英会話プライベートレッスン

Hi there everyone, Anand as always. Hope you all had a great long weekend. I have been madly busy in the past few weeks, but this weekend was my oasis from the daily grind. Unlike most of my weekends, where I work or think about working, I decided this weekend would be better spent with some good friends, some good food and some good drink. You’ll see what I mean.

On Friday I met up with two old friends from university, Moe and Fumi. I took Japanese lessons with Moe in university. I ended up teaching in Japan for over five years, and he spent the time pursuing a doctorate in Japanese history. Fumi was an exchange student while I was studying and now she lives in Tokyo. ?Moe is going to do research in Kyushu but stopped in Tokyo to meet up with us. ?We had some great Mexican food and went to karaoke together. ?And of course, we took some purikura. ?Here are the results. ?My eyes are pretty scary, right?

On Saturday a friend of mine from Isumi-gun in Chiba game over to visit me. ?I showed him around Chinatown and we ate at an all you can eat restaurant. ?Oh, and we had some beer too. ?Well, not some…lots.

And finally I went to Yotsukaido for a wine party, hosted by one of my friends. ?Dr. Sato is one of the first people I met in Japan and I taught his son in junior high school. ?He has always been super kind to me and I consider myself lucky to know him.

It was a great weekend with friends out of three chapters in my life. ?But they are all people I would never know if I taken an interest in Japanese and Japan. ?For that choice that I made, over seven years ago, I am truly thankful.

Hi everyone, Anand here as always. ?Hope you guys have been keeping busy. ?I busy as ever but enjoying my life, especially since today is payday. ?So while I haven’t been able to do much in the last few weekends, I have huge plans for this weekend. ?I will show you some pictures and tell you the story when I get the chance. ?All I will say is that it involves old friends and wine.

So in America Thanksgiving is around the corner. ?When Canadians hear this, we can’t help but laugh. ?Why? ?Because our Thanksgiving is on the second Monday of October! ?In other words, our Thanksgiving has been over for a month. ?That said, since coming to Japan, I have always enjoyed having Thanksgiving dinner with the friends I have met in my time here. ?I guess when you are a foreigner in Japan, countries of origin mean a little less. ?I think the need to find a community and celebrate together is a little more important.

It’s a time for us to think about what we are thankful for. ?I am thankful that Japan has been so good to me. ?I am thankful for all the Japanese people who have treated me so kindly. ?I am also thankful for my foreign friends who let me feel at home even when I am so far away from Canada. ?And of course, I am thankful for the ridiculous amount of food I get to eat on Thanksgiving Day and the wine I wash it down with.

While it isn’t the Thanksgiving I grew up with, I still like it. ?In some ways it isn’t as good because my family is so far away. ?But in other ways it is better because it reminds me that in the years I have been here I have managed to create a new one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Anand

After looking at my food bills for the month, I definitely miss kyuushoku from my old town. In Yokohama, while it is true you can buy just about anything in the big city, you have to pay accordingly. But school lunches in Katsuura were something special. I have tasted tons of Japanese food just because they serve a lot of it in Katsuura. But my favorite thing about it was the quantity! The lunch ladies at the junior high schools hated wasting food, so they always gave me whatever was left over! ?I would get these crazy lunches without having to pay extra. The only hard part was teaching two classes after such a huge meal.

Check out this one. I got 2 bowls of cream stew, an extra piece of chicken, an extra slice of bread and extra milk. I could barely walk afterwards!

And how about this one? An extra omlette, an extra bowl of curry, TWO extra riceballs and some milk. I am amazed I stayed awake!

With all that food, you would think I would have to pay something like 1500 yen. But it was more like 400 yen a meal, which is insane. I am glad that kyuushoku exposed me to so many different types of food, but I am sad that I will never eat so much for so little again!

Well, at least while I am in Japan.

Until next time,

Anand

So I have been living in Japan for over five years, and naturally that means I have gotten a lot of haircuts over my time. I was starting to look pretty shaggy so I decided to get my first haircut in Yokohama. Even in a big city like Yokohama they still get nervous when I walk in because they don’t know if I will be able to understand them. Furthermore, I don’t think they are comfortable cutting my hair since my features aren’t like a Japanese person’s. But to be honest, I really don’t care what my hair looks like as long as it is out of my face and somewhat even.

Actually, I like getting my haircut in Japan. I never have to worry about tipping at the end. Japanese barbers always try their best to accommodate what I want, even if they don’t get it perfect. And while hair salon prices can be a little excessive, you always get a nice massage at the end. They also do little things like cleaning your ears or using a straight razor for your sideburns. These are things I like.

That said, I may think twice about leaving my hair completely to the will of my barber. I look like a bullet!