I've been teaching at my new school since the 17th. It's much closer than my old school, so I can sleep later in the morning. I've finally met all three of the English teachers. One was away with the Judo team in Kyushu for a tournament and the other just returned from a leave of absence yesterday. I don't know the reason, and I'm not sure if asking would be prying. The third year English teacher, the one who took the leave of absence, is the wife of the gym teacher at my old school, and she seems to have the exact opposite personality; The gym teacher is very intimidating-looking, but his wife seems kind of spacey. I guess DJ Skat Kat was right (out of curiosity, does anyone get that reference?). I guess it's a complementary relationship.

There are fewer students at this school, and the overall atmosphere, so far, at least, seems less rigorous and more laid-back. This is a bit surprising, since my old school was in a semi-rural area, and the new one is closer to the city center. It's not Cromartie High School, but it looks like discipline may be more of a problem here, at least by Japanese standards. By American standards, it's still a school full of Mormons, albeit occasionally rowdy Mormons. No robots, gorillas, or Freddy Mercury lookalikes yet, but here's hoping. I mentioned in my self-introduction to one of the homerooms that I liked My Neighbor Totoro, so one girl student keeps on referring to me as "The person who likes My Neighbor Totoro"(隣のトトロが好きな人). There's no internet or network in the teachers room, which is an adjustment, but the school has a decent computer lab I can use when I need it.

One thing that's really become clear is how great having a fresh start can be. I miss my old school, but I feel a lot more in control and confident here. I have a much clearer idea of what I want to accomplish here and how to do it. And it looks like at least one of the teachers is willing to work with me on it. I don't if it will last, but I'm honestly surprised at how confident I feel about this year.