they have the fastest train in the world, but no central heating! WHY???

hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,

i am getting so high off kerosene fumes right now. wooooooooo. damn its cold!!! it's probably nothing compared to canada rite now, but when there aint no central heating u feel it.

i was supposed to be on my way to mashima island for the week, but my trip got cancelled cuz of pauvre weather. i was looking forward to some enforced relaxation (oxymoron if i ever heard one) but its better this way cuz now i have more time to prepare for thailand. this thursday is our good bye dinner to omar. he's leaving japan cuz his mom is really sick back in england. poor dude. i didn't really hang out with omar, but it's still sad to see someone go. i felt teh same way when i found out this guy i met like twice left cuz his sis was going thru hard times. i get attached so easily to absolutely nothing, and indifferent to things that matter so much to me.

i love onsening! kinda liberating, prancing around neked in front of other women, showering together. not just for inmates anymore! and lounging in mineral baths, watching snow fall outside. i planning on going to an onsen on sakurajima island with outdoor hotsprings. and ibusuki for the hot sandbaths!!! crane watching in izumi! tanoshiiiii

p.s thank you yomie mcyomerson for the lovely handknit scarf! it brings out my eyes wonderfully...and minimizes my dependence on kerosene run heaters. (cue hallucinations) santa???

nani cup? nani cup?

just got back from my three day english camp extravaganza! holy moly, i think i worked the harder in the past 72 hours than my entire 4 months combined. bascially, us 6 ALTs were in charge of the students from 7 am to 10 pm at night.

i got to know my first year students a lot better. they're a really cool bunch of kids, if not a little bit...forthright. you'll see what i mean. i'm walking down the hallway when three of my girl students walk up to me and say "karen sensai, nani cup? nani cup?" translation: karen, what cup? what cup? i'm thinking they cant be asking what i think they're asking, and then start pointing at my breasts. dear lord, yes they are. i'm like why do you want to know? then they say my breasts are big, and i'm like no they arent! maybe compared to most japanese girls they are, but if they think i'm big they should see kates!!! shes a D cup!! anyhoo, i think thats the last of that when i go downstairs to take a shower. teachers get a seperate shower time from the students (thankfully cuz its a communal shower). i see three DIFFERENT girl students waiting outside with their shower stuff, and i'm like what are u doing? this isnt ur shower time, and they were like "we want to shower with you karen!" and i'm like "no, you cant" one of them actually starts pouting and stamping her foot demanding that we shower together! i ask "why do you want to shower with me?" and they tell me cuz they want to see my breasts. OMG whats with this sudden fascination with my boobs??? it gets to the point where i have to get one of the japanese teachers to stand guard while the rest of us ALTs get neked. OoOossshhhhhh!

other than that, i had a fun albeit tiring week. tonight gonna hit some local gay bars. why? cuz we can. always appreciate a challenge ;-) cheers ya wankas!