work

Speaking of work, which is not nearly as much fun as speaking of monkeys, but speaking of it anyway, there have been some developments lately regarding my part-time teaching job.

Yes, aside from translating cartoons, I also teach English to kids.  I travel around to various areas of the city with my large backpack of toys, games and flashcards, which I use tutor children in their homes.  And I only teach children.  I basically refuse to teach adults, seeing as when it comes to language acquisition, grown-ups are insufferably stupid compared to their much shorter and cuter counterparts.

And I get to make games.  I make lots and lots of games.  Here's a glimpse at the small corner of my room where I keep my teaching stuff (when it's clean).

Two weeks ago, I was called to attend a casual meeting in a Shinjuku restaurant with two penguin-suited salarimen for whom I work.  I naturally thought there was some sort of problem (I get fired a lot).  Instead however, my supervisors at the dispatching company had caught wind that I am constantly making educational flash cards and boardgames for use with my students, and they wanted to know if I was interested in making teaching materials for the whole school to use as well. 

With that office work on top of my regular part time lesson teaching schedule, the company was essentially offering me a full-time, salaried position.

It's been a long time since I've seen a full-time monthly salary, and the phenomenon doesn't usually last too long in my case.  For years, I tossed around the term full-time job, as if it were a dirty word.  This is likely because I have been fired from so many of them.  While I was still drinking, I had grown fond of the notion that I was constitutionally incapable of holding onto any sort of full time job.

This is a rather convenient outlook when one holds the same distaste for getting out of bed as I've had in the past, and still do to an extent.

Very soon, I will have to either accept or decline this job offer.

"Do you think I can really do this?" I ask T after showing him the contract.  I feel a bit guilty to complain, seeing as the weekly hours outlined in my new contract still add up to less than half of the time he works most weeks.

"Of course you can, " he says, because he is awesome.

"How come," I sigh, "all of these job offers keep coming in so steadily ever since I quit drinking?"

"Because you are innately talented," he looks up at me, "and now there is nothing in the picture to diminish that."

"But I don't wanna be inn. . ."

I stop myself mid-whine, because I am not sure if what I am about to say is true anymore.

T smiles at me.

I hold my breath and sign the contract.

Comments

[Angela]

I just love your blog!

[jess]

Hello!

I started reading your blog last month. It is fantastic. You know so much about the area that you live in, and you have experienced so many things.

I just wanted to say congratulations on signing on for that fulltime job!

People are noticing talents tha even you your self perhaps may not have noticed.

Good luck!

Jess

[VicariousRising]

What a beautiful post, Lea. You've come a long way.

xoxox,
Judith

[T IN LA]

Want to share some of those games with me? Trying to learn Japanese over here. It's true, even I, at the ripe old age of 26 am generally less quick at learning a language than small children -so how come no fun games exist for adults?