Shari-La

Hehehe, instead of typing Shangri-La into the beneficiary field on the wire I was processing this morning, I by accident typed Shari-La. I like it. It makes me feel posh.

Well, as posh as I can feel.

So, I've been home for 6 months. It's been a weird 6 months, trying to readjust to Canada and all that. It seems that I have alot of free time on my hands. I was trying to figure out what I did with all my time in Japan and I have only one answer - all you can drink. Oh nomihodai, how I miss you and your copious liquor.

Anyways, I decided that I would fill my time with some volunteer work. How nice of me. I somehow envisioned myself as a Pollyanna do-good-er with a sarcastic streak. Except... I couldn't find a position. Finding a job and a place to live were easier than finding a volunteer position.

I tried the museum first but they only had positions during the day, when the majority of us work sheesh. I tried the Y but they only want friends of people who work there it seems. No one else responded to my emails. I was about to give up, when finally the InterCultural Association called me and asked if I wanted to be a teacher's assistant in an ESL class (English as a Second Language).

Yesterday I went to my first class. I'm TAing for the level 4-5 which are the highest levels and man, these people don't really need to take classes. Sure, they aren't fluent, but then again, I sometimes wonder if I am either. I sat in a small room and one by one had conversations one on one with them. One is a housewife from Thailand, whose children were educated in New Zealand. One is a professional woman from Shanghai who wanted to stay in Shanghai but whose husband wanted to move to Canada. One Russian man basically wondered why I didn't have a husband yet (why is this question dogging me?). The Korean man told me about the lack of stars in Korea and how he was going camping this weekend.

I have never met so chatty people, and in their second language too. I hardly had to speak.

Not at all like teaching children, but I think I will enjoy my three hours a week.

S.