I've just been informed that it is the job of my schools ALT, and his/her supervisor, to do one of the presentations at the re-contracting meeting in January. Why was I under the oh so naive impression that these things were voluntary?

Also, considering I've only technically taught an hours worth of lessons at this point, what on earth do they expect me to talk about for an hour long presentation? It's nuts.

My supervisor told me with a bow and an 'onegai shimasu'. If he thinks for one moment I am planning this thing on my own he has another thought coming.

In other (more boring, but less heart attack inducing) news, I gave back the lists of students who hadn't handed in their compositions this week. After making the teachers tell them they had to give me their books by Friday, I've had an amusing trickle of embarrassed students coming up to me and bowing apologies. Some of the more unfortunately ones have been harassed and prodded into apologising in English by the teachers standing behind them.

Why on earth do they make the boys change outside for basketball practice? I keep turning around the blind corner when I walk to the konbini and not knowing where to look.