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A history textbook published by three countries together: China, Japan and South Korea. I guess this is the first case ever in the world.

I read the news a few days ago about this book. It seems that this book will soon come out to the markets. I think this is very good solution for "history textbook" problem on these three countries, or maybe it’s the only solution.  Thanks to those researchers and editors who had great contributions in editing this book. I am happy to see the relationship between these three most important nations getting better and better.

I am writing this entry at the computer area of economic department, after finishing my Yoshinoya presentation with my seminar fellows Sugizaki-san and Komatsu-san one hour ago. Finally get it done! It took three of us (one team) about three weeks to complete this presentation. Actually we only met up once a week because we were all busy, but this presentation had been like a task in our mind for these three week.

This is the second presentation I did in Japan, but I would say it’s the first one for me. Because the first one was when I first joined this seminar group, my team members prepared almost everything for me, I just need to read them in the presentation. Well, that was October last year, not long after I arrived Japan, my Japanese was still very poor at that time. But for this one, I did my research and the script mostly by myself. I am in charge of the ‘Yoshinoya in China’ part. Although compare to Sugizaki-san’s ‘Yoshinoya in Japan’ and Komatsu-san’s ‘Yoshinoya in the USA’, mine is still not detail enough, but the teacher and other team members seem quite happy with my work. ;-)

Finally finished one! But there comes more. I have another debate in sub-seminar on the topic of ‘Whether Japanese sport players play for foreign teams is good or not’. I am in the ‘Not’ side. Got to prepare for it now.

頑張ります！

Finally I got to the free Friday morning of the week. I can sit back and write something!

I have been very busy these few weeks since this term started, especially Wednesday and Thursday are the busiest. Right, let me show you my schedules of normal Wednesdays and Thursdays of this term.

Wednesday:
8:00AM ~ 8:30AM Wake up and have my breakfast
8:30AM ~ 9:10AM It takes me 30 mins to go to school by train
9:10AM ~ 12:10PM Morning class: Japanese
12:10PM ~ 2:40PM Break time
2:40PM ~ 4:10PM Afternoon class
4: 10 PM ~ 4:40PM Take a train to the place where I do my leafleting job
5:00PM ~ 8:00PM Leafleting job
8:00PM ~ 9:00PM In the train to my student’s house
9:00PM ~ 10:00PM Teach Cantonese
10:00PM ~ 10:30PM In the train back home
10:30PM ~ 12:00AM Shower, mail checking and finally – go to bed!

And this is Wednesday, I will put my Thursday one the end of this entry.

I always wonder why making myself so busy, I can just cancel some of them, for example leafleting job. For money? I couldn’t say no, because I do need some money for my daily expends and traveling, and I can earn quite a satisfied amount of money from my leafleting job and teaching. But money is definitely not the only reason. Working only for money will make my life become tasteless, and I will become a robot acting under the command of money. That’s sad!

When I talked about this with my friends who are already working, they told me that this is the normal schedule for a working person everyday, not just Wednesday and Thursday. I think I can understand what they mean. Working life is becoming much busier now than ten years ago, as the world is becoming competitive. If you want to take a break, it’s fine but you might not be able to return to your work again. I think my Wed and Thu schedule now will become my everyday schedule when I start working. So finally I work out the reason for why making – as a prior practice of entering the real working life.

But I think I will try my best to work in a job which could motivate me, which I want to do initiatively rather than passively. Then I will enjoy the busyness.

Thursday
8:00AM ~ 8:30AM Wake up and have my breakfast
8:30AM ~ 9:10AM 30 mins train to school.
9:10AM ~ 12:10PM Morning class
12:10PM ~ 1:00PM Lunch and rushing from language school to economic department
1:00PM ~ 2:30PM Class: Japanese commerce
2:30PM ~ 4:20PM Meeting up with my seminar team members
4:20PM ~ 6:00PM Class: Japanese society
6:00PM ~ 6:30PM Back home
6:30PM ~ 7:00PM Dinner
7:00PM ~ 7:30PM A little break, mail checking
7:30PM ~ 8:00PM Go to my student’s house
8:00PM ~ 10:00PM Teaching English
10:00PM ~ 12:30AM Come back, shower, Internet, etc.
12:10AM Dream!

The things you want to learn can come into your mind more easily than the things you are taught by teachers or someone. I realised this is so true in my teaching experiences.

I have been teaching Mandarin, English and Cantonese as part-time jobs since I came to Japan. My students are various from college students to office workers. However, although they all required me to teach by themselves, those who are working are learning much quicker than those who are still in college. Normally working people are busier than students so might not have much time to do the homework or revise each class, but surprisingly they are keener on learning.

I had discussed with one of my students before, and we came out with the same answer — the difference between the things you want to learn and the things you are taught. After entering the society and start working, you will realise the things you learned in school are far not enough for the real competitive world. Thus you will want to learn something by yourself to enhance your knowledge. However before entering the society as a college student, you might be still in the condition that learning from what the teachers teach you. Even though my students who are college students asked me to teach them Chinese or English, I feel they are more like to be taught rather than to learn.

This is interesting. Now I realise the benefits of English students to take a gap year to do some job or traveling before entering University.