I went to Hokkaido last weekend with my co-workers for an Amity convention. This is a gathering of the best Amity schools in Japan and because we were rated number 1 of course we got to go. The vice president even asked that I give a speech and use Japanese....I was a bit shocked when I heard this, but I thought it would be fun to speak Japanese in front of 300 people...!
So we arrived and right away we went to the reception. There were a bunch of people who gave speeches before me and none of them used Japanese. So when my turn came I was kinda nervous, but I went up there and gave my 1 minute Japanese speech and I think it went well. In fact I heard the president's table oooing and ahhhing. That gave me an extra boost of confidence and I delivered the English portion of my speech without looking down at my notes. It was a nice experience and I'll never forget that. I took a video, so you can all see it when I get back because I won't be putting it on fbook.
I am winding down here, I'm kind of in that weird state that feels like the end of college or high school. It's kind of exciting, but kind of sad to think that this part of my life is over. I am ready to come home because I am sooo home sick and miss everyone dearly, but I've made a little family over here and it is going to be hard to say goodbye. Sorry to get all dramatic, but I'm listening to the new Bon Iver album as I type and it kind of makes me all emotional. The thing I am going to miss the most is my students, I have some truly amazing students. I'll miss the way the young ones tell me stories about their day in Japanese and I just go WOW or SUGOI! and they get so proud because they impressed me. I have these five 3 yr old students who I have taught since the day I got here every Saturday morning. They are like little angels, they all sit in a perfect semi-circle around me and say all the weather and feeling words perfectly as their parents and other interested parents watch from the window. It is moments like this I am going to miss.
BUT, none of that can compare to the excitement I am feeling from the thought of being able to talk face to face with my family and friends again. It is a lonely life out here. I have friends, but only on the weekends usually. I can't wait to see you all.
I have a couple more adventures planned, so stay tuned and I'll be home very soon.
JB
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
BANGKOK AND KOH CHANG
The Thailand trip was a success. I did exactly what I had planned to do which was relax. My previous trips involved a lot of traveling and changing hotels, which is cool, but not very relaxing. In Thailand we stayed in Bangkok for two nights in the same hotel and then we moved on to Koh Chang and stayed in the same Bungalow for four nights. It was the perfect way to spend a vacation.
That is the Giant Gold Buddha in Bangkok. Quite a site. I arrived a day later than my friends because I had to work on Thursday. So I arrived in Bangkok and had about 4 hours to kill before meeting them. I hopped in this Tuk Tuk or motorcycle taxi and he took me to all the major sightseeing spots for like $5!!! Everything was soooo cheap there. It was a good way to kill time and he was a funny guy who kept saying I was a bad boy because I told him I had multiple girlfriends....haha I wish. I then hopped on a boat and it took me all around Bangkok and I got some really nice pics of the river. This picture is of a lady hard at work in the floating market. She was weaving and sellinng fruits at the same time while being blanketed by the extreme heat. I don't know how people do it!
After finally meeting up with the guys. We couldn't find each other at the first meeting spot, so we got lucky and met at the second more American spot... McDonalds! It was so exciting to see them because for a little bit I thought I might be spending my vacation alone.....We checked into a hotel and headed out for a bite and some beers, which again was ridiculously inexpensive. $10 for a full meal and 4 beers. We then headed to the Muay Thai arena. We were waiting outside for the matches to start when I heard some Japanese being spoken, I got all excited and marched right up to these four cute Japanese girls and began putting on the charm. But they had just finished watching the first round of matches and were leaving which was a shame. So the matches started and I was so excited because we got to sit ringside, which was awesome. You could hear every punch, knee and kick hitting the skin or the bones of the opponents. It was quite the show. Again we had some Japanese guys behind us and we spoke to them the whole time. It is quite a feeling to be speaking a language other than English in a different Asian country. Below is us before the match showcasing our muscles and bad ass faces.
The next day we headed east towards Cambodia to an island called Koh Chang which means Elephant Island. I was so excited to see and ride some elephants. It is on my bucket list to do that and I can safely cross that one off. The bus ride down there and ferry were definitely rough on all of us. It is difficult to go out and party all night and then sit in an uncomfortable bus seat with a disgusting bathroom for 6 hours. But, we made it and it was ecstasy arriving at our Bungalow on the beach. This place was exactly what I wanted. We were on a hill in the jungle and only 30 seconds from the beach. We had an amazing view and there weren't any other tourists around our bungalow. We proceeded to sit and chill on the beach for two days while we rebooted our bodies. Below is a picture from our first night there. SUBLIME!
The third day we decided to rent some scooters and drive around the island. It was my friend's first time riding on scooters and they were a bit shaky and slow at first, but they gained confidence and we were zooming around that island at like 55mph. In Thailand there doesn't appear to be many traffic rules because we kept getting passed on one lane streets and what not, so we said screw it, so we started going fast and passing all the slow drivers too. It was a nice little rush to be driving something that has an engine. It was my first time doing that in over 18 months!! We visited a waterfall and some other picturesque places along the way. It was one of the best days of the trip.
The first night in Koh Chang there was this amazing fire spinner. I didn't have my camera with me at the time, so I couldn't get any pictures. But on the last night this man and his child showed up at our hotel and starting fire spinning with these cool sticks. It was an amazing show especially because this kid was like 6 or 7 years old. Below is a picture of him by himself doing his thing.
I left the next day by myself again, because I had to work the next day...so lame. The way back was that bad, I picked up the Red Hot Chili Peppers autobiography by Anthony Kiedis and I couldn't put it down. I must have read 350 pages by the time I got back to Japan. So that was my trip, a lot of relaxing, scootering and swimming.
Until next time.
JB
That is the Giant Gold Buddha in Bangkok. Quite a site. I arrived a day later than my friends because I had to work on Thursday. So I arrived in Bangkok and had about 4 hours to kill before meeting them. I hopped in this Tuk Tuk or motorcycle taxi and he took me to all the major sightseeing spots for like $5!!! Everything was soooo cheap there. It was a good way to kill time and he was a funny guy who kept saying I was a bad boy because I told him I had multiple girlfriends....haha I wish. I then hopped on a boat and it took me all around Bangkok and I got some really nice pics of the river. This picture is of a lady hard at work in the floating market. She was weaving and sellinng fruits at the same time while being blanketed by the extreme heat. I don't know how people do it!
After finally meeting up with the guys. We couldn't find each other at the first meeting spot, so we got lucky and met at the second more American spot... McDonalds! It was so exciting to see them because for a little bit I thought I might be spending my vacation alone.....We checked into a hotel and headed out for a bite and some beers, which again was ridiculously inexpensive. $10 for a full meal and 4 beers. We then headed to the Muay Thai arena. We were waiting outside for the matches to start when I heard some Japanese being spoken, I got all excited and marched right up to these four cute Japanese girls and began putting on the charm. But they had just finished watching the first round of matches and were leaving which was a shame. So the matches started and I was so excited because we got to sit ringside, which was awesome. You could hear every punch, knee and kick hitting the skin or the bones of the opponents. It was quite the show. Again we had some Japanese guys behind us and we spoke to them the whole time. It is quite a feeling to be speaking a language other than English in a different Asian country. Below is us before the match showcasing our muscles and bad ass faces.
The next day we headed east towards Cambodia to an island called Koh Chang which means Elephant Island. I was so excited to see and ride some elephants. It is on my bucket list to do that and I can safely cross that one off. The bus ride down there and ferry were definitely rough on all of us. It is difficult to go out and party all night and then sit in an uncomfortable bus seat with a disgusting bathroom for 6 hours. But, we made it and it was ecstasy arriving at our Bungalow on the beach. This place was exactly what I wanted. We were on a hill in the jungle and only 30 seconds from the beach. We had an amazing view and there weren't any other tourists around our bungalow. We proceeded to sit and chill on the beach for two days while we rebooted our bodies. Below is a picture from our first night there. SUBLIME!
The third day we decided to rent some scooters and drive around the island. It was my friend's first time riding on scooters and they were a bit shaky and slow at first, but they gained confidence and we were zooming around that island at like 55mph. In Thailand there doesn't appear to be many traffic rules because we kept getting passed on one lane streets and what not, so we said screw it, so we started going fast and passing all the slow drivers too. It was a nice little rush to be driving something that has an engine. It was my first time doing that in over 18 months!! We visited a waterfall and some other picturesque places along the way. It was one of the best days of the trip.
The first night in Koh Chang there was this amazing fire spinner. I didn't have my camera with me at the time, so I couldn't get any pictures. But on the last night this man and his child showed up at our hotel and starting fire spinning with these cool sticks. It was an amazing show especially because this kid was like 6 or 7 years old. Below is a picture of him by himself doing his thing.
I left the next day by myself again, because I had to work the next day...so lame. The way back was that bad, I picked up the Red Hot Chili Peppers autobiography by Anthony Kiedis and I couldn't put it down. I must have read 350 pages by the time I got back to Japan. So that was my trip, a lot of relaxing, scootering and swimming.
Until next time.
JB
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