The main Characters in this thing called life

My Life in Japan

The main Characters in this thing called life

An assortment of goodies, an interesting title I thought, but what the hell should I put here? I guess I should have decided before going off into a rhetoric which is both intellectual and whiny!

Hmmm, of the 116 photos I have accessible at the moment I think I will start with photo`s of those friends who have left `the company` and thus my life in Japan. Nice linking to the web title, one has to admit!

Then I changed this section to "The main characters in this thing called life"

This is a photo of myself and perhaps my first good friend here Christine, she was also the first of my good friends to leave `the company`! Many was the night that we got drunk on whisky and spoke about anything and nothing - so quite philosophical really. The photo was taken on December 7th 2003 at Christines official leaving party in Fukuoka. She came back to her old stomping ground of Zasshonokuma and over the course of X hours we barely spoke, it was a truly saddening occurence. Now she is back in Australia and my hopes are with her.

This is a photo of a very good friend Leisa. It was taken in a Yakitori restaurant in Tenjin. The restaurant is called Mugumachu but I`ve always known it as the Cave - such a wonderfully evocative name (due no less to it being in a basement and the entrance hall is covered with mud so it looks like one is descending into a cave). Leisa is also an Australian (she hails from Brisbane) she joined `the company` a week after I did. Ahh I recall those first few weeks - when she wouldn`t say boo to a goose with such glee - after that we could rarely shut her up. Leisa may now be residing in China! (Free accommodation me thinks!)

And who might this be you are no doubt thinking? Could it be another Australian? Someone who is no longer with `the company`?

Yes, she is an Australian (or maybe she is American now). Yes, she has left the hallowed halls of `the company`. Her name is Liani and the picture was taken on the 23 rd of September 2003, her last night in Japan and with her friends - I think I can include myself in that statement. Liani as I knew her was quite special (not in the short bus variety) I never heard her say a bad word about anybody. Quite an achievement. I believe she is residing in America, I hope she enjoys it!

This young lady would be Rosie and she is from England. On my first day in Zasshonokuma where I live she took me into the city to a place where I could watch England lose to Brazil in the World Cup at the time she even had to leave before the match was half way through as she had to actually work!

Let me introduce you to one of my very good friends. This is Ray! Not sure what one can say to follow that statement. She works in `the company` and was one of the teachers who I first worked with. She remembers how much I annoyed her in those early days (not that I still don`t) but, on the first anniversary of my Father`s death she toasted his memory (something which was just such a right thing to do and something I needed) we`ve been firm friends ever since.

Ray has had her share of troubles whilst residing in Japan, she has an innate ability to be in the wrong place at entirely the wrong time, which has resulted in some serious injuries. Hopefully this trend has come to an end and she will be OK from now on.

This `gentleman` is called Mark, we will meet him or at the very least see him later in this little journal.

Mark aside from bearing a passing resemblance to Richard Branson is quite the interesting fellow. (Actually, one ventures to suggest that a significant percentage of the teachers here are interesting. An accquaintance of mine says there are two kinds of teachers; "Those who are in love with the idea of Japan and those who couldn`t hack it in their own country" I`m sure you faithful reader have decided which category I am in. I would venture a third category "Those who have no idea what to do and were fascinated by Japan"

Mark is at the time of writing my `supervisor` which means he has no power essentially but he has a lot of responsibility (this is a job that for some reason I would like).

Americans! The very word can cause nausea or ire for English people of my ilk. I don`t know why, I just know it happens. A lot like the French (Grrrrrr) the Americans are some sort of opposite of the English, but, and I will stress BUT, whilst it is appears a huge generalisation it is all conceptual. Not all Americans are annoying! Wow, am I really writing this?

Above we can see a decent chap. Craig. An American with strong Scottish ancestry, but who is first and foremost an American and then English! He has sworn his allegiance to the Queen, he is a registered anglophile and he is quite quite angry sometimes!

Two more friends here, still around, well, until the end of May. Red and Ai. Ai`s name is wonderful for causing problems, for when I refer to Ai, they sound the same just as Yuu sounds like you. I`m quite thankful that Red is not called Yuu.

Although Yuu and Ai would be quite the comedy.




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