This is my last week of freedom! Well, not "freedom" but summer vacation. After this week, I will be back in the routine of classes, school, and other work. Right now, I just have speech contest practice during the summer which isn't too bad at all. On the days I have practice, I go in from 9-11 am and then I'm free the rest of the day. Some days, I don't even have practice! Living the dream...haha
But anyway, I just got back from a trip visiting Sami in Shanghai, China! It was a great time and we really had a blast. Here's the rundown:
August 17th (Friday) - Take off from NRT at 6:15pm and arrive at Shanghai. We went to club Muse and I saw my friend from college who I hadn't seen since I graduated.
August 18th (Saturday) - Hung out around Hongkou and went to the shopping mall in Hongkou. I picked up a pair of khaki slacks. For lunch, we got these flaky pastry things with cheese inside. Delicious. Also ate a bowl of delicious/cheap noodles at the shopping mall. For dinner, we ate
August 19th (Sunday) - Went to a flea market and then went shopping in People's Square. Walked on Nanjing Road as well. We ate dinner around People's Square. Delicious Chinese food!
August 20th (Monday) - We went to the French Concession. We ordered custom shirts. I ordered 3 for a total price of around 200 dollars...very cheap! Usually one custom tailored shirt would cost nearly the price of the 3! We went to dinner to a Hong Kong restaurant. Delicious!
August 21st (Tuesday) - We all went to Suzhou, a historic town a little west of Shanghai. We took a train to get out there. We came back to Shanghai in the evening and took it easy.
August 22nd (Wednesday) - Dave and I went to People's Square to continue some shopping again. Sami was at work so we explored while he was gone. We ate lunch at the mall and had the soup dumplings. Then for dinner we went to a Yunnan restaraunt called "Lost Heaven" ....so delicious!
August 23rd (Thursday) - Our last day! We stayed out very late and didn't get to sleep until nearly 4am. We ended up waking up around 1pm and had to leave for the airport right away to catch our 5:00pm flight.
Then on Friday I had an orientation for the new ALTs that came to Japan this past July/August. I had 2 presentations and was still preparing for them last minute. I stayed up til 3am and then had to wake up again at 7am to get to Chiba. Haha...I was on a serious lack of sleep.
Later on Friday evening, we had a welcoming dinner and everyone was out. Some decided to stay out all night and I was talked into it! So I ended up staying out all night on Friday and then on Saturday I hung out with some friends in Kashiwa. Finally on Saturday evening I got home and was able to relax. On Sunday, I headed up to the beach to meet up with a few friends in the Asahi/Sosa area. It was a new area to explore so I wanted to see what it was all about. I met some cool folks and had a great time.
This week, I'd like to make the most of my free time and check out the beaches again while they're still open for the season!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Summer Vacay!
I'm free!!!
So summer vacation officially started last Friday, July 20th. It was the last day of school and the rest is history after that. However, the day didn't start off on the right foot, haha. I slept in for work for the first time ever. I always used to sleep in for school during elementary, middle, and high school. But I haven't slept in for work yet. I usually get to work around 8am. But on Friday, I woke up at 9:36am....haha....and nobody called me to see where I was! Shows how much they actually care about me! j/k.....That day I didn't have any classes so I didn't miss anything. I was a few minutes late to the closing ceremony and then everything was fine after that.
But the day ended and then it was time for the weekend. My friend, Makoto, got married on Saturday, the 21st! He had the wedding at the Tokyo Bay Hilton Hotel, a very nice hotel right next to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort and Theme Park. It was pretty fancy to say the least. So my friend, David and I headed up to Chiba to spend the night and to relax for one last night with Makoto. We were also going to perform the ukulele as a special performance at the wedding so we practiced that a little bit. After chilling, we headed to the wedding on Saturday! It was very beautiful and even though it was cloudy/rainy, it was perfect weather. Recently, it had been hot....like 30-35 degrees C, but that particular day it was around 24 C. Perfect!!!
So we had the wedding and then later that evening, David and I went out for a little after party. Our friend, Will also met us out. We decided we wanted to stay out all night and so we went to a club nearby called Ageha. The biggest club in Japan! It was an alright night and we headed back early in the morning to get some rest in the hotel after being out all night! Heading back to the Hilton was a great way to get some rest after a long night out. One of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in!
The breakfast buffet was also absolutely amazing. Anyway, I got some rest and then I was able to get some amazing breakfast! Afterward, we headed back to Chiba to hang out and eat some lunch. For awhile now, I have been thinking about and preparing to propose to my gf....I know! Such a sudden mention considering I hadn't talked much about it. But I had been talking about it with my parents and sisters since the beginning of June. The last few weekends, I had gone to some stores and went window shopping. Last week, I stepped in to Tiffany's and found some really nice rings for very reasonable prices. I know, Tiffany's! But they actually have some lower priced, high quality items! I was very pleased. So I had the lady order in some rings for me to take a closer look at and they came in on Sunday. So David and Will came with me to give me their opinion and helped me solidify my decision! I am all set with a new engagement ring! I don't think my gf knows about this blog, so I hope she won't find out from this....haha. That would ruin the whole surprise.
But anyway, we hung out and then now I am back and relaxing for a great summer ahead. Cheers!
So summer vacation officially started last Friday, July 20th. It was the last day of school and the rest is history after that. However, the day didn't start off on the right foot, haha. I slept in for work for the first time ever. I always used to sleep in for school during elementary, middle, and high school. But I haven't slept in for work yet. I usually get to work around 8am. But on Friday, I woke up at 9:36am....haha....and nobody called me to see where I was! Shows how much they actually care about me! j/k.....That day I didn't have any classes so I didn't miss anything. I was a few minutes late to the closing ceremony and then everything was fine after that.
But the day ended and then it was time for the weekend. My friend, Makoto, got married on Saturday, the 21st! He had the wedding at the Tokyo Bay Hilton Hotel, a very nice hotel right next to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort and Theme Park. It was pretty fancy to say the least. So my friend, David and I headed up to Chiba to spend the night and to relax for one last night with Makoto. We were also going to perform the ukulele as a special performance at the wedding so we practiced that a little bit. After chilling, we headed to the wedding on Saturday! It was very beautiful and even though it was cloudy/rainy, it was perfect weather. Recently, it had been hot....like 30-35 degrees C, but that particular day it was around 24 C. Perfect!!!
So we had the wedding and then later that evening, David and I went out for a little after party. Our friend, Will also met us out. We decided we wanted to stay out all night and so we went to a club nearby called Ageha. The biggest club in Japan! It was an alright night and we headed back early in the morning to get some rest in the hotel after being out all night! Heading back to the Hilton was a great way to get some rest after a long night out. One of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in!
The breakfast buffet was also absolutely amazing. Anyway, I got some rest and then I was able to get some amazing breakfast! Afterward, we headed back to Chiba to hang out and eat some lunch. For awhile now, I have been thinking about and preparing to propose to my gf....I know! Such a sudden mention considering I hadn't talked much about it. But I had been talking about it with my parents and sisters since the beginning of June. The last few weekends, I had gone to some stores and went window shopping. Last week, I stepped in to Tiffany's and found some really nice rings for very reasonable prices. I know, Tiffany's! But they actually have some lower priced, high quality items! I was very pleased. So I had the lady order in some rings for me to take a closer look at and they came in on Sunday. So David and Will came with me to give me their opinion and helped me solidify my decision! I am all set with a new engagement ring! I don't think my gf knows about this blog, so I hope she won't find out from this....haha. That would ruin the whole surprise.
But anyway, we hung out and then now I am back and relaxing for a great summer ahead. Cheers!
2 Years now
It's been 2 years in Japan now...I can't believe it! The time has gone by so quickly. I remember the first day I arrived here. It was soooo hot and humid. The sounds, smells, sights..everything was new! I remember stepping off the airplane and feeling tired but happy to have arrived. I was also anxious because I still had no idea what my living and work situation was going to be like in my new city. All I could think about or imagine were the stories from past JETs and advice from other people. I just wanted to know what MY situation was going to be like.
Well here I am 2 years later and things are much different today than they were back then. Here are some of the top things that have changed in my life since being here:
1. Listening/Reading comprehension in Japanese has increased sooo much! I am now a proud holder of the JLPT 3 certificate
2. I have been able to travel to at least 5 new prefectures since being here (Chiba, Tochigi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Nagano, Fukushima, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi) but I still have many more to visit!
3. I have been able to travel to nearby Asian countries (South Korea, Thailand, and soon to be China!)
4. My organizational skills and class leading skills have increased. I am able to think through for organizing my classes/schools and I am also able to think quickly on the spot.
5. I am engaged to a Japanese woman! I will be getting married soon!
These are pretty big changes/events in my life. Who knows what I would be like had I stayed in the US for the past 2 years instead. Either way, I have no regrets whatesoever of coming to Japan and spending my time here! My regrets would have been much much larger had I not come to Japan at all!
I am loving my time here and want to enjoy it as much as I can. I just wanted to mark my 2 years here as a significant step in my life.
Well here I am 2 years later and things are much different today than they were back then. Here are some of the top things that have changed in my life since being here:
1. Listening/Reading comprehension in Japanese has increased sooo much! I am now a proud holder of the JLPT 3 certificate
2. I have been able to travel to at least 5 new prefectures since being here (Chiba, Tochigi, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Nagano, Fukushima, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Shizuoka, Yamanashi) but I still have many more to visit!
3. I have been able to travel to nearby Asian countries (South Korea, Thailand, and soon to be China!)
4. My organizational skills and class leading skills have increased. I am able to think through for organizing my classes/schools and I am also able to think quickly on the spot.
5. I am engaged to a Japanese woman! I will be getting married soon!
These are pretty big changes/events in my life. Who knows what I would be like had I stayed in the US for the past 2 years instead. Either way, I have no regrets whatesoever of coming to Japan and spending my time here! My regrets would have been much much larger had I not come to Japan at all!
I am loving my time here and want to enjoy it as much as I can. I just wanted to mark my 2 years here as a significant step in my life.
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