week 44

So the previous rant was written during this awful week at school. Not only was i going actually insane from lack of stimulation, i was still counting down the days until Tom arrives. Monday to Friday afternoon i was basically wishing time away- which is terrible and i hate doing. But there are only so many hours of boredom i can put up with. After 8hrs of boredom in one work day, it is hard to fool myself that i have a purpose at school! Having said that, at least i had another elementary school visit this week. On thursday i was at Kibe teaching 1, 2, 5 and 6 years. The lessons went well and i enjoyed being genki and being appreciated and used!

Monday was tennis, tuesday evening i met Jordana for a 3hr coco's session, wednesday was tennis, thursday i had my eikiwae and friday i went for a run. I wasnt felling tip top again this week, hence the lackage of exercise. I do believe that the sickness is partly induced my the psychological erosion in my head. Last year at uni i dont think i had one bad cold. Here it seems to be a fortnightly occurence.

Luckily i had a great weekend to look forward to. After my run on friday night i packed my bags, rode to the station and caught a bus to Fukui. From here i took the night bus to Tokyo with Meagan. It was an 8hr ride, but it wasnt too painful. The seats reclined quite a long way, the foot rests rose up and there were blankets too. I slept probably for about 3hr-4hr. We arrived in Tokyo at 6am. I was really excited and so the tiredness was pushed aside. This was my first real time in Tokyo. I wanted to make the most out of it and do as much as possible.So as soon as we arrived we met john and Kim and Andy and we headed off to the Tsukiji fish market. We got the subway and then walked over. From the outside, the market looked like a quite dimly lit old building. Quite small too. But the building that one sees from the outside is just an archway to walk under. Once inside it is clear that first impressions are very misleading. There were lots of tourists snapping photos, fisherman carrying polystyrene boxes around and men on weird motorised carts that carried boxes around this large market at high speeds and without a care for the pedestrians! And of course the fish. There were so many different varieties, and some absolutely huge ones! It was interesting looking at the fish and seeing how they are prepared, but I couldn’t help but feel a little in the way. This was after all the way these hardworking men made their living, and here we were along with many other tourists waltzing around these narrow alleys taking photos and cooing over stuff. However I tried to be as respectful as possible and keep out of their way, and I did find it really cool. We watched a man use all his force to cut open a huge ass tuna and a man severing the spines of many fish. It was interesting to see what happens before the sushi I eat gets to the restaurant. And I can definitely say that there is no way on earth I would be one of these people working such ridiculous hours and handling dead fish all day. After looking at the market we headed outside to find a restaurant to have breakfast sushi! It was 8am but that wasn’t going to stop us from trying some of japans best sushi.
Next we headed to Tokyo’s most controversial and talked about shrine, Yasukuni. This the shrine that commemorates Japans war heroes in all the past wars and battles and hence is a contentious issue due to Japan’s actions during recent wars being very controversial. To me , the shrine itself was nothing spectacular. But it was interesting to see the place that is talked about so much. It had security guards in the shrine which was also interesting as I don’t think I have seen this in Japan so far. There was a museum attached to the shrine which we decided to go into. It had exhibitions of Japan’s different battles in the last few hundred years. There was a lot of information and quite a lot in English surprisingly. It was really interesting for someone such as myself who knows a shamefully little amount about the history of the country I am living in. Everything we read about was so interconnected and multi dimensional, it was hard to understand it all- and by this point we were starting to get rather tired, and so the large amount of detailed and complicated information at the museum was starting to make my head spin!
After the museum we spilt up. Andy went off to do andy things, JandK went to meet some friends, and Meagan and I went to Starbucks for coffee and a snack! I tried the new azuki frappucino and was not disappointed. I somehow need to get them to be brought into England! After this, we headed to the hostel to leave our bags. We then headed out with a small map to explore the Asakusa area. It felt great to be so active after another block at school where I am like a slug sat in the staffroom forever. We found the large Senso ji shrine in the area which had a huge lantern at its entrance and a rather large pagoda too. It was also filled with about a million tourists buying tacky stuff from omiyage shops and snapping lots of photos. Maybe it was the tiredness or the heat, or maybe I have lived in japan for too long now, but the shrine just didn’t excite me too mush. There was nothing much to it. It was cool at first to be in such a busy place, as people watching is always fun, but I really like shrines set in forests, with gardens, seclusion, bodies of water and a sense of zen about them.
Next we walked over to the park. It turned out to be a very long walk, and my limbs were starting to cry a little. But the park was cool and buzzing with life. There are many different museums in the park, and surprisingly enough, a lot of homeless people, which I had not seen in Japan before. But as homeless people go, they still had the obligatory smell of booze and the unwashed appearance, but they seemed pretty smiley and had futons with them to sleep on and just seemed happier than those ive seen elsewhere in the world! Anyway, the lovely Meagan and I went into the National Museum, which as expected was busy yet well organized and had some good exhibitions of paintings, silk screens, tea ceremony kits, ceramics, lacquer ware and many other things. It was nice to see some cultural artefacts but the tiny amount of English description was annoying and we were shattered!

So we headed back to the hostel. I tried to have a little nap but didn’t manage it due to the loud festival occurring outside the residence! But I still rested for an hour or so before meeting JandK to go out for dinner. We eventually met up with Andy and Donna and we searched for a restaurant john really wanted to try. We found it but it was really smokey and I knew it wouldn’t be long until my nose and eyes started to swell with allergification. So everyone was really kind about finding somewhere else. We ended up in this random Mexican restaurant with a funny owner. It was a tiny little place with lots of writing from guests all over the walls. It was cool, but I was tired and the food was not that good. But hey ho I had had a great day.

The next day was another fabulous day and Meagan and I headed out to Harajuku to visit Meiji jingu. This was set in a large park with the nice calming surroundings that I like. Some huge trees, and very large wooden tori gates too. Next we met JandK and Andy and Donna to explore Harajuku park. It is famous for its rather vibrant visitors. Lots of teenagers locate themselves on the bridge near the park dressed in rather alternative costumes. It was odd. They just stood around in their gangs looking like celebrities and having their photos snapped by the amused onlookers. Next we went into the park. Which turned out to be just as odd. It was a really well kept large park with a lot of activity. At the entrance there were leather clad Elvis wanabees. They were giving their all in their snake skin boot dance performances to old rock and roll classics. Then we saw a guy by himself dressed in full baseball gear, simply swinging the bat. No ball. No friend. Just swinging, and he was there when we left the park too, so god knows how long he does it for, and why he does it either! There were groupd of different people dancing some funky dances from different parts of the world, and others playing music. We saw individuals simply sitting by themselves playing guitars or saxophones, a guy juggling, another playing with a glass ball like that which David Bowie has in the classic film ‘the labyrinth’, a fortune teller and my personal favorite was a guy walking his white rabbit. It was great! There were heaps of fully decked bands performing with people sitting and watching, and a dog area where the owners simply let their beloved dogs loose in this big area and go off to relax alone. One of these owners went to collect heir dog and then put the little darling into a baby type carrier on the front of her chest, and rode off on a bike. It was unbelievable! Dogs in Japan are treated better than kids in my opinion. The dogs don’t have to be put through harsh schooling for 8 years or moulded by older generations. Yet they get clothing, hairstyles and a lot of affection. It was cool just sitting and taking it all in.
Then donna, kim, Meagan and I headed to Shibuya on foot- my idea which turned out to take quite a while :s. but we eventually got to this bustling shopping district full of Japan’s cool youth- needless to feel I didn’t fit in! we observed the busiest pedestrian crossing outside the station which is often filmed in movies. We had lunch in a coffee shop and that was enough of neon lights and hundreds of people fighting for the same space for me.

We then got the train to a very old Kabuki theatre. I really wanted to see a Japanese art before I left japan. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. It was especially great because kabuki actually lasts for hours, and some Japanese people actually end up making it a whole day affair, with numerous bentos and snacks to keep them going. However we were able to pay a small amount to go in for just one act. Seeing as the whole performace was in Japanese, one act was agood taster for me and enough to satisfy my need to see a performance. Luckily the theatre had English programmes with a good description of what was going on on the stage, and Meagan hired and translator headset too. I really enjoyed it although we were standing right at the top of the theatre for over an hour. The set on stage was really realistic and rotated round to change scenes. The actors were all men which made watching the female characters quite amusing. The voices used by the actors were so odd. They changed tone frequently and the pace was generally very slow. It must take the actors a long time to master the art of speaking in such a way.

Next we met Andy and John in Ginza who had been off exploring a different area of the city and after asking a policeman for recommendations, we ended up eating at a dericious restaurant. We had heaps of good food and drink. It was a perfect way to end my brief tour of Tokyo before heading back on the night bus.

WARNING- Alex is analyzing stuff and purely letting out her feelings- these are by no means hard core facts!!

It is the most frustrating and depressing feeling to have a job which is in theory important, and could help lots of youngsters in their future lives and professions. But for so many days and parts of days I am literally like a book on a shelf in the staffroom. There is a lot to be learned from the book but if it is not opened and used, then it is useless and just remains static and collects dust. I’m collecting dust by sitting on my backside doing NOTHING for 8 hours in a day. Some people don’t mind being paid to go to work, sit around, read a book, use the internet, watch movies on their laptops and drink coffee. But I’m not one of those people. I like to have a purpose. I like to have responsibility and a certain level of stress placed upon me. I feel that slowly my brain is turning to mush here. I hardly use any skills or knowledge. Why should I care if I am getting paid and leaving so soon? I suppose I shouldn’t…but I do. Money is being spent on me and I am an unused resource. Millions of children are dying in the world from a lack of care and education. I could be doing things one hundred times more worthwhile, and helping people who actually want to be helped. It appears that the Japanese schools want ALTs simply to be seen as in touch with the west and caring about internationalization. When the truth is, Japan is very happy with being an outsider. They don’t want to integrate with the rest of the world. Japanese people (a generalization maybe) are proud of their nation and their society. I’m not saying this is a bad thing or that they should not be proud, but they sometimes appear to view themselves on one step higher on the ladder. Their pride can sometimes be a little arrogant and narrow minded (once again I am generalizing and these are entirely my perceptions). They know that they work incredibly insane hours for fifty years of their lives and they study extremely long hours at school. I think that they do equate this with being superior in some respects, but the debate is, are they really? Yes they have a lower crime rate and fewer social ills to most developed countries, but the controlled and robotic society is sometimes depressing. I see things from the perspective of a person educated in a society were individualism is promoted and work is seen as something one does to get money to live. In Japan living is something we do so that we work. There is little time for anything else, and people, on the outside, do not appear to mind this. But are appearances deceptive? Are we just very different cultures with very different perceptions and ideologies about what life is and what it means to be a human being in a society? Do Japanese people get pleasure and fulfillment from working to help the society and community grow, whereas I am from a more selfish society which wants individual successes and greater material rewards? I find it really interesting that sociological and cultural variables are so affective. I am in no way saying that I and my culture are better than the Japanese way of living. I have no right and no evidence to prove that. But this experience in Japan has really allowed me to analyze my own views and understanding of this thing called life, and realize that humans really are very different from one another.

week 43

This week I have been mostly:

Playing tennis
Going to the gym
Trying to sell my car
Selling my car
Doing taiko
Running
Teaching elementary school kids the wonders of English

School itself was pretty boring. Teachers really seem to not want me around which sucks. Not sure if this is because I am leaving in 2 months, because they suddenly don’t like me or because they are once again far to busy to concern themselves with team teaching. The only nice thing that seems to be happening at the moment is that some people seem to be gaining confidence to come and try to communicate with me. Whether it is in English or Japanese..i don’t mind what language it is in because non verbal communication, gestures, tone etc can all convey messages. But to be acknowledged and respected as a fellow human being is nice! I don’t expect them to make all the effort at all, I really haven’t become that bitter towards Japanese people its just I felt as thought my initial efforts were kind of ignored. And I was the alien in the very foreign situation, and so in my eyes I was in the harder situation. I do like some of my teachers and I wish I could have spoken Japanese better and communicated more with them.

On Saturday I had a lazy morning and then I went and played a hard session of Frisbee in Matsuoka in the lovely sunshine. It really is a tougher game than it maybe appears. After this, kim, kat and I went for sushi and then we had a quick meet up with jordana and yoshimi and milkshakes. On Sunday I had a little run and then john, kim and I went down to the Miyazaki pottery festival in Echizen. The festival turned out to be lovely..but expensive! There were lots of stalls of different ceramics at cheaper than usual prices. It was another beautiful day and so there were lots of people there, although it didn’t feel too crowded. I wish I had had more money to buy plates, bowls, mugs, sake sets and so on. But I also had to remind myself that I don’t have a home to put them in! After the festival we went back and john and kim were having a get together at their house for tacos and video games. I didn’t partake in the video games but the tacos were good, and the board game was fun too.

week 42

I felt a bit rubbish on Monday and so only stayed at school till lunch. I then went home and rested. I was fine though for the rest of the week, if only my Japanese co-workers took a few hours off of work when they were sick, perhaps they would feel heaps better, get well quickly and not spread their germs….
I was at the gym and tennising as usual this week and I also had English with the taiko ladies and in harue. On Wednesday I also went to sarahs to have coffee and catch up as I hadn’t seen her in ages. It was really nice to have a long chat about life in maruoka.
The weekend was fun too.On Saturday I was up early to plant rice in a paddy field- obviously! I joined a group of internationals from Fukui on this fun trip where we got to see how hard it really is for the people we see bent over in the fields looking after the rice crops. I was praying that the rain would hold off as the thought of being in a muddy field in the pouring rain at 9.30am did not fill be with excitement. And as luck would have it, the rain did hold off for the hour we were planting. We arrived at the field just to the north west of fukui city and after an opening speech- of course- we were told to remove our shoes and socks. I being the organised gaijin had decided to bring Wellington boots, but when I arrived I was told I didn’t need them because I would go into the muddy field with naked feet and legs :S considering we had just had two days of rain, I was a little anxious about being in the mud, but it was actually quite fun! I squelched around and planted rice seeds and got smooth skin at the same time. I now realise why it is that so many old Japanese people have crooked backs. Planting rice is tiring! Luckily however, nowadays most of the planting is done by machine. After the planting we went into a farm building to eat onigiri and see the harvested rice having its coating removed. The seed coating which looks like a powder after it is removed, is recycled by being used with pickles and other random Japanese dishes. It was a fun morning talking to some new people, playing with some cute kids who go to one of my shogakkos and learning about rice!
After the rice extravaganza I went with Meagan to have a peek around seibu and then I headed off to play Frisbee in the poooooooooooouring rain in Matsuoka. That evening I went for dinner with Meagan and kim to 100 yen sushi, which as always was scrumptious. We met up with john a bit later at my house for ume shu and ice cream. What better way to end an evening!?
On Sunday Meagan and I were up and running in the morning. We had a good run around maruoka. It is lovely to run around my local area. It is wonderful noticing new things. Houses and beautiful architecture, gardens, restaraunts and such like. We then met up with John, kim, becca and sarah and drove over to Mikuni for their big annual doll festival. I had only been to Mikuni twice before and it hadnt left a lasting impression, but this festival was quite good fun. It was set in the back streets of mikuni, in an area i hadt explored. When we arrived at 12 there were so many cars and so many people. it was chaotic. After finding a sneaky parking space we walked up to where the action was. We basically just followed the crowds. We gathered infront of the main shrine, and managed to climb up on to a wall which turned out to be one of the best ideas of the day! More and more people kept arriving and gathering outside the shrine. We had no idea why, but decided to wait and see what happened! After 40 mins of waiting huge wooden floats with characters from Japanese stories and myths were pulled along. The floats were of varying quality, and some had children on them too, some had musicians playing different instruments. There were also men on top of the floats with big poles. Their job was to push the electricity cables up so that the floats fitted underneath! It was quite amusing to watch them struggle to do this. We were so lucky to be out of the way because

a) these floats were big and they were knocking into people

b) the men were pissed as farts. pulling the floats in one hand, sake or beer in the other.

c) it was a grand idea to try and spin these 30ft tall floats as fast as possible, hence things got a little out of control.

It was so funny watching the mayhem. you just know that this would have been a much more sedate and organized affair in the UK with sectioned off areas so noone got hurt. But not in Mikuni! We had a wander around the food stalls up to the shrine and then walked around the streets a bit. I saw some of my students, which i was really pleases about. On friday there had been a meeting after school to tell all the students not to attend this festival. The teachers had said that they should stay at home and study. I was really angered by this as it is dictatorship to the maximum. These poor kids have such crappy lives and this event happens once a year, why should they go?!? There were teachers on patrol apparently at the festival to look out for students. I didnt see any teachers but i saw about 15 students, wohoo rebellion! A big group of JETs decided to try the ice cream shop selling flavours such as salt, carrot, spinach, and other delights... i declined the offer!

week 41

A busy ish week again
Tennis, gym, taiko and tea ceremony. After taiko on Wednesday I went with etsuko san to do ikebana- flower arranging. It was extremely interesting to watch a couple of ladies spend so much time, and think so carefully about arranging different flowers in very unique shaped dishes. Sensei actually had a book on ikebana in English which was amazingly helpful as there is such a lot of theory behind the art. I got the chance to make my own ‘freestyle arrangement’ which I was guided through like a 4yr old! But it was still fun and I got to keep the arrangement.

I also had my car shaken which is like an MOT although it costs an absolute fortune and lasts for 2 yrs.
On Thursday I had an elementary school visit which turned out really well. I was being observed by the children’s parents which was nerve racking but the lessons went really well and were a lot of fun, although as usual, knackering!
On Friday I had to go to a conference in fukui to discuss matters concerning leaving japan and what I have to do before I head home. It was a little daunting because there is so much to do and think about. I left the meeting feeling over whelmed and so becca and I went to starbucks to complain about our lives as usual! It was weird thinking about all the things I have to do before leaving, as I really need to get a wriggle on and start the ball rolling. It is mad to think I leave this country so soon.
On Saturday it was a lovely day so I cycled to Matsuoka park which was amazing. It is really big and well kept. It has lots of little paths, forrest areas, flower beds, streams, lakes and play areas. It was in full swing too with many families taking advantage of the good weather to have their picnics. I sat and read in the sun, and dozed a little too.
After this I went to Frisbee practice with john and kim. I decided to see if I liked playing as I thought it could be fun, and I was right! It was great and I felt good running around for ages. It is actually really difficult and energetic to play, but I loved these aspects of the game. After this exertion a group of us went to get sushi, and boy did we conquer the sushi! That night I watched 2 movies called Freedom Writers and Family Stone with john and kim which was fun. They are such good hosts and the movies were actually both really good.
On Saturday I played tennis and then met Meagan for coffee and doughnut in Ono. It was lovely to see her and spend time catching up over yumminess. I then trekked back to maruoka to play a little Frisbee and cook dinner with john kim and beata. It was a nice evening and the food was dericious.

Week 40

AKA Golden Week
Well technically it should be called golden days as this public holiday doesnt ammount to a full week. It is Japan's longest vacation of the year and so is spent by japanese familys scampering around their country snapping photos and v signing at every opportunity. I however decided to enjoy fukui and not go off travelling anywhere. I havent spent a holiday in Fukui until now, so i spose its about time. Actually thats not the whole truth...i would love to have gone to korea or china but i am trying to save for the horrible event next month called Shakken (a kind or car MOT Tax thing that could set me back over 500 squid).
Monday- i decided to cycle to eiheji temple. it was a glorious day and i felt the urge to be out in the open and exercising. I forgot that eiheji was on a hill. It took me 70 mins to get to the temple and boy was i happy to arrive!! It was jam packed of tourists but i wasnt planning on going inside. Just a little walk and rest under the tree canopy. It then took me 55 mins to get home- thank god for down hill! It was a great cycle and will hopefully be repeated soon- although i will remember sun cream next time... That evening i played tennis too and then slept for a long time.

Tuesday was a very laid back day watching trashy tv, getting a few chores done, racket restringing, gym session and a coffee in starbucks with just me and Murakami. Bliss.
Wednesday was a school day and we had normal lessons which was a bit odd because it was the one and only day of school for the week. But it was a busy day and the lessons were fun.
Thursday and friday were simply spent playing tennis for numerous hours, riding my bike and a lot of nothinng else. I met john and kim on saturday after the gym and i drove us down to Sabae for the Azalea festival. The main park in Sabae was jammed full of japanese people, taking advantage of these rare occassions they spare the time from their jobs, to be with their families. There were some food stalls and a spectacle stand here and there because sabae is the place that makes most of japan's glasses!
the park looked lovely and bright. the sun shone through the petals and leaves beautifully. pinks, whites, purples and a few reds flowed down the banks of the hill. It was nice having a wander up to tht top of the hill, although the weather was a little too hot and reminded me of the heat that is still to come....

after wandering we sat down on the grass in front of stage where many people, old and young, were performing music or songs. we were in time for little cuties doing electric piano recitals. As we sat down i was amazed to see kids- whos feet hardly touched the pedals- playing really detailed and technical music. And then i realised that all of the kids were plugging usb memory sticks into these pianos to play the main portion of the tunes. then some of the kids simply played two different notes over the top! it was so funny! that evening we got sushi and then headed back home.

on sunday i went to tennis and then went back over to john and kims to watch my first (recorded) american football match. it was the SuperBowl or however it is spelt. we sat watching this apparently incredibly popular event with yummy foods and drinks. by the end of the loooooooooong game i still had very little idea of what american football was about, but nonetheless i had had fun with everyone!

week 39

School came and went this week. I was pretty busy and had some good lessons which is always pleasing. I actually had school six days this weeks because saturday was an open day for parents to come and observe lessons and then have some 100 meetings. The observation lesson i had went really well, and the kids were genki and attentive, bring in the parents more often i say!!

The kids had medical exams this week. They had to have a lot of different tests, checks and measurements. Really really really thorough. Each student had to give blood to be tested as well. I asked what the theory was behind running all these checks and i was told that they are just to make sure the students are healthy. But what are they checking for exactly?? It seems like a lot of work and effort. Its not like any of the kids would be given time off of school if they were ill any way! Ive heard that teachers have to have these tests too, im hoping i was just skipped over due to leaving in 3months time.

I had tennis on monday and friday this week and went to the gym every day too. I had tea ceremony on tuesday, taiko on wednseday and my class on thursday. All of which were fun and make me feel happy in japan. On this note i have to admit i have been having doubts as to whether i made the right decision leaving here after one year. I am in such a fortunate position and have had the best year really, added to the tax issues waiting for me at home, the increasing student debt and the lack of job... Maybe i have blown my frustrations out of proportion and could put up with them for one more year and save a nice sum of money?? But honestly, although the money would be ace, living away from family has been difficult at times, and putting up with this job where i dont feel challenged enough and the every day aggravations from language and culture barriers is too much for me to stand it another year. I know the decision is right for me. It has been a wonderful year and i dont regret it one bit, but come august i will be happily leaving fukui and taking with me a year of amazing expereinces and memories.

Slight side track... on saturday i met becca for a quick sushi stop and on sunday i went to kenko no mori park to play tennis in the blazing sunshine. It was a great morning followed by a fun and yummy bbq. It was a great day with nice people in the sunshine. That evening i met bruce, shari and jill at Zeniyas. It was nice to have a chit chat with cool people :)

week 37 and 38

First week back at school… and no lessons all week. Someone pass the gun. Jeez! It was painful and I hated the whole week! The only excitement I got was from the gym, and tennis. At the weekend I met john, kim , beata and andy for sushi in fukui, and then on Sunday becca and Meagan came to maruoka for the hanabi matsuri- cherry blossom viewing festival. There were so many people in mauoka! It was a gorgeous day luckily and the blossoms looked super. We had tea ceremony outside infront of the castle, watched a little of the weird stars in their eyes style performances- although a lot more serious!! We then simply sat soaking up the atmosphere and chatting. It was lovely.Another short and uneventful week to report! Thankfully I had a full week of lessons and was really busy, it was great. The ichi nenseis were very genki enthusiastic and cute which was wonderful and it was delightful to teach them. They even sung loudly when asked! What suddenly makes them change into quiet, shy people?
Once again the rest of the week was filled with gym and tennis. On Saturday I met jill for sushi and coffee and some shopping in lpa. We really are creatures of habit! Then on Sunday we headed up to kanazawa on the train. We walked quite a way to the Ninja temple. This was amazing! It is an old mysterious house that has lots of hidden doors, levels, rooms and passages. Its great! It was a watch house for the city and the castle, and actually has nothing to do with ninjas! We got a tour around and had an English book to explain stuff as we went. It would have been the most amazing house to live in as a kid! The curved beams, creaking floors and the detail of everything in this place was fantastic. After this we went for coffee and did some shopping in the center next to the station. It was amazing to see a real shopping mall again- lpa is nothing! Jill then went home whilst I stayed and went to the gold leaf museum. Kanazawa is known for gold leaf production hence a museum dedicated to this art. I was the only one in the museum and I was given my own little tour, and treated like royalty! I had no idea how gold leaf was made and so this turned out to be pretty interesting! Gold leaf is 96% pure gold. It is heated and then rolled and hammered to be about 0.001mm thick- you can see through it when put up to the light. It has to be handled with bamboo instruments due to static. After looking at the information area i had the chance to drink tea which had gold leaf floating in it, whilst wacthing a lady cutting the sheets of gold leaf with bamboo cutters. Although she spoke to me entirely in japanese i was amazed at how much i understood.

week 36

END OF THAILAND :(

2nd- So we arrived at the ridiculous hour of 4am in to Bangkok. so we decided to go and get a room to sleep for a few more hours. We found the scabbiest jail house ever, with included blood up the staircase..but hey it was about a dollar each! Then we got up and ventured out for some last minute sight seeing. We went to the city pillar, where we were fortunate enogh to see some Thai dancing. We then decided to get a taxi to a different area of the city to visit a cool museum- unfortunately after sitting in ages of traffic, we arrived to a closed museum. Instead we found a great coffee shop, an amazing english bookshop and then we went to the one and only green area of bangkok to sit and chill. Lumphini park was pretty clean and nice -unexpectedly! There were ponds and lots of green stuff, and there were tennis courts and an outside weight lifting area! It was in full use too, there were heaps of men pumping some iron!
- later on we had our last yummy thai meal at the vegetarian restaraunt, and then it was time to head to the airport.
-an amazing trip with great company, divine food, beautiful beaches and many fond memories!

3rd onwards...
- back to fukui......
i didnt have to go back to work until friday and so i had time to visit my long lost friend- the gym, do some chores and have starbucks with jill and matthew.
-on friday it was the opening ceremony at school where the new ichi nensei students were formally intoduced to the school. The morning was spent by the rest of the students, making preperations- although i dont know what was being prepared. The students were all really excited now that they were older and cooler!It was nice to see them more confident and genki. There was an introductory assembly, which involved the new teachers at the school saying hello to the students. We had 3 new teachers and a lady who returned from having a bebe. - the proper ceremony took place in the afternoon after a yummy bento lunch. The ichi nensei students arrived in their spatangaly new uniforms and bright white trainers and were escorted to their new homerooms by their parents. Then the parents and the rest of the students gathered in the gym. As we had clapped out the old san nensei, we now welcomed the ichi nensei into the hall with a well-practised applause. The little darlings looked tiny and petrified of their first formal event as a junior high school student! It was funny to see how these students haven’t been trained yet and so still fidget, sit with slouched backs and do not stand up and sit down with immaculate timing! - that evening I went to Awara Onsen with all the teachers for the welcome party. Tanaka sensei and I were the last to arrive, and the occasion I had been told was casual, turned out as usual not to be so! We randomly picked numbers out of a hat to allocate our seating arrangements. As my luck always has it, I was on top table with the new teachers. kocho sensei and kyoto sensei. So everyone had a great view of me sitting baffled as usual as to what was going on. There were (of course) speeches by about 5 teachers, which appeared to be humorous- I smiled on cue. Then we had kampai, and we started eating and drinking. Unfortunately I made the mistake of saying I was drinking alcohol. It doesn’t matter if your glass is full, if someone appears to top up your glass (you cant pour your own drink) you are obliged to take a gulp so that they can pour some more for you. Hence the drunkenness which followed later that evening... The food was never ending, and as usual amazingly decorated and arranged on plates, bowls and dishes. The waitresses in kimonos simply kept bringing more and more tiny dishes- in the end I think we must have been given 10 different dishes. Luckily however Japanese events such as this are not static. People are expected to get up and move around to talk to one another, so it was easy to escape the mountain of food piling up at my setting! I felt more included in this party as more teachers were drinking alcohol and so the courage was mounting in many to dust off their English skills from 20 years ago and try and speak to me. It turned out to be quite amusing!! After a few hours it was time to move on to the second party. In Japan it is normal for there to be 3 or so parties which become more and more male dominated and blurry. The second one was in a karaoke bar of the Onsen. Unfortunately I was made to sing an English song. It was highly embarrassing. However not as embarrassing as the drunk teachers making orgasm noises, clutching at their groins and rubbing up against walls to enhance their singing ability. Very worrying. But funny at the same time to see men and women in suits, who are usually as straight laced as it comes, suddenly taking this rare opportunity open to them to get hammered and act like idiots! Tanaka sensei and I left after the second part at about 12.

On Saturday I went to the gym and then met Andy for a walk along the Asuwa River, where the cherry blossoms were now in bloom. They were a lovely light pink colour and lined a long stretch. It was nice to see Andy and the first appearances of spring! That evening I was at Sarah’s house celebrating Steph’s birthday with a few girls. It was a nice chance to catch up with people and I was chuffed at my first attempt of making Thai spring rolls!

week 35

THAILAND CONTINUED...

26th-
- I really wanted to make the most of my time in Thailand and see some cool sites. So we booked a day trip to Kanchonburi. This is about 2hr30 from Bangkok and is known for the river that runs through it, the River Kwai.
- Now I am usually sceptical of organised day trips as I always think people are out to con, but it turned out to be amazing and very worthwhile.
- We got a minibus ride with some Japanese tourists to the city from Bangkok. Our first stop was the WWII museum. It was very interesting to get some background historical info but the museum itself was a bit odd! Funny looking statues of the famous players in WWII (I don’t know where they got their idea for Churchill!), descriptions written in normal painted handwriting along with spelling mistakes and some pretty weird artefacts. But like I say, it was good to get a bit of context.
- Then we went over the River Kwai bridge and had a walk along it. It was nothing to look at- quite small, iron and normal architecture. But the importance of this bridge lies in its history. The bridge was built by POWs in 1942-43, however the Japanese kept these prisoners in such appalling conditions that whilst building this bridge and the large stretch of railway either side (called the Death Railway) 16, 000 people died. The bridge has also been bombed many times during different wars, which makes the 16,000 deaths even more pointless and upsetting.
- Our next stop on this day trip was to a railway station in the middle of dusty paths and arid fields. We were going to take a train along a small section of the Death Railway. I was feeling a bit odd doing this. There were hundreds of tourists alongside us on the train all enjoying the ride and the views, but I couldn’t help thinking about all those innocent lives, cruelly demolished and how we were riding this train like a ride at Alton Towers. It didn’t seem right and I was uncomfortable. - After an unexpected longer ride due to a break down (!) we met our mini bus driver again who took us to a boat restaurant on the river. It was a buffet thai lunch (rice and different veg and meat curries), and was delicious and a cool setting too.
- Next we were off to ride a bamboo raft. The bamboo looked pretty unstable, but hey ho I can swim! We didn’t actually do the hard work, but the view was amazing and so serene and beautifully quiet. - Then we got close to nature once again by clambering on elephants and having a plod around a field! This ride was better than the one I had in India. The elephants looked better (not amazingly so) kept which meant that I could enjoy the views and the ‘elephanty experience’! - Our last stop off was to a waterfall. It was my first encounter with a waterfall and although it wasn’t massive it was still cool to see. It was very busy with Thai people swimming, having picnics and chilling out. The water was amazingly cold and so clear to. It was mesmerizing watching the droplets of water bounce off of one another and rush down the rocks to the pool beneath. The stalactites and stalagmites were pretty funky too in the enclosed areas beneath the water.
27th
- from 8am I was up and ready for a morning of Thai cooking. I ummmed and arrred about whether to spend the money doing this course and then realised that when else will I get the chance to do this, in Thailand, with a Thai chef, with the real Thai ingredients… answer… NEVER
- so I met at Mai Kadiee’s amazing restaurant where Jill and I had eaten, and I had seen the ad for the cooking course. The restaurant’s namesake then turned up looking immaculate, very well groomed and on a roaring motorbike!! She was great! She really has made an amazing career and life for herself. She now travels around the world teaching chefs to cook thai food. Her English is wonderful and she is very charismatic.
- First myself and the three other students (2 french speaking Canadians and an American) went to the local supermarket to be shown the key Thai ingredients. This was really interesting and very worthwhile.
- Then we went to her 2nd restaurant in Bangkok which had a big area behind for us to cook in. there were 2 hobs between us, and all the colourful ingredients were lined up and incredibly aesthetically pleasing!! - We were then given recipies and told to start! I worked with the American and it was a lot of fun. We had a Thai women guiding us and insuring we didn’t botch anything up too badly and then we got to try the food after.
- We made 10 different dishes!! Im not sure if I have ever eaten so much food, and such delicious food. It was like a party in my mouth and no one but me was invited! It was heavenly. Tom Yam, pad thai, spring rolls, curry, pumpkin houmous, papaya salad, sticky rice with cocomut and mango…. Need I go on?!? It was divine.
- That afternoon I met Jill again who told tales of her ‘eventful’ morning alone in Koh San road…. And then we walked over to the Golden Mount. This is a big gold statue which sits on top of a shrine and over looks a large portion of Bangkok. It was nice to sit on the roof of the shrine and just look and take in where we were, what we were doing, and all the information that had bombarded our senses in the last 4 days. - That evening we took an over night train down to Chumphon. Bangkok train station was modern and well organised! It made some Japanese stations look medieval which was really suprising!

28th
- I was lucky enough to get a good 6hrs sleep on the train before we arrived at the very unsociable hour of 4am.
- We then had a lot of waiting around to do before we were taken by bus along with many other tourists, to the ferry port. We then clambered aboard our ‘vessel’ and took our seats for a 3hr journey to Koh Tao.
- I decided to sit on the deck to get a good view during the journey. This turned out to be a wise move because the scenery was breathtaking. At times there was simply nothing around us but bright blue clear, deep and sparkling ocean. There were occasionally a few tiny islands that appeared, but these were mostly uninhabited forest covered mounds. I felt so free and untroubled! I dint feel as though i had any connection to the hassles and routine of daily life anymore. Everything just vanished.
Koh Tao was a pretty small island and was basically just a bigger mound inhabited than those we had already passed, but this one is inhabited by hundreds of hippies and young travellers. When we arrived at the island we hopped on to the back of a 4x4 to take us to find some accomodation. We ended up staying in the same resort as the couple we were sharing the 4x4 with. They were a british couple called Hannah and Pete, and were uber nice and friendly! so nice to talk to some new english speaking people!
The rest of that day was spent sitting, lying, reading and watching on the beach. The sun was boiling so we had to retreat to a bar every so often for smoothies and juices. It really was beautiful and the island was full of stunning bronzed men and women all under the age of 30. I have honestly never seen so many attractive people in my life! That evening we went to a beach restaraunt called Banns for dinner. I had an amazing cashew, chicken and veg curry. Whilst finishing our food, we also had the pleasure of watching the stars blinking, the dark sea rippling and a crazy thai guy juggle and dance with fire!

29th-

- Jill and i got up early to catch the more bearable morning sun. We took a 4x4 to a beach called Shark Bay (because there are sharks in the sea over that side of the island). It was deserted, and idylic. the sand was perfect, the water was cool and the black, white and grey fish swimming around me in the water were fab!

- at lunchtime we returned back to our resort and i met up with Pete and Hannah to go diving! Again i ummmed and aarred about spending the money, but I WAS IN THALAND! I had to go diving! So we hopped onto a boat with about twenty others who were snorkelling or diving and headed off to a diving site. Our instructor was an Australian surfer dude called Wayne. He was really cool and funny and turned out to be very supportive.

- we went through some safety and procedural issues on the boat and then changed into wet suits and all the diving equipment. We then got in the water and Wayne had to test us on the life skills. I knew i would bugger it up. I get a little flustered in water and this time was no exception when i had to fill up my mask with water and empty it under water. I took heaps of attempts and poor Hannah and Pete must have thought i was a right old donkey. Anyway i got their eventually and so we were able to get going....

- we started our descent down and it was unbelieveable!!! There were so many fish and sea creatures hovering and swimming around the coral. It was out of this world to be swimming with so many spectacular fish and see so many things completely alien to me. I looked up and there was 15m of water above me, and fish swimming over me, it was so bizarre! I loved the huge Angel fish we saw. They really were huge! And the sea cucumbers were weird but funky as were the bright splashes of colour over the rocks which i think were urchins of some sort.

- The 40min dive was awesome, and i felt quite relaxed after only a few minutes of thinking oh my god what if something goes wrong...and it did. But not to me! Unexpectedly, Pete's breathing tube simply burst whilst we were swimming. I was so paniced! But he was as calm as a sea cucumber and Wayne swam in to save the day! But may i reiterate....IT DIDNT HAPPEN TO ME!!

- Once we finished our dive we got back on the boat. As i was doing so i heard my name called out. Huh? I thought. I turned around to see an old uni friend on a boat opposite us!! How coincidental!

- The boat then lifted its anchor and we were off to another dive site to do a second dive. This was probably better than the first because a) nothing went wrong, b) we were a little deeper, c) there were bigger and more colourful fish d) we were swimming under and through tunnels of coral! AMAZING

- After the dive we headed back to shore, still revelling in the experience! Later that evening jill and i went to dinner with my uni friend and a few of her friends. We went to a cheap Thai restaraunt which was delicious (i had a mmmmmmasaman curry). After which we headed to Lotus bar to have a few drinks with everyone, plus Hannah and Pete. A nice relaxed evening...

30th- This morning I went for a walk with Pete and Hannah. We climbed a big hill to get a view of the sand beach that connects the three small islands off of the shore of Koh Tao. It was a super view, but i have never been so hot in all my life, and i have been in some hot places! After this we had breakfast and lazed about. In the afternoon, Hannah, Jill and I took a water taxi to Mango Bay on the north coast of the island. It was the tiniest of beaches but it had fantastic snorkelling. The fish followed us continuously and some kept sucking at our skin! Was quite funny.

- that evening we had cocktails at sunset with Pete and Hannah and then we went out to dinner altogether which was once again yummy. I had fried fish with a sweet chiili sauce and we shared the yummiest prawn crackers ever! It was sad saying goodbye to pete and hannah that evening, they were off to a different island. They were great people to meet!31st- Basically sat around all day on the beach- because i could! Unfortunately however i had either a cold emerging or an allergy and so i was sneezing and blowing my nose in 36 degree heat. Nice. That evening 'Spanner', Jill and i had dinner together along the beach which was mellow but nice. I had veggie rice. We watched the lanterns be set free in the sky which was quite magical and symbolic.

1st- Time to leave :(

- we had to check out of the resort in the morning which was not without hassle. they tried to charge us more than we had agreed, and we werent prepared to do that, so there was a very heated 'discussion' and we had threats of the police coming bla bla bla. but in the end we handed the money that we had agreed on originally, and walked away...Im still alive so im guessing its fine! But that wasnt a great start to our last full day in Thailand. The rest of the day was spent snoozing on the beach, drinking and eating.

- that aftrenoon we caught a ferry back to Chumphon, where we then had to wait for 4hrs until our overnight bus to Bangkok. I was mightly worried about the journey on the bus, but i acyually slept ok and the journey was shorter than the train. The bus was air conditioned and had reclining seats, so pretty luxourious really!