Random events and what not

Hello all,

The last 6 weeks have been very busy and full of good times and bad times. Here's a few pictures from some of the events (the best event was my trip to visit Sean in Osaka/Kyoto, but I'll post those pics next time).

The second picture is from the Gundam Shot Bar in Sendai. For those of you who don't know, Gundam is a popular animated cartoon that has been airing in Japan for over 30 years. It involves two human factions battling each other in space using large robots, such as the model that I'm standing by. Gundam is so popular that there are 2 bars in Sendai dedicated to the series (one bar for each faction in the never-ending conflict). I went with a few of my students to check it out and I couldn't stop laughing at what I saw for the first 20 minutes I was there. There were dioramas and plastic figures and posters everywhere, as well as a large movie projector which was showing Gundam episodes. We saw about 3 episodes while we were there. The food was awful and the beer was expensive, so I doubt I'll go back, but it was a truly Japanese experience.

The picture in my classroom is me with one of my favourite students, Mutsuki. She came to my class 4 times a week from November until the end of February. She had to leave though because she was going to start her new job in her home town of Nagano. Everyone at my school loved her and we'll really miss her, especially me. But she invited me to come and visit, so I'll have to take her up on the offer sometime this year. Many other students have left this month too, as April is the beginning of the new school year and of the new fiscal year for most companies, so many people move home from University or they get transferred by their companies. It's a bit of a depressing time when you're an English teacher. So many great people move onto other cities. But April is a time for new students too(^_^).

Three of these pictures are from Geoff's visit to Sendai. For those of you who don't know, Geoff is my friend from University. We lived in the same apartment for almost 4 years. It was really great to have someone close from home come to visit; lots of reminiscing. He came on the same weekend that my co-worker Owain was celebrating his birthday, so we gave him a proper welcome by eating, drinking and singing karaoke until 4am. The poor guy was so tired by the time he left that I'm sure he was looking forward to his next stop: 3 weeks in Thailand. Lucky guy(^_^).

The final picture (with Lauren in it) is from a ramen shop that we like going to these days. It's the best deal around. For about $10, you get 2 beers, 3 appetizers and a bowl of ramen. Usually the 2 beers alone cost $10, so it's an unbeatable deal. The name of the shop is pretty cool too, "Akaoni" which means "Red Demon." If any of you are ever in Sendai, then I'll have to take you there. Anyway, those are a few of the things that have happened. I'm still plugging away at my Japanese and am getting a bit more confident. I have to try harder though. And I'll play my first baseball game on April 8th. Looking forward to it!!!

Kyoto pictures next time!!