Shunan English School Blog: 3 Months in the Land of the Rising Sun

Koeikan Junior High School
晃英館中学校にて

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
武田薬品工業にて

始めまして！カナダのバンクーバー出身のダラス・ピーリングです。日本は英語を教えるのに最高の国なので、2017年の10月からSESで働き始めました！子供から大人まで様々なレベルの生徒さんを教えるのは楽しいし、やりがいがあります。

Hello everyone! My name is Dallas Peeling. I am from Vancouver, Canada and I have been working at SES since October 2017. I chose to come to here because Japan has a really good reputation as a great place to teach English. I love how my classes are so different, with a big variety. From teaching children, teenagers, adults, and senior citizens from all English levels, it is a fun and enjoyable challenge for me.

私は生徒さんにいつも「緊張しないで」と言ってます。私もいろんな言語を勉強中です。皆さんの気持ちはよくわかります。

なので緊張せずリラックスして楽しみましょう！

I always tell my students, "No stress, no stress in my class". Although I do not speak Japanese yet, I have also studied other languages. Including French, Spanish, Italian and Swahili. I understand your experiences as language students. So please, always relax and have fun in my class. 🙂

日本は綺麗で安全ですし、人々も親切で礼儀正しいです。旅行をしたり写真を撮る練習をするにはもってこいの場所です！

I am really enjoying Japan so far! I think the Japanese people are very polite and respectful, and it is a very beautiful and safe country. I enjoy travelling and practicing photography, so Japan is a perfect place for both activities!

Kanokami - Shunan
周南市の鹿野上にて

SES foreign teachers on Miyajima Island
宮島でSESの先生方と

ここでいくつか写真をお見せします。１０月に下関と角島に行ってきました。魚市場で寿司を食べたり、山口県をぐるっとドライブしてきました。

I will share some of my photos below. In October, I went to Shimonoseki and Tsunoshima with my colleagues. We enjoyed lots of fresh sushi at the Tsunoshima fish market, and driving around the picturesque Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Shimonoseki
下関

Tsunoshima
角島

１１月は石見銀山にと出雲大社に行ってきました。さらに宮島には同僚と、カリフォルニアの友人と一緒に２回訪れました。

November was busy. I went to the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Oda, and the very impressive Izumo-taisha shrine. I visited Miyajima Island with my colleagues, and I revisited when my friend from California came to stay with me.

Bridges in Oda
島根県　小田にある橋

Izumo-taisha Shrine
出雲大社

My friend Mason at Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island
友人のメーソン　宮島の厳島神社にて

Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion in Kyoto
京都の金閣寺にて

カリフォルニアの友達とは京都や広島、東京にも行ってきました。紅葉や、日本食を食べて楽しみました。

While my friend from California was visiting, we went to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Tokyo. The fall leaves were turning many different colours, and they looked very beautiful. We did a lot of sight-seeing, and enjoyed sampling much Japanese cuisine.

Changing autumn leaves in Kyoto
京都の紅葉

Tokyo cityscape view from the SkyTree
スカイツリーから東京を一望

Fushimi-inari Taisha in Kyoto
京都の伏見稲荷大社にて

１２月は同僚と北九州へ。寒かったですが、温かい抹茶で体がぽかぽかになりました！

In December, I went to Kitakyushu with some colleagues. It was very cold and windy, but we enjoyed some hot matcha tea to warm us up!

The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima
広島の原爆ドーム

Traditional cafe in Kitakyushu with Taz - sensei
北九州のカフェにてタズ先生と

クリスマスはカナダに戻って家族や友達と過ごしました。前年はタンザニアにいたので家族と過ごすクリスマスは楽しかったです。

For the Christmas holidays, I returned to Canada to celebrate with my family and friends. Last year I was working in Tanzania, East Africa, so I was not home for the Christmas holidays. It was nice to spend time with them.

With my grandparents, cousins and siblings in Canada
カナダにいる祖父母、いとこ、きょうだいと

１月に日本に戻り、東京、大阪、奈良、岩国を訪れました。美しい場所を見たり、新しい食べ物に挑戦したり、日本文化を学ぶのは楽しいですね。

When I returned to Japan in January, I spent some time touring around Tokyo, Osaka, Nara and Iwakuni. It has been a very busy month for sure, but I have really enjoyed seeing the many beautiful sites, trying new food, and learning about Japanese culture.