Blogs from Shiga, Japan, Asia
September 28th 2011
Hi there, individuals with too much free time! Today is going to be special since I've had a request from a certain panda to write in swedish because "it adds more character" apparently. Klart som fan att jag ska uppfylla ett sådant attraktivt önskemål. Mitt huvud känns för tillfället ganska överbelastat med hiragana och katakana, två av tre japanska alfabet som också är fonetiska. Seminarierna känns just nu som näskrokar i ultrarapid när man sitter och desperat försöker skriva symbolen för "te" eller "ke" men inte för sitt liv kan komma ihåg hur den ser ut utan fuskpappret. Känner den dömande blicken från den japanska studentskan som hjälper oss under lektionerna och blir alltmer förtvivlad över att jag bara kommer halvvägs genom symbolen. Till slut förbarmar hon sig över mig och visar hur den ska se ... read more
September 24th 2011
Good day! Although it kind of feels like morning since I didn't get up until 12 due to some intoxication last night at the Omiya-so dormitories. I also managed the biggest failure of the year by mixing what I thought was a white russian but was really kahlua, vodka and yoghurt, not the kind that tastes good. I only realised my mistake after several attempts to neutralize what I thought was just too much kahlua, using even more yoghurt. Sadly enough, Zach was also a casualty in this catastrophe and has probably lost all faith in my drink mixing capabilities. The last few days have been filled with classes and studying japanese, which has not been the easiest task in the world. It almost feels like I'm expected to learn two different sets of the japanese ... read more
September 12th 2011
Today I spent a lot of money. On rent and the deposit. It was boring. But at least I got to see a bit of the campus and the parts that I have seen are impressive. There's just something about universities that make me feel at home, kind of like the smell of freshly made coffee. Anywho, thought I'd publish one or two pictures to give some more visual entertainment. There will be more, but I haven't really gotten into the habit of photographing everything yet. The pictures are of the sunset above Kyoto/Otsu, hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The other picture is of a most amazing place, the Daiso store, meaning the 100 yen store. Oh, right, there's also a picture of a peculiar wall next to a...purveyor of hallucinogenic ... read more
March 11th 2009
So, I ate some vegemite yesterday... I'm not sure if that means I am homesick, or that I was just hungry for something salty, but it was nice. -That in itself is scary as I was never a great fan of the spread. For those of you who don't know, vegemite is a concentrated yeast extract that Aussies eat on toast, and was probably dreamed up during a massive beer bender. It's strong and salty and not nearly as pleasant as Bovril...but thinly spread on toast with some butter or margerine, it can be rather nice. It just made me think about home - as if I haven't been doing that enough already - I choose to take it as a sign that I am ready to come home. I do have my doubts about my ... read more
February 2nd 2009
Scarcely had I arrived back from my own snow adventure, when I had to go and collect two bodies from the train station after theirs. I had offered my place up to Mr and Mrs Merritt, parents of one of my closest friends and one of them an ex sensei of my own. Linda and Peter Merritt have to be two of the most fun and happy people you could hang around with. It has been almost 10 years since I left school, so it didn't feel awkward. I can actually call him Peter now (after years of calling him Mr Merritt, and once calling him Paul). It did feel somwhat surreal though, but it always does when people from back home are over here. You constantly think to yourself 'wow...I normally see you in ... read more
January 10th 2009
Leaving Australia - again - was harder this time than it was the first time. It seems illogical I know, seeing as this would be a much shorter visit, a clear deadline set for my return. Then again, for those of you who know me well, when have I ever listened to reason and logic? It didn't help that I was leaving summer behind. Australian summer. With family and friends and fun in the sun. I think my body rebelled against it, saying 'Noooo! You'll fade! Pasty skin! Don't do it!' None of that mattered. I had my ticket, I had an obligation, and I was going to see it through to the end. 10 months earlier I had boarded a plane only getting teary once through the departure doors, and then I had a whole ... read more
December 15th 2008
Having my trip booked is a nice feeling. I've been content to just go to work, do my thing, go out on the weekend sometimes, and generally enjoy every day life. Now it seems my thoughts turn to home with more frequency. Some of the people i'll see, I haven't seen for eight months. I was lucky enough to have a few visitors from home, like Danilo and my parents, but I haven't seen my brother or my friends for aaaages. Have they changed? Have I changed? It's hard to know if you're the same person you were in the past, without some kind of sounding board - for example other people who know you.They know your faults your dreams and your general eccentricities (though that last part may just be me). Seeing people every day ... read more
November 16th 2008
I joined a dancing group here in June, called Bounce Back. I'm not sure if i've already mentioned it or not, but there is news here if I have. We had a PERFORMANCE! Scary stuff. I'm not new to dancing by any means...I have danced for most of my life, and have experience in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, ballroom, salsa, merengue, cha cha, tango...the list goes on. None of that really prepared me for hip hop. I guess it did in that I can pick up steps more easily than a newbie to dancing of any kind...but the movements in hip hop are so foreign to anything I had done. I can wiggle my hips, shimmy and shake, but the sharp repetitive movements of torso, abs, and the amount you use your quads I was unprepared ... read more
October 23rd 2008
I'm not sure what I expected when I went to the Otsu matsuri, but I was impressed and surprised at varying moments. Head Teacher invited me out with his mother to wander around the city, but first I was treated to a sumptuous lunch of sushi train by his mother, where i ate raw wasabi...Have you ever felt like your brain was crying? I have! The name of the sushi actually includes the word cry in it...so be warned. Saying that, I tried it twice and once you get over the confusing sensations in your head, it's rather nice. The Otsu Matsuri is similar to the Minakuchi Hikiyama Matsuri, and the Gion Matsuri, but in size it sits somewhere between the two. There are 12 carts, each with a set of musicians wearing colourful robes with beautiful ... read more
September 30th 2008
Having 6 weeks of holidays is all well and good, but getting back into the daily grind can be a bit of a challenge. I've been back at work for just over a month now, and have only recently felt the resentment begin to fade. Once you get into the habit, settle into the rhythm, it's not so bad, but until you reach that point, there are those Monday mornings when you wake up thinking it's still holiday time - those are so painful - or that dreaded Sunday evening feeling. Do all teachers go through this period in Feb/Sept or is it just me? The students make work worth it most of the time, but on those mornings where you can still feel the warmth of your comfortor as you sit at a cold desk, ... read more
