Kimiya Adjedani
October 4, 2023
After 4 weeks in Osaka, I am starting to feel more settled and beginning to pick up more of the language. Over these past few weeks I have had more opportunities to teach and I continue to learn from my mentor teachers. The school I am at does a wonderful job of teaching science through hands-on and inquiry based approaches. I also value being at a school where instruction occurs both in Japanese and English since it has allowed me to better understand how to support ELL students. There are so many activities and ideas I have gathered from my mentor teachers that I look forward to using in my upcoming Field Placement in Calgary.
In my third week at the school I had the privilege of attending a tea ceremony hosted by staff and students. Prior to the tea ceremony I was dressed in a kimono by one of the teachers who holds a professional kimono dresser license. Both of these were novel experiences for me and I am so grateful I was asked to participate in them.
Between university courses and responsibilities at my placement school, life has been busy! I am trying my best to take productive study breaks. Some days this looks like going on short walks to explore my neighbourhood and get some exercise, other days it looks like trying a new restaurant instead of cooking dinner at home. I really enjoy aimlessly walking around because it often leads to serendipitous finds or new restaurants I’d like to try. It can be so easy to get caught up in the busyness of school so I am trying to enjoy the little things as much as possible. I am looking forward to seeing how the next few weeks unfold!