Boxing Day

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful..As Is The Cold Inside.

How was Christmas? What did you get? Lots of good food, sleep and TV? A comfortale mix for sure! I watched 'Santa Who?' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' in a row one evening, whilst assembling a TV cabinet and clothes rail!

I'm in the Art Room- I have some 1st Year friends who 'hangout' there-and it's a twist different from being in the 'shokuinsu' all day. The girls are very cute..they did pencil drawings of me on my first visit and straightened my hair the last!

Yesterday-Christmas Day, I had no lessons but the day was busy, filled with speeches, the closing ceremony and sessions of cleaning. Mundane-yet more tanoshi than aujourd' hui.

Today, school is officially closed, but only technically. There are tons of students and teachers cramming as many brain cells as there are fish eggs in Japanese intestines- with the extra atoms of information. Talking of those little orange balls that would house baby Nemos-if left to nature-I had some in my Obento Sushibox! It's still here waiting for me-to dispose of it. There are somethings I will not eat, forget trying to 'fit in!'

Still, only approaching two thirty.

A while to go before I can begin my 'adventure!' I will go to Kofu-the main city of Yamanashi, where I will board the ten o'clock coach for an eight hour ride to Kyoto. Sal will also travel overnight from cold snowy Kanazawaa and we will rendez-vous a six heures le soir. We anticipate a hectic week of site-seeing teeth-chattering fun! Full circle, we shall spend New Years in Tokyo.

We plan to laugh, photograph and knit our way around Kinki, Chubu an Kanto!

However Christmas is far from the traditional festivities I have been brought up to enjoy. The tree decorating Sunday, the heaving shopping trolleys of scrumptious delights, the sneaky swapping of the Christmas cracker toy at the oval dining table where we overeat close to combustion, then watch the 'Only Fools and Horses' Christmas specials! Thank scientists for technology! And thank God for Mr Bell. The Invention makes me feel close to home, near my family -almost as if I were with them-even if for only whilst the conversation lasts. Last night I fell asleep to their voices, excitedly describing their day.

Christmas evening was lots of fun. My Japanese 'gang'...or family, came round and we had a mini fiesta. Each of us made food and bought a gift that we simultaneoulsy passed around our 'circle' until Senior Sinatra Jingled his Bells to an end- leaving us with a different present from when the music began. Etsuko, Akhira, Junko, Setsuko and I - we all had lots of fun.

I feel very sleepy and am presently craving chocolate [I blame it on the weather]. May be the vending machines will have some........

October Already

Today is already Thursday, cant believe its October so soon. This time last year we had just started our final year and moved in to our place off Park St, Bristol going to Iia Mas with 'EhEh'Catherine and 'IDontKnow'Mariani-oh, it was so much fun and I really do miss uni life. 'Naughty'Nicola...'Gansta'Anna....'NeveronTime'Sal....'Spikey'Ed....Kate'Hayhed'.....'Trenchcoat'Phil..'Streetboy'Tom.....All the UWE BA Marketing posse.....what have you been up to??!!!!

Yesterday morning was fantastic-Reena or RINNNNNNA surprised me at 6 am-it was so nice to catch up with her. It's over 11 years ago since she first asked me if she could borrow a pencil in our first class on our first day of secondary school!!

Hopefully next weekend-A Bank Holiday! A group of us will go to Tokyo Disney for my birthday!! Yay! I wsh Aladdin was real....

Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN

Sports Festival at Tsuru High School =FUN
I wish my school sports Days were LESS BORING, SERIOUS and MUNDANE because at this school they actually make P.E. FUN!!! I wasn't a fan of P.E. at my school-lessons were far too competitive and you never really counted if you weren't in the rara hockey, netball or rugby team. There is more to life you know...like enjoyment !

Crazy Races
OH MY GOSH...We had Sports Day this week.... The crazy races are awesome. Sooo funny!

Race 1- An obstacle course where they:
a) Rub faces in bowl of flour
b) Crawl under a net
c) Blow up a balloon and sit on it so it pops
d) Spin round a baseball bat-to the point of collapse
e) Drink a Yakult
f) Find piece of paper from a tombola and run back

Race 2 - A three-legged Race to a box containing a forfeit...then they run to the microphone in the middle of the field and read it out to the school. The forfeits are to fetch certain objects such as a chair, a person over 100kg...etc...Quite funny!!

Race 3 - A boy wears a padded hat with a balloon attached to it and sits on the shoulders of 2 other lads. About 5 groups line up on the two ends of the field and when the pistol fires they run in and battle it out - whacking each others heads in an almighty attempt to burst the balloon using newspaper truncheons!! You will understand when you see the pictures as to how funny the events are!!

Just Thinking........a rainy afternoon in september...

I have finished for the day and am just thinking....

Everybody here is so cool - some really wicked friends-it's amazing-we are all from different places and backgrounds, yet click really well!!

I hate to admit it but there are some 'maybe not so good' experiences...

The whole lets eat and cook every creature that walks and hide it in anything edible' really is a frustrating issue for me.

But MUM if you are reading this thank you so much for forcing me to take my spices even though I did think it was a ridiculous suggestion back in England! Mums do know best!

And on a positive note...
Other than that, I love it here, the view from my balcony, the people, kids and culture are all so welcoming and already I feel I have picked up some mannerisms to take home with me. The best examples will be the Reflex-Head-Nod and bowing and not being so assertive I.E. adding 'maybe'...'it is better this way'...! So respectful - the Japanese!

I have ticked of quite a few of my 'To Do List' that I had in my head before I came here like visit Kyoto, go Sumo Wrestling, Climb Mount Fuji, but there are many more things to add as I learn from my Japanese friends. One that I didn't anticipate was experience an earthquake...which was absolutely surreal even though it was minor!

Harajuku Shopping Sunday 21st September

The weather has changed dramatically since this weekend and now its only about 17oC or so... and wet - so it is a relief from the heat last week but it will get colder!

Despite the drenching rain we still found a 'splendid' number of funky shops in Harajuku...but I so wasn't prepared for the weather. Things are reminding me of England now!!

Earthquake Sumo! Sat 20th September

This weekend, I went to Tokyo to watch the penultimate game of the latest Sumo Wrestling tournament! Whilst we were there there was an earthquake...a mini tremor!

Reflection
I feel sorry for the wrestlers though, falling all over the place - there's something very melancholic about spending your youth trying to get overweight so you can push someone over...even though there is a huge respect and fame association, what do they do when they retire?

Kyoto Temple Hopping 13-15 September

Kyoto was amazing, took only 2 hours on the Shinkansen or Bullet Trains, but definitely worth visiting again. Will tell more later!

Monday, 8th September

Well Hola everyone..I hope you're all genki and not as spaced out and achey as I am.

On Fridaynight 5th September, me and about 19 other ALTs gathered around Mt. Fuji and began our long overnight climb. The weather was brilliant - dry and clear. We started around 9pm and stepped carefully up the rocky paths guided by our flashlights. We took oxygen canisters with us but there were no nauseous casualties!

Although we started together, by the end most of us had split in to little groups, climbing in pairs and congregating at the various stations or huts along the top. Luckily, me and a few others enjoyed the rests at these huts and timed our ascent well, as we reached summit at 4am..about 7hrs after starting. Other adventurous lots got to the top by 1.30am but froze cold under Mars [very visible and red here Japan] the Moon, and the millions of stars I have never seen before in my life! Hundreds and thousands shimmering in all sorts of patterns! When we reached the top, we stood around gathered anxiously by the edge of the Mountain brim in wait for Sunrise.

Looking very angry, the sky blazed a bright fiery orange at first, then a cool purple blue and finally a pretty lilac pink! It warmed up quickly as the sky changed colours.

At around about 5.30 am we explored the huge crater where fresh lava is expected to erupt in the next few years, and took lots of photos that you would normally expect to find on postcards.

Then down. How mundane and dirty. Boring zig-zagging down, down, down yet never reaching the bottom. So monotonous. Red sand spraying as we skidded and stumbled along.

By 9.30 we reached Station 5 again where we collapsed and baked in the contrasting heat and longed for showers and sleep.

Now I ache.

Saturday 30/31 August Hunting for Digi-deals down Electric Avenue-Tokyo

HOLA! My Internet's been down due to the virus.... but here I am back again!! I have been busy -school has now started-the kids are wicked--funny. I'm teaching them about where I come from at the moment in my INTRO lessons and reading Catcher in the Rye for Lit Class. This weekend we explored Tokyo and bought a digi-cam from Akihabara...and ate in the Raj Mahal!! Yay Indian Food!!! Yummier than squid at least!! Anyway...Get the Casio Z3.... tiny & easy to use and very sexy looking!

Sunday, 3rd August Ooops @ Ojirogawa

I have been in Japan over a week now, although it feels more than that I think. I arrived on Sunday in Tokyo, the day when all of the Group A JETs [Japan English Teachers] from all over the world filtered in to two/three central hotels and scurried around overcome by jet lag. Yesterday a group of us went hiking up this huge steep waterfall-it was amazing. The downside to the story is that when I stupidly-against my instincts, under peer pressure attempted to jump from this rock in to the pool beneath, i winded myself and open my eyes to find out I couldn’t see!! For those who know me well-my nickname 'Grandma' [NO not because I am boring co I am not :P] suits me well because I have awfully bad eyesight [-10]!! YES. So I had to climb up and down [totally unable to see anything but blurriness past my arms] these huge steep mountains. Well, I guess the moral to the event is FOLLOW your INSTINCTS and Don't Jump cos people tell you to!!

Week 1 Greetings from Surina in Otsuki [Yamanashi]

How are you all? I suppose everyone is a bit more settled now we have our apartments sorted [I hope]!! There's still all the admin stuff like registering, bank accounts and phone lines blah blah... that is never instant... but we're here finally...

I'm at school today-hence the ability to send mail!! But I'm just trying to catch up with everyone feeling totally disorientated in everyway...time, sleep, weather, and language hahah!!!

Hope you're all well though suppose I wont ever meet some of you again :(


If you still have no clue as to who I am...I am the little one with black humidity-suffering curly hair from England xxxx

Wednesday 30th July 2003

Feeling nervous now as the huge party splits off in to little groups as we head off to our individual Prefectures. Soon I know I'll be alone probably with no other "Westerner" in approx. 30 min radius.

After lunch, we head off to get my 'Alien registration' and then head to my apartment!

xxxxxxCiau i'm tired to write any more for now!! xxxxx

Tuesday 29th July 2003

Again more work shop to attend! The Vegetarian one is very useful, mostly for pointing out that it is going to be very difficult to avoid biting into fleshy surprises!

The evening is amazing as we [the Brits] are invited to enjoy Canapes under the moonlight at the Embassy! It's so surreal-this huge Victorian house with massive Secret Garden style grounds in the middle of Tokyo. Nonetheless, the Teiko Drummers remind us of all the cultural differences and traditions we can expect to discover here!

Monday 28th July 2003 Tokyo Orientation

Upon arrival, we are again ushered to our appropriate hotels, as all of us have been grouped to share rooms with other JETs that will be working in the same designated employment areas.


The next two days are heavily scheduled with workshops and speeches from various members and Ministers of Education, Foreign Offices telling us about Japan and its relationship with the UK-something that the JET Programme has helped to flourish.

It's so much fun! It's like being at an International School's Freshers Week-with company fairs and workshops to attend. In the evening we all head out to Shinjuku -a cool part of Tokyo, to spend time with other JETs in our prospective Prefectures.

Sunday 27th July 2003 Landing in JP

We are all greeted at our individual airports and escorted to the appropriate desks for check-in and also on the other side, a sea of older JETs recognisable by their bright red T-shirts, meet us to show us the way out of Narita Airport.

Saturday, 26th July 2003 – Flying to JP

The most cliched event on the way to Watford: our car for some reason breaks down so we wait for an hour on the Hard Shoulder and then are rescued by my uncle who drives us to Heathrow! Lack of time means long lingering good-byes are replaced with quick "I'll see you soons"-probably for the best!