Interview with John Quarles
What's your name?
John Quarles
Where are you from?
The United States; Tennessee
What are your hobbies?
Reading, music, watching American football, running
What schools do you teach at in Kanoya?
Kushira, Kamiobaru, Hosoyamada, and Mobiki elementary and middle schools.
What are some of the differences between Japan and your home country?
American stores are generally open a lot later (banks too), but Japan has about a billion more vending machines.
Trash disposal in the US is much more convenient, though environmentally irresponsible (I think most trash goes to landfills, though recycling is growing in popularity).
There are as many types of colas and soft drinks in the US as there are types of canned coffees in Japan.
Roads all have names in the US and this makes navigation easier. No, possible. It makes navigation possible.
What suprised you most about Kanoya when you arrived here?
I was prepared to find Kanoya very rural, but I was pleasantly surprised by the number and variety of stores on the bypass and Kotobuki. The surrouding areas, particularly Kinko bay and Kihoku, are more beautiful than I would`ve thought.
Tell us about your favourite shop/ restaurant/ place /area in Kanoya.
I love Max-Valu for being open 24 hours and having half-price food at night. I really enjoy the drive up to Tarumizu on 220 and up to Kihoku. Kenkou plaza and Rina city are fun, and I like the recycle shops on Kotobuki.
Tell us something about yourself that the people of Kanoya mightn't know.
I teach English now but actually taught and tutored math before coming to Kanoya.
Is there anything that you would like to achieve/ learn while you are here in kanoya?
Learn more Japanese, make friends, learn about Japanese culture and gain greater perspective on my own.
Nathan's Comments：
We certainly have a lot of interesting ALTs here in Kanoya city. I was so surprised to hear that John used to be a math teacher. Maybe he should start teaching his Japanese students math in English. Also, I really enjoyed his answer about what surprised him most about Kanoya city. I am now looking forward to hearing from the rest of the ALTs and their thoughts about Kanoya.