  Yay!!  JHS is right up my alley, because that's what I do every day.  Also, the school wasn't too far, just a few stops over, which meant I didn't have a long commute back home at the end of the day.

As I was walking from the train station to the school, it started raining again.  Hard.  I managed to avoid the puddles mostly, but when I had to cross a road which sloped downhill, I found myself facing a "river" of water running down it.  So I walked through the river.  Then found I needed to walk down that footpath on the side of that road - with the flowing river.  By now it was clear my feet and shoes would not have a spec of dry left.  So I walked down the river, got to a "valley" in the road, only to find I need to walk up the next hill which also had a river of water flowing down it in the opposite direction.  Suffice it to say my shoes and even my skirt were very wet by now.

The school I was assigned to was in Shinjuku.  Judging by this school, I am guessing that Shinjuku is kind of a rich area.  Either that or they have much more funding.  This school looked very shiny and new.  The floor boards were polished to perfection.  The shoe locker doors were made of glass, not wood.  It even had an elevator!  And the classrooms had whiteboards...and projectors!  I know for a lot of us the whiteboard has been around since our primary school days, but in Japan, every single school I had been to was still using a blackboard.  Until now.  Fannncy!  Also they had an actual running track outside, instead of the usual dirt/sand mixture.

The day went pretty well.  I taught 6 half-lessons, most of them were just my own self-introduction with lots of pictures of Australian animals, food and sport.  I love doing the self introduction because I get to talk about my two favourite topics:  Me and Australia!  I always have a lot of fun, and these students responded really well.  Despite there being a mix of different personalities, I've found for the most part JHS students are essentially "the same" every school I've been.  Which means I can feel at home no matter where I go.  This is why it was such a blessing to be sent to a JHS today.

There have been a lot of other blessings too.  My friend didn't get sent out today - lucky her!  My skirt had dried out by the end of the day and the sun was shining.  I found some (English) calligraphy pens which I had been searching for everywhere, at a shop nearby.  I was able to go for some post-work-stress-relief karaoke near the station, as I was hoping to do, and had a glorious time.  And some bad news I was anticipating actually turned out to be good news.  

It's funny how a bad day can turn into a good day :)