Today marks my last official work day of the week! I can honestly say I had fun for the most part. However some of my younger classes were a little difficult to control. They were more interested in running around or fooling around than learning English!
I met my first Japanese Teacher too at one of my schools. She is very nice and helped me a lot during my lesson with my youngest class. She seems like someone I could hang out with too when I'm not teaching which is a plus.
This month I am working all 6 day weeks where one week will be spent covering another teacher in Kagoshima. It's not so bad because the company will be putting me up in a hotel and giving me a meal allowance.
Today I was supposed to be covering a teacher but it turns out there was some kind of mix up because she wasn't told that I would be covering her so she turned up at the classroom too! We ended up team teaching where she taught two lessons and I taught one which was pretty cool.
I'm just happy I get to have a day off tomorrow. I got my schedule for next month and thankfully I actually have 2 days off a week! I think I will try and pick up a bike tomorrow since all this walking after I get home because i missed the last tram can be tiring sometimes!
14 May 2011
7 May 2011
I feel so tired after 2 hours of work!
Right now I'm on my way home from one of my classrooms. I feel like today went quite well compared to my lessons yesterday. I was better able to manage my time and the students worked really well also. Because I finished at 8:30pm I could not get the lady bus and so had to get a taxi. Unlike the first time I decided to take the taxi to Kengunmachi tram stop rather than going all the way to my home. Overall this way worked out to be nearly ¥2000 cheaper which is good. I think I may stop by the supermarket again to pick up some of their discount pre-cooked dishes because I can't be bothered to eat spaghetti again for dinner!
*I was just joking about the 2hours thing by the way.
*I was just joking about the 2hours thing by the way.
1 May 2011
Where is all my money going?!
Finally I think I have finished! I think now I have finally managed to buy everything I need (emphasis on NEED) for my apartment! It took me a while but today I was able to buy a pair of bins so that I can easily separate my burnable rubbish from my non-burnable rubbish (the plastic will just go in the corner somewhere). Having the bins will also give me a better reason to clean up because currently my place is in a bit of a state!
Recently it seems like I'm spending money like its water which is not good at all! The iPhone so far has been my most expensive purchase but I have found that general items are not cheap in Japan. The only place I can go to get cheap items is in the 100yen store. I think once I get paid my next high value purchase will be a bike! Today I also managed today to buy some more items for the kitchen such as a dish drainer and some sauces (chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and mustard) which will hopefully help when I'm cooking! Yesterday was the first time I cooked spaghetti bolognese in my apartment and it didn't come out too bad but maybe if anything I could have added bit more sauce.
On Friday I went to this Jamaican bar called Bar Cannon which was owned by one of the sound men from Cannon Connecter who was a DJ at the event I went to on Thursday called 'Cherry Thursday'. The event was pretty cool but at times I could help but wonder if they knew what type of night they were supposed to be because I was under the impression it was a Reggae night but there were a selection of DJs playing different types of music which a bit weird. Anyways the bar was pretty cool and the bartender in there was pretty friendly and same goes for this guy from Okinawa who was the only other person in there. But supposedly here in Kumamoto there is a little Reggae scene and people in this City/Area are into Jamaican culture which is good for me. Hopefully now that I have a phone I can start linking people a lot easier when I'm out and about.
Oh yea if you didn't already know its currently Golden Week here in Japan so I have a week off work! Its a pity I don't have anywhere to go though. If I had been placed in Kumamoto a little earlier maybe I could have made a trip to Tokyo or something to see all my friends down there. Some of the other teachers in my area have gone to South Korea for Golden but unfortunately I have to stay here in Kumamoto for the rest of Golden Week.
Tomorrow I hope to go out and visit some of the interesting places in Kumamoto City such as the Castle as well as the Suizen-ji Park. Supposedly the weather tomorrow will be quite nice if the app on my iPhone 4 is anything to go by. Yesterday the weather was terrible and so I was stuck in the house all day. So hopefully tomorrow will be much better.
Recently it seems like I'm spending money like its water which is not good at all! The iPhone so far has been my most expensive purchase but I have found that general items are not cheap in Japan. The only place I can go to get cheap items is in the 100yen store. I think once I get paid my next high value purchase will be a bike! Today I also managed today to buy some more items for the kitchen such as a dish drainer and some sauces (chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and mustard) which will hopefully help when I'm cooking! Yesterday was the first time I cooked spaghetti bolognese in my apartment and it didn't come out too bad but maybe if anything I could have added bit more sauce.
On Friday I went to this Jamaican bar called Bar Cannon which was owned by one of the sound men from Cannon Connecter who was a DJ at the event I went to on Thursday called 'Cherry Thursday'. The event was pretty cool but at times I could help but wonder if they knew what type of night they were supposed to be because I was under the impression it was a Reggae night but there were a selection of DJs playing different types of music which a bit weird. Anyways the bar was pretty cool and the bartender in there was pretty friendly and same goes for this guy from Okinawa who was the only other person in there. But supposedly here in Kumamoto there is a little Reggae scene and people in this City/Area are into Jamaican culture which is good for me. Hopefully now that I have a phone I can start linking people a lot easier when I'm out and about.
Oh yea if you didn't already know its currently Golden Week here in Japan so I have a week off work! Its a pity I don't have anywhere to go though. If I had been placed in Kumamoto a little earlier maybe I could have made a trip to Tokyo or something to see all my friends down there. Some of the other teachers in my area have gone to South Korea for Golden but unfortunately I have to stay here in Kumamoto for the rest of Golden Week.
Tomorrow I hope to go out and visit some of the interesting places in Kumamoto City such as the Castle as well as the Suizen-ji Park. Supposedly the weather tomorrow will be quite nice if the app on my iPhone 4 is anything to go by. Yesterday the weather was terrible and so I was stuck in the house all day. So hopefully tomorrow will be much better.
28 April 2011
Mr. Independent!
Now I can officially say I have my own apartment!!! This will be the first time in my adult life that I will living alone if I don't count China.
On Monday I was able to meet all the other teachers in the area. They all seem nice and easy to get a long with. In the meeting we mainly discussed what is going to happen at Summer School and also if we have any problems with teaching in general.
After we finished the meeting the majority of us went back to Kumamoto City and hung out at an Izakaya. Like always I didn't drink any alcohol and just ate instead but the other teachers seemed to be enjoying themselves. Once we had finished in there we went to do some Purikura which was pretty weird. That was the first time I had ever done anything like that before!
Later we went to another bar which one of the teachers named Becky suggested. We didn't stay in there for too long due to some of the teachers feeling a bit tired. I was happy to do what ever the other guys were doing because I wasn't too familiar with the area any ways.
The next day I met up with one of the teachers named Sarah who was going to help me with applying for my Alien Registration Card aka Gaijin Card at the local City Hall and also setting up a Bank account. Everything was pretty straight forward with applying for my ARC and Bank account. But at the City Hall I was given a little booklet which would allow me to have free entry to many attractions/sights in Kumamoto for just applying for my ARC.
We also tried to enquire about getting a phone. After realising there is not enough time to decide to go somewhere for Golden Week I thought I might as well spend that money on an iPhone 4. So Sarah and I went to the SoftBank shop and enquired about the phone and they told me I would have to buy the phone outright because I only have a one year visa and so can not pay monthly. In total the phone would cost about 46,080yen (£336) and then I would have to pay the monthly bill. The deal they were telling me seemed like it was fairly good.
I then went with Sarah to the 7Eleven to withdraw some money but for some reason it was rejected. I later found out from my bank that my limit is £300 per day with my current card and I was trying to withdraw 50,000yen (£364) and this is why it was rejected. So I will probably end up waiting until Friday to buy the phone because right now I need this money to buy some items for my new apartment.
Oh yesterday I had my first day officially teaching. I think it went pretty well apart from getting really confused when I needed to get a bus to my school and also getting the taxi back home (it was expensive) because it was after the last bus! But apart from that it was pretty good and the students were good students as well.
I just realised I haven't actually said anything about the apartment. Well I am living in a LeoPalace21 apartment so I already have a TV and pretty fast internet (23.26Mbps download & 21.68Mbps upload) which is all included in my monthly rent. Overall it's quite nice and looks like one of the newer ones I had seen on youtube. I will probably do a 'My Apartment' video at some point but not sure when. Maybe once I make it a bit more homely. It seems like I am the only one out of the trainees to have an electric toilet which is pretty sweet! I think I will go out in a bit to pick up some stuff for this place because its pretty empty not even any toilet paper! I also need to find a way to stick things to my walls without damaging them. I have a Jamaican flag I want to put up as well as some other things.
It seems like Kumamoto City may not be such a bad place to live after all!
On Monday I was able to meet all the other teachers in the area. They all seem nice and easy to get a long with. In the meeting we mainly discussed what is going to happen at Summer School and also if we have any problems with teaching in general.
After we finished the meeting the majority of us went back to Kumamoto City and hung out at an Izakaya. Like always I didn't drink any alcohol and just ate instead but the other teachers seemed to be enjoying themselves. Once we had finished in there we went to do some Purikura which was pretty weird. That was the first time I had ever done anything like that before!
Later we went to another bar which one of the teachers named Becky suggested. We didn't stay in there for too long due to some of the teachers feeling a bit tired. I was happy to do what ever the other guys were doing because I wasn't too familiar with the area any ways.
The next day I met up with one of the teachers named Sarah who was going to help me with applying for my Alien Registration Card aka Gaijin Card at the local City Hall and also setting up a Bank account. Everything was pretty straight forward with applying for my ARC and Bank account. But at the City Hall I was given a little booklet which would allow me to have free entry to many attractions/sights in Kumamoto for just applying for my ARC.
We also tried to enquire about getting a phone. After realising there is not enough time to decide to go somewhere for Golden Week I thought I might as well spend that money on an iPhone 4. So Sarah and I went to the SoftBank shop and enquired about the phone and they told me I would have to buy the phone outright because I only have a one year visa and so can not pay monthly. In total the phone would cost about 46,080yen (£336) and then I would have to pay the monthly bill. The deal they were telling me seemed like it was fairly good.
I then went with Sarah to the 7Eleven to withdraw some money but for some reason it was rejected. I later found out from my bank that my limit is £300 per day with my current card and I was trying to withdraw 50,000yen (£364) and this is why it was rejected. So I will probably end up waiting until Friday to buy the phone because right now I need this money to buy some items for my new apartment.
Oh yesterday I had my first day officially teaching. I think it went pretty well apart from getting really confused when I needed to get a bus to my school and also getting the taxi back home (it was expensive) because it was after the last bus! But apart from that it was pretty good and the students were good students as well.
I just realised I haven't actually said anything about the apartment. Well I am living in a LeoPalace21 apartment so I already have a TV and pretty fast internet (23.26Mbps download & 21.68Mbps upload) which is all included in my monthly rent. Overall it's quite nice and looks like one of the newer ones I had seen on youtube. I will probably do a 'My Apartment' video at some point but not sure when. Maybe once I make it a bit more homely. It seems like I am the only one out of the trainees to have an electric toilet which is pretty sweet! I think I will go out in a bit to pick up some stuff for this place because its pretty empty not even any toilet paper! I also need to find a way to stick things to my walls without damaging them. I have a Jamaican flag I want to put up as well as some other things.
It seems like Kumamoto City may not be such a bad place to live after all!
24 April 2011
Sayonara Osaka!
Today is now my official last full day in Osaka! My teacher training ended yesterday with a test which I didn't do too great in. Everyone needed to get at least 75% to pass but I ended up with 68%. I was told by my trainer that I would have to take the test again at some point once I move to Kumamoto. Out of the whole group there were 3 of us including myself who didn't pass. I didn't get much chance to revise mainly due to me being unwell and spending most of the past couple of days in bed!
This whole sickness has put a stop to my raving plans! I haven't been able to go out since I started to feel sick on Thursday. But I think I went out enough times since I been here in Osaka and I managed to meet some more cool people. The majority of them I knew through Youtube videos and/or Facebook but some of them I had met the last time I came to Japan.
Right now im in the process of getting all my stuff in order to repack my suitcases. I had the option of sending one of my suitcases to my area ahead of time but I decided to take both of my suitcase with me tomorrow. But I hope I don't regret that decision tomorrow! I will need to get the train from Shin-Osaka at 6:50am and I will arrive in Kumamoto at 10:27am. Pretty much as soon as I drop my stuff off at the hotel I will have to get back on the train and attend a meeting with all the people in my area. In this meeting our manager will go over some new things such as what the plans are for summer school.
I think I may keep my future posts short so I can post more frequently and I wont miss anything out. If you haven't already done so please 'like' my facebook page and follow me on twitter @dgrey1986. Thanks for reading.
This whole sickness has put a stop to my raving plans! I haven't been able to go out since I started to feel sick on Thursday. But I think I went out enough times since I been here in Osaka and I managed to meet some more cool people. The majority of them I knew through Youtube videos and/or Facebook but some of them I had met the last time I came to Japan.
Right now im in the process of getting all my stuff in order to repack my suitcases. I had the option of sending one of my suitcases to my area ahead of time but I decided to take both of my suitcase with me tomorrow. But I hope I don't regret that decision tomorrow! I will need to get the train from Shin-Osaka at 6:50am and I will arrive in Kumamoto at 10:27am. Pretty much as soon as I drop my stuff off at the hotel I will have to get back on the train and attend a meeting with all the people in my area. In this meeting our manager will go over some new things such as what the plans are for summer school.
I think I may keep my future posts short so I can post more frequently and I wont miss anything out. If you haven't already done so please 'like' my facebook page and follow me on twitter @dgrey1986. Thanks for reading.
18 April 2011
Finally some time to myself!
Ok I finally have some time to write something in here that is a little more substantial. Just in case you didn't see any of my pictures of Nagoya Castle or the Sakura on my tumblr photo blog you can see a few of them below but the rest are on the photo blog.
Well I have been in Osaka now for nearly one week. At the moment I am staying in an area called Takatsuki which is about 20mins away from Umeda, Osaka by Rapid Express train.
I can honestly say that I have been enjoying living in Osaka far more than living in Nagoya. Compared to Osaka Nagoya seems kind of tame. The first night we got here I knew that this would be a great place to be living. It also helped that we weren't too far away from the main areas in Osaka or Kyoto.
So far my teacher training has been going pretty well. It reminds me a lot of my CELTA that I did early last year. The format is pretty much the same except that it is all being squeezed in to 2 weeks rather than it being spread over 4 weeks. The only gripe I have with the training so far is having to travel some distance to get to the training school/location.
I have observed two teachers so far and the first was pretty much what PKC were trying to tell us not to be! It was quite funny seeing him but I have to say he was really good with the students and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves in his lessons. The second teacher was pretty cool too unlike the first he was a bit more by the book but that didn't get in the way of him having fun with his lessons and creating his own games for the students to play.
Last Saturday I had my first opportunity at teaching whilst being supervised by a more experienced teacher. Overall I felt it went pretty well apart from the fact that one of the students seemed a little bored/disinterested in the lesson. But after reading the teachers notes in the communication notebook it was clear to see that it wasn't only me that noticed she seemed unfocused in class.
Later that night I was actually able to go to a Dancehall event in Shinsaibashi, Osaka! I had been waiting for the chance to go to somewhere good after arriving here in Japan. I don't really count the place I went to in Nagoya as good because it wasn't really a dance night just old school Reggae.
I got to the club around 12:30am after following the directions I had written down in my notebook. When I got inside the place was pretty empty. Apart from the DJs and Staff there were only 2 of us in there. But I have to expect this in the club scene here in Japan. Normally people don't start showing up until maybe 1:30/2:00am. It wasn't until around that time people started to fill up the club but I was quite surprised when I first got there at how small it was.
I decided to come to this club over any other mainly due to SNOB being one of the DJs on the night. I knew one of the members from SNOB named Yuka mainly through my Dancehall in Japan facebook fan page. But it was actually nice to meet her in person. Both her and her partner Tsune were both very nice and kept bigging me up on the mic...MAD!
There were 3 dance performance that night which were all pretty cool! But I will say that I liked both the first and second ones over the last one. I have posted a video of the first performance below.
Everyone in the club was very friendly. A lot of them kept asking me where I was from and if I was a tourist here in Japan. Fortunately this time I could say that I was an English Teacher and that I will be living in Japan. Although they were all pretty surprised when I said I will be moving to Kumamoto City! I took quite a lot of pictures that night and can't post them all here. If you want to see some of the better ones please have a look at my tumblr photo blog: j2dephotography.tumblr.com
I ended up leaving the club around 6:00am and got back to Takatsuki around 7:00am so was very tired when I got in. But luckily I have the chance to go out again tonight. I will go to another one of SNOB's dances in Shinsaibashi at Sam and Dave 02 called 'Get Your Shots'! Luckily I do not have to teach until 4:00pm tomorrow so I will be alright coming back at 6:00/7:00am that morning...I hope!
Well I have been in Osaka now for nearly one week. At the moment I am staying in an area called Takatsuki which is about 20mins away from Umeda, Osaka by Rapid Express train.
I can honestly say that I have been enjoying living in Osaka far more than living in Nagoya. Compared to Osaka Nagoya seems kind of tame. The first night we got here I knew that this would be a great place to be living. It also helped that we weren't too far away from the main areas in Osaka or Kyoto.
So far my teacher training has been going pretty well. It reminds me a lot of my CELTA that I did early last year. The format is pretty much the same except that it is all being squeezed in to 2 weeks rather than it being spread over 4 weeks. The only gripe I have with the training so far is having to travel some distance to get to the training school/location.
I have observed two teachers so far and the first was pretty much what PKC were trying to tell us not to be! It was quite funny seeing him but I have to say he was really good with the students and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves in his lessons. The second teacher was pretty cool too unlike the first he was a bit more by the book but that didn't get in the way of him having fun with his lessons and creating his own games for the students to play.
Last Saturday I had my first opportunity at teaching whilst being supervised by a more experienced teacher. Overall I felt it went pretty well apart from the fact that one of the students seemed a little bored/disinterested in the lesson. But after reading the teachers notes in the communication notebook it was clear to see that it wasn't only me that noticed she seemed unfocused in class.
Later that night I was actually able to go to a Dancehall event in Shinsaibashi, Osaka! I had been waiting for the chance to go to somewhere good after arriving here in Japan. I don't really count the place I went to in Nagoya as good because it wasn't really a dance night just old school Reggae.
I got to the club around 12:30am after following the directions I had written down in my notebook. When I got inside the place was pretty empty. Apart from the DJs and Staff there were only 2 of us in there. But I have to expect this in the club scene here in Japan. Normally people don't start showing up until maybe 1:30/2:00am. It wasn't until around that time people started to fill up the club but I was quite surprised when I first got there at how small it was.
I decided to come to this club over any other mainly due to SNOB being one of the DJs on the night. I knew one of the members from SNOB named Yuka mainly through my Dancehall in Japan facebook fan page. But it was actually nice to meet her in person. Both her and her partner Tsune were both very nice and kept bigging me up on the mic...MAD!
There were 3 dance performance that night which were all pretty cool! But I will say that I liked both the first and second ones over the last one. I have posted a video of the first performance below.
Everyone in the club was very friendly. A lot of them kept asking me where I was from and if I was a tourist here in Japan. Fortunately this time I could say that I was an English Teacher and that I will be living in Japan. Although they were all pretty surprised when I said I will be moving to Kumamoto City! I took quite a lot of pictures that night and can't post them all here. If you want to see some of the better ones please have a look at my tumblr photo blog: j2dephotography.tumblr.com
I ended up leaving the club around 6:00am and got back to Takatsuki around 7:00am so was very tired when I got in. But luckily I have the chance to go out again tonight. I will go to another one of SNOB's dances in Shinsaibashi at Sam and Dave 02 called 'Get Your Shots'! Luckily I do not have to teach until 4:00pm tomorrow so I will be alright coming back at 6:00/7:00am that morning...I hope!
11 April 2011
More to come...
Sorry I haven't updated this in a little while. But just in case you didn't know I have arrived safely in Nagoya. Since I have been here I have been fortunate to see some interesting things in the city. The most interesting thing so far was actually being able to see the Sakura in full bloom at Nagoya Castle.
At the end of tomorrow I will be moved to Osaka to complete the remainder of my two week training course which started yesterday. I am quite excited about being moved closer to Osaka city since we will actually be in Osaka prefecture and supposedly we will be somewhere between Osaka and Kyoto. I am really looking forward to checking out some of the reggae clubs in Osaka on the weekend since the reggae scene in Nagoya isn't really saying much unfortunately.
When I next get a chance I will update the blog more thoroughly with more information and pictures. Same goes for the facebook page and youtube channel. But for the mean time please have a look at some of the images I have posted on to the tumblr account: j2dephotography.tumblr.com
Thanks for reading.
At the end of tomorrow I will be moved to Osaka to complete the remainder of my two week training course which started yesterday. I am quite excited about being moved closer to Osaka city since we will actually be in Osaka prefecture and supposedly we will be somewhere between Osaka and Kyoto. I am really looking forward to checking out some of the reggae clubs in Osaka on the weekend since the reggae scene in Nagoya isn't really saying much unfortunately.
When I next get a chance I will update the blog more thoroughly with more information and pictures. Same goes for the facebook page and youtube channel. But for the mean time please have a look at some of the images I have posted on to the tumblr account: j2dephotography.tumblr.com
Thanks for reading.
29 March 2011
Sadako says: 7 days!
You're probably wondering what I mean by the title of this post but I am simply referring to the character from the Japanese movie Ringu (aka The Ring) where the deceased character Sadako says to you on the phone "7 days" after you watch the cursed video tape! So basically today makes it exactly 7 days before I leave for Japan!
I have been watching BBC News as well as NHK World nearly every day since the events of March 11th happened. The situation at the Nuclear Plant and the radiation being emitted from there makes me slightly nervous at times. But I know once I get moved from Nagoya to Kumamoto City I will be very far from the plant in Fukushima however I still wonder sometimes if Kumamoto is far enough!
My mother has her own ideas about me going on this trip. But I keep trying to reassure her that after the two weeks I spend in Nagoya I will be even further from Fukushima and the Nuclear Plant. But the fact that I am surround by active volcanoes doesn't help my case about me being safer in Kumamoto. But I know that if things do become too serious I have enough money put aside to leave the country at the drop of a hat.
When I haven't been worrying about my safety in the country I have actually been researching a little more about Kumamoto and the surrounding areas. There seems to be a fairly large community there for expats most of them being teachers participating in the JET Programme. I have also managed to find a few websites with more information about the area. One of the main ones being Kumamoto International which is a wiki page all about things in Kumamoto in English that people living in the area have written.
There seem to be many recreational activities to do in the city such as swimming, ice skating, karate, tennis or working out at the gym. As well as the things I just mentioned there are also the standard things you will find such as bowling, the cinema, restaurants and many bars and clubs. I am sure that I can find something in the city to occupy myself with when I am not busy teaching!
I also found out that I can take a ferry from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea for around 25,000yen (£188) return. The journey takes about 3 hours one way and the company JR Beetle makes several trips to the city per day. Hopefully I will be able to make this trip at some point of me being in Japan. But for Golden Week I hope to go to Osaka since I can't seem to find a cheap guesthouse in Fukuoka.
In regards to actually getting to Japan I believe by the end of this week I will have completed everything that is on my to-do list. Although I haven't actually started packing yet due to me waiting on some clothes I recently ordered to be delivered as well as some other small things. But like I said, hopefully by the end of this week I will have everything sorted.
I have been watching BBC News as well as NHK World nearly every day since the events of March 11th happened. The situation at the Nuclear Plant and the radiation being emitted from there makes me slightly nervous at times. But I know once I get moved from Nagoya to Kumamoto City I will be very far from the plant in Fukushima however I still wonder sometimes if Kumamoto is far enough!
My mother has her own ideas about me going on this trip. But I keep trying to reassure her that after the two weeks I spend in Nagoya I will be even further from Fukushima and the Nuclear Plant. But the fact that I am surround by active volcanoes doesn't help my case about me being safer in Kumamoto. But I know that if things do become too serious I have enough money put aside to leave the country at the drop of a hat.
When I haven't been worrying about my safety in the country I have actually been researching a little more about Kumamoto and the surrounding areas. There seems to be a fairly large community there for expats most of them being teachers participating in the JET Programme. I have also managed to find a few websites with more information about the area. One of the main ones being Kumamoto International which is a wiki page all about things in Kumamoto in English that people living in the area have written.
There seem to be many recreational activities to do in the city such as swimming, ice skating, karate, tennis or working out at the gym. As well as the things I just mentioned there are also the standard things you will find such as bowling, the cinema, restaurants and many bars and clubs. I am sure that I can find something in the city to occupy myself with when I am not busy teaching!
I also found out that I can take a ferry from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea for around 25,000yen (£188) return. The journey takes about 3 hours one way and the company JR Beetle makes several trips to the city per day. Hopefully I will be able to make this trip at some point of me being in Japan. But for Golden Week I hope to go to Osaka since I can't seem to find a cheap guesthouse in Fukuoka.
In regards to actually getting to Japan I believe by the end of this week I will have completed everything that is on my to-do list. Although I haven't actually started packing yet due to me waiting on some clothes I recently ordered to be delivered as well as some other small things. But like I said, hopefully by the end of this week I will have everything sorted.
16 March 2011
Kumamoto City here I come!
After much waiting myself and the other teachers have final been told our tentative placement locations. Because of the recent events in Japan we were told that all over our placements had to be re-jigged and so we were either placed in the Chūbu Region or further west in the Kyushu Region.
My location is Kumamoto City in Kumamoto Prefecture which is on the island of Kyushu. Riaz and Loren who are two of the other teachers that are attending the same training session as me were placed in Gifu Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture which are both in the Chūbu Region. Helen another teacher was placed in Wakayama Prefecture which is in the Kansai Region. The last teacher Peter was placed in Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. So as you can see we have all been spread out across the country.
When I first heard about my location I was a little disappointed because I had hoped to at least be placed somewhere near my 2nd choice which was Osaka in the Kansai Region. Or at least somewhere that I was more familiar with. But after doing some research about the area and watching some videos it seems that Kumamoto City may not be such a bad place after all. Originally I thought about asking to be moved somewhere else based on the fact that the city is situated fairly close to two active volcanoes. But later I realised if they did move me somewhere else I could end up in a place that is better or a lot worse! So I decided to just stick with this placement.
Micaela riding around Kumamoto City with her bike
From looking up Kumamoto City on WikiTravel there seems to be quite a few interesting things to do. I will be able to see the Kumamoto Castle, Suizen-ji Gardens and visit Mt. Aso which is about 1hr40mins from Kumamoto City by local train. There is also an amusement park in Arao City called Mitsui Greenland which is not too far from Kumamoto City.
One of the many festivals in Kumamoto City
There also seems to be quite a few places to shop as well as nice places to eat in the city. One of the traditional foods in Kumamoto City is Basashi which is actually raw horse meat!!! I am fairly adventurous when it comes to food but the idea of eating raw horse meat does not appeal to me at all! But depending on how long I am in Kumamoto City I may end up trying it!
Lucky for me Kumamoto City is about 2hrs away from Fukuoka by train or bus both costing around 2,000yen one way. So if I can't find something interesting to do in Kumamoto City i'm sure I will find something to do in Fukuoka. Also during my investigation I found a couple clubs in Kumamoto City that play Reggae. So some Reggae is better than no Reggae at all so I can at least get my fix. If not I can always go to Fukuoka because they have a lot more going on there. I am a bit disappointed there doesn't seem to be any type of sports team in Kumamoto because I would have liked to have gone to a Baseball game. But again I can always visit Fukuoka for that type of entertainment.
I have just a few weeks left before I am supposed to fly out. Luckily I received my suitcases and all the other stuff I ordered. All that is left is really to buy my travel insurance and also some new clothes/shoes for my new job. Luckily for me I can wear casual clothes in the classroom so I do not need to bring many shirts and ties. It looks like my suitcase is going to be fairly light...I hope!
My location is Kumamoto City in Kumamoto Prefecture which is on the island of Kyushu. Riaz and Loren who are two of the other teachers that are attending the same training session as me were placed in Gifu Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture which are both in the Chūbu Region. Helen another teacher was placed in Wakayama Prefecture which is in the Kansai Region. The last teacher Peter was placed in Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. So as you can see we have all been spread out across the country.
When I first heard about my location I was a little disappointed because I had hoped to at least be placed somewhere near my 2nd choice which was Osaka in the Kansai Region. Or at least somewhere that I was more familiar with. But after doing some research about the area and watching some videos it seems that Kumamoto City may not be such a bad place after all. Originally I thought about asking to be moved somewhere else based on the fact that the city is situated fairly close to two active volcanoes. But later I realised if they did move me somewhere else I could end up in a place that is better or a lot worse! So I decided to just stick with this placement.
Micaela riding around Kumamoto City with her bike
From looking up Kumamoto City on WikiTravel there seems to be quite a few interesting things to do. I will be able to see the Kumamoto Castle, Suizen-ji Gardens and visit Mt. Aso which is about 1hr40mins from Kumamoto City by local train. There is also an amusement park in Arao City called Mitsui Greenland which is not too far from Kumamoto City.
One of the many festivals in Kumamoto City
There also seems to be quite a few places to shop as well as nice places to eat in the city. One of the traditional foods in Kumamoto City is Basashi which is actually raw horse meat!!! I am fairly adventurous when it comes to food but the idea of eating raw horse meat does not appeal to me at all! But depending on how long I am in Kumamoto City I may end up trying it!
Lucky for me Kumamoto City is about 2hrs away from Fukuoka by train or bus both costing around 2,000yen one way. So if I can't find something interesting to do in Kumamoto City i'm sure I will find something to do in Fukuoka. Also during my investigation I found a couple clubs in Kumamoto City that play Reggae. So some Reggae is better than no Reggae at all so I can at least get my fix. If not I can always go to Fukuoka because they have a lot more going on there. I am a bit disappointed there doesn't seem to be any type of sports team in Kumamoto because I would have liked to have gone to a Baseball game. But again I can always visit Fukuoka for that type of entertainment.
I have just a few weeks left before I am supposed to fly out. Luckily I received my suitcases and all the other stuff I ordered. All that is left is really to buy my travel insurance and also some new clothes/shoes for my new job. Luckily for me I can wear casual clothes in the classroom so I do not need to bring many shirts and ties. It looks like my suitcase is going to be fairly light...I hope!
12 March 2011
...almost there! prt 3
Today in the post I received my external hard-drive, hair clippers and camera bag. I decided to open up the hard-drive first and to my surprise the hard-drive was a lot smaller than I had initially thought. I was under the impression that it was quite large in size and this was the reason I decided not to but the blue model instead of the white one. I felt that the blue version would look ugly compared to everything else I own. But now, I am thinking maybe I should've bought the blue one for an extra £5 since that model has an extra 110GB worth of storage!! Well I guess I just have to be satisfied with 640GB and delete things I do not need when its filling up.
The hair clippers are quite small too and feel nice and comfortable in my hand. My friend thinks I should use them before I go just in case they can not cut afro-hair but I believe they will be alright. However if I do find that they are not that great whilst I am in Japan I can feel easy knowing that I only spent £20 on them.
I am happy now that I actually have a bag for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2! The bag which I bought will allow me to carry around the camera with the 14-42mm lens attached and have the 14mm pancake lens in the bag also. But I think I may also get another bag just to hold the camera when it only has the 14mm lens attached.
The only thing I am really waiting for to be delivered are my suitcases. Hopefully they will come on Tuesday/Wednesday next week. Once I get that I will pretty much have completed 90% of the things on my to-do list for the trip.
Yesterday I received a letter from my old employer stating that there had been an overpayment in my last wage of £135. They paid me from the 1st - 31st December when I should have only been paid from the 1st - 28th December. This is actually the worst time to hear that I owe someone money when I am supposed to be preparing for my relocation to Japan. I have until the 7th April 2011 to pay the money back!
I think I will contact them next week to sort this out as well as the Lufthansa to confirm that my booking was made. I will also need to explain to the Student Loans Company that I will not be paid until the 25th May and so will not be able to make the repayment date in April. Hopefully they will be able to sort this out since all of the information about my pay was included in the copy of the contract I sent them!
The hair clippers are quite small too and feel nice and comfortable in my hand. My friend thinks I should use them before I go just in case they can not cut afro-hair but I believe they will be alright. However if I do find that they are not that great whilst I am in Japan I can feel easy knowing that I only spent £20 on them.
I am happy now that I actually have a bag for my Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2! The bag which I bought will allow me to carry around the camera with the 14-42mm lens attached and have the 14mm pancake lens in the bag also. But I think I may also get another bag just to hold the camera when it only has the 14mm lens attached.
The only thing I am really waiting for to be delivered are my suitcases. Hopefully they will come on Tuesday/Wednesday next week. Once I get that I will pretty much have completed 90% of the things on my to-do list for the trip.
Yesterday I received a letter from my old employer stating that there had been an overpayment in my last wage of £135. They paid me from the 1st - 31st December when I should have only been paid from the 1st - 28th December. This is actually the worst time to hear that I owe someone money when I am supposed to be preparing for my relocation to Japan. I have until the 7th April 2011 to pay the money back!
I think I will contact them next week to sort this out as well as the Lufthansa to confirm that my booking was made. I will also need to explain to the Student Loans Company that I will not be paid until the 25th May and so will not be able to make the repayment date in April. Hopefully they will be able to sort this out since all of the information about my pay was included in the copy of the contract I sent them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)