tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63471660462007369442011-09-30T09:25:51.368-07:00Hey look updates!Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.comBlogger1261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-86286922934186475772011-07-31T20:47:00.000-07:002011-07-31T20:48:26.000-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-23347986960958596462011-07-30T09:37:00.000-07:002011-07-30T09:38:01.767-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-9560683066764632922011-07-27T08:04:00.001-07:002011-07-27T08:04:59.870-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-76344494172262576312011-07-25T16:06:00.000-07:002011-07-25T16:07:19.499-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-49293281136488219722011-07-24T17:12:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:12:14.823-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-74351842713160499382011-07-24T17:11:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:11:33.576-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-56524774747311990862011-07-24T17:10:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:10:16.606-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-37483095331978359822011-07-24T17:09:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:09:37.226-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-48370555135355409592011-07-24T17:08:00.003-07:002011-07-24T17:08:47.583-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-71915656746689207152011-07-24T17:08:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:08:14.482-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-36097052981164182112011-07-24T17:07:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:07:40.403-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-56223474427685202762011-07-24T17:06:00.003-07:002011-07-24T17:06:47.503-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-87708182840160947072011-07-24T17:06:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:06:19.182-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-16375184357301590652011-07-24T17:05:00.003-07:002011-07-24T17:05:49.108-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-53881315196182840952011-07-24T17:05:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:05:28.804-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-51186498688685800512011-07-24T17:04:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:04:45.668-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-86758075163008892952011-07-24T17:03:00.003-07:002011-07-24T17:03:47.595-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-57968768523854321212011-07-24T17:03:00.001-07:002011-07-24T17:03:13.096-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-452677563732835352011-07-24T16:59:00.000-07:002011-07-24T17:00:07.917-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-63315306836240480482011-07-23T21:33:00.000-07:002011-07-23T21:34:17.253-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-86317899379753440762011-07-23T21:29:00.001-07:002011-07-23T21:29:41.366-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-77769013189657388072011-07-23T21:27:00.001-07:002011-07-23T21:27:35.399-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-7493180967141488842011-07-23T21:07:00.000-07:002011-07-23T21:08:15.848-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-1150530544517363842011-07-23T03:44:00.000-07:002011-07-23T03:45:59.082-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-24607210552745692522011-07-23T00:54:00.000-07:002011-07-23T00:56:26.976-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-58386331238557619262011-07-23T00:47:00.000-07:002011-07-23T00:48:27.104-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-16401216719561871452011-07-23T00:32:00.000-07:002011-07-23T00:33:52.457-07:00

We lost

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-80979245283680241402011-07-22T21:52:00.000-07:002011-07-22T22:34:19.141-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-78211061943094227122011-06-23T07:32:00.000-07:002011-06-23T07:33:01.893-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-32910735755914825602011-05-11T06:11:00.001-07:002011-05-11T06:11:58.248-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-19815927880231680722011-04-17T15:23:00.000-07:002011-04-17T15:24:10.538-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-91693887938995769482011-01-01T10:15:00.001-08:002011-01-01T10:16:15.104-08:00

Just got back from the US.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-26936831258736119392010-11-18T18:37:00.001-08:002010-11-18T18:37:25.053-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-81862127959974453702010-10-24T02:13:00.001-07:002010-10-24T02:13:20.629-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-83104086799576199922010-10-15T22:46:00.000-07:002010-10-15T22:47:15.986-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-54109523501313766782010-10-10T19:34:00.001-07:002010-10-10T19:34:56.598-07:00

#1 My leg hurts

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-70736259358797627882010-09-28T19:01:00.000-07:002010-09-28T19:21:44.682-07:00

Jonathan reminded me that I had a blog, and I noticed that there was still time to squeeze in an update before the month ends. Who is to say that I don't update? I've had an update 3 months straight!Here is a sampling of our Sports Festival. We had it during the first weekend of September, but fortunately it was pretty cloudy that day and hadn't rained recently, so the humidity was actually

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-72372149613155053672010-08-09T08:33:00.001-07:002010-08-09T08:33:12.629-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-73428036256945322332010-08-06T00:27:00.001-07:002010-08-06T00:27:27.447-07:00

I haven't had it in so long.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-49772961692571787922010-07-30T18:52:00.000-07:002010-07-30T19:17:51.964-07:00

I survive the rainy season and managed to stay relatively dry for that month and a half. However, sadly this means that it is now summer, and with its coming the humidity happily hits 90% on many days. Still its a good feeling, once you get used to sweating all the time, you start to really enjoy it. I'm drinking 5-6 litres of water everyday, and like to imagine that all the liquid in my

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-54936360154227265522010-07-17T16:37:00.001-07:002010-07-17T16:37:30.928-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-79877248536405298112010-07-14T04:43:00.001-07:002010-07-14T04:43:24.033-07:00

Apparently.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-90119413260383232092010-05-12T06:45:00.000-07:002010-05-12T18:29:38.159-07:00

Visited in the last month. Hopefully soon I’ll have my Nagasaki tour refined and perfected into a compact 2 days. Pictures courtesy of Erik. (I think Jonathan took all the pictures when he was here and I don’t have access to them!) Nagasaki Harbour at Night These small streets are where all the nightlife happens. That is a dead snake in the liquor bottle This is Oura Cathedral. It

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-61748833040244772742010-05-11T04:42:00.000-07:002010-05-11T17:44:47.135-07:00

Graduation was on April 1st. There wasn’t nearly as much build up at my school as I would have expected. Many of the seniors were studying up until the last minute and the vast majority didn’t even know if they were accepted into college yet. I was most surprised at how seriously the event was treated. There were few smiles during the ceremony and certainly none of the shouting or cowbells

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-45221925662819925832010-05-10T04:34:00.000-07:002010-05-10T04:34:00.763-07:00

I had my students make some Easter Eggs back in March, here is what I was presented with.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-56202974782835179312010-05-09T04:24:00.000-07:002010-05-09T06:53:38.640-07:00

And Happy Mother's Day.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-49033530504366843612010-05-09T04:21:00.001-07:002010-05-09T04:21:48.974-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Nagasaki Lantern Festival.  The event lasted for the last two weeks of February and ensured that I was enjoying myself despite the lingering cold.  Anyway, sorry the pictures are late!  I stole a few from friends and will be sure to have a new camera (not just my phone) when the event comes around next year.     

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-3848833323007194902010-04-28T03:29:00.000-07:002010-04-28T05:05:21.036-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-24230751611909822312010-04-24T04:13:00.001-07:002010-04-24T04:13:47.563-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-11138690160502993122010-04-22T06:25:00.000-07:002010-04-22T06:26:30.269-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-70677395403315478792010-03-07T19:40:00.001-08:002010-03-07T19:40:46.716-08:00

Was tofu.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-37069029043508569912010-02-16T02:25:00.001-08:002010-02-16T02:25:45.462-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-42862223337732034172010-02-08T03:31:00.001-08:002010-02-08T03:32:37.873-08:00

I thought I would take a break from my habit of not updating or updating with only a picture and single line of text, and instead try to produce something more substantive. I have decided to recontract, and will be staying in Nagasaki for another year. In part, I wanted the chance to approach each experience I`ve had a second time, only presumably more knowledgeable and capable of making an

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-34519924530823992562010-01-12T15:29:00.001-08:002010-01-12T15:29:45.113-08:00

You slowed down my tram and made me late...

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-58449302826322368182010-01-12T05:44:00.000-08:002010-01-12T05:45:31.034-08:00

I can eat champon again!!!!

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-13399969982646439782010-01-08T05:56:00.000-08:002010-01-08T05:57:17.048-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-62926300383406901082010-01-04T00:58:00.000-08:002010-01-04T00:59:19.149-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-21654222722408490372010-01-01T22:49:00.000-08:002010-01-01T22:50:09.420-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-75236895700306169522010-01-01T20:08:00.001-08:002010-01-01T20:08:42.372-08:00

Where am I ? This is getting ridiculous.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-15587772639955611442010-01-01T17:29:00.001-08:002010-01-01T17:29:54.830-08:00

This isn't Nagasaki... I'm cold.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-4618001825439906572010-01-01T16:06:00.001-08:002010-01-01T16:06:43.230-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-50117692819897107672010-01-01T16:05:00.001-08:002010-01-01T16:05:54.433-08:00

On my way to Tokyo

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-26309700617730324762009-12-25T01:57:00.000-08:002009-12-25T01:58:02.357-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-4518636309977905502009-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:002009-12-20T21:35:00.321-08:00

My students always mess up l and r. At least this is far more harmless the the times they kept dropping the l entirely and writing 'pubic library.'

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-1269949711024800282009-12-11T06:21:00.000-08:002009-12-11T06:21:00.710-08:00

2 weeks ago I showed up to school and my morning class was cancelled (this happens 50% of the time anyway).  We instead spent the morning in the nearby housing area cleaning up the streets.  We met up with a group of senior citizens (in Japan can mean some really old people) and went out to pick up and sort some garbage.  Alas, the streets are mostly clean here, so we mainly walked.  Note the

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-67347358275540538562009-12-09T06:05:00.000-08:002009-12-09T06:05:00.571-08:00

Here are some leftover pictures from the school festival. The festival mostly consisted of dances by each age group. I helped work on the one with all the colored flags, and while it may look like a mess in the pictures, I swear it was much better choreographed…. Also take not of the bushes in the background that spell out the name of the school. At the end are some of the kids’ artwork and

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-90105607459697218322009-12-08T05:18:00.001-08:002009-12-08T05:19:14.447-08:00

Great day today! I taught a lesson at my special education school on Thanksgiving ( a bit late, I know). It was the first lesson I’ve done where all the materials and the lesson plan was created by me without using an guidebooks or past resources. I gave a presentation on Thanksgiving foods/symbols/parades, talked about the first thanksgiving, and then we made turkeys from hand-tracings. The

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-21964979172957190262009-11-30T01:59:00.001-08:002009-11-30T01:59:16.823-08:00

I like food.   COOKIES! Pita Chips! Twizzlers! Spice Drops!  Good n’ Plenty! Fig Newtons! Sunflower seeds!  Banana Chips! Chocolate! Knows me better than myself.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-57293647673980503892009-11-22T19:24:00.001-08:002009-11-22T19:36:31.339-08:00

My second school, Kakunan Special Education School, had its school festival last week. As part of the event the kids make lots of crafts and sell them as a fundraiser. Here are the items I picked up. Wooden Alligator who doesn’t afraid of anything Some bowls and lavender, also I got some lavender soap 2010 Calendar Notebooks with illustrations on each page

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-7345947026320171162009-11-13T20:54:00.000-08:002009-11-13T20:55:08.397-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-33624697885239908602009-11-11T18:14:00.000-08:002009-11-11T18:15:40.184-08:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-10198758616191119022009-11-09T04:48:00.001-08:002009-11-09T04:48:42.221-08:00

A few weeks ago I had a great business trip to an elementary school, which is great because I hardly ever am hanging out with little kids.  We went up to a park on top of some mountain and played games and picked oranges.  The entire event was well organized with groups of 7 kids being assigned to two foreigners to make a team.  My kids even wrote me a letter in Japanese, we played some catch

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-18270962876703115512009-10-29T16:02:00.000-07:002009-10-29T16:03:39.816-07:00

The 'ss' on the Nagasaki seaside liner looks very much like the 'ss' for schutzstaffel and thus also the one tatooed on nearly every aryan brotherhood member.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-1460625013203269132009-10-26T23:21:00.000-07:002009-10-26T23:22:50.893-07:00

Weather is nice.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-10298685301960945772009-10-26T05:59:00.001-07:002009-10-26T05:59:06.277-07:00

What was my last picture? Earlier this month Nagasaki celebrated Kunchi.  It is a 400+ year old festival celebrated farming and fishing harvests.  Nagasaki is divided into 50 or so districts, and every year 7 districts are chosen by rotation to perform a dance representing their area of the city.  So for these 3 days, you are able to catch performances as you are walking around, and I snapped

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-49199913100939100572009-10-12T17:58:00.000-07:002009-10-12T18:00:08.210-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-47265013873835845452009-10-08T07:38:00.001-07:002009-10-08T07:38:22.721-07:00

Now that I've been in Japan for 2 months, it seems as good a time as any to let you know what I'm doing here.  Last year I applied and was accepted to the JET Programme.  The Programme, started in the late 80's, is sponsored by a number of Japanese ministries (Education, Foreign Affairs, two others) and seeks english-speaking college graduates with the goal of placing them in Japanese schools to

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-16162608809800699392009-10-04T08:11:00.001-07:002009-10-04T08:11:02.357-07:00

Hello Everyone, We just had exams last week so I’m in the middle of grading hundreds of essays.  Once I finish that and return to a normal schedule you can expect to see a more substantive post.  In the meantime, check out these pictures from my phone! [Decorations Outside of Chinatown to Celebrate the Full Moon]   [Bentou Box from a Local Restaurant.  I’ve

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-28507210887203429312009-09-29T06:44:00.000-07:002009-09-29T06:45:22.810-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-10055571091804499812009-09-27T02:30:00.001-07:002009-09-27T02:30:48.216-07:00

[Photography Club][Become a Student]  [Cardboard Tram][Fall Display, complete with fish in the water] [Play about Casutera, A cake from Portugal][Play about Sakamoto Ryouma, whom a TV drama is being made about][The Biology Club’s Fish and other animals][Spectacle Bridge Mosaic][Calligraphy Club’s Presentations][View from our school][Tea Ceremony where I injured myself][Cinderella!]

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-75989344219076051222009-09-22T05:10:00.001-07:002009-09-22T05:10:39.036-07:00

Hello, and welcome back. Last weekend was our school festival.  The students spent every afternoon for the past two weeks preparing for the event.  They only attended morning classes and then spent the rest of their time preparing decorations, planning, and practicing skits.  Unfortunately this also meant that they spent hours in close contact and many of them contracted the flu in the process.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-78988578200737168502009-09-10T18:15:00.000-07:002009-09-10T18:16:16.905-07:00

Looks like it'll still be some time until I have Internet in my apartment.One of the bigger differences in Japanese high schools compared with US ones is that students stay in the same classroom all day. Instead of moving about the halls to a teachers room, the teachers move around to the students rooms. From year to year the classes stay the same, and thus students will be with the same

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-71825202897461057342009-09-02T01:47:00.000-07:002009-09-02T01:48:03.013-07:00

Quick update. I'm without Internet for the next week or so due to some issues with the change in residents at this apartment.For now enjoy this tram picture. The trams are real classics ( some dating back to 1921 ) and I love watching the conductor work all the levers with his hands and feet.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-78695397082336119682009-08-29T04:29:00.000-07:002009-08-29T04:53:30.037-07:00

One of the stranger things to adjust to in Japan is the currency. I emptied my coin purse today and it had 44$ worth of coins (pictured) It's quite easy to spend your coins without realizing their value (they can go up to 5$ and the smallest amount pictured here is still .50$).

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-2743666377825835372009-08-25T00:33:00.001-07:002009-08-25T00:33:51.199-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-42672350267182708612009-08-23T17:57:00.000-07:002009-08-23T17:58:17.294-07:00

And it's all beaches and hotsprings.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-27899235757396110342009-08-23T00:33:00.000-07:002009-08-23T00:34:06.659-07:00

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-11202219293709863452009-08-18T03:19:00.001-07:002009-08-18T07:27:58.652-07:00

As I previously mentioned, this weekend marked the end of Obon.  It didn`t take long to realize that Nagasaki celebrates Obon in its own unique way.  For one, instead of merely lighting lanterns, they create giant lantern boats which are then paraded down the street, many larger boats reached lengths of 30-50 ft and were walked by processions that ranged in size from 5   to 40 people.  Certainly

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-46758243147957863262009-08-16T02:15:00.001-07:002009-08-16T02:15:52.710-07:00

I’ll get around to describing Obon later, but for now, here are some pictures of Spectacles Bridge.  It was built in 1634 and is notable for its Chinese design (Nagasaki was one of the  few places where Chinese merchants could live during the period of national isolation in Japan).  It is named Spectacles Bridge because the reflection in the water resembles a pair of glasses.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-90343901757998010752009-08-11T05:38:00.001-07:002009-08-11T05:40:09.783-07:00

I`ve already been given a 5-day weekend without having even worked 5 days!  August 12th to 15th mark the Obon holiday.  Obon (`O` is just a modifier showing that it is honored, so you could just call the holiday Bon) is a Japanese Buddhist holiday during which people honor their ancestors.  Next to New Years it is probably the busiest time for travel in Japan, as most people will return home to

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-9801165892305053172009-08-09T04:41:00.001-07:002009-08-09T04:41:39.181-07:00

Today was an exciting day at the school.  For those that don`t know, today is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.  Thus, even though it is a Sunday, all the students and teachers were required to come to school.  Up until this point I had only met a few teachers and student since they had been taking advantage of summer break.  I was quite surprised this morning to find a piece of

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-81654794679704950802009-08-08T06:36:00.001-07:002009-08-08T06:36:35.561-07:00

Last night, I met up with a number of the other language teachers in the area and hung out in a park by the bay before heading across town to a bar for some karaoke.  They were a great group of people and all of them have been teaching anywhere from 2 to 4 years in Nagasaki city, so hopefully that bodes well for me. I spent my saturday out walking and getting acquainted with the area.  I saw

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-49622888486936582122009-08-07T17:36:00.001-07:002009-08-07T17:36:49.288-07:00

I was officially employed by the principal of my school today.  We had a miniature ceremony in his office.  In general formality is a big part of Japanese society (like bowing), so when I went into his office we jumped from informal small talk into this ‘ceremony to note a change of employment.’  The principal, two vice principals, and an accompanying teacher formed a half circle around me and

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-84317584870547862452009-08-06T02:43:00.001-07:002009-08-06T02:47:44.840-07:00

Me: M. Sensei, I was thinking about running to school in the mornings, do you think that would be alright? M. Sensei: Of course! Me: Is there anyplace I would be able to take a shower? M. Sensei: Oh I see… Well just use the student shower in the gym or pool house. Me: Don’t you think that is a bit strange, I’m not sure students and teachers should use the same shower. M. Sensei: It is fine.

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-20009135977872571942009-08-03T15:54:00.001-07:002009-08-03T15:54:22.876-07:00

Had a full day of orientation meetings yesterday and some ceremonies along with a few people from the Ministries that sponsor the program. There really hasn’t been much time to get out (not that I expected there to be), but I did manage to catch up with some friends from last year.  It really feels like I hadn’t even left the city. [Picture of Chuo Ward (financial center of Tokyo), Same view

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-30312882280187481572009-08-02T05:53:00.001-07:002009-08-02T05:53:45.494-07:00

After another long flight, I’m safely back in Japan!  Touched down at Narita earlier today and I’ll be spending the next 3 nights here in Tokyo.  Tonight is my only free night before we enter two days of orientation meetings and I’m not going to let JET lag stop me from catching up with friends. This is my new old blog and I’ll try to keep it updated more than the last one! [Picture of

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-85477555897739504292008-06-06T23:56:00.000-07:002008-06-07T00:10:48.785-07:00

Back again. Here’s an outline of this post:(fast) Q&AWhaleWhere did you get these numbers from? According to US 2000 Census, US average family size is 3.14. Based on Google, sampled Japanese family size is 3.66 in 2006, and projected to be 2.73 in 2010. Well mister anonymous, I’m not so sure why you want to take issue with my numbers, but I’ll treat you anyway. I pull all my numbers from CIA

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-16346803367219192892008-05-30T02:18:00.001-07:002008-05-30T02:19:05.275-07:00

Hey guys, I’m back in action on the blog again, sorry the updates aren’t exactly regular.. .woops! The weather in Japan hasn’t been all that good, in fact I’m wearing *gasp* a long sleeve shirt today, and was a quite cold in my shorts (I refuse to wear pants this close to June). We’ve had a lot of rain, and it is really just enough rain to inconvenience you while doing anything outdoors that

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-2435924312648410282008-05-21T08:28:00.000-07:002008-05-21T08:28:04.187-07:00

Kidding of course!So since March I have been working as an english teacher. The general set-up is that I meet my students at a cafe, they buy me a drink, and then I attempt to teach english with varying amounts of success. Currently I have five students, looking to learn english for various reasons and with highly variable english abilities. I've made a small list of them all below!1# - Male -

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6347166046200736944.post-88068936395204892332008-05-19T07:37:00.000-07:002008-05-19T08:27:43.475-07:00

So for Golden-week (really just a three day weekend) I went to see my old homestay Satoru's family in Gunma. The name means 'group of horses' so you know its gonna be countryside. Once again, instead of saying something thought-out and coherent... I'm going to throw up some pictures and talk about them! Time has been passing by really fast lately, I can't believe its already been two weeks

Daniel Andreanonoreply@blogger.com6