My Month in a Nutshell.

Wow, it has been exactly a month since I last posted an entry here. Things have been happening! I have started working at my new school - Momoyamadai JHS - yes it's a mouthful, but everyone there is just LOVELY. In fact, I am distinctly under the impression that this is the best school I will be working at. Not that there was much wrong with the last two schools, but it just seems like the teachers here as a general group are a lot more outspoken and friendly. It's a much smaller school too... only 400 students compared to the 1000 at Ibukidai. I think that makes for a much less stressful environment. I am still busy. I will teach every class once a week, plus the special elective class for the 9th and 10th graders. Yay!

Ok, enough about my new school. The other major thing this month was my Mum's visit to Japan to see me and the CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!!!!!!!!!! She spent about 2 weeks, and we visited many of the good spots - Osaka,Himeji, Kyoto, Koya-san, and of course, right here in good ol' Kobe. We also spent her last weekend in Nagoya, visiting the Kumagai's, friends my family made during their visit to Fiji last January. So all in all, a really excellent time. I am having withdrawals having to go back to daily life, and being all alone in my gorgeous little apartment, which I realised at last is very very me, and very cute. I am going to miss it so much when I am finished here!

So... time to put in pictures from the "Andy and Mandy show - on the road"...



Mum and me... our feet on the mossy ground of Koya-san.


The main entrance of the temple we stayed at in Koya-san... so tranquil!




Our friends the Kumagai's in Nagoya. We spent our last weekend with them and had a wonderful time. Wine and sukiyaki ahoy.... this pic is to make my Dad jealous... as if he needed another reason to wish he was there!

Mr. Kumagai is taken with his new Aussie apron and orange Indigenous art plate...lurvely!


Mum making me pose artistically in Kyoto... awww.


Mum took this photo at the local park in Gakuentoshi... pretty!


Suzi, Mum, me and Emz enjoy a night of ikebana. Mum has quite a talent... hers is on the left nearest Suzi...


The cutest little girls riding their bikes in the local park... they kept insisting they didn't want their photograph taken yet couldn't help posing for the camera!!


Mum surrounded by beautiful Sakura.


The first picture I took of Mum under the cherry blossoms in Himeji.


Hitomi took us out for dinner in Osaka... our first big outing!

Me and my ma living it up in Japan... good times had by all!