One Step Forward...

Two weeks from today I will (hopefully) be arriving in Lisbon. Until now, I haven't really thought too much about it. It might sound strange, but I'm getting used to packing my bag and heading off to live in a country that I know very little about. In fact, I think that is what I like most about this job. Having said that, I am starting to worry a little. For a start, nothing has gone right in the run-up to this. From lost applications to doctor's notes and tax returns, fate seems to have slapped a no entry sign on this one. But we'll persevere. The job sounds great - 25 hours a week with a really competitive salary and plenty of chances for overtime or private students. We haven't found a place to stay yet, but we have lots of promising leads and the prices are good. Anyway, wish me look, because the next month or so is going to be frantic! I'll keep you posted.

Tales from Cow Country

Over the summer, we spent six weeks working as 'counsellors' in a school for foreign kids to learn English. Duties included; 3 hours of English per day, excursions, waking up and putting kids to bed, ensuring that they ate, stopping them from killing each other... you get the idea. It was the most exhausting job I have ever had. You are mother, father, teacher and friend to these little rich kids. A job made more difficult by the fact that most of them seem to lack all of thes things back home. It wasn't all bad, of course. The other teachers were great and lots of the kids were really good fun. It's not a smmer job I would sign up for lightly, but if your'e up for a challenge...

Pictures from Prague

I spent a month in Prague studying for my TEFL certificate. It was really intensive but the people I was on the course with were (mostly!) great. Prague is a really beautiful city, sadly being ruined by the worst kinds of tourists. There are still plenty of places that are worth a visit, though. And the beer is tremendous.

My Year in Pictures

This is the first installment of my Japanese pictures. Things I have leaned; pictures of random, faraway places get cooler the longer it has been since you last looked at them; sometimes you can't actually believe it's you in these pics; there is no explanation for the fact that I only have one picture of Iain, who I worked and drank with every day fo about nine months.

Pic 1. Tetsu, Kyoko, Laura and myself in Gifu for a spot of rowing in one of the few places in Japan where substantial greenery is still viewable. But I'm pretty sure the lake was man-made.
Pic 2. Skiing in Meiho. I call it skiing, but we actually didn't manage it. Posed for a couple of snaps, tried to move forward on skis, fell, took skis off and sat in restaurant. Good day.
Pics 3 and 4. Shinichiro's Bebedor bar in Konan and Kei's "La Calavera" in Inuyama respectively. If I wasn't in one, you could find me in the other. Some truly great times were had in these wonderful places. I'm sure I will see these people again.
Pic 5. Kani kids. If I had more room in my suitcase, I'd have brought them home. They just don't make kids like this where I come from!
Pic 6. This was taken just before we left Japan. Some of the lovely ladies from Kani decided to dress Laura in traditional kimono, which took forever, but looked amazing. I have never seen a piece of clothing that is so intricate and difficult to put on. Yumiko, the lady who dressed Laura, has been studying how to wear kimono for over a decade and still does not consider herself to be an expert. After many photos, we were treated to a feast that verged on Bacchinalian in its' excess! There was enough food to feed an army and the Asahi flowed freely - even though it was barely 10:30 am. Wonderful people!

Bed and Bored

Today I have mostly been relaxing on the couch and recovering from last night. For those of you who are new to my life, get used to this - it happens a lot.
I decided, as all who are lazy do, to write a 'to-do' list. It beats getting up and actually doing the things that you need to do. Here it is;
Organise CD/DVD collection
Fix Laptop
Do Laundry
Go to gym
Learn Portuguese
I failed to accomplish any of the above goals and, as such, have decided to ban myself from ever writing a 'to-do' list again. They are counter productive and serve only to highlight ones own inadequacies. A much better idea is a 'have-done' list, where the writer ticks off anything that they have completed during the day. e.g.
Woke up
Ate something
Didn't go back to bed...
etc.
Try it and bask in the warm glow of a page full of things that you have managed to do. It will make you feel much better then staring at a daunting list of jobs that have yet to be done. Plus, it is a good way to waste some time instead of doing any real work, as is writing a rather pointless blog...

Hajimete

Hello. It's not an original opening, but who am I to fly in the face of convention. Welcome to my blog.
Background;
I am a teacher of English as a foreign language. I have been doing this for about a year and a half. I spent most of this time teaching in Japan, hence random bits of basic Japanese thrown in willy-nilly (or wirry-nirry, if you prefer). The place had a massive effect on me and I hope to return someday.
Since then, I have been to Prague and, most recently, Brighton to teach at a summer camp for rich foreign brats.
In September I head for Lisbon, where I hope to continue in this strange and oft ridiculed career that I have chosen.
I am hoping to use this blog, as many do, to allow friends and family to keep up with me as I travel. It beats sending loads of emails.