Hello again from rainy Seoul! The weather since I have been here has been picture perfect, unfortunately we have our first day of really chilly, winter-bound weather but it was due to happen sooner or later. The training for my new job has been going really well. I’m not going to be writing about it online at all and from now on this blog is going to be kept to my adventures and travels around this and other countries so it’s likely the posts are going to become less frequent. That’s not to say that you can’t email me though!! For [View Full Entry]

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I sit here writing this entry chewing on a pumpkin kitkat, drinking dong suh minsok tea and looking out my window at a wonderful view of downtown Jamsil, Seoul. Last night I arrived in South Korea, from Tokyo to start a new job and hopefully a slightly more eventful life than the one previously. My final week in Japan was a very low-key, but very enjoyable one. My friends in Mito all got together a week ago and we had dinner and drinks, then made our way to karaoke as a final goodbye-Joel celebration. The fact that I signed a contract [View Full Entry]

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I’m finally home after a very long weekend and my first thoughts after sitting down at the foldout desk from my wall: I have a much smaller apartment than I remembered. The last few days I’ve been staying with Makiko in Hiyoshi, a suburb mid-way between Tokyo and Yokohama. The actual town of Hiyoshi is quite built up and a maze of very large, very old apartment buildings mixed in with industrial-type factories. For those who don’t know, Makiko is a very good friend of mine who I’ve known for a couple of years. She also happens to be on the [View Full Entry]

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I didn’t realize that this little journal would be missed by so many people. I was thinking that it was time to give the thing a break for a while and not be such an exhibitionist of the written word, but after requests, here I am, back at it with time to spare at none other than the delightful place of my employment. Today is, in fact the last day of my employment with Interac and my last day teaching at Gochu. Perhaps unfortunately we have had sports days for 1st and 2nd grade since Wednesday with the result being that [View Full Entry]

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Thanks to those of you who asked me about the typhoon and sent emails or messages. I’m fine, Mito is a fairly flat city so we didn’t have to worry landslides or mudslides or anything too dangerous. The rice outside my place has almost been flattened, but I’m pretty sure it’s recoverable. The weekend just past has been exactly what I’ve needed and wanted. Friday night was spent at home watching a movie, relaxing and reveling in the offer of my new job. Yes, I have a new employer and I’m moving on to South Korea! This time it’s downtown [View Full Entry]

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A word of advice to those who find themselves in a typhoon: No matter how soft it sounds from inside your apartment, opening the back door and sticking your head out to have a look is not such a bright idea. It will most likely leave you, and a large area of your apartment wet, and windswept. I woke up this morning around 6:30am thinking just this thought to learn that valuable lesson. The wonderful feeling it left me with was wonderful though. Surely if the typhoon is still going strong at 6:30am, then surely they won’t want me to come [View Full Entry]

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Dorothy grab your basket and Toto hold on tight because we have a typhoon heading smack-bang for the center of Mito. If the forecast holds (and Japanese forecast is usually pretty good for these things) then Friday morning we are going to be bombarded by the 8th typhoon of the season, but the first to hit Ibaraki. A good thing I suppose will be that this means there might be no school on because there is no way we can walk outside in a typhoon. The bad thing is, the weather is more humid and muggy than anything else I’ve experienced [View Full Entry]

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One week in to school and it’s been pretty quiet. Last weekend I explored Mito a little with Jo. Mito is home to one of the first ever schools in Japan. The shogun of the time was a big fan of education and considered a friend of ‘common’ people so we were able to see the original school kept in very good order. It was really interesting to see old books and telescopes and all sorts of school items that have been preserved. The grounds around the area are also really beautiful and very peaceful. Like Kyoto, Mito was a [View Full Entry]

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The holidays were fantastic, I was able to see some really beautiful parts of Japan and experience some very traditional parts of Japanese culture and life. The last week has been spent back in Mito, thinking lots about what I want out of the next 6 months in Japan. I came to the conclusion that I like Japan very much. I like the food, the scenery, the people, and overall, the country and I seem to ‘fit’ quite well. The thing that I particularly don’t like is my job. For weeks I was doing nothing last term. I had one [View Full Entry]

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I realised that I never finished posting photos or stories about Kyoto. I hope you find this entry and can see a photo summary of the places I visited. =) [View Full Entry]

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