Where fore art thou ...

No phone, No email, No internet!! Arg!!!

Well just to let you all know that Im still alive, and despite the lack of recent posts and emails, havent quite broken my promise to keep in touch. Work is insane!!! Whoever said that things got easier after training lied! Well not quite, but its still pretty damn hard. But Ive been promised that after a couple of weeks, you get a lot better at preparing so dont have to spend hours. Right now I cant wait for that day!

Its Golden Week next week, so no work, and hopefully a little more relaxing. Although we wont be able to make a long trip because everything is booked out, hopefully well be making some shorter day trips. Cant wait to just sit and relax and not think about lessons for a couple of hours.

Despite all the complaining, once Im prepared and in the classes, it is a whole lot of fun. The students are sooo nice, and the kids soooo cute. And even though were both crazy busy and unable to contact each other, its nice to know that Dave is less than a million miles away.

So thats it for now but now that I know where the internet cafe is, hopefully therell be some more regular posts, and maybe even some photos if I get my ass in gear!

Oh and by the way, its not that my english has gotten worser already, I cant find the apostrophe on this darn keyboard. In fact it keeps changing into Japanese and I have to copy my text, close the application and restart it to get it into english again!!! But I have a degree in this crap, so its all ok!

Talk soon

Phew ...

So training is all done. Today, another 50 minute lesson, this time for 15 year olds. Another 50 minutes of baptism by fire but everyone says that it gets better from here on in ... Fingers crossed.
Tomorrow I check out of the hotel and head to Inuyama, for another hotel. Stay there for 4 days while I do 'hand-over' with Megan, and then move into my apartment on Monday ...

Yeah ... well yakitori and beer are calling. 

Fortress

Look at Dave showing me up by being all ... writing and stuff.

So Saturday finished adult training. We did our last sample adult lesson, which, while it didn't go exactly to plan, the students seemed to have a good time. In fact, Dave got his first student date! Tanaka-kacho, the department head, who was observing me said that my lesson was like watching a Disney movie ... Wasn't so sure how to take that!

After the lesson we 'graduated' and got our AEON pin and business cards. Hee hee ... look at that! It makes it look like I actually have a proper job for once!

Sunday was so nice. Didn't even sleep in that much but just not having the thoughts of having to prepare for more lessons was so nice.

We also went and got our Inkans, which are how Japanese people 'sign' their names. Its a small stamp with your 'name' on it that you use when paying bills, opening bank accounts and all that stuff. Normally on foreigners they just put the katakana equivalent of your name. But Xavier, one of the other trainees speaks amazing japanese, and was able to make up some Kanji for us!

So he split my name into two - Jo and Anne. Jo (or as near to Jo as you can get in japanese) also means Castle in Kanji (the top character). Anne (or something like An) also means Relaxed or Chilling (the bottom character). So my signature while also saying Jo An, also means the chilling castle! Hee hee.

So ... that was the weekend ...

Who's idea was this anyway?

Another quickie I'm afraid.

Adult training is almost done and boy was it insane. I've been doing at least 12 hour days all week, between sitting and listening, and teaching real live japanese people. But tomorrow is the last day and another real lesson. So wish me luck!

Meanwhile...

My japanese hotel room



Recognise the mess? Why did you think it was going to change just because I'm half way across the world?



My bathroom ...



Is it a toilet? Is it a bidet? Is it a water feature?

San ... Ni ... Ichi ...

Ok so it's been 4 days since I've been here(Is that all?). And I know there's been no blog, and I promise this isn't how it's going to be. But things have been insane!!!

I've had all of an hour to myself since I've arrived, seeing new things, eating new things, hanging out with new people (and Dave). Then had 10 hrs of training yesterday and today.

B'Knackered is the word of the week!

But here are a couple of snippets of stuff ...

.................................

Meeting Germaine.
Australian girl.
At the airport .
Realising that she's as crazy as I am.
Realising that she's almost as lost as I am.

Germaine and I going to the convenience store.
An experience all by itself.

Our first lunch.
Pointing, smiling and wondering what the hell we were eating.

Seeing Dave again.

First dinner.
Two of the guys speaking japanese.
So no pointing.
Still wondering what the hell are we eating!

First karaoke!
2 hours in a tiny room.
With beer.
6 people.
Japanese rap.
Far too much Backstreet Boys.

Nagoya Castle.
Cherry Blossoms.
Lots of Japanese people.
Shrines.
Shopping Malls.
Squid Balls.
Kimonas.

First day.
All suited up.
4 hours of Aeon jargon.

A free lunch.
A crash course in Japanese eating etiquette.

4 more hours of Aeon jargon.
Quick dinner.
Homework.
Straight to bed.
Slept like a baby.

Second day.
All suited up.
4 hours of Aeon jargon.
(See a pattern?)

Not so free lunch.
Damn tasty one.
Completely disregarded Japanese eating etiquette.

4 more hours of Aeon jargon.
Met Japanese students.
Feeling like a complete idiot.
Cringing.

Home to prepare for first lesson.
Our first lesson.
Our first students.
Actually teaching.

Hee hee.
Thats insane!!!
Oh dear god!!

.................................

Hopefully next blog will contain full sentences. But can't promise anything!

Right I'm off to plan how to damage some japanese students english skills beyond repair. Wish me luck!

Bis Du Krank?

Decided not to bother going to Japan. Going to do a Tom Hanks and just stay here in Frankfurt Airport for a couple of months.

Dublin Airport was insane this morning, first day of the Easter holidays and all the kids going on school trips. Good thing I hadn't been hoping for a last fry up before I left. Just had to settle for the bottle of Diet 7up that the Flight Preparation Fairies secretly left on my bag. Either that or Daddy felt I'd need a sugar boost at 5.30 in the morning.

Flight was ... well a flight. And Frankfurt airport doesn't seem to be anything to write home about (but as you can see that's not going to stop me!)

I stuck my big bag in a locker, signed on for an hour to make sure people remember me and I have my eye on the Haagan Daaz stand over there. That and a couple of cans of Red Bull. Well I do have 10 hours of Mario Kart that needs to be played!

Don't play Pooh Sticks

With six hours to go ...

I don't want to go ...
I can't wait to go ...

Are my bags too heavy?

Don't be a donkey

Have I enough money?
Have I enough clothes?
How can I not have enough clothes?
How much do I hate my hair?

Will I be good enough?
Will I be really crap?
Will they understand me?

This is much harder than India ...
Is it because I'm older?

I drank too much wine
Am I actually going?

When I think
Of how much
I'll miss people
It makes me feel
So empty

I wish I could go to France this summer
But to be honest
I can't think too much about it
Because if I did
I wouldn't go

I'm glad I met John Doody for lunch
Because for ten minutes
I was excited about Japan

Did you know?
Oh dear god!
Oh my god?
Did you know I'm going to Japan?

How can I feel so excited and so sad at the same time?

Need To Know

Days off
Jan 1 - New Year's Day
2nd Mon in Jan - Coming of Age Day
Feburary 11 - National Foundation Day
March 20 - Vernal Equinox Day
April 29 - Greenery Day
May 3 - Constitution Day
May 4 - National Holiday
May 5 - Children's Day
3rd Mon in July - Marine Day
3rd Mon in Sept - Respect for the Elders Day
Sept 23 - Autumnal Equinox Day
2nd Mon in Oct - Sports Day
November 3 - Culture Day
November 23 - Labour Thanksgiving Day
December 23 - The Emperors Birthday

Holidays
1 week at end of December
April 29th - May 5th
1 week in August

Address
Joanne Dolan
AEON Inuyama
Granshiro 1F
15-6 Inuyama Fujimi-cho
Inuyama
Aichi
Japan 4840081

How much do you ....

200g Chocolate for melting
150g Chocolate for chunks
250g Sugar
225g Butter
110g Flour
3 Eggs
1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1. Melt the Chocolate in a Bain Marie (thats a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water for those of you who don't watch far too much Master Chef).
2. Add the butter to the Bain Marie and stir til melted and mixed and glossy and it looks like you want to drink it.
3. Lightly beat the eggs in a seperate bowl and then remove the bowl of chocolatey goodness from the heat. Add the eggs and mix.
4. Stir in the sugar.
5. Sieve the flour and baking powder and fold until completely mixed .
6. Mix in the chocolate chunks (if there's any left, they're just so tempting sitting there all tasty and there).
7. Pour mixture into a lined baking tin and cook for approximately 25 minutes in an oven at 180 degrees.
8. When done, remove from tin and place on a wire tray to cool before cutting. (This is where I get all teacher-like. They're actually better when they've cooled a bit, so try be strong and wait. And if you don't, at least have a big scoop of vanilla icecream with it)

It's kinda important that you use really nice dark chocolate. I always use Bournville.

One chunk for the Brownie, one for Joanne...