Category Archives: Preparations

On Suitcases | 荷物

Posted on July 23, 2010 by

A guide to packing a suitcase for life abroad in Japan. Continue reading →

Posted in Preparations | 2 Comments

On Textbooks | 教科書

Posted on July 19, 2010 by

I went shopping in Cambridge, MA this weekend for teaching materials for the Language Lab. This is challenging: Teaching high school kids, you don’t want anything that will come off as condescending or boring, but you also don’t want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Preparations, Teaching | Tagged | Leave a comment

Omiyage | お土産

Posted on July 14, 2010 by

I have to buy gifts for 30 strangers. It’s a Japanese tradition of Omiyage: You give gifts to neighbors; employers; co-workers; landlords; especially when you first meet them. The rules: Gifts should reflect interests I share with the (possibly nonexistent) recipient. … Continue reading →

Posted in Preparations, Weird | 3 Comments