Things will never be the same again...

Oh, hang on, they will. And they are. Except for one thing. I've taught almost as many lessons at Junior High in the past week than I had in the previous three months. What's going on? Don't ask me. I sense a Princess Diana like conspiracy...

It feels strange that I've been back in Japan for almost two weeks now, as I feel pretty much as I did before I left and any post-trip blues have gone. For a brief moment I missed the London life, but that has passed. For the first couple of days back I was full of snotty flu and spent 3/4 of the day under my quilt in front of my computer watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Dallas DVDs (I had forgotten what a wonder Pamela Ewing was. It was a shame she had to phone Bobby on her car phone while driving and end up under the bottom of a lorry in flames having to have major plastic surgery that left her looking like a completely different actress, so much so that she felt too self-conscious to return to Southfork and her irritating fugly child Christopher. Still, that's life eh?)

At the weekend Ab Slance ferried me to RayVon's where we had our Christmas party (with LeeJay, Saddam and Fiona) although fortunately that didn't involve a)movement or b) leaving the house. I continued to demonstrate how not to be the life and soul of the party by taking frequent naps and going to bed and then getting up and then going back like a yo-yo with a bad attitude.

School started on the Tuesday and the first day of doing nothing was followerd by dinner at Wakaba with LeeJay and Nao chan, my Japanese friend. It was reassuring to eat foods I liked in Japan as the lure of roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding was almost too strong, but kimchee cha han (korean chilli fried rice) and agedashi tofu (deep fried tofu with ginger and fish flakes in soup) brightened me up no end. In fact, any instance of not having to cook for myself brightens me up no end...

Back to school on Wednesday and lessons began for me. By the end of the week I'd done 6 lessons (which doesn't sound like much for 4 days of work, but for here it was like a bonanza).

Wednesday and Friday nights gave me necessary opportunities to make a fool of myself as we went to dance class and I appeared unable to stretch any muscle in my body to at all. How I laughed when the instructor demonstrated putting his feet behind his head. How I cried when I actually tried it. How I damaged myself when we tried the splits. In fact Friday's warm up consisted of 2 Japanese women doing it perfectly, AbSlance and Leejay getting it wrong and me rolling round the floor groaning like a pensioner with cystitis.

The weekend was party time and all the gang came to Katsuyama (the gang sounds a bit crap doesn't it, like something your Mum would say trying to be cool.) Nao chan and her husband, who we call Papa san, were holding a party for my and Johanna's birthdays. So with everyone together we first went to the Samurai House in Katsuyama, but it was closed. However, the lady who ran it was kind enough to show us around the gardens (duration: 4 minutes) and explained about things in Japanese. And as I had the best knowledge of Japanese there, it became my turn to make appropriate noises and pretend to understand. I don't think I fooled her though...

The party was crazy. There were the six of our group, Nao chan and her husband, Oji san, their 72 year old friend, another couple and their neice who spoke very good English. So much food had been prepared and so much alcohol purchased it was unbelievable. We drank and drank and drank, by 8pm everyone was drunk and Leejay and RayVon definitely surpassed the rest of us storming round the house all night, flashing Saddam and Fiona when they had gone to bed. They flashed me too, but I refused to look on the grounds it was pointless. Why do I want to see breasticles?

Well, Leejay was suffering on Sunday, as was RayVon who looked fit to chuck and had a two hour bus journey home. Leejay stayed with me and we watched DVDs and ate lots of crap (which seems a good way to spend a Sunday).

Today I have been hugely busy, having taught in all 5 sessions. And tonight? More dancing. If the no pain no gain thing is true then I must be friggin' wonderful now. I may be too wonderful to walk by the end of the night...