Another conversation

Hello,
Well Graeme comes today for his less then 24hr stop over in Japan. I am heading off to meet in at that airport shortly. I am very excited to see him.

I need to share this little moment. I know this blog is a little public but I have no one here to share this stuff with so blog it is.
I have gotten some questions regarding my boyfriend Talal. The fact he is Saudi Arabian and the like. My family and friends don't have the opportunity to meet him so I wanted to share this.
The other night we were out for dinner. Talal starts telling me some stories about he and his friends back in Saudi. Then he starts telling me a story that upset me a lot. In Saudi, which is super Islamic, men and women are kept separate so the only contact Talal and his friends have with women are the women in his family and the maids. The maids are almost always foreigners from a variety of countries like Indonesia, India, or Sir Lanka. So if young guys are going to have any opportunity of dreaming or pursuing their sexual side, their best luck is with the maids. Talal was innocently telling me a story about his cousin and I completely flipped out on him. It wasn't so much the story but how he referred to this maid or maids in general, like they weren't people. That wasn't what he intended and I knew that but I became so angry that I couldn't hold back. . He was shocked. He said, "This really upsets you. Why?" My feminist, western raised, humanist part just tore a strip off him and explained why and when I was finished and I felt a little bad for coming down so hard on him so I was about to say I was sorry when he looked at me and said, " whomever gets to have you will be the luckiest man in the world." That is Talal and I love him for his faults, his innocents, his open mind and his open heart. I have never met anyone like him and may never again. We are learning so much from each other. Our time is short but it is memorable.

Have a nice weekend.

cheers,
L.

Nothing like good conversation!!!

Hello,
Well not to much to update for you.
Today I had a fabulous conversation with a fellow Gaba teacher. We started our conversation on the subject of Japanese Manga (Japanese comic books) after the last lesson and then headed to an izakaia (Japanese bar/restaurant) to continue. We talk about all manner of things from manga, to religion, to Japanese language, to evolution, literature, metaphysics, astronomy, to our relative status of geekism. It was so fabulous.... oh how I miss intelligent conversation!!! Not that Talal doesn't provide me with it, but it is hard to stray from topics other then religion. I love learning from Talal and getting to know about Saudi Arabia and Islam through him. I really don't want to take anything away from that. But my conversation tonight was so fast passed and varied and Mike (the dude) is crazy smart, and he is a native English speaker so nothing need be translated, so nice, and so rare. He is also an environmentalist!!!! Even MORE rare! And he is an American, who would have guessed?! lol just kidding...no i am not, not going to lie. oh and he has been in japan for something like 5 years and isn't married...American male, in japan, with the language, and not married....and smart, and an environmentalist, and a geek like me!! He is also gives off no macho, me male- me so great vibes. He went to some crazy gay/feminist college in the states and is so proud of it. Okay, I realize for those in Canada that might not be a big deal, but here in Japan, I have not met anyone like this! I am probably over doing it as I do when I get excited. We all know this by know, but good conversation is so hard to find!

Well other then that....things are fine. I have booked my flight home which is bittersweet. I find myself so torn. I really can't wait to get home, I have this crazy love for Canada at the moment and I just need to get home. I don't really feel homesick exactly, just in love with my country and I want to be there. But....I have at the same time, fallen totally in love with Talal. What can I say...every the dramatic queen I suppose. Maybe I always had some unconscious wish for a tragic forbidden love affair and I am just living some fantasy...sometimes it feels like that. Talal is very much the romantic hero.

I go on vacation in a week. I am VERY excited. Talal and I are going to the Izu islands.

So apparently when I say I don't have much to report...that gives me license to talk forever. But never fear, I am done now.
Cheers,
L.

Another quake

So apparently there was another earthquake.
Still alive. I don't think this latest one was felt in Tokyo, but I am not a good judge of these things. However I can report that I did (apparently) feel the first one as it happened at 10:13am and woke me up. I did not know what had woken me from my slumber and assumed it was just the fact that I can't sleep-in properly. It wasn't me, it was my building swaying on its foundation. who knew eh?

I have a bad cold which I have been battling for over a week and can't seem to shake. But otherwise I am doing fine.
I am planing my life.
Enjoying being with Talal as long as I can.

Cheers,
Linden

Tokyo and I are doing fine

hello all,
This is just a quick note to tell you all that I am fine, and T0kyo has survived the lasted assault by mother nature. I have received a few emails inquiring on the situation re huge typhoon and huge earthquake. The typhoon did the most damage in Japan but never fully hit Tokyo as expected, it redirected itself into the pacific before it it. We did receive tonnes of rain and some high winds but we were spared. The south of Japan was no so lucky. The earthquake last night was centered 160km north of Tokyo. It killed three people and caused a small fire at a nuclear plant. Apparently buildings in Tokyo swayed with the shocks....however as usual I didn't feel anything. I have yet to feel an earthquake here.

So nature continues to rage and I continue to be unaffected. I hope my good luck lasts.

Cheers,
Linden

Another visitor!!!

I have some great news! I will be having another visitor!!! Graeme, one of my dearest friends, will be stopping in to see me in Tokyo on his way to Thailand. Graeme is moving to Thailand for the year to teach English at a fancy international school just outside of Bangkok. I will be of course returning the visit when I stop in Bangkok on my way to South Asia.

I am so excited to see him! He was in Europe when I visited home in May so I haven't seen him for almost a whole year! (from looking at his Euro pics I think I think I can safely say he no longer has the facial hair!!!)

Anyway that is it for me. Wait actually no, I have finally experienced those crazy Japanese sales I heard about before coming! I went into French Connection today where almost everything was 70% off!!! I got a great pair of jeans for like $42 ( the exchange rate is in favor of the Canadian dollar these days.)!!!! So thats really exciting news as well!!
Cheers,
Linden

Tem's bday

I have been a very bad sister.
My beloved sister September turned 39 last month. I called her on her special day (I was the second to call in fact!) and her present is somewhere over the Pacific making its way to LA. I feel really bad because I just realized that I never mentioned her bday on my blog but I mentioned Ashley's.
For those of you who don't know September or would like an update... she is living in LA and runs a raw food company. She still works in film from time to time but her real passion is raw food. For those of you who haven't eaten raw, or if you have and you think it is blah...you must try Tem's stuff. She is gourmet gourmet!!!! I have rarely ever in my life tasted foods so delicious and full of flavour!!! And if I were to live in a warm climate...I would be all raw for sure!!! Of course she would have to teach me how to prepare the stuff and hand over her secret recipes!!! She teaches classes too! Anyway....
Happy Birthday Tem!
I miss you!
And I can't wait to get to LA to see you!!!

hehe...

This is one of my favorite pictures of Talal.
He is not going to like this.....oh well!

Gaba

Yo,
So I have some news. I have taken on a second job. I am now working for Gaba which is a an English language school. Gaba is really a fabulous company. I am able to set all my own hours. The company actually started out as a kind of connection service where it would match people wanted private English lessons with teachers and the lessons would be held in cafes or student homes, but as it grew the company decided to centralize and created learning studios for the lessons to be taught in. They have also created their own textbooks, have a rather strict dress code for teachers, and have a general "Gaba method" approach to teaching that all their teachers must follow. While I make just less then half of that I make with my private students, I am able to teach a lot more classes and I love the learn studios. I am so sick of teaching in cafes. So I am now doing that in the evenings from tues to fri. I have Saturdays off and I work the late afternoon and even on Sundays. I will be busy but I think that will be better then having so much time of my hands and I will be earning more money for my trip this fall. I had looked into hostessing, which would have earned me more money, but I just knew I would never be able to handle the amount of smoke in those places and I really didnt like the idea of being pressured to drink, espically when I have to work the next day. So I am sticking with teaching, but so far I am really happy with Gaba. I love their text books, and their very swanky learning studios- very modern, very chic. I did have to buy a new suit since I sent home all my business clothing and their dress code requires a black suit. I now have a great new zippy black suit which I love. I can also leave it at the learning studio so I don't have to carry it around with me all day. It is actually kind of nice to get all dress up and hang out with grownups after a day with kids.

Besides my new job.... well I went to see shrek last wednesday since it was raining....but I ended up seeing a dubbed movie. Thats right! I watched Shrek the Third in Japanaese!!!

Ani left yesterday. We said goodbye friday night. It is a little scary now, the knowledge that I am alone follows me everywhere, even though I am not really alone. Now that Ani and Nina have left, I no longer have a reason for being here. However I am going to make the most of my time left in Japan. I am excited about my new job and I have Talal.

Talal is a prince. I couldn't ask for a more wonderful guy to be by my side through this. He always finds a way to make me smile.

So that is it. Now I am just waiting until it is an okay time to call Canada....I received an email from my mumma asking me to call home....I guess it has been a while. ooops

cheers,
Linden

Ashely's 25th Birthday!!!

Well today my sister Ashely turns 25!!!
(I am writing this at 12:15am on the 3rd of July in Tokyo, but it is still the 2nd in Canada!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!!!

We had a wonderful long chat this morning (her morning). She didn't seem too down and depressed about reaching the "scary" age, leaving her early 20s behind, and in general just becoming OLD! But I am sure it will all sink in and she will totally freak out and at some point cry herself to sleep. (come on Ash, I have faith in you!)

A quick update on my life- I have taken on a second job as an English teacher for a company called Gaba. It seems like a really great and progressive company-very liberal textbooks with an interested feminist edge (especially in the career business text books). I will be teaching private lesson and I get to make my own schedule! I hope that this will provide me with the extra money I need for my trip to South Asia in the fall.

Canada day was just not Canada day.....but Talal and I did go to Karaoke and sang some Cline Dion, Alanis Morisette, and Shania Twain. ( I had to balance the sappy which is Talal's favorite, with some angry girl music, and a little "Man! I feel like a women!")
Cheers,
L.