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The paper proving I am covid negative is in my hands. I'm expecting a student or two this afternoon, yet. Then it will time to finish packing once and for all, go to bed, then get up for a flight.
Time flies.
I am a nervous packer. I must have repacked these suitcases a dozen times. This morning, even after following Jen's recommendation that I just pack everything except what I need for today and tomorrow morning, I panicked a little and unpacked one of the suitcases. This means I need to repack again tonight. However, when you do it so many times, it becomes easier to get everything back in. Still, it's a little frustrating that I can't seem to stop myself from worrying that I've left something out, put too much or too little in one of the suitcases, didn't organize the pieces correctly so a bottle of liquor will smash, or whatever. This is why I do it.
One thing I enjoy about walking to the office these past few weeks is listening to the cicadas.
This is an unsteady pan across the main walkway. When I watch this video, I understand why I have such a hard time taking steady shots. It's my heartbeat. I noticed this last night when I was checking weight of the bags. To get a better idea of how much each bag weighs, I stood on the scale and noted my weight. Then, picked up a bag and noted the new weight. When I set the bag down, though, the scale read a different weight for me. So I had to do multiple "runs" to get an idea of the average. Couple the lifting with my rearranging items so they are better distributed and protected, then throw in the heat, and I was sweating a bit. Toward the end I noticed the scale reading bounced around in time with my pulse.
You might notice the video goes out of focus a little every few seconds. That's my pulse shaking my hands and the camera. This is why I always try to use a tripod.
Thao just let me know that my covid test was negative. I can get on the plane tomorrow. The office is arranging my taxi ride there and back.
In about 20 minutes I will be driven for my PCR test to confirm I am covid negative. This is the last hurdle to overcome before heading home. Well, that and finishing packing for the third time. I didn't get things back in the suitcases after unpacking last night. Instead, I spread stuff on the floor and started making piles or stacks of things. It helps me play Tetris with my items and get a more efficient distribution.
I don't know if I mentioned this, but I weigh the bags by standing on the bathroom scale then picking up one of them. As long as I keep the weight near 20 kg per bag, I'm in good shape.
Due to flight changes and such, my final itinerary isn't great. I leave Tokushima at 11:45 am and arrive in Haneda at 1:05 pm. My flight to Detroit leaves Haneda at 6:25 pm and lands at 5:31 pm (12 hours in the air). I get to sit in Detroit until 10:45 pm and land at MBS at 11:32. In all, from the time I get on a plane to the time I meet Jen and the boys at MBS it's about 25 hours. As of now, I plan to eat a cheeseburger in Detroit.
Speaking of food, for lunch today Susan and I went to Grano, which is the first restaurant in Tokushima I ate at. I had pizza, but unlike any pizza I've ever eaten. It was whitebait (shirasu, しらす), sudachi, shiso, a little cheese, and seaweed strips after it baked.
But I still have students coming to meet with me. In about 20 minutes one will be here. Tomorrow morning I have 3 scheduled at 10:40 am. Friday another 3 want to meet at lunchtime. I just had one leave my office after stopping by unexpectedly. It was my calligraphy instructor.
This afternoon when I leave the office I will take the last of my papers and personal items with me. I need time to sort through what is important and what I should have put in the combustibles bin already. It will be a little strange to come to work and not have those things here. At the same time, it needs to be done so I can be ready come Saturday morning.
I asked my class this morning what advice I should give to the next exchange professor. I want to know what things I did wrong so I can tell whoever is next what to try to avoid, but I did not word the question that way. It was simply, "What should I tell the next professor so they are ready to teach here?" I'm summarizing and paraphrasing some of their responses below.
1 - Japanese students are shy, so do not worry when no one answers your questions.
2 - When you want a question answered, choose a student and ask him or her to answer it.
2 - Make sure to use PowerPoint or some projected text to help students understand what you are saying.
3 - Try to include as much 1-to-1 student-professor discussion as possible. (This is difficult in a class of 30.)
4 - When asking students to do group discussion during class, create the groups yourself. Make it very clear these four are a group, and those four, and those four...
5 - Do not shy away from what you think are very simple comparisons between the US and Japan.
6 - Give students a chance to practice reading, listening, writing, and speaking in as many classes as possible.
These are all good things, but #5 causes the most difficulty. The student who made this suggestion did so after class. She said many students have never taken another course comparing cultures, but they have some experience with differences between Japan and the US. Even simple things like food could work. At the same time, she wanted the topics to be more difficult. Or, rather, to increase in difficulty through the term.
Tami and I talked about putting together a booklet or something like that to help future exchange faculty. Susan told me everyone who comes here says that they want to do it, but it never gets done. My guess is we're all so busy when we return that by the time we get around to it we've forgotten the important bits. I think it is fair of me to devote some of my sabbatical time to this project. Not weeks on end, mind you. But an hour or two now and then might be enough so that come October we have something to give to the Office of International Studies.
What do you think, Tami?
