In these final two weeks, I had the chance to accompany grade 7 students on a field trip to the Osaka museum of history (which I highly recommend) and to Doshomachi, a neighborhood historically known as a medicine hub. Today, the three top pharmaceutical companies in Japan all have their headquarters within this neighborhood. It was a new and great experience to supervise students during a field trip. One thing that surprised me was that we took the metro with a group of 30 students, which felt pretty stressful!
I am writing this as I am going home from my last day at Suito Kokusai. It was a very fun day, I got to teach a game, and spend time playing table tennis in PE with students. I also went to the volleyball club for one last time. Throughout the experience, I would attend the volleyball club and help run drills and games, while also giving feedback when needed. The teachers also gave us many cards and thank you notes, it was really great to get to know all of the teachers and their stories throughout the experience. These past 2 months have gone by really fast!
The two teachers I was assigned with were both first year teachers, but you could never guess that. Their creativity, ease in the classroom, and connections with students were so impressive. They are great models and sources of inspiration that I will carry forever. I hope to come back and visit one day
For future TAB participants, I recommend learning some Kansaiben (dialect from the Kansai region, which Osaka is a part of), here are a few examples:
Ookini = thank you
Honmaya = really! (said to express surprise)
Honamata = see you later
Mechasuki = I really like …
While some of these may be outdated, they will usually surprise people and make them smile. It was very helpful to connect with teachers who spoke less English.
One last tip: at first you will think that you have all the time in the world to do activities, but you will suddenly find yourself with 1000 things to do before the last week. Plan well, prepare yourself to find a balance between school, online classes, and exploring the country!