I posted my first I'm-In-Tokyo video up on YouTube:
More coming soon!
Love,
Jeremy
other than Senator Barack Obama.I'm leaving on July 24th to live in Tokyo for a year!
I will spend one year working for a cool language school called Knock Knock English. I will be teaching English to Japanese kids ages 2-12. The company is especially awesome, because it focuses on developing fun, creative stuff like Super Simple Songs. In short, this job is going to rule.
Hit me up if you or anybody else I know will be in/around Tokyo, or if there's any chance you'll be in Japan between July 2006 and July 2007.
Whoa! Life's cool!
1) Google search for "Jobs in Japan"
2) Stumble upon this page: http://www.jobsinjapan.com/
3) Click on Teaching.
4) Come across this listing, the appeal of which stands head and shoulders above the rest:
Knock Knock English in Setagaya seeks a native speaker who LOVES teaching and creating materials for kids. Teach 4 days/week, 20 hours maximum, with one day for lesson planning/creative pursuits. Special talents (music/design/web) a plus. Full-time from 8/28. E-mail devon(&')knockknockenglish.com for more info (posted 06/20/06)
5) Send Devon an e-mail, asking for more details about the position.
6) Send him a resume. He responds by saying that he plans to interview people who are in Tokyo first, since he generally hires locally.
7) Ask him if he'd be willing to e-mail me some of the questions he plans to ask the people in Tokyo. Set up brilliant "Jeremy Should Work for Knock Knock English" webpage with video interview and other goodies.
8) Cross fingers.
I am coordinating the development of a fun, original SAT class for The Ivy Tutors.
Seriously -- if you are currently living in or around Orlando, wanting some help studying for the SATs, you should think about TITs. I'm telling you, TITs are great. Just grab one, and suddenly you'll understand things you never knew before.
Anyway, I'm really enjoying this, and it's great experience. Even though my wonderful parents tend to ignore this fact, I do actually want to educate people, someday.
I love you, Mom and Dad!
The Chapman/Nelson family took a nice road trip down coastal California. We got to spend a couple days at Disney Land with Michael, Jennifer, and Mira (my niece)! I'm pleased to say that we had a wonderful trip, and that everybody is doing well. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Dave and Dad modeling proper UV-protection measures while we wait for the ferry that will take us around the San Francisco Bay. We saw Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge while listening to the history of San Francisco on closed-circuit radio!
Mom relaxing at our favorite cafe in San Francisco - the Hollywood Cafe. The family that owns and operates this fine establishment is just so friendly! We ate there every morning. Plus, they keep a wall of paper napkins, featuring messages and pictures penned by various customers throughout the years. Well, Mom drew a lovely picture of San Francisco, and guess what!? -- Her art made it onto the wall!
George Robert Henry Dennis Shufflebarker Painter IV and I met our freshman year at Duke University, when we were singled out, together, as the two most endlessly talented and promising individuals in the entire Class of 2005.
Note: Parts of this account may or may not have been slightly fabricated.
Recently, the two of us decided to utilize a rare and fortuitous opportunity to temporarily inhabit Rob's parents' beautiful, remote property in Oviedo, Florida. (Thank you, Rob's parents!)
Our time at Oviedo was not unlike Thoreau's time at Walden. We practiced self-reliance and modest living. We grew all of our own crops, and we built our own fires to cook the crops for supper each night.
We home-spun all of our clothing, dying each garment with the vibrantly colored (but poisonous!) juice of native alafayaberries. This practice was time-consuming, but well worth it!
For transportation, we carved a small canoe out of an old oak tree. We used the scrap wood to construct a simple, but effective dock. Our lifestyle was peaceful, freed from such burdens as awaiting paychecks, expensive gas, and social awkwardness. We most delighted in our total avoidance of shameful fast food, and pathetic trips to Wal-Mart.
After getting settled, we saught jobs at a quaint, local attraction called "Walt Disney World." I would describe the place as a sort of backyard family entertainment center, with a few different games and activities for the kids. We enjoyed growing close with the small, tight-knit staff at Disney.
As a conclusion to our stay at Oviedo, Robbie and I conceptualized what will soon be the coolest website ever.
By the time I return from Japan, my girlfriend Amy will be a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management! She is earning her degree at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School of Public Policy, in Pittsburgh. (Her classes started less than a week after she graduated from her Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs.)
She is amazing.
Which reminde me - if you have any stories about Amy, quotes to inspire her, or other stuff she might enjoy, please send them to me so that I can include them in WeLoveAmy.com - a daily-updated fan site we created for her.
Well, technically, it's called Walt Disney World. But yes - I worked there. For a couple of months. I was at Disney's Animal Kingdom as an Educational Programs Instructor.
What's that?
Basically, when lucky-ass students from rich-ass schools got to visit Disney World on wicked-ass field trips, I would take them around the park and chitter-chatter with them about animals and such.
Of course, as part of the job, I got to go on sweet, informative rides like the Kilimanjaro Safari. Oh, by the way, I know every obscure animal in the world. And how long its horns can grow.
With the younger kids (as young as 1st grade), I would discuss survival strategies, asking things like, "Whoa! Can anybody guess why this colobus monkey might have such an oily coat of fur?" And, "Hey! Do you guys think that scimitar-horned oryx would make a good pet?"
With older students (up to 12th grade), I would take them "backstage" and show them the various behind-the-scenes facilities, like the Animal Nutrition Center, in which a full-time staff lovingly slices carrots and celery all day, every day.
In short, the job was awesome, and I was glad.
Until I realized that it was becoming more and more difficult to wake up at 5:45 am, since I wasn't going to sleep until like 3:46 am. And, before long, 3:46 am gave way to 4:24 am, and then 4:58 am, and so forth. Eventually, it became downright absurd, because some nights I would stay up editing videos or writing music until like 6:15 am. I was going to sleep after I was supposed to have woken up. And that didn't work, see...because it was like...negative time, see.
So I quit.
David (my bro) will be in Vietnam this coming year, as a Henry Luce Scholar. For those of you who don't know, that's a big frickin deal. Luce Scholars are ballers. David's a balla'.
As a side note, just in the last few years, David has written, produced and starred in a one-man play, taught at the Northwestern Cherubs Program, assistant directed multiple performances, including plays at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and travelled to Budapest, Hungary, as a Fulbright Scholar. Like I said, baller.
