I was back at Bunko today in order to help with their final listening test. Today was the last day of a 5-day long test period. In order to celebrate the end of the students' last test of their high school career, the teachers organized a lunch for all the students, teachers and kyoto sensei (the vice-principal) to have together.

After everyone was seated, but before everyone said itadakimasu (literally means 'thank you for letting me eat you' but is better translated as 'bonne appetit'), Okubo sensei called me up to the front. As I was making my way to the front, I was thinking that I wish she had told me I was supposed to say something so that I could have prepared something. But instead, she said the students had prepared something they wanted to give me.

A representative from each class come up to hand me a beautifully decorated class picture with notes from all the students. I was so touched!!

Everyone was free to go home after lunch, but some hung around at school and played cards etc. Here are some pictures with some of the kids.

It was a nice day at Bunko..I will see them next on March 2nd at their graduation.

The status on whether to stay another year or not: still undecided....but leaning towards staying an extra year.

I got the following 'Graduate Student's Anthem song' from Roxy today, and thought it was entertaining enough to post here, enjoy!

The Graduate Student's Anthem song
(sung to the tune of Hotel California)

In a dark deserted room,
Brylcreem in my hair.
Warm smell of unwashed socks,
Rising up through the air.
Up ahead on my PC...
I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim,
I had to work through the night.

As he stood in the doorway,
I heard the Rush Rhees bells.
And I was thinking to myself,
'two years of researching - this could be hell'
Then he picked up my paper,
And he gave me an 'F'.
there were voices down the corridor,
Thought I heard them say,

'Welcome to the world of academia
Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, such a lovely phase.
Plenty of room at the world of academia,
Any time of year, any time of year,
you can get screwedout here.

'My mind was stiff and a-twisted,
The coursework never seemed to end.
Got a lot of glassy genius boys,
That we call friends.
How they crammed in the libr'ry,
Sweet summer sweat.
Some mugged to remember,
Some mugged to forget.

So I called my advisor,
'Please make me a T.A.'
He said ' We've never had such spirit here
Boy, you really make my day'
And now those students keep calling from .. far away,
Waking up in the middle of the night,
Just to hear them say

'Welcome to the world of academia,
Such a lovely place, such a lovely place, such a lovely phase
Livin' it up at the world of academia
We don't mean to cheat,
we don't mean to cheat,
where's your answers sheet?

Four years was my ceiling,
Then came some advice.
He said 'We are all just prisoners here
Failed my defense thrice'
In the dissertation chambers,
The doctoral committee,
They quiz him with their steely glares
And he can't get his Ph.D.

Last thing I remember,
I was running for the door.
I had to find a passage back
To the place I was before.
'Relax', said the chairman,
'Til some results we receive.
You can check out any course you like
But you can never leave.'

Running

One of the many events held at Seiryo high school is a marathon (6km for girls, 9km for boys) that all the first and second year students are required to participate in. In preparation for it, all the PE classes for the past month or so have involved running.

I really admire how the studnets all push themselves so hard to do what they're supposed to do, it's very motivating.

A bunch of students kept asking me to come join them. So today I did.

I'm no runner...but... I RAN!! ahh it felt good!! Except for the sweating.

The gym teacher said it was ok for me to participate in the PE class. They all had to run 3.5km and were being timed. I managed to run 2.5km before nearly passing out. Not bad for someone who hasn't run in the last 6 months!

I think I might join them again this friday.

Mondays are always my craziest days at school, teaching 5 out of the 7 periods. We're starting a new project where the students will be preparing a skit about being sick. It should be entertaining to watch!

Kitano sensei informed me today that it will not be possible for me to get kenshyu (study leave) for the Japanese language school. According to kyoto sensei (the vice-principal), who had called the prefectural board of education, they did away with kenshyu a few years back for JETs. Oh well...I still think I will attend this Japanese course. It better be good!

From school, I met up with Alex in Isahaya and we made our way to a ramen shop that he'd mentioned a while back as being one of the best ramen places he's been to. We arrived a little before the opening time of the shop, so decided to kill some time at Joyfull where we ran into some of his students. The power of a foreign guy in Japan...he has only to glance in their direction to make them giggle!

So after starting with desert at Joyfull (rich chocolate cake..yum..), we went back to the ramen shop for dinner. My first impression was that this ramen (called tan tan men) looks very different from all previous I've seen...it looks like mud. But it tasted much better than it looked!

Bird flu reaches Japan

and in Kyushu of all places..!

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyid=2007-01-27T115242Z_01_TKV002992_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-JAPAN.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

Highlight of the day: Talking with everyone back home!

Being the big dork that I am, I took a couple of screen shots of the unsuspecting family members...I miss you all!!

To re-contract or not to re-contract..

For the past week (well, for much longer than that but especially this past week), the decision about whether to stay a 4th year in Japan has been stressing me out. The deadline for handing in my 'intent to re-contract' form is coming up soon...exactly a week from today, on February 2nd.

Before coming to Japan, I had no idea what to expect and had no preference as to where I wanted to work. I feel that I really lucked out with my placement. I was assigned to an upper-academic school attended by 900 students and 60 teachers. I am kept quite busy at work and get along with all the teachers so it makes work seem...well, not like work. And I have very genki students. Even at Bunko where the students' main goal is not academic achievements, I still feel like I'm making a difference in the lives of these students.

Should I leave while I'm still enjoying what I do? Or stay one more year and possibly get sick of being in Japan?

A few things I need to keep in mind for next year:

Every April, there's a reshuffling of the teachers throughout the Nagasaki prefecture, which means the dynamics in the staff room will change.

It also means I don't know who I'll be working with in the new school year. If I end up having to work with grouchy, stuck-in-their-old-ways teachers, it will certainly make for a very different experience than I've had to date...

Another change from previous years is that almost all the foreigners that I like to spend time with will be heading back to their home countries soon.

There are good and bad things about living in Japan..Is it any different from anywhere else in the world? There will always be good things and bad things about anywhere you live, anything you do.

I know that I really love teaching. I discovered this when I was given my first French class at UWO. I was encouraged by the fact that the course director had so much positive feedback to share with me after sitting in on one of my classes after only 2 months. Having been awared the 'Excellence in Teaching' for each of the two years that I taught was another source of encouragement. Teaching is something I want to continue doing for the rest of my life!

Do I want to continue teaching in Japan? Although there are many aspects of living in Japan which appeal to me a great deal, I don't think I would live in Japan for good. At least not in the same position I'm in..there's no future in what I'm doing now. As a JET, I have the option of staying a total of 5 years. (This is a new change to the re-contracting procedure, introduced just this year..in previous years, the maximum allowed time on the JET program was 3 years).

I'm in the opinion that any experience is (or can be a) positive experience. I've learned many things living in Japan these past 2.5 years. I've also learned a lot about myself..There are many aspects of Japanese culture which I think would be worthwhile trying to incorporate into the way I deal with people.

What will I do when I finish working here? I want to pursue my studies in linguistics (possibly using some of what I've learned of the Japanese language) while teaching at the university.

Should I put it off one more year to continue teaching/living here?

The English level of the teachers I work with is fairly high and and I make it a point not to use any Japanese in class. So as a result, I don't get much opportunity to practice my Japanese while at work. Although my Japanese has improved by leaps and bounds from when I first arrived here (due in large part to the fact that I knew almost nothing when I first got here), I feel that my Japanese should be much better than it is after having been here for as long as I have!

I've been looking into 2 or 3 week Intensive Japanese Language courses to help up my level. I've found one with the YWCA in Tokyo which seems decent and is reasonably priced. (http://www.tokyo.ywca.or.jp/ryugakusei/eng/others.html) Although I've submitted the application for it, I haven't paid yet.

I explained to my supervisor that I was interested in taking this course, and asked if it might be possible to take kenshyu (study leave) instead of nenkyu (paid holiday) for the two weeks I'd be spending in Tokyo. She said that many years ago, they used to grant kenshyu to ALTs, but this changed maybe 5 years ago when they found that it was being abused by many. She said she will bring it to kyoto sensei (the vice principal) and see what he says.

He said that it should be ok for me to use kenshyu! But he will check with the Nagasaki prefecture and will have a meeting with kocho sensei (the principal) and the head of the secretary's office, then let me know what the final decision is. It would be nice not to have to use 10 paid holidays for this course! We'll see what happens.

On my way home from school, I stopped by the hyakun en (100 yen) store and ran into some students of mine.

They wanted to do purikura together since there was a machine just a few feet away. I think this is the first time I've taken pictures with students, they were really cute!

Iwata san came over this evening, bringing with her some tea she bought while she was in Africa. I find these informal Japanese conversation classes with her very useful. She's always so upbeat and full of energy...! She has a special love for Korea, having traveled there a dozen times, studied the language and taught Korean classes at community centers (still does). A Korean graduate student will be doing a 2-week homestay at her place. I might be meeting this girl when she arrives as well..we'll see!

Bunko class

Today was my last day having classes with the students at Bunko. I’ve taught these students once a week for the last 2.5 years. Because the school will be closing down this March, there are only 3rd year students…so only 37 students in the whole school! The teachers have their hands full dealing with all the home-related problems that each student has.

I’ll be back at the school for a final test next week and I won’t see them again until their graduation next month.

Rock star Roxy!

The beautiful and talented Roxy now has a couple of songs posted on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFPyWVqKGm8#GU5U2spHI_4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KhfcAHMxc

Wow, Rox, you sound amazing!!

Erica visits (Jan 20-21)

Erica came over from Kumamoto for the weekend. We spent the weekend catching up since this was the first time we've gotten together in the last 3 months or so..!

The port is about an hour from my place. On our way back to Isahaya from the port, Erica commented on the woman who was driving ahead of us. She said she was looking our way quite a lot. After Erica mentioned this, I noticed that the lady was blatantly staring at us through the rearview mirror. No effort whatsoever was being made at being discreet. The road leading into town is a one-lane road for most of the way, so we spent a good 40 minutes behind this lady. Once we got into town, we went our separate ways.

We had lunch with Alex, at a ramen shop. He has become (or maybe always was?) a ramen connaisseur... For me, I find that meals had in good company usually taste good (except for expired food on the plane!!)

Several hours later, after meeting up with Alex, having lunch, chatting etc.. Erica and I continued our way to Nagasaki city. Further up, there was a car accident which was causing some congestion. While sitting in traffic, I notice that the car in front of us was the same make as the one from the port. After taking a closer look, we realized it was the same car with the staring lady! The look the lady gave us was priceless, it put both Erica and I in a fit of laughter..which kept us entertained for most the way :) What are the chances of meeting up again like that and being stuck in traffic together once again! Erica (reluctantly) agreed to take a picture of the car!

We wandered around downtown for a while, checked out the stores. On our way past Suwa shrine, we took a quick trip up the stairs to the shrine. The japanese custom is to visit a shrine in the new year to wish for good luck in the coming year. For the first week or so of the new year, there are many stalls around the entrances selling all kinds of good luck pendants, keychains etc. During this time, people also tend to buy pieces of paper with their fortune written on it. After reading it, they will tie it to a tree around the shrine.

I was hoping to get a chance to talk with my parents this weekend, but things were a little too busy...guess it'll be for next week. Love u all :)

I straightened my hair last night for the first time using the iron mom sent me.

When I arrived at school today, the reaction I got from both students and teachers was more than I was expecting...it was very entertaining!!!

Dinner at Kawano sensei's place

After school, I headed down to Kawano sensei's place. We used to teach at Bunko together over a year ago. We've stayed in touch, but this is the first time I've met up with her since quite some ago I think..

3 of her 5 children were there, as well as daughter/son-in-laws and a grandchild. Her eldest son died last year. He was only 28 years old, had gotten married 3 years earlier and had a 2 year old. It was extremely sad... I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for their family.

Back to this evening. One of her daughers and a daughter-in-law were both pregnant, due on the same day!! Shimasaki sensei was a high school classmate of the youngest daughter, and so she dropped by later in the evening as well. It was a very homey kind of evening!

Here's Kawano sensei with my parents when they came to Japan.

Saved from almost freezing to death!

The school got me a brand new heater! yoohoo!!! No more waking up and getting ready in 8-10C temperature...!!

I appreciate the present you sent in the mail Erica, it helped keep me warm!

You have been in Japan too long....

A little light-heared humour which will be appreciated mostly by those who have lived in Japan (or are familiar with Japanese culture):

You have been in Japan too long...

• when you are tongue-tied to find your words in your mother tongue.

• when you realise you need feet massage and hot baths in winter because it's colder inside your house than outside.

• when you select shoes based on how easily you can get them on and off.

• when you think they mean your neighborhood whenever you hear U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name."

• when you stand in front of a taxi and wait till the driver will open the door.

• when you refer to your nose when you say "I".

• when you cut the air with your hand (like a sword) when you want to cross a group of people

• when you think Y4000 is a reasonable prize for a nice melon. (approx. $40)

• when you finally start enjoying some Japanese TV programs. (will have to start watching TV before this happens..!)

• when you say sumimasen whenever you want to apologize for things that might happen or maybe not.

• when you know exactly the percentage of opening of cherry blossoms near your house, and watch attentively their development day after day, then talk about it with anyone you meet.

• when you want to travel, but have no time because of your work and are reluctant because foreign countries are so dangerous.

• when you wonder what omiyage you'll bring back to your colleagues and friends before leaving for you holiday/vacation

• when you wish you have a fan in summer to cool yourself on the street.

• when you look for people in front of a train station who distribute paper handkerchiefs.

• when you make a bow after getting the money from the cash machine.

• when you leave the warm water in the bath tub for your kids.

• when you end your statements with random vagueness.

• when you buy gifts for co-workers whenever you leave town, even if it's just for a few hours.

• when you don't bat an eye when you see a salary man on the train looking at a magazine with nudity.

• when you can convert katakana back to English without having to first sound it out ten times slowly.

• when you plan you next holiday back home as a savanah expedition

• when you start loving natto.

• when you can't even have a family picnic without an opening and closing ceremony.

• when you think eating with otemoto is faster than with fork and knife (and actually you are faster with it).

• when you take your shoes off...in the dressing room of a clothing store.

• when you find yourself nodding your head back to the newscaster at the beginning and end of a newscast.

• when you start to believe that nori makes the hair stronger.

• when you hide from the NHK man routinely.

• when you read English words and start reading with Japanese pronunciations (e.g., DATE becomes da-to).

• when you actually dream in Japanese.

• when you return to your home country and drink soup directly from the bowl when you think no one is looking as it's so much easier.

• when you think US$7 is not bad for a cup of coffee and a sliver of cake or pie.

• when you answer "hai!" even when speaking English to non-Japanese friends.

• when you don't need a restroom to pee in public.

• when you believe no party is complete without a trip to the karaoke.

• when someone says "mansion" you picture a two-bedroom flat in a 400-unit apartment building.

• when you mutter "yoshi!" when lifting heavy objects or reaching the top of the stairs.

• when you make a loud "haaah" after each sip of hot tea.

• when you notice improvement in your Nihongo when you start ordering "hotto doggu" instead of "atsui inu"!

• when you start wondering if the policeman in front of you will check you bicycle registration just because you are a "gaijin".

• when you are tired of being asked if your country has four seasons, if you can eat sushi and natto, eat chopsticks and sleep on a futon, although you have been here for years.

• when you go back to your home country and are surprised to see so many gaijin.

• when you ask other foreigners what kanji they chose for their hanko.

• when you have changed your keitai’s ringtone 10 times this week and wonder what which tune you should download next.

• when you can't stop saying "samui, samui" to yourself when it's a bit cold, and "atsui, atsui" when it's slightly too hot.

• when you start saying "eeeh" and "oooh" in front of the TV, just to do like everybody.

• when you think that "minus image" is proper English (as in "these clothes really give him minus image").

• when you think that that taking 5 kinds of kanpou (Chinese herbal medicine) all year round is necessary to keep you healthy.

• when you check which dog is popular at the moment before buying one.

• when you look forward to winter in your Japanese house so you can store beer and frozen foods in your bedroom and bathroom.

• when you are worried because the cherry blossoms are late.

• when you watch Chinese or Korean movies relying on the Japanese subtitles.

Yep....I think I've been here maybe a little too long...!

Moving on to a completely different (and not nearly as funny) topic, I'm still without a heater. I haven't been spending much time in my apartment, other than to sleep, because it's so cold...it's colder inside than it is outside!

It’s raining.........dead birds?

What could be causing dead birds to be dropping out of the sky on two opposite sides of the world?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=427997&in_page_id=1811

Iwata san came over this evening, and we had a bit of an Australian food tasting thing happening. She really liked vegemite, so I offered her one of the mini-size bottles that I had brought back. She wanted to have her husband try it.

It is SO cold. This broken heater is a huge inconvenience…. I don't think I will survive much longer without a heater.

It was my first day back at Bunko since the winter holidays. It was good see everyone again!

I had brought back some vegemite from Australia. At bunko, I usually have lunch with the students and thought I would share some of it with them. I bought some crackers to go with the vegemite, and offered some to the students. They all put the crackers in their mouth at the same time so that one person's reaction wouldn't ruin it for others...

Their reaction was priceless!!

I also offered some to the teachers. Many said that vegemite tastes similar to miso soup. I guess that would be the closest Japanese food it would taste like. I also offered them some TimTams to clear the palate a little..

After school, I headed down to Isahaya to meet up with Amanda, Amber and Alex.

Amanda is going back to Australia this Saturday. So we had a small goodbye dinner for her at a yakiniku (fry meat ; at the center of the tables , there are small grills to cook the raw meat that the waitress/waiter brings) restaurant.

Our little gaijin club ended the evening with a trip to Baskin Robbins for old time sake.

Amanda's a great gal, I'm going to miss her!!!

Coming of Age Ceremony

Turning 20 is a big turning point for Japanese. From this age on, Japanese are considered adults who are now productive members of society.

Every year, a coming-of-age ceremony (seijin no hi) is held for everyone who turns 20 that year.

Guys usually wear a suit to their coming-of-age ceremony, while girls a furisode (a special type of kimono with extra-long sleeves and very elaborate designs, usually worn by unmarried women). I think it might be the most formal outfit there is in Japan..

If you wander around town on this day, you will see many young girls wearing a furisode and done up to the max. The rental of these outfits must cost a pretty penny...but they look absolutely gorgeous!

Coming-of-Age day is also a national holiday, so I had the day off from work.

Amanda and I spent the day downtown shopping, eating and gawking at all the beautifully dressed girls.

What a lazy day today was...!

Before falling asleep last night, I had a made a mental list of all the things I wanted to get done this morning.

What time did I wake up today? 5pm! I can't believe I slept in so late.... I can't remember the last time I woke up past 8am.

I guess my body needed the extra sleep after all the traveling these past 2 weeks!

I’m now ending my day at school, and am looking forward to going home and getting things unpacked and organized. I got home a little late last night and was just zonked out.. It’s a good thing we have a long weekend coming up! No work after today till Tuesday, woohoo!

When I went to get the form to request paid holiday for my absence yesterday, I was told that since my being absent was beyond my control, I would be excused from having to use paid leave. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that I shouldn’t have to use paid leave, but since I was expecting to have to use some, it was a nice surprise to not have to!

It was such a pleasant surprise to come home to find so many new years card greetings!

Unfortunately, I also came home to find that my kerosene heater was not ready to start working again after its 2 week break...!!

Australia Trip (Dec 22 - Jan 4)

This trip went by so fast..it was jam-packed with activities from visiting touristy places, meeting new people, and lots of shopping. We got very little sleep but it was lots of fun!

We flew with China Eastern Airline. Never again will I fly with them!! I had heard some not-so-good things about the company before flying with them, but since I'd never flown with them (and they offered the cheapest ticket), I thought I would see for myself what they're like. I have flown with many different companies and no company comes anywhere near being as awful as China Eastern Airline.

All the food they served was past the expiry date (and the bread had MOLD on it...eww.), the service was awful in so many ways, controls and heaphones for two out of our three seats didn't work, the safety video which is usually shown at before taking off..well, it didn't play. There were also smaller things like not being able to tell when annoucement switched from Manderin to English, asking for an extra blanket of which they don't have any, Miho wanted to have a drink and they don't serve any alcohol (most long-haul flights offer drinks, this was a 10 hour flight).

It's a good thing the company on the flight was good!...For the first half of the travel, I met a very friendly Australian dude who was heading back home for the holidays. The second half of the trip was with Sheila and Miho, both of whom are always a lot of fun to be with!

MELBOURNE

In Melbourne, we stayed at Jon's place. He just recently finished his studies and started his new job at the largest bank in Australia. His goal: to be a millionaire before he reaches 30. His mom happened to be visiting from Malaysia, she was such a sweet lady! She made us all feel very welcome.

On our first day, we ran into Daniel!! What a surprise that was...

In the summer of ’99, Shalini, Neda and I had volunteered at the House of Worship in New Delhi, India for 2 months. During our time there, we met volunteers from all around the world...Daniel was an Australian volunteer serving during the same time. We ended up traveling around for 3 days around New Dehli, Jaipur and Agra together.

Back to the Australia trip: We were wandering around in a mall with some of the Aussie people we were staying with. We ran into Vijay, a friend of Jon’s. Vijay was doing some shopping with a friend of his…Daniel! What a small world…..!!

It felt like we spent a lot of this trip eating. There was so much good food to have...I miss having a variety of restaurants to choose from. Unfortunately, in Japan it's hard to find non-Japanese-food restaurants. Or if you do, if often turns out to be Japanese-Italian food...!

Here we are at a Malaysian restaurant (Left to right: me, Miho, Sheila and Jon)

While in Melbourne, I was happy to have a chance to get a haircut. The girl who cut my hair had a persian boyfriend, so I got a bit of discount because of our persian-connection.. :)

Later on in the day, I met up with Sheila and Shamim at the Victoria Market downtown.

That evening, we went to the Grand Casino, which boasts to be one of the largest casinos...


BRISBANE

In Brisbane, we stayed with Josceline and Sanjeev. They just recently got married in July and are the sweetest people you will ever meet!!

Lim Soon Kam, a Malaysian Baha’i who was the recipient of the Most Outstanding Young People Awards a few month ago, went back to Kuala Lumpur for the holidays and left us the use of his car during our time in Brisbane!

On the first day, we dropped off our bags at Josceline’s place and followed Sanjeev to the Gold Coast.

We spent time at the beach, then visited a café where we met Sheila's sister, husband and four little nephews. We hung around Surfer’s Paradise for the evening, got some shopping done then headed back.

On Boxing day, we headed downtown to one of the bigger malls to see what kind of deals we could find. Here's Nosrat and I taking a break from the shopping.

That night, there was a pot luck held at Michael and Delshat's place, a Baha'i couple with four very cute little boys.

Everyone digging into the food...!

Fumi and Miho did a 'how to make sushi' presentation later on in the evening. I will have to try it when I get back to Canada!

(Left to right: Miho, Sheila, Fumi, me and Josceline)

The following day, we went to a wildlife preservation park called ‘Lone Park’. We fed the birds,

wandered amongst kangaroos

and fed them, held koalas, got to see dingos as well as other animals native to Australia.

Koalas must be the laziest animals around. They are one of the few animals who survive solely on eucalypts, which incidentally is poisonous for many other animals. In order to conserve energy, koalas will sleep for 18 to 20 hours a day…What a life!…

I was surprised at how heavy the koala was (an adult koalas can weigh between 8-14kg).

That evening, we went back to the cafe that had the most delicious italian hot chocolate....yum yum.

The following day Miho and I spent at DFO (Discount Factory Outlet). We got lots of shopping down, then rode the 'city cat' back to the city.

From the boat taking us back to the city we sat back and enjoyed the most beautiful sunset..!

That night, there was a little gathering at Amelia's place. Amelia was born in Tanzania, and her parents are friends of the Newport family, who are friends of my parents from when we both lived in Africa. What a small world....

SYDNEY

Nosrat, Miho and I traveled to Sydney together with 4 people’s worth of luggage. As we you can see, we were weighed down quite a bit by the excessive amount of baggage!!

In Sydney, we stayed at Fiona’s place. Fiona and Anneleis (who has violent reactions to having her picture taken), took us all over town, driving us everywhere. What gracious hosts they were!

On our first day/ night, we went down to Darling Harbour.

(Left to right: me, Sheila, Fiona, Miho and Nosrat)

Everyone kept mentioning this 'amazing' chocolate cafe that we had to visit.

They served melted chocolate as a drink...I was in heaven!!

The next day, we took a ride on the ferry to get to Manly Beach, where we had the famous ‘fish ‘n’ chips’ that Australia is supposedly famous for.

We had a beautiful view of the Opera house and Harbour bridge from the boat ride.

We attended a short presentation about Aboriginal music, and got to try out the didgeridoo.

That night, we met up with some of the Baha’is for dinner at a Thai restaurant

before heading off to the 19-day Feast where we met many more of the Baha’is from the community.

Mey and Shideh have been volunteering at the Baha'i House of Worship for the last month.

(Left to right: me, Shideh, Mey and Nosrat)

It was Nosrat’s birthday on that day, so after the Feast was over, we celebrated by heading out to a 24-hour pancake place!

(Left to right: me, Nosrat, Anneleis and Fiona)

The next morning we spent at the House of Worship, in Sydney. It was nice to see Laifi again (from the Yamaguchi camp)!

(Left to Right: Rajeev, Fiona, Sheila, Miho, Nosrat, me and Laifi)

He was showing us around the information building.

He pulled me over to show me the following:

There’s a blown-up picture of Alan, who lives in Fukuoka!

This is one of the few pictures with Anneleis (she's holding her baby niece.) She was with us for most of the time that we spent in Sydney. Also in the picture: her older sister and younger brother, Jalal.

We went down to Bondi beach, where we tried not to be blown away by the strong winds.

'Fried mars bars' are a speciality here, according to Fiona. I'm always game for trying new stuff, especially if it involves chocolate...!

Although it doesn't look too appetizing, it tasted delicious!

New Year's Eve we spent at Piper's Port. From there, we had a beautiful view of the harbour bridge, the Opera house and the city skyline when the fireworks were set off to ring in the new year!

The next day, we headed back to Melbourne. Going back to Jon's place felt like coming home. His mom (and him) made us feel so at home.

We spent the last day wandering around downtown, buying last minute stuff to take back, just taking in/enjoying the city.

Writing postcards

Miho trying to 'take in' as much as possible. :)

And that was that....we left Jon's place at 6am for our flight out.

We had a bit of an adventure on our way back home…When we arrived in Shanghai where we were to catch a connecting flight to Japan, we found that the plane had already taken off. Without us!! We ended up spending an extra night in Shanghai which turned out to be an interesting evening.

We were put up in a hotel about 30 minutes from the airport. I don’t think the staff were in the habit of seeing many (if any at all) foreigners. We got massages from a place where it looked like men might enjoy the services offered by the girls more than we would… But hey, I enjoyed my foot massage!

We ended getting home a day later than expected, but it was an excellent trip!