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Published: March 24th 2006
A lot has happened in the past week!
Last Saturday I took the bullet train to Okayama to supply teach for the day. Riding the bullet train was a great experience, it goes so quickly that you can´t evenappreciate the view out the window because you are moving so fast. ECC´s school in Okayama is brand new and I got to teach a Mini Kids class full of adorable 2 years olds and their uber proud moms, which was a lot of fun. Okayama is a small town by Japanese standards , which makde me laugh because the population is 600, 000!
Sunday morning I got up very early and set out on my adventure to attend an Easter party in Nishiwakishi. Over two hours later I arrived at my destination, a pleasant rural community where I was expecting to attend a house party with about 15 students. It turns out that I misunderstood the Japanese teacher I spoke with on the phone and there were really 50 students at the party which was held in the community hall. I had a great time. The students recited poems and skits in English and then we decorated eggs and I talked to them about how we celebrate Easter in Canada, emphasizing the bunnies and chocolate associated with the celebration!
Somewhere in the middle of all of this I also managed to pick up my first Japanese cold with a nasty cough and not being a fan of getting any sort of respitory illness while in Asia, I paid a visit to the local hospital for some meds. I received excellent care and many of the nurses and doctors spoke English. I have been taking some meds and am starting to feel much better!
Cherry blossom season is about to begin in Japan and it seems like the entire country is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the blossoms. It seems to be the one time of the year that people take time to enjoy themselves with family and friends and away from work without too much guilt. My students have been giving me tips on the best places to go to check out the blossoms. Many people pack picnics and spend hours in advance scoping out the best area to put down their blankets. The first blossoms should arrive in the Kobe area in the next week or so...I´ll keep you posted!
love, Melissa
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Katie
non-member comment
Sounds Nice
Hey Mel, It sounds like the blossoms are an event just to go to Japan for! Tonight (Friday) we are going to McMullins for pizza and a pitcher, as Kelly is coming down. We will be sure to enjoy a toast to our favourite Anglo/Jap teacher! Talk to you soon, Katie