A bit about my life

I currently live in Osaka, Japan. I came here on May 8th last year. There is a story about my arrival here, but suffice to say for the moment I came to work for the ill-fated English conversation school, Nova. Nova went bankrupt later in the year, leaving me high and dry with no savings and huge debts to pay. Still, I decided to stick Japan out, as I was awaiting news of some funding for a scientific project that I had applied for. I later got the funding, but short term work was hard to come by. The short term solution was obvious however; private students.

Like any venture, it started slowly, with only a small number, but within a couple of months, I was teaching 30 lessons a week, essentially a full load. Nova was taken over by a new company - G-communication (although "NO-communication" might be a better name), and I got my full time job back. My work load would have to be 'rationalised'. I retained 22 private students - essentially the ones I couldn't, or didn't want to, say no to. Lovely people.


This week is a strange, cruel and horrible one. Next week I start my new job as a scientist working at Tohoku University in Sendai. So I must leave Osaka, and my private students.
Many farewell parties, and many sad goodbyes. Tonight I had a last lesson with my youngest (and coolest) student, Ryosuke. He obviously didn't enjoy tonight's lesson, and I got sent packing!! Seriously though, they gave me a beautiful pen, which I love already!

So this blog is essentially for those students. They can see what I get up to, and I'll try with some type of regularity to update this with pretty pictures and all.