Jaimie Scanlon
(1998-2000)
I arrived at LIOJ on a Saturday evening in early March 1998. I had come soon after finishing my Master of Arts in Teaching and I was full of hope. At LIOJ, I hoped that I would make lasting friendships, have a rich intercultural experience, and have an opportunity to try new ideas and develop as a teacher. It was clear immediately that I had come to the right place.
We were a small staff of teachers. Including Jim, there were Daina, Natalie, Lisa, Mags, and myself. Over the course of my two-year stay, it was wonderful working with teachers from Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and Australia. I learned a lot of English myself! Between the lovely students, always willing to teach me something new about Japan and its culture, my colleagues from all over, and the amazing folks who turned up in the summer for the annual training Workshops (International Night!) - I emerged with a whole new view of the world.
LIOJ - way up high on that hill overlooking Odawara... From my apartment in the Ogikubo area to the office, I walked a narrow path through small farms - someone had nicknamed it "Pig Farm Road," although I never saw a pig. It was rumored that in the winter, when food in the mountains was scarce, wild monkeys would come down and roam Pig Farm Road, wait for unsuspecting English teachers, and steal their bentos. I never saw a monkey on pig farm road, but I'll never forget the day in the office when windows started rattling and we heard shrill shrieks outside. We looked out the window to see a giant pack of monkeys surrounding us, swinging from the branches of the trees around Asia Center, demanding a tasty hand out.
I was terrified to leave work that day. I knew the monkeys would grab me, carry me away into the mountains, and make me peel mikan for them for the rest of my days. The shrieks finally died down and I decided it was safe to go home to Ogikubo... This time, I didn't take Pig Farm Road.
May 2003
Top |
Copyright (c) Language Institute of Japan (LIOJ) / 日本外語教育研究所 |  Back |