December, December, DECEMBER!

Well winter vacation is here and soon it will be Christmas.

Its strange to think that this year, I've been so busy to even think about what I am going to do Christmas day. I still haven't thought about what I want to do. I know how I would love to spend it. Such as spending it with a special someone who wants to spend the day with you as you do with them. That moment where you get to open a present which was specially bought with only you in mind. That warm feeling as their arms is wrapped around you as you want your favourite movies together and drink a few beers.

But alas, Don't Date December is going very well that my perfect way to spend Christmas is not happening this year too. Although, if a hot Asian guy in a suit were to come to my apartment to surprise me, he definitely won't get turned away LOL

I really should start packing for my small trip to Osaka in a few days. Its just that I need to pack but I don't really have a large bag. So I need to use my brain and see what I can pack. I would love to be able to only have to carry around one bag. But this is me, and I don't pack lightly. So I will probably be taking two bags. I also need to think about taking bedding with me as I will be staying at a friends house for a night. To which I am very thankful for and I will repay you this time Annik!!!!!!

I am currently now just waiting for painkillers to kick in before I go to sleep. Bad cramps are the worst. However, today is not so bad as I was able to take ibuprofen before it started to get really bad. I just need to buy more tomorrow as I didn't realise I had very little left (like one tablet).  I hope it kicks in soon so I can sleep!!!

Long Awaited Winter Holiday's

The nights are getting colder and I am getting used to all the little maintenance requirements before going to bed and after I wake up in the morning. Even if I do forget to turn on my alarm after having to re-programme it. 

So 2013 has been a roller coaster right for me. From actually leaving a job I hated and felt really under appreciated (which actually made me depressed and contemplate things I never thought I would do) to leaving for Japan to start a new life, in a new job with new friends.

This doesn't at all mean that I don't think any less of my friends back home. Far from it. I love them to pieces for supporting me and some show it more than others as they actually continue to talk to me and cannot wait to see me when I get back home for a short two week holiday in March.

But I love my new life!! Some might have seen me as being brave to leave a country I call home, to a new country where I only know a little of the language. As well as starting a job where I've had very little training but I am aiming to improve and gain some great experience teaching.

I don't think I would be this happy where I am if it wasn't for the friends I have made. Especially to Limor and Annik who have both made me feel welcome and helped me through training and just being there to talk to. 

All thats left to do now is have a quiet Christmas away from the family for the first time, take my Document Driving Test and then travel to Osaka to have a short holiday and then see KAT-TUN with Hoiming!! (I cannot wait to see them live!!)

Hello Winter

It has been so long since I wrote something. I'm sorry T_T

So to up-date people. Autumn here in Japan has been and gone T_T It was so short compared to England. The colours were so beautiful. I was driving to Morioka one weekend to see my BFF's Annik and Limor for a weekend of shopping and catching up. On the way I couldn't help but stop and take photo's as I left with plenty of time to spare.

It's now the start of winter. The night's are definitely colder and the mornings are cold, making it hard to get up. But I have prepared for winter and I just need to stock up on long-life food just in case. But, really, I cannot wait to see a decent amount of snow. In England, we get so little snow that our snow sculptures are average. Yet here that will change!

There is only one downside though. I am still single this winter, and it is my first Christmas away from the family. Its going to be something new or me. Unless things change before then......

Its still hard to believe that I have been living in another country for over 8 months. I have felt so at home here and as every day is still unpredictable, it makes it more exciting. I am looking forward to my second year here and hope my students continue to be supportive as they have been. Although, I will miss my third year high school students. They have been a joy to teach (well one class may be more troublesome than a joy and have tested my endurance and stress levels). Nonetheless, they were the first year to warm up to me and make me feel welcomed, I would love to go to the leaving ceremony and say my goodbye's properly.  I still have four months with the students and hope to make their last year at high school a memorable one.

Japan

I only just noticed that I haven't shown any photo's I've taken in Japan on here yet. If you follow me on FB, then you are already able to see these photo's. Although these photo's were taken a while ago. And I've taken a lot more since then. So I will posting them later.

Please feel free to have a look though. I do get into the habit of taking a lot of photo's once I have my camera in my hands. But I'm only an amateur photographer. But the prefecture I live in, here in Japan, is so beautiful and you wouldn't have guessed that its the prefecture that was badly hit by the Tsunami over two years ago.

Another Job

I finally got the approval of my company to work at a small English Cafe school. I will be teaching a small group of adults easy English. It will be my first time teaching adults. So I will do my very best to teach them. I won't be alone, there will be a Japanese native speaker there to help me. It will also be great to have another job where I can earn that extra money so I can hopefully go to Tokyo this winter!

This will be the perfect opportunity to not only teach a different age range but I get to learn Japanese too. I've already had one of the English teachers I work with help me with a Japanese phrase I practiced on the board. I completely forgot about one particle, which I told her a little while before that I found はand が difficult, although I am better at them than I was. I was just happy that what I wrote made sense. A student who was still the room after class said I had nice writing. Its just a shame that I write better than I can speak. But I am working on the speaking part now.

So wish me luck in starting this new class!! Its going to be great to be teaching adult mothers who want to learn English but have never had a chance to learn because they have been busy with raising their children. The place where I will be work is more like a cafe and mothers can bring their children and be learning in a relaxed atmosphere so they won't feel pressured. I just hope I can do a really good job. I am going to try my best with using Japanese to translate into English for them.

頑張れ！！

So Annoyed!

Okay, my mood is a little ruined now... I just found that an image of mine that I did a few years ago is on sites I never uploaded it to (>___<). I know Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East) is a great anime. But to upload MY "Our Kiss" wallpaper to other sites without my permission... totally annoyed me!

If you see it on other site than on My Deviant, My facebook, My Tumblr (Sazzy-Bu) and my own website. Then I didn't upload it to that site!! I will only upload my work under my own username. It really annoys me when I find that some users have done this to me!!

お久しぶり

みんなさん、お久しぶりですね。みんなさんは元気、私はまあまあで。今日は種市町で雨模様と寒いです、これは天気の私に英語のを思い出させる。それはくつろがせるで！仕事は多分忙しい、でも私が楽しいです。私が教える生徒たちは驚くべきものだ。彼らが私の日本語で私を助けて。私の自由な時間で日本語を勉強します。まだ私は勉強です。頑張り！
私の日本語が間違っている場合は、すみませんでした。

English:
Its been a long time everyone. I hope everyone is healthy, I am so-so. It is cold and rainy in Taneichi Town today, this reminds me of English weather. It is relaxing!　The students I teach are amazing! They help me with my Japanese.  I study Japanese in my free time. I am still studying. I do my best!
If my Japanese is wrong, I am sorry.

本当にお久しぶり！It has been a month since I last posted anything. I've been on Summer vacation. Even thought it was a great time to go and sightsee, in the end, I ended up staying at home and going to the local festivals. I've not been saving up much money so I've had to try and cut back my spending to make sure I have plenty of money for October when I get for just about two weeks of work in August at the end of September. Although, I was able to practice more of the simple kanji. It may be strange trying to write it because I am someone who remembers things with practice. I can't just look at it and remember it. But it is fun to learn and I've managed to find a program for my computer which tests me every day on the Kanji I choose. At the moment I am only working on the JLPT NS5 Kanji. But its funny to look back at my old notebook of Japanese from a year ago and see how much smaller the kanji has become now. Surely, that means I am getting used to writing it now, right?!

Otherwise, I've been to the nearest bigger city a few times this summer. I even got sunburnt by staying out in the sun for three hours without sun cream. I was too busy taking photo's, which I have uploaded to facebook. It was nice to get out of the house and go for a drive. I also went to watch the fireworks in kuji and Noda. The fireworks here are so pretty to watch and colourful.

I finally went to a BBQ last weekend and I had a good time. I didn't get to speak to many of the local's much because I finally realised my Japanese skills is just so low T_T I really wonder why I have a job here sometimes. But it was strange to meat was constantly cooked while there was people there. Okay, so a lot of people actually brought a lot of meat with them. But, it was a good thing. I only took small bits at a time, as to not seem too greedy, but the food was delicious!