Lest you think that all I care about is stuff like plastic knick knacks, novelty cars and different coloured trees, I thought it was about time I introduce some more people to you! Here we have...
The Sanda school team. They are a really great bunch! But... I've never worked somewhere with such a high turnover. I guess that doesn't usually bode well! Oh well... 3 of the people in the picture will be gone as of the end of this year and 2 have started since I have! From left to right, Yukiko, Miki, Naoko, Sue-Yen (new teacher from Australia), Mayo and Anna (from NZ). Mayo, my manager, is leaving this week and my manager at the Kobe school has also given notice! I'm rather sad about that, they have been really great. Anna's already gone home to NZ and Naoko-san is the other one leaving, which I'm equally sad about - she's one of the nicest people I've ever met. They're ALL really nice!

I love these guys. The 2 women in the centre are sisters and their kids are in the same class. They are great fun - the little boy on the right is the naughty but cute Taiyo (being held by trainee manager Maki) and his cousin Cocoro (kokoro means heart, but they like being kool and spell it with a "C"!) is at bottom left. The other 3 girls are Misato, Aika and Kotoko.

This is a photo of a photo from Halloween (my first week teaching) from the start of October. Karen is the Canadian girl I replaced - she's a cool cat! Yes, that's a pumpkin on my head. Japanese people seem to love stuff like Halloween, just for the sake of dressing up I think. It's pretty dark stuff when you read into its origins! There's an Osaka loop-line party that happens every year when young people party on the train in their outfits.
Say "How" to the Howe's! Brad and Mizuho met me for a top day out in Osaka this week (it was a national holiday). This shrine was tucked away in the city streets.
We went to this place called Sammy Ebisu plaza where inside they have a fantastic trip back into the Osaka of the 1930s or thereabouts. The attention to detail is awesome. Brad and Mizuho well and truly surprised me with this gem of a place. There are little alleyways with stalls and restaurants and a cheesy but impressive show every couple of hours in the "square".
These 2 lovely ladies served us some dango or rice dumplings in sweet sauce on skewers. They perform in a band that plays Japanese-style New Orleans jazz - fitting nicely into the whole 30s nostalgia of the place. I bought their CD which was only just released, so they were stoked. I was stoked too!
Itadakimasu! i.e. Dig in! Oishii!
And so we move onto friends at Crossroad Bible Fellowship, Nishinomiya...
This is Mika - the girl I saw baptised during my first visit.
This is Taketo. He is a kak. He is a huge fan of the group GLAY - I'm not certain what they sound like, but I'm sure they all use Gatsby hair wax. They are very earnest looking... unlike Taketo!
Meet the Yahatas... the coolest family in Japan. Well, one of them! Keiji, Azumi, Mana-chu and Sugu-chan. Very cute kids! Despite language difficulties, Keiji-san and I have quickly become friends. Oh btw, if you are looking at my top thinking "That's not his top, it's my top!", then you're right... you left it in my car about 2 years ago... I tried to track you down, honest! But yeah, it's a nice fit, thanks! Send your complaints to the Spamurai...

So, as you can see, I'm blessed to be nearish to lots of great people. I hope you can meet them in person one day. I will get my act together and put up some photos of my farewell gatherings... sorry all. That's all for now...

Byee