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Yesterday the school I was at was having some sort of international day with myself being English, a Korean lady to teach Korean and a dreadlocked silver jewellery-wearing black man from New York who has lived in Osaka for twelve years teaching music.

It`s hard readjusting to in your face Western conversations when you are faced day to day with normally passive Japanese who on the whole are very conservative and withhold their true opinions or just don`t understand most of what you are saying. He entered and after speaking to the head teacher in fluent Japanese turned to me and with a flick of his dreadlocks said “Yo man what`s up?”

This makes me revert to normal English stereotypical Hugh Grant um and arring. The shock just threw me out of synch completely. When I play(ed) frisbee in Osaka in the summer there were many Americans with their typical optimistic and friendly attitudes and I couldn`t seem to adjust easily from not being able to be understood with quiet Japanese to outgoing and embracing Westerners.

Elsewhere I may be taken on full time at the English school I`ve been subsituting at as the woman wants me to work Friday as well and said we need to talk which means I hope that she has sacked the normal bloke for failing to turn up/contact her. I`m not one to wish ill on others but I need a steady income coming in and two part time jobs are better than one and a half.

I finally opened a bank account today in my name today. Better late than never. UFJ! UFJ! You need a special personalised stamp to open an account and for all official documents and contracts. Flickr is down at the moment but when it is back up I will explain the crazy Japanese stamp for your perusal.