Don't dream it's over..

It is over though.
I'm back in the U.K.
I have been back for a whole week now.
I am slowly shaking the strangeness of being back, off. It felt so weird being home, like a hyper-real dream. I woke in my bedroom and looked around what had once been familiar to me, and it felt like staying in a hotel somehow, normal and yet not at the same time. I wish I could explain it better than that.

I went to Okinawa, and despite some drama that I thankfully wasn't directly involved in, I loved it. I then went to Tokyo for the weekend and loved that too.
Then I came back to Tsuyama and realised it was time to stop dragging out the inevitable, that I was going to have to leave Japan at some point; so I booked my plane ticket home and left without much fanfare, but plenty of tears.

Now I have to work on being happy where I am, but if that fails, I need to work on finding somewhere else that I can be happy being.

I need to find a job. So it's time to start fixing my CV, applying for jobs, setting up interviews- the whole nine yards. Except to do all that it kind of helps if you have a vague idea of what kind of job you are looking for. I don't.

I'm faced with being poor again.

I'm back at home with my mum who I love to bits, but it's all a little suffocating when I've been used to my own space for a whole year.

I'm scared that now I'm back, I'll be stuck here for good, and that this is as good as it'll get.

I'm glad to see the friends and family that I have seen so far, but no offence- the novelty of that will wear off pretty quickly and it'll just be business as usual.

I'm already beginning to find it hard to remember why I thought coming back to the U.K. would be a good idea.

Please, please, please don't let me regret leaving Japan more than I do already...



Naomi, me and Sean on my last night in Tsuyama.

I admit this entry isn't filled with the joys of life, but I can't help the way I feel right now...



This is the kanji (Japanese character) of the day that just happened to be on my Google homepage today. Some of it's meanings are kind of fitting somehow.

Cry me a river...

I meant to blog on the day of my one year anniversary of being in Japan, but I missed it.
Monday was my last day of teaching. Whilst giving a farewell speech to the teachers, to my surprise I started crying. A lot.
Yesterday I had my last Japanese lesson with my friend Yasumi. We cried. A lot.
Tonight I'm having a joint leaving party with my friend Eddie. I'm thinking of not wearing make-up as I'm pretty sure I'm going to be crying. A lot. Are we seeing a pattern emerging here?
Tonight will be my last night in my apartment as tomorrow I move out. I'm going to miss having my own space. I'm going to miss living in Tsuyama. I'm going to miss Japan.

I want to channel Barney, a character from the sitcom 'How I Met Your Mother':
"When I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead", but I can't fake it that well.
A huge part of me is pretty certain that I made the right decision in deciding to return to the U.K., but this whole leaving what has been my life for just over a year now feels like pulling a band-aid off. A gigantic one on my soul.
(Ok- you're allowed to laugh at my melodramatic-ness there.)

As of yet I haven't booked a flight back to the UK. In part it's me resisting the fact that a huge wad of my cash is going to be spent on a ticket back(I know, the parentals can't support me forever); but I guess I'm also reluctant to finally put a date on my departure.

On Tuesday, I'll go to Okinawa for a few days (google it), then I'll come back to Tsuyama for a bit before finally heading home- possibly via Tokyo so I can do that big shiny city again properly before I leave Japan.

I'm going to miss hearing Japanese all around me, and that excitement I get when I understand some of what's being said.
I'm going to miss using random Japanese words and sounds with other foreigners who know what I mean.
I'm going to miss communicating with Japanese people in my version of broken Japanese complete with sound effects and exaggerated facial expressions, especially when I'm understood.
I'm going to miss the weirdness that is Japan.
I'm going to miss my crazy kids.
I'm going to miss the incredibly kind people that I have met here.
I'm going to miss the feeling of being on an extended holiday despite having to work. I'm going to miss Hijiris, Salalu, chu-hi, and American big dogs.
I'm going to miss being a foreigner- as strange as that sounds.
I'm even going to miss my bike- although riding it in the summer was WORK and a half.

I cried like I'd just watched my puppy being run over on purpose on my way to Japan.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be crying all the way back to the U.K too.

No pictures, no video- I'm too depressed...

Not a real update either

I'm pissed as I can't go to the graduation ceremony at my favourite school tomorrow as I'm currently working at the shite school so have to attend theirs, but surprisingly I was given this by some kids from the shite school. Ignore the mistakes, and appreciate the sentiment, I know I did.

Japan Room 101 Update

Ok- I have been really crap with this blog of late. If your best friends ask if you are ever planning to return home, and you handed in your notice at the end of February, it's a good indicator that perhaps you haven't been updating people as often as you could have...Gomene (shortened version of 'gomenasai'= sorry).

Since I finally worked up the courage to leave my beautiful Japan, I have been mentally trying to prepare myself to return.

It's hard. I swing between wanting to stay, even vaguely looking for other positions and companies in Japan, but part of me is ready for whatever comes next- wherever that may be. I'm due back in the U.K. at the beginning of April.

I had a long entry planned out, detailing my efforts to make myself feel better about leaving Japan by listing all the things that I won't miss about Japan, but I'm feeling a tad lazy, so I'll save that for another entry.

So yeah- start planning the welcome home parade for me, complete with hardcore cocktails on tap, dancing monkeys, fireworks and piñatas; I'll be home before you know it...

Pictures...


A beercan display for Hina Matsuri (Dolls Festival). I admired the commitment involved in emptying all those cans...




I met the artist who painted this- you need to see just how fine and detailed the paint strokes are.


My favourite photo from the Murder Mystery party I went to last weekend.


My latest obsession: collectable miniatures- no one else gets this mania of mine.

Will update properly again soon.

Banana beer and naked men

As per usual I'm feeling kind of random- so this entry will also be rather random.

Current overused Japanese word: 'Kawaii'- Japanese for cute. I hear it so much as the Japanese are obsessed with all things cute. Grown men sport cute little characters on their keychains, adults' cars are laden with soft toys and cute cartoon characters are on display everywhere. Which is why I can walk down the street wearing my Sesame Street bag without a second thought. Even how you say the word itself is cute. I'm
trying to wean myself off of using it indiscriminately. But look at this cute poster instructing you not to enter- don't you feel that you should respect what the cute little security guard is telling you?



My lovely JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) from the school I love took me to dinner to say thank you for my work with them, and asked me to come back next school year. Were it just my good school I'd work at as opposed to having to work in both the crap school and the good school, I could be tempted to stay...



This picture was taken at Universal Studios Japan on the Jurassic Park ride. The look of fear in my eyes after an seemingly uneventful boat ride is transformed to a mini rollercoaster was genuine. I swore like a Tourettes sufferer all the way down...



This was written by a student of the local high school that many of my current students would kill to be accepted in to. I thought it was kind of poetic...



At midnight I witnessed the insanity that is the Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival) in Saidajii. This is where men take to the streets wearing only a fundoshi (think of the thonged nappy that sumo wrestlers wear), they are then doused in cold water and then compete with hundreds of men to get hold of a stick in order to win a cash prize. Yes, this festival has a religious origin, but bear in mind that it is Winter and even with layer upon layer of clothing, it is still stupidly cold... Apparently there is a similar festival for women but not surprisingly it's very rare. This is why women live longer than men.



This entry was partially titled after the wonder that is banana beer, also not to be missed is the wonder that is green tea beer- both can be found at one of my favourite restaurants in Tsuyama- a quiet little place we foreigners call 'Salalu'. Banana beer, only in Japan, eh?

I have yet to officially resign because I still can't bring myself to actually finish my Japanese adventure... Funnily enough my star sign for today echoes this:

Virgo
Even if today's your day off, you still might be thinking about work. You have a choice to make, yet it's hard if you are pulled in two directions. Instead of looking for the long-term solution, try focusing on the immediate satisfaction you can derive when you help others. Doing your current job as efficiently as possible makes more sense than turning your life upside down.

And to close this rambly entry, here's BoA. She's Korean but this song is sung in Japanese.

Sob!

No real entry, just pics from my last day at my favourite school...

The teachers came out to wave me off and as I cycled off I could hear my name being screamed by a bunch of kids. The brass band were waiting on a balcony and played a song for me. The tears I'd prided myself on not shedding so far, fell, I couldn't help it. And then the sports teams came out to line the gates and wave goodbye to me, and as I finally cycled away, with tears in my eyes, the brass band started up again... I LOVE these kids :(

These are pictures of some of my wonderful and crazy second and third graders- the 1st graders generally made me want to consider getting my tubes tied...











And to close, here's some Japanese rock from Monobright

Sayonara...

Minasan ohayo gozaimasu. Sanyu desu.
Kyo wa koko ni iru saigo no hi desu. Getsuyobi ni [insert other school name here] chugakko e ikimasu. Minasan to aenaku naruto omouto sabishiku narimasu.
Watashi wa anatatachi to ishoni sugosete totemo tanoshikata desu.
Anatatachi wa mainichi watashi o warawasete kuremashta.
Tanoshiku genki ni soshte friendoly ni seshite kurete honto ni domo arigato.
Watashi wa korekaramo anatatachi ga itsumo shiwasede aru koto o imote imas.
Anatatachi ni watashi wa keishite wasuremasen. Minasan gambatte!
Sore kara senseigata itsumo shinsetsuni shite kudasatte hontoni arigato gozaimasu.
Watashi wa nihongo ga hanasenainode minasan to communication o torunowa totemo muzukashikatta desu ga itsumo hanashikakete kudasari arigato gozaimashta.

This is the speech I will give over the loudspeaker tomorrow at my favourite school as it's my last day there.
It basically thanks my students for making me laugh everyday, and thanks the teachers who took time out to try and talk to me.

I am so all kinds of crazy about these kids that I'm ashamed to admit I cried a little today at the thought of saying goodbye to them. In class. How embarrassing.
I am a big softy who isn't even considering wearing eye-liner as I know I'll be boo-hooing tomorrow as well. I can't explain how much I love these kids with their crazy funny ways, and I know that in some way they love me too which makes me love them more. Does that make sense?!

I'm the lively, loud foreigner who speaks broken Japanese badly but tries anyway, pulls overly expressive faces to rival Jim Carey (admittedly it's distracting in class time, but they keep begging me to do it), sings on request, loves to laugh, is strange in an oddly entertaining way and occasionally even teaches English sometimes. All this has gained me a considerable fan base at this school. And I love it.

How could it not make me feel good about myself to see faces light up with a smile simply on me entering a classroom? Or when I've been able to help a usually disruptive student feel as though they've accomplished something? Or when I hear my name being yelled out in greeting by several students simultaneously? Or when I hear them conferring with each other in Japanese on how to ask me in English to come back in April in the new school year?

There's also my non demanding and independent life in Japan to consider too. Yes, I feel as though I live in the back of beyond, but I don't really. And yes, I have been known to state that God hates Japan and that its extreme weather conditions which are a bitch to deal with are proof of this- but overall Japan has been good to me. I'm comfortable here.

And yet, I heard a Madonna lyric from her song 'Jump' that spoke to me:
"There's only so much you can learn in one place
The more that you wait
The more time that you waste..."

So it's onwards and upwards I guess- wherever that is..

Now, please ooh and arr over my pictures from last weekend's snow festival and our Australia Day party.


A snow sculpture of the Japanese lucky cat.


Eddie and I brave the cold. And it was cold. Stupidly so. Saw my first ever real snowflakes complete with intricate patterns.


Fireworks from the snow festival.


A merry Jane at the Australia day party- check out her t-shirt...

And that's all folks!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

...somewhere else!

Yes, snow's all fine and dandy when you're wrapped up nice and warm indoors, it even has its place if you're inclined towards winter sports, and apparently we all dream of a white Christmas, but I'm done with it already. In my next life I'm coming back as a bear so I can sleep right through winter.

I've been crap with this blog of late- partly because I've been obsessed with completing my first knitting project- a scarf (finished it late last night!)- spending hours doing nothing but peacefully knitting away; but partly because I've put my brain on autopilot for the time being.

I'm still unsure about whether to stay or go somewhere else so I've momentarily just stopped thinking about it. If you ask me about it, you are greeted with a grating screech from me because I have no concrete answers.

There isn't much to tell- I'm being kind of antisocial at the moment, as being social usually involves me leaving the warmth of my kotatsu (a low table with a heater placed underneath it, and blankets over it which you sit under) which I have grown steadily attached to.

Now- wasn't that an entry worth waiting for?!






Before...



After...



Brr...chilly.



I like this picture because it looks almost unreal somehow...

And that's all folks!

Making My Mind Up

So- the first entry of 2008 finds me back in Japan after 2 weeks back home, drunk at 3am ish, and about to sleep in an internet cafe again.

Great opener, huh?
I am all kinds of confused right now, and it's not just the copious amount of booze in my system talking. I have to decide whether or not I stay in Japan for another year and I have to do it soon.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago whether I was going to recontract and stay another year, I would have said no. I was so sure. But now...
I'm wavering. I'm seriously considering staying. And I'm not even sure why. It's like my brain has been hijacked and is doing its own independent thinking. On crack or something.

I'm racking my brain trying to find out what the tug is, why I don't seem in such a rush to quit Japan anymore and I still don't know. I'm making lists over and over of pros and cons- and yet I seem unable to say firmly yes or no. It's possibly fear of the unknown, of what comes next if I leave Japan. Or...I don't know. But our final contracts are due to be sent out in February. Yes or no. Heads or tails. In or out.

Admittedly not the most cogent of entries- (I'm finishing this entry in the morning still somewhat drunk), but hey, no typos! :)
I will do a proper entry later today.

To close, here's a band my third year girls dig, EXILE.



And here's a random German dance band I discovered last night via a very cool Irish bartender called Bryan in Okayama- Modeselektor.
Check out other tracks such as The Dark Side Of The Sun and Godspeed and turn up the bass!



By the way, Happy New Year to you all...

Text messages from the edge...

It’s a long day in a Japanese staffroom from 8:15 to 5pm, and it’s even longer when you only have two lessons the entire day as is sometimes the case. This is where texting others in the same situation comes in handy- alleviating the boredom for all of 2 minutes. Here are some ALT (Assistant Language Teachers)text messages:

G: Do you ever ask what you think is a simple question and it leads to a big discussion between all the JTs? (Japanese teachers)
~
Me: How the fuck can you have an English listening test when no one is listening?!

W: …how the listening test actually works is that the recording lulls them into a trance like state to where their subconscious is open to suggestion. This is when the subliminal message so carefully inserted in the recording can take effect. The message then instructs them to “forget as much English as you can”. This is why they seem to get more retarded after a listening test.
~
Me: Back at the school near me and the urge to set fire to things grows stronger by the minute- and not just for the heat either…

W: But isn’t your heart warm from the smiles of all the children?

W: Now I wanna set things on fire (ie: children)- it’s not wrong cause I’m assured that they’re being controlled by evil spirits. So if I set them alight I’m doing God’s work.
~
Me: So an ex- JT will return to this school in Jan- he was away due to a mental breakdown over his lack of ability in his subject. What was his subject? English of course. Unless they had eikiwa (English conversation class) at the funny farm he is going to HATE me…

W: Lol- that’s hilarious! Good luck with that. You got a whole nutty professor thing going on.
~
W: They made me fucking run today! ME RUNNING…FUCK! At elementary no less. Teaching makes me tired enough. GOD this is going to be a horrible day.

Me: Is it bad that picturing you running is the highlight of my day? Or does it say more about the kind of day I’m having?

W: They made me play tag…yet even more running! I think I’m not going to recontract now.

Me: I’m imagining you not even able to fake like it’s fun! Ganbatte!

W: I’m gagging and coughing. I nearly vomited. No it wasn’t fun at all.

W: Whatever- you didn’t have to run.
~
S: Is there someone in your office who always sips tea really loudly? It’s driving me mad.

Me: Unfortunately yes. Almost as annoying as the guy with a perpetual cough who doesn’t cover his mouth.

S: Yeah they either don’t cover their mouths or they wear those medical masks. No middle ground
~

W: If you start digging now you can make a freedom tunnel. #...day’s never finished…Master gots me workin’…#
~
Me: The ichinensei (first years) at this school make me want to get my tubes tied…
~
Me: Only 2 lessons today. Kill me..
~
W: How’s your murderous rages? Still feel like killing your staff?

~
W: I checked it out- foreigner does translate into barbarian in Japanese. I think I’m offended.

W: Also Sanyu in Japanese means alcoholic
~

W: Do you know anyone that actually dislikes oranges? I think everyone should like them if they don’t they’re probably Muslim extremists…
~
It's picture time...

Yet another mini art project for the English notice board- also known as killing time so I don't bash my head repeatedly on the table out of boredom. I think my JT's handwriting is neater than mine so blame her for the minor error in the text.



And another- I wish I could claim that I drew the pictures but I'm really not that good. The pics are courtesy of Wil's girlfriend Jen- I merely provided colour- and a very soothing session of time wasting that was too


My favourite JT who is an absolute doll and makes my current school somewhat more bearable, and her extremely cute four year old. We got on like a house on fire as I'm pretty much still under 5 years old in my head anyway... He speaks better English than a lot of my first years scarily...


I'm always trying to improve my Japanese but I'm not sure how successful I'm going to be as Japanese is a language to be reckoned with- no lie. Annoyingly I understand more and more but am still unable to respond properly. Grr.


Days til I'm home: 8

To close- meet Arashi- this song was everywhere when I first came to Japan.

It could be worse...

...you could be a Japanese school kid.

Do not get me wrong- I am well aware that the U.K. does not have a perfect education system. Many children are failed by it and for a 'developed' country we have an disgustingly high level of illiteracy, and a high number of young people who drop out or are excluded before their minimum schooling needs are even met.

Yet, having lived in Japan now for almost 8 months, I feel a little qualified to comment on what I've seen of the Japanese education system. Admittedly I only get to see what happens in English lessons, but these are things that are bugging me/the reasons I'm glad I was never a Japanese school kid.

~ NO CENTRAL HEATING. Or air conditioning in the stupidly hot summers.

~ After school activities that once you've joined you cannot quit or swap to another club- hate it? Too bad- you're in that club for 3 years at least, come rain or shine.

~ Ijime (bullying)- sadly a fact of school life globally, but the number of victims committing suicide in Japan is such that playing 'hangman' with students is seen as inappropriate.

~ Fear of speaking out/ acute shyness. I have stood waiting for the answer to a simple question, twitching unbearably at how long a student is taking to answer and shyness plays a huge role in this. Even if classmates are whispering the answer, a lot of children lack such confidence that they are unable to utter a simple sentence. I have a third year boy (14/15 years old) who has curled up in a ball rather than speak to me. I have so many students who cover their mouths whilst talking, or get uncontrollable giggles, or look like they want to die rather than open their mouths.
It's painful for them, and it's painful to watch.

~ Disruptive kids who aren't disciplined. So much goes on in a Japanese classroom that wouldn't be tolerated for a second in England. Play up in a classroom in England and you're sure to be sent out of the classroom- do it enough and you can be excluded. Not a great solution for the problem child- but why should the rest of the class have to suffer?

~ Japanese teachers who don't speak English. Not a problem if you're learning Japanese- but not helpful if you are learning English.

~ Remember being put into ability level classes for certain subjects? Here in Japan- you decide what level you are. So we have low ability kids choosing higher level classes because that's where their friends are, or because they prefer the higher level status.

~ I am also driven crazy by the fact that worksheets are handed out at the same time as the answer sheets. I wander round the classroom and see answers being copied down mindlessly- yet ask the student what they've copied down and a look of confusion and panic crosses their faces as they've no idea. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!

~ Exam stress- it's all about getting into a good elementary school to get into a good junior high school to get into a good high school to get into a good university to get into a good job- they really are that linked over here- which means exams, exams, exams, and lots of learning by rote.

~ Cram schools- the pressure to succeed is such that many students who can afford to attend jukus (cram schools)- this is after a regular day of schooling, and several hours of their chosen after school activity. It means that high numbers of students often fall asleep in school the next day- and they are not woken up by anyone but are allowed to sleep!

~ I also see support here for single sex schooling- it could just be a Japanese thing but the boys get all the attention, they have far more confidence and a lot of the girls look like zombies- admittedly I'd look a bit out of it if I was sat in such a dull English lesson too (and I probably do sometimes), but I want to shake some of them. Too scared to raise their voice above a whisper when called upon, or to even offer an answer. I watched as a 1st year boy swiped a 1st year girl's cake that had just been given to her by a friend. She didn't say a word. I swiped it back off him and asked her whether she wanted it and she admitted that she did. I didn't have enough Japanese to ask her why she hadn't said so to the boy.

If I had a kid in Japan I'd seriously consider home schooling.

I wrote this entry on a cranky day- but sadly even on a good day all of the above stands.

And on with the pics...



I breathed on my lens to take this :)



And my favourite time of year has begun... *raised eyebrow*- can't it be the 26th of December already?!



Yasumi displays the new yummy winter dessert menu at Joyfull. (Not a typo- they use 2 'l's.)



A letter from my 2nd years at my favourite school (they were made to write it, but still- look, it's my beloved Elmo!)

Days till I'm back in the U.K. for Xmas: 18...

And the new vid from Rip Slyme who have a new album out that I'm seriously considering buying...

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S, so it's inspired an entry. Not much of an entry to be honest, but an entry nevertheless.

In Japan, I'm currently thankful for...
...crazy, mad, original students who make me laugh. Like the 3rd year girl who asked me to marry her and told me she was pregnant. She then told me she was going to lay an egg... I squatted in front of her to demonstrate laying an egg and we all fell about laughing. Today a third year boy told me his pants were dirty, with a straight face. As I tried to explain that in England 'pants' means underwear and motioned to mine he said "no pants?" Randomly in another class today we were discussing S&M (yes, exactly what you think!). The students asked which one I was- I responded with my most innocent looking face, to which a girl said I was probably an S!



....Royal Milk Tea- Hot, sweet tea with just the right amount of milk in a can- what more could you ask for?



...Uniqlo. Didn't go near the shop in the U.K., now a considerable chunk of my wardrobe comes from there. It's one of the few shops in Japan I've found so far that stocks clothing a non-Japanese woman who is fond of her food can wear- at least on my top half- and it's cheap too. All hail Uniqlo!

...good people. I'm missing everyone I love back home and it's hard to make really good friends in new places, but every so often you make one- or two and they are a gift in themselves.



...beautiful scenery. It's cold outside, but I can still be found clutching my camera, trying to capture how beautiful Japan is on film.

....let's not forget plastic food! Many a decision on where to eat has been based on the plastic food displays outside of restaurants.



...the almighty internet- especially Youtube, TV Links-like websites and
lastfm

I'm also currently addicted to stick on heating pads, my baby heater, my fleece lap blanket and cinnamon tea. Notice the warmth giving properties all these items share?
It's cold, and set to get a hell of a lot colder, and as technologically advanced as Japan is, it hasn't seen fit to install central heating in its schools....

Today also starts my month countdown till I return to the U.K. for Xmas, and I can't wait. I plan to blog at least once a week during this countdown, but I wouldn't hold your breath over that... ;)

To close- my fave Foo Fighters song from the current album- no video to go with it, but enjoy.

The Great Outdoors

If you know me, you'll know it's a rare event for me to call anything outdoors 'great'.
I'm an indoors girl through and through. The so called great outdoors generally just doesn't work for me. It's either too hot, too cold, too sandy, too muddy, too wet, too dirty, too filled with bugs for my liking- and don't get me started on my issues with sitting on grass!

That said- I do appreciate a good view (whilst trying to ignore the fact that my trainers are getting covered in mud)- and last weekend I got to experience the Japanese Autumnal pastime of leaf viewing. Yes- they take time out to admire the change in season and the gorgeous colours the leaves change to before Winter kicks in and they all die. (Not looking forward to Winter at all...)

My neighbours took me away overnight to a place called Tottori. We stayed in a lush hotel and the next morning we went to the Tottori sand dunes. We're talking points where you are surrounded by sand as far as the eye can see. I had been before at the height of summer and yelped in pure pain as stupidly hot sand filled my shoes and burnt my feet; so this time it was nice to trek the huge hills of sand and pretend I was a wandering nomad in the desert...



We also went to Mount Daisen which is the highest peak in the Chugoku region (the south western end of Japan's main island) and apparently has been chosen as one of the best one hundred mountains in Japan,(that's a lot of mountains!)and to Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park.



Anyway- less entry, on with more scenery...







And finally, meet Halcali :)

It's been a while...

Ok, so I've been a little slack with this blog of late, but I have been keeping busy. I've been feeling a little under the weather so I wasn't in any major rush to update this, but I'm back now, so on with the entry.

This entry is written in the style of a passage in the novel The Rules of Attraction by Brett Easton Ellis.

So, October. Went back to Hiroshima for a weekend but not the main part. Saw the famous Kintai-kyo hashi(錦帯橋), or "Brocade Sash Bridge" in Iwakuni. Curvy bridge originally built without a single nail. Saw white snakes only found in Iwakuni- yawn, but Gemma's a reptile freak. Went to Iwakuni castle- pretty, but seen one castle in Japan, you've seen them all. Went to a rugby match in an Irish pub. Drooled over fish and chips. Loads of foreigners were there. Felt a little out of place. England beat whoever they were playing. 'Slept' in my first internet cafe. Cheap if you're homeless for the night.



Went to Miyajima. Climbed Mt Misen (not my idea). Got to the top surprisingly. Climbed back down Mt Misen (also not my idea). Was in pain for days afterwards. Never again. Saw the Itsukushima Shrine with its seemingly floating O-toril Gate. (Wikipedia it). Rushed back to Tsuyama to be in one of my school's culture festival. Was made to say classics like: "Do you know where the Beatles are from?" Kid answers: "They're from England- like you." Me: "Yes, the Beatles and I are from England." Cheesy as hell, but I survive.



Randomly go apple picking with my neighbour and her daughter. Communication is difficult, but we get by. Twilight wandering through an orchard. Imagine myself as Eve wandering through Eden. Japan has HUGE apples.

I switch schools. Am glad to be back at my fave school but am slightly put off by new English teacher who barely speaks ENGLISH. Am invited to my school's music festival. Awkward moment when all the third years are on stage crying as a speech is read out. It'll be their last concert until they join their new high school's orchestra. Struggle not to boo-hoo along with them. I'm such a softy...



Group of us road trip to Saijo just outside Hiroshima for Sake Matsuri (festival). All the sake you can drink. I drink warily as sake packs a punch. Only one person pukes. Run into one of Jay's best mates randomly. Sing 'It's a small world after all' in my head.



The monthly gaijin (foreigner) Halloween barbecue. I go as a witch. The pyro in me thrills at the bonfire. I go to the new mall. Huge, shiny, filled with stuff I don't need but want. Find and buy a big bottle of Malibu. Work on not downing it all in one. Sometimes Japan makes me want to drink...

Go to company meeting in Okayama. Drool over the impossibly hot Japanese cop who comes to talk to us about safety in Japan. Think about being arrested by hottie cop. Hang out with people after the meeting then get ready for Halloween party. Bunch of us troop down the street in fancy dress. Get even more stares from Japanese people than usual. They aren't too big on dressing up for Halloween oddly. Get to the party- all you can drink for just under £12. I get wasted- but not stupidly so. I dance like a mad thing. It feels sooooo good to be out for once on a Friday night. Wish Tsuyama had a nightclub or two. Meet lots of randoms. Sleep in another internet cafe...


Me and my friend G.

Tomorrow I'll be watching some of my kids in an English speech contest. I know their speeches pretty much off by heart since I've been rehearsing with them for a while. And that's what I've been up to lately.

To finish this entry, here's a Japanese song I've been playing repeatedly- I won't comment on the scantily clad girls in the video- if I had their bodies I'd be a little slutty myself too if I'm honest... ;)

Wakarimasen

Wakarimasen.
This is quite possibly the most useful Japanese word I have learnt whilst over here.
It means 'I don't understand', so obviously I get to use it a lot.
In this entry, I'm using it to talk about the interesting use of English in Japan...

Ok, I'm a Virgo- we're known for being somewhat anal when it comes to details and in that respect I am a true Virgo. One of my dream jobs has always been to be an editor- not so much for the creative input- but more to correct any mistakes that may have been made. I can't help it- grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and the worst offender of them all- text speak all make me twitch. Not to make you paranoid, but I mentally correct every email that I get. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not a snob, I'm just programmed this way...

So I'm finding that living in Japan I have to fight the urge to run around with a big red marker correcting everything.
Half the time I can get the gist of what was trying to be said, but the rest of the time I'm like: Huh?! Wakarimasen.

This was taken from the design on a student's notebook:
"I wish to sing a duet with transparent time.
You'll have mind to forgive everything.
If you become nervous or angry, hold communion with nature."

From my Japanese teacher's chopstick container I found:
"Enjoy a quiet lunch time while feeling a season
Nature put a person at his ease.."

Check the following...



This is from my friend's ashtray pot.


This is taken from a sticker booth


As is this


This is from hairclip packaging

And this is my latest mini project- yes, it's several weeks early but I had some time on my hands!


Check this link for some more examples of English that makes me twitch:
What?!