2 Weeks

I have not updated my blog for 2 weeks so I thought it would be a good idea to briefly tell you what I've been doing.

SUNDAY 20th MARCH
Surprise birthday party for Molly Elgin in Hadakaya (a restaurant / karaoke box) in the next town called Tajima.

Tajima no longer exists due to a nuclear exchange with Shimogo Town. I'm joking of course. Tajima does not exist any longer because it has merged with several other towns in the area. I think these mergers are a common feature of recent Japanese rural life and are a reaction to declining population. Perhaps these towns are no longer looked upon as sustainable and have been grouped together to make them more viable.

MONDAY 21st MARCH
Japanese national holiday (Vernal Equinox) - hangover.

WEDNESDAY 22nd MARCH
Work day at Shimogo JHS. I only had two classes (2-1 & 2-2) and the school was very quiet because the 3rd grade students have graduated. Sob sob.

THURSDAY 23rd MARCH
Last day of term at Shimogo JHS.

FRIDAY 24th MARCH
Half day in the BoE (Board of Education) followed by a visit to Daikurayama for some skiing. I did not stay long at the ski area because the snow was wet and very sticky. Not a good day for skiing.

SATURDAY 25th and SUNDAY 26th MARCH
?????????????????????

MONDAY 27th MARCH
Sitting in the BoE being bored of education. I wrote the next article for the town magazine called COHO. My next article is about the pleasures of reading.


TUESDAY 28th MARCH
BoE.

WEDNESDAY 29th MARCH
Spent the day with the other Minami Aizu ALTs making videos which we can show to the students in our classes. We acted out the situations in the school textbooks (New Horizon 1,2, and 3) and we hope these will freshen up our classes.

THURSDAY 30th MARCH
My Mum's birthday. I called my mother in the evening to wish her a happy birthday. Clara sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. During the day, I sat in the BoE and also washed a couple of cars which will be used to transport 2 retirees home on Friday from the BoE.

FRIDAY 31st MARCH
Friday was the last day of the Japanese business year. Next week many people will be transferred between schools and offices. April is a time of great change in Japan and I don't like it. I like the idea of office workers being given fresh jobs, but I don't like teachers constantly having to move between schools. This constant change prevents teachers from knowing the students and their families, allows bad teachers to hide, weakens the local community, creates a lot of extra work, and I feel is hard on family life for the teachers. Some teachers have to stay in rented accommodation during the week and only travel home on weekends. I don't like this process at all!!!!!

I went to Daikurayana for a spot of skiing but I did not stay long. The conditions were not great and visibility was poor due to the strong wind. I had a fall and twisted my knee. Ouch!! I decided to leave the mountain and drive to Shimogo for a much needed haircut.

SATURDAY 1st APRIL
I went skiing with a couple of people from the Shimogo Town Office. We went to a ski area called Hatoriko. The 2 people I went with are both members of the Shimogo Ski Club and were very willing ( perhaps too willing) to point out the deficiencies in my skiing technique. I learnt a lot and hopefully I'll make some more improvements during the next skiing season. In the evening, I went to Wakatski restaurant for some beers. Good fun.

SUNDAY 2nd APRIL
Today. I had a long sleep and then went cycling to a lake called Kannonnuma (about 30km in total). The cycling today was very nice and I made good time. In the afternoon, we tidied up the house and threw away a lot of Clara's old toys. It feels good to have some extra space in the house again.

THE WEEK AHEAD
I will be in the BoE on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday evening, Clara and I are going to Tokyo on the train. My parents will arrive in Tokyo on Wednesday for a holiday and I will meet them at Narita Airport. Thursday will be spent sightseeing in Tokyo. Friday to Shimogo.