Wednesday 9 June 2010

My sister-in-law...

Or, dog fucker, as she will now be known. You know those people who piss you off but are inconsistent about it? Like, they’ll be a total dick one day, and then really sweet the next? That is the dog fucker’s problem, I really just wish she was a bitch all the time so I could legitimately hate her guts and be done with it. But no, she’s a grumpy cow who’s mood can swing at any time, any place. So this little rant comes from the slightly stressful day I’ve had today, I may be a teeny bit hormonal and overreacting, but still.

So the school is going really well, almost too well in that the nights are getting really packed with students wanting trial lessons, and yes, they’re only trial lessons so I shouldn’t go counting my chickies too soon, but we really didn’t expect that many students until word of mouth kicked in so, Woohoo! Wait, maybe word of mouth will kick in and they’ll all quit… Positive thinking! Positive thinking!!!! *head slap*

So today, I booked two trial lessons, one at 5pm and then one at 6pm, so yes I’m the dickhead for scheduling them too close together, but straight after I realized my mistake, I rang MIL, who is supposed to be my partner in the whole school thing, and asked if she had to work, if she did I was going to ring the lady back straight away and say, ‘sorry I fucked up, being the incompetent gaijin that I am, can you come in half an hour earlier?’ But if she didn’t have to work, I thought I could teach the lesson (50 minutes) have a wee chat with them after, and then MIL could explain more and handle them while I did the 6pm lesson. She assured me that she didn’t have to work, definitely not. So great, small mistake but situation can be salvaged and everyone’s happy! Especially me, who hates the uncertain and unplanned (and also hates explaining lesson shite in Japanese to mothers!)

That was yesterday. I again asked her before bed last night that it was still all good and she assured me it was and that she would also pick Ash up, as I have a gazillion lessons to plan for this week and preparation to do for the back-to-back lessons. Now if I was working at a McEikaiwa, I really wouldn’t give too much of a fuck about the preparation, but this is my joint, and my reputation as a teacher, so I want to do this shit properly. Unlike many English teachers in Japan, I actually enjoy and get a lot of fulfillment out of teaching English, so I don’t mind putting in the effort in when I’m teaching my way. I could just throw anything together and then copy a textbook page but I really don’t want to do that. I don’t think the in-laws really get that, that teaching isn’t just about that 50 minutes, it’s so much more about the preparation.

Anyway, MIL rings me today and breaks the news that she’s working, but didn’t seem all that concerned really, I got a few “gomens” but quite frankly I was well pissed, I just wanted to say “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me there was a chance you’d have to work?” (She’s a funeral MC so I know she can’t predict death but there are days when she DEFINITELY knows she’s not working and told me today was one of them.) Seriously, if she’d said there was any chance of working, I would have called the bird up and got her to change the lesson time. She assured me it would be fine and that I should just cut the lesson short and then do the talking. This pissed me off as well, I told them when we started this that I didn’t want to do the talking in Japanese, it freaks me out and whether I can do it or not is beside the point, I’m not comfortable doing it, especially on a rushed time schedule. Anyway, I just sucked it up and decided to do my best, it was my fuck-up (initially) after all.
There was then the Ash question, who would pick him up and look after him, if I go pick him up he’s never going to want to let me go so MIL asked dog fucker to go get him (which she’s done before), and that was really going to help me, it would leave me that 2 hours to get some good preparation time done. (I’d abandoned the washing, cleaning and cooking idea after the MIL phone call but that was in the back of my mind too.) MIL asked dog fucker and her response- (Imagine a really whiney voice) “I can’t go, I have a cold and that hill is too hard to walk up.” Maybe if I paid her off she’d fucking do it for me?! She was in bed until 1pm and ventured out once to walk her precious dog that she fantasises about fucking all day, and she can’t go to the kindy, which is like a 7 minute walk away?? Now, walking is a bitch with Ash, but she could use the bicycle but she’ too fucking uncoordinated to use the bastard bike, and too lazy to go and get her licence (which lessons have already been paid for by Mil but to which she’s not going to). So I have to go and get Ash, and then 82 year old Grandma will look after him until Ryota gets home at 6. Grrrr I think dog fucker is pissing me off so much because I was angry to start with about the whole situation. I hate HATE not being in control and sometimes living with this lot feels like I have no control at all.

Anyway, I best stop bitching about it and get on with the job. Ganbaru.


EDIT! Just picked ash up in a mad rush to discover hed shit himself from arsehole to breakfast time!! Could this day get any worse? Oh wait, my hands now smell like curry-infused shit, good luck with those high fives tonight kiddies...

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like you were ready to pull your hair out (or SIL's hair)!

    And seriously a 7-minute walk? Please. She needs to have intervention about her dog! Sounds like an obsession.

    Good luck with the lessons! I felt the same way about teaching English when I was back home - I did genuinely enjoy it.

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