Being Busy-Japanese Style

I sometimes ask some working students (in our online school) if they are busy. They sometimes say, not really. I also ask if they go on overtime. They sometimes say, they do most of the time. "Then you are busy!", I usually exclaim. "But not so busy", they usually contradict. I always end up thinking what is "busy" for Japanese employees.

Till one new student defined what is busy for them. He said that if a Japanese employee is busy, they go home late, riding the last train at night or driving home at an ungodly hour. If they go home around 1900 or anytime before 2300, then they are not busy, even if they go on overtime for 2-3 hours. He also added that some companies do not offer a paid overtime. He thinks this is so, so that the the employee will have to focus on doing the work on itself and not prolong the work because of a paid overtime. That makes sense now.

"Here in the Philippines, overtime is always paid," I told him. He said, "You are lucky but the efficiency and productivity will not be so good." I have to agree with him on that.

I think I can say that I somehow understand what is busy for Japanese employees. From what my student said, I can somehow conclude that Japanese are very hardworking.

It's being hardworking that I always hope for Filipinos and me to conquer.

posted from Bloggeroid

A Present

Right now I'm posting through my mobile phone. I have become this lazy... not really. I just have no time I guess.

Anyway... one of my avid students just surprised me with a good news! She's going to send me a Totoro item. She showed it to me. It was a small Totoro towel. How cool is that?!

Actually, around second week of this month, we talked about Ghibli films. She said Ghibli films are good films to show for children because of the themes and lessons they can get from it. She mentioned about Naushika or Nausicca Valley of the Wind as her favorite Ghibli film and wants to show it to her nephew. And I also shared to her that one of my favorite Ghibli film is My Neighbor Totoro. Surprisingly, she likes Totoro too!

With the exchange of delight about our favorite Ghibli films and characters, I came about mentioning that she's lucky to be in Japan where Totoro items can be found and bought. She said nonchalantly that she can buy one for me if I want to. And I went speechless.

I didn't know that she's serious, really. That's why she surprised me with the Totoro towel that she found for me. I was so speechless that I just requested her to type her email so I could give her my address. And since we had a lesson together yesterday, she told me that she will just let me know about how long it would take for the parcel would arrive. She really is serious and she left me speechless.

Putting aside the excitement, I was kind of worried if this breaks ouur school's rules. Hmmm... I believe it hasn't. If the theu found out about this conversation through the recording, then I should just stand and defend myself.

Nonetheless, I'm already excited even it's just a towel. I'm already giving a thought on surprising her with a return present.

I hope the parcel will arrive safe so I can immediately send a return present. I will always be so surprised and very thankful of her. She definitely made my week.

posted from Bloggeroid

Thoughts.

My last post was ages ago, right? I'm getting too lazy and pre-occupied with other things that make me not to care about posting something here. Oh well... excuses as you might say. 

Anyway, I mentioned from my last post about one of my avid students. Apparently he did not leave our online school. He said he misses us, his favorite teachers, so he's not going to quit. That's one good news! Another good news is that, he just found a job as taxi driver and he doesn't like it. Too bad but he doesn't have much of choice because he is already way beyond his younger years.

 He realized that it was a bad move for him to quit his previous job. He quit because he's getting too tired doing the same thing. Now, he's going to be a taxi driver and it's way too unrelated with his previous or his skills. He doesn't have much of a choice now since he has been rejected by some of the companies he had been interviewed with. I guess this is his last choice. I just hope him for the best with this new career.

Regarding to me... I don't have much of a news, I guess. As everyday unfolds, I'm beginning to dislike my schedule. I start late which gives me the chance to spend a lot of time with my baby and do things I'm supposed to do. But I end late and that makes me stay up late quite longer than before. It's tiring and sometimes the reservations don't come a lot. I'm now hoping for a better and different job. If that's the end of it all, I won't be posting here anymore....

I'm just ranting out of my head here right now. I haven't organized the things I learned so far because of the laziness. I hope I can reorganize and hope to share it with you. :)

Bitter Sweet

Hi! Nice to see you again! Maybe you'd think that I have resigned from being an home-based English teacher or HBOET already. Fortunately, not yet. I'm still here! I have just been lazy or there isn't any news to share lately, good or bad. Well not today. :)

On the lighter note

So today is the second day of the second half of the Golden Week in Japan. The first half started last April 28th until April 30th. The second half started yesterday, May 3rd, until this Sunday. The Golden Week is a (sometimes) week long holiday in Japan because it consists of national holidays consecutively and sometimes happen in a week, including Saturday and Sunday. It's a good chance for Japanese to travel, relax, and take lessons on the Golden Week. It's a good chance for teachers too because there are a lot of reservation in these days.


On the darker one

I have lost another avid student again. He is a beginner student but has a great enthusiasm when learning English. He struggles sometimes when talking but he always say the English is a hobby for him and enjoys it. He was always kind of down during his last days in our online school. His last day in our online school was on the 30th (of April) and he said that he would be back after everything is fine.


The Golden Week is ending. A student leaves... and another student comes. Let me tell more about it soon. :) This is it for today.