These are my favourite pics from Tokyo.. taken in September 2006.

Right: Unknown tourist with Harajuku Girl.. my favourite shot... :)

Time to say goodbye...
The picture on the left was taken in March 2006 in Okinawa, Japan... one of the nicest places I've ever been to.
A couple of weeks ago I accepted a position at a new school here in Nagasaki... but the more I thought about my future, the more I realized that I yearned to do more with my life. I want to write again, perhaps even publish a book.
I also want to compete in duathlons again and get involved with charity work.
Most importantly I want to be closer to my family and Canadian friends. This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life.. to stay or leave. I have chosen to go! There is a list of things I will miss and things I wont miss.
Here is what I will not miss
1) Smoking people everywhere
2) The loud welcoming greeting in every store you walk into
3) Tiny clothes that will never fit me
4) Traditional Japanese toilets (squatting to pee is not comfortable)
5) Un-insolated walls.. winters are just too cold in Japanese apartments
6) Narrow roads
7) Processed cheese.. bring on the real stuff baby
8) NATO.. no thanks
9) Noise pollution
10) Concrete beaches
11) Expensive cell phone bills
12) Crowded streetcars
13) Fatty meats
14) Night clubs that are smaller than my bedroom

Things I will miss

1. Friendly people
2. Smiling, carefree kids
3. Warm weather
4. Not having to tip at restaurants
5. Cheap dentist bills
6. 100 yen shops
7. Onsens.. gotta love em
8. Great selection of seafood
9. Free tissues
10. Going bowling with the gang
11. Eating at Ringer Hut at 4 a.m.
12. Free wireless Internet
13. Saturdays in Fukuoka
14. Swimming in the sea
15. My friends and special peeps
16. My students

Eating Oysters and clams delicious!

Fighting away flies while eating them, annoying as hell!!!

One of my students was kind enough to take Diana, me and Kai out on a Sunday afternoon. We travelled up the coast of Nagasaki to a seafood restaurant, or so I thought.

We drove for about two hours, stopping once so I could take a picture of a strawberry bus stop in Isahaya. When we got to the restaurant, it turned out to be a shack on the road, inside one could find an old fishing boat filled with life sea shells and oysters. It was a sight to see! In the room were small barbecues surrounded by old wooden chairs or benches. It was cute at first, but when we were seated I noticed the swarming flies, and the ambiance I would expect when eating oysters was non-existent. I tried not to take notice though, and sat in front of the barbecue awaiting for the oysters and clams to be cooked.

After two baskets of the sea delicacy and some onigiri, we decided to head off. Total cost for each person 1,200 yen. Not too shabby.

Now it was time to get cleaned off... best place for that is an onsen.

We went to Ureshino, famous for it's green tea, and made popular by it's green tea spa.

Is rubbing green tea bags really good for your skin?

I asked Diana, a pharmacologist whether green tea could help fight eczema.

She stated you would need a really oily substance to extract the valuable alkaloids of the green tea.. which would be a difficult task.

Ah ha... so I learned something!!! If I ever have questions about prescription drugs I will know who to ask in the future. I enjoyed my bath and also went to the sauna for a quick 10 minutes.

After showering and getting dressed I was tired. I bought a bar of green tea soap as a souvenir and headed to meet the rest of the gang.

We opted to drive back to Nagasaki at this point, since we were all exhausted.

Are you in pain? Don't have money to go for a massage.. then "COME ON DOWN TO YOUR NEAREST ELECTRONICS STORE."
The price is right, cause in Japan massage chairs are very popular and the public can try them out for free. Some are more comfortable than others. As you can see on the expression on my face this chair offered a rather painful massage. I kept on being poked in the back with these circular instruments.
And my legs were being squeezed so hard I could hardly feel them. Was this a way to boost my circulation?? Hmm I wonder.
Instead of sitting in a massage chair I will go to a Green Tea spa today. That should be funzies. So more about my adventures in Japan later.

Happy and in love!!!
Yes I am happy and guess what? I love myself.. HA HA.
No seriously I just think that it's good to be happy and in love with yourself. I do not understand why women get so bent out of shape about finding a mate.
Right now I am enjoying my life.. and I know in good time I will be with the right person.
Even if I am sinlge in my 30s I will not go to desperate lenghts to find a partner. Women who are in their 30s should not think that their life is over. I say this because I have met women like this.
Rather these women should see their "life" as just beginning.
You do not need a partner to complete you, because each person is already a whole.
If you are single stand tall and proud, be happy and do not worry about society's ideal life for you.
Even if I am not married by 30 and have 1.5 kids, it doesn't mean by any standards that I am less of a person.
So take a moment to enjoy the view, go for a walk, drink a glass of wine, read, travel or just take a long deep breath.
Life should be enjoyed everyday... even if you are alone.
Traeume nicht dein leben und lebe deine traeume!!

Labour Thanksgiving Day Nov. 23, 2006

Yes it's a National Holiday in Japan today, however a majority of businesses are still open. Yesterday I had to go to the police station. No it's not what you think, I wasn't in trouble. I simly wanted some help from a police officer who speaks English. You see about two weeks ago when I had to file a report about my accident the officer said, "If you need any help concerning the insurance company please come back."
That is exactly what I did.. but I didn't realize that their words were just an "act of kindness"
Japanese way of being polite.. but they didn't actually mean what they said.
Rather, they said, "We are police we can file reports about accidents and investigate them, but we cannot get involved in insurance claims."
Eh I felt as though I wasted my time and now I am forced to wait out this procedure. But I think I will contact the Canadian Embassy for help. Isn't that what they are there for???
Well in times like these I must try to stay positive.. taking pictures makes me happy. I love babies and kids... above is a picture I took last Saturday at Starbucks. A baby girl with a natural mohawk..... so adorable.
Okay it's times like these my biological clock can be heard ticking, I've shied away from the idea of having kids, yet lately I think it would be nice to have one. I guess I need a mate first LOL. The future will unfold all in good time and I will be patient.

It's the end of November.. and yesterday it was 20 degrees Celcius here.. wow. I went for a hike in Isahaya and saw great views of the city.
I will add the pictures later.
Today I went to Nagasaki University to have dinner.. since I am living on a tight budget now.
I got Tonkatsu (kind of like Schnitzel), rice, soup, salad, cake and vegetable juice for 670 yen... not too shabby.
Afterwards I sat outside surrounded by cats. Yes cats, I think people just don't spay or neuter cats here cause they are everywhere. At night or in the early morning I can here them fighting. It's a strange country at times.. but I have never regretted coming to Japan. A country where everyone is always polite.. even if it's on a purely superficial level.
I mean to them it is a "duty" to be polite.
More on that subject later.
Now I will go meet my friend Kai for a drink....
LATAS

Sumo Wrestling!

On Thursday November 16th my former student treated me to a sumo match in Fukuoka, Japan.
I had been to a sumo match before in Tokyo, but I was very far away from the centre rink.
This time I was only about three rows away and I had the perfect view to take pictures.. I was also able to go back stage and take pictures up close of the wrestlers preparing for their match. During the match I felt sick, I think because of the cigarette smoke (I am sometimes sensitive to that)...yet regardless I had a super duper time.

This weekend I will be celebrating not only my farewell party, but also the fact that I GOT A NEW JOB!!! That's right I will be an assistant language teacher at a primary school in Nagasaki, therefore I will miss the cold Canadian winter for one more year. And in the summer I will go to Europe for at least one month of traveling.

Oh good things are coming to me.... HURRAY !!!

Love and support from friends... who could ask for more??
On November 10th and 11th I moved my final belongings out of my apartment on Heiwa Machi street.
I had a gathering at my place on Saturday night... my three friends came by with a huge bowl of salad, French bread and wine. It was lovely... and afterwards we moved some of my belongings to the Guest House. (at Nagasaki Uni.)
I know my friends do not think they did much, but for me it was a great help and it showed me that even in the worst of times good things can happen.

I believe quitting my job wasn't a bad decision, I just had a rough week and was astonished at how childish my co-workers could behave.

Its over... and better things are to come.

Cheers,

To a good life ahead....

My final week at work:

I must say I will really miss my students and it's a shame that I must leave this school now. But I choose to do what is right for me, and so I will move on with my life.
Part of me still wants to live in Japan for another year, but another part is itching to go back to North America or Europe.
Back home I can run with a tank top and not get weird looks. Also I can kiss someone in public, or sing.
Seriously.. if you do anything that would be considered "normal" back home it's strange and perhaps socially unacceptable here.
I see children after the age of 10 losing all their creativeness and humour. They are forced to conform.. "be cookie cut" like everyone else.
Their individuality lost forever... if you ever teach kids in Japan, you will understand what I mean. If I am totally wrong on this... please let me know.

I will miss all my students, but not working for the company. "The big G" stay away.. if you are considering working for them.

Meh.. but I must say I was lucky, because my friends, who also started out with the same company had horror stories to tell me.

I will not go into that now though, instead I will think about all the good times and look forward to the future.. and my four week holiday.

YATTA!!!

Change is good !!!

On Nov. 1 my life changed for me, it came as a shock to me....
My employer decided that they would reduce the number of teachers at the school by one, and expected me to move to another town.
However I was told I would have to move by Nov. 20, even though they were still "working on" finding me a new school. One of their options was a school 10 hours from Nagasaki.

I thought about what I was told, and said to myself.. "No I will not accept this treatment."
If I was a valued employee they would at least have the decency to give me 30 days notice and know WHERE exactly they wanted me to transfer to.

So I decided to quit, and look for a new job as an English teacher.

On Saturday I decided I had to take a break from applying for new jobs and packing.... so I gladly accepted Ilya's invitation to go to a Halloween Party.
His friend drove us to a house about 45 minutes outside of Nagasaki City... and Diana joined us.

When we got to the house I was amazed by the beautiful night view of the Sea of Japan. I took a moment to take a picture.
When we got to the house I heard music and the first thing I saw when I walked into the door was about 50 pairs of shoes...
Wow... I thought to myself... "this is going to be fun."
And it was... there were loads of people there, mainly Americans who are studying Japanese at a private school in Nagasaki.
The host of the party was Mark, who is the head of the international students at the school. He, and his family hosted the party for the students... and his friends.

There was an array of homemade food, including yummy spaghetti... and a birthday cake from Costco. (I knew the cake didn't look Japanese.)
The birthday cake was for his wife Ryoko.

I had such a great time: dancing, meeting new people and taking pictures.
Here are some of my favourites of the fete.

Being in Japan is GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!
Finding out you can make it on your own is PRICELESS

Despite the accident, I decided on Saturday night that I had to compete in the 10 km race. I didn't want to let two months of training go to waste.
On Sunday morning I was up by 6:30 a.m., I couldn't sleep beacuse I was nervous. I wondered if I would be able to finish the race.
With my friends there to cheer me on... I had to give it my best!
I ran the course in a time of 57:49 only one minute, six seconds slower than last year. I was happy though, beacuse I knew I was slower due to the accident.
Overall I finished 16 out of 53 entrants in my age category.
Afterwards I ate udon (a soup with thick noodles) and two bananas.

I am glad I ran, and I am looking forward to the next race.