as our wonderful ex-japanese teacher, Hiromi-san (/Mrs. Wall) told me, think of it as the experience beginning now. the first month was like a holiday, and now i have settled (almost) into the place that will be home and school for the next 9 months ( Read more... )

it was only a 2hour day and it did fly - having to do a self introuction on stage at assembly sounded daunting but i was surprised at the amount of students... there were probably only about 80 there! and there are only 166 students in the school altogether - thats about a quarter of mossman highs population. most of the girls only managed to say ( Read more... )

monday mama went to work but papa didnt, so he, hi-chan and i did a bit of sightseeing around ushiku. i now know my way to the station/supermarkets and even the winery! a very prestigious chateau, since 1903. (thats hi-chan on her bike)

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last thursday with mama and manaka after language school i went and bought school shoes, got me excited to start! even though they look dorrrrky as ( Read more... )

complancency is found in the most ironic places. maybe instinctively i knew to let go of the comfort australia brings, and try to develop a similiar feeling here - because while with a temporary host family this weekend, i felt more homesick for my 'home' in kita-akabane than i have felt for australia so far ( Read more... )

ok, so this weekend i am staying with a temporary host family for three days because my host family have claimed that for the vernal equinox day they are going to pay respects to mama's fathers grave. i have come up with my own theory - they cannot possibly top the last two weekends ( Read more... )

on wednesday the 11th we went on like a field trip to asakusa again. it wasnt quite as fun as the first time because it wasnt really new to me - but it was cool going around with friends. this is nadja and i - shes one of the cool europeans, from austria.


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this weekend gone was awesome. on saturday, i went with mama, papa and manaka (saki is studying alot) to asakusa, a major tourist attraction these days. its home to like an ancient civilisation with temples there over 1400 years old. they look brand new of course. and some were destroyed in the war and rebuilt like 50 years ago. but they are ( Read more... )

just for fun, ive found a few photos worthy of engrish.com around the place. warning, there is some potentially offensive material!


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I think I may have now met as many new faces as the ones i left behind. i am already having dreams with japanese language in them, and experience this immersion of a contrasting culture daily. its expanded my perspective and contorted my priorities already ( Read more... )