A little about myself

Hi everyone, my name is Kino. I'm new to NOTE, so I thought I'd write a little about myself. Believe it or not, I'm not good at talking about myself, but I'll try my best. It'd be great if you could give it a glance to get to know me a bit better.

I was born to Japanese parents in Los Angeles, California, with an older brother a year apart. My mother is from Tokyo, and my father is from Shimane. My parents had originally moved to California for work. We lived there for about 3 or 4 years, but this might be wrong because I don't remember anything from Los Angeles, except for the fact that we had a fairly big wooden giraffe in our living room. Then we moved to Burlingame, San Francisco, and then to San Mateo, and lived there for a total of 4 years, was it? Though not much of a memory, I can still vaguely recall the wild deer who used to nibble on the loquat trees planted in our backyard. It's a gift that I am still able to keep in touch with my best friends from then; in fact, I will be attending a wedding in Hawaii this coming May of a friend I've known for almost 20 years.

Just about 2 years before the 911 attacks, my family and I moved to New York, to a small town called Rye. I spent almost 9 years here, and I remember every single bit of it. I'm blessed to be able to call a lot of places my home, but Rye is probably my home HOME, where my character was molded, leading to who I am now. It's not easy to express what I have experienced here in a few words, so I'll keep that saved for another note.

After graduating Rye High School at the age of 16, I moved to Tokyo, Japan, with my parents (we left the brother behind). I then entered Waseda University, where I studied English language and linguistics in the department of Education. The reason why I chose the department of Education was because I'd always wanted to be a teacher, probably since elementary school. This is going to be another theme I will be writing a note about in the future. The 4 years I spent at Waseda was difficult, but fulfilling. I am still very proud to call myself a Waseda alumna. 

As for my employment career, I went on to teach at a public junior high school in Tokyo (after taking the Tokyo Teacher Employment Examination), then at a private high school in Nagoya, Aichi, both of which I taught for only a year. Though very short, both experiences play a huge role in how I teach and interact with my students, another something that I want to share later on. After a few more other schools, I am now a teacher at a vocational college in Tokyo. I am also blessed to have known my good friend Atsu, who has taught me to strive for the better, and whom I work with now on a project called Atsueigo Highschool.

This April will mark the beginning of my eighth year teaching, and I am very lucky to be able to still call myself a teacher. Being a teacher is both thrilling and astonishing, but you can never be convinced until you experience it. My students have brought me great wonder and joy to my life, and I'm certain my future students will continue to do so. I love my career, and I cherish every single experience I have had in my life. Here, at NOTE, I will be writing about my life in the States, both good and bad, and about my life as an educator in Japan.

Thank you for reading! I hope the experiences I share here will be something to you. :)