#Blogmas Day 2: Teacher Bags

Do you know how you can identify a teacher walking either to or from school? Check out the bags the person is carrying. The bag will usually be large enough to carry A4 sized notebooks or folders. There is usually a pouch or a pocket for a thermos or water bottle. In fact, you'll probably notice several pockets because I think most teachers love anything that has ample storage. Perhaps I was destined to be a teacher because when I was an elementary school student, I always looked forward to buying a new tote bag or school bag.

In Japan, the backpacks the students carry are pretty standard all across Japan. They are usually sturdy and can amazingly hold practically all of a student's textbooks and notebooks. They have some cool factors like whistles, rain covers and places to hang little lucky charms or amulets. As for teachers, most teachers carry either a briefcase, a shoulder bag or a backpack.

I walk to and from school every day. It's about a 15~20 minute walk up and down several hills. My school prefers that all teachers use public transportation rather than personal vehicles to commute to school. They pay for commutings fees. I save them that money! Even if we had the option to drive to school, I would still walk. I need the exercise and I love the fresh air and having that time to think and contemplate. In the mornings, I usually walk and use the app Periscope to think out loud and interact with others. I'm so blessed to have a very positive and supportive community on Periscope. My viewers often give me the boost of energy that I sometimes need to get my day going. It's fun to think of topics and just have a chance to talk with some amazing people from all over the world.

During my walks, you can often see my big backpack on my back. I'm not going to lie~ my backpack is pretty heavy! I am 100% guilty of carrying enough emergency supplies to keep me safe for a week on the streets! One of these days, I'll do a "What's in my Teacher Bag?" post. It will probably shock the pants off of a lot of people. Several people have commented to me and suggested I go for a bag on wheels. I checked several out on Amazon and there are some really cute tote bags on wheels. Hmmm, I thought. That might not be so bad of an idea to invest in one such bag. I could even write it off as a school purchase! All teachers at my school are given an annual account to spend on purchases for one's personal teaching life. It's called a book fund but it doesn't necessarily have to be used to purchase teacher books. Basically it can be used for anything which would enhance your teaching lifestyle. Many teachers have bought such things as computers, sportsgear, workshops, shoes, raingear, clothing items or cameras. I've used the money to by my vlogging/photo camera, a Chrome book, memory sticks, a VHS to DVD converter, books and most recently a suitcase. So I thought about using a portion of my money to get a new teaching bag on wheels.

Last Wednesday, I was out in Gunma prefecture waiting for Sinbad to get his haircut. I went to Besia, one of the local markets that I used to shop at when I lived there. Besia is kind of like a Wal-Mart. They were having a Black Friday sale and I noticed some little rolling bags and suitcases. Prices were marked down quite a bit and I immediately spotted one that fit all the criteria I was looking for. The wheels on the bag were sturdy and similar to the ones on my big suitcase. The bag was waterproof and had ample storage space. It was a little smaller than a carry-on suitcase. The bag had more of a suitcase look than a tote bag look. Well, I couldn't pass it up.

This morning, I decided to give it the trial test run. It passed the waterproof test with flying colors. (Yes, it was pouring rain this morning!) Although the rolling noises are a bit loud, the rolling is smooth and the steering of the bag is easy. I am very satisfied with my purchase and it was so cheap that I'm not going to file the documents to use it as a write off. The only sad thing was that I wasn't able to Periscope this morning. I realized that rolling a bag and carrying an umbrella during a rainy day takes both hands and therefore doesn't leave any options to scope or vlog. I'll have to come up with a plan or device or resort to carrying my backpack when it rains. We shall see.

I've been working on school stuff so I need to get to bed before midnight which is only 10 minutes away. Where does all my time go?!

xox