Its been a busy couple of weeks!

Was just thinking about you guys today. Been missing Japan and dreaming about all my favourite haunts.The weather here in Perth is indeed a fascinating study in contradictions!They announce Spring in their first breath and finished with hailstones, thunderstorms and powerful winds!
Needless to say as a result I have been at sixes and sevens with the flu, coughs and colds and worse of all my asthma has been playing up!That said, i am not getting much rest due to my own fault of over loading myself with study, volunteerism etc.
I have had a quite moment or two when I have been able to remind myself that this is exactly how I lost everything I loved in the past! You know.. by getting too sick to stay, so I am doing the best I can to slow down a bit and get things done the first time around.
Procrastination levels high, productivity is low, intake of foods that will kill you are high and energetic output ... minimal! However, the best part about all of that is that I actually KNOW what I am doing and can take the corrective steps!
Am also running my cousins coffee van for her at the moment as she is in hospital after having a whipple procedure. This involves long drives and making coffees! It has been an interesting adventure that I will not continue with after she is well enough to stand up and do it herself. However,Takako and I have seen a great deal more of the countryside in this past few weeks than in the two years previous to that!
Tee has had her stitches out now from her right carpel tunnel op and is still a little frustrated at not being able to use her hand, but she is in good spirits.HRH Takara is growing up fast and is very cheeky. Stuck his head into the bin this evening and after a great deal of noise and commotion the picture below is the result!
So there we have it!
Hoping all is well with you all and am looking forward to traveling home soon!! Was telling Dad today that I can't believe that I haven't been in a plane for over two years now. Feet quite itchy now for a quick flight and a great onsen bath!
Out for now.
Cynthia (Ms T & HRH Takara)

The microphones look a little different over here!

At the Avon Descent

At the football!  

Oh hurry up will you!  How many photos do you want anyway!

   

Ummm... It wasn't me! 

え～そうなんだぁ

スリランカから移住してきた生徒は、初めて　”冬”　を体験中。　
冬の服装はしたことがなかったので、少しずつ寒さに応じて、買い足しているそうです。
スリランカでは、お風呂は　お湯ではなく　”水”　だそうです。そんなに暑いんだぁ。
温泉王国出身の私には、水で体を洗う？考えられないなぁ。

ケニア出身の生徒は、コートに手袋、地元オージーは、半そで、中にはランニングの人も。
体感温度はこんなにも違うんだぁ。

冬でも日差しは強いので、サングラスは必需品。

ロシア出身の生徒は、とてもおしゃれさん。
ミスコンテスト1位が多いベネズエラ出身の生徒は、さすがに美人さん揃い。

われらがアジア出身者は、”年齢より若く見えて”　その上　”お肌がきれい”と言われていますよぉ。

Rainbow

6月28日で半年間のESLのコースが終わりました。
このコースはこちらのYear 12（高校3年）と同等レベルで、公式に認められます。
途中から落ちこぼれ状態で、辞めることも考えました。
それくらい辛かったから、今は、達成感と疲労が同時にやってきています。

最後の課題をクリアした帰り道、二重の虹が祝福してくれました。

見えますか？屋根の上の虹...

限りなく半円に近い虹

こちらは冬で雨期、大雨の後、こんな虹をよく見かけます。
今年は昨年に比べて寒いような気がします。
去年使わなかったヒートテックとホッカイロ、重宝しています。

日本も雨期、災害がありませんように願っています。

タカコ

Studying

The body is getting stronger and stronger and my mind was starting to itch... needing stimulation.  I started studying different things last May and have finished a number of very interesting courses to Australian-ize my Japanese Experience.

I remember taking with Steve about this many years ago when he was doing his Masters. Having something for the time you go home.. he has said.  I told him I was never going home and so I didn't even want to think about it!

Should have done something .. should have done my MBA back then... Still I am not terribly unhappy about how life has been rolling along.

Have had a few issues with fibroids and will be having surgery on the 29th of May to fix the situation. Apparently hormonally male, I am never going to have kids without some medical assistance.. go figure!! Anyway, I am not unhappy about this either really!

You know what, time heals just about everything and I am feeling better "inside" than I have for many many years!  It is really odd how relaxed and calm I am feeling.  For those of you who can, take a really long break.  I mean take 6 months or a year.. life and all of your perspectives change! They really do!

Anyhow.. take care and hope to hear more from you guys.  Sometimes I wonder if anyone is actually reading this.. still.. I am communicating and I guess that in itself is a big step forward for me! :))

Bye for now.

CK

I just have to believe this!

What does it involve?

Moving here and getting it done is not as easy as just getting off the plane and walking into a job.  Well, in reality that was not going to be the way I did it anyhow! I have taken the past two years off.  It has cut into some investments I had, but the two years have been good for me in so many ways.

Now I didn't just lay about doing nothing!

I volunteered, I studied, I rebuilt relationships with family, saw doctors and I recuperated.
I think I am getting ready now to move on from this place I am at and become a little bit more productive.

There is still one person whom  I would like to hang by his feet from a tall tree and whack occassionally... but I am working on that and hopefully, I will be done with him soon.

After two years of not being sure when or if I would ever be going home to Japan, I know that at the very least, for a few weeks I will be home in Kagoshima in 2013. Will have to see how things go at that time.  Hopefully I will be able to travel to a JALT conference and meet up with friends too.  That would be nice.

Until next month ...

This no longer worries me much either, because what will be.. will be!

Its a boy!

Takako and I decided that putting off children was the only decision we could make.  However to keep us on our parental toes we have gone off and adopted a beagle!

This is Takara!  The cutest, cheekiest little Mr. alive!  We have grown very attached to him and from sleeping outside upon arrival, he now sleeps on the bottom of our bed! So far so good.

2012年 如月

2月6日から新学期が始まりました。
シンシアは4科目を勉強しているので、9時から17時までみっちりしごかれています。
私は英語の集中講義を9時から15時まで受講しています。
クラスメートは、南米・ヨーロッパ・中東・東南アジア・アジア出身で、本国では医者・大学教授・技師・民族兵士だった人たちです。
ミャンマーの民族兵士だったPhewは、内戦で地雷を踏んでしまい右足膝下が義足です。
こんなに身近に、「戦争」があるんです。たまたま、生まれた場所が違うだけで・・・
こんなに若い元兵士Phewは、物静かですが、物事をとても深く考えています・・・祖国では今なおミヤンマーからの独立を求めて、戦いが続いているそうです。
大学編入が目的の学生のために、入試対策もあります。
その他は、私と同様、「英語の上達」が目的です。
私よりも流暢に英語を話すのに、”英語が不十分”と面接で言われた人も多く、気合を入れて勉強しないと就職レベルに到達しないなぁ、と意気消沈気味です。
が、生まれて初めての電車通学！楽しんでいます！家から駅まで徒歩15分、乗車時間7分。学校は駅前なので、本場の‘駅前留学‘です。
英語の上達？？？半年後をお楽しみに！

みなさん、こんにちは
新年のご挨拶が遅れて遅れて、気づくと節分まで過ぎてしまいましたﾖ～。

”災難の後に幸多き未来あり”　の1年でありますように。
そして、私は、”果報を寝て待とう”と思っています。

1月10日に家族が増えました。現在、生後13週目、5.8kgのビーグル犬（オス）で、タカラ（宝）です。
”子を持って知る親の恩”の毎日で、早起きしています。

2月6日から新学期が始まりました。
シンシアは、Diploma of Businessでビジネスの勉強を、
私はCertificate IV in English as a Second Languageで、英語に自信をつけるための勉強をします。

✈渡豪してまだ2年目ですが、”住めばパースは第二の故郷”って感じです。
先日気温42度を初体験。今日、明日と気温26度。差が大きいです。

2012年が皆様にとってよき年となりますように、南半球より願っています。

シンシア　＆　タカコ

2012 ... Its a brand new year

This year, the year of the Dragon is a year of more change for the two of us at Dudley Road!
Recognising the fact that we are now probably too old to seriously consider raising children, we have decided to adopt a Beagle puppy.

Takara (Treasure) was born on the 7th November 2011.  He shares his birthday with his grandfather Brian.  For me (Cyn) this is a good date, as I am not likely to forget his birthday! For whatever reason, I seem to be getting more and more forgetful in general.

This new addition to the family has changed our lifestyle a great deal already!  Takara wakes up at between 5 and 5:30am and wants breakfast!  After a full day of play he wants dinner at 6pm and then gets tired and cranky around 7pm and wants his mummy (Takako) to put him to bed. We put him outside (I carry him out) at 10pm and then Takako and I are off to bed ourselves!

My 8am wake ups and 12-2am bedtimes have had to change, but in general I am not that upset about it!  Still, for these two new parents, "nanny naps" are slowly becoming a necessity, especially as we try to keep up with HRH!!

Other than this, we both start back for another semester (6 months) of study after which we will both begin the job hunting process! We are both doing some volunteer work with the local community radio station, and will start our own programme on air sometime in the next month.
I am also doing a few hours a week with Communicare, working with helping to find homes for newly arrived refugee migrants.

These activities are so different from what I did in Japan and in a way very mentally taxing and in another, very relaxing!  In any case, it is a great departure from the life I have lived, less stress, less responsibility and less strategising! Being so easily replaceable is in itself so free!! :)

Anyhow, Takako and I wish you all an equally stress free and happy 2012.

Cynthia