Reasons to be excited!

* I'm excited because the sun is out today, and it does actually feel like Spring! I can't wait to see the cherry blossoms!

* I'm off to Osaka tomorrow for a long weekend of sumo watching, temple hopping in Kyoto, aquarium exploring, ferris-wheel riding, and general good times!

* I'm off to Tokyo next Friday to meet up with my friend Zeenat from home. I have so many ideas for things for us to do, and I really cannot wait to explore the weird and wonderful things we're going to find ; maid cafes, game centres, drinking in the Lost in Translation bar, people watching in Harajuku, strolling through Ueno Park, getting up early for the fish market, and much much more...including heaps of karaoke crooning!

* I'm looking forward to the next 4 and a bit months in Japan, can't wait for all the parties, bbqs, and fun that the warmer weather will bring!

* I am also really looking forward to going home! I can't wait to see England again. I can't wait to see my new house and bedroom, and pick out a cool colour scheme for it! Oh yeah, and I suppose it will be nice to see my family and friends again!! Haha!

* I'm looking forward to September, when I hope to be living in Prague for a month, studying for my CELTA...this is all dependent on me being able to afford it, and the school actually accepting me on their course!! Fingers crossed for both!

* I'm excited about after September, when I have no clue what I'll be doing! I'm hoping to find a tefl job in Europe...but which country...hmmm...who knows!

* I'm excited because it's Friday! :-)

My first haiku!

Grey skies hang above
The first pink hides from the cold
Is this really spring?

Revealing?

Kat blog-tagged me, and so apparently I have to write down 6 weird things/secrets/habits. Hmmmm...ok, here goes

1. I wrote a book called 'The Chocolate Rocket' when I was at primary school, and my best friend Anna did the illustrations!
2. I don't answer the doorbell. I may have missed many parcels etc through this, but I have successfully avoided the NHK fee, so it's all good!
3. If my toes get cold, they spasm out at a gross-looking position. Dumb circulation!
4. I find plucking my eyebrows a very relaxing thing to do! Therapeutic!
5. When I play cards I swear violently, and when I play jenga I shriek.
6. This week I started to write my first book (with the exception of classics like 'The Chocolate Rocket' and 'Tumble the Stray Puppy' that I wrote in my childhood!)...my character mapping is well underway!

Hope you all feel you know me a little better now! :)

p.s I'm tagging Alex, Dan, Louise, Christine P, Matt Spiller, and Megan.

A Monday morning ego boost!

These are some of the messages my first years wrote to me in the final question of the OC1 test

"I hope the next grade will study OC with Roren teacher. But that's too bad. It's not reallity."

"I didn't like English for 3 years. But I speak English a little. Because I didn't speak English. Now I can speak English a little. So, I like English! Thank you!"

"Thank you Ms Louren for a year. I learned many many pretious. I don't far away. Very interesting. Be careful helth."

"Thank you for teaching English. You are nice hair and nice stile. Good bye Roren."

"Thank you for your good teaching. You taught me not only English but also something important else. You are a very good teacher in the earth."

"I want to say 'thank you'. You has been kind woman since I came to this school. You are good teacher. Everyone loves you. I love your smile. Always don't remember your cute smile."

"Thank you for teaching. We often made you tired, sorry! But we love you." (Yep, she's right...that class was sooo noisy!!)

"Lauren, thank you for to give us the wonderful classes. I learned to enjoy speaking English. You are very nice and beautiful person. I was happy that I could meet you. You are the best teacher I like in this school. Thank you and see you again!" (Love this one, and from a really great kid, Mr Tamayama)

I love this job! :)

My name is...??

Whilst marking the OC1 tests of my first years, I have been astounded by the number of different spellings of my name! The final task of the test, was for them to write me a thankyou / farewell message, and so of course a lot of students tried to begin with "Dear Lauren..." The only problem with that is most students obviously have no clue as to what letters make up my name!! Here is what they came up with ;

*Louren
*Roren
*Loren
*Loulen
*Roulen
*Laurane
*Lolen
*Rolen
*Rollen
*Rorlen
*Lorren
*Lorlen
*Lourlen
*Laren

What is it with my name that seems to generate so many nick-names and misspellings! You see what you've done Mum!

Me...evil?...Never!

You Are 26% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!

Graduation

On wednesday it was Graduation Day at my high school (and every other high school in the area). Graduation Day in Japan means ;

* An hour (at least) of sitting in the freezing cold in the school gym
* An emotional speech from the graduating students' rep, complete with dramatic pauses, sharp gasps of breath, and a lot of tears!
* Speeches from the 'important' people of the town/city, who the students have no clue about, and they therefore start to doze off a little after the opening line.
* Lots of songs, sung with great feeling but little volume, and accompanied by the school brass band.
* A gym full of very smart people ; students' uniforms are immaculate, and teachers (even me!) are in their best suits...some women even wear kimonos!
* More farewells and speechs at the 'club meetings' after the ceremony, as we say goodbye to our third year members!

Although it was very cold, and I didn't really understand the speeches, I wasn't bored....I was fascinated! I took some movies and photos of different parts of the ceremony, and enjoyed having to dress up smartly for the day. I went to graduation last year, but don't really remember it, or I certainly don't remember being interested in it. Perhaps this year I feel more a part of the school...or maybe it wa slightly less cold this year, allowing me to concentrate on something other than my numb toes. Whatever the reason, I really quite enjoyed the whole day, and I really wished that we had a graduation day from high school back in Blighty. Going down the pub with friends was great, but a grander send-off would have been nice!

Graduation begins!

First and Second year students stand up to sing the graduation/farewell song to the Third years.

The English Club farewell meeting for Yuhta (centre, first row, glasses) who has now graduated!! Congrats!

Me with Fujita-sensei. She is the teacher who runs English club with me, and here she is wearing a beautiful kimono with hakama. She looked great, and got up at 5am to go to the beauty salon to have her hair done!!! She was a homeroom teacher to one of the third year classes, and so wanted to look her best!