nightmarish day for a non-public-speaker
Tuesday was the day I’ve been anticipating for awhile, ever since I watched the solemn goodbyes of leaving teachers, my first spring here at school.
I knew Speech Marathon Day was coming, so Monday I begged R-chan to help me translate my thoughts. I told her stories, and if she laughed, I had her tell it back to me in Japanese, in simple enough terms that it made me laugh, and wrote it down. First I wrote in kana, but I just couldn’t read fast enough so I cheated and wrote everything out in romaji.
Here’s what I said to the students, at the semester closing ceremony in the morning:
When I first arrived, I thought to myself, ‘I’m actually in Japan’ and I was excited. However, as I waited for the semester to start, I started to become worried. I am not good at public speaking, and I realized that being an English ALT was nothing BUT public speaking, every single day.
Damn, I thought to myself, maybe I signed myself up for the wrong job…but the escape ship had sailed by that point [literally, ã?‚ã?¨ã?®ç¥ã‚Šã?§ã?—ã?Ÿ. This translates as something like “you missed it but the festival is over so you can’t go back and watch the parade now”].
Luckily, thanks to all of you, I had an enjoyable teaching experience. And especially thanks to the diligent and dedicated students of English here at Y-koko…ha ha, this is a bit of a joke. But truthfully, thanks to the kindness of teachers, and the enthusiasm of students in class. This is the truth.
I’m still not good at public speaking, but now, when I go back to America, I am thinking of continuing my studies to become a teacher.
Now I have a piece of advice. In the future, you will probably never think to yourself, ‘I sure wish I had studied more grammar!’ But the day where you think, ‘I wish I could speak a few words of a foreign language’ will surely come. Next semester, please do not waste this chance, and try your best in your studies.
Thank you for the past two years.
It went well, they even nodded seriously when I complimented their diligence, and then laughed when I told them it was a joke. The teachers just might have laughed loudest.
The final enkai was in the evening. This was my evening speech:
I don’t think I’m going to be nostalgic about everything in Japan. For example, always being the last to laugh at a joke told in Japanese, assuming I got it at all, or the time when I had gained weight and my neighborhood Yakult granny patted my stomach and asked if I was pregnant, were not so much fun.
But seeing beautiful Daisen out the window of the school every morning, and more than anything, being able to work in the Staffroom with all of you, is something I’ll never forget. Being a part of the Y-koko staff for these past two years has been an honor.
Thank you.
K spoke, and Nagai-sensei in English, and then they turned on that damn emotionally manipulative natsukashii music they play during slideshows at high school graduations, and K and I both received flowers, from Nago-sensei my staffroom neighbor (who was looking very kakoii, yum), me getting all teary.
The principal gave me a gift, and shook my hand, and I went back to my seat. I was trying too hard to keep from breaking out into cathartic tears to even feel relieved at having finished speaking. So I started drinking instead. Good party, good day, good night and good luck, and goodbye.
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great speeches. i felt a bit choked up myself just reading them. good on you for being able to get up there and actually talk in front of a group of people - the very idea of which sends me into a panic attack. it’s a big step to be leaving after two years. enjoy the rest of your time in this wacky, yet quite amazing, country.
Aww, thanks. I’m not good at tear-jerkers, so I try for laughs. Tears are the next level of speech giving that I aspire to.
Except I mostly aspire to not giving speeches.
Hope to see you in a few!