I've been very busy this first week and haven't had a chance to take photos, but I want to give a little report.
My new apartment is small, but it is fairly new and very clean. Clean is the important thing for me. I have a fair amount of storage space and have been unpacking a little each day, trying to find convenient places for my things. I think this will be very comfortable when I get everything put away. My apartment is just a ten minute walk to my office.
I arrived Sunday afternoon and began work Monday morning. My job is teaching business English and my students are the upper management and senior engineers at a company. This is a division of a larger organization and this division merged with an American company about six months ago, so all of senior management people are required to learn English. My students are at all different skill levels, but my classes are one to one classes, so I can plan individual lessons to work with each person where they are. Most of my students have worked here between 25 and 30 years and a good number of them have not studied English since high school. All of my students are men; there doesn't seem to be any women at the top. The women I've seen and met here work in the HR or finance departments. The factory workers all seem to be men. There are about 12,000 people working at this location.
The company grounds are so large that they remind me of a college campus. I was given a badge with my name on it to show when I enter or leave, but the gate keepers just wave me through now. They know who I am. There is a cafeteria (where I've eaten three times now) with very inexpensive choices and a convenience store that sells bento lunches in a building about a five minute walk from my building. A woman in the HR department, who speaks English very well, has been very helpful to me. I am very thankful for her.
I think this situation fits me and I am glad I made the move here.
I am so happy to hear all the positive things you have about your new life. You will help the company grow internationally. With a gentle, funny and skilful teacher like you, those men at the top will enjoy studying English, even if they had bad memories of 'school English'.
Clean is KEY! Much more easy to transition your own things into your new living space. The plant where you work sounds HUGE. Interesting to learn another element of living in Japan...the glass ceiling and how low it is. I hope you will share interesting or unusual encounters with your new students. I'm so glad that you found this move to be agreeable. It's always so hard to know beforehand if a decision is wise. Happy Weekend. xx, Carol
Yey for clean! I'm happy everything's working out well for you. Another adventure.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to hear all the positive things you have about your new life.
ReplyDeleteYou will help the company grow internationally. With a gentle, funny and skilful teacher like you, those men at the top will enjoy studying English, even if they had bad memories of 'school English'.
Yokatta! I'm glad to hear about
ReplyDeleteyour new job. Really fits you, I think.
Good luck, it all sounds very positive.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to read that you are happy with your new job and your new apartment.
ReplyDeleteClean is KEY! Much more easy to transition your own things into your new living space. The plant where you work sounds HUGE. Interesting to learn another element of living in Japan...the glass ceiling and how low it is. I hope you will share interesting or unusual encounters with your new students. I'm so glad that you found this move to be agreeable. It's always so hard to know beforehand if a decision is wise.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend.
xx, Carol
I am so glad the apartment is nice and clean. Your new job sounds like it will be a fun adventure. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with this new chapter in your life.
ReplyDelete